Encore replacement Software

[AlistairGraham]

Please give me  suggestions for Adobe compeditors to DVD and Blu Ray authoring since I can no longer rely on Adobe as they are dropping Encore becasue its so 2010 and discs are not the future (what a load of BS)

[Arpit Kapoor]

[Moved the discussion to Encore Forum]

[John T Smith]

Encore IS available http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1236852

[John T Smith]

Click the link I provided and read

[Stan Jones]

I don't think anyone reporting here has researched the alternatives sufficiently. Short term, those of us who own (well, rent with a perpetual license or otherwise have access to) Encore CS6, will continue to use it. In the meantime, we'll research alternatives.

Start here:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/authoring-bd-hd-dvd

Note that this listing shows an Encore "CC 7.0," which does not, of course, exist. I sent them a note.

[AlistairGraham]

Thanks, I already have a CC subscription too, stuff them, time to find something with a "future in authoring" besides that encore was super buggy.

Never mind the FACT that 4K Blu-ray and 4K output is available on Blu-ray Players that actually take discs, PS4, Xbox etc all have Blu Ray drives, people still buy Blu-ray’s and DVD's, I’m in South Africa, not everyone here has internet access, and those who do pay a fortune for "low speed broadband", streaming is not even an option here. This is the future and reality here in my country, we don’t have 60 mbs internet out here.

Not everyone lives in America or Eurpoe with massive internet lines, this is what Microsoft, Adobe, Apple and other companies don’t seem to realize, or jus think these markets are inconsequential, in my opinion in this current economic stuff up, no revenue stream is inconsequential.

CC being downloadable is already an unviable option for delivery for most small business and hobbyists on products like Photoshop and other products, the local adobe office is offering free deployment discs to curb this lack of bandwidth problem here.

What do all the pro video production companies use ?

[Stan Jones]

What do all the pro video production companies use ?

The answer used to be Scenarist, now owned by Rovi. Links to Scenarist there appear to be dead. Look at post 5 here:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/5309554

Sony products and others?

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/authoring-bd-hd-dvd

[Ken G. Rice]

You can use Encore CS6 with Premiere Pro CC. Adobe blog post explaining how to do here http://blogs.adobe.com/davtechtable/2013/05/using-encore-cs6-with-premierepro-cc.html.

[neil wilkes]

AlistairGraham wrote:

Please give me  suggestions for Adobe compeditors to DVD and Blu Ray authoring since I can no longer rely on Adobe as they are dropping Encore becasue its so 2010 and discs are not the future (what a load of BS)

Indeed it is pure BS. The main reason Encore is dead is (I suspect) because Rovi have killed Sonic off completely - which is to my mind a nasty thing to do because their main business is streaming media and it seems they bought Sonic in order to kill them off & remove the main competitor. Streaming on demand means you pay every time you watch a film, assuming you have

A - a fast enough internet connection, and

B - an unrestricted one (most are not, despite the adverts saying "completely unrestricted" they will be throttled back under the small print "fair use" terms). The internet is one of the few areas where "unrestricted" does not mean unrestricted, rather like telephone companies saying the same thing with "unlimited" that turns out to be nothing of the sort.

Thanks to Rovi killing off Scenariost SD/BD and all the MPEG-2 encoding tools, things are difficult.

I am not sure what else is still available except for Sony's DVD Architect (definitely a going concern, and unless you include DVDSP it leaves Sony as the only player left now) and - perhaps - Media Chance Lab's "DVD Lab Pro 2" - I will check with the writers to see if new licenses are still available.

DLP (as we know DVD-Lab Pro) is a very, very good tool. It does have issues but these can all be worked around and I am waiting to find out of new licenses are still available.

Support for this tool is also very good - one of the mainstays in the forums knows more about this app than I can begin to describe & it is very good indeed.

I would also recommend any DVD authors to get a copy of the wonderful PGCEdit. It's donationware, but well worth $50 of anybody's money as it allows you to edit a compiled Video_TS without having to go back into authoring again.

