New authoring module for X3

[nosnoop]

With MF7 SE, is it possible to create AVCHD 1280x720p 60fps disc?
I just could not find a way to do it. With X3, I can use Movie Template Manager to create 720p 60fps video file, but its DVD Factory does not seem to be able to create such an AVCHD disc - looks like MF7 SE can't either

My source material is in 720p 60fps, and I was hoping I can keep it that way in output.

[Mach2point2]

I've seen several references to the 'Get More' tab - but I don't seem to be able to find one - where does it appear, please? I would dearly love to get this updated authoring module as I detest the one that came with X3 - I am still using the X2 version.

[Ken Berry]

In the top right hand corner of the X3 screen, to the left of the ? sign, there is a little circle of dots. Click that, and a new screen with tabs should appear. Get More/Do More should be among them if it is 3 days or more since you installed X2 and if your firewall has an exception for Video Studio.

[janjatul]

I have Home/Learn/Do more/Messages but I don't have Get more.
I must have had it because I remember using it some months ago.
How do I get the new authoring module?

Thanks for your advice

[sweetcicely]

Is the alternative authoring module for X3 available yet, and if so how/where do I download it? DVD Factory Pro 2010, which came with my VSX3 Pro seems very and formulaic in its choices.

[mitchell65]

Hi sweetnicely and welcome
Just two posts above here Ken Berry said:
In the top right hand corner of the X3 screen, to the left of the ? sign, there is a little circle of dots. Click that, and a new screen with tabs should appear. Get More/Do More should be among them if it is 3 days or more since you installed X3 and if your firewall has an exception for Video Studio.

[sjj1805]

[sweetcicely]

Thanks John and Steve. I'm embarrassed not to have noticed anything but the first page of this thread (this is my first post, though that isn't much of an excuse)! On the other hand it could be just as well, since I might have been so daunted by all the problems that I would have given up before discovering that it was on the Do More Tab after scrolling to the right, particularly since I am restricted to a very slow Vermont dial-up. However, thanks to your patience and John's reassuring signature reminder, I connected with the wireless in the Library parking lot of the next town, downloaded Movie Factory and a couple of supplementary drivers they recommend, and will now go home to see if it works. Thanks!

[sweetcicely]

My Movie Factory is working! But I have one more question, which is important to me. According to Doug on page 9 of this thread, "It does appear to let you create a DVD with NO MENU, so that the title just starts playing...when you insert the disk into the DVD player... The new DMF 2010 which is part of X3 has the capability to force the titles to play before the menu comes up... "

That is exactly what I want to do, but I can't see where that option is.

I made a video (actually an audio slide show with cello background and narrative clips) in VS X3, rendered it into an MPEG video file, and would like to have it run automatically on either PC or Mac without menus. It is only about 5 minutes long, and will be the only thing on the disk (unless I am allowed to put PDF's on as well and still have it start automatically).

When I burned the video file onto a DVD, using my regular disk burner since I wanted to avoid menus, it worked well on my own and other PCs if I clicked on the file, but would not open on a Mac; and when I tried putting it in the DVD player attached to our (old) TV, the picture was fine but there was no sound. Can I assume that these problems are because I didn't actually burn it via a video burner such as DMF?

If I should be putting this post in the Movie Factory forum I apologize and hope you will move it to the right place, but in view of Doug's comment and the SE version, I thought this might be best. I do hope I'm not being negligent again!

[Ken Berry]

Once you have begun a new project in MF, then on the very first page -- where you insert the media you want to burn -- you should see a number of boxes down towards the bottom left of screen. And the bottom one should be 'Create Menu' which is ticked by default. Simply untick it.

[sweetcicely]

Tried that before, and although it worked fine on our TV/DVD player, the DVD created that way will not play the sound on my laptop. Also, on the laptop I now have to go into the D drive, select the VIDEO_TS file, and from there (after experimentation) choose another VIDEO_TS file - which still will not play the sound. Yes, I do have the sound turned up for both the computer and the "movie" screen. Haven't been able to try it on a Mac yet, but since the whole idea is that I will be able to send it out to various people and organizations whose computers and technical capacity are unknown to me, it needs to be extremely user-friendly.

I also did one with a very simple menu, and that has the same problems mentioned above, including not playing the sound.

I'm sorry if I am being dumb about this, but I really have tried ! I do like MF a lot better than the authoring program that came with VS X3, but I still want to solve my problem!!

Thanks for your continued patience.

[sjj1805]

........ the picture was fine but there was no sound. Can I assume that these problems are because I didn't actually burn it via a video burner such as DMF? ....

So what did you burn it to a disc with?
You did use the burn a Video DVD option of whatever program you used and did not fall into the trap of burning a DATA disk didn't you?

I take it you burnt to a hard drive folder from DMF before using your favourite unknown other program to burn to disc.
So did it play on your computer from that hard drive folder with your favourite software DVD player?
(WinDVD , PowerDVD, Nero Showtime, Windows Media Player etc.)

[sweetcicely]

The first time, since I really disliked the menu options on DVD Factory and couldn't see how to do without one, I did copy the Video File I made with VSX3 by burning a Data Disc, using Honestech Fireman. That worked fine on my computer and at least 4 other PCs we tried it on, although you do have to make the modest effort of clicking on the DVD drive and then on the file. On the television DVD player we could see pictures but hear no sound, and a tech savvy friend could not even open it on her Mac computer. The two Video DVDs I burned using MF (one with no menu, one with a minimal one) played fine on the TV but had no sound on my PC and were not recognized by the (not very new) Mac I tried it on at the library. Is is really necessary to make three separate versions? And if it turns out to be so, how do I make one that will work on a Mac.

[sweetcicely]

If I find someone who will let me use their Mac (the friend I mentioned before is away), would I be able to copy the VS-produced MPEG Video File onto their computer via Flash Drive and then burn it to a Mac-compatible DVD using whatever burner they have already?

If I download FormatFactory and convert the .MPEG to .MOV, would Mac viewers be able to both see and hear it, and also PC users? Would it lose quality?

Maybe I shouldn't be using "Same as Project Settings" to output my Video File. Would one of the other settings work better for my purposes? Is one of them intended for Mac? (I see that under HDV, two are specified for PC.) Would HDV files give higher resolution on a standard PC, or do you have to have special software for them? When they list formats for HDV without specifying, does that require a special player, or can it be viewed on a Mac?

I know that seems like a lot of questions, but I'm just trying to get at that basic problem...

Thanks.

[mitchell65]

If you produce, by whatever route, a standard DVD containing the two folders VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS then that will play in a PC or a Mac that has a DVD drive and DVD software like Roxio or Nero or similar Mac software. It will also play in a standard DVD player to a TV set just like a commercial DVD. The only difference being that your DVD is burnt to a disk whilst a commercial DVD is pressed!