How Do I make a DVD-A?
- Thread starter Q-Eight
- Start date
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filper
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
DiscWelder seems to only like 96/24 MLP files...
No biggie, I'll just have to leave out tracks from Michael McDonald's 'Motown' on my mix discs.
No biggie, I'll just have to leave out tracks from Michael McDonald's 'Motown' on my mix discs.
georgeshannon
701 Club - QQ All-Star
DiscWelder seems to only like 96/24 MLP files...
No biggie, I'll just have to leave out tracks from Michael McDonald's 'Motown' on my mix discs.
You could resample the Michael McDonald tracks to 96/24 and add them to your mix disc.
See 17 Appendix A of http://www.minnetonkaaudio.com/info/PDFs/Manuals/discWelder_CHROME_Manual.pdfDiscWelder seems to only like 96/24 MLP files...
No biggie, I'll just have to leave out tracks from Michael McDonald's 'Motown' on my mix discs.
filper
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
Thanks again grill...
I have some reading to do. Cheers.
I have some reading to do. Cheers.
What software might there be for creating a dvd-a (preferably even a dual-layered disc of dvd-v and dvd-a) from audio_ts and video_ts folders...on a Mac?
I'm guessing discWelder will create an audio_ts folder, and author a disc with it, but will it take an already existing audio_ts folder and burn that properly? The Mac version will not create dual layered dvd-a/dvd-v, but would it burn both if both folders already exist?
I'm guessing discWelder will create an audio_ts folder, and author a disc with it, but will it take an already existing audio_ts folder and burn that properly? The Mac version will not create dual layered dvd-a/dvd-v, but would it burn both if both folders already exist?
neil wilkes
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
I don't know of any at all.
For full hybrid authoring, I know of 2 applications that will do the job - discWelder Chrome & Sonic's DVD-Audio Creator.
I do not even know of there is a Mac version of disc Welder, which has been discontinued by Minnetonka Audio anyway.
Lots of luck getting an Audio_TS folder from it too - most likely you need to disassemble the resulting image it will create......
The Sonic app is also hard to find, although can be got second user & Sonic will transfer the license for a $20 fee, but it is PC only, XP/Windows 2000 OS.
Your difficulty with both Audio_TS & Video_TS folders is that for the disc to be correct spec, every title in the Video_TS must be pointed by the AMG of the Audio_TS.
This means that if there are, say, 2 VTS with 5 titles each, then you need at least 2 groups in the AMG - one for each VTS - or you are off spec.
For personal use only this is not a huge issue, but it infers you must reset your player to VIDEO mode to access VTS content.
Does IMGBurn have a mac version?
Unfortunatly, it's too bad there's not IMGBurn for Mac that I could find. As a Mac user since 1990, I still love the format best. But hell, you can get a new fully loaded Windows tower for less than $500. Or Intell Macs are supposed to run Windows with Mac's "Bootcamp."
Found this thread, not sure if these Apps work or not:
ImgBurn alternatives for Mac
http://alternativeto.net/software/imgburn/?platform=mac
Also, don't know if this will work, but found info in this thread at Mac Rumors:
How do I burn to DVD a video_ts folder with vob files?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=145343
Hmmm, would this work if instead one created a Data disc using the AUDIO_TS files instead? Quote from post #4:
"Use Roxio Toast:
1) Create a 'Data DVD' (DVD-ROM (UDF)).
2) Drag the 'VIDEO_TS' file into the app.
3) Create a folder called 'AUDIO_TS' - leave it empty.
Your DVD should now look something like this:
( o ) DVD-ROM (UDF)
-VIDEO_TS
-AUDIO_TS
4) Make sure your 'VIDEO_TS' folder doesn't have a '.DS_Store' file within it. It probably does. Simply delete it from within Toast (make sure you check this every time you burn - if you burn with this file - it will not play in DVD players or PCs)
5) Enjoy your DVD."
Found this thread, not sure if these Apps work or not:
ImgBurn alternatives for Mac
http://alternativeto.net/software/imgburn/?platform=mac
Also, don't know if this will work, but found info in this thread at Mac Rumors:
How do I burn to DVD a video_ts folder with vob files?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=145343
Hmmm, would this work if instead one created a Data disc using the AUDIO_TS files instead? Quote from post #4:
"Use Roxio Toast:
1) Create a 'Data DVD' (DVD-ROM (UDF)).
2) Drag the 'VIDEO_TS' file into the app.
3) Create a folder called 'AUDIO_TS' - leave it empty.
Your DVD should now look something like this:
( o ) DVD-ROM (UDF)
-VIDEO_TS
-AUDIO_TS
4) Make sure your 'VIDEO_TS' folder doesn't have a '.DS_Store' file within it. It probably does. Simply delete it from within Toast (make sure you check this every time you burn - if you burn with this file - it will not play in DVD players or PCs)
5) Enjoy your DVD."
