Best DVD Authoring Software for Price?

[Alex Alexzander]

Try DVDLab Pro. Version 1.52 is the lattest version, and it is an outstanding authoring application which costs just $199.00.

From Liquid Editon, you can export to Elementary MPEG2 / WAVE audio. It will actually export a video file with an extension of .m2v, and the audio file will actually be three audio files. _1.wav, _2.wav, and _S.wav. The _1, and _2 files are each single channel mono channels. The _s.wav is a stereo audio track, which is what you will bring into DVDLab Pro along with the .m2v video file. Both of these assets come from Liquid.

MediaChange, the company that sells DVDLab Pro offers an encoder. It’s called the TMPGEnc encoder. There is a $79 TMPGEnc encoder package called TMPGEnc Xpress 3.0 which comes with an AC3 plug in. If you buy and install that, the DVDLab Pro can compress the _s.wav stero track from Linear PCM to AC3, and save you a lot of space. This is done right in the timeline track view of DVDLab Pro. DVDLab Pro works with several outside applications to to do its job.

Another such application is called CopyToDVD, which is a $29 CD/DVD writing application which also plugs into DVDLab. DVDLab Pro will first build the projects you create to hard disc, then you send the build to CopyToDVD to burn the project to DVD.

If you plan on going to DLT for replication, then Gear Pro Mastering Edition is a good choice. That application is $399 and has a ton of other uses making it a great application to have anyway.

DVDLab Pro starts small, and grows as you need to grow. It has more functions than almost any authoring application out there. It allows you to create multiple Video Title Sets, place menus in any VTS, and even place menus in the VMG if you like. It is smart, and the abstraction layer is by far the cleanest I’ve ever seen.

Right off the bat, in my opinion, you need three applications to get started with it.

DVDLab Pro 1.52 – $199
CopyToDVD – $29
TMPGEnc Xpress 3 with AC3 plugin – $79

https://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html
https://www.vso-software.fr/download.htm
https://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/te3xp.html

-Alex

[tonylattuca Tony lattuca]

If you plan on using After effects + Photoshop you might as well stick with Adobe Encore .
Total Training has some good Training material .

[Alex Alexzander]

You can use Photoshop and After Effects to design menus for DVDLab Pro, DVDit, DVD Studio Pro, and just about any authoring system I can think of.

Encore doesn’t have a tenth of the functionality of DVDLab. If you want an authoring application where you can’t even define the VTS order, go with Encore. It’s wholely based on teh Sonic DVDit engin. May as well just get DVDit.

-Alex

[tonylattuca Tony lattuca]

Admin deleted post with this warning: Robert, try this again and you will be out of the Cow permanently. We do NOT tolerate people coming into the Cow and berating our leaders. Consider this your first and last warning.

Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net

[Alex Alexzander]

The question was, what is the best for the money.

Answer is clear: DVDLab.

Want easy, DVDit from Sonic is easy.

All other DVD authoring applications use the method of background plus overlay for menus, or use templates. Only Encore DVD has a crazy method of defining buttons through the use of layers with (=), and (+) and so on. If its easy you want, Encore DVD isn’t it. I can think of easier.

Robert, read what the user posted: “I would like the DVD Authoring software to have plenty of room for growth potential as my skills continue to grow.”

Please explain to me why you think Encore DVD has greater room for growth over DVDLab Pro. I’d love to read your report.

Encore has no scripting. No access to registers at all. No ability to adjust the VTS order, which is very bad for DVD9 titles. It is based on the Sonic engine for DVDit, which in my opinion is even easier then Encore DVD. So why bother with Encore when you can get Sonic’s application for less. It’s more straight forward, and it has the same limitations.

The only thing Encore has going for it, is it tie in to Photoshop, which is completely non-standard for anyone designing DVD menus. All other applications use backgrounds and overlays, and learning that concept rather than Encore’s concept is better for the beginner because it leaves him with something he can take to another authoring application.

Sonic Producer for example, background and overlay. DVD Studio Pro, background and overlay. DVDLab, background and overlay. The list goes on and on. Why not learn how it really works the first time?

-Alex

[Wts(jmanz)]

Yikes! What on earth justifies such vitriol? Please tone it down.

Jim

[Wts(jmanz)]

To avoid any confusion, my post was in reference to R Plant’s, not Alex.

Jim

[Alex Alexzander]

I’m not worried about it James. My original answer was perfect. If Robert is upset by my opinion, he’ll get over it.

-Alex

[Wts(jmanz)]

I think you handled it quite well (and I know you don’t need any help supporting you position), I just don’t like seeing that kind of posting–it serves no helpful purpose, and can in the long run dissuade others from posting because of potential attacks.

Jim

[Brian Haines]

Alex,

Thank you very much for the vouch towards DVD-Lab Pro. I’ll be taking a closer lookat the product.

And yes, as I stated originally my main interest is a program that’ll have a lot of potential in terms of creating some truly unique DVD menus eventually. I just know the software I’ve got so far from Pinnacle won’t be enough.