What's Easiest Software to Make DVD's ?

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  • abrogard
    Junior Member
    Junior Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 46

    What's Easiest Software to Make DVD's ?

    Thanks to this forum I've just had some success in backing up my dvd's and now I'm ready to make dvd's from our digital camera movie clips and stills.

    In fact I've started. I'm using Nero Vision. It is part of my Nero 7 installation.

    My digital camera will only make 3minute movies at a time. Generally turns out to be even more than one wants.


    So when it comes to making the dvd I find myself inserting heaps of little movie clips into it. I try to minimise those by 'merging' many of them. But i've still got about twenty.

    And we've got hundreds of stills so I'm making 'slide shows' inside the dvd, too.

    Nero only allows 100 stills per slide show. So I've got many slide shows, too. In fact many more than I'm comfortable with. So I've stopped the process at only 3gig used and many more clips and stills in my collection.

    Because this first effort has raised some questions:

    1. Is Nero a useful tool for this task or is it too simple or somesuch? What is the tool of choice?

    And the answer here, I'd say, would be threefold, at least: (a) Best in the world regardless of price. Speaks for itself, this choice.

    (b) Best in the world for free for those with very limited budgets and wide ranging computer software needs (me, usually, having this Nero 7 is an exceptional possession for me). This option is where I'm usually at and it often means using many pieces of sometimes difficult software - sometimes with a steep learning curve.


    (c) The best in the world that falls between those two. Like the 'middle way'.
    This is where I'd expect Nero to fall, if it is acceptable at all.

    2. Many people must have the 'many film clips' problem. How is it customarily dealt with? Make a 'movie' from them all? I could have done that in Nero but didn't. I doubt my pages of menus is the way to go. I'm just doing it for the sake of getting something burned. (I've got to show the wife some production )

    3. How about the many slide shows? These all become menu choices. The thing has about six pages of menus. It's ridiculous. But I haven't seen any alternative - such as some way to group chunks of them together under one menu (but still have them in their 'slide shows'). Is there any software or methods for artfully dealing with scads of stills on a dvd, thumbnailing them perhaps as we do on computer and then blowing up the ones you are interested in?


    4. I would have liked to do some 'voice overs' (phrase I picked up somewhere, hope I'm using it correctly) behind the slide shows in particular but even behind the movies, too, and between them. I didn't see any option for this (but very well might have missed it). Any comments on that aspect?

    Well that's it. In another fifteen minutes my first dvd will be ready.

    I like the space - 4 gigs is great - but of almost equal importance to me is the quality, the definition. I was making VCD's and they were shocking. Then I moved to SVCD and it was much better and gave me a thirst for dvd. You didn't want to know that, did you? Nobody asked me that. I talk way, way, way too much.

    regards,

    ab
  • paglamon
    Lord of Digital Video
    Lord of Digital Video
    • Aug 2005
    • 2126

    #2
    Try these and see for urself which one suits u: Ulead Video Studio,Cyberlink Power Director,Womble MPEG VideO Wizard DVD,Pinnacle Studio.All hav free trials.
    sigpic

    ONLY MOMENTS LINGER...DEWDROPS ON A FALLEN LEAF

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    • abrogard
      Junior Member
      Junior Member
      • Aug 2003
      • 46

      #3
      Hi again, Paglamon... couldn't get that audio download, eh?

      Thanks for the tip, I'll take a look at them.

      My first dvd turned out alright... the myriad menu choices, especially for the stills, turns out to not be so important... once you've picked one the player just continues through all the others to the end of the dvd anyway. So you're only picking a starting point.

      But the quality is not what i'd expected so I guess I must have reached the limit of the quality input from my digital camera. It is only 4megapix and in movie mode is only 320 x 240 pixels so you can't expect much I guess.

      The stills are at 1600 x 1200 which is a lot better. And you can see that on the dvd.

      regards,

      ab

      p.s. I see you are a Digital Video Tech so I'd guess you'd have a fair knowledge, at least, of many packages and must have some opinions of your own... but you don't voice them, and you don't say anything about Nero?
      Last edited by abrogard; 28 May 2006, 11:10 AM.

      Comment

      • blutach
        Not a god of digital video
        • Oct 2004
        • 24627

        #4
        Muxman can take your BMPs (resize to 720 x 576/480 if NTSC) and make them into slideshows. Free - see link in my signature. You mux in your compliant audio (convert your WAV to AC3).

