Eric Athroll

Hi Ian Just a thought. You say it will burn a disc with Nero Burning ROM - that doesn't sound right because that part of Nero doesn't have any DVD authoring facility. Are you sure you aren't trying to either burn the .exe picture show file or making a Nero slide show? Neither of these choices will produce a CD/DVD that will play on a DVD player to my knowledge. Eric

Hi Ian Firstly, if your DVD Player (the TV connected one) states that it can play VCDs/SVCDs and DVD- or DVD+ then it should play PTE sequences burned on CDR and DVDR. Secondly, I have checked my Nero 6 Suite and it appears that Nero Express will burn VCDs/SVCDs but needs Nero Vision Express to author and burn a DVD. If I open Nero Express and try to use it to produce a DVD a message appears stating that I need to use a DVD authoring tool such as Nero Vision. I assume that your DVD Burner will handle CD-R/RW and a selection of DVD- or + R/RW and that it came with some software to author avi files? I have just bought a new PC with an LG MUlti-format burner and it came with neoDVD - I paid to have my Nero 5 upgraded to 6 some time ago. Finally, I do not understand your remark "when Nero can find it"! When you create the avi file in PTE, save it with a name (I save to the desktop because the avi is just temporary) and then drag and drop it onto the Nero (Vision) Express window. I hope you can sort it out because the process with PTE and Nero is so easy and the results are very good. Eric

Hi JG I have never had any problem burning either SVCDs or DVDs with Nero (I have Nero 6 Suite) using Vision Express. To date, I have made SVCDs on CD-R but haven't burned a DVD-R; just tests on DVD-RW until I have enough sequences completed to fill a DVD. They will play on my PC (using WMP, Nero Show Time or PowerDVD) but in all cases the image quality is not good. I presume your DVD Player does play the SVCD and DVD formats you are burning? I believe some players won't handle some formats; my Panasonic S35 handles most, but not DVD+RW. My new PC actually had to be returned due to some inbuilt errors (poor workmanship) and I have now got another from a different supplier but of the same specification. I hope you resolve your difficulties. Eric

Hi Ian Yes, it is the PTE avi file that is used to import into Nero Vision Express for encoding and burning to CD or DVD. I was merely giving a run down of my working procedures. Because the files used in PTE need to be compressed jpeg files, it is usually a good idea to keep the originals untouched at least until the slide show has been confirmed as OK. If then you wish to do any modifications to one or more of the images you can start with the original. You no doubt know that jpegs deteriorate in quality every time you do something to them (other than open and close). I'm probably teaching you to suck eggs as they say! Eric

Hi Ian I make a duplicate of all my slides for the PTE show, size them to 1024 pxls x 576 pxls, convert the colour space to sRGB and save them as jpeg files at 50% compression. I convert my music files to MP3. I set Nero Vision Express to PAL, 16:9 format, Standard Play and 2-pass quality. (I have also used files of 768 pxls x 432 pxls with no discernable difference on the TV Screen). I play these on a Panasonic S35 DVD Player. With the TV and the DVD Player set to 16:9 format, I get a picture that leaves a large black border around the image, which I prefer. I can fill the TV Screen by setting the TV to one of the Zoom functions but this then cuts off some of the image. I am now making DVDs rather than SVCDs using Nero Vision Express using the same files and with the same results, except that I think the TV picture is of slightly better quality. As all of my efforts so far have been making old family history sequences, I do not expect brilliant quality from slides that are 25 - 40 years old, but they are remakably good after some reworking in my Scanner software and Photoshop. I hope this will be of some help. Eric

Hi Jacques Thanks for the information. BTW I haven't been very active here lately as my new PC developed a number of faults and was returned for refund. I've since had another built locally so I've been busy setting it up and reinstalling everything. I've had a wasted couple of months due to this, but hopefully this new PC will be OK. Eric

Thanks guys. Eric

Hi Ken Thanks - I must have misunderstood whatever it was I thought I read. I don't use TMPGen as I have found no quality or time advantage is using it rather than going straight from avi to Nero 6 Vision Express 2, which gives me a very nice SVCD or DVD. Eric

Hi I seem to recall seeing somewhere in this forum a method of saving a permanent copy of the avi file. This might be useful when building up sufficient small slide shows to fill a DVD. Anyone have a link? Eric

Hi Al Thanks for the advice. I had already thought in terms of a Pentium IV 3.0GHz, 800 fsb, 1 GB DDR RAM (might go to 2 GB). and Windows XP. I am cosidering two HDD, but not RAID; I prefer to have a second large HDD that I can partition as needs dictate, but don't know how much advatage in real terms the Serial ATA might have. I believe they are faster (150 Mb/sec over the 133 Mbs/sec of IED) and there may be advatages in having two HDDs from two SATA ports instead of being "daisy chained" from one IED port as a master and slave. I don't have the room for two monitors, unfortunately, but have never had any problem using Photoshop with just one. I don't manipulate my images that much (I am a traditional photographer with traditional tastes) and usually work without any palettes on the screen and can quickly bring up those I need (which I dock) or by using the workspace facility under "Window". I don't use a firewire port as all my current hardware is USB 1.1 and I'm not intending to change any of that but I shall have the facility, though, in case my needs change in the future. I shall have to give serious thought to the HDD setup, I think.

