CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

MYoung · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 369 Location: Madison, WI

Anyone messed around with HD DVD's 3x DVD spec? I am right now and it's pretty cool! Then again, maybe I'm just easily amused! 3x DVD allows HD content in HD DVD format to be authored to a recordable DVD. A single layer DVD can only hold about a little over 40 minutes of HD content, though for some applications, that's not a deal breaker. Besides, DVD-Rs are dirt cheap. I had two very short stop motion animation clips I shot with some digital still cameras in 1024p @ 23.976fps. I used Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 to make a 3x DVD. It was pretty cool seeing it in HD on my 1292Q instead of blurry 480p! Too bad the camera I used is 4:3 aspect ratio and not 1080p capable. I'd have to do some frame cropping and it would probably end up being closer to 720p than 1080p.

AVS Forum has a guide on authoring 3x DVDs with HDTV MPEG2 captures...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146

The guide references Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, though I used version 6. You basically feed VideoReDo Plus the captured tp file, cut out what you don't want, save it in program stream format, create a MovieFactory HD DVD project, add the video files, and have it compile the project and write it to an ISO. Then you can use Nero to burn the ISO to a DVD-R. Finally, feed it to you HD DVD player and presto! HD on a DVD-R! I downloaded some movie trailers captured from HDTV off the Internet and successfully made a 3x DVD with them. It was pretty slick! Now I'm going to try an episode of The Office, a show I wish NBC Universal would release on HD DVD! We'll see how well that goes. It can't be too wrong for me to make a HD DVD out of content I own on DVD, can it? Smile

The only bummer is that Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 is a typical cookie-cutter authoring program. It would be cool if there could be a DVD-Lab-like HD DVD authoring program made.

Anyone with HD camcorders authored to 3x DVD? Now I REALLY want a HD camcorder!

Toshiba should promote this pretty cool mode of HD DVD. Sure, content will be a problem with Warner jumping ship, though 3x DVD has lots of potential for home videos and short film releases.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:34 am Post subject:

Have you tried a Dual Layer DVD yet? I'm wondering if that owuld work?

ecrabb · Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:05 am Post subject:

Mike, fun isn't it? I've used the process quite a few times - I just wish I had more time to do it. I pull files off my HDTivo, edit them with VideoReDo, make a DVD image with MovieFactory, and move it over to my Mac to burn it (I have a burner there, not on the PeeCee). The discs work beautifully in my HD-A1 and HD-XA1.

I've burned a couple of home-brew discs that I shot with my FX1, edited in Final Cut, and authored with DVD Studio Pro - it works beautifully. Haven't tried capturing or editing on Windows and going that route because my Mac pipeline works most excellent for that.

AR, dual layer works just fine. A lot of 1-hr programs I pull off DirecTV will fit just fine on a single-layer, and two-thirds or so of movies are 6-8 gigs and require a DL. The other one-third are 10-13 gigs and would need to be split. I haven't been saving those because I don't see myself wanting to watch a movie that I have to get up in the middle of to change the disc. That would just be too 1980's.

SC

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Mac? Now that explains everything about you, SC. Razz

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

2/3 of movies are 6-8GB in HD!? But most movies are only about 4-5GB in SD. I thought HD movies took 15-20GB apiece?

MYoung · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 369 Location: Madison, WI

I spoke too soon! MovieFactory 7 totally crapped out on me and now won't start. I tried repairing it, un-installing and re-installing, and no luck. I guess I'll have to do an install on one of the other dozen computers I'm tripping over in my house. Smile

I really love Sony Vegas Video for video editing, though I don't think I can expect Sony HD DVD Architect to ever come out!

Nice to hear that dual-layer works well. The guide on AVS said it might be hit or miss with the players and depending on the media used. I'll have to give that a try as well.

This might be one case where I wish I had a Mac. The PC software for HD DVD authoring is pretty pathetic right now and I don't have $5k for Sonic Scenarist. I probably shouldn't hold my breath for something more prosumer to come put for HD DVD authoring considering that HD DVD is fighting for its life. I did see some mention of a beta version of DVD-lab being able to create HD-DVD. I'll have to check into that.

I think a compilation of Superbowl ads on HD DVD would be cool. I still have Superbowl XLI on my HTPC's hard drive, captured from my MyHD card. Hopefully this year there will be more ads worth capturing than last year! Many of the ads in XLI were pretty weak.

ecrabb · Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:46 pm Post subject:

ecrabb · Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject:

Gary, OTA isn't even usually 8 gigs an hour if you take out the sub-channels, and none of the DirecTV channels are matching OTA. Don't forget... Most of the older MPEG-2 channels on DirecTV are "HD Lite" - 1440x1080... or was it 1280x1080. In any case, it requires less bandwidth than OTA, and so in some cases has less macroblocking (at the cost of resolution).

Maybe it's closer to half and half the movies that will and will not fit on a DL - and it depends on which channel it comes off of. But, yes - DirecTV and DISH content are pretty bandwidth-squeezed. I think the only time I've had a file that was 15+ gigs, it was a long movie - like 2.5-3 hours.

Don't forget that the 6 Mbps or so VBR MPEG stream on a DVD is usually damn clean, while if you've ever watched much any HD - whether satellite or OTA - there is usually significant macroblocking in fast motion.

SC

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I have dropped some footage into Ulead Vido Studio 11 + and used the "HD DVD on DVD" option and it burned without a problem. Took awhile though.

Played in my xbox beatuifully!

haven't had time to tinker anymore with it though.

MYoung · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 369 Location: Madison, WI

Man, Ulead MovieFactory 6 is a steaming pile of you know what. Clean install of Windows XP and it craps out. It won't re-install because it says it needs to be uninstalled. Oh, and it won't uninstall. Instead of spending hours turning my registry into swiss cheese I decided to re-image it and start from scratch. I think I'll try Nero 8 Ultra instead. MF6 worked for a while. Ha, MF. I dropped some MFs when screwing around with that pathetic excuse for authoring software.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

MYoung · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 369 Location: Madison, WI

So how does Blu-ray's BD9 compare to HD DVD's 3x DVD? BD9 is written to recordable DVDs, correct? I did some research and it appears that BD9 isn't compatible with all Blu-ray standalones, whereas 3x DVDs will play on any HD DVD player. I get the impression BD9 was more of an afterthought of Blu-ray to have something comparable to to HD DVD's 3x DVD.