Disgusted with VS Pro X3/Corel DVD Factory 2010 Upgrade

[shperkinsjr]

I am really regretting upgrading to VSP X3. It seems they've pulled out what was a very good integrated DVD authoring module and replaced it with the external Corel DVD Factory 2010. This combination is absolutely awful. Maybe I'm missing something?
1. I import my .avi file (created from my camcorder tapes) into VS Pro X3
2. I chop it into scenes, delete the garbage, multi-trim, etc. to get video ready for burning.
3. I set chapter points.
4. Next I go to Share|Create Disc and can select Corel DVD Factory 2010 or Corel DVD MovieFactory 7 SE (which has it's own drawbacks).
5. Here are the issues I've found with DVD Factory 2010:
a. Becomes unresponsive and crashes much of the time, especially when going to Menu Edit
b. Doesn't honor chapter points set in VS Pro
c. Doesn't allow removal of soundtrack because it's in use. I don't want the crappy music they select, but I can't remove it!
d. Doesn't allow changing the thumbnails or menu preview video (picks first seconds of the first clip).
e. Can't burn to an ISO.

Movie Factory 7 SE has its own issues.
1. Doesn't honor the work I did in VS Pro. Best I can do is just pull in the raw video and start over. For basic DVD creation from raw video, VS Pro is not even needed. MF7SE does most of the work.
2. However, it continually crashes during rendering with 'Unspecified Error' which is no help at all. I don't have time for this. I just need something that works like VS Pro X2 use to!!!
3. Also it can't split by scene, which lets me easily delete the transition frames, noise frames, dead space, etc. These are videos from an old analog 8mm tapes, so they have a lot of garbage areas.

[Ken Berry]

While I sympathise -- and I do! -- all of your issues have been dealt with over and over again in this forum and the Video Studio one as well. Yes, it was a retrograde step on Corel's part to ever think that DVD Factory "Pro" 2010 was a decent replacement for previous burning modules, and it does all the awful things you list plus some more. And yes, MF 7 SE has its own drawbacks -- though is still a much better program than DVD Factory.

But only a moderate adjustment of your workflow could produce an acceptable outcome with MF 7 SE, and that workflow has also been described here many times, and has been used from time immemorial by many of us here, even before VS X3 and MF 7 ever appeared.

First, forget about setting your chapter points in X3.

Next, insert a new step before your current step 4. Instead of jumping immediately to "Creat Disc", choose "Create Video File" instead. If you are burning a standard def DVD and your project is an hour or less long, then choose Create Video File > DVD. If longer than an hour, then choose Custom and adjust the bitrate downwards to match the length of your project (6000 kbps = 90 minutes; 4000 kbps = 2 hours). Make sure your Field Order matches that of your original AVI video which (if it is DV/AVI as I suspect) will be Lower Field First.

Once you have produced this new DVD-compatible mpeg-2 of your edited project, open MF 7 SE and insert that new file. You create your chapter points in MF 7. Edit your menu, including your own choice of music, and burn.

This time, it should burn without that unspecified error, which was probably generated by trying to convert the video as part of the burning process. If you check in the Options cogwheel icon down in the bottom left hand corner of MF 7, ensure the box beside "Do not convert compliant MPEG video" is checked, and no conversion will take place since you already have a DVD-compliant video.

Nor are you losing any time with this workflow. The conversion process AVI > MPEG-2 will take the same time, whether as part of X3 or MF 7. And you have more certainty of a successful outcome if the conversion is done in X3 as the final editing step, rather than as part of the already complicated enough process of burning video to a DVD.

[teknisyan]

Hello shperkinsjr,

Ken is correctm just use DVD Movie Factory 7 SE and all your question will be answered. Just incase, for information on how to get and use the DVD Movie Factory 7 SE, please visit our KB Article 764534.

[shperkinsjr]

While I sympathise -- and I do! -- all of your issues have been dealt with over and over again in this forum and the Video Studio one as well. Yes, it was a retrograde step on Corel's part to ever think that DVD Factory "Pro" 2010 was a decent replacement for previous burning modules, and it does all the awful things you list plus some more. And yes, MF 7 SE has its own drawbacks -- though is still a much better program than DVD Factory.

But only a moderate adjustment of your workflow could produce an acceptable outcome with MF 7 SE, and that workflow has also been described here many times, and has been used from time immemorial by many of us here, even before VS X3 and MF 7 ever appeared.

First, forget about setting your chapter points in X3.

Next, insert a new step before your current step 4. Instead of jumping immediately to "Creat Disc", choose "Create Video File" instead. If you are burning a standard def DVD and your project is an hour or less long, then choose Create Video File > DVD. If longer than an hour, then choose Custom and adjust the bitrate downwards to match the length of your project (6000 kbps = 90 minutes; 4000 kbps = 2 hours). Make sure your Field Order matches that of your original AVI video which (if it is DV/AVI as I suspect) will be Lower Field First.

Once you have produced this new DVD-compatible mpeg-2 of your edited project, open MF 7 SE and insert that new file. You create your chapter points in MF 7. Edit your menu, including your own choice of music, and burn.

This time, it should burn without that unspecified error, which was probably generated by trying to convert the video as part of the burning process. If you check in the Options cogwheel icon down in the bottom left hand corner of MF 7, ensure the box beside "Do not convert compliant MPEG video" is checked, and no conversion will take place since you already have a DVD-compliant video.

Nor are you losing any time with this workflow. The conversion process AVI > MPEG-2 will take the same time, whether as part of X3 or MF 7. And you have more certainty of a successful outcome if the conversion is done in X3 as the final editing step, rather than as part of the already complicated enough process of burning video to a DVD.

thank you Mr. Berry, I will try this with my next batch of videos today. I found bits and pieces of your advice on the forum before I wrote my post. But I felt like I had to unload my frustrations somewhere.

[shperkinsjr]

Hello shperkinsjr,

Ken is correctm just use DVD Movie Factory 7 SE and all your question will be answered. Just incase, for information on how to get and use the DVD Movie Factory 7 SE, please visit our KB Article 764534.

Thank you I have already downloaded MF7. My recollection is it was offered as part of a patch of VS3 so I went ahead and installed it. But the Unspecified Error crashing has kept me from using it.

[Marc L]

shperkinsjr I'm with you 100%. I've been using and promoting Videostudio for years. X3 is a massive disappointment on the authoring side. I've been pulling my hair out for weeks as DVD Factory crashes 3.5 hours into a render every time. I was going to buy X3 for the AVCHD compression, but thanks to the demo (warning?) I'll be shopping elsewhere.

To add some practical info... I was trying to edit several MP4 clips onto a Blu Ray ISO file (then disk) using AVCHD. The MP4 files came from a Sanyo FH1 camcorder.

[fuzzyfreak]

Glad I found your post, you very eloquently put into words the same crashing issue with Corel DVD MovieFactory 7 SE that I am having. I am an IT Admin so install various software on various systems all the time but rarely see crashes these days. There is no reason for a piece of software to not give you an idea of why it went wrong and for you to have to trawl forums to find the answers - it should be patched immediately but I note I cannot service pack the SE version!!

[GiddyUpHorsey]

Video Studio Pro X3 is such a frustrating app! It's just full of problems. I have had to reinstall it several times to get rid of updates that break functionality.

Video Studio was way more reliable when it was a Ulead product and the same with Paint Shop Pro and Jasc.

Looks like Corel destroys good products.