3x DVD (HD on red-laser) creation?

[Anonymous Freak]

So I got a Toshiba HD DVD player for Christmas (I was planning on waiting for a decent priced combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD to make the move, but my existing DVD player died, and I don't look gift horses (or DVD players) in the mouth.)

I know that part of the HD DVD standard is a disc called "3x DVD", where you burn HD content onto a standard red-laser (4.7 GB or DL 8.5 GB) disc, similar to the old "Super Video CD" format that put DVD-compatible video on standard CDs. I know that DVD Studio Pro can burn "HD-DVDs" similarly, but that they are *NOT* "HD DVD 3x DVD" compatible. (Not to mention that I don't want to buy DVD Studio Pro for some home movies.)

I'm looking for a cheaper (or at least single-source-software) solution. Open Source/Free Software would be best, but even paid software like Toast would be fine. Home videos are the main desired use; but if it's possible to take (EyeTV Hybrid-recorded) ATSC HD video and put it on disc, that would be good, too. (For example, a rather high-bitrate 17 Mbps ATSC MPEG-2 stream SHOULD be HD DVD compatible, and I could fit one full hour on a DL DVD.)

I have found a guide for use in Windows, but it relies on multiple pieces of non-free software.

 

[Frank Palermo]

I know that DVD Studio Pro can burn "HD-DVDs" similarly, but that they are *NOT* "HD DVD 3x DVD" compatible. (Not to mention that I don't want to buy DVD Studio Pro for some home movies.)

For what it's worth, DVD Studio Pro's HD DVDs actually do work in Toshiba's players; this was something Apple specifically addressed with the DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2 update... of course that doesn't make it any more appropriate as "home movie software"...

Unfortunately, the only Mac applications that currently do HD disc authoring (as far as I'm aware) are DVD Studio Pro (HD DVD) and Adobe Encore CS3 (Blu-ray), and they're both pro apps with "pro-level" price tags to match. Open Source/Free Software to do this (on any platform) is basically non-existent right now, and the more reasonably priced "consumer-level" apps are all on Windows.

Home videos are the main desired use; but if it's possible to take (EyeTV Hybrid-recorded) ATSC HD video and put it on disc, that would be good, too. (For example, a rather high-bitrate 17 Mbps ATSC MPEG-2 stream SHOULD be HD DVD compatible, and I could fit one full hour on a DL DVD.)

Yes, you can do this. I've made several HD DVDs of ATSC broadcast content with DVD Studio Pro and they work fine on my HD-A2.

The guide you found on AVS Forum should have good information on the various Windows apps if you decide to go with one of them, but I can't really make any suggestions there as I haven't researched them much.

-Frank

P.S. Happy New Year, and enjoy the HD DVD player!

 

[ftaok]

This is a development that I'm looking forward to. Right now, I don't have either type of blue laser player, but a Mac workflow to generate these HD-red discs could sway me one way or the other.

It might also drive to to get an HDTivo with TTG-HD.

I'm hoping that the next version of Toast will address HD video on red-media. Roxio would seem to be the logical company to do this type of software.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

For what it's worth, DVD Studio Pro's HD DVDs actually do work in Toshiba's players; this was something Apple specifically addressed with the DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2 update... of course that doesn't make it any more appropriate as "home movie software"...

Yes, you can do this. I've made several HD DVDs of ATSC broadcast content with DVD Studio Pro and they work fine on my HD-A2.

Thanks for the information, it's nice to know that, should I feel like spending the $1300, at least I could do it. I'm also glad to know that straight ATSC content will work fine. Now I just need a way of creating the discs.