The other fly in the ointment will of course be getting product to replication as Encore's DDP & CSS functions are seriously unreliable and the layer break routine is a joke.

GEAR Pro Mastering Edition is the way forward here and there will soon be an update to this that will, when you create a new project as a DVD9, look for all valid layer break points & give you the choice before master DDP files are created. GPME will also handle CSS scrambling (and does it properly, unlike Encore) and is in my opinion invaluable.

BluRay is harder - there are now only 2 applications that can output spec legal BDCMF folders with AACS applied (mandatory).for replication (again, Encore cannot do this at all and required an addon to manage this. Both are owned/coded by Sony Creative Media.

1 - DoStudio. This comes as a modular tool, and starts very cheaply indeed with the DoStudio Indie option (Straight BDMV only) or the EX addon module, and you can also get the BD-J module as well as a 3D module. Unlike Scenarist, the basic version is fully expandable.

2 - BluPrint. This is Sony's top-of-the-line tool, and you will need a remortgage to get into this one.

DoStudio is suitable for beginners to intermediate users and requires a good working knowledge of PhotoShop. This is the tool we use (we run DoStudio EX with BD-J module) and have made several successfully replicated titles that passed folder/content verification from Sony DADC with no trouble at all.

http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html

http://download.videohelp.com/r0lZ/pgcedit/index.html

http://www.gearsoftware.com/pro-mastering.php

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/dostudio

The demise of Encore is a sad day, I believe, as it could have been so good if only the bugs had been nailed, and support for more advanced operations added via scripting.

DLP requires a certain amount of knowledge of the structure of DVD - Encore's abstraction layer boxed it into a corner to a great extent and the way every timeline became a new VTS was a nightmare of complexity, as it forced nearly all menus into the VMGM domain. It is full-spec, and there is very little it cannot do.

[bigmanfontu]

If you're primarily going to be making DVD's, I would try DVDRemake Pro.  It's not the most user friendly, and requires knowledge of registers and the DVD structure, but it makes up for it by being extremely powerful.

I generally design my DVD menus in photoshop, compile with Encore and then put the DVD's together with DVDRemake Pro, mostly because Encore doesn't support DVD navigation programming.

You can check it out here:  http://www.dimadsoft.com/dvdremakepro/

[neil wilkes]

bigmanfontu wrote:

If you're primarily going to be making DVD's, I would try DVDRemake Pro.  It's not the most user friendly, and requires knowledge of registers and the DVD structure, but it makes up for it by being extremely powerful.

I generally design my DVD menus in photoshop, compile with Encore and then put the DVD's together with DVDRemake Pro, mostly because Encore doesn't support DVD navigation programming.

You can check it out here:  http://www.dimadsoft.com/dvdremakepro/

Interesting - is that for Mac?

On PC we have something called PGCEdit - it allows 100% complete access to all navigational/menu/buttons etc and you can edit what is alteady compiled.

The biggest problem with Encore is the way that it turns each timeline into a single clip VTS - the amount of dummy menus required is insane.

[Joe Riggs]

I  was curious what software do the studios use or Criterion, is it

BluPrint?

Note to Adobe and Apple .- People still need to author dvds and blu rays, if you are a videographer or filmmaker, you are most likely going to deliver a disc at some point.  

Now with Apple we know they don't care, but I thought Adobe listened to professionals? When was there an outcry from professionals saying they don't need Encore?

To quote Stan Jones over at the cow boards:

I think it is ultimately that Adobe does not want to invest the money/programming resources to fix problems. It is absurd to say that Encore is not being brought into CC because the future is somewhere else.

[neil wilkes]

Joe Riggs wrote:

I  was curious what software do the studios use or Criterion, is it

BluPrint?

Note to Adobe and Apple .- People still need to author dvds and blu rays, if you are a videographer or filmmaker, you are most likely going to deliver a disc at some point.  

Now with Apple we know they don't care, but I thought Adobe listened to professionals? When was there an outcry from professionals saying they don't need Encore?

To quote Stan Jones over at the cow boards:

I think it is ultimately that Adobe does not want to invest the money/programming resources to fix problems. It is absurd to say that Encore is not being brought into CC because the future is somewhere else.

