Blu_Ray Aurthoring

Hi guys.

I am using Authoring Works 4 to make my Blu_Rays.

It's abit Japanese....but once you get your head around it .....works really well and only cost 100 bucks.

What else is out there that us normal folks can use?

I use Authoring Works too, but I have to use Sony DVD Architect if I want more than 2 subtitle tracks. Also I couldn't find a way for Authoring Works to allow you to put a "resume" on the menu, but I can do that with DVD Architect. I wouldn't really recommend DVD Architect though. It hasn't really been developed in years and everyone is always whinging about that. I have a feeling it only comes with Vegas these days.

If you want to step up, you're probably looking at Adobe Encore. Also, that's the only program I've heard of, apart from Authoring Works, that will smart render HDV .m2t files. DVD Architect re-mushes them, although there is a hackaround, or you can go via Authoring Works and get the non-recompressed stream into DVD Architect that way.

Hey Nick, cheers for that, think I will just run with Authoring Works for now, it is limited but seems to be bug free and rock solid. It only does two audio tracks too but MPEG2 - 25+mbps files go straight into it without any recoding.

The price on some of those high end Blu_Ray Author software is just nuts.

I hope the guy that made DVDLab Pro makes a Blu_Ray version one day.

Do you guys do much for Blu Ray? I don't think I have had a single client ask for a Blu Ray, everyone seams to want Full HD data files?

When I did 6 months on Nai'a (a more $$$ liveaboard) I told all my DVD customers that I would be keeping the HD masters and making Blu-rays at the end of my stint for them to purchase as well if they liked for a further GBP30. There was loads of interest. I did just that, I made a nice blu-ray of each of my 13 trips and they looked really good, just like the original HDV. I then pushed it quite hard and sold a grand total of about 5 from over 100 DVD customers. FAIL lol. I don't think it even paid for the burner. Perhaps it was just too early. Still planning to make Blu-rays of future documentary projects to sell online alongside DVD, but my impression is that Blu-ray will never have anything like the penetration of DVD because discs in general are dying.

Jonny, I also got requests for files/tapes. I did give an HDV tape away to one group, but they made it worth my while. What do you do when you get those requests?

No, no call for any this end but I want to make my new Reef to Rainforest DVD for Blu_Ray too.

Thinking of getting a heap of blank disks printed up and will burn in house on request.

Glass pressed Blu_Rays are just way to costly still compared to normal DVD's

EDIT, ha ha Nick you must of posted at the exact same time...lol

Jonny, I also got requests for files/tapes. I did give an HDV tape away to one group, but they made it worth my while. What do you do when you get those requests?

To be honest I am happy to deliver an edited HD master, if the client wants the tapes I charge them. With underwater it depends on the job and the client, if I shoot for a big production house I charge them a daily rate and at the end they get everything, in fact I don't even generally look at it. If it is smaller and I'm not charging as much I keep the footage and the rights.

I'm probably not considered "normal" as I run a Mac Wags but.....

I get quiet a few requests for BD's from my Russian and European clients which I share from FCP after chapter markers are placed.

Like Jonny for the big productions I give them the tape at the end of the day.

Obviously when you're hired by a producer then the producer generally gets the tape. I was more talking about souvenir vids of dive trips.

Wags, I've had good results with the Verbatim printable BD-R media and I print them on a Canon printer as required. I've had great success with printing discs on Canon printers. I've used an iP4300, iP4500 and an iP5200. Conversely my Epson R210's were a nightmare.

Yes if I am hired to shoot for a gig then they get the raw footage as is.

My last gig I actually FTP the raw Canon MOV's and HDV file's to their overseas server.

Took a few days but hey I got heaps of bandwidth.

I also heard the Verbatim are good too, the other thing you have to realise is will the disks still play in a year or two.

One reason why I will never archive material to Blu_Ray disks.

I was quoted $475 AUD for 100 printed blank Blu_Rays...lol..

Think I will just do them myself.

Taiyo Yudens BD-R LTH will be good once we can get the here in AUS.

One problem with selling DVDs on a boat after a trip is that you can't copy protect them so groups of friends buy one and then just burn copies for each other which obviously cuts down on sales. How much were you selling them for? If you offer only blu ray discs then most will probably not be able copy them I would presume which would increase sales for you.

Steve

One problem with selling DVDs on a boat after a trip is that you can't copy protect them so groups of friends buy one and then just burn copies for each other which obviously cuts down on sales.