I'm confused by all this and I want to know if it's worth the bother to go in the dvd-a direction; it means a new player, new authoring software, less storage per disc, no automatic way of creating chapters. I'm not going to compound things further by getting a whole new computer to do the job.
I was assuming that the contents of an audio_TS folder is what a dvd-a uses. Is this wrong? Does a disc image file contain audio_ts and/or video_ts folders?
In the video world you can create a video_ts folder and then burn a dvd-v with that folder (with the proper authoring software)--two different processes.
Does the dvd-a world work the same way? Will discWelder create an audio_ts folder and, as an optionally separate procedure, burn a dvd-a with that folder? Can you create the first, file it away on a hard drive, and subsequently burn copies as needed later with dW? Can you take an externally obtained audio_ts folder (i.e. one that dW did not "build") and have it author a disc? Or is it utterly a one-shot deal, if you want to generate another dvd-a disc later you have to have all the individual parts/files around?
I know the only available Mac version (at least I think it's still available, the Minnetonka website seems to indicate this) is not able to do anything beyond standard stuff (no dual layer, no automatic universal disc translation). If I were to make a separate video_ts folder can I have discWelder author a universal disc using my supplied video_ts folder? Or is authoring a universal disc something completely different, no matter the content, and beyond this programme's capability? What would a dvd-v or dvd-a player have to do with the other player's dedicated data/layer/zone?
I've tried to ask Minnetwonka this but they haven't answered my email.
I was assuming that the contents of an audio_TS folder is what a dvd-a uses. Is this wrong? Does a disc image file contain audio_ts and/or video_ts folders?
In the video world you can create a video_ts folder and then burn a dvd-v with that folder (with the proper authoring software)--two different processes.
Does the dvd-a world work the same way? Will discWelder create an audio_ts folder and, as an optionally separate procedure, burn a dvd-a with that folder? Can you create the first, file it away on a hard drive, and subsequently burn copies as needed later with dW? Can you take an externally obtained audio_ts folder (i.e. one that dW did not "build") and have it author a disc? Or is it utterly a one-shot deal, if you want to generate another dvd-a disc later you have to have all the individual parts/files around?
I know the only available Mac version (at least I think it's still available, the Minnetonka website seems to indicate this) is not able to do anything beyond standard stuff (no dual layer, no automatic universal disc translation). If I were to make a separate video_ts folder can I have discWelder author a universal disc using my supplied video_ts folder? Or is authoring a universal disc something completely different, no matter the content, and beyond this programme's capability? What would a dvd-v or dvd-a player have to do with the other player's dedicated data/layer/zone?
I've tried to ask Minnetwonka this but they haven't answered my email.
DW can create .dim image which is practically iso. Just remane the dim to iso, mount it with eg. Daemon Tools and in this way you can have access to the Audio_ts folder.
neil wilkes
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
That's fair enough - although unless I misunderstand, your storage per disc goes way up on DVDA......
This is going to get somewhat complex - but please do not let that put you off.
There are 3 types of DVDA - pure audio titles (no graphical content and no Video_TS), Audio-Only titles (no video_TS) and so-called "universal" titles (with Video_TS).
1 - The Audio_TS is indeed where the files for DVDA reside, but with image burning applications you need to be certain that it will make a playable disc, and not simply a data disc with an Audio_TS folder on it. When you add in a Video_TS, it gets more confusing because of the specs and the way players work. I'll come back to this in a minute.
2 - The DVD-A world does work in the same way, but with added steps if there is to be a Video_TS. these titles are really 2 discs on one piece of plastic, as both title sets (Audio_TS & Video_TS) need to be authored in different applications, with the resulting Video_TS needing to be imported into the DVD-A authoring software.
Discwelder is an abstraction layer tool, meaning most of the interesting stuff is locked away & inaccessible. It does not create an Audio_TS folder on your HDD - it creates an image file instead (.dim) which can safely be renamed as an ISO file & then you can extract the Audio_TS from there. You cannot take a pre existing Audio_TS folder into DiscWelder, as far as I am aware - I might be mistaken here I am fairly certain this is correct.
You can take an existing Video_TS folder and merge it into a discwelder chrome project though, but to satisfy specs you should "point" all VTS titles from the discwelder project window.
Authoring a universal disc requires at the most basic - and spec illegal - WaveLab 5 and up. This will create a valid Audio_TS and will allow you to import an external Video_TS but will not allow you to link into any of the Video_TS content. The downside here is that this means unless you reset your player from AUDIO to VIDEO mode, you will not be able to access any of the video content (this goes back to how players work - we will get there, honestly). It's very basic, but essentially functional, and WaveLab 7 will be available for the Mac OS.
