I definitely want this thing to play in set top players. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

jp

To get the movie to play on a set top DVD player is not an easy task! As of now, VV does not directly support creating DVD compliant MPEG streams (at least not with a template that you can use to render the project). There are many different MPEG settings that must be set just right. You'll soon see how complicated it can get if you read through the FAQ that I pointed you to eariler. There are a number of different programs on the market right now that will take a DVD compliant MPEG and create the necessary "DVD" files that need to be burned to the disk. But unfortunally the lite versions of these programs are VERY buggy (you WILL create lots of $15 coasters) and the full versions are easilly over $1000. But this will soon change once more people start buying DVD burners!

You might want to look at MyDVD from www.sonic.com, or VideoPack5 from www.roxio.com. MyDVD is $100 but is a piece of crap (in my opinion), and VideoPack5 is $500. From there the prices go up very fast!

hey it's not that bad. to make a good DVD all you need is Vegas, TMPGEnc, and SpruceUp.

1 - render a DV file from Vegas

2 - use this tool to recompress your file to a DVD compliant MPEG-2 file.
TMPGEnc: http://www.tmpgenc.com/e_main.html
it's free... search this forum on TMPGEnc for more info on it. here's some info on it:
http://www.vcdhelper.com/tmpgencexplained.htm
NOTE: you don't need to read that page. just hit Load... (in TMPGEnc) and choose preset DVD settings.

3 - use Spruce Up to put together a menu and compile your disc. DVD burning is built in.
SpruceUp DEMO: http://www.sprucedvd.com/
(their site seems to be down right now)
BEWARE: you can only burn 2 dvds with the DEMO.

tutorial: http://www.vcdhelper.com/spruceup.htm

I have used this technique to make mini-DVD's, which are basically DVD's burned on a CD-R. you can play them in PC's but not set-tops. I'm sure your DVD will play fine in a set-top if it's burned to a DVD-R.

until you get into the nit-picky-details of tweaking the compression settings, it's really a breeze to get something good put together.

good luck...
- ben

I would tend to disagree with you cheesehole. Making a DVD is not a straight forward process. Sure, its simple to create a DV from VV, but from there it can get complicated fast! If you don't have a dolby digital encoder, and you want more than 60 minutes worth of content on a DVD, then you have to do your bit budgeting homework beforehand. Good quailty videos require a good encoder (like TMPG) that support Variable Bit Rate, and Multi Pass Encoding. But TMPG is not very fast (about 20:1 timewise???). Other faster encoders are expensive - $200 - $3000. DVD authoring software is another story altogether. You mention SpruceUp, but unfortunately it is no longer for sale (Apple bought it and is reselling only for MACs or so I've heard). And finally, MANY so called compliant set top DVD players WILL NOT PLAY DVD-R or DVD-RW disks.

I'm not saying that it can't be done. But right now the state of the technology requires you to really know what you are doing! If I am wrong, I would love to have you point it out to me because I think there is a big future in this area.

Hi, I just found a site that really helped me with the settings on TMPGEnc.
http://rmn.dnsalias.com/TMPGEnc_Template.html
Before if I just picked the DVD template, DVDit would always say the bit rate was too high (or something like that). After I followed the advice on the above site it worked OK.
Hope this helps someone,

Bill

dsanders:
good points. i agree it's not remotely straight forward, but you make it sound like it can't be done right now. i know how complex DVD-ing gets, but my post was meant to be a starting point. it took me many days of research to get to that point, but there it is and it works and it isn't so difficult. your first post just sounded a little too discouraging to me. don't expect to be making pro-quality DVD's people unless you are willing to spend weeks delving into this stuff along with some serious cash perhaps for real-time/high end compressors and software, but a quick and dirty DVD is certainly approachable. there is so much info readily available on the net. (thanks to places like vcdhelper)

i hadn't really considered the length of the initial posters movie, which is too long to fit on current consumer DVD-R's. so it would have to be broken into a two disc DVD set. (render two DV movies from Vegas) still better than nothing. the initial poster should be prepared to accept compromises...

also i was assuming (foolishly) that the initial poster knew enough to buy one of those Pioneer DVD-R burners:
http://www.videoguys.com/pioneer.html
DVD-R isn't 100% compatable with set-top boxes, but it's the most compatible consumer solution right now. don't expect any lower priced DVD burner to create discs that will play in set-top boxes. DVD-R is what you need right now. if you are unsure, check the set-top box compatibility list here:
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.html

there. now i think i've covered the bases. except for SpruceUp... which comes as a shock to me. i'm glad I snagged it in time. i hope there are other DVD making programs in the same price range available. does anyone know of any?

DVD-ing... it's as complicated as you want it to be. my advice is to have fun and make some stuff that works, but don't expect pro-quality. there is more to life... unless there isn't...

respect to all...
- ben

You can do DVD Authoring with MyDVD for $100 from www.sonic.com. However it's not a very good program - lots of bugs, crashes, and so on. A completly new version is due out this month so maybe they really cleaned it up. Roxio (who makes Easy CD Creater) has a product called VideoPack5 that sounds promising but sells for $500

>

cheesehole:
I did my homework. I do have the AO3, and so far the compatability has been there. My issues with this particular project involved encoding my content to 1: maintain the quality of the source video (if possible), and 2: avoid spanning the project over two discs if possible. I will be able to accomplish both goals by slightly lowering my average bit rate...still keeping it above the 3.7mg or so I need to maintain DV quality. My original question was answered thru a number of web sources...and a bit of experimenting on my part. As for MyDVD...it's a bundled freebie. I didn't expect much from it, so I wasn't disappointed. If you encode with TMPEG and insert the file in MyDVD, it works pretty decent (so far.) It looks as though you can also drag AVI's in to your DVD layout, and let MyDVD do the calculations as far as compression ratios goes (based on disc capacity and content.) I haven't tested the quality of this method, but I'm not real confident. It might by fine for quick analog to DVD transfers, since I can't make money if I have to spend 24 hours encoding every DVD with TMPEG, but it probably won't cut it for the quality stuff.

Thanks for your input.

jp

JP,

If you visit the sonic forums for MyDVD (www.sonic.com - MyDVD - Support - Forums) you will find a wealth of information on creating DVDs and soon learn that MyDVD and DVDit are VERY limiting. But you can create a DVD that will play in a set top DVD player. Sonic will be releasing a new version of MyDVD sometime this month. You should check it out when you get a chance. Hopefully this version will be free to users of V2.3 since that version is really just a Beta!

Where did you get your A03? How much was it? Are you happy with it?

Thanks,
Don Sanders

I paid $650 online. It can be had for $599 now:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/alienoutpost/piondvrao3dv.html

So far, I really like it. It replaces my CDRW, and it's cool to be able to back up 4.7 gigs worth of data on to a $10 reusable disc. The DVD transfer business will probably have a short window of opportunity. Still, this drive should serve me well into the future...even after the one-off DVD business has dried up.

There's one sure thing I've learned about DVD-R production, it's NOWHERE as easy as creating CDR's. The learning curve (today) is steep, there's MANY more variables to consider, and it's certainly not for the technologically squeemish. Of course, that's all subject to change, especially when DVD-R disc capacity increases. The 4.7 gig limit forces a lot of compromises that the future 9 and 18 gig discs won't. Bitrate decisions won't be nearly as critical to the average consumer with the increased storage space. I would think that most people will be happy to be able to transfer their 2-hour VHS tapes to a single DVD. Today, that's a challenge. In the future, maybe not so. Of course, HDTV will change everything again!

jp