PAL DVD

NTSC to PAL DVD Conversion

Overview: Customer has a NTSC DVD that they want converted to PAL.

When recreating the DVD the menu cannot be transferred over (without a huge amount of work).  So, we recreate the menu and scene selection by creating markers for each clip and placing these for menu markers.

Steps:

  1. Using Sony Vegas import the media from the DVD.
  2. Place media on the Vegas timeline
  3. Go to UltimateS' marker tab and create "Marks" for each event.
    1. Use "Chapter" or "Scene" plus sequence numbers to create the names.
  4. Create a Region for the whole DVD...all clips.
  5. Render out the regions using UltimateS batch render and select the correct PAL DVD preset (full or widescreen).
  6. Open DVD Arch; choose "Menu Based".
  7. Set to PAL and the correct aspect, 4:3 or 16:9; be aware of the finer details ie., MPEG-2 720x576-50i, 4:3 (PAL).
  8. Create "PLAY ALL" button by right-clicking on the home page and inserting large media file (that incidentally has markers from vegas denoting all the scenes).
  9. Change the 'video' name to "PLAY ALL".
  10. Delete the old PLAY ALL button as you don't need that one.
  11. Right-click on the new PLAY ALL button and click on "Insert Scene Selection Menu..."
  12. You will be asked how many scenes per page; choose 6 or 8 as per the number of scenes (to cut down on the number of pages choose 8). Scenes will be based on the markers within the large media file.
  13. Align items on the first Scene Selection page accordingly; then select all except the page re-direction arrows and then "Copy". You can then select all these same items on the remaining pages and Paste Attributes - All, to copy the formatting on this and other pages using this method.
  14. All the scene selection and menu page links should already be situated at the bottom of the respective page lists so that they will be highlighted last.
  15. prep and burn DVD.

PAL DVD to NTSC DVD

Purpose Need to convert a PAL DVD to NTSC DVD.

Steps:

  1. Check the PAL DVD on a Win7 computer and play the DVD in Win-Media Player to find out:
    1. If the DVD is 4:3 or 16:9
    2. How many chapters
    3. And check how each chapter starts so that you can id the chapters later
    4. Open Sony Vegas Pro
    5. Set the project properties to either PAL widescreen or PAL 4:3, whichever applies.
    6. Under File, go to Import and select import from DVD
    7. Copy the DVD VOB’s into the RAW/third party/DVD/etc
    8. Place the VOB’s onto the timeline.
    9. Use Regions to Chapter the VOB’s based on findings in 1c.
    10. Use Ultimate S to render the regions.
      1. Render using NTSC widescreen or standard screen as applicable
      2. Use DVD Architect to author and burn the NTSC DVD’s

Covers:

Scan the covers and print them out on photo paper.  The cover size is typically 273 mm X 183 mm.  I found that ACDSee's print allows you to select the top, bottom, and both side margins and whether the image is in the top left, center, etc.  knowing at 8.5X11 paper is 279X217mm one can do the math and adjust the margins accordingly (i.e. 6mm and 34mm for the margins)