OT- need more than DVD Architect

vicmilt wrote on 3/5/2004, 6:29 PM
I love DVDA but there are some things it doesn't seem to be able to handle.

Just got a job requiring a first page menu with branches to eight different pages.
Each page will then have eight videos.
Full time return to the menu page, and when the video ends, it navibates to the last page where it was accessed.

And a relatively easy interface would be appreciated...


Suggestions??

Comments

farss wrote on 3/5/2004, 7:01 PM
If you can wait and wait a bit more then your prayers and more may shortly be answered.
If you cannot look to part with some serious cash. I've looked seriously at DVD Producer from Sonic, not cheap but it has what I may need in the future. But apart from your issue which is right pain so far DVDA has made me back the purchase price many times over and on my current projects the client 100% wants the thing to always return to the root menu so it runs the motion background (phew!).
ibliss wrote on 3/5/2004, 7:01 PM
which bit doesn't dvda do? I might not understand quite what you need here, but I'm sure dvda does it all. Anyway, not too long before dvda2 it would seem ;-)
vicmilt wrote on 3/5/2004, 7:13 PM
A. Can DVDA branch to an alternate page which itself is a menu?
B. Is there a way when a video ends to have it branch back to the same menu it is on/from?

Those are the two things I need.
brightmonkey wrote on 3/5/2004, 7:24 PM
Try DVDLab from Mediachance. It does what you want and it does it well. Best of all, since it doesn't come with any encoders, it's cheap. Of course, the lack of encoders could be seen as a drawback, but if you've got Vegas and DVD-A, then you have all the encoders you need to make a DVD with DVDLab.
pb wrote on 3/5/2004, 8:31 PM
There are many things DVD-A does well and many things it does not do at all. Your need to return to a sub menu page requires end actions, which, alas, DVD-A does not have. I too have made back its purchase price many times over and we like it for our family videos but if you need a serious authoring program, look at Adobe Encore.

Peter
RangerJay wrote on 3/5/2004, 8:43 PM
Encore will let you do exactly what you're talking about.

It's kind of funky to learn, but once you learn it, it kicks butt.

It helps if you understand Photoshop and layers, but that knowledge is not required -- just beneficial.
ibliss wrote on 3/5/2004, 11:27 PM
Vicmilt -

I have created a dummy test project which you can download by Clicking This Link. (approx 180kb)

It demonstrate what I think you want to do.

Unzip the archive to C:\ so that DVDA knows where to find the files (you can do it on a different drive if you want - you'll just have to do a search for the media when you open the project).

I only put two links on the sub pages, but obviously you can do more.
vicmilt wrote on 3/6/2004, 10:43 AM
ibliss -
thanks so much for your effort on my behalf -
am having all kinds of computer issues, but will report as soon as I get your demo up and running... probably not until sometime Sunday.
but thanks again,
v.
AZEdit wrote on 3/6/2004, 11:01 AM
Vicmitt,

I purchased DVDA, but rarely use it because of some limitations. I know someday soon it will be a full-function tool, but until then I use ReelDVD from Sonic solutions: http://www.sonicsolutions.com/products/reeldvd/default.asp

DVDit SE will also do the job and an easy interface: http://www.dvdit.com/

These programs have NEVER failed me and have produced Glass Masters time after time....
pb wrote on 3/6/2004, 1:42 PM
I have ReelDVD as well but shelved it after I got Encore. Same functionality as in end actions, multiple audio streams, sub titles, write to DLT for DVD-5 or DVD-9 but, though quirky, easier for me to use. What really p***s me off is I paid 699 USD for for the Dongle version of ReelDVD but then only 999 USD for Matrox RT X100 Pro c/w Encore. Premiere and Audition. However, I would not have been able to survive in the DVD mastering business had I not had ReelDVD avaialbable, so thanks Sonic!

Peter
epirb wrote on 3/7/2004, 6:44 AM
So Ibliss, how did you get the clips to return to the submenu?
Does it have something to do with the outpoint of the clip?
it doesn't appear that it is looking at the clip time boxes?
ibliss wrote on 3/7/2004, 9:19 AM
Well I don't think I've done anything unusual - I just put the project together and that's how it ran. I have made a screen capture video to show the process I used - it only features 2 sub-menus and two clips per sub-menu, but it shows the work flow used on the first test project I did for vicmilt.

You can download the video by clicking here (wmv 500k) or right click and choose "save as".
Laser wrote on 3/9/2004, 7:28 PM
I have heard great things about DVD Workshop 2.0 from Ulead. Yes, Ulead...
Douglas Spotted Eagle has a great review of it on www.dvdcreation.com

$495 retail.
$295 upgrade

Laser