Next up in the universal stakes is discwelder chrome (discontinued for some bizarre reason). This will allow importation & linking into the Video_TS in a limited way (if there is a VTS title with 2 audio streams, it is not possible to point the stream you want from the Audio Manager. It defaults to stream 1, and you must use the player remote to reset it).
Additionally, discwelder chrome really does assume that you know what you are doing if you want to create custom menus. Generated screens work okay though, but you may find trouble in making certain links work unless you know the specs & the limitations.
As we have arrived at the limitations, perhaps it is time to talk about how to create a Video_TS for use in DVD-A discs. There is one large, golden rule - you cannot use abstraction layer tools to do this as they will usually create dummy VMGM & VTSM menus, and this is out of spec. Recommended applications are either (on PC) Sonic's Scenarist (but with issues, as we will discuss) or Media Chance Labs DVD-Lab Pro - which also seems to be a dead product, sadly. On the Mac, Sonic's DVD Creator is still the gold standard and has no known issues - I would actually buy a mac just to run this if I could find a copy for sale.
DVD-Lab pro rules the roost for me - despite the fact it has some nasty bugs for the unwary - as it allows you to turn off the abstraction layer at compile. This means you need to write all the code manually or it won't work, but this is actually not too hard to do. It also allows something Scenarist cannot do - creation of slideshow titles where you can use a single image for each track and set track markers in the stream. With Scenarist, this cannot be done & if the music is segued or a live album, you must use low bitrate MPEG-2 streams. DVD-Lab's issues are the 2 big bugs....
A - you simply cannot create a title with more than at most 6 VTS or it will fail, and
B - if creating an Audio-Only title instead of a slideshow, you get gapping between tracks. It sets the cells as non seamless, meaning that despite the audio being one contiguous stream, it sets flags for non seamless playback and some players will then empty the buffers instead of continuing playback. This can be fixed in PGCEdit though, which is donationware.
Finally in the hybrid/universal stakes, we have Sonic's DVD-Audio Creator. This is the daddy. There is also a version by MEI, who leased it to Sonic for a while but then took it back.
This is full featured and there is nothing you cannot do with it. the power of dummy menus cannot be overstated, as it gives you places to hang code in the Pre Command areas to determine correct functionality in complex titles. Awesome, and I have never regretted buying it - but at around £2000 for a second user copy (if you can find one) it's not cheap.
It also only runs on Windows 2000/XP.
Now it's time to talk about players & zones.
With an audio-capable player, when you load a disc the first thing it will look for is a valid Audio_TS.IFO file in the Audio_TS folder. If it finds one, it will load the AMG (Audio ManaGer) of the disc and boot to the main menu. You should now have access to all content - including Video_TS content - on a correctly authored disc.
Failing this, it will decide this is not a DVD-A, and look for a valid Video_TS.IFO file in the Video_TS folder.
Failing that, it will decide it's not a DVD at all, and look for a TOC to see if it is a CD - this can be any form of CD supported by the player, and this varies.
Failing that, it will look for a ROM folder, although not all players can do this.
If it cannot find any of the above, it will decide it cannot load the disc.
I hope this helps, and please, please just shout if I did not explain any of this very well - I have an unfortunate tendency to waffle on......
Very interesting and helpful. Thank you!!!!
neil wilkes
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
You're welcome.
I have posted a list of the restrictions in the Video_TS elsewhere in this section if interested.
Any explanations needed as to what it means, please just ask.
Correct.
Neil, you've made my day with your previous explanation. Thank you very much.
As always thanks for the information Neil!
Much appreciated.
Now I must re-read and take in the information, really important stuff to know. Thanks.
Much appreciated.
Now I must re-read and take in the information, really important stuff to know. Thanks.
Last edited:
OK, after trying several apps and several possibilities and much rewriting to try to make my questions as clear as possible...
Neil: This is going to get somewhat complex - but please do not let that put you off. Me: I think I understood some of it.
1 - The Audio_TS is indeed where the files for DVDA reside, but with image burning applications you need to be certain that it will make a playable disc, and not simply a data disc with an Audio_TS folder on it. I expected this. I'm assuming there is some sort of flag to tell a player what kind of disc it is and that the authoring software, like Toast, knows to set such a flag appropriately. The problem is finding such apps that will do the job on a Mac...
2 - The DVD-A world does work in the same way, but with added steps if there is to be a Video_TS. these titles are really 2 discs on one piece of plastic, as both title sets (Audio_TS & Video_TS) need to be authored in different applications, with the resulting Video_TS needing to be imported into the DVD-A authoring software. Now, does this mean that the theoretical flag I mentioned has a setting for DVD-A, DVD-V, and DVD-Both? Does it also mean that to make a Universal disc you need to burn the disc in the equivalent of 2 "sessions", one to burn the VIDEO_TS folder and one to add the AUDIO_TS folder, or vise-versa? As a side note, I think we need a distinction between "construction", i.e. creation of the whatever_TS folder and "authoring", i.e. the taking of that folder(s) and burning a disc such that the intended player will do the right thing with that data.
