Vegas+DVD seems to be what I want I think then ? Looks like $699 Pricey but if it works well, I'm happy to pay that.

Is this version (with Vegas 4), of DVD-architecht new ?

Also, is there a list of DVD Compatible files it won't have to re-encode - I am bringing recordings from :

1 Hauppauge TV (Pal) (MPEG)
2 replayTV (MPEG)
3 Canon GL1 (AVI)

Thanks.

You can purchase Vegas+DVD from Academic superstore for $260.00 if your son is a student or you are a teacher.

I currently use a product called DVD Complete with my Dazzle setup to author DVDs. Well, that is - miniDVDs for now (I won't get my DVD burner until mid summer).

Don't get too bumed out when you have to do some rendering/compiling when you make DVDs even when you have DVD compliant MPEGs (or AVI's with DVD Complete). One thing I have learned when it comes to PC movie making is it takes time - no matter what you do.

I too was with Premiere. It took me a little while to get the product since it was so expensive. My first time bidding on e-bay I won an auction to purchase it - but got ripped off (just my luck). Not anything against e-bay, but I don't use it for software.

VV seems to be my software pick!! I had been using SoFo products for years in the audio world...so making the transition to VV was a great move. I would definately suggest picking you up a copy - you can't go wrong.

francis,
dude don't buy it direct!!!!

email me and I'll give you the place where I got it DVD+arc and vegas 4.0 for 350.00
non academic.

and no It's not sold by some guy named guermo on ebay it's a legit store. I just got mine in on last monday and am digging the program. I think they need some more plug in's is all. If only they would add premier plug ins then surely it would be king of the mountain as far as editing.

hahahahah ah ah ah listen to me...I know nothing about video editing and I'm claiming what is good and what is not. All I've used is Video Factory and Vegas 4.0 (for about 1 week).

Anyhow email me at gene@pinedaprinting.com

also my copy is registered and is non academic!!!! Awsome huh!

Just to clarify, If you buy Vegas from academic source, It is the full version.

I have an academic version, and it's the full program. And at a really good price too. http://www.academicsuperstore.com/ had the best price I found, and were very easy to deal with.

The original poster has said that price is not a problem in this case. However, he has presented a list of file's sources and wants to know if Vegas will insist on reencoding his stuff. Can anyone look beoynd the dollars and cents and give franc11s a straight answer?
Tor

Thanks everyone and yes, I'd still like the answers to my first questions but the $260 (Academic) makes it a no brainer for my son. He does lots of projects for school and this thing looks sweet.

Thanks.

If the "first questions" you refer to were about putting onto DVD, the answer's the same - you need a DVD authoring app such as DVDA.

Vegas edits video, and exports it to many formats, including for DVD.

DVDA or similar "authoring" programs create interactive DVDs, using video files exported from Vegas or similar. With this you can create menus, motion buttons, chapters, motion backgrounds etc.

Well, franc11s,
It seems no one understands your question. And I don't know the answer. But the way it seems you will get Vegas anyway, and soon enough find out.
Rest assured, if Vegas has to reencode some of your video, it will do a good job doing it. So you really have nothing to worry about.
Tor

Don't get too bumed out when you have to do some rendering/compiling when you make DVDs even when you have DVD compliant MPEGs (or AVI's with DVD Complete). One thing I have learned when it comes to PC movie making is it takes time - no matter what you do

Uh....I think I did answer the question.

I only capture video using DV (avi format) so to get good answers to your questions, you might want to check www.dvdrhelp.com where lots of people use the TV style capture cards and satellite.

That being said, if your source is the Canon DV camera, you want something like Vegas with a good encoder to produce your DVD compatible files. For the other stuff, I have found ULEAD DVD MovieFactory 1.0 (not 2.0) to be the most tolerant program to avoid re-encoding. You can also look at the guides on dvdrhelp which explain how to process files without re-encoding. For example, maybe your video is fine but the audio is not compatible. You can demux the two, process the audio, then multiplex the result with DVD headers. This may save long encoding times and perserve the initial video quality.

If you like to experiment, there is a whole lot of stuff to try!

I've got VV3, CDA5, Acid4, noise reduc2, SOFO6, and BatchCon5...now, why the HELL would I want Vegas 4..? yeah...I'm waitin...!

This is my understanding, but please don't shoot me if I'm wrong...

DVD Architect does not re-encode an MPEG file as long as it 1) will fit on the DVD, 2) is a compliant MPEG2 file.

DVD-A will not import elemental streams eg .m2v files, only program streams (ie combined video and audio streams). You can, however, replace the soundtrack with a separate file (.wav or .ac3) if you so wish. The insistence on program streams was, I believe, to facilitate the importing of chapter markers generated in Vegas.

As long as the MPEG2 files you are importing are program streams and not elementary streams, then you should be OK.

.avi video files will be encoded to MPEG2 since that is the DVD standard. This can be done directly by DVD-A, or in Vegas. Vegas gives you more control over the encoding parameters.

DVD-A and Vegas are equally happy with PAL and NTSC sources. In fact, I just converted my NTSC .avi wedding video into a PAL MPEG2 DVD for my parents.

In response to the 3 examples you give, I would guess that 1) and 2) will be OK, as long as they are true MPEG2 files. No. 3) - the .avi file - will need to be encoded to MPEG2 by either DVD-A or Vegas.

The only reasons 1) and 2) would need to be re-encoded would be if the files are not truly MPEG2, or if the files are too large to fit on a DVD. In that case, DVD-A will offer to re-encode them at a more appropriate bit-rate, but unfortunately quality will necessarily suffer.

I hope that helps a little.

Mark