Maestro V.S. Scenarist: Authoring DVD9 for professional manufacturing.

[Eric Pautsch]

If I had to make a choice I’d go to the guy with the Scenarist. Maestro is a fantastic system but it’s still an abstraction layer tool and has some history.

In case you didn’t know…Spruce was bought by Apple and folded Maestro into DVDSP. Scenarist is a spec level tool. Several years back I worked for a company who authored the european version of a title with Maestro. Long story short…many discs were being returned with issues related to its abstraction layer. This, coupled with the lawsuit by Sonic, brought a quick end to Spruce.

A better way to go would be to get references from both companies – get output from a third party.

4000 discs is a small run so I doubt you’ll see any returns weather it be authored with Scenarist or DVDSP or Maestro. However, disc authored CORRECTLY in a tool like Scenarist will show better playability over a greater range of players throughout the world – This has been well documented.

Just remember – its not the authoring app you need to worry about – it’s the range of players sold to consumers throughout the years. Some are good, some bad, some are cheap and have had corners cut to get them out the door. The DVD Forum has not done a whole lot to control player specfications, only authoring and replcation specs. – a major mistake IMO.

The reason why you were having problems on your play station was because they were DVD-R? Whats was your bit rate on those discs? Did you use AC3 Audio? Cheap Media? Have you has issue with replicated discs on those players? Most likely is wasn’t anything to do with which authoring app you used.

[Andrew Mehta]

Firstly, a real thanks for this helpful reply. =)

Here are my responses.

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A better way to go would be to get references from both companies – get output from a third party.

>>>>Yeah, this is what gets me, as both parties have some impressive portfolios. The company with Maestro has offered artwork and menu design in the same bill, y’see, whereas I was previously gonna do that myself inhouse, so there’s the potential to save time and money, that’s why I considered them. But yeah, I guess I’ll have to get some references for both of them.

4000 discs is a small run

>>>Opp! But a big run for ‘ickle me! Might end up being 8000 or more, but we’ll start with 4000 and see what we sell. 😉

so I doubt you’ll see any returns

>>>>That’ll be good news, if you mean faulty-disc returns, but bad news if you mean financial returns (joke) ^_^….lol

weather it be authored with Scenarist or DVDSP or Maestro. However, disc authored CORRECTLY in a tool like Scenarist will show better playability over a greater range of players throughout the world – This has been well documented.

>>>Yeah, thanks. I guess that’s what it comes down to.

Just remember – its not the authoring app you need to worry about – it’s the range of players sold to consumers throughout the years.

>>>Ahh….but I can’t change the latter. I can choose an authoring app though’.

The reason why you were having problems on your play station was because they were DVD-R? Whats was your bit rate on those discs? Did you use AC3 Audio? Cheap Media? Have you has issue with replicated discs on those players? Most likely is wasn’t anything to do with which authoring app you used.

>>>I have a rather simple perspective – if a DVD doesn’t work on my PS2, it hasn’t been authored properly. Maybe that’s the wrong attitude to take then? Even still, first batch of DVD-Rs from a friend using Encore…about 5 out of 10 of the ones he was sending down weren’t working. Then most recently, I picked up a DVD9 off the manufacturing plant floor of Thamesdown SDC – specifically Willy Fog: Around The World in 80 Days – would freeze on the logo screen when you attempt PS2 playback, even though it did play correctly in our home DVD player. My production is about videogames, and aimed at gamers, so it’s important the end result is playable on PS2s and Xboxs, etc.

>>>Since I don’t author DVDs myself, I’m afraid I can’t answer your more technical questions about bit rate, AC3, and cheap media. Although, off the top of my head, I believe the encore guy we used for those initial DVD-Rs encoded it at the highest quality he could(I assume that means a high bit rate), and when we complained about compatibility issues, varied his choice of disc media. In the end, buying a new DVD-R drive improved the good-to-dud ratio, but we always got one or two in every 10 still thereafter, that didn’t play so well.
Obviously, I’ve no idea how Willy Fog was authored though – though that was a glass mastered, properly duplicated thing.