Posted by Bob on 11/18/05 22:14

On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 14:30:25 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
<kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Bugs you say, well at least it's not pink elephants.

I figured out how to work around it.

> I can't speak to how MF4 works,

I don't think anyone at Ulead can either.

>but TDA has no video
>encoder. It was developed by the maker of a very good and
>well known MPEG Encoder. In those days anyone who
>might want the DVD Authoring program would already have
>an Encoder. This separation of functions, the encoding and
>the authoring, has, for the most part, been beneficial to the
>development of both. Until very recently, it has kept TDA
>a lean and smooth operating piece of software.

I like that design philosophy. It is what made UNIX the best general
purpose operating system ever invented.

> One thing TDA has been good at is "working well with others".
>It is designed to allow the importation of graphic elements, made
>with other programs. The menu can be visually just about
>anything your ingenuity and/or creative ability can provide.

One thing I have been meaning to ask is how do I make new backgrounds
for the menus? I notice that there is no plain backgound so I will
have to make one.

>TDA can even do some of the work for you, for instance it will apply
>a highlight layer to a graphic without one, when you replace an
>existing "button" with your own graphic.

I need to learn how to use the graphics editing features.

> Replacing the background image or clip with one of your own
>and using appropriate, interesting fonts can make a real impact.

Please see above.

> Where TDA is less helpful, is in the amount of control it
>provides for menu responses. Some other authoring programs,
>like DVD Lab Pro, make it easier to create unusual menu actions.
>To get the same or a greater level of control and use TDA, you
>need something like the free PGCedit to modify TDA's output.
>TDA provides for the common, and a number of less common,
>menu responses (and can be tricked into even more) but not
>all the possibilities available through the VM command set.

You are now getting into production work, which leaves the amateur
behind. I am a DVD amateur although I was once a post production
professional. I only want to build simple DVDs.

>Oh, there is still plenty to learn, but much of that will depend on
>what directions you want to go. There are plenty of shortcuts and
>alternate ways of doing things. There are tricks and techniques that
>can take TDA even farther. Mark Burns, has some great tricks,
>and I've posted a few I've found. There are plenty of guides and
>resources to aid working with TDA, on the net.

Van you pass along the best ones. I tried to Google them but the
response was overwhelming. Also I have visited the forums but most of
the discussion is bitching about bugs.

>> This morning I plan to conduct those tests I mentioned earlier with
>> the two clips that crippled MF4. I will import them to VRD to get them
>> conditioned for DVD use and take them from there into TDA. I will
>> report on what I find in detail.

I got sidetracked on another project. I am a beta test site for the
Ilo DVDR05MU and some new f/w came in today.

I should be able to run the tests this weekend.



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