MSP 12 not recognizing DVD Architect

[AgileMktg]

Okay, I opened a ticket with Sony support about this, but maybe there's a workaround.

I've got my movie edited, have the menu markers on the timeline. I go to Make Movie/DVD/DVD with menus. . . and MSP says, "You don't appear to have DVD Architect installed. Save your project, install, and try again." Well, I installed all the progs at the same time from the same disk. And yes - this is the first time since I got the MSP 12 Suite that I've tried to make a DVD w/menus. Non-menued DVDs work out just fine.

So, I was looking forward to mastering this disk in time to deliver a bunch of copies Monday night. (HA! I kill me!) Is there a way to "output to my computer" or something that would give me the video, audio and marker notations that I could then import into DVD Arch? I mean, I could bring a plain file in and set menu points in there, I suppose, but I was looking to cheat a bit.

Any suggestions?

[Steve Grisetti]

The two programs should see each other automatically, Scott.

What operating system are you running? Is it 64-bit or 32-bit? And you don't have any custom hard drive set-ups, right? Like programs on your D drive, stuff like that, right?

On Windows 7 64-bit, Movie Studio 12 will install in your Program Files directory while DVD Architect should install in Program Files (x86).

I suppose it might be worth an uninstall/reinstall. It certainly can't hurt. You won't lose any work in progress doing it.

[AgileMktg]

I'm running an i7-based system, Win 7 64-bit with the latest service pack (2?). Progs are on C: and when I edit, backups go to external disks. I installed the damn progs from the same disk! Then they found their own updates and installed those. I actually have the same software, from the same disk, installed on this computer, but I don't use it here.

I tried creating a file from within MSP 12 - I chose "DVD Architect stream - NTSC widescreen MPG" (or something very similar). Tried playing it this morning, and there's no audio. Grrr! Currently rendering a 1080 WMV that I'll stick in DVD Arch.

I still have Premiere Elements 10 on that machine, and it renders a LOT faster than MSP 12, even after buying a new video card and bumping the RAM to 12 gig. But this takes add-ons so easily. . . and it does seem more powerful in certain respects.

If I had the time, I'd nuke it and re-install. However, I have this vid to burn, then need to edit another video, then *maybe* one for me before I shoot another day-long session on November 9th, which I have to turn around and have edited and burned by just after Thanksgiving. Am still hoping Sony will tell me to edit a config file somewhere, maybe the registry, and they'll magically talk to one another.

Thanks for the reply, Steve! I really appreciate your input!

[Steve Grisetti]

"I tried creating a file from within MSP 12 - I chose "DVD Architect stream - NTSC widescreen MPG" (or something very similar). Tried playing it this morning, and there's no audio. Grrr!"

For what it's worth, this is a whole other issue, Scott. It's how the program is designed to work.

When you use Make Movie to output your file for DVD Architect, Movie Studio outputs a separate video (.mpg) and audio (.ac3 or .w64) streams. So, no, the MPEG won't have sound. But if you add the MPEG to DVD Architect as a movie link, the audio stream should add itself to the DVD Arch timeline automatically.

But you can can output a combined audio/video MPEG from Movie Studio using Project/Render As/Main Concept MPEG2 with the template for Program Stream (NTSC or PAL, Standard or Widescreen).

[AgileMktg]

"But you can can output a combined audio/video MPEG from Movie Studio using Project/Render As/Main Concept MPEG2 with the template for Program Stream (NTSC or PAL, Standard or Widescreen)."

Yeah, that's one of the ones I used. I know it separates vid from audio, and I looked on my system for the audio file but I didn't find it anywhere. When this one gets done rendering, I'll try putting the MPG into DVD Arch. if that doesn't find the audio, then I'll try jamming the WMV down it's throat.

[Steve Grisetti]

If you use the Program Stream output, the audio and video are combined in the MPEG. You should be able to hear the audio when you play it. (If not, use VLC Player, which is a better player than the Windows Media Player.)

Many Vegas pro's prefer to output the video as a video only stream (Project/Render As/Main Concept MPEG2 with the DVD Architect Video Stream template) and then output the audio separate as a Sony Wave 64 (Project/Render As/Sony Wave64 ).

If you use the Make Movie tool in Movie Studio Platinum, it automatically outputs separate audio and video streams, which automatically combinein DVD Architect when you add the MPEG as a movie link to a menu page.

I hightly recommend against using a WMV file for your source in DVD Architect. Depending on how long your movie is, it may take hours to render and may even crash.

Stick with the optimized audio and video formats.

[AgileMktg]

Just as an update, Sony's support system for their software takes a rrrreeeeaaaalllyyy lllooonnnggg tttiiimmmeee. As in weeks. But the problem has confounded their staff as well. I'm already up to my armpits in projects using MSP, have uninstalled/reinstalled once already, and now they want me to do it again after creating a new admin account. There's some stuff in the registry they want me to nuke after my next uninstall and before the newer and improved-er re-install.

The current project doesn't use a menu (it's supposed to have been a quick and dirty edit - it's been dirty, but not quick), but I really miss PREL's ability to "fit to disk" on burning. Not sure if I can do something similar with MSP - will have to re-read Steve's book. So right now, I'm saving the file as an MPG and turning down the quality slider bit by bit. On my 3rd render of the first disk, so far. Hehe!

[Steve Grisetti]

Thanks for the update, Scott, but sorry you're still having problems.

You can, of course, output your video from Movie Studio as a Main Concept MPEG2/DVD Program Stream and then use that as your source file in DVD Architect -- in the meantime.

DVD Architect will do a fit-to-disc if the movie is a bit long.