Question about DVD authoring in Movie Studio

Former user wrote on 8/10/2006, 1:32 PM

I know this is the Vegas forum, but I have a client who is wanting an inexpensive Editing/Authoring application. I know the MOVIE Studio's editing capabilities, but does anyone know if the DVD authoring that comes with is the same as DVD Architect.

They have have very specific authoring needs such as making a video a specific TITLE number on the DVD. (not chapter, but title). I know DVD architect can do what they want, but they can't afford the Vegas/DVD package.

Any help is appreciated.

Dave T2

Comments

ScottW wrote on 8/10/2006, 2:09 PM

DVDAS is basically a stripped down version of DVDA. It does not include things like AC3 support, DLT mastering, alternate angles, etc. I think if you poke around on the purchase area there's a comparison chart.

--Scott

Former user wrote on 8/10/2006, 3:59 PM

Thanks for the reply.

I will look at the comparisons.

Dave T2

craftech wrote on 8/12/2006, 7:41 AM

The biggest drawback is the lack of AC3 audio (a must for space saving reasons so that better quality video is achievable on more than just the very shortest videos). That alone does not make it worth buying.

John

riredale wrote on 8/12/2006, 10:21 PM

One thing to keep in mind is that, while it's true that the whole point of ac3 is to conserve space for more video, there's no real advantage for projects under, say, one hour in length. But if you are trying to put 90 minutes or two hours on a 4.38GB single-layer DVD, you'll be sacrificing video quality by using conventional audio rather than ac3.

The rule of thumb is to divide 600 by the number of minutes of video, and the resulting number is the maximum bitrate of video+audio allowed in order to fit on a disk. For example, for a 60 minute project, you have to stay under 10Mb/sec bitrate, which is not a limitation because the DVD spec says you can't run at that excessive bitrate anyway. So you encode video at 8Mb/sec and your raw audio at 1.5 (ac3 would let you get away with a audio bitrate of just 0.2Mb/sec). At 8Mb/sec, your video will look great.

Now say you're trying to put 2 hours on a disk. 600/120=5, so your combined bitrate has to be 5Mb/sec or less. If your raw audio is 1.5, that leaves just 3.5Mb/sec for video, a very lean bitrate and you'll see all sorts of artifacts. With ac3, you can run your video at 5-0.2=4.8Mb/sec, a reasonable rate for good quality (depending on the MPEG2 encoder you use).

Hope this helps.

Former user wrote on 8/13/2006, 6:17 AM

Craftech,

Thanks for the information, but the programs are usually around 60 seconds, so that would not really be an issue.

Dave T2

Former user wrote on 8/13/2006, 6:18 AM

Riredale,

Nice way to estimate. Thanks for the information.

Dave T2