MovieFactory Crashes on Render -- The Details and Workaround

[DVD_MFer]

I have contacted support and logged a problem report with them. I will at least say that the Ulead Tech Support team is responsive to users, unfortunately, they don't have any solutions to give. I just get the typical, "oh, it must be your antivirus" or "you have too many programs installed" or "you must have corrupted video files" or "you have Nero installed", etc. etc. etc.

I especially like how Nero is blamed for everything, because after all, Nero is everywhere. I suspect you would blame Windows too but then you wouldn't have a platform to claim your product runs on. Anyways, moving along...

PROBLEM/BUG DETAILS:
In my experience with MF and creating DVDs from MPG files, I have found that you can only use ONE transition effect in your project. If there are two or more transitions, even if they are in different clips, the rendering process will fail.

Also, if you join more than two clips together, the rendering process will fail. (Useful, huh?)

If you fart towards your computer, the rendering will fail... ok, maybe that was just a coincidence.

Setting chapter points seems to be one of the few functions that work as advertised... but I didn't test it in every possible situation so I may be wrong.

If you create a DVD using your raw MPG clips and do not do any trimming/clipping/joining, you will be able to burn the disk. Even if you have motion menus. But as soon as you try to use the cool functions, like transitions, cuts & joins, you will have problems. Even if the rendering and burning phase complete successfully, you will have out-of-sync issues. The results may be different with AVI files, but my Sony camcorder (DVD403) only outputs MPGs with AC3 5.1 audio... and I don't want to lose the AC3 audio so converting to AVI is not acceptable.

I am only posting this information so that other fellow netizens can learn this via searches. I am not looking for a solution because I know there isn't one.

I have reproduced the problems with this software on two different computers. One of them was freshly built and DID NOT HAVE NERO. I also used yet a third computer to install a trial version of Pinnacle Liquid Edition and it analyzed my MPG files and said they were all OK. So save your, "must be your media files", excuses. (I know it doesn't matter, but the robots in this forum will ask: system#1=P4/2.6GHz/1GBram/WinXP, system#2=P4/2.8GHz/1GBram/Win2K, both have over 10GB free disk space.)

If a support tech is brave enough, I'd like one to speak up and tell us how THEY managed to successfully create a DVD using multiple trim, join, and transition effects. And I don't mean which buttons they pressed; I'd like to know what's in their "Add/Remove Programs" list. Because in my tests (and also GeorgeC's in http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=4255 ), installing DVDMF on a brand new setup of XP still results in crashes.

WORKAROUND"
Having said that, the only workaround I can offer to readers is to use the VideoReDo program that has recently been released. It will allow you to cut and join your MPGs before putting them into MF. Doing it this way will allow you to combine multiple files together to make a single title but there will be no transition effects, just hard cuts from one clip to the next, but those cuts will be instantaneous; unlike the delays found when going from one title to the next.

The clips produced with VideoReDo will also preserve the original AC3 5.1 audio and synchronization is maintained. (If you use the export function in MF, the audio gets downconverted to 2.0 and loses sync.)

You can then use those clips in DVDMF and add ONE transition to ONE clip. Choose it carefully.

The only problem I have with this workaround is the fact that VideoReDo costs $50, which is outrageous considering all I'm doing with it is cutting/joining MPG clips. But at least it has a 21-day trial period.

Hopefully, by the time I need to make another video, there'll be more features in it to warrant the price. As it is now, based on functionality, I'd say that software is worth around $20, or at most $30 if there's good support. A price tag of $50usd seems a little greedy to me.

SUGGESTION TO ULEAD:
Contact VideoReDo and see if you can license their code for use in DVDMF. They obviously have a better handle on it.

Best of luck to you all,
DVD_MFer.

P.S.: Tonyl33, your posting in http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=4473 tells me that you think you are some kind of elitist, or should I say 31i7i57, that knows how to find the answers to everything. I, like Sagredoe, am happy for you that you can read and have the ability to brag about it. But unless you have something constructive to post, DON'T BOTHER! These forums are already polluted enough with your useless comments.