[David Owen]

Chris,

Yes, it does help. And, I agree with virtually each and every point you’ve presented. But, the assertion that video is better than in-person training may be slightly over-reaching. From a trainer’s perspective, it would be like getting in your car and driving a planned route, regardless of what you encounter… traffic jams, detours for construction, etc..

The angle I’ve been taking is this: Video is an incredibly powerful tool for training in the hands of a knowledgeable trainer, but you shouldn’t simply stick someone in a room with a video and walk away, expecting to have “downloaded” knowledge into your trainee! A blended model of training (a trainer, though not necessarily an expert, using the DVD as the primary training tool) works best for all the reasons you cited. Having the person there helps keep everyone focused on the video and allows for the feedback loop for clarifications and discussions that can further the trainee’s understanding.

An expert in the situation walked by my office door! Our conversation revealed that she has a degree in the use of multimedia in the classroom! If others are interested in this subject, I’ll be glad to return and post some of the research that she says will more than back-up the value of video in training… let me know.

[David Owen]

Your post sparked that recollection enough for me to double-check… and you’re right, only 8-bit color palettes! That means any attempt for me to render an animation (with specular highlights) in GIF will end up looking like crap!

Thanks for saving me the time/trouble of pursuing this further!

In the famous words of Emily Litella, “… oh. Never mind.”

[David Owen]

sorry for the slow return to the topic…

I realized the bits-per-channel vs the total color palette bits, and I did try going the PS route, creating a color palette of 256 colors as a *.act file. But, when I rendered out from AE using that palette in the color management dialogue section of the render settings, the result was the same… a 32-bit animated gif that won’t import.

Although I’d love to animate the logo bug, I’m nearly resolved to abandon it. I’d thought of rendering out frames, then using PS to batch process to a reduced color palette and re-assembling the gif animation in something like Premiere, but I’m not certain it won’t result in the same thing.

This isn’t a do-or-die thing for a client demand, it’s an interdepartmental request… more a thing of pride. If I get a chance to try this method, I’ll return and post an update. Thanks for your help.

[David Owen]

And for those thinking “hmmm, I’ll wait 10hrs if it’ll improve the look a bit”… don’t. I applied it to a 2hr project. More than 60 hours later, it was ready to begin the 2nd pass… I cancelled it. And, Task Manager said it was only using about 30% of the CPU horsepower! (Running 2.0 on a dual 3.0GHz Xeon workstation w/4GB RAM.)

My approach now is to consider an After Effects render using the noise reduction it offers. I’ll have the advantage of more detailed settings control, node rendering, etc..

Gee, sure would’ve been nice for the camera op to set things right in the first place!

– David

[David Owen]

Finally, a wrap-up after the investigation…

The widely-offered answers of “you MUST output to DLT tape” or “you MUST buy the $400 software to do it via disc” are partially correct. DLT had been the only method for many years now. But CSS flagged projects CAN be put onto a DVD-R rather than DLT and it can be done without purchasing the $400 software. Some other software options are available, but the one most widely recognized as consistently effective IS Gear Pro Mastering Edition (GPME). Gear Software (www.gearsoftware.com) offers a 30-day fully functional trial version. It has a rather steep learning curve, but can be very powerful in exchange. If you expect to produce more than one or two CSS-flagged or Macrovision-flagged projects, the investment is probably a good one. In my case, only a single project had to be produced with the flags, so the FREE download worked great.

If you opt for the trial software, here’s how to move a project mastered in Encore 2.0 through GPME to send a DDP 2.0 image file to a replicator:

(The process requires one step in Encore and two steps in Gear…)

* Output your project to a folder from Encore with all copy protection off.

– Open Gear Pro Mastering Edition.

