Burn DVD Process

roxylee wrote on 7/3/2008, 2:21 PM
This is a question possibly for VMS or DAR, but since it primarily questions a dual render step in DAR, I'll start here and see where this leads.

I am using VMS 6.0 & DAR 3.0 on a dual core AMD desktop with 3GB ram and several HD's over 250GB each, so I have plenty of storage and recources for my work.

My question is workflow; i am using VMS to capture my home VHS and 8mm tapes to vegas, saving as AVI files. I am capturing 29.970 NTSC settings.

When I'm done capturing, I bring the video into VMS and apply any splits (generally at 10 minute segments and mark them and title the episode marks ( Part 01, part 02, etc). I then render the project and save it to it's own file, as an AVI file.

When the rendering is finished, I bring it into DAR and select Make DVD. I usually have to optimize the disc, then select burn. The first thing DAR does is render the video. This seems like a duplicate step to me, a very time consuming one.

Can someone explain the reason for the double rendering or a way around this if it's not necessary. I've read a bit about different types (avi, mpg, etc) but i don't claim to comprehend the benefits and reasons for them. I'm looking for as simple and straight forward workflow to capture and burn my family video's onto DVD's with chapter markings of my choosing in as little time as possible, given the confines of the equipment and tasks.

thanks

roxylee

Comments

cbrillow wrote on 7/3/2008, 3:21 PM
The simple answer is: it's all about file formats, which you confess to know little about. DVD Architect is a program for creating DVDs, which require that your file format be MPEG-2. That's why the additional render is required -- you are supplying AVI files that must be converted to MPEG-2.

Assuming that VMS offers options similar to Vegas Pro, an efficient workflow would consist of rendering to MPEG-2 and AC-3 (for the audio) at a bitrate appropriate to permit the finished files to fit on a single DVD without having to resort to the fit-to-disc optimizing step in DVD Architect.
bStro wrote on 7/3/2008, 3:30 PM
It's not a double render. What you're doing in VMS is rendering -- taking one or more video files, applying changes, and creating a new file. What you're doing in DVD Architect is encoding -- compressing your video into MPEG2, the appropriate codec / format for DVDs. (This is made less clear because, unfortunately, Vegas and DVD Architect use the word "render" for both processes. Rest assured, when DVDA says it's "rendering," it's really encoding.)

To cut down on the process, you can do your render and encode in VMS all at once by choosing MPEG2 for your output format instead of AVI.

Rob
roxylee wrote on 7/3/2008, 3:49 PM
The water is slightly less muddy, but only slightly. I understand I can choose to render in MPEG2 in VMS. Is it necessary or beneficial to choose Template as NTSC DV. In reading other postings, trying to get my arms around this, it was suggested, as you both have, to render in VMS as MPEG2, but it also said to render the audio separately :see below:

(Subject: RE: Rendering in Architect
Reply by: johnmeyer
Date: 5/17/2008 1:00:27 PM

........ audio should be rendered to AC-3 (or PCM). DVDA will NOT re-encode if you do this.)

If this is what I should be doing, I can't for the life of me figure out how to render the audio separately in VMS. Should I do this, and if so, how?
bStro wrote on 7/3/2008, 5:29 PM
I'd recommend asking this on the Vegas Movie Studio forum. Most of the people on this forum (DVD Architect Software) are using DVD Architect Pro and Vegas Pro. I believe that the rendering options for VMS are a bit different from those in Vegas Pro, so you will probably get better advice in the VMS forum.

Rob
roxylee wrote on 7/4/2008, 6:40 AM
thanks.
MPM wrote on 7/4/2008, 8:40 AM
A more ideal solution, roxylee, would be to get and use a DVDR - one of the stand-alone stbs. WHile you'll get better encoding perhaps using a PC & software, a good DVDR will filter the signal before encoding so the overall results are normally much better. Then you just copy the audio/video files to your PC & with DVDA, create your finished DVD... You can of course do a minimal DVD with the DVDR, & many folks do, but it leaves a lot to be desired compared to what you can do with DVDA.

That said, there might be better ways & software to capture your video - it would certainly cut down on time if you captured directly to mpg2, though that has it's drawbacks as well - the chief advantage of DV is that you can edit it much easier - it could potentially save you from rendering to mpg2 in either SCS app.

If you stick with DV format capture, depending on your PC, you could be losing a LOT of time not rendering your video to mpg2 in VMS or whatever NLE. On a faster system it can take almost as long writing a new DV avi file as it does to render straight to mpg2. AT the same time, there are caveats to that approach as well... you'll have to learn to use a bit rate calculator, & adjust the bit rate of the new mpg2 file - before you render it - so it'll fit on a DVD. DVDA or most authoring apps will perform this adjustment for you.

Hopefully that'll give you some ideas -- I'd suggest that you check out the video-related forums and sites like videohelp.com & doom9.org for info and guides etc. on any of the processes that interest you... they might not be specific to SCS software, but once you understand any of the processes it all applies.