Discwelder is an abstraction layer tool, meaning most of the interesting stuff is locked away & inaccessible. It does not create an Audio_TS folder on your HDD - it creates an image file instead (.dim) which can safely be renamed as an ISO file & then you can extract the Audio_TS from there. You cannot take a pre existing Audio_TS folder into DiscWelder, as far as I am aware - I might be mistaken here I am fairly certain this is correct. I'm not sure what you mean by extracting AUDIO_TS from the image file. If you mean storing it for later burning, A) I would think I would just store the whole image file (what else would be in it? I would think there would either be no VIDEO_TS folder or just an empty one), and B) this means that you can subsequently specify an existing image file for DW to burn. If the latter (hopefully), does it have to be a DIM? Can I specify an ISO (or change an ISO to a DIM) that has both _TS folders, or in other words, does the presence of a VIDEO_TS folder within an ISO (or DIM) cause a problem for DW?
I managed to find and downloaded a surround sound iso that has both AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folder content. I tried Sourceforge's Burn app to try to make a universal disc out of this iso. On one Mac with OS 10.5, external burner, it tried to burn but would fail (communication problem or some such) and on another Mac with OS 3, both internal and external drives, it would immediately stop with "device not supported for this burn operation" no matter the drive. On the former Mac I also tried to make a DVD-A using just the AUDIO_TS folder and that resulted in the same error message. I know at least the VIDEO_TS folder has valid data as I could burn that folder with toast ("dvd-v from VIDEO_TS" option.) Unfortunately there is no "dvd-a from AUDIO_TS" option. If DW Bronze cannot accept an external AUDIO_TS folder is there any other Mac app that will take an iso file containing dvd-a data and burn it properly?
You can take an existing Video_TS folder and merge it into a discwelder chrome project though, but to satisfy specs you should "point" all VTS titles from the discwelder project window. Not applicable; chrome isn't available for Mac. What's a VTS again?
Authoring a universal disc requires at the most basic - and spec illegal - WaveLab 5 and up. This will create a valid Audio_TS and will allow you to import an external Video_TS but will not allow you to link into any of the Video_TS content. The downside here is that this means unless you reset your player from AUDIO to VIDEO mode, you will not be able to access any of the video content (this goes back to how players work - we will get there, honestly). It's very basic, but essentially functional, and WaveLab 7 will be available for the Mac OS. OK, when will WL7 for Mac be available and about how much would it be?. Secondly, assuming that any universal disc I might make would only contain dvd-v content that would mirror, albeit with video and with lossy-compression sound, that which is found on the dvd-a part, I don't see a problem. If a regular dvd player will only, and automatically, find the VIDEO_TS folder and play that, and a dvd-a-compatible player will only, and automatically, find the AUDIO_TS folder ad play that, I don't see resetting being an issue, so long as the appropriate player will find the appropriate data. I would think the only time this would be a problem otherwise is if you have a dvd-a player but don't have the facility to connect it to an analogue audio component amplifier and only have a coaxial or optical connection and need to manually tell the player to "go video" (as I've gathered, dvd-a does not allow you to send the uncompressed digital audio to an amplifier), or indeed you have video and audio content that is unrelated.
discwelder chrome really does assume that you know what you are doing if you want to create custom menus. Generated screens work okay though, but you may find trouble in making certain links work unless you know the specs & the limitations. Again, chrome does not work on a Mac. As far as menus are concerned, I may make simple ones for any dvd-v portion I may make, otherwise for both dvd-a and dvd-v content I'm going to make most all track/album access very simple and for dvd-a just have tracks. With DW bronze I'm not sure I have any menu control at all anyways.
creation of slideshow titles where you can use a single image for each track and set track markers in the stream. With Scenarist, this cannot be done & if the music is segued or a live album, you must use low bitrate MPEG-2 streams. DVD-Lab's issues are the 2 big bugs....
A - you simply cannot create a title with more than at most 6 VTS or it will fail, and
B - if creating an Audio-Only title instead of a slideshow, you get gapping between tracks. It sets the cells as non seamless, meaning that despite the audio being one contiguous stream, it sets flags for non seamless playback and some players will then empty the buffers instead of continuing playback. This can be fixed in PGCEdit though, which is donationware. Still talking dvd-v here, I did try slideshows a couple of times a while back. I noticed that changing from one slide to the next caused a gap in sound and I assume this is what you were taking about. As such I probably wouldn't bother with them. But I'm not sure. It will depend upon how small I can make the video MPEG file information that would run with simple still images along the track as the audio played. I might do a slide show with just one image and have whole albums as one track/chapter, making gaps a non-issue, but this is assuming disc players will be able to fast forward/backward through the resulting audio if so desired, something I'd have to check.
