[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thank you. I do not get consistent results with software. Sometimes I don’t get the black frame and then when I let the loop run often I get a black or two frame on the subsequent runs. Now, I have it ok on my two Sony blu-ray players. But wonder what is going to happen with Samsung, LG etc. Is there a rule of thumb that will work in all players?

Thanks,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thanks Danny, I just checked two ways. The encore project folder > Sources > Menus, all the menus are m4v, which as far as I know is H264. Then with 2 Sony Blu-ray players which have a display function, showing all the details, my movies as well as the menus are all AVC with matching audio at 448.
I am now imorting the 10 Menus as Premiere projects plus one movie and this is draining my computer’s CPU and the project load time, so I can no longer edit menus in photoshop via encore (not enough memory). But in premiere I added blur to the menu videos and most of everything is resolved. If I do not do it this way and encode before importing I am getting red flashing frames in the first few seconds of each menu. So, encore is transcoding the menus but in H264 (m4v). all is 1080i 29.97

Thanks,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thank you.

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Great! Thank you Bill.

BTW, how much space should I allow for the BDCMF process in case I do need to go to replication, without re-authoring?
I can not do BDCMF myself, I will have to find someone to do it for me (eventually).
Right now I have about 800mb of free space on a single layer BD-R.

Thanks,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

I have found a work around by accident. In this case importing the FCP .mov file and transcoding within encore: no flashing red frames. (don’t get it, but it works.) while the other recent versions were with ame.

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thank you, yes, I did a version that way, worked on the specific scenes, played with Blacks in After effects (processed source of the files) then replaced them in FCP but I had a real hard time finding the balance, I did masks etc.. but was not pleasing. The wall is black but there are people wearing black so changing the blacks I lost the detail in some costumes, some hairlines etc. But when I did the compression with x264 the blotchy areas became nicer pleasing grainy looking (sorry for going back to x264). OK, I will do as you suggest, it wont hurt one more time, I’ll post later. I might also be too picky but that is the way it has to be, give it your best shot!

Thank you for your interest,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thanks Jeff, you are right! the results from Handbrake with x264 need to be transcoded in Encore, but if I use x264 in Compressor it still has to be re-encoded in Encore because it is not based on a blu-ray template. I choose pull-down Quicktime then in the settings select x264 etc… Cannot change it from the blu-ray template. So far as AME while I see the plug-ins load I cannot access them I only see gaussian blur and others seem to have the same problem. I should give the blacks a tiny boost.

Would it create conflicts if my blu-ray had 2 docs in H264 and one in m2v?

Thank you,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

Thanks Jeff, yes, originally I was working with excerpts, the rest of your answer is so obvious why did I not think of going extreme as a test? I have to rememeber that, great starting point for problems.

and Eric, I have also read AME is not that good either, and I thought compressor was the better of the two? A few tests were done in Episode but were delivered to me as m2v, which to my understanding for BD it should be mpeg-4. Which software do you suggest?

Finally, after being very fearful of embarking with a different software and their multitude of settings, over the weekend I began experimenting with Handbrake only to have an easy mac interface to x264 which seems to have given me different results and quite possibly improved. I did a few short tests then started doing the full 52min. film, but before I pressed start did a few more tweaks in the codes… now it has gone crazy… another ten hours to go… at 2-pass 17.5 mbps which will make it a total of 26hours, my average before was 5-6 hours for 15/25. I was not expecting this, too many challenging codes to play with.

BTW, my problem is limited to a few scenes in my third doc.
Thanks,
Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

So right now, this is what my Blu-ray looks like: first play copyright warning (no remote function permitted), end jumps to a menu with three buttons, 3 different docs Part 1, P2 and P3 each button links to a docs menu. Each doc has a main menu, on this menu 3 buttons, Play, Scenes, Back. The Scenes button links to Chapter Page 1 with 3 chapter buttons plus three buttons back, play all, next, same with Chapter Page 2. The structure is the same for the three docs. I also have a pop-up menu. On the DVD version (3 DVDs one for each doc) I had extras but I decided to eliminate them to give more room for doc compression. As per instructions on another thread here, I also have a disc logo, the bdmt_eng.xml, so on a PS3 my Logo comes up with title, I burn to a folder with encore add bdmt_eng.xml then create an ISO UDF 2.5 and ready to burn a test.

I have one blu-ray disc as a model which is Avatar. Of course Avatar is much much better presented, the two items it has which I do not are the Pause function and Chapter Titles with names as you scroll, (mine is Title 1, 2, etc non sequential.) all of this I understand is Java based which is out of the question for me.

Realistically, at this point I do not know what additional functionality I can add that would render my Blu-ray more conventional or something one would expect after watching a regular Hollywood feature. It seems to me I have covered the basics of the remote. But then again I do not know enough.

But if there is an article I can read that will help me understand what I am missing (menu functions or whatever) which in turn will help me decide if I should embark on learning a new authoring software, I am ready, (sort of.)

Thanks,

Hagop

[Hagop Goudsouzian]

These posts are really appreciated, and gave me a better understanding of what is really going on! Thank you.

I did notice the Java folder in Avatar yet did not realize what it meant nor did I expect these answers.

I did look at the Logic products while I do not mind, it is on a PC. I have Bootcamp. But will I make a leap in my authoring and would I be able to import an encore project and improve without spending another few weeks? The project is virtually complete. (not expecting an answer.)

So as Eric puts it:
“I doubt people care anyway….if your production is good, it’s good :)”

I am going to take that approach.I hope I am giving enough not to dissapoint too much. Now just checking buttons and stuff. I guess the last thing I have left to figure out is the playlist which Encore is not very good at too… but I’ll see.

In any case, from what I read I might have the opportunity to do one or two more blu-rays and then the whole business will be almost dead. DVD sales are dropping BD sales are up but only temporarily.

Thank you, Hagop