Video Studio X3 - New User Seeks Help

[richardf77]

I have recently been trying out the trial version of X3 while looking for a replacement to an old Ulead VS that will not work on my new W7 PC. I have had some reasonable results with it but have found it hard to get to grips with and it has taken me most of the trial period to get anywhere. I think i like the software and am interested in getting the full version. I have a few queries though that i hope someone can help me with please.

What i mostly want to do is make DVDs from TV shows captured from a PVR, Sky+ or VCR. I dont have a camcorder, HDTV or blueray. I would like to know how to get the best possible DVDs with the software, editing the videos and adding titles and chapters where nessesary.

What extra features would i get from the full version that i do not get with the trial version now?

I dont know if anyone else does this but i like to test DVD projects on DVD-RW discs before burning to DVD-R. Is this a good idea or do you lose picture or sound quality by doing so, and therefore not get a true picture of how the finished disc/video will look like?

Finally is it worth upgrading or should i persevere with my older Ulead VS (v10 i think)?

Thanks

[Ron P.]

First have you been successful in getting your video onto your PC? This is most important of course. I can tell you that VS X3 is rather stubborn when it comes to capturing analog video. This is not new, and actually started with VS11. Anyway I'm going to assume that you can, and that you're not relying on VS to do so.

Since you're not dealing with hi-def, nothing much different. Corel's TBYB (trial) are fully functional, they will not have all the templates, or goodies, but do provide a sampling. With the full, registered version you will also be able to download the replacement for the terrible DVD authoring program DVD Factory 2010. Corel provides an alternative, which is a trimmed down version of DVD MovieFactory 7 Pro, the name is the same, they just replace the suffix Pro with SE.

I'm sure numerous people do tests on RW discs, they also burn to their hard drive, which is known as Creating DVD Folders, or Burning to Folders. The program just substitutes the DVD Disc with your hard drive. Then just use one of your software media players to view and check it over before committing it to disc.

Should you upgrade from VS 10, or 11, or X2 for that matter? Well since you are needing the program to run on Win7, simple answer is yes, you really have no choice. Any of those I listed will have problems running on Win7, especially VS 10.

[teknisyan]

Hello richardf77,

If you have a registered version of VS 10 or higher (Standard or Pro), then you are eligible for the upgrade price of VS X3 and yes VS X3 is the only version of VS that is compatible with Windows 7.

[DVDDoug]

I dont know if anyone else does this but i like to test DVD projects on DVD-RW discs before burning to DVD-R. Is this a good idea or do you lose picture or sound quality by doing so, and therefore not get a true picture of how the finished disc/video will look like...

It's digital, so the bytes (and quality) are exactly the same. The exception is that some DVD players have some trouble with RW discs.

I make RW discs when I'm making a complicated menu structure and I want to test it before burning the final DVDs.

[richardf77]

thanks for replies. yes i have used the Pro x3 software for capturing videos, mostly from an old PVR that does not have a working DVD recorder and from my Sky Plus machine. I did intend trying it for VCR tapes but have not had the time as yet.

My main bugbear with the software is the DVD recording facility, which does do a nice job on the whole but does have the tendancy to 'freeze' part way through preparing the video for burning. My PC is a nearly new Packard Bell machine with pretty high specs so it cant be the computer's fault. I was wondering if there was a way around the DVD recording part of the software, using VSPro X3 to prepare the videos then burning using another application, for example Windows DVD Maker, failing that another Corel application?

[Ron P.]

My main bugbear with the software is the DVD recording facility, which does do a nice job on the whole but does have the tendancy to 'freeze' part way through preparing the video for burning. My PC is a nearly new Packard Bell machine with pretty high specs so it cant be the computer's fault. I was wondering if there was a way around the DVD recording part of the software, using VSPro X3 to prepare the videos then burning using another application, for example Windows DVD Maker, failing that another Corel application?

Yes you can certainly use whatever DVD authoring program you desire. However first understand that to do so, you would most likely alleviate the problem you're having now using either DVD Factory 2010 or DVD MovieFactory 7SE, the latter being strongly recommended by the web board staff. In order to use another DVD authoring program you would need to render your project to a new video file. This is done in the Share step, by selecting Create Video File DVD>NTSC or PAL, depending on where you live on this globe. Once your new video file is created, you just insert that video file into the DVD authoring program of your liking. This could also be DVD MovieFactory 7SE, or DVD Factory 2010. Just launch the respective DVD authoring program, and press the Insert Video File icon, navigate to where the newly created video file resides on your system, and insert it.

Now what's important here is that you check in the Project Settings for the DVD Authoring program, which for DVD MovieFactory 7SE, would be pressing the gear-looking icon located in the lower-left, to see that Do not convert compliant MPEG files and Treat MPEG audio as non-DVD compliant are both checked. That way your DVD Compliant video file will not be recoded during the burning process.

[Ken Berry]

Now what's important here is that you check in the Project Settings for the DVD Authoring program, which for DVD MovieFactory 7SE, would be pressing the gear-looking icon located in the lower-right

...Ummm ... a slight typo on Ron's part. It's actually located in the lower *left* of the MF screen...

[Ron P.]

yes it was, and now corrected..

[richardf77]

Thanks. I have come across the function in pro x3 that converts the project into a video file. I had to do this as i wanted to move a video to another computer, but the file size was too large to move to my portable HDD. I used the setting 'Convert using project setting' rather than a specifc PAL format as i wasnt sure which was the right one to use. I then used it in both DVD Factory 2010 and Windows DVD Maker with good results although with Windows DVD Maker there are fewer prsentation options (menus etc).

So you would recomend DVD Movie Factory 7SE then? Its better than DVD factory 2010 that comes with VS Pro X3? I see you can get a 30 day trial for it on the website. How is it better? In terms of functionality or the quality of the DVDs it makes?

[BrianCee]

Once you have purchased a copy of VideoStudio X3 you get DVD Movie Factory 7SE FREE - because even Corel admitted that Factory 2010 was not so good and made the much better 7SE available as a replacement.