Best DVD Authoring

DGates wrote on 9/30/2009, 3:18 PM
I've been editing with Vegas for over 5 years, but I've always used DVD Workshop 2 for my DVD's. It's always been super easy to use and the quality is good. But it hasn't been updated in a few years (Ulead gave up on it).

I now want more options than I was getting with DVDWS2 (scripting, etc). I just did a quick test project with DVDA 4.5. I was impressed with the array of options I had putting it together. However, to be honest, I think the quality isn't as good as what I was seeing with Workshop. That's odd because it uses a much older version of Main Concept.

Any tips? Is TMPGEnc what folks prefer to use for the encoding?

Comments

ScorpioProd wrote on 9/30/2009, 10:43 PM
I also have used DVD Workshop 2 for many years, but I've always used TMPGEnc for my encoding. I do the same thing today from Vegas Pro 9.0b with the frameserver into TMPGEnc 2.5 Plus for the video and I render AC-3 out of Vegas for use in Workshop for the audio part. I also use TMPGEnc when I am encoding for Architect.

For Architect, instead of doing the encoding there, you can either encode via a frameserver through TMPGEnc, or use the MainConcept encoder in Vegas. You have a lot more control over the settings of the MainConcept encoder in Vegas than in Architect.

If you decide to use TMPGEnc to encode for Architect, just be sure to record a system stream instead of an elementary stream, it prefers the .mpg to .m2v, unlike Workshop. And render your AC-3 from Vegas.
DGates wrote on 9/30/2009, 10:54 PM
Thanks for the info. I'll have to fiddle around more to see what works best.
NickHope wrote on 10/1/2009, 7:51 AM
I like Cinemacraft Encoder Basic for MPEG2 encoding. I find it significantly closer to the original footage than MainConcept, slightly closer than TMPGenc, and much faster than either. The only encoder I found to match its quality was Canopus Procoder 2, but that was slower and much more expensive. I frameserve to it.
bsuratt wrote on 10/1/2009, 8:05 AM
What are your settings? My experience has been a softer picture with the CC Basic.
Tech Diver wrote on 10/1/2009, 8:45 AM
I just checked out CC Basic and found that it is no longer being sold as of July 2009. The pro version costs over $1900.

Peter