Do I need DVD Architect?

[Norris Combs]

Hi,
DVD Architect is bundled with Vegas, but I'm not sure that I need to use it. I only edit home videos, and render them out to .avc or .mp4. I save them on hard drives and play them back with VLC. Am I missing anything by not touching DVD Architect? A long time ago, when I used to burn those files onto DVD or BD, I did use DVD Architect. Is that its only use, to burn to a physical medium?
Thanks,

[Leslie Wand]

yep. burn baby, burn ;-)

i've used arch since i started commercially with veg 7, but only used it cause it was there. the odd occasion i get called upon to actually burn a dvd (more often than not i'm simply burning mp4's files to disc) i still use arch, but there's a plethora of other, FREE, ones around that'll do the job just as well...

that is if you ever need to burn a dvd nowadays - especially since it'll only ever be sd and not hd.

[Norris Combs]

I just noticed that even though I placed markers on the timeline (to denote "chapters"), after the render, when playing the file, I can't click "Skip" to advance to the next chapter. The whole video file plays from beginning to end, with no chapters. However, if I burn to a DVD, then the chapters feature works. Is it possible for "chapter" to work in a video file format?
Thanks,

[Leslie Wand]

with some difficulty - but it can be done. search for 'drax'(in a rush)...

https://drax.codeplex.com/

[Norris Combs]

Thanks Leslie,
I'll check it out.

[Chris Harding]

I have had Sony Vegas since Version 4 and only used Architect once ...I have used DVD Lab from Mediachance since then and love it. However based on the fact that DVD manufacturers are already stopping production I would get too stressed about a DVD Production program ..You will soon have to start thinking about different media. We only supply DVD's for weddings now if we specifically get asked for them ..otherwise it a USB ... quicker and easier ... shuck I think my DVD player in the living room hasn't been used for years! Over here the last "video store" closed it doors last week so sadly it's a dying media ..pity because I like the fact that it's a "physical product" that has a value attached to it unlike an online video link.

I wonder if 4K disk players will ever catch on ..BluRay was a dismal failure !! What will we get next that you can open the case, look at the cover then physically put the media into a player ... I think I'll miss that!!

[Leslie Wand]

pretty much agree chris...

i've never been asked for blu-ray, haven't ever bothered even thinking about it. all my corporate clients want mp4 in various sizes (eg. web, intra, tv, projection, usb distrib, etc.,), as for everyone else a regular mp4 suffices.

as for 4k, well no one's asked, i'm not offering, and quite frankly, i think it's just another ploy to keep manufacturers in business. i've done my own 'subjective' research in numerous shops and have found that;

a. upto 55cm screens (at normal viewing distances) there's negligible difference in pic quality.
b. a lot of stuff i've seen is either brittle looking or just simply over the top in sharpness, ie, the world doesn't look like that through normal eyes.
c. hdr! i mean really - 5 minutes of it and i started to feel that someone had started playing with the various picture controls without knowing what they were doing....

but hey, i'm an old fart who's more concerned with content rather than gimmicks...

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Norris Combs

I just noticed that even though I placed markers on the timeline (to denote "chapters"), after the render, when playing the file, I can't click "Skip" to advance to the next chapter. The whole video file plays from beginning to end, with no chapters. However, if I burn to a DVD, then the chapters feature works. Is it possible for "chapter" to work in a video file format?
Thanks,

When rendering from Vegas, make sure the option to "include Markers" is checked. Then DVD Architect will import those markers and use them as chapter points. Please also note that the marker file is a separate file so you should not move the rendered files before using them in DVD Architect.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Leslie

With weddings it's all live broadcast now and then the recorded copy is given to the couple on USB ...they seem happy with that!

I still do Realty Property Condition Reports on DVD (the tenant keeps one and the agent keeps one) and it's a record to document the condition of the rental property when they move in. Trouble is it's a low income shoot which takes between 30mins to 60 minutes with no editing but rendered out to an MPEG2 at 4000kbps which is plenty .. DVD's cost me 30 cents each and the cases (slimline clear) are 25c each so my media cost is $1.10 for both DVD's ... if I did it on USB I would need 2 x drives so maybe $8.00 for 2 drives so from an economics POV it's still OK ...not sure what the best option might be once DVD's start getting hard to get?

[Leslie Wand]

not too sure how long it will take for dvd's to disappear - quite some time i would imagine given that even i still burn files to them for storage / clients / archiving (yes, hd's are cheap but they still take up a lot of space, etc.,)

i can see the benefits of rental video's for both parties, but wouldn't throwing them up on youtube (using a private channel and link to both parties) be even less of a hassle?

[Chris Harding]

It does get a bit complicated as on the DVD we have a menu button for each room that is filmed so an agent can go to any room of the property ..easy on DVD but a little more complex on YouTube as one would have to break the channel up into sections and have a playlist for each section. We do about 10 properties minimum each month so a YT channel would get very messy I think. We still need to look forward though and find something to replace a DVD as a lot of people both bother with a player but still most have a computer. No rush yet though!!

[Seth Bloombaum]

I'm hopeful that someday YT will develop a workable "Chapters" function.

The current workaround is to use hotspots in the video, perhaps over a menu graphic, that link back to the same clip, but with a timecode added to the hotspot url.

[Leslie Wand]

now that would be a major step forward for youtube - almost making it practical for something other than simply watching stuff...

[Chris Harding]

Wow I doubt it!! At the moment you can divide your account into sections and develop a playlist for each section. My application has individual clips so I wouldn't need chapters but still some sort of menu. Wouldn't introducing a chapter facility to YouTube start encouraging people to upload huge clips like complete 3 hour wedding videos or vacations ? That would somewhat tie up bandwidth!

[Leslie Wand]

3hr weddings in 4k - doesn't even bear thinking about....