Hiya Joe.

Most of the big studios use Scenarist - always have, always will.

For regular DVD, it is either Scenarist, Maestro or DVDSP (which used to be Maestro before Apple screwed it up).

I honestly believe the reason Encore is dropped is because the authorcore was licensed from Sonic, who no longer exist having been killed off by Rovi (who are a streaming media company that bought Sonic out in a hostile takeover & closed them down 2 years later). Not sure why behaviour like this is even legal.

[MannyEdwards]

Well, this explains a lot. I didn't know Adobe was dropping Encore -- shows how out of touch I am, I guess.

So is it even possible to create a Blu Ray compliant file in Encore to send out for replication?

[neil wilkes]

MannyEdwards wrote:

So is it even possible to create a Blu Ray compliant file in Encore to send out for replication?

If the people you are sending it out to have the necessary add-on by Rivergate Software

1 - BluStreak Tracer

2 - BDCMF Export Add-On

You need both, as the important one (BDCMF Export) only seems to run alongside the other one - so it's a $600 investment. Pretty cheap option - although it is Mac OSX (10.6 & later) only. If you are on PC, you have no way to get this done.

The problem is the mandatory AACS scrambling, and Encore simply cannot do this.

[Averdahl]

Yes, it's really sad to see Encore go away.

It seems that we have three options:

1. Stay with Encore CS6 and be aware of that a new OS can/will eventually break it.

2. Buy another authoring application for conumers. (Cheap)

3. Buy another authoring application for professionals. (Expensive)

#2 is problematic for those who want to create their own menus since many of them applications are template based. I tried the kind-of-popular TMPGEnc Authoring Works 5 and like to work in that program. But, if i have a timeline with five chapters the menu created will have five buttons and i have not yet found a way to remove anything in a template. (Or add my own buttons to a custom background i have made)

#3 is among other reasons problematic since it's more expensive. I tried DoStudio and the learning curve seems quite steep and it could not even playback 1080p24 in realtime on a HP Z800 with 2x6-core processors. It seems that those applications is kind of "work-with-blindfolds" when coming from the Encore world when i am used to see my menus, see my timelines, etc. I tried DoStudio, BD Author and Easy BD Pro. I don't do so much authoring that i can justify the price and the time i will have to spend to learn the applications either.

Sony DVD Arhitect is a no-go since it don't support popup-menus. Maybe it will in the future. I don't even know if that is a good program.

I am personally looking for an alternative that let's me use my own menus, is reasonably priced for an enthusiast, don't take too long to get into the how-to-use-mode.

[_Paz_]

Put the image you want into a premade button:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYx56bqPOlE

[Averdahl]

Thank you _Paz_,

I am an experienced Encore user, so i don't need tutorials for how to use Encore.

,

[_Paz_]

Ooops!

On re-reading I see you were talking about a different program, TMPGEnc Authoring Works 5.

>>I don't need tutorials

I'm a brand newbie and I do.  I've been watching so many of them lately it's all starting to run together.  My apologies for not paying attention.

[Yellamokara]

1 - DoStudio. This comes as a modular tool, and starts very cheaply indeed with the DoStudio Indie option (Straight BDMV only) or the EX addon module, and you can also get the BD-J module as well as a 3D module. Unlike Scenarist, the basic version is fully expandable.

It costs ~$2500. Is that "very cheaply"?

[neil wilkes]

Yellamokara wrote:

1 - DoStudio. This comes as a modular tool, and starts very cheaply indeed with the DoStudio Indie option (Straight BDMV only) or the EX addon module, and you can also get the BD-J module as well as a 3D module. Unlike Scenarist, the basic version is fully expandable.

It costs ~$2500. Is that "very cheaply"?

Compared to what you will have to pay for BluPrint ($50,000 and upwards plus the encoders), compared to what you woiuld have had to pay for Scenarist (2D vertsion was £25,000 retail, and if you wanted to go to 3D you had to pay a similar amount as there was never any upgrade path fromn Scenarist SD > BD > BD3D) and even compared to what I had to pay for DoStudio when it was still NetBlender (I paid £5000 for the base mode, plus additional for the EX & BD-J, coming in at a total of £13,000) then yes - I would say a pitiful $2500 that gets you an application capable of replication (which is something Encore never dould do) is VERY cheap indeed.

