Help command missing from VideoBuilder

[fh1805]

In my previous topic, "Which codecs to use?", the discussion arrived at something of a consensus view that, given the equipment constraints of my client, DVD-Video was my only viable choice. This morning I have opened the PTE Project and asked it to Publish a DVD-Video. VideoBuilder duly launched with my project pre-primed in the window. So far, so good.

At the bottom of the screen there is a button labelled DVD 4.7 with a drop-down option that reveals two other values - 8.5 and 1.4. I tried to find out what these were about. The first thing I noticed is that there is no Help command on the VideoBuilder window. Why not?

I switched back to PTE and used the Help command there to open the V7 User Guide manual. The section on using VideoBuilder to create DVD-Video (page 67) states that the three commands on the VideoBuilder window are File, Edit and Help. Right on the first two, wrong on the third! There is no Help command on the VideoBuilder window. I'm using PTE V7.0.6.

Reading on through the VideoBuilder section of the manual I found a mention of the other two options for the DVD button (page 70) but it didn't tell me clearly under what circumstances I would want to change from the default of 4.7. Nor did it tell me what the consequence of changing would be. Is 8.5 going to give superior quality? Will 1.4 be poorer quality? I slowly realised that it is referring to the capacity of the physical disc - 4.7 = 4.7GB. I think it would be useful to add the "GB" text to the button.

regards,

Peter

[Lin Evans]

Hi Peter,

The values you are seeing refer to the innate storage capacity of different types of media. "Standard" DVD's (DVD-5) have 4.7 gigabytes of capacity of which "most" is available to write your data to, but some is reserved for necessary housekeeping files. The 8.5 is for double (layered) - correction - correct Gayland - thanks! DVD media (DVD-9) which some use but not seen nearly as often. Some of the relatively tiny (physical diameter) DVD blanks (DVD-1) used by primarily by advertisers only hold 1.4 gig. There are also other types, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.... See below for a better explanation...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD

Best regards,

Lin

[davegee]

8.5 = Doubles sided?

1.4 = Mini DVD?

DG

[smithrg]

Hi Dave

8.5 = Doubles sided?

is a double layer DVD

1.4 = Mini DVD?

is a 3 inch DVD

DG

Best regards, Gayland

[davegee]

Thanks Gayland - never used either.

DG