As for "Audio-Only title instead of a slideshow", I'm not sure what you mean. I just checked and DVD Studio Pro shits the bed if I try to build a VIDEO_TS folder and there's no corresponding video of any kind to go with the audio. I'm not sure where the "gapping between tracks" comes into play. But then again, I've never set up even a regular video/audio track with sequential segments wherein a short pause between them was an issue.
Finally in the hybrid/universal stakes, we have Sonic's DVD-Audio Creator. Way out of my price-range, even if it was available, as you said. I am continually surprised that A) as Sonic seems like the audio equivalent of something like DVD Studio Pro that it would cost several times what the latter does, and B) that Mac does not keep up the equivalent software of their own despite the dvd-a being a dying format. Aside from the possibilities of what Blu-ray has to offer in this area I'm surprised there is nothing that is supported.
Now it's time to talk about players & zones... Got it.
So to sum up:
1. It looks like DW Bronze creates an AUDIO_TS folder but within an image file. I have to assume that it then burns this image file appropriately to a drive to make a DVD-A, either separately or sequentially. BTW, does -R vs. +R have a bearing on things? Does the type of DVD burner have a bearing on things?
2. If I were to try to make a Universal disc: assuming v and a contents are the equivalent and the appropriate players look at the appropriate data, and assuming I use DW-Bronze to create the AUDIO_TS folder and something else to create the VIDEO_TS folder (DVD Studio Pro), what I need then is an app to take the two folders and author a universal disc, or create a relevant image file and then burn a universal disc, something that I guess DW-B will not do.
3. If I have a correctly constructed AUDIO_TS folder I still need an app that will author a dvd-a from it, something that DW-B will not do if that AUDIO_TS folder doesn't come embedded in an audio-only iso file, and something that Burn should do but doesn't.
4. If I am sounding too thick for the public forum please tell me I should take this all to a private message... :slap:
Neil: This is going to get somewhat complex - but please do not let that put you off. Me: I think I understood some of it.
1 - The Audio_TS is indeed where the files for DVDA reside, but with image burning applications you need to be certain that it will make a playable disc, and not simply a data disc with an Audio_TS folder on it. I expected this. I'm assuming there is some sort of flag to tell a player what kind of disc it is and that the authoring software, like Toast, knows to set such a flag appropriately. The problem is finding such apps that will do the job on a Mac...
2 - The DVD-A world does work in the same way, but with added steps if there is to be a Video_TS. these titles are really 2 discs on one piece of plastic, as both title sets (Audio_TS & Video_TS) need to be authored in different applications, with the resulting Video_TS needing to be imported into the DVD-A authoring software. Now, does this mean that the theoretical flag I mentioned has a setting for DVD-A, DVD-V, and DVD-Both? Does it also mean that to make a Universal disc you need to burn the disc in the equivalent of 2 "sessions", one to burn the VIDEO_TS folder and one to add the AUDIO_TS folder, or vise-versa? As a side note, I think we need a distinction between "construction", i.e. creation of the whatever_TS folder and "authoring", i.e. the taking of that folder(s) and burning a disc such that the intended player will do the right thing with that data.
Discwelder is an abstraction layer tool, meaning most of the interesting stuff is locked away & inaccessible. It does not create an Audio_TS folder on your HDD - it creates an image file instead (.dim) which can safely be renamed as an ISO file & then you can extract the Audio_TS from there. You cannot take a pre existing Audio_TS folder into DiscWelder, as far as I am aware - I might be mistaken here I am fairly certain this is correct. I'm not sure what you mean by extracting AUDIO_TS from the image file. If you mean storing it for later burning, A) I would think I would just store the whole image file (what else would be in it? I would think there would either be no VIDEO_TS folder or just an empty one), and B) this means that you can subsequently specify an existing image file for DW to burn. If the latter (hopefully), does it have to be a DIM? Can I specify an ISO (or change an ISO to a DIM) that has both _TS folders, or in other words, does the presence of a VIDEO_TS folder within an ISO (or DIM) cause a problem for DW?
I managed to find and downloaded a surround sound iso that has both AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folder content. I tried Sourceforge's Burn app to try to make a universal disc out of this iso. On one Mac with OS 10.5, external burner, it tried to burn but would fail (communication problem or some such) and on another Mac with OS 3, both internal and external drives, it would immediately stop with "device not supported for this burn operation" no matter the drive. On the former Mac I also tried to make a DVD-A using just the AUDIO_TS folder and that resulted in the same error message. I know at least the VIDEO_TS folder has valid data as I could burn that folder with toast ("dvd-v from VIDEO_TS" option.) Unfortunately there is no "dvd-a from AUDIO_TS" option. If DW Bronze cannot accept an external AUDIO_TS folder is there any other Mac app that will take an iso file containing dvd-a data and burn it properly?
