Rivergate Software Inc. - makers of DVDAfterEdit

Hi Matthias,

So far the problems with HD DVD Standard Content from DVD Studio Pro have been mostly lack of support in the Apple OS for UDF 2.5 and the new formats for disc mounting and burning. We cannot predict when and if they add that support, so we are proceding with implementing it ourselves. As always, we trust our own layer break code over and above other implementations, and the new HDAfterEdit project files will make the formatting (pre-mastering) process even more robust than before. We are placing standard definition formatting at the top of our to-do list, and advanced content and Blu-ray formatting not too far behind.

Regards,

Larry

Hi Matthias,

First, there is no such thing as standard content or scripting on BD. I presume you mean standard content navigation commands by "scripting". So you get whatever the authoring program gives you, or you write programs in Java, which is much more difficult. We intend to do something about that eventually, but it will come after we are well along on regular DVD's (SD), standard content a-la DVD Studio Pro on HD DVD, and advanced content on HD DVD, which is entirely different from SD scripting.

DVD Studio Pro does not support HD DVD Advanced Content. Its Standard Content images only play on the Mac. We can create Standard Content images from their HVDVD_TS (output) folders that play in in HD DVD players, on DVD+-R and DL DVD+-R. So far the Pioneer 112D does the best job of creating discs that will actually play, using Verbatim media. Playability is also dependent on encoding bit rate, and red laser will not handle the highest bit rates. HD DVD burners seem to be in very short supply, and very expensive.

HDAfterEdit 1.0 Alpha will be capable of pre-mastering (formatting) to DDP 3.0 and CMF 2.0 (essentially the same thing) very soon, for both standard and advanced content HD DVD. This means you will be able to replicate, probably before you will be able to burn blue laser HD DVD's economically.

We will be able to post-edit DVDSP standard content HD DVD's much like we do with DVDAE on SD, burn them on red laser and later blue laster when it becomes less expensive, and replicate them. This will overcome any shortcomings that DVDSP might have. Our new command editing will have templates and Applescripting.

For HDDVD advanced content, you will have to use Microsoft HDi, which has lots of canned templates available to do the standard things. Otherwise you will be programming in JavaScript and HTML. We will have the ability to edit HDi in HDAfterEdit Beta, which means you can tweak the templates and make other changes in an integrated environment, instead of typing time codes into text files.

Another option is combining NetBlender with a rudimentary authoring program such as ULead. NetBlender creates both HD DVD and Blu-ray advanced content files with a graphical interface. They charge by the month, so far $99 (we have been subscribing), but have announced the released version will be $249 per month. They also say they will have a pre-mastering solution, but haven't yet named a price. We will be able to pre-master in that workflow.

We can currently open Blu-ray folders, and view the file structure. Further capabilities will be coming, but we will probably wait for BDCMF 1.0 for pre-mastering. We will be able to set layer breaks and burn dual-layer BD images relatively soon, but are also putting SD and HD DVD first, since we already have Standard Content nearly finished. (SD and HD DVD Standard Content are very similar).

Without seeing the program in action as we envision it, you could not appreciate how much better it will be than DVDAfterEdit Mastering Edition, as good as that was for its time.

Regards,

Larry