Hi I am about to replace my PC and can have any specification I wish but do not want to waste money on non essentials. My current PC (Pentium III, 800 MHz) is proving too slow to cope with encoding and burning DVDs. My interests are confined to digital photography using Photoshop and recently, creating PTE shows to burn to DVD for my family. I am not into games and the like, nor video editing. I am thinking that I need a fast processor with plenty of RAM and fast HDD access but no state of the art graphics card or sound. Any suggestions as to what main hardware items might be worth considering would be helpful.

Hi I took delivery on my new PC a week or so ago and am amazed at the increase in speed over my previous PC. I now have a Pentium IV 3.0Ghz Dual Prcoessor with 1 Gb DDR RAM and a Sony DVD-RW, and it just flies. I have been testing two sequences - a 14 minute sequence of 140 slides with music and another with 40 slides plus music. The slides in the first sequence were sized at 768 pxls x 432 pxls saved as jpegs with medium compression, the second set 1024 pxls x 576 pxls. Previously it took over 2½ hours to encode the 14 minute avi to SCVD and now it did a full DVD in 16:9 format comprising both the 6½ minute show and the 14 minute one plus a title screen in just over an hour. The difference in image size did not faze either PTE or Nero. The quality on my 28" widescreen 100 Hz TV is excellent and looks slighter better than on previously made SVCDs. In light of my increase in performance and the quality of Nero Vision Express encoding/burning I shall not need TMPGEnc, et al !!!! The PTE Beta #7 performed admirably.

Hi Ken Thanks for your observations and links. I wasn't referring to the amount of folders put on the disc - I meant the files created by TMPGEnc after coding to SVCD or DVD; MPEG files which can be kept on the HDD and later imported into Nero for burning. It is these files that comprise one composite Audio/Visual file for SVCD but two seperate files (Audio as a wav file and Visual as an MPEG) for DVD. I cannot yet see how to import these into Nero sa it only seems to permit the import of one file per chapter.

For Ken I have only got TMPGEnc on trial at the moment. I found Nero 6 slow compared to TMPGEnc with my old PC but having just got my new one, I think Nero is more than up to it now for speed. I know that TMPGEnc will save an MPEG file for later burning but found that Nero then wanted to transcode it into their format before burning. I also found that when I encoded to DVD with TMPGEnc it created two files, one for the images and one for the sound (which it appeared to transcode from my Mp3 format into wav). I couldn't see a way to then open these two files into Nero Vision Express to burn a DVD as it only seems to allow the MPEG file to load and not the music.

For Fred I have tried this by putting a copy of PTE in each of three different partitions on one of my HDDs. This does enable me to import more than one avi file into Nero Vision Express as chapters and seems to work OK. The problem is when I get to the stage of having enough to fill a DVD, I would need several copies of PTE and I don't have enough different drives to hold them all. It still doesn't solve the problem of creating an avi file to keep and use later as I build up my sequences. Thanks anyway.

Hi Did I read somewhere that the avi file created by PTE can be saved as a tangible file and used later to encode to either DVD or SVCD? I want to put several sequences onto one CD/DVD as chapters and cannot see how to do this unless I can save each avi file made and then bring them into my encoding software (Nero Vision Express or TMPGEnc) to make a composite SVCD/DVD. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi You might be interested to know that I also downloaded the trial version of Ulead MovieFactory 3 (Version 2 does not appear to be available on their site) - 55 mins on Broadband after several attempts. I also found it wouldn't recognise the PTE .avi file. I did notice however that when installed it appeared to check the box in PTE itself (to indicate that the creation of the SVCD would be done by Ulead MovieFactory). As it currently costs $99 to buy, I'll stick with Nero VisionExpress 2 (I already have the full Nero 6 Suite and plug-ins), possibly supplemented by TMPGEnc for the encoding bit (for speed). I still have more trials to do first though; my PC is on the border line for speed etc. and my new PC will be with me in about two weeks.

Hi Jacques Yes, that may well be part of what I am seeking. I will give that process a trial. Thanks Eric

Hi Stephen I know absolutely nothing about video having only used my camcorder (analogue Hi-8) to capture recent family stuff (grandchildren etc) I then carry out some basic editing to a master tape on my SVHS Video Recorder from which I make VHS copies for all the family. I have been a photographer for 50 years and digitally for three years so I am familiar enough with that aspect of the process. From my recent excursions into PTE I have found that the on-screen TV quality using jpeg images of a width of 768 pixels compressed to middle quality look very acceptable. A trial at 1024 pixels wide looked no better to my eye. As I have said before, all that is needed is information on optimum pixel count and compression of image files and details of any subequent stretching/compressing of the image to "fit" the various TV/DVD formats. Is this too much to ask?