It may be well to remember that technically, Encore cannot create BluRay discs - it can create BD-ROM, but Encore's output certainly should never be described as BluRay bevcause it isn't. No written disc is "BluRay" and no written discs should carry the BD logo because it is non compliant.

[1925desco]

Just read your comments.

Sounds like you have a handle on what other software options are available.

Thank you for your support in keeping us all informed.

PLEASE continue to offer your advice and comments.  Your comments are relevant and provide people direction.

It is sad to think that a giant like Adobe with endless resources, would just give up on the challenge to make Encore a viable and competitive product.  And to announce the ending of Encore with such a BS reason that no one believes, is an insult to most people's intelligence. 

I'm 65 and have been a loyal Adobe advocate for decades, but I think Adobe have really chopped the legs from under its customer base, which will not be forgotten.  People will continue to speak highly about their marvelous products, but always with the caveat "ya but do you remember what they did to Encore."

I hope that a young startup company may see this as an opportunity to fill a niche.

[Guest]

Please let me know what you find. I am having the same problem. I purchased Production Studio which included Encore DVD and now I cannot use it becuase Adobe won't let me reguister it! WHat the heck?

Please let me know if you find a solution

[neil wilkes]

NixPixKix  wrote

Please let me know what you find. I am having the same problem. I purchased Production Studio which included Encore DVD and now I cannot use it becuase Adobe won't let me reguister it! WHat the heck?

Please let me know if you find a solution

For just DVD, right now I would recommend Media Chance Labs DVD Lab Pro 2.

Right now it can be bought for under $100 - around $90 or thereabouts, and it really is seriously good.

There is a trial version, and it does everything we used to wish Encore would - the sole problem with it is the lack of preview, so you need to compile before being able to preview a disc. In reality though this is actually a good thing as you are then test playing the actual multiplexed VOB structures, not independent assets.

You have got a very user-friendly abstraction layer, and you can also over-rule this with custom scripting or, if feeling really confident, turn off the Abstraction Layer altogether & code everything manually - this can be a great way to work, as you know there is no junk code or orphaned timelines & dummy menus you did not specifically create cluttering things up & generally getting in the way.

There are several pages of tutorials, including advanced stuff such as panoramic menus, switched menus etc. as well as a forum for support (sadly not as well visited as in times gone by, but the folks who are there really do know their stuff and you can also always drop me an email - I know the tool pretty well by now.

What it will not do is create a DDP Master for replication, however. To do that a separate application would be needed (GEARImage, Sonoris DDP creator, GEAR Pro Mastering Edition etc) or else a replication company that will accept a burned disc or an ISO image (with correct Layer Break setting for DL discs) in which case our old friend IMGBurn will get the job done.

You will also be well advised to grab a copy of PGCEdit, and give a donation of at least $50 to the developer, as it is nagware and you literally cannot live without it in DVD land. Your donation will get you personal support via email from the developer & this tool is so good I literally cannot imagine not having it available. Once a video_TS is compiled, this will let you edit absolutely everything right down to the button commands, adding pre/post commands & even cell commands, change the navigation, the colours of buttons, the way it all works & what goes to where etc. It is a swiss army knife of DVD production and it is awesome.

Encore should never have been killed off, but please remember it was not Adobe's decision to do this but Rovi Corp, who bought out Sonic Solutions in a hostile takeover and promptly shut them down within months, killing all support a year later. Scenarist LLC are back now, but although new seats are available they are still a few thousand for the Scenarist SD version, and it is a five figure sum for Scenarist BD.

DVD-Lab Pro will do everything you need it to I reckon - give it a test drive

[cvid01]

Good information. But what I like about Encore is the ability to make customized menus using Photoshop. I'm not sure of any other DVD authoring program gives such a wide range for designing menus.