Some Basic Advice from Those using MSP

[Gra]

Hi guys

This is probably a silly question (and I apologise) but when I first bought a camcorder to video some training courses for our business the firewirecard I bought had VideoStudio included. Recently I upgraded to VS8 as from all the blurb I thought VS8 was Ulead's leader. But since I've joined that web board it seems I may have been mistaken and MSP is the real package. I ask this because we are expanding from our training course videos so I want to make sure that picture & audio qualities are the best possible against out budgets.

Can anyone tell me what the key merits of MSP over VS8 are? I found VS8 pretty easy to use and assume MSP works on the same principles. However I need to aim for quality and your views are welcome - for instance, in VS8 you get an audio meter rather than an audio wave graph - do you get a wave graph in MSP? Does anyone see a marked difference in picture quality/ smoothness? Do you get the same overlays transitions and filters in MSP (or more)? And is the DVD authoring the same as VS8 (I understand it may not be but cannot see any specifics).

I know VS9 is out in a couple of days and it may bring the two packages side by side, but if I'm going to create something more promotional for our little business, I want to make sure I've got the best I can get to capture, edit and author DVDs.

Any advice from you more experienced guys would be very welcome.

regards.
Gra

[NickJushchyshyn]

The primary difference between the packages is that MSP provides for more powerful effects and more extensive multitrack editing.

If you want to do a lot of layering of videos and images over each other or green/blue screen compositing, MSP is the better tool, but for routine editing VS is a very capable application.

If you are shooting & capturing DV, there is no quality difference. A captured DV file is a bit-for-bit copy of data on tape regardless of the program used to capture.

I used DVD Workshop for authoring so can't address the aurthoring tools, but I suspect that they (MSP & VS) are actually very similar in DVD authoring abilities.

Truthfully, if your videos are realatively routine (one camera shoots, editing to get the good takes together with some transitions an titles), you would be just fine with VS and perhaps get DVD Workshop instead of MSP, since DVDWS provides significantly more authoring features than either MSP or VS.

Hope this helps.

[thecoalman]

MSP has no authoring ability at all. It's an editor and that's it. You will need an authoring app to make a disc.

The difference between it and VS8 as pointed out above is multi track editing and the editing abilities are so far beyond what VS8 does there is no comparison. If you want full control over what you are editing and wish to expand your creativity then MSP is the ticket. If your looking for ease of use stick with VS8.

[GeorgeW]

MSP has no authoring ability at all. It's an editor and that's it. You will need an authoring app to make a disc.

The full version MSP 7.0 includes a DVD Authoring package -- MovieFactory 2.0 LE. Which, as Nick mentioned, should be comparable to the authoring capability in VS8. In fact, I would bet it has at least one advantage -- AC3 audio encoding comes standard with the MSP version (you can purchase a Dolby Digital plugin for VS8).

[Devil]

MSP has no authoring ability at all. It's an editor and that's it. You will need an authoring app to make a disc.

Got coal dust in your eyes?

MSP7 includes:
video capture
video editing
video encoding
DVD authoring
audio editing
video painting
CG Infinity for complex title effects etc

I respectfully suggest that you should not try to mislead others.

[thecoalman]

MSP has no authoring ability at all. It's an editor and that's it. You will need an authoring app to make a disc.

Got coal dust in your eyes?

MSP7 includes:
video capture
video editing
video encoding
DVD authoring
audio editing
video painting
CG Infinity for complex title effects etc

I respectfully suggest that you should not try to mislead others.

MSP itself contains has no authoring abilities, it's for creating video and that's it. There's no "create disc" function. The video has to be imported into a authoring app. To say it has authoring abilities is suggesting it has capabilities such as VS8 where you can go from capture to burn using one tool which you can't. The authoring tool supplied is a standalone stripped down version of Movie Factory...

Want to split some more hairs?

[GeorgeW]

MSP itself contains has no authoring abilities, it's for creating video and that's it. There's no "create disc" function. The video has to be imported into a authoring app. To say it has authoring abilities is suggesting it has capabilities such as VS8 where you can go from capture to burn using one tool which you can't. The authoring tool supplied is a standalone stripped down version of Movie Factory...

Want to split some more hairs?