        There are plenty of packages around, too, which users will recommend.

        Regards
        Les

        Essential progs - [PgcEdit] [VobBlanker] [MenuShrink] [IfoEdit] [Muxman] [DVD Remake Pro] [DVD Rebuilder] [BeSweet] [Media Player Classic] [DVDSubEdit] [ImgBurn]

        Media and Burning - [Golden Rules of Burning] [Media quality] [Fix your DMA] [Update your Firmware] [What's my Media ID Code?] [How to test your disc]
        [What's bitsetting?] [Burn dual layer disks safely] [Why not to burn with Ner0] [Interpret Ner0's burn errors] [Got bad playback?] [Burner/Media compatibility]

        Cool Techniques - [2COOL's guides] [Clean your DVD] [Join a flipper] [Split into 2 DVDs] [Save heaps of Mb] [How to mock strip] [Cool Insert Clips]

        Real useful info - [FAQ INDEX] [Compression explained] [Logical Remapping of Enabled Streams] [DVD-Replica] [Fantastic info on DVDs]


        You should only use genuine Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden media. Many thanks to www.pcx.com.au for their supply and great service.

        Explore the sites and the programs - there's a gold mine of information in them

        Don't forget to play the Digital Digest Quiz!!! (Click here)

        Comment

        • abrogard
          Junior Member
          Junior Member
          • Aug 2003
          • 46

          #5
          Thanks Blutach,

          I've downloaded it and a whole heap of other stuff which was mentioned on those pages in passing...


          And I've downloaded your complete list of 'required software for dvd authoring'.

          I think I'll finish up going the free software route, courtesy of your guides, but I'll check out the mainstream packages first I guess, in case they do all I want simpler and quicker.

          I've been reading various things from your list of links, including the dvd authoring faq and it's rather sobering isn't it? What a complicated hotch potch! And destined to get worse! But interesting. Rewarding.

          Thanks for the effort you've put in to make it all available to us all.

          regards,

          ab

          Comment

          • paglamon
            Lord of Digital Video
            Lord of Digital Video
            • Aug 2005
            • 2126

            #6
            Hi again, Paglamon... couldn't get that audio download, eh?
            Nah!
            p.s. I see you are a Digital Video Tech
            LOL.That is the default title given to me by the forum(got to do something wth the number of posts and rep,I think).DO NOT take that too seriously.I am just another LEARNER,like u.
            sigpic

            ONLY MOMENTS LINGER...DEWDROPS ON A FALLEN LEAF

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            • NightTran
              King of Digital Video
              King of Digital Video
              • Aug 2005
              • 4224

              #7
              I use nero vision express, you can put them in one big file, either you want menu or not, shrink to iso then burn with imgburn
              sigpic

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              • abrogard
                Junior Member
                Junior Member
                • Aug 2003
                • 46

                #8
                Thanks Nightran. And the idea is to avoid burning with Nero, is that it?

                I'll give that a try.


                Paglamon... you might be interested... I got that file. I fired up an old sound prog I've had for years called 'Sound Forge'. Just set the sound input for record on stero mix in windows and set the prog playing on the radio nat site and then set 'record' on sound forge and it kept it all. Wrote to disk as a .wav. Changed that to .mp3 with riverpast wave@mp3.

                Press on. Back to the dvd authoring....

                regards,

                ab

                Comment

                • paglamon
                  Lord of Digital Video
                  Lord of Digital Video
                  • Aug 2005
                  • 2126

                  #9
                  Paglamon... you might be interested... I got that file. I fired up an old sound prog I've had for years called 'Sound Forge'. Just set the sound input for record on stero mix in windows and set the prog playing on the radio nat site and then set 'record' on sound forge and it kept it all. Wrote to disk as a .wav. Changed that to .mp3 with riverpast wave@mp3.
                  Well, this certainly is one option and I had used this earlier in dbPOWERAMP Auxiliary Setup.But the quality of audio did not satisfy.U can also use a simple Stereo Jack and connect ur Audio OUT(in sound card) to the MIC/LINE IN and get the same results.But,in this case u will not b able to listen to the audio u r recording in real time.
                  sigpic

                  ONLY MOMENTS LINGER...DEWDROPS ON A FALLEN LEAF

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                  • r0lZ
                    Lord of Digital Video
                    Lord of Digital Video
                    • Mar 2004
                    • 1508

