TMPGEnc DVD Author 2

[brashquido]

Hi All,

I have edited several of my holiday videos read to put to DVD and I decided to purchase TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 to create the menu structure as I wanted something quick and easy to use, I had been quite impressed by it using the 1.6 trial a few months ago.

I am trying to create what should be a fairly standard menu, but am having no luck. Basically what I have is 9 seperate video files for each day of my holiday, and what I want is a single page menu with a list of all the days and a single video window that plays a small portion of each day when that particular day is selected on the menu. It seems that there are existing templates that are very close to what I want, but they only play video in the window from the first track, regardless of which menu item is currently selected. I am almost positive I was able to do this using the TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 trial, but I have since deleted my test DVD since I purchased version 2.0.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone knew how to get a single video window in TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 to play video from the currently selected menu item, rather than just playing from the first item.

[setarip_old]

a single page menu with a list of all the days and a single video window that plays a small portion of each day when that particular day is selected on the menu.I may be mistaken but, I don't believe that is/was possible with "TMPGEnc DVD Author" v.1.6.

I believe the closest you could come to that is to have a single page menu with multiple windows with short videos of each day playing simultaneously...

[brashquido]

Starting to get a feeling you are correct setarip_old :( . I think I have the test DVD I made with 1.6 on a DVD somewhere, I just hope I haven't thrown the thing out. Seems kind of weird to me that such functionality isn't included. I would think it would be something that a lot of people would want. Having a seperate video window for every top menu/track seems a very cluttered approach to me. Starting to regret this purchase, maybe I should have gone with DVDLabPro. Much more complicated to get the hang of, but infinately more flexible.

[setarip_old]

Your posting piqued my curiosity and now I believe I have to contradict myself, "sort of" ;>}

As a test using "TMPGEnc DVD Author" v.1.6:

1) I loaded 3 separate TRACKS

2) Set "Menu display settings" to "Use motion menu"

3) Selected the "Blue" menu template

4) ONLY for each of the three separate "Track" pages (NOT "Main menu" and NOT "Chapters") I left-clicked on the background and selected a portion of video to play

With a separate track for each day, this should "sort of" do what you desire. I say "sort of" because this method creates active backgrounds, as opposed to the active windows you'd see for a page of chapter choices...

BTW - You may be frustrated by the behavior of v.2.0 versus that of 1.6. Read the following thread:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=823215#post823215

[brashquido]

Forced transcoding :scared: ? Terrific :mad: !! I have a lot of HDV captured from my Sony HC1, so the last thing I want any Authoring program doing is transcoding my DVD compliant video for the hell of it. I'll have to test this, as this program is not going to work for me unless I can disable this transcoding "feature".

I think I might just hit up TMPGEnc support to see what they ahve to say about the templates and this transcoding issue...

[brashquido]

Damn it!! Looks like TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 is transcoding my video! Using Canopus ProCoder (which I have been using for burning DVD's without menus until now) to produce my VOB/IFO files for a single day of my holiday video I got 352,530,432 and 12,288 bytes respectively.

After importing the VOB and IFO files using the source wizard with the DVD-Video option, and then using a menu template with no audio or animations and then building the DVD with "Transcoding Target Size" set to none the same VOB and IFO files have changed to 351,227,904 bytes and 20,480 bytes. That is a 1,302,528 byte (1.24MB) and 8192 byte (8KB) difference in size respectively in files that are already DVD compliant. I've been using Canopus ProCoder to create and burn all my DVD's up until this point and have never had a problem with them playing on any of my families DVD players (at least 4) or my own. Not happy about this at all considering I just paid the full $89 for the full version, and nowhere did I read that transcoding was not an optional feature.

*EDIT*

Even if I author my ProCoder produced VOB file without a menu in TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0, the end VOB file is still smaller in size indicating that it has been transcoded.

[brashquido]

Starting to get really discouraged with TMPGEnc. It's been over 48 hours now since I recieved my acknowledgement e-mail for my support request, but I still haven't heard a word from them. Wasn't like I was asking about quantum physics either, all I asked was if it were possible to create a menu structure such as the one I described in my first post, and asked what the procedure was to disable the TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 transcoding engine.

