Nero Faster than Ulead

[Feff]

Hi all,

I recently tried Videoredo to edit Mpeg files (which I previously had problems with audio sync). The program works great but when using Ulead to Author then burn the DVD, It takes up to 2-3 times longer than when using Ulead to edit first etc.

When I tried Nero Express 3 to auther and burn DVD edited by Videoredo, it took about 50min to do a 97min file. Thats quick!! The same file took over 4 hrs with Ulead.

I like the user interface with Ulead though and would prefer to use that program but its so slow. Any suggestions????

Thanks.

[GeorgeW]

When you are done editing with VideoRedo, make sure to output compliant mpeg1 or mpeg2 files that meet dvd specifications.

Then open VideoStudio and go right to the Share Step -- this brings up the Authoring module. Add your complian mpeg video to the Authoring project, hit the little gear icon in the bottom left, and make sure you have "Do not convert compliant mpeg files" checked.

Modify your menus to taste, and burn the dvd to dvd folders on your hard drive.

Try this procedure using a small test mpeg file to see how fast it should go...

Regards,
George

[Feff]

Thanks George,

Can Videoredo make files dvd compliant?? I thought it just edited them- thats all. I will have another look.

I still cant see Ulead authoring a 97min dvd in less than an hour though.

Will try your advice though...

[THoff]

If you don't change the MPEG settings when outputting a file in Videostudio and use the SmartRender option, then creating the output file should be very quick, because Videostudio won't actually have to render any of the video that is not affected by your edits.

If you change the bitrate, encoding method, or audio option, then yes, Videostudio will take a long time to create the new file.

[Feff]

Hi Thoff,

Thanks for reply. This is what my procedure is.

1. Capture movie in mpeg.
2. Use Videoredo to edit out commercials etc.
3. Save file.
4. Use Ulead to create disk and author DVD. The movie was two hours long. Rather than change bitrate, i just burnt the movie on 2 dvd's. There shouldnt be any reason for Ulead to take longer to author and burn. Each dvd takes about 3 hrs (1 hr of film each). File edited with Ulead then authored took about 1.5 hrs.

[Ken Berry]

My last video project yesterday may be instructive both as to work flow and times taken.

1. Captured 1 hr video from mini DV cassette into DV Type 1 format.

2. Did some editing (added title at beginning and end, transitions, and some adjustment of brightness/contrast in some of the clips). Added no voiceover or background music except behind beginning and end titles (as the tape was of a stage show). Final edited project ran for 58 minutes 37 seconds.

3. Went to Share > Create Video File > PAL DVD (4:3, 6000 kbps, Dolby dual channel stereo, Lower Field First) i.e. fully DVD compliant. It took 1 hr 12 minutes to transcode from the PAL project to the mpeg-2 (see my profile for computer specifications. But generally, mine takes from about 1.25 to 1.5 times real time to transcode any project.)

4. Closed my project and opened a new one with clean timeline. Went to Share > Create Disc > PAL DVD. Made sure the burn properties were the same as those of the mpeg-2 I had produced, and that 'Do not convert compliant mpeg files' was checked. Made a simple menu with chapter points every 3 minutes. Pressed Burn button. Got a message saying the process would take a long time (which in versions before VS9 used to be a worry because it implied that in fact the file you were trying to burn was not DVD compliant and it was converting/transcoding it. However, this does not seem to be the case with VS10.) Took the program a little over 6 minutes to make the menu and do the multiplexing and another 9 minutes to actually burn the 1 hour DVD at 4x speed (I find that a full disc always takes 13 minutes 48 seconds to burn at 4x, and I always use 4x -- never higher.)

Depending on your own computer's resources/power and your work flow, transcoding can take anything from between real time, through the speeds mine achieves, up to 3 or 4 times real time for less powerful computers. If you are not following the work flow I described above, but are going straight from your project to burn a disc, then you are combining the transcoding, multiplexing and burning into one step. The transcoding part will still take the amount of time I have described, but the multiplexing part should be be relatively short, depending on the complexity of the menu (e.g. whether it is a motion menu, which will take longer to build and process). The burn time I find is the same, give or take a few seconds, on three different burns on 3 different computers I have, and using 4x with each.

I should add that the recommended procedure is the one I followed as above. If you jump the step and go straight from the project to the burn stage, it can be stressful for less powerful computers and errors can creep in. You will see from another recent thread which is still active on this Board that people are currently experimenting to see whether VS10 can do this without the problems which occurred in earlier versions, and the results seem promising. However, I will continue to fullow the recommended work flow, particularly if I am capturing in DV and outputting to mpeg-2, since overall the time take for all the steps remains roughly the same, yet the results seem far less problematic.

[THoff]

Feff, as you prepare to add the MPEG file produced by VideoReDo, click on the Info button to display the MPEG file properties. Make sure that the properties of the DVD you are creating matches those properties EXACTLY, or you'll have to wait for a lengthy render.

Do not assume that just because you aren't doing any further edits within Videostudio, that it will not be forced to re-render.

[Feff]

Thanks Ken and Thoff.

Will try it out.

[couimet]

Hi Ken. Do you say you don't use DVD's capable of more than 4X or that you never write at more than 4X? Why?

Thanks ...

[Ken Berry]

I use DVDs rated up to 16x, though mainly I use Ritek 8x full face discs because I like their quality and price. But I always burn _video_ DVDs at no more than 4x (I burn archive/storage DVDs at higher speeds).

Why? Because I believe that a slower burn speed means that the burning laser has more time to ensure that the signal it is burning is 'embedded' more firmly onto the disc. This will help ensure that the disc can be read with certainty and thus will play on as many stand-alone DVD players as possible. As you may know, there are of course other factors involved. Some DVD players, including more expensive brand name players, have difficulty playing certain home-made DVDs, either because of the brand or type of disc or how it was produced. So burning speed is by no means the only factor, but it is certainly important. The faster you burn, the more likely it is that some players might have difficulty reading a 'lightly written' signal on the disc.

[THoff]

For the curious, a DVD write speed of 16x translates into slightly more than 177 Mbits/second, not counting error correction information.

That means that the laser of the drive has to create up to 177 million pits in the media per second by modulating the laser power and initiating the phase change in the dye.

That this whole DVD burning business works at all is really a miracle.