Posted by Bob on 11/18/05 10:04

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 19:06:58 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I just set it to 8Mbps,

I just found that out the hard way. The documentation in VRD is wrong.
Setting it to 10Mbps does not guarantee DVD compliance. But 8Mbps is
low enouhg that the audio rate can't throw it over the DVD compliance
rate.

> The Batch process lets you set up your editing projects,
>for later processing. This can come in handy when you have
>a number of edits in each project (clip). If you are only
>changing the header bit rate, it is faster and fewer steps, to
>just do each of them, one after the other.

I was able to get the Batch processer to do the Quickfix - all you do
is enter the filename instead of the command filename and VRD assumed
you want to process each file with QuickStream Fix.

BTW, I discovered a rather nasty bug with QuickStrream Fix even when
you manually process each clip. Make certain that Quickfix is actually
doing what you expect it to do - do not assume anything because it may
come back to bite you.

> If you want to add text to a menu, that's easily done in TDA.
>You might be much better off if you just started over from your
>original DVD and forget about trying to correct the MF4 files.

At this moment in time I have a total of 12 main clips plus one intro
clip. Each was painstakingly imported, processed, sized, tested,
reworked, honed, polished and lacquered, etc. I have a huge investment
in those clips since each one is done to my exacting specifications.
To have to go thru all that again is unacceptable.

>Perhaps if you describe that you are using MF4 to accomplish,
>I can describe an alternate way of doing it.

Over the years I have collected certain videos that I really like. In
each of them there is one scene, the keynote scene, that characterizes
the entire video. I have wanted to collect those keynote scenes on one
DVD with a menu so I can play any one or more of them whenever I
wanted without having to fish thru the originals. If I am having a
conversation with someone about something that has to do with a
particular video, I can quickly play the appropriate clip.

I want the menu to show the first frame as a thumbnail with text on
top of it identifying the clip. The viewer mounts the DVD, up comes
the menu, he selects the clip from the menu, it plays and when done it
returns to the menu. It's as simple as that, you you would think I was
composing the design specifications for an Atlas missle for all the
hassle I have had to go thru.

> It sounds like you have the "Menu display settings" wrong.
>You need the "Firstplay action:" set to "Display Main menu".
>If you want just the one "Main" menu, to be able to select
>the VTS, then use the "Only Main menu" option and not the
>"Automatic settings" option.

I have done those things and it now works the way I want.

BTW, how do I designate one clip to be the "intro clip" - the one that
plays automatically when the menu first comes up but not anymore when
the menu comes up later? MF4 calls it "Use first clip as introductory
video".

> Why not try an experiment; copy a large .vob file from your
>original DVD to your hard drive and run it through VideoReDo.
>Then see if that .mpg is in sync.

I have done that with a video that MF4 butchers. IOW, the clip is in
sync when I extract it, it is in sync before I import it to MF4 but
after I render it (export) in MF4, the audio is 1/2 second out of
sync. Then I resync the audio in VRD and it plays correctly. I then
use that mpg for import to MF4 for final composition. Fortunately the
VRD correction process does not cause MF4 to have to re-render it or
else we would have a vicious circle.

>If so then feed it to TDA and
>author a DVD. Play it from your hard drive and see if it is still
>in sync. I take it, this was the point after MF4 that things were
>out of sync.

I will try that on both clips that cause MF4 to screw up. The first
one is the one described above and the second one is the one I had
trouble with the other day that I had to dub to another DVD disc.

> Yes, all the help there is, is in electronic formats. There is
>also what's on their web site, but there is a much greater
>volume of help from all the "How To" guides at sites like:
>www.videohelp.com www.doom9.org www.digitalfaq.com
>www.afterdawn.com ( And some of us here can help.)

Thanks, I appreciate it.

>P.S. All the negative comments about MF4 aren't helpful.

I am trying to warn people about it. I would feel badly if someone
spent good money on something that is so obviously defective. Plus I
am pissed that Ulead ignored me when I offered to be a beta test site.

I have had that happen before and in each instance the company went
out of business later. Maybe Ulead is doing me a favor by not letting
me get involved with a company that will disappear.

>Because you find it hard to work with or even nonfunctional
>with your source material, doesn't mean that it would be
>problematic for everyone. Some find that it works well for
>their purposes.

But what about all the others who want to do what I am doing and will
find out the hard way that they have just spent good money on a
defective product.

Back to TDA. One thing I do like about MF4 is the ability to render
each clip by itself and save the clip for later use. When I do the
final composition, MF4 assembles the finished product without having
to re-render each clip, which means the final composition process goes
reasonably quickly (minutes vs. hours). I am continually adding new
clips so I do not want to have to re-render 12 or more old clips each
time I add a new one.

How do I accomplish the same thing in TDA? IOW, how do I export
individual clips that have just been rendered and how do I import
these into the final composition so that I do not have to re-render
them again?

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