Mind you they managed to process my purchase and take my money very quickly. I know it is an automated process, I am just still steaming mad that the inclusion of this new transcoding engine is not advertised, and that their helpfiles state that CBR encoded VOB files are not transcoded which is not correct as my test showed.

[Guest]

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=823215

Maybe you can find the 1.6 version, which doesn't have this problem.

[setarip_old]

@brashquidoDamn it!! Looks like TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 is transcoding my video!Why are you acting surprised, when the link I provided in Post #4 in this thread (and offered again by "neuron2") clearly states this "feature"/problem with v.2.0?

[Guest]

the link I provided I didn't notice that. Sorry for the duplication.

[setarip_old]

No harm, no foul ;>}

[brashquido]

@brashquidoWhy are you acting surprised, when the link I provided in Post #4 in this thread (and offered again by "neuron2") clearly states this "feature"/problem with v.2.0?

Not suprised, but bitterly disappointed in confirming the fact. I had been hoping that zoinbergs in the other thread had been doing something like not using DVD compliant video that would trigger the tanscoding engine, or was somehow an exception to the rule. I suppose I just feel considerably cheated when I find something like this out about the software I've just paid $89USD ($121AUD) for, which is further compounded by the fact that their support is shaping up to be very bad as well (over 60 hours now without a reply). I just hope that the negative experience that zoinbergs and I have had might get other prospective buyers to think twice before purchasing this product.

Quotes from the Help files that DO NOT match up with what TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 actually does;

Transcode targets:
This sets the transcoder according to the desired output size. You will find more about this setting in the What is transcoding? page of the tutorial.
None
Built and output the DVD folder without transcoding. Use this option if your DVD folder size does not exceed the capacity of the media you plan to use.
Single layer DVD media (4.7 GB)
Build and create the DVD folder and transcode it in order to fit the project onto a 4.7 GB DVD media disc.
Double layer DVD media (8.5 GB)
Build and create the DVD folder and transcode it in order to fit the data onto an 8.5 GB DVD media disc.

The transcoding feature does not work with tracks which have CBR (constant bit rate).

I have authored serveral test DVD's using CBR encoded VOB files (using Canopus Procoder), without any menus and with the transcode target set to none, and in all cases the VOB/IFO files created by TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 are smaller than the originals. Using an authoring program without a transcoding engine, such as DVDAuthorGUI, the output VOB/IFO files the exact same size as the originals

[setarip_old]

I'd speculate that once you do hear back from them, they should be willing to sell you v.1.6 and refund the price difference.

Perhaps someone should suggest to the publisher that they rename "TMPGEnc DVD Author v.2.0" to something different, like "TMPGEnc DVD Transcoding Author", so that those of us who are NOT desirous of INVOLUNTARY automatic transcoding aren't unnecessarily aggravated.

Personally, I've found v.1.6 to be all I need for creating DVDs that are "other-than-backups of commercial DVDs".

[brashquido]

Not a bad suggestion setarip_old. I think I would probably be quite happy with 1.6, as I tried the demo of that sometime ago and is what actually what drew me back to TMPGEnc in the first place. This time around I gave V2 a try and liked the new menu navigation link display feature which made me go with it (despite being more expensive).

BTW, in response to my first post, you are quite correct. I actually found that DVD I made with the 1.6 trial version and I had created a menu with a small video windo for each track, not a single video window as I had thought.

[Guest]

@brashquido

Your claims are being challenged here (bottom of thread):

http://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=301941

I'm not taking a position on this, just alerting you.

[setarip_old]

Although the posting by "Wile_E" (in the link provide by "neuron2") states that there are "normal" conditions under which transcoding doesn't occur, this conflicts with the statement by "zoinberg" that,Even vobs themselves, when imported, FROM DVDs, are transcoded -- WHEN THEY DON'T EVEN NEED TO BE!!!!

[Guest]

That's my point. Somebody needs to notify Wile_E et al over there of this result. Maybe I'll do it, but I thought Brash would like to follow up.

[brashquido]

Thanks for the heads up neuron2, I'll follow that up shortly.