Posted by nobody special on 01/23/08 21:35

Panasonic makes a combo HD and DVD recorder that works like a VHS
recorder. Record the service live into this for up to two hours total
for good quality (you can go a 4 hour or six hour mode too but they
look horrible). This master is done as soon as you fade to black at
the end of the service. The Panasonic limits you to using a choice of
about 6 menu styles and colors and you can type in titles and dates,
etc. for chapters if you like, but you can't do any fancy motion
menus, you get a tiny picture still and one line of text for each
chapter. I think they look okay but others can't stand them and
insiste on a splashy custom menu page. For that you are going to have
to author the disk in the computers and that DOES take more time.

Finalizing the disk from the Panasonic with 2 hours on it takes only
two minutes or so. You now have a master to thro into a replicating
tower which can crank out copies in about seven minutes for a two hour
recording.

You can also use a free ripping application called mpeg streamclip to
import the finished disk into your NLE system faster than real time
and from there you can proceed to aurhor and add chapters, a better
custom menu, etc, etc. with the Panasonic working as a hardware
encoder for you. This is a *little* faster than digitizing from
scratch thru the camera and editing before authoring.

You can use a separate stand-alone printer or use an all-in-one
machine like the Bravo Primera Pro (I endorse this machine highly)
that can do up to 100 disks, two at a time, fully automated including
inkjet printing in 4 colors on the disk and quality control testing of
the disks. This is a very nice starter unit but it has to be connected
to at least a laptop to control it and feed it the graohics for the
labels. Microboards makes 10-drive towers which require no other
computers or anything, that can really kick out product in a hurry.

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