Newbie with questions

niap101 wrote on 1/14/2003, 11:12 AM

I have a 2.4 gig P4, 512mb RAM, with an 80 meg harddrive devoted to multimedia. I will soon purchase the Panasonic PV-DV952 3-CCD Mini-DV camera so video capture is not an issue.

My goal is to produce DVDs of our product that will have a section that is a video catalog with chapters and have another section that plays an endless loop. I have yet to decide between Vegas Video and Video Factory.

I have a Sony DVD+RW 2.4 Write drive. I have only been able to record onto DVD+RW discs. Every DVD+R disc that I have recorded onto has failed to replay. Why?

I was not impressed with Ulead DVD Movie Factory but maybe that was because I was having problems with my DVD burner and didn't know it at that time. I would like a more powerful DVD authoring program but am hoping to find one for less than $200.

What does it take to make a DVD video segment auto load and then loop endlessly?

What DVD format do I need to use to be the most compatible (like movie DVDs)?

Any sugestions or comments would be appreciated.

Niap101

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 1/14/2003, 12:03 PM

First off understand that most "editors" what Vegas and Video Factory are, don't do DVD Authoring. That's above and beyond. You get as far as rendering to a compliant file type, for DVD that is MPEG-2. You need to buy an encoder for VF, it is included with Vegas. With me so far?

OK, lets go on.

Ulead's DVD Movie Factory, most other entry level DVD Authoring packages include a means within the software to "burn" to a DVD disk. You don't need Nero or anything else. The catch "22" is some software accepts the rendered file as-is from VF or Vegas, others will want to re render, maybe reducing quality, surely making the process take long, unless you only render to DV compliant AVI and let the DVD Authoring software do the MPEG-2 part.

Decent DVD Authoring software includes a means to set chapter points. Very similar to how a book is organized. You pick scenes from your video, the DVD Authoring software makes thumnails, which you click on. Some allow the thumbnail to be a mini movie. Most have a series of ready to go templates. Some allow you to customize, others don't. For commerical use, you may not be happy with a entry level product.

If not, expect to pay hundreds for a "better" DVD Authoring package.

Every DVD Authoring software package I tried allows a main menu and a sub menu structure. The main menu generally has thumbnails and/or jump points, usually buttons that get you to the various sub menues. Depending on what product you pick, the main menu may be able to have a auto play or looping mini-video.

You're best bet is download some of the demos and see if anything comes close to your needs.

You need to visit http://www.vcdhelp.com and see what players support which DVD CD formats. If you're trying to market to a broader audience, doing your own home brew CD's and DVD's can be a pain in the butt because surprise, not all DVD set top players play non comerical CD's or DVD's. Check the huge compability list at the site I mentioned. The bottom line is you may need to go to some commerical house have a master burned, (totally different process then burning your own) to ensure your DVD plays on nearly every DVD set top player.