Hi Guys I wonder if someone could recommend a reasonably priced PC editing program for editing DVDs and for editing video content that has been uploaded onto a PC.
My past is a foreign country. Most things are different there, including word usage. 503 Posts 12/06
Posted - Oct 31 2008 : 3:53PM
My favorite is Intervideo's WinDVD Version 2, which is no longer available. I think they are on version 6. After trying version 3 (about a year ago) I went back to Version 2. That may be a learning curve situation or being more familar with how the older version functions. A great deal depends on what you would be trying to do and what results you want. It's a Catch-22. You can't figure out what you need until you try one or two and the current versions from any of the major vendors are pricy. Sometimes you can find previous versions (no longer supported - but you can register them) at a sharp discount from software vendors on the Internet. I got that WinDVD Version 3 for $10.
My past is a foreign country. Most things are different there, including word usage. 503 Posts 12/06
Posted - Nov 1 2008 : 10:50AM
Nope. WinDVD is full edit and IMHO better (less buggy) than Pinnacle. There's a separate package that is only playback. I gave up on Pinnacle at version 9. It has some functions not found in WinDVD (I like the color correction function), but in general I found I to be more complicated and difficult to use. Also, it doesn't 'open' VOB files which WinDVD does and that's a huge advantage (for me).
Robert, I have WinDvd Creator 2 which came with my computer. It's a very good program, but unfortunately it's a lower version that doesn't have the feature of making Chapters. More than 2 years ago I paid for the upgrade that has that feature, WinDVD Creator 3 Platinum. It worked excellently when converting VHS to DVD making Chapters, but for some unknown reason whenever I inserted a wmv, mpeg or avi file, everything would lock-up. I had to contact them and get a refund. Several months later I purchased Super DVD Creator for $30 because it was able to make Chapters from video files without locking up. The really bad side with this program is that it will not append (join) the files. I've requested that an append feature be included in their next version but so far no luck. When I want to make Chapters from video files I first use WinDvd to append, which does an excellent job, (it has superb quality when set on the NTSC DVD HQ setting) then use Super DVD Creator to make the Chapters. Recently, I've even dabbled in the use of AviSynth and VirtualDub but haven't made a DVD with it as yet because the process is very complicated although it's a more powerful tool for editing etc. Is the one you got for $10 the Platinum? Is the one that you have still available for that price that you know of? I've since become a bit more computer savvy, have used a Registry repair program, and would be curious to see if a WinDVD product with Chapter making capabilities would work now.
My past is a foreign country. Most things are different there, including word usage. 503 Posts 12/06
Posted - Nov 2 2008 : 9:50PM
As I noted I have and use WinDVD Creator 2 and the version I have does a very good job of creating Chapters. In fact the rigid Chapter making function in WinDVD Creator 3 was the main reason I didn't like it and went back to Version 2. I have WinDVD Version 2.0B014.530C14 I just completed a conversion of a VHS video (I use a Dazzle and Pinncle 10.5 for image capture) and created a 7 Chapter (scene) menu DVD of the content. No lost of image quality and complete flexibilty with beginning/end of Chapter selection.Never had that problem with either version. Had a problem trying to open and use MPEG2 files with Pinnacle 10, but they prodvided a fix for that in 10.5 (I believe).Not sure what you are saying here.I found VirtualDub to be a fairly easy edit tool but don't like the complicated selection of output files designation. Plus, it's only a file edit program and not a complete DVD creator program.Can't remember. I doubt it. I sold it to another person for $10 once I decided it wasn't realy an improvement over version 2.I don't understand why your Version 2 doesn't have Chapter making capability. When you go from Edit mode to Author mode, there is an icon in the middle of the left side directly above the rectangles that display the individual file segments that you've edited. It's a toggle witch for swithching back and forth between Menu Picker Mode and Author Chapter Mode. In Author Chapter Mode you can designate which segments are the beginning of each Chapter. If you want to discuss this further, send me an e-mail. I'll even send you some screen shots of the WinDVD Version 2 displays and point out the places where you should click.
I checked my version and it's Version 2.0B014.337C33 - SE001. I bought my computer in 2005. I figured that it must be a version that deliberately had the Chapter feature omitted. I just assumed that it's a marketing ploy to get the user to buy the upgrade.
The really bad side with this program is that it will not append (join) the files. I've requested that an append feature be included in their next version but so far no luck. ^ I was referring to Super DVD Creator. When I want to make Chapters from video files I first use WinDvd to append, which does an excellent job, (it has superb quality when set on the NTSC DVD HQ setting) then use Super DVD Creator to make the Chapters. ^Here I'm referring to when there are multiple files that need to be appended (joined) into 1 file so it can then be converted to a DVD with Chapters. I first have to use WinDVD Creator 2 to append, then use Super DVD Creator to make the Chapters. For example, on several paid sites that I have been a member of, the whole scene doesn't come as one clip. So, if you want to make a DVD from it, it has to be appended first if the program doesn't append and make Chapters at the same time like your version does. I'll still e-mail you. Maybe there's something I missed back then. I haven't bothered to try to use the Chapter feature since 2005.
Thanks for making me try again. My memory is refreshed about what was going on at the time. I had all sorts of issues with it for about a year.
Various programs would not work correctly. I didn't realize it at the time since I was computer illiterate and thought it may have been a software issue, software I installed causing a conflict like the manufacturer kept telling me. The motherboard was replaced twice but the same issues kept appearing. Then one day to my surprise, I received information that there was a recall on my computer. All of the same models as mine were to be sent in for a new motherboard (not the same lot # as before) because the currently installed ones were defective. Then after 6 months of doing no editing I tried to use the feature again, but it still didn't work, so I bought the upgrade, and when that didn't work I bought Super Dvd Creator. I haven't done any editing for the last six months either. As mentioned earlier, I have since made several upgrades to the computer such as RAM, a ton of codecs, Registry repair, etc. so I'm not quite sure what exactly made it work now or why the upgrade would lock-up the computer in the past. I'm going to double check to see if the possibility exists that I overlooked something because of my lack of knowledge at the time with these programs.
