Help please: still don't know how to burn!

Cunhambebe wrote on 4/4/2004, 2:55 PM

I've spent the whole sunday trying to figure out how to burn a dvd. The result? I've already lost 3 dvd media discs. I've done everything right, but unfortunately I came up with 3 dvds:
1)a simple dvd, one movie after the other, no menus (I had set before a dvd menu based, etc.
2)a recorded blank dvd (I thought it wasn't necessary to put all project files in those audio and video folders...)
3)a recorded dvd with other media than the project one, that were already in those folders.
What else can I do but ask questions?
1. Why do I have to put all the files that are about to be burned in those folders video and audio?
2. Do I have to put the dvd project folder there too (I di'dn't put it there, is that why the final result was one movie after the other as though they were on a timeline)?
Thanks in advance (I didn't thought it would be so difficult to deal with dvd)....:)

Comments

PeterWright wrote on 4/4/2004, 5:42 PM

I'm not sure about your "one movie after the other" project. DVDA can do SINGLE Movie projects, but you have to set this up when starting.

Anyway, it may help if I outline how to make what I would consider a "normal" DVD. Let's keep it simple and have a single menu, single movie project.

In DVDA - New > Menu Based. This opens up a new Main Menu.

Insert Media - browse and find your movie. It can be already encoded to MPEG2, but doesn't have to be - DVDA will do the encoding if necessary.

Change Text/Background image to suit how you want the menu to look.

Now, it doesn't really matter where your .dar project file and media are saved - what DOES matter is where you tell DVDA to put the Folders it will create for burning.

(Make DVD > Prepare DVD - Browse to Prepare Folder or Make a New One.

Here is where you seem to have problems. A DVD needs at least these two folders to be burnt onto it - the AUDIO_TS folder, which will be empty, and the VIDEO_TS folder, which will have all the files which DVDA is about to create. Now obviously you have to have a new folder to put these in, otherwise you could be trying to have lots of folders called AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS in the same directory, which would be chaotic and Windows will of course not allow.

All you have to do is tell DVDA which folder - DVDA will do the rest, including creating the two folders mentioned.

DVDA will now create the necessary folders/files, and the burning part can either be done by DVDA - as a "Prepare & Burn" or a separate "Burn" only, but because currently DVDA does not recognise some DVD burners, particularly with DVD-R media, you may be better off using separate Burning software - Nero, Roxio, Record Now DX etc. Just make a Data Disk.

BEWARE - do not burn the folder CONTAINING the Audio-TS and Video_TS folders onto the DVD, JUST THE AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders, to the Root directory of the DVD.

If you do want to include other media, add these outside the two folders onto the DVD.

Hope this helps rather than confuses.

Cunhambebe wrote on 4/4/2004, 8:56 PM

Nice to C you again Peter. Thanks for taking time to respond.
Let's see if I can make this concise: for the first part of your answer, yes, I took all those mesures to make sure I'd have a terrific project: menus, MPEG files, etc.
Now, for the second part of your answer - (Make DVD > Prepare DVD - Browse to Prepare Folder or Make a New One) YESSSS, I AM CONFUSED.
As I open windows explorer, I find out that I have a folder (don't know why) named version1902Back. Within it, there are 2 other subfolders named audio_ts and video_ts. OK. Now you say that....

"A DVD needs at least these two folders to be burnt onto it - the AUDIO_TS folder, which will be empty, and the VIDEO_TS folder, which will have all the files which DVDA is about to create."
Questions: Do I have to put all the video files that are about to be burned, into the VIDEO_TS folder that already exists? Do I have to let DVDA create e new folder and do all the job by itself?

