TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4 first look

 This is a fist look on the product TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4 from Pegasys, Inc.

I am a long time user of their product TMPGEnc Xpress 4.0 - a tool that I use to convert videos into what every format I like, mostly MPEG. Unfortunately I have not written anything about this product yet.

This article expresses my opinions about this product after using it for about one hour.

What is TAW4?

This is a tool to create DVDs, Blu-Rays and DivX discs from your videos. You can use almost any video sources as input and it will transcode it to whatever it takes to make the appropriate output. It is fairly easy to make menus the way you want.

In an earlier article about DVD authoring tools I have listed some alternatives for you. I think TAW4 is a good combination of DVD authoring software and editing software. But definitely not the best tool if you really want to have control of all aspects of your production.

What is good?

• Fairly easy to use.
• Faster when working with AVCHD content (compared to other TMPGEnc products).
• Good control of output - both for look, menu and quality.
• Does not re-encode more than what is necessary to the output stream. (Faster production.)
• Comes with burning software included.

What is bad?

I have not found anything really bad about this product yet, but I lack control of transcoding parameters. I think you in the end will use Xpress 4.0 first to convert many of your AVCHD files and then use TAW to make the disc.

Sound utilities

In some previous posts I have written about how to make DVD's and have full control of how they are made.

This task is not easy - and it seems to cost lots of money. Anyway, here is a list of tools I have came across lately that seems to have some potential. This is not a review of these tools but I will give you the key selling points from my point of view.

Today I will only focus on sound tools.

Tool	Comment
AC3Tools Pro	A low cost tool (€49.95) to encode (and decode) AC3 files. You can encode only two channels, 4 channels or full 5.1 sound. It requires uncompressed WAV PCM files as input.
DMX 6Fire USB	This USB sound card with a retail price of €249 have 4 source inputs and 6 outputs, plus digital input/output. With this card you are guaranteed good recordings from your source.
Acoustica MP3 Audio Mixer	This low priced tool($24.95) can combine several input files in WAV, MP3 into a two-channel output. You can easily pan balance, fade volume and mix music to your own needs.
Wavelab 6	This tool seems to be great for recording and editing your music. It can handle from 2 to 6 channels, depending on the version. This tool is somewhat expensive, and no trial is available.

Subtitle Workshop

Subtitle Workshop is a tool to create subtitles for your movies.

Pegasys TMPGEnc

This tool encodes your input stream into any MPEG supported output, including DVDs. It is not a tool to edit your videos, just to encode them.

AC3 and DTS encoder

I finally found a tool to code AC3 and DTS streams with more than two channels. This tool is expensive and looks much like Aften.

DVD authoring tools

In my quest for making good DVD's from both still pictures and videos this is a list of tools I've found interesting and useful. In my quest I started reading an article at Wikipedia. This list is only a working list for now - at a later time I'll post the definitive solution on how to make good DVD's.

I like to have full control of the output, so I will also try to create outputs with DTS and Dolby Digital sound... I am the first to say I am sorry that all of this cost money. Lot of money.

Disclaimer: I have not bought these programs, I have just compiled a list of them. Not all of them will work together and you will probably not need all tools on this list!

Tool	Comment
DVD-Lab	A cool tool for everyone who like to learn the inner workings of  DVD. With this tool you can write DVD bytecode and you have full control of every aspect of the DVD. You can not create the video stream with this tool, but the makers of DVD-Lab, MediaChance, have bought a company with a video stream tool. The tool is called editstudio.
editstudio	From the makers of DVD-Lab, a tool to edit videos.
DivX codec	The DivX codec is very useful when you capture video from your DV camera. This codec creates very compressed outputs that will save you lots of disc space.
VirtualDub	This is an open-source tool that I just came across. With this tool you can do basic transforms to a movie like convert audio and video format, scaling, cropping etc.
ProShow Producer	This tool is one of my favorites. It is not very good with large movies but when you work with small movies (compiled with VirtualDub or Windows Movie Maker) and still images you get very good output in no time. You can also make outputs for almost everything you want. I once wrote a review on Producer.
Plato Video Converter	I got this tool free from Giveaway of the Day one day. With this tool you can convert between AVI, DivX, XviD, MPEG, WMV, ASF, MOV, QT and RealMedia format.
InterVideo DVDCopy	A tool to copy DVD's to other formats for use on PC, a media server, PSP or similar.
WAV to AC3 Encoder	This tool is a graphical frontend for Aften and will create unlicenced Dolby Digital AC-3 outputs you can attach to your DVD project.
Dolby® Media Producer	Here it is - from the creators of AC-3, a tool to master audio content for your DVD. This software is expensive.
DTS-HD Surround Audio Suite	To create DTS sound to your DVD you can use this tool.

PS! If you want to capture your screen I have a list of tools you can use.

How to make DVD-ROM

In my quest to make DVD gifts I came across lots of problems. The link above talks about many of my problems and how to solve them.

If you are into burning DVD's you should read it!