[Jen Musselman]

Frippy,

Thanks–Yes, I’ve heard that you have to do this when done.

One other thing I was wondering about–Do you know if you need to select “first header only” or “entire file” in DVD Patcher? (and which should be selected both times–before Encore as an MPEG and after as VOBs?)

Thanks.

[Jen Musselman]

Thanks–that clears a lot up!

Jeff–just as a sidenote, your book has been an invaluable guide as I’ve been trying to learn Encore 2.

I’m more than happy to try burning directly in Encore. Just got out of the habit with burning in the authoring program because Workshop would crash frequently during internal burning. So I wasted a lot of discs.

I’ll have to look at ReStream. Actually, I did try DVDPatcher. Once you patch the header for the MPEG, Encore loads the file, is faked out by the header, and says the file doesn’t need to be transcoded. That part did work for me. I suppose then Encore builds the DVD folder from there without transcoding the file.

However, then there is some confusion. I’ve read both that the resulting VOBs can be burned directly to disc OR that the VOBs need to be repatched to the correct 704×480 size before burning. I can’t seem to find a consensus on which is correct, and I really don’t know enough technical stuff to understand why one or the other would work.

Also, there is confusion about when doing the patch (either before or after), whether you should patch just the header for the MPEG or the entire file. (It doesn’t help that the “read me” for DVD Patcher is in German and there are no decent instructions out there regarding how to use it! Plus many people are trying to use it for SVCD-to-MPEG stuff rather than aspect ratio.)

I’ll take a look at ReStream and see if that’s easier or clearer about instructions. Thanks!

[Jen Musselman]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your help, and please know that I meant no offense. All I know is based on my own experience with Workshop and Nero. I am trying to move into Encore because I don’t think Workshop will ever be updated; plus I love Encore’s integration with Photoshop, which I use extensively.

Part of why I would burn from a DVD folder is related to my post from yesterday, in which you helped me with DVDPatcher and the MPEG I have that’s 704×480 that I don’t want to transcode. From what I understand, after Encore creates the files in a DVD folder, you must use DVDPatcher to “repatch” the movie VOB files before burning, or the aspect ratio is off. I can’t see how this process is possible unless you burn directly from the repatched DVD folder. My instinct would be to take those repatched files and burn them in Nero. I found these directions on a thread on the Adobe Encore forum regarding how to use DVDPatcher with Encore.

As far as the Bellune book, I quoted from page 206, under the subheading “Build a DVD Folder.” I quoted the book directly. The Adobe manual that came with Encore says the same thing about not using an outside program.

My process has usually been to make a DVD folder in the authoring program, then try it out in a software DVD program to make sure everything works correctly. Then I usually just open Nero and burn the files to disc.

“You can’t just burn a straight data DVD from a VIDEO_TS folder and have it play in a DVD player (it won’t), but that is true of any VIDEO_TS folder created in any DVD authoring app.” Again, respectively, yes it WILL. You CAN burn the files in a video_ts folder using the “burn video disc” option in Nero. You simply copy the video_ts files into the video_ts folder provided by Nero. I do this all the time, have given many DVDs created in this problem to friends and relatives using all different kinds of DVD players, and I have never had complaints that they don’t work. Am I crazy? Don’t other people do this too? Joe, I’m not saying you’re incorrect. But I don’t understand why this process has worked for me if you can’t burn a usable DVD disc in this manner.

Again, I mean no offense by disagreeing with you. Maybe we just have our wires crossed on some point. I’m just trying to understand. Thanks for your help.

[Jen Musselman]

Hi Joe,
Thanks for the response, but some of what you wrote doesn’t make sense.

I read about the Encore DVD folder burning-outside problem in the Bellune Focal guide. It says: “Building the project as a DVD folder allows for quick checking of the project on the computer by a software DVD player….The DVD folder is not intended to be burned directly to disc because the finished DVD may not work right.” I took this to mean that you can only burn Encore-created DVD folders using the DVD burner built into Encore, which seems limiting.

In the manual I have for Ulead DVD Workshop, it states regarding its “build DVD folder option”: “DVD folders can be used to test the functions of the project using a software DVD player. In addition, the DVD folders can be used to burn a project to disc.” This is essentially the same section regarding DVD folders as in the Bellune guide.

So why can Workshop do this but Encore can’t? What is the difference between the DVD folders the two programs create? This is the same exact feature/function between the two programs, but one lets you burn outside of the program and one doesn’t. Why?

Whether one uses Nero or another program to do burning is irrelevant. However, as far as Nero being unable to burn a DVD folder correctly, with all due respect, I find that ridiculous. I have been using Nero to burn the contents of DVD/video_ts folders for years and on a regular basis. I have never had a problem with my DVDs not working on set-top DVD players after they’ve been burned with Nero.

[Jen Musselman]

Well–the reply I entered for this doesn’t seem to be working–maybe because I put a link in it.

Anyway–Joe, thank you for your reply. I was wondering if the program you meant was DVDPatcher? I found that mentioned on the VideoHelp website. Please let me know if this rings a bell as the right kind of program before I try it out. Thanks!