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Blu-Ray Thoughts?
We are about to invest in a BR system and the majority of our clients are from the corporate world and their BR projects would contain very little if any special features like web links, games, etc.
Multiple menus and loops with the ability to create branded menus will probably be our biggest request.
We are open to buying a separate PC if the app in question is the best option for the money.
What if any experience have you had with the following?
Encore – Love it or hate it? Would it suffice for what we will probably need to do?
Sonic BD PowerStation – It comes with the CineVision encoder. Do you think the encoder is any different than Compressor or Encore?
Netblender – Would the Indie edition suffice or is the EX the right tool for what we need. Do you find the DoStudio encoder superior to others or is it unnecessary if you have Compressor?
Easy BD is another option but it is so new I am wary.
Did you find the learning curve for any of these applications to be harder or easier?
Is there a better alternative under 4-5K?
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6 Replies
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Hi Brad
The first thing you should do is read up on the technology itself. Here are some books to read first:
Once you understand how BD works, you can make a more informed opinion. For your budget, theres no question you should go with Do Studio. Its a great tool, great support and has proven itself in the trenches. Go read the wikis on Netblenders site to learn more about BD technology as well.
Encore has proven itself to be a dud! Its poorly put together.
Power Station is expensive. Yes….Cinevision is a much better encoder than Compressor or Adobe’s.
I havent used it yet, but I can see where DVD Logic is going with Easy BD and have heard a few good things.
The most important advice would be to take several months….. learn the tools and technology first. Test titles and features against what your client expect. Only then should you offer your services.
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Eric,
Can you explain how Encore is a dud when it comes to Blu-ray? I haven’t had to create any Blu-ray’s for my clients yet, and I’m not advertising for it yet, but I thought I would use Encore to create a Blu-ray menu and burn to Blu-ray.
Cody Walters
JW Studio LLC
Houston Video Production
Houston Wedding VideosFinal Cut Studio 3
Adobe CS5 Master Suite
Panasonic HVX-200
Canon 7D -
[Cody Walters] “Can you explain how Encore is a dud when it comes to Blu-ray?”
play buttons not available even though you set it to be a play button (just one example I know of)
Brad, one option that may work for you is DVDitPRO HD.
It works pretty well and costs a few hundred….pc required.
It has it’s share of issues, but works better than the others for the cost.You might also look at TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4.
DOSTUDIO is a great app. I think the indie edition would work, but you should check the dostudio wiki to confirm.
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[Cody Walters] “Can you explain how Encore is a dud when it comes to Blu-ray?”
That’s easy. You spend your time creating a very nice custom menu, or modifying one of the provided stock menus, then you burn it to a BluRay disc and nothing happens. It doesn’t work. It’s been that way since Encore introduce the “blu-ray” option three years ago even though Adobe keeps telling me that the BluRay functions work.
If all you require is a simple “Play Only” BluRay disc, Encore is great, that’s what we use it for.
If you require functional menus beyond just “Play Only” then you’ll need something else. We have DoStudio from NetBlender in our shop for that.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media -
Thanks for that insight Walter. I haven’t had to deliver in Blu-ray yet, and I thought I had the tools to do it. Looks like I need to reevaluate. Have you heard at all if Encore is more reliable in 5.5?
Cody Walters
JW Studio LLC
Houston Video Production
Houston Wedding VideosFinal Cut Studio 3
Adobe CS5 Master Suite
Panasonic HVX-200
Canon 7D -
If all you care about is getting the highest quality image, and you’re going to a post house to get Blu-rays made (so you’re not buying the software or hardware), what would you want them using to encode your HD movie?
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