Ulead Video Studio 7, DVD MovieFactory 2 - Iframes & Chapters - possible work-around

One of the frustrating things about Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2 is
that you can only set chapter marks on Iframes, which with MPEG-2
files are every 15 frames, or about half of one second. This is
incredibly annoying.

What I normally do is pull in all the video for a DVD into Video
Studio 7 SE and then output it as a single DVD compliant MPEG-2
file (usually 704x480, 29.97, Field Order B, 8000 kbps, MPEG
Audio).

I then run DVD MovieFactory 2 SE and add that video, set chapters
and create menus and then write the project to a VIDEO_TS folder
for later burning with Nero.

Problem is, as stated above, I can't always get the chapter to
mark where I want to in DVD MovieFactory 2 SE. Same problem is
present with DVD MovieFactory 3, by the way.

Workaround is this, at least temporarily.

Say I have 12 chapters. I take the master VSP file with all the
edits and do a SAVEAS to 12 individual VSP files (Disk 1-01, Disk
1-02, etc). Then for each I erase all clips except for those
needed to replicate each one of the 12 chapters individually and
then render each chapter as its own MPEG-2 file with the exact
same settings.

Then I open up DVD MovieFactory 2 SE and add the MPEG-2 files
individually and mark for chapters at the beginning/end of each
clip.

First, I wanted to share this workaround for anyone else who may
be facing the frustrations of the Iframe limitation, and second,
I wanted to ask others if they have any other methods they use
for workarounds.

I have been told by one person that the full-version of Video
Studio 7 has part of the DVD menu stuff built in to it, but the
DEMO I downloaded from Ulead does not show a CUSTOMIZE option
when you are making DVD menus, which is something I simply cannot
do without. That function is in DVD MovieFactory 2 SE and Full,
as well as in version 3, but if you use DVD MovieFactory, you are
stuck with the Iframes limitation for chapter marking on a
single, all-in-one MPEG-2 file.

If anyone happens to know of a better way, please let me know.

Video Studio 7 - the full version - is on sale at CompUSA for $49
after $30 instant rebate and $20 mail in rebate, so if somehow
the full version of VS7 differs from the demo and does have the
full-on customize feature like DVD MovieFactory does, I may just
pick it up.

Thanks.

 

I have been told by one person that the full-version of Video

VideoStudio does not let you create custom menus.

 

The problem is not with Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2. You would find the
same thing in Vegas, DVD Architect, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Encore
DVD and so on. The problem is that in MPEG-2 files the I-Frames are
the only complete frames that exist. The frames in between are either
predicted frames (P frames) or bidirectional frames ( B frames). B
frames are interpolated from I-Frames and/or P frames. There is an
explanation in more detail at
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/614/20.html

You can overcome this problem by working with AVI files, then you can
edit your clips and set your chapter points at the exact frames.

I don't use Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2 so I don't know if the chapter
marks would flow on to the DVD authoring part of the program.

 

I'm afraid that's the way the DVD specification work.

According to the following Web page:

http://www.homemovie.com/prozone/tips/prozone_tech_tips_frame_accurate_chapters.htm

"The DVD specifications only allow for chapters to be placed on I-frames."

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

 

So even if I set the chapters on certain frames in Video Studio
7, they will not stay there when I make the DVD files from Video
Studio 7?

I guess the only way is to write each scene to a separate MPEG-2
file and assemble those in DVD Movie Factory then. That method
seems to work. Do you think that is the best method given the
Iframe limitation?

Thank you for your assistance.