* Create a new DVD-Video project.
– Check box for “Use CSS encryption”
– Import the Encore-created TS_Video folder contents
– Select “Convert Gear Project to DDP Image” from Mastering menu
– Select the DVD Mastering tab
– Check box for “Write tape in DDP format”
– Check box for “Create Control.dat file with 2054 bytes…”
– Select “SSCRST 3 (2054), DDP 2.0”
– Select the Customer tab and fill in info as you wish
– Verify directory and file name, select OK to convert

* Create a new DVD-ROM project (pure UDF)
– Navigate to DDP image folder using the folders in the upper left corner.
– Drag the image files (Control.dat, DDPID, Image.dat, etc.) down to the frame below it
– From the Project menu, select “Write Gear Project” to burn it to a blank disc

Your replicator may have different requirements, so it is a good idea to ask about their requirements first. Good luck!

– David

[David Owen]

It’s still a little too soon to tell the conclusion… I should hear the results of the validation from the replication house sometime tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[David Owen]

Can you ellaborate on the glitch? Does it not play smoothly? Does the picture break up into pixels?

It may have nothing to do with the original logo animation, per se. If the encoding is VBR and if the details in the logo animation portion of your video are pretty extensive, it could drive the bitrate up out of spec (if the upper bounds of the VBR bitrate is set too high). BUT, that would be the case regardless of how the encoded files were burned.

If you’ve got a workflow happening for now, it’s no longer an issue as you said. For future work, you may want to check into the Nero settings.

Hope this is helpful.

– David

[David Owen]

First, if my last post sounded a little defensive, I apologize.

Second, my reading (rightly or wrongly) was that the GPME software was required for mastering across two separate disks to transport a dual layer project to a replicator without DLT. If it is required for a SINGLE layer project as well, then that certainly changes the facts for the decision-making.

Third, does anyone here have first-hand experience with the process for a single layer project?

Fourth, I pick nits here for the reasons stated in my prior post AND because I have been unable to get a definitive answer from Adobe. I was hoping to learn from the experience of others here. If you, Jeff and Joe, speak from first-hand experience and are not simply re-stating what’s in the manual, then I will graciously accept that and move on in appreciation.

Jeff, I don’t appreciate the personal attack tone of your post. I read my own repost of Neil Wilkes’ post to get that info… your post was simply to say “shaddap already!” Frankly, there are charlatans in any forum that are more than willing to spend others’ time and money for the sake of their own edification. I don’t know you. I don’t know Joe, either. Joe may be a fine guy who didn’t understand why I was “splitting hairs” or “picking nits”. I explained it to him. I don’t care whether the process is Encore *only* or Encore + a utility or Encore + shareware or what… just whether a process exists to get it done. If my posts in true pursuit of clarifications annoy you, don’t read the thread. By the way, my time spent here is done while other processes are ongoing… thanks for your concern, though.

To avoid further deterioration of a well-intended discussion, I’ll refrain from reposting unless I find additional information which may be helpful.

[David Owen]

[Joe Bowden] “Sorry, I think you’re picking nits here…nothing personal.”

That’s okay… You’re entitled to your opinion… even if it is wrong. }8^)

Seriously, if “nits” affect my payroll, I’m gonna be pickin’ ’em! The release of Encore 2.0 was about this time last year. Adobe’s website is able to be as current as now. Here’s my reality: My client’s replicator of preference accepts DVD-ROMs. I have a project due to him by Tuesday. My decision-making process to keep my client happy is:

A) Should I investigate whether my old DLT drive is compatible with the current version of Encore? If so, I could take the time to install it, learn a new way of mastering to an old technology, overnight the tapes and see if it played out just right.
– OR –
B) Should I investigate the seemingly conflicting statements in the manual to determine whether DLT really is the ONLY way to send a copy protected master to the replication house?

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask a company whose very existence is owed to communications to communicate clearly and in a way relevant to its current users.

– David

[David Owen]

[Kdawg] “Everything on the DVD looks fantastic except for the 20 second logo I made. The original copy works good, but trying to make copys the logo has glitches (the original one took like 3 tries for encore to get it right).”

K,

Do you mean the logo on the DVD that you burned with Encore looks fine, but a copy of that original stutters during playback? Were the copies done by Encore or by another app? The more detailed you can be in your description, the better help you can receive here.

– David