HD Menus and Authoring

[boxy]

I am using VS X2, very happy with it. I have been burning a few SD DVDs with AVCHD and very happy there, too. The authoring options and menu templates is quite limited when compared to my options when creating a standard DVD. I need to know what is the best additional program I should use to have more options when creating AVCHD discs and Blu-Ray when that time comes. Is it movie Factory 7? IS MF 6 more compatable with VS X2 and will it give me the same features as 7? Thanks, guys!

[Ken Berry]

I have been burning a few SD DVDs with AVCHD ... The authoring options and menu templates is quite limited when compared to my options when creating a standard DVD.

This in fact suggests to me you are not in fact burning standard definition DVDs from AVCHD but (probably) hybrid discs burning AVCHD in a Blu-Ray type folder but on a standard def DVD. Can you confirm please...

[boxy]

Hi Ken. Sorry about the confusion. I meant the discs themselves are standard 4.7 GB discs. I am burning HD files in the AVCHD 'envelope.' These are only viewable with a blu-ray player.

I don't have an HD TV but I experimented with this and took a few of these discs to my sister's house who has HDTV and they really looked nice! One day in the future I will have my own set-up.

So, in order to have more authoring and menu options for HD disc creation, what program would you recommend? Thanks again!

[boxy]

I went ahead and downloaded the trial version of Movie Factory 7 Pro and there wasn't ANYTHING of use. Two templates for an AVCHD disc? That's it? And there were very few customizing options, pretty much what I have with VS X2.

[Ken Berry]

The problem is that there are not many packages out there that even allow for menus with AVCHD hybrid discs. VS and MF are amongst the few. FWIW, with my full version of MF 7 Pro, there are a total of 17 templates which can be used with such discs. These are a combination of SmartMenus and Thumbnail menus... With the former, of course, you can tailor them fairly extensively, which gives you some leeway.

I think Nero also allows menus with hybrid discs, but to be honest, I have not checked with Nero 10 Platinum... These days I no longer bother so much in actually burning hybrid discs. I simply transfer my edited AVCHD or HDV videos onto an external hard disk and connect that to my PlayStation 3 which can, of course, play such high def video without trouble.

[boxy]

Duly noted! I think there are seven templates for hybrid discs in VS X2 and the options are limited when compared to what one can do with a standard DVD menu. It's not the end of the world be any means, though.

Thanks so much for your reply!