CSS and Macrovision gets added at replicators, so no real good way to protect DVDs you burn.

Perhaps that is a good reason to burn only Blu rays.

Steve

That wouldn't work Steve, since Blu-ray just hasn't penetrated the market enough. There's no easy way to stop customers pirating your discs between them. In my experience most people generally behaved themselves and bought one DVD each or per couple or family group. Others were obviously agreeing to copy it between themselves and there was nothing I could do. Worst I had was a week-long liveaboard with a full Belgian charter. They wanted to buy one DVD between the whole group. I said no and a day later they came back with an approved offer of 2. Then 2 of them came to me in secret and ordered one because they didn't agree with the group decision, but swore me to secrecy lol. Man I don't miss that cr@p. I even considered this business model instead: "I'm making a video of this trip for YouTube. If you want to be in it then it'll cost you $XX". Wouldn't be able to charge as much as you would handing over a disc though. Sorry to derail the thread Wags.

Like you Nick, I've just plain refused to sell them anything if after an agreement is done for a 7 disk filming they turn round and only want 1. I wasn't popular but when people so blatantly take the p155, I don't care if they leave empty handed......

I have one LaCie BD burner that works it's socks off when we have a big group of Russians that "upgrade" to Blu-Ray from the SD version. A bit labour intensive still but I haven't invested any more money in the whole BD venture yet as I'm not sure just how long it will be before people are asking me to just transfer it to their own USB sticks....

BD seriously kicks ass over SD tho, it's easy to sell.

These days, about 20% of my disc deliveries are on Bluray (BD).

I do all my post work in FCP, SmartSound and Compressor, outputting both a DVD Mpg2 video file and a Bluray-ready H.264 video file. I then import these into Adobe Encore where I do the disc authoring. It is easy to create a DVD image then copy the Encore project, change a few parameters to create a BD image from the same basic menu design. I paid more in licenses than I would like to but it does produce very nice BD discs.

Regards

Peter

Blu_Rays was solely designed for Hollywood, cost kept high to force out the little people and copying.

They have been out for like 5 years lol...still not taken off.

HD DVD's were a better way as normal Glass Press DVD machines could be easily converted to make them and you did not need things like HDCP enabled graphics cards and screens.

Making Glass Pressed Blu_Rays one needs a whole new type of machine.

Hollywoood forced them out, and so now we are stuck with over priced Bly_Ray media, authoring and replication.

There is no real benefit to rendering out a H.264 as it takes much longer and will be harder to play for devices.

MPEG 2 is the way, fast to render out and easy for CPU's to play.

You only really need to go H.264 if you are going to run out of space on the Disk as MPEG 2 takes up more space.

Having said all that, I make more money selling my production DVD's for no real work compared to working like a dog making and trying to sell a trip DVD lol

It's fun to go out now and again though but having a product that keeps selling year after year is the way to go.

I figure having some in house Burnt Blu_Rays to sell at higher prices to interested parties on request could increase sales.

Blu_Rays was solely designed for Hollywood, cost kept high to force out the little people and copying.

Hollywoood forced them out, and so now we are stuck with over priced Bly_Ray media, authoring and replication.

...

There is no real benefit to rendering out a H.264 as it takes much longer and will be harder to play for devices.

MPEG 2 is the way, fast to render out and easy for CPU's to play.

You only really need to go H.264 if you are going to run out of space on the Disk as MPEG 2 takes up more space.

...

I figure having some in house Burnt Blu_Rays to sell at higher prices to interested parties on request could increase sales.

Overpriced, yes.

I found that if I compressed to H.264, Encore would just copy the video file straight into the BD image. But if I compressed to mpeg2, Encore wanted to spend hours re-compressing it. Maybe something wrong with my settings but I found it easier just to do the H.264.

Nothing quite like the richness of a BD. Watched on a good TV, the colours are crisp, motion and gradations smooth, with more apparent depth to the image. Once people see BD, they won't want to go back to DVD. The stuff I'm shooting on the Canon XF100 looks great on BD.

Regards

Peter

thinking along the same lines Wags, a selection of these shorts should do.....

potential

Hey Peter

You would think it should take 1920/1080 50i / 60i @ 25-35 MBPS MPEG2 files with 384kbps AC3 audio as they are Blu_Ray spec.

Make sure it's elementary stream MPEG2 (separate video and audio files and not a single MPEG2 video/audio file)

Richard you got some nice material all right, cut it up and get something out there.