"Now obviously you have to have a new folder to put these in, otherwise you could be trying to have lots of folders called AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS in the same directory, which would be chaotic and Windows will of course not allow."
Question:The only one way to open such a new folder on my platform is hitting MAKE DVD>PREPARE DVD>HELP (THE ONLY ONE WAY TO MAKE AVAILABLE THE BUTTON GO)>SELECT FOLDER SCREEN> BROWSE (OR ACCEPT THE ALREADY CREATED PASTE version1902Back - IT DIDN'T WORKED SINCE I'VE GOT A BLANK RECORDED DVD WITH NO FILES )>CREATE NEW PASTE.

Well, I hope this is not confusing either. Final question: What are the files DVDA will create when burning those MPEG2 and ac-3 to the media - normal MPEG2 or other such as the ones we have on professional DVDS?
THANKS IN ADVANCE

PeterWright wrote on 4/4/2004, 9:56 PM

1. Find a hard drive with enough space for the DVD
2. In My Computer, Create a new Folder on the Root Directory of this HD.
If your project is called "Automobiles" I'd suggest naming the folder "Automobiles DVD Burn"

- Now, you can also create that folder within DVDA, but this way is simpler.

3. When going through the Prepare process in DVDA, point it to the new Folder using the Browse function. That's all you have to do - DVDA will do the rest, including creating the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders inside your folder, and inside the VIDEO_TS folder it will build all the necessary VOB and other files for your DVD.

4. Burn the newly completed AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders onto a DVD as a Data Disk. Finished.

hth

farss wrote on 4/5/2004, 4:25 AM

Sounds like a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing here.

I'd suggest forget everything you think you know and start again.
DVDA makes the process extremely easy so stop trying to work it out and go with the flow. As Peter has said apart from having an empty folder with enough space DVDA will create all the folders and files that are needed.
Once it's done that then go down the same path and select 'Burn DVD', it'll ask you from which folder, give it the one you gave the Prepare process and job done.

DVDA will make a DVD exactky the same as a store bought one, just looking at the folders and files you'd never tell the difference and you don't have to raise a sweat doing it. If it starts to seem complicated you're doing it wrong, believe me.

I'd suggest investing in a few DVD +/- RWs and make a simple DVD with whatever in it and then test it out on your PCs DVD player.
So far my only gripe (aparg from the missing features) with DVDA is it's so uptight about standards compliance there's no way to get it to make a DVD that will not play or do anything outside the square, so long as you don't try fiddling with how it wants to do its thing.

Bob.

Cunhambebe wrote on 4/5/2004, 10:57 AM

Thanks for the valuable help guys. I'll try the whole thing once more with a DVD RW. Let's see if it works this time! By the way, farss, I didn't understand well what you were trying to say when u mention "So far my only gripe (aparg from the missing features) with DVDA is it's so uptight about standards compliance ...." You mean, by any chance, that you'd rather burn your projects with other prog?
Thanks again.

farss wrote on 4/6/2004, 6:56 AM

No not at all.
I've managed to trip DVDA up several times, mostly when trying to reuse a project. Optimise tells me that the deleted scene selection menus are still there but there's no way to delete the object(s). It wouldn't matter except it then wants to in the old files and the whole thing is too big to fit. I also find it's lack of support for elemental streams limiting, lost serious amount of work becuase of it.

But then again I've not once had it make a drink coaster although you can get it to crash if you aren't careful, it insists upon having an audio stream, easy enough if you remember to give it a 'silent' ac3 file, I do a lot of work with silent movies!

Cunhambebe wrote on 4/6/2004, 8:47 PM

Thanks again for taking time to respond. I've just burned my project and I guess the final result was very good.
C u all around, folks. Thanks again for being so helpful. God bless u all.

farss wrote on 4/8/2004, 7:13 AM

I think the first one is always the hardest, I'd tried a few DVD authoring apps before DVDA and noen of them worked full stop so I was a bit shell shocked when I started using DVDA. After the first few DVDs and a better understanding of how DVDs work it's really a piece of cake.
Must say this and the Vegas forum was much more use than the manual that came with DVDA, it's one of the few things where I wouldn't recommend RTFM to any user.