You can take an existing Video_TS folder and merge it into a discwelder chrome project though, but to satisfy specs you should "point" all VTS titles from the discwelder project window. Not applicable; chrome isn't available for Mac. What's a VTS again?
Authoring a universal disc requires at the most basic - and spec illegal - WaveLab 5 and up. This will create a valid Audio_TS and will allow you to import an external Video_TS but will not allow you to link into any of the Video_TS content. The downside here is that this means unless you reset your player from AUDIO to VIDEO mode, you will not be able to access any of the video content (this goes back to how players work - we will get there, honestly). It's very basic, but essentially functional, and WaveLab 7 will be available for the Mac OS. OK, when will WL7 for Mac be available and about how much would it be?. Secondly, assuming that any universal disc I might make would only contain dvd-v content that would mirror, albeit with video and with lossy-compression sound, that which is found on the dvd-a part, I don't see a problem. If a regular dvd player will only, and automatically, find the VIDEO_TS folder and play that, and a dvd-a-compatible player will only, and automatically, find the AUDIO_TS folder ad play that, I don't see resetting being an issue, so long as the appropriate player will find the appropriate data. I would think the only time this would be a problem otherwise is if you have a dvd-a player but don't have the facility to connect it to an analogue audio component amplifier and only have a coaxial or optical connection and need to manually tell the player to "go video" (as I've gathered, dvd-a does not allow you to send the uncompressed digital audio to an amplifier), or indeed you have video and audio content that is unrelated.
discwelder chrome really does assume that you know what you are doing if you want to create custom menus. Generated screens work okay though, but you may find trouble in making certain links work unless you know the specs & the limitations. Again, chrome does not work on a Mac. As far as menus are concerned, I may make simple ones for any dvd-v portion I may make, otherwise for both dvd-a and dvd-v content I'm going to make most all track/album access very simple and for dvd-a just have tracks. With DW bronze I'm not sure I have any menu control at all anyways.
creation of slideshow titles where you can use a single image for each track and set track markers in the stream. With Scenarist, this cannot be done & if the music is segued or a live album, you must use low bitrate MPEG-2 streams. DVD-Lab's issues are the 2 big bugs....
A - you simply cannot create a title with more than at most 6 VTS or it will fail, and
B - if creating an Audio-Only title instead of a slideshow, you get gapping between tracks. It sets the cells as non seamless, meaning that despite the audio being one contiguous stream, it sets flags for non seamless playback and some players will then empty the buffers instead of continuing playback. This can be fixed in PGCEdit though, which is donationware. Still talking dvd-v here, I did try slideshows a couple of times a while back. I noticed that changing from one slide to the next caused a gap in sound and I assume this is what you were taking about. As such I probably wouldn't bother with them. But I'm not sure. It will depend upon how small I can make the video MPEG file information that would run with simple still images along the track as the audio played. I might do a slide show with just one image and have whole albums as one track/chapter, making gaps a non-issue, but this is assuming disc players will be able to fast forward/backward through the resulting audio if so desired, something I'd have to check.
As for "Audio-Only title instead of a slideshow", I'm not sure what you mean. I just checked and DVD Studio Pro shits the bed if I try to build a VIDEO_TS folder and there's no corresponding video of any kind to go with the audio. I'm not sure where the "gapping between tracks" comes into play. But then again, I've never set up even a regular video/audio track with sequential segments wherein a short pause between them was an issue.
Finally in the hybrid/universal stakes, we have Sonic's DVD-Audio Creator. Way out of my price-range, even if it was available, as you said. I am continually surprised that A) as Sonic seems like the audio equivalent of something like DVD Studio Pro that it would cost several times what the latter does, and B) that Mac does not keep up the equivalent software of their own despite the dvd-a being a dying format. Aside from the possibilities of what Blu-ray has to offer in this area I'm surprised there is nothing that is supported.
Now it's time to talk about players & zones... Got it.
So to sum up:
1. It looks like DW Bronze creates an AUDIO_TS folder but within an image file. I have to assume that it then burns this image file appropriately to a drive to make a DVD-A, either separately or sequentially. BTW, does -R vs. +R have a bearing on things? Does the type of DVD burner have a bearing on things?
2. If I were to try to make a Universal disc: assuming v and a contents are the equivalent and the appropriate players look at the appropriate data, and assuming I use DW-Bronze to create the AUDIO_TS folder and something else to create the VIDEO_TS folder (DVD Studio Pro), what I need then is an app to take the two folders and author a universal disc, or create a relevant image file and then burn a universal disc, something that I guess DW-B will not do.
3. If I have a correctly constructed AUDIO_TS folder I still need an app that will author a dvd-a from it, something that DW-B will not do if that AUDIO_TS folder doesn't come embedded in an audio-only iso file, and something that Burn should do but doesn't.
4. If I am sounding too thick for the public forum please tell me I should take this all to a private message... :slap:
AFAIK +R must be used for dual layer discs because the layer break point is not adjustable in -R DL.
