Need recommendation for DVD menu software

[mhwarner]

I know some of you have spent time with DVD creation and would appreciate your insight and recommendations. I have Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 (which I just discovered is only the "Standard" version and not the top of the line "Deluxe version -- some misleading sales techniques on Roxio's part but that's another story).

I have the need to create both CD .EXE slideshows as well as DVDs for some of my projects and I have done that successfully with no problem. However in my latest endeavor I needed to have three shows with a menu allowing the user to choose which to run. Again, I did this successfully in P2E for the CD version and did a poor attempt in Roxio's MyDVD using the same background as I used in P2E. But with my particular package, I cannot modify much on the menu system other than the background graphic and text color and font. I'm stuck with their automated buttons with a blue frame! Supposedly the "Deluxe" version allows more control, but I am guessing that it still would not be as elegant as I would like.

I really don't care much about the actual slideshow/movie creation abilities because P2E suits me just fine. I am very proficient in Photoshop as well so I could create whatever graphics/buttons, fancy text in that. I just need something that I can use to put it all together. For the latest 3-show DVD I actually pulled the shows in directly from P2E to Roxio's Video Wave and saved as MPEG-2 on disk. Then I brought all the shows into MyDVD for burning (and creating an .iso file which I later used to burn multiple copies of the DVD).

So, if anyone has any suggestions about what I could use (without going to something like Adobe Premier), I would be most appreciative in hearing them. (I did look at Adobe Premier Elements but read several online reviews which indicated that it didn't support many formats and really worked best with video directly from a camcorder, which interests me not at all). I found a few packages on the web specifically for creating DVD menus, but they seemed to be for import into some DVD packages that I've never heard of.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Ken Cox]

You likely got the Roxio pkg as part of a bundle and this is quite common when you buy at piece of hardware.

for example you might buy a new burner for $50 and included is a piece of burner software - these are generally Lite versions

the Nero ultra suite that i and others on the forum use regularily was +- $100 incl tax

it allows use to change menu backgrounds, buttons, how the show proceeds etc via a very easy to use GUI

not much help but many others have been in your situation including "yours truly"

ken

[mhwarner]

You likely got the Roxio pkg as part of a bundle and this is quite common when you buy at piece of hardware.

No, it was not part of a bundle. I paid $89 for a separate standalone package which on the box clearly states the ability to customize menus, among other things. Totally false advertising, as far as I am concerned. And there is apparently no upgrade path.

[Ken Cox]

well the menu's can be customized but it is not user friendly that is why i bought nero

i was brought up on adaptec/easycd and i bought roxio ver 7 because i thought the gui would be similar bad mistake

since then roxio has changed hands again to another company

too bad Corel -- the original cd burner - had not kept their act together

ken

[Lin Evans]

I know some of you have spent time with DVD creation and would appreciate your insight and recommendations. I have Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 (which I just discovered is only the "Standard" version and not the top of the line "Deluxe version -- some misleading sales techniques on Roxio's part but that's another story).

I have the need to create both CD .EXE slideshows as well as DVDs for some of my projects and I have done that successfully with no problem. However in my latest endeavor I needed to have three shows with a menu allowing the user to choose which to run. Again, I did this successfully in P2E for the CD version and did a poor attempt in Roxio's MyDVD using the same background as I used in P2E. But with my particular package, I cannot modify much on the menu system other than the background graphic and text color and font. I'm stuck with their automated buttons with a blue frame! Supposedly the "Deluxe" version allows more control, but I am guessing that it still would not be as elegant as I would like.

I really don't care much about the actual slideshow/movie creation abilities because P2E suits me just fine. I am very proficient in Photoshop as well so I could create whatever graphics/buttons, fancy text in that. I just need something that I can use to put it all together. For the latest 3-show DVD I actually pulled the shows in directly from P2E to Roxio's Video Wave and saved as MPEG-2 on disk. Then I brought all the shows into MyDVD for burning (and creating an .iso file which I later used to burn multiple copies of the DVD).

So, if anyone has any suggestions about what I could use (without going to something like Adobe Premier), I would be most appreciative in hearing them. (I did look at Adobe Premier Elements but read several online reviews which indicated that it didn't support many formats and really worked best with video directly from a camcorder, which interests me not at all). I found a few packages on the web specifically for creating DVD menus, but they seemed to be for import into some DVD packages that I've never heard of.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

+

Vegas Movie Studio 6 comes with DVD Architect Studio which lets you do this... Very nice and powerful package $89

http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/shopping/...gory.asp?id=109

Lin

[mhwarner]

Thanks Lin! I have downloaded the demo version, along with several other DVD authoring software packages and will test to see which one best meets my needs. In addition, I finally had a conversation with someone at Roxio and although she didn't quite say that others had apparently complained about the missing functionality, she said that the company was about to offer a $19.95 upgrade to a download of the piece necessary to upgrade the standard edition of Easy CD Creator to the same functionality as the Deluxe version. It is supposed to be available by the end of the month. Meanwhile, I'll be testing these other packages.