Pinnacle Studio 8/9 and DV home video editing

I decided to create this post to share experience (not hate) with Pinnacle Studio version 8 that might help some people. I will be adding as time goes to this.

I think that this sofware is good for begginers because it is easy to use and can do all steps necessary to create DVD. Capture, Edit, Author and (next part is with some problems for my Sony DRU-500A) Burn. I use it for my home video that is captured by Sony DCR-TRV11 (Mini DV). Current version that I use is 8.3.18.0 ( 83180 or Studio8 for search )

New function SmartRender for mpeg2 files was introdused since version (I believe) 8.8. Now when you use MPEG2 file as source it will re-encode only edited parts. More info here
Pinnacle Studio 8 and SmartRender of mpeg2 file

Latest version as of (4/1/2003) 8.5.21.0 (85210)
Latest version as of (8/11/2003) 8.8.17 (8817)
Latest version as of (22/10/2003) 8.10.4 (8104)

Latest Beta version as of (06/01/2004) 8.12.0 (8120)
Latest Beta version as of (23/01/2004) 8.12.2 (8122)

Links to good sites that can help you with PS8
http://www.video777.com/
http://www.mikeshaw.co.uk/
http://www.simplydv.co.uk/simplyBB/index.php
Pinnacle Systems Discussion Forum
http://home.hccnet.nl/miloman/hobby.html - two monitors setup
http://leegruenfeld.web1000.com/studio8.htm

PC Setup
-seperate partition just for Studio
-Windows XP Home SP1 with all latest updates from windowsupdate.microsoft.com (no other "latest" drivers)
-PowerDVD, Nero, RecordNowDX installed too (nothing else)
-AMD Athlon processor, VIA based motherboard, 3 Maxtor NTFS HDs
-FireWire card from old Pinnacle's Studio DV

Steps used to author DVD
-Capture DV AVI's by Studio
-Edit scenes by Studio
-Create multiple DVD menus in Studio
-Render to MPEG2 by Studio
-Author (Make Disc) by Studio
-Burn with Nero

Options used to create (Make Disc) DVD
-video with menus ~77min
-Settings (DVD format, Custom 7000 kBits/sec, MPEG audio, Create disk content but don't burn)
-final DVD total size 4,219,652 KB

Codec that I use to create AVI file to prepare for another MPEG coder
I found that "DV Video Encoder" is best for me for these reasons
- it was captured with this codes so only transitions or otwherwise modified parts needs rendering, so it is much faster then any other. Rest is just copied from original AVI file (no loss of quality).

How to make TMPGEnc to read Studio's AVI file
In TMPGEnc Plus 2.58.44.152 go to
- Option / Enviromental setting / VFAPI plug-in
and move "DirectShow Multimedia File Reader" to first position by changing priority (right click)
- Somebody recomended that insted of setting priority to 1 as I have, you can try 4 if you are having still problem.

How can you make Studio to crash (or what not to do)
Now this might be favorite section by a lot users , but this is only time that it crashed for me.
- Don't stop "Make Disk" process if it is in "Compiling Disc..." (Rendering is fine) stage.

How to author with MPEG files that were encoded by TMPGEnc without re-encoding
This is what I was testing
- I created small DV AVI file.
- I encoded it with TMPGEnc Plus to 6000 CBR and 8000 2pass VBR.
- I just grabbed 2 MPEG files to time line
- I pleces DVD Menu before them
- I created chapters on begining and in the middle of each file
- And now just go and Make Disk

As you can see I used 2 MPEG files with different type of encoding, CBR and VBR. Final result that I saw in IfoEdit is that there is one VOB file with 2 Titles in it. Each one realy keeps bitrate. I checked it with PowerDVD (turn on "Show Information" to see current bitrate)

Now what you should not do if you don't want to re-encode
- Basic rule... DO NOT MODIFY ANY PART OF MPEG FILE
- No transitions on begining or end
- No triming clip
- No titles
All this you should do before you create first DV AVI file, before encoding.
If you don't see any "Rendering" status for longer then couple of seconds and it changes to "Compiling Disc...", you did it.

Problem with menu (can't select thumbnail)
This one is easy and even makes menu better
- Add backround music. You can use CD or SmartSound.
Should be fixed in newer versions !

DVD menu with movie as a backround and thumbnails
- To create moving thumbnails is easy. Just when you edit your menu, check flag right beside "film strip" icon.
- To create moving backroud, create small clip (the one that will be your backround). Put it on main video track. Now, instead of placing menu on main video track, put it on title track beneath your clip. Cool ? You see ? It was easy.

How to prepare VIDEO_TS driectory for burning
Here I will explain where you can find VIDEO_TS dir with all files that you need for burning DVD if you are not using Studio 8 for burning.
- VIDEO_TS dir will be stored (by default) in "Auxiliary Files" directory
- To setup wher it is go to menu "Setup" / "Edit" and you can see it there. Just click on the dir button.
- Create your project and when you are done, click on "3 Make Movie" tab
- From options on the left, select "Disc"
- On top of the screen in the middle you will see "Settings" button. Click on it.
- Select any options that you need. For us right now important is to select "Create disc content but don't burn"
- Click OK and then "Create Disc"
- Steps that will follow are "Rendering", "Create Disk", "Compiling Disc"
- After it is done your dir that you will need for burning is under "Auxiliary Files"\Project Name\DVD\Video_ts
- Those files that are there (except "Anchor" and "Volume" - not sure what are they) needs to be burned to DVD directory VIDEO_TS (recomendation is to use all uppercase and put also empty AUDIO_TS dir on DVD)

How to add backround music to an DVD Menu from CD
- Double click on your menu. This will switch you to DVD Menu Edit mode.
- Change duration to time that you want to use from your song on CD. Menu will loop this part of song over and over again.
- Make sure that pointer is on the beggining of DVD Menu. (you can do this simply by clicking on different clip on your timeline view and clicking back on DVD Menu)
- Now in PS8 menu select "Toolbox" / "Add CD Music". This will bring up CD Menu
- In case that your CD is allready in drive and CD Title is aking you to put CD in CD-ROM, just eject and close CD-ROM door.
- Now select part of the song that you would like to add to your DVD Menu as an bacround music. Be sure that it is same lenght as your DVD menu.
- Now finaly click on "Add to Movie" button.
- Done ! Enjoy....