You mean on Mac?
neil wilkes
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
The "flag" is not really a flag, but a dependency based on the players firmware, which is the "operating system" of the player. To make a "universal" disc is a multiple stage process, and the way I approach it is to make the Audio_TS first - without the groups for the Video links - and that gives me a total amount of data used which I can subtract from the total space available and work out what I can use in the Video_TS.
Then I will make that (the Video_TS) and check it for correct operation, and then I will bring it into DAC and merge the 2 into one build (in DAC, this will be an Audio_TS folder & a Video_TS folder as well as all the data required to build DLT master tapes.
To get this to disc, I have a couple of options - normally I use MakeIMG (which is an applet supplied by Panasonic with the Sonic DAC package that puts the content of the Sonic IMAGE folder to an ISO or IMG image (all the same thing really).
My other option is to use Gear Pro Mastering Edition, which will not always work properly because of a bug in the Sonic compiler that references a temp AOB file that does not actually exist when a disc is compiled in Parallel Track Path mode.
There is no real need to extract the Audio_TS from the image file. I must have misread or misunderstood an earlier post. You can, of course, point discwelder at the image file, or any other burning application should also have no trouble burning the disc from the image file - all the information is right there and an ISO or an IMG or a DIM file are all the same thing really, and fairly interchangeable. I have often renamed IMG files to ISO or vice versa, and have so far not had issues doing this.
I am stumped here - I don't own a mac and have no idea what tools are available - I will ask around though.
VTS = Video Title Set. You can have up to 99 of these with up to 99 titles per VTS. A title is a film clip, or an audio clip. A VTS is a set of these with all titles within having the same aspect ratio (for video) and audio streams. So, for example, if you have 3 titles that need to go to DVD-V, and 1 has LPCM & DTS and the others have just LPCM then you will need 2 VTS.
No idea on WL7 - it is due soon though.
The duplicated content issue is not always as simple as it seems either, although for personal use it can be as simple as you like. Let me try to explain......
When I do a commercial title, I have to duplicate a certain amount of content because a DVD-A should contain Video_TS information as well to make it compatible with Video-only players as not all players can deal with the Audio_TS content. However, in the case of bonus (or so-called "value-added") material it is often necessary to have this solely in the Video_TS as you cannot put video of any sort into the Audio_TS unless it is part of a menu, and additionally when you have audio content solely at 16/48 or 24/48 stereo, or when you are seriously tight on space and simply cannot duplicate everything.
Hence the need to be able to link into the Video_TS from the Audio Manager (or menu system) of the Audio_TS.
Universal discs really are 2 discs on one piece of plastic.
You have no control at all with Bronze....
I assume we're talking about DVD-Studio Pro again here - in which case I have no idea again, except that it is an abstraction layer tool based on the old Spruce Maestro. It may also have the same issue with gapping as DVD-Lab Pro does - again, I cannot be certain about mac equivalents but there is a donationware PC app that will fix this. For the mac, there is an earlier version at http://download.videohelp.com/r0lZ/pgcedit/index.html which should fix the gapping problem. Simply load the Video_TS folder into this, and open the main timeline - if the cells are set to non seamless (the tick box will be empty) just tick them all & resave - all will now be well.
Usually, slideshows are set to have the FF/RW userops disabled - this should be enabled for spec compliance, but is left disabled by default in DVD-Lab because some players have issues with slideshows and FF/RW......
In DVD Studio, is it not possible to create a title that has one still image with the audio?
This might be a problem with segued tracks, of course - as it is in Scenarist.
Sonic is seriously high end - their prosumer tools are what used to be made by Roxio, who got bought by Sonic to give their customers a cheap option, but their flagship is Scenarist for DVD-V and that is as good as it gets within a couple of picky & irritating issues - such as the problem that I cannot take a long stream and make a slideshow with addressable chapter points! The obvious workaround is a low bitrate MPEG-2 file at around 2500kbps.
BluRay on the mac is almost non existent. Apple refuse to have anything to do with it, and Adobe's Encore is fairly hopeless with no lossless surround support whatsoever.
1 - that is correct. Bronze will output an image file, and write this to a disc for you. On single layer discs, it makes very little difference whether you use +R or -R discs, but as has been pointed out it makes a huge difference with dual layer (I am not even sure of Bronze can make dual layer discs though) as you cannot accurately set a layer break with -R DL, and -R DL discs are badly supported anyway.
2 - Correct again. You need a mac equivalent of IMGburn, although I really would have thought toast would do this.
3 - You could always try putting the Audio_TS & Video_TS folders from the authored disc into an ISO image & burn that.......
4 - no problem. This is exactly the right place for this sort of thing.
georgeshannon
701 Club - QQ All-Star
I agree. You mean on a Mac? If on a PC then ImgBurn would meet your needs.