                    #10
                    Originally Posted by paglamon
                    U can also use a simple Stereo Jack and connect ur Audio OUT(in sound card) to the MIC/LINE IN and get the same results.But,in this case u will not b able to listen to the audio u r recording in real time.
                    You can do basically the same thing but with less quality loss and the ability to listen to the audio with Virtual Audio Cable (aka VAC.)
                    r0lZ
                    PgcEdit homepage (hosted by VideoHelp)
                    Unofficial mirror (in Poland)

                    Comment

                    • abrogard
                      Junior Member
                      Junior Member
                      • Aug 2003
                      • 46

                      #11
                      Now you tell me!



                      ab

                      Comment

                      • abrogard
                        Junior Member
                        Junior Member
                        • Aug 2003
                        • 46

                        #12
                        Not so long ago, when I first began this whole dvd thing, I was trying to rip my old dvd's onto the hard drive so's they could be backed up. Nothing could/would do it. Too many scratches said the experts. End of story.

                        Now I asked at the time and I'll ask again now - why can't we have a 'virtual video cable' that will feed the video signal straight into some file, warts and all?

                        You understand what I mean, I guess. I forgot to say it but the point is the dvd's play okay. Frequently. Day after day. That's why I want to back them up.
                        A player can play them. The computer can play them. But 'ripper' software says it cannot do the job, cannot read them well enough to copy to the hard drive.

                        What about this?

                        regards,

                        ab

                        Comment

                        • paglamon
                          Lord of Digital Video
                          Lord of Digital Video
                          • Aug 2005
                          • 2126

                          #13
                          @ abrogard,
                          U speak my mind!!Same question has been bothering me for a while.
                          @r0lz,
                          Thnks for that VAC.I will surely try it.
                          sigpic

                          ONLY MOMENTS LINGER...DEWDROPS ON A FALLEN LEAF

                          Comment

                          • r0lZ
                            Lord of Digital Video
                            Lord of Digital Video
                            • Mar 2004
                            • 1508

                            #14
                            Ripping the "signal" received by the player was the method used in the prehistory of DVD ripping, and it's still used to rip DVD-Audios. But this method has many disadvantages. You can rip only the main movie, with only one audio and one subpic stream. The rest is ignored.

                            A ripper is more sensible to the scratches because it cannot do error corrections. The files are ripped exactly the same way than when a file is copied with Windows explorer (but with some processing of the original data, of course.) In the other hand, a player can cope with some errors. Some frames will probably be damaged, but with some luck, you will not notice them when watching the DVD.
                            r0lZ
                            PgcEdit homepage (hosted by VideoHelp)
                            Unofficial mirror (in Poland)

                            Comment

                            • abrogard
                              Junior Member
                              Junior Member
                              • Aug 2003
                              • 46

                              #15
                              r01z... well, yes, we realise this. The point is that anything is better than nothing.

                              A copy of video RAM will give a totally identical copy of what is viewed, 'warts' (i.e. undefined pixel bocks rendered as splashes of primary colour and such) and all.

                              This is acceptable by definition.This is what one has been watching.
                              This is acceptable of necessity. This is all one can get.

                              I can see there well might be a problem putting this back into DVD format.

                              Doesn't matter. It is acceptable as is. (wonder what it would be?)

                              I can see this might be 'primitive' technology.

                              Doesn't matter. We've got nothing else.

                              I can see it may have 'many disadvantages'.

                              Doesn't matter. It's got more advantages than having nothing.



                              I want it. It is probably laying around there somewhere just as Sound Forge was, gathering dust and unrecognised for the life saver it is. If someone knows, please tell me.

                              I've had an example tonight. A friend brought me his son's favourite dvd. 'Finding Nemo'. Would I copy it for him? It was beginning to look old and battered. Okay, I'll give it a go.

                              dvddecrypter wouldn't rip it.
                              dvdfabdecrypter wouldn't rip it.
                              magicdvdripper wouldn't rip it.

                              I couldn't do it.

                              So I watched it instead. It all seemed fine to me. No splotches of colour. No hang ups.

                              Even given 'hang ups' - the worst kind of 'interference' - a primitive basic video editor, editing the saved video RAM contents, would be able to remove them.



                              It's acceptable. It's useful. I wish I had it.

                              regards,

                              ab

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