How to create menu with multiple chapters
Prerequisite is that in "Setup" / "Edit" you selected option "When adding a memu.." to "Ask if links should be created".

1. Place your one big file (or hundred small clips) on timeline
2. Place in front of that clip DVD Menu
3. Answer No on question "Would you like Studio automatically create links to each scene after the menu ?"
4. To create first chapter at the beggining just right-click on your big clip in timeline and from the list select "Set Disc Chapter". (be sure that slider is at the beggining of the clip)
5. To create next (second) chapter, in the DVD Menu window clik on small arrow down that shows text "Select next button" when you stay little bit longer at that arrow. It will change number on the left from 1 to 2.
6. Now move slider to place where you want second chapter.
7. just right-click on your big clip in timeline and from the list select "Set Disc Chapter".
8. Now you have DVD Menu with two chapters.
9. Repeat steps 5.6.7. as many times as meny chapters you need. Numbers will change accordingly.
10. Don't forget to set "Return to Menu" on the end of you clip

You can create multiple Menus and you can move from one to another. My typical DVD have 1 main menu from which I am pointing out to 3 sub-menus where I can select chapters or return back to main menu. On the end of the clip with chapters I will return to submenu. My buttons in menus are usualy small movie so it is nice dynamic with some nice music on the backround. Frame that is used in the button doesn't have to be one that chapter point is pointing to. You can select different frame from anywhere in your clip.

This is all for now. Good luck !

Thanks for the advice. I tried to move to priority one and I got the following message fil sumervideo.stu can not be open or is not supported.

maybe my problem is I hit cancel too soon. How long should rendering take for 10 miniutes of video on a PIII 500 with 512 ram?

STU file is just Project file.... it does not hold video.

isn't the .stu file the file with the edits and transations? The original file seem to be raw video without my edits.

No STU is just project file that holds info about projet. Your transitioned and titled parts (AVI) are in "Auxiliary Files' directory somewhere on your disk.

I found the auxiliary files directory. The file that was in there was called autosave. The autosave file is an stu file

I've also found that with studio 8 that on longer projects with alot of transitions it is best to break your project up on to smaller sections and out put them as avi and then once your done bring them back for your final output. If not around 26 min you will start getting jumpy out put andyour movie will just look like shit.

Well... I used for my 77min project 7 AVI files (from 3 to 11 GB). It was split to 3 sub-menus with 18,11,46 min clips (rest were menus) and I didn't have problem. Who knows... maybe I will on my next project. Try to play it from Hard Drive to see if it is disk issue or mpeg.

Just an FYI,

I spent a lot of time on the Pinnacle web site. It seems that this is a know problem. It is also caused byt the transitions. No transitions, no problem.

Guess I am going to try and use video studio 6.0

Good luck !

Yeah thanks-

And thanks for all of your help. I just rendered my entire movie no problem. I took out the transitions and it works just fine.

Unbelivable!!! What a waste of $$ to buy editing software you can use to edit?!!

Long time ago when I was just learning English and was programing, somebody explained to me what means "RTFM issue". So... sometimes it pays to read Help or Manual. And here is result. I disovered that Studio 8 can do DVD Menu with...

Movie as an backround

Movie in thumbnails

I will update main post with "How to".

Don Pedro:

Thanks for your research. I had Studio 8 but returned it because it kept freezing during "compiling disc" and because I couldn't select a group of stills from the frame grabs/stills menu. I could only select one or all.

Anyway, your information is good to have. Maybe if Studio 8 goes on sale again, I'll give it another shot.

Would I be able to auther and burn a dvd on studio 8 with a video edited from mydvd? I like the chapter buttons and menus from studio 8 better.

Studio 8 keeps quiting on me with my 25 minute movie. Perhaps the converting to AVI will help...but doesn't converting the movie to AVI, then exporting it to DVD affect its quality? Many thanks!

I have the latest version (the downloaded patch).

What do you mean by "don't convert"?

But I'm not using DV, I have the AV version.

My version is:

8.3.18

donpedro,

I'm a dedicated Premiere user, but I like to recommend Studio8 to beginners. Your advice which allows files rendered by outside encoders to not be rendered again is great! Now you can make decent looking SVCD and DVD with Studio's nice authoring, titling and transistion features.

BIG QUESTION: When I author VCD and SVCD in Studio8, they will play perfectly on my DVD player, but will not play on the computer using PowerDVD or WinDVD. This is opposite of the typical "anything will play on the computer".

The files are all there, and I can play them in media player. I have found other people with the same complaint on the Pinnacle site, but no solution. Every other program I have tried works fine playing on the computer. Any ideas?

Donpedro I have 2 questions for you again .#1 does studio 8 allow you to do an alternate sound track? #2 and most important if I have 3 clips I all ready edited and saved as mpeg2 can I make a dvd with them with a menu without it re-transcoding the whole thing because I added a menu ?

Thanks