Hi,

I haven't really studied the art of DVD making before - made some simple DVD:s with Encore 1.0 and some Roxio SW...

Now I thought I'd learn how to use DVDA 2.0a.... and so far I am rather dissapointed - hopefully because I don't fully understand the program.

Questions:

1. Typing - Why in the h*** must DVDA arrange the font size - can't I say use 12pts and let me choose where to break the lines etc. I'd like to make nice rows and columns!

2. File formats - I added MPG files that I successfully burnt with other DVD SW without re-compressing - DVDA didn't like them. Checking the manual isn't really helpful since they describe the formats that will import without recompression really brief. ( I'd like a full table with bitrates and mux/demux )

3. Twice the program has shutdown with serious error

4. If I add a button manually - without linking it to any media from start. Then I can't access the properties to link media to the button later on???

5. Prepare DVD - it is good that it tells me which files it will recompress - should be even better and alot more helpful if it told me WHY and WHICH format it wanted/expected the files to be.

6. When dragging files from the explorer window in DVDA to the menu window DVDA can place objects that are out of reach...you only get a warning when you prepare that some objects are outside the safe area... ( some times if I change zoom to 50% I can see a corner of the object ) when this happens it often complains about errors in MENU 2 - that doesn't exist.

Encore 1.5 looks more and more attractive...

Hopefully all of this is just a serious case of "sh*t behind the keyboard :-)"

Please kick me in the right direction..... I'd really like to save the money on uppgrading encore...

// Lazze \\

I can't answer most of your questions since I haven't really
looked at DVDA, but I was wondering about your MPG files.

Do you know in what format they are? Where did they came from?

p.s. I've added your second post to the list of "issues" in the first
one so it is easier for other people to check your list.

Hello Rob,

Some of the files are quite "old" - so I'd guess that I made them with an early version of the stand alone MC MPEGEncoder that you could buy for a good price if you had Premiere 6 installed.

I'd guess that it was a multi-plexing mismatch - now I have rendered seperate streams( from Vegas, with the DVDA preset ) and it seems to work. To last strange thing I noticed was that even though DVDA says it doesn't need to recompress - it still can't keep the count on how many MB that are added. Probably because it doesn't really check filesizes - instead it uses an average bitrate ( that you could set in preferences ).

// Lazze \\

ps. Thanks for thread-organizing ds.

1. Typing - Why in the h*** must DVDA arrange the font size - can't I say use 12pts and let me choose where to break the lines etc. I'd like to make nice rows and columns!

If you have ur font configuration set to auto, it will automatically adjstu the font according to the size of teh "box" the text is living in.
You can easily turn this off :)

2. File formats - I added MPG files that I successfully burnt with other DVD SW without re-compressing - DVDA didn't like them. Checking the manual isn't really helpful since they describe the formats that will import without recompression really brief. ( I'd like a full table with bitrates and mux/demux )

((yeah i get the ame issue with DVDA2.. DVDA1 is ok apart from the stupid calculator which poos itself when creating a scene selection menu..
DVDA2 is obviously runnign new algorythms as its tryin to make ur mpg2's "DVD COmpliant" ie, they may be using a codec which DVDA doesnt recognise.
I also dont like how DVDA2 wants to recompress even after switching off the auto calculator....
Basicaly if i have an MPG which i want to use as an opening, before the menu begins, sometimes DVDA2 forces it to be recompressed, even though its not needed.
I also dont like how DVDA recognises (or doesnt) m2v files, which are already muxed with their ac3 component..
theres lots i dont like about dvda2, but it IS easy to use.. compared to the other apps out there, its a no brainer.. its actaully a bit like creating a flash page, or a powerpoint document.. very easy to set up a decent looking dvd, which is why i use it.. that and speed in the authoring process))


3. Twice the program has shutdown with serious error

((Never had that.. but there is a bug in the first release where it would lock up if youre tryin to import a large ac3 file. Upgrade to teh latest build and u wont have this issue))


4. If I add a button manually - without linking it to any media from start. Then I can't access the properties to link media to the button later on???

((u can always make changes to any link... regardless of when u do it..
if u right click on ur empty butto u should see a "link to" selection ))


5. Prepare DVD - it is good that it tells me which files it will recompress - should be even better and alot more helpful if it told me WHY and WHICH format it wanted/expected the files to be.

((I agree.. other times though it jsut wants to recpmpress files anyway.. see what its tryin to do is have the WHOLE dvd using the same encode and bitrate routineif ur importing AVIs and u let DVD encode, u wont have an issue, but u may have issues when importing mpg2's which in m book is not god enough.. there shount be issues full stop.......))


6. When dragging files from the explorer window in DVDA to the menu window DVDA can place objects that are out of reach...you only get a warning when you prepare that some objects are outside the safe area... ( some times if I change zoom to 50% I can see a corner of the object ) when this happens it often complains about errors in MENU 2 - that doesn't exist.

((the problems DO exist, but u have ur warnings set to on.. so u wil be warned...
u can always continue your author regardless of what error message u get.. or u can jsut turn em off... (mesag that is.. ))
Best way to check ur safe area is to run dvda2 into an external monitor.. this wa u will see whats actually visible and what isnt..


Its not a bad app, its very eas to configure and create a decent lookin product, but it still has aafew problems..