Neil,
Yes, I mean on a Mac. Apparently my choice of alliance in the computer wars means I have made my bed and now I must lie in it.
I hadn't checked on Blu-Ray yet. I assumed it would be at least a little longer before the burners, the authoring software, and sound and video building applications and editors would become affordable. I know that Toast has offered support for BR video for a while now, so I guessed it wouldn't be long before Mac users could begin to explore all the possibilities of BR. Obviously, as BR allows for uncompressed audio, it would offer a decent possible replacement to the dvd-a disc in the future.
OK, so universal discs are definitely a dual layer thing? It sounded more like a double session thing with the player seeking out which session and its contents were applicable to it (just like a computer will "see" and be able to use both data and audio sessions of a mixed mode CD, but a regular CD player will only "see" the audio session). I know that DW Bronze does not do dual layer at all. If it's a DL thing you not only need to worry about how much total space of the disc the two _TS folders will need but you need to have the second layer be less than the first. I also thought there was no such thing as a DL -R disc. I've never been clear on the difference between - and + anyway.
As for image files, if I understand you correctly not only does the DIM, ISO, etc. need to be constructed properly (i.e. with DVD Studio Pro, Sonic, DW, WaveLab) according to the type of disc you wish to make (and embedded with, for lack of a better term, some kind of identifying information--again if it's not a flag per se, is it just specifically named files in specifically names places? There has to be some bit of data in there somewhere to tell the player what kind of disc it is), it also must be burned with authoring software (Toast, ImgBurn, Burn) that can actually DO that kind of image file. Neither Toast, at least my current version of it, nor Burn can do the universal disc ISO that I mentioned I acquired, neither can they do dvd-a discs from an ISO or an AUDIO_TS folder, although Toast does do dual layer dvd-v. Neither app will just burn any disc based on the content of the ISO; it has to be familiar with the type of disc in question apparently. I've asked SourceForge about the Burn problems because it is not necessarily stated that it will burn either universal discs or dvd-a discs from an AUDIO_TS folder, although it will apparently do dvd-a from regular stereo audio files.
So with DVD Studio Pro I can obviously make the correct dvd-v portion and with DW-B I can make the correct dvd-a portion. I need a Mac image file construction app to either create a universal disc image or merge a VIDEO_TS folder with the DIM file that DW-B would create and an authoring app that will correctly burn the resulting image file, correct? Because, obviously the ISO alone is not sufficient for just any burning program.
Yes, I mean on a Mac. Apparently my choice of alliance in the computer wars means I have made my bed and now I must lie in it.
I hadn't checked on Blu-Ray yet. I assumed it would be at least a little longer before the burners, the authoring software, and sound and video building applications and editors would become affordable. I know that Toast has offered support for BR video for a while now, so I guessed it wouldn't be long before Mac users could begin to explore all the possibilities of BR. Obviously, as BR allows for uncompressed audio, it would offer a decent possible replacement to the dvd-a disc in the future.
OK, so universal discs are definitely a dual layer thing? It sounded more like a double session thing with the player seeking out which session and its contents were applicable to it (just like a computer will "see" and be able to use both data and audio sessions of a mixed mode CD, but a regular CD player will only "see" the audio session). I know that DW Bronze does not do dual layer at all. If it's a DL thing you not only need to worry about how much total space of the disc the two _TS folders will need but you need to have the second layer be less than the first. I also thought there was no such thing as a DL -R disc. I've never been clear on the difference between - and + anyway.
As for image files, if I understand you correctly not only does the DIM, ISO, etc. need to be constructed properly (i.e. with DVD Studio Pro, Sonic, DW, WaveLab) according to the type of disc you wish to make (and embedded with, for lack of a better term, some kind of identifying information--again if it's not a flag per se, is it just specifically named files in specifically names places? There has to be some bit of data in there somewhere to tell the player what kind of disc it is), it also must be burned with authoring software (Toast, ImgBurn, Burn) that can actually DO that kind of image file. Neither Toast, at least my current version of it, nor Burn can do the universal disc ISO that I mentioned I acquired, neither can they do dvd-a discs from an ISO or an AUDIO_TS folder, although Toast does do dual layer dvd-v. Neither app will just burn any disc based on the content of the ISO; it has to be familiar with the type of disc in question apparently. I've asked SourceForge about the Burn problems because it is not necessarily stated that it will burn either universal discs or dvd-a discs from an AUDIO_TS folder, although it will apparently do dvd-a from regular stereo audio files.
So with DVD Studio Pro I can obviously make the correct dvd-v portion and with DW-B I can make the correct dvd-a portion. I need a Mac image file construction app to either create a universal disc image or merge a VIDEO_TS folder with the DIM file that DW-B would create and an authoring app that will correctly burn the resulting image file, correct? Because, obviously the ISO alone is not sufficient for just any burning program.
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