Just wondering on a profesional level what you wedding guys use for encoders for dvd format?
What authoring software do you use also?
I am looking for professional quality. Speed would be nice. I am also using Adobe Premiere 6, if that helps.

An affordable tool that you can try before you buy is Media Chance's DVD-Lab.
http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/

I make my DVDs with Vegas+DVD. Since you're using Premiere, you might want to look at Encore.

george,
Do you encode with this too? What do your customers think of your dvds. Do you own the pro version?

No, I do not encode with it. It does not include an encoder to save on cost.

I have burned two DVDs with it to work around a bug that has since been resolved with my editor (a bad menu link issue.) I exported my timeline as an elemental stream from Pinnacle Liquid Edition and then built the DVD with DVD-Lab using the elemental stream.

I am debating on getting the Pro version. I do want multi-angle for next year's band project, but it does not do it (nor do many other dvd creation apps.). But, the pro version will allow you to add 4:3 and 16:9 on the same DVD amoung other things. It is pretty cool.

So, here is another question, in order to put out good looking dvds for my customers wedding videos or any customers it is not necessary to pay big bucks for software for example CCE SP or CCE PRO and the outcome will still be very acceptable?
George, you don't use the most expensive software, and are your customers happy with the out come of your dvds? I am not sure what Edward's Vegas+ dvd cost so I can't comment on that.

<<<-- Originally posted by Richard Tamayo : ... I am not sure what Edward's Vegas+ dvd cost so I can't comment on that. -->>>

Vegas 5 + DVDA 2 retails for $800. See teh Sony web site for more info:
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/products/showproduct.asp?PID=912

Dennis Vogel

Most of my customers are kids and their parents in bands, in cheerleading, or in color guards. So for the most part, what I do is still magic to them. I am now using an Epson printer and printable media to put a picture and logo on the DVDs also.

Does it look like a burned copy, not quite. I have not done complicated menus yet either. I have done moving main pages with audio and picture buttons, but I have not had enough materials that had to be organized with submenus. So, I don't know if I am answering your question to the degree you want.

Have you thought of an easier alternative?
We burn straight from the timeline (or master tape) in FCP3 on to a Philips DVD recorder. It burns in real-time, and never a problem. Once we have the master, we copy as many as we want at X4 on a DVD copier.

Have you thought of an easier alternative?
We burn straight from the timeline (or master tape) in FCP3 on to a Philips DVD recorder. It burns in real-time, and never a problem. Once we have the master, we copy as many as we want at X4 on a DVD copier.

David,
I did some research on your suggestion of the dvd recorder. What I read sounded alot faster. What are the pros and cons in your opinion? How much is a recorder running these days? I just watched a tutorial on Encore it was pretty cool.
Richard

Im using Encore, mostly because im using Premiere Pro.. they work very well together.

Richard,
as you know, the cost of DVD recorders has dropped over the last year. The first one we bought was over 450 GBP but an addition just a couple of months ago, cost less than 300 GBP.
The obvious advantages are the ease of which DVDs can be produced. We know people in the same business as us who produce DVDs in small quantities. They waste many hours, even days, waiting for their master disc.
We play our finished project either from the time-line or from master mini DV, and record it in real-time onto DVD.
Whatever anyone tells you, there is no loss of quality. What you see on your TV/monitor, is exactly what ends up on the DVD.
Over the last couple of years we have produced nearly 70 wedding programmes on DVD, each one perfect in every way.
On our larger projects, we do it exactly the same way. Our last project resulted in 1500 being duplicated from our master.

Instead of spending more money on computer progs, and then spending weeks trying to make it work, nip down to your local TV shop and hire a DVD recorder for next to nothing.

It would be interesting to hear from others who use this system.

It certainly leaves a lot more time for doing what we love-filming and producing DVD.

That was good info. It does indeed make good sense. I would also like to hear from others who use this system. Whats your process for including menus and chapters doing this way?

We chose the Philips because it has a nice looking menu screen, here's what we do.

Supposing for a wedding, you want 3 different sections on your menu screen such as; Bride's home, the ceremony and the reception.
In your time-line you have 3 sequences each starting with a relevant still image of about 6 seconds. (You can also add text to the image if you wish).

Making sure you have the play-head on the first frame, record the first sequence, then the second and third, ending up with 3 titles on the DVD.
You can also add up to 99 chapters per title.
It's a doddle.
It also has a fire-wire port.

Thanks. David.

I also use a phillips dvd recorder for all my wedding videos, can't beat the quality and ease of use. I picked mine up at sears around christmas last year, it was a return, on sale for $250. Keep you eye out at sears whenever anyone returns sonething, for any reason, even if they just don't want the product, Sears always marks it down. The firewire in the front is great.