Help newbie questions!

buckaroo wrote on 1/3/2007, 7:10 AM
have been using Vegas and soundforge to make a small movie with a soundtrack but now have just bought DVD Architect and have no idea how it works?

I have CD architect if that helps but i found DVD a little different...

Do i render from Vegas as a MPEG-2 file and import the whole thing into DVD Architect? then seperatley put my music track on the Audio track?

Not sure how i do menu's or simple titles? as when i did a title it ran all the way through?

What files should i end up with to burn a DVD? really confused?? - i have to export my finished file from my PC (as i dont have a dvd burner on it) and over to Toast Titanium on my Mac..

(also i seemed to get the error that all my stuff was in NTSC and not PAL which is the usual? - im in the UK is PAL best for here?)

Comments

TLF wrote on 1/3/2007, 7:40 AM
Quite a few issues there...

First, to ensure maximum compatibility of your DVD, use Vegas to render an MPEG-2 video stream and an AC-3 audio stream. There are templates available for this...

For video, select MainConcept MPEG-2 from the Save As Type drop down list, and then select the DVD Architect PAL Video Stream from the Template list.

For audio, select Dolby Digital AC-3 from the Save As Type list. The default template will suffice for now.

So, you should have two files to work with.

In DVD Architect, select File/New... and select Menu Based as the type of project, and change the Project Video format and Audio format to the PAL and AC-3.

Use the Explorer to drag and drop your video file onto the menu. Tweak away as necessary, then export your project to a DVD.

You should end up with two folders: AUDIO_TS (empty) and VIDEO_TS which will contain the files you need to transfer to the Mac.

If you want a DVD writer for the PC, check out www.svp.co.uk, www.ebuyer.co.uk, and www.aria.co.uk. Personally I would recommend DVD writers made by LIte On or LG. (Lite On makes DVD writers for Sony).

Good Luck

Worley
James Gerber wrote on 1/3/2007, 7:03 PM
To avoid headaches and 're-rendering'... it also may be worthwhile to read up quickly (or at least use) a DVD Bitrate Calculator.

http://www.videohelp.com/calc.htm
http://www.videoguys.com/Vegas_Tips/TTS01-07.pdf

It basically allows you to export MPEG-2 (using VBR) and will tell you what to set the "max" bitrate too when exporting to ensure your video will all fit on a disc.

Otherwise, if you have a long video clip, or several, you might end up being over your limit, and DVDA will 'recompress' your video.

As Worley suggested, I like to export my video as the Mpeg-2, and then my audio as AC-3 Stereo. (I haven't quite gotten into 5.1 yet)

Also, to make things easy, I set all my Chapter Points/Marks up in Vegas, and when you render out your video, have that option enabled. Makes it easy to connect buttons to certain points in your video.
TLF wrote on 1/4/2007, 1:16 AM
Also, to make things easy, I set all my Chapter Points/Marks up in Vegas, and when you render out your video, have that option enabled. Makes it easy to connect buttons to certain points in your video.

Yes, definitely do that. It's a real godsend. And with DVDA4, frame accurate chapter points!

Worley