problem re-opening DVDSP file

Remove (not trash) all the asset files, don't do a locate, just continue, this should open the file without the assets. Once opened reconnect the assets one by one. Sounds like you have a corrupt file. It is a pain and it takes time but it might help you to not have to reauthor.

Computers aren't always perfect. I think in all the years and thousands Of times Ive use the tool, Ive had 2 corrupted projects. Those are the ropes - we've all been there at one point or another. In a time like this, I will always do a project over.

Why do you think DVDSP sucks? I assure you, there is no other tool with as many features and ease of use as DVDSP. Don't know your level of knowledge of DVD and DVDSP but I would hate to think you would make a statement like that without extensive knowledge of the spec, DVDSP and other authoring tools avaialble?

Eric

[eric pautsch] "Why do you think DVDSP sucks? I assure you, there is no other tool with as many features and ease of use as DVDSP. Don't know your level of knowledge of DVD and DVDSP but I would hate to think you would make a statement like that without extensive knowledge of the spec, DVDSP and other authoring tools avaialble?"

I've been using DVDSP for 5 years on many many projects and it almost never ceases to disappoint me, especially on more complicated DVDs. There are many problems with it. For instance, regarding performance, in complicated projects it frequently slows to a crawl and one has to wait seconds between clicks to do anything. There are also lots of really dumb interface things. For instance, why won't it allow re-positioning of multiple subtitle clips at once? Instead each clip has to be dragged one at a time. Ridiculous. I could go on and on.

I know people who work at big commercial DVD authoring houses and they consider DVDSP to be a joke. (One friend said "...i think some businesses will actually use it professionally. our tech dept. tends to laugh at such people..." Of course they often use special custom software produced just for them and not available for sale to the general public. I'm sure that if DVDSP didn't come bundled with FCP, practically no one would use it. I certainly wouldn't be.

I've heard talk about Sonic Solutions' Scenarist being good, but have never tried it. I think I'll do so soon.

For the other person who said "what's wrong with saving backup files?": Nothing is wrong with it, but this is more than the usual backup scheme we're talking about. Backups are usually to guard against other kinds of problems. If I have to fear that after 12 or 20 or more hours of work on a project, that at any time, be it an hour later, the next morning, the next week, that that project simply won't open, and that ANY OR ALL of my backups files might act the same way, that totally blows. It's simply an unacceptable risk.

[eric pautsch] "You always want to import and adjust .stl files for subtitles. Why would you want to manually create subtitles in DVDSP?"

Of course I'm not creating them manually. But there's always adjustments that need to be made after they're imported.

[eric pautsch] "You must have issues with your system if DVDSP slows to a crawl on complicated projects. I've done some fairly large projects with hundreds of menus and never found issues."

You must be lucky. I've seen it happen with every Mac i've ever used DVDSP on, which is like 5 or 6 machines. Of course the more beefy the system the longer it takes to start bogging down and the less slow it gets, but it always happens with a complex disc. Always.
I don't have time to go into all the other problems, but I've consistently been thoroughly disappointed with the program. Perhaps it's because FCP is *so great* - it raised my expectations unreasonably high for other software within the FCP suite. Perhaps also because I'm a software developer myself and I KNOW things could work better than they do.

Same here I have run into 1 or 2 corrupt project files of the years. Authored hundreds of DVDs, started out on Sonic Creator and would never do back. I can do just about anything with DVDSP that can be done on Scenarist but the Scenarist code would be much cleaner and operate faster (by fractions of seconds that is hardly noticeable by the end user). But I can do things in a fraction of the time with DVDSP. Since clients are always on a very limited budget I have to options take more time and get paid less per hour or use DVDSP get it done well and make a descent hourly rate.

DVDSP is a great program for what it is, a professional level authoring tool that has been written to make it easier for the novice to use. In a spec level tool something like jumping from the main menu to a bonus feature is not just setting an end jump. There are several steps to get you there, So the people that laugh at DVDSP are normally the ones that don't use it and just see all the stupid things people do that have not taken the time to learn how to author.

I do have to say that I just finished a hefty 6 month project that had to be rushed onto DVD for the Christmas rush. The whole post-production workflow was laden with obstacles, but the most hair-pulling, teeth-gritting stressful part of the whole process had to be using DVDSP to author the DVD.

I've used it before for smaller, simpler projects and it has worked alright. But this was by far 10 years off my life. I may not know everything about how to use it, and I'll still give it a chance and learn more about it, however right now the program and I are worst enemies.

Over and over again, I had to trash prefs, remove assets and replace them, re-export video files because they wouldn't show properly in the project (but played just fine independently of SP), and there was NEVER any end to the video/audio sync issues, consequently leading to me rebuilding the timeline again and again and again...

In the end, the final product STILL had an audio sync issue in one of the chapters, but the client had been patient and couldn't spare any more time from his replicator, so now I have given a flawed product to a client.

Without knowing about any other DVD authoring programs, it worries me that SP is still highly regarded and may still be the best option.

Cinematographer / Editor
Synn Studios Inc.