Hi Stephen I posted a reply to you in my other post earlier. I note your comment on the distortion and the advice given by Ulead - this is exactly the sort of information I am seeking. It seems so basic to technophiles perhaps, but to me I didn't know that the video image changes from the square pixel to an oblong one. This can be easily and rapidly corrected as a batch process in my imaging software (Photoshop). As you know, a digital still image displayed on a PC Monitor at 100% is optimum and only needs to be sized to fill the screen resolution. I assume that if there is such a thing as pixel equivalents for the various TV formats that is all that is necessary to do the appropriate conversions. Then, presumably, all the various bits of software (PTE, The Encoding Software, The Burning Software) need only be set to default for the type of disc being produced to give an optimum result. Or am I being too simplistic?

Hi Stephen I agree with your sentiments. I find it very difficult to read read through reams of technical jargon in on line manuals and much prefer hard copy to work from. In the case of this problem however, I have been unable to find the basic information I need anywhere. Most manuals for software assume a working knowledge of the process to which it relates. As I said before, I simply need to know what formats are possible with SCVD and DVD and the optimum image/music files/sixes to do the job. I don't have a DVD Player/Writer with my my PC as yet so am restricted to VCD/SVCDs. Also my TV is 4:3 format, but can be altered to show 16:9 giving a letter box image on screen. As I am shortly going to buy both a new TV and PC I would like to know the answers to my basic questions before doing so. I have literally thousands of slides of family stuff over the past 50 years which I would like to put on a media that will be usable by my children and grandchildren. I don't want to spend the hours and hours it will take to scan, manipulate and asemble them into shows until I am sure that I am using the optimum settings throughout the processes involved. I really hope someone can start a thread here or point me to another source of the very basics of all of this.

In that last paragraph 4:4 should read 4:3.

Hi I have made a few successful SVCDs using PTE/TMPGEnc that play well on my PAL 4:3 TV. These have been more by accident than design. I cannot seem to find any information regarding the basic format for the jpeg images to enable me to produce an optimum SVCD and DVD that fills the TV screen at 4:3 and one that would fill the 16:9 TV format. I have been using 768x576 pxls for 4:3 and 768x432 pxls for 16:9 both at middle quality compression giving file sizes around 80 - 160 KB and music background in Mp3 format. When I look at the technical specifications of the various bits of software available I am lost because the format and compression figures given are meaningless to me. I would appreciate someone explaining to me how to get from PTE to AVI to MPEG2 for both SVCD and DVD in terms of optimum image dimensions(pixels)/jpeg compression and PTE AVI/Video and TMPGEnc settings to achieve SVCDs/DVDs that will fill the TV Screen in both 4:4 and 16:9 formats.

For Ken I have since re-encoded the same avi file using tmpgenc and this time there was almost no shimmering/flickering - just a very slight sign of it on extreme specular highlights on water, but very acceptable and probably no worse than some TV Broadcasts. I am still surprised at your encoding times with Nero as I am still finding Nero 6 to be about 2 hr 40 min as against tmpgenc taking about 43 mins. I contacted Nero about this and all they suggested was that I close down all running applications and programmes whilst encoding apart from Explorer and one other which I cannot remember (their email is on my wife's laptop and it's not accessible at the moment). I have yet to try this but I wouldn't have thought it would make that much difference. I notice your mention of your swap file size - that's something I shall have to check - maybe I need to increase the size of that.

Hi I have been playing around with Beta #5 and Nero 6 (Nero VisionExpress 2) which makes a very good SVCD from my PTE AVI file. The picture quality on my TV (PAL Analogue 4:3 format) at normal viewing distance equals the quality of the slides on my monitor. I have two problems with using Nero - format of slides and speed of encoding. The encoding takes around two and a half hours for a six minute show with sound as against about an hour with TMPGEnc, but the quality is better. TMPGEnc shows shimmering in specular highlights whereas Nero is very stable. What a pity Nero is so slow (but it might be my PentiumIII 800 Mhz PC, due to be replaced shortly). The format poses problems as well. I used 768pxls x 512pxls for the images and an Mp3 background music track for my first effort which nicely filled the TV screen with the fit to screen box checked in project options and synchronise slideshow to music checked - this worked fine. Nero VisionExpress 2 was set to 4:3 format. My DVD player was set to 4:3 format as was the TV. I then cropped all the images to 768pxls x 432 pxls and repeated the process, this time setting Nero VE2 to the 16:9 format (Nero's templates of background images for titles are of this pixel dimension and fill the 16:9 part of my TV when both it and the DVD player are set to 16:9). I was rather surprised to find that the show didn't fill the screen this time and needed the DVD player to be set to about 120% zoom. I am completely mystified with this as to me it defies logic. Can anyone tell me whether it is likely to be an incompatibilty between PTE and Nero or whether it is to do with my assumptions on image pixel dimensions. The procedure I have been using with Nero is to encode the AVI file from PTE first and save it as an Mpeg2 file, then open this later with Nero to burn an SVCD creating a title at that stage (I do get a short spell of "transcoding" before writing to disc which may be the title section being "fitted" to the show!!! Any ideas or suggestions anyone? (in layman's terms please, if possible!!!)