-
About Spec-level Authoring…
Hi Dear Encore users,
I’ve been using DVDSP for a long time now. Couple of problems that I keep run into is 1 dual layer break point parameter limit and 2 the abstraction layer authoring is making the disc having playback issues.
problem one happens when I come close to the 8GB disc size limit. The automatic duallayer break point option cannot locate a good place to break; so the build fails. I don’t how to manually locate the good point to break either, because i have no idea how the VOB set is distribution during the burning process.
the second problem happens to random set top boxes and varies with how the player is operated; and it only happens to the burned master. once it’s replicated, the discs play fine. known symptoms are: playback halt when fastforwarding to a certain spot, track ends or duallayer breakpoint. keep pressing remote to skip chapters will end up jumping to tracks that were not linked to during the authoring process.There’s a software called DVD after edit – which is supposed to fix both of my problems, but it’s not cheap and with steep learning curve. (maybe not so steep, but definitely steeper than DVDSP).
I was told by an adobe rep at NAB this year that encore and sonic scenarist actually have some partnership, that encore is sharing of scenarist’s technology or something.
SO, I wonder if encore truly shines during the build process or it’s just like DVDSP, generating all the extra lines of code to confuse DVD players. What are your experiences?
Thanks -
7 Replies
-
I started my experience with encore cs5. it uses a different approach than DVDSP i feel. The way the users build the menu and create navigation is different, so could that make build process more intuitive?
personally when working with DVDSP I build my menus in PS and AE. after everything is encoded and finalized, i bring assets into the project and just drag and drop and connect the dots. but to experience rebuilding my old project with encore was not as straightforward as i thought.
If encore merely does the same as DVDSP, I don’t want to spend the time to learn something so similar. Any one please help and share some thoughts?
Thans!!!
-
Encore is full of bugs. The problem is, even you manage to avoid the crashes and corruptions, your final disc is likely to misbehave and not do the proper navigation, and Encore’s preview is worthless to know that. But if you work hard at it, and learn how to avoid the pitfalls, it can do ok. I suggest looking at Jon Geddes’ stuff on this forum.
But Encore’s handling of layer breaks is much worse than DVD Studio Pro. So it is not a solution to your problem. You will be much better off in trying to learn more about how the VIDEO_TS folder is put together by DVD Studio Pro, and making sure you create a legal layer break during the authoring process.
You can download the free demo of DVDAfterEdit here, and it will expose the structure of the VIDEO_TS folder:
https://www.dvdafteredit.com/node/1262
You will see little red and blue arrows in the left pane of the window if there is a legal layer break. You can use the preview in the right pane to figure out which VTS is what video. You can use the finder to figure out approximately where the middle of the video is.You can also use the Tracer function to step through the navigation commands and find the errors in Encore’s builds. It is more difficult for DVD Studio Pro, since it’s “abstraction layer” is very complex, whereas Encore’s is simple.
For complete control on visual setting of the layer break, you can purchase DVDAfterEdit Mastering Edition.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Larry Applegate
https://blustreak.dvdafteredit.com/ -
Thanks Larry!
I guess I won’t mess around with encore for now then.
But the blu-ray popup menu creation is tempting tho.
-
Check out our forthcoming product Blustreak Tracer on our web site.
Regards,
Larry Applegate
https://blustreak.dvdafteredit.com/ -
Hi guys,
What happens is as you fill the disc near it’s full capacity, the range at which it can do the layer break narrows. It will always try and find a chapter point at which it can break the layer, but if you don’t have any in that region, it will be forced to create one, which is why it jumped to a chapter that you did not create. I doubt it created an illegal break.
I don’t feel this is a limitation of Encore, but more of the dvd format. Layer 0 will always have to be greater than Layer 1, so as you fill that disc to capacity, there are only so many places the program can create the break at.
Jon Geddes
http://www.precomposed.com -
John, that’s interesting that Encore creates a chapter point. In DVDAfterEdit you can choose where to create the break (if there isn’t a legal one), but it makes it just a cell, not a chapter point, and thus does not change the navigation.
Sonic Scenarist will let you choose to make layer 0 smaller than layer 1, which is called parallel track path (PTP) instead of opposite track pad (OTP). This means that the head has further to seek, and is a less desirable solution.
But it is also possible to move the starting point of layer 0 up, if there is room, to find a legal cell (chapter) slightly earlier, and that is a method that didn’t occur to me when I was writing DVDAfterEdit, unfortunately. We now use that method in BluStreak Premaster for Blu-ray, and the free Windows app ImageBurn also uses this method.
But ImageBurn doesn’t make DDP images for replication. There is NO information in a build folder (VIDEO_TS) about where to put the layer break, it can only be done at DDP image build time.
DVD Studio Pro still gives more latitude than Encore, since it gives the ability to designate which VTS to use for which track (timeline). The Hollywood studios always plan the layer break from the very beginning of the DVD design. For example, in the extended edition of ET, the layer break occurs when the mother first sees ET in the boy’s room, and stands frozen for a moment.
Regards,
Larry Applegate
https://blustreak.dvdafteredit.com/ -
[Larry Applegate] “John, that’s interesting that Encore creates a chapter point. In DVDAfterEdit you can choose where to create the break (if there isn’t a legal one), but it makes it just a cell, not a chapter point, and thus does not change the navigation.”
That’s what I recall from the last time I encountered this situation, though I will admit it was a while ago (maybe CS2). Lately I’ve been lucky with plenty of chapter points in the layer break region.
It’s possible Adobe has changed things since then.
Jon Geddes
http://www.precomposed.com
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up