ULead's own words:

Advancing the Art of Digital Video
Ulead® MediaStudio Pro 7 is a complete Digital Video Suite, offering Non-linear Video Editing, Real-time MPEG capture, Real-time preview, as well as Real-time output! The inclusion of tools for video painting, CG graphics, audio editing and DVD authoring makes this your solution for powerful content creation - for broadcast, tape, DVD or the Web.

They list "DVD/SVCD/VCD Authoring Integrated" (as being integrated into MSP Suite).

From within MSP, I can go FILE/EXPORT/DISC Authoring -- this allows me to select a video for disc authoring -- it's a modular approach, like VideoPaint and CG Infinity are modules that are part of the MSP7 Digital Video Suite.


So, when you said:

MSP has no authoring ability at all. It's an editor and that's it. You will need an authoring app to make a disc.

that could mislead someone into thinking that if they purchased MSP7, they would still need to purchase a Disc Authoring package to make discs...

[Devil]

Want to split some more hairs?

Yes, I'm very willing to do so, because your distortion of the truth implies it has ONLY the video editing feature and none of the others; this is what I took you to task about. AND, if you use the Switch function on the top right of the screen, you can enter into DVD authoring from any of the other modules.

Why not just admit you clumsily made a mistake, rather than try compounding it?

[thecoalman]

I didn't make any mistakes, MSP doesn't author discs period. If I can create a disc using MSP please enlighten me on how to do this since there has been many times I wished I could have just went directly to a burn menu instead of having to create a new project in a seperate application such as DVDWS or MF. As I pointed out you need an authoring app. Admittedly it was oversite that I forgot about the included barebones crippled version of MF but GeorgeW had already pointed that fact out Is there a reason it needed to be pointed out a second time or are you just a troll looking for an argument?

MSP and MF are standalone apps with two distinct purposes they are not one and the same such as VS8 which is a all-in-one multi purpose tool. To a degree MF can be considered a all-in-one but with very limited editing abilities even compared to VS8.

If your statement is to say MSP will author a disc then that's far more misleading than anything I have stated. "OK so I've made my video but where's the create disc option I can't find it?" will be the next question someone asks since they would be used to the workflow of apps such as VS8 which have this feature. Why can't they find it?....because there is none that's why. It's for editing and creating video. IMO you have to make that distinction.

AND, if you use the Switch function on the top right of the screen, you can enter into DVD authoring from any of the other modules.

I can also use the switch function to switch to Photoimpact, Cool 3-D etc..... Is that to imply MSP is a photoeditor or that I can create 3-D animations with it? The answer is no just like it is not an authoring app.

I respectfully suggest you do not mislead people into thinking it will author a disc because it won't.

[jday]

I must jump in on the side of those who say MSP does include disc authoring (via MF). MSP, like already stated, takes a modular approach. In fact, the video editing module is not called "MSP" but "Video Editor." The fact that you can also buy MF as a stand-alone product makes it any less a module of MSP since it does come with it as part of the MSP price.

[NickJushchyshyn]

I'm just chiming in to agree that MSP as a package includes DVD authoring functionality. It comes in the form of a seperate, but included, application (MovieFactory) but this is really the norm for the industry since video editing and DVD authoring are really two entirely different processes. In fact, most other video editing applications require an upcharge option in order to get any authoring functionality.

MSP's "Video Editor" does not author DVDs.
"Media Studio Pro", as a packaged suite, does include basic DVD authoring functionality.

That said, I'll repeat that DVD Workshop is a significantly better tool for DVD authoring than either VS or MSP. IMO, if your video editing doesn't entail lots of layers, effects and/or compositing, VS + DVD WS 2 would be an EXTREMELY effective combination. More powerful, in fact, than MSP alone.

[Gra]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Sorry I stirred things up a bit over DVD authoring. I downloaded the trial version a couple of days ago (see my earlier new thread) and found it has both disc authoring and the ULead DVD-VR Wizard under "Export". Unforunately I tried to output my test DVP and the authoring tool didn't recognise it.

Regards.
Gra

[Topenshaw]

Hi there

MSP 7 does not recognize .dvp project files - you have to render your project as a video file first - .avi or MPEG, then pull that into the DVD authoring tool.

Cheers