How to burn files to BD with menus but without having to re-encode?

jak.willis wrote on 12/2/2024, 1:11 PM

Hi,

Does anyone know whether there's a way to burn files to BD with the menu you've created, but without having to re-encode all of the videos?

The resolution of the files is 1024x576, but when you go to the burn dialog and select the Blu-ray option, it doesn't allow you to manually set the output resolution. So it gets locked to 1920x1080 and can't be changed.

Surely there must be a way to just burn the files to the disc? Usually, I would just manually compile the files and create a data disc, but in this instance the idea is to add the customized menus to the disc so that when you play it back it comes up with the menu where you can then select which video/file you want to play.

I am currently using a rather old MEP 2019

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 12/2/2024, 1:32 PM

@jak.willis

Hi

If you have already burned to ISO image or disc, to ensure that any changes you have subsequently made, to the movie and/or the menus, are applied to the ISO image or disc you must re-encode all.

John EB
Forum Moderator

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

jak.willis wrote on 12/2/2024, 2:35 PM

@jak.willis

Hi

If you have already burned to ISO image or disc, to ensure that any changes you have subsequently made, to the movie and/or the menus, are applied to the ISO image or disc you must re-encode all.

John EB
Forum Moderator

Well at the moment the files are just in the timeline.

johnebaker wrote on 12/2/2024, 5:37 PM

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

. . . . Well at the moment the files are just in the timeline. . . .

In that case you should not get the message asking you if you want to Encode all etc. when you burn to ISO image or disc.

However, if:-

  • the imported video files are not already in the BluRay encoding format, ie eg h.264 in a m2ts file with the correct framerate and bitrate
  • there are images in the project
  • the video clips have been trimmed
  • titles, captions etc have been added
  • added any effects, transitions, etc

then the movie(s) (timeline(s) have to be encoded.

John EB

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

jak.willis wrote on 12/2/2024, 5:55 PM

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

. . . . Well at the moment the files are just in the timeline. . . .

In that case you should not get the message asking you if you want to Encode all etc. when you burn to ISO image or disc.

However, if:-

  • the imported video files are not already in the BluRay encoding format, ie eg h.264 in a m2ts file with the correct framerate and bitrate
  • there are images in the project
  • the video clips have been trimmed
  • titles, captions etc have been added
  • added any effects, transitions, etc

then the movie(s) (timeline(s) have to be encoded.

John EB

Well the files are H.264, and there have been no changes made in the timeline.

johnebaker wrote on 12/3/2024, 3:03 AM

@jak.willis

Hi

. . . . Well the files are H.264, and there have been no changes made in the timeline . . . .

In that case and assuming the video clips have cut 'transition', ie are butted up to each other with no gaps between them, then try turning on the Smart Copy option in the Encoder settings, Advanced settings of the burn dialog

There is no guarantee Smart Copy will copy the video - it is very particular about the source video parameters, if they are not met the encoder will re-render the video.

John EB
 

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

jak.willis wrote on 12/3/2024, 7:45 AM

@jak.willis

Hi

. . . . Well the files are H.264, and there have been no changes made in the timeline . . . .

In that case and assuming the video clips have cut 'transition', ie are butted up to each other with no gaps between them, then try turning on the Smart Copy option in the Encoder settings, Advanced settings of the burn dialog

There is no guarantee Smart Copy will copy the video - it is very particular about the source video parameters, if they are not met the encoder will re-render the video.

John EB
 

Yes, I tried Smart Copy but it didn’t work.

I also ticked smart rendering, but when I exit the dialog then click back into it, I find it has un-ticked itself.

So is there no way at all to simply burn the files to disc with menus?

Should I try with the MainConcept codec?

johnebaker wrote on 12/3/2024, 12:49 PM

@jak.willis

Hi

. . . . So is there no way at all to simply burn the files to disc with menus? . . . .

No.

, , , , Should I try with the MainConcept codec? . . . .

As the Smart Copy and Smart rendering did not work, the video files on the timeline are not BluRay compliant.

For BluRay discs to be playable in any BD player, or Player software that supports BluRay, the video files for the movie and the menu(s) must be BluRay compliant irrespective of the encoder used.

With the MainConcept encoder the result will be the same, the non-compliant video will be rendered to be compliant.

There is nothing you can do to get around the BluRay standard's requirement and create a playable disc without rendering at some stage.

John EB

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

jak.willis wrote on 12/3/2024, 3:02 PM

@jak.willis

Hi

. . . . So is there no way at all to simply burn the files to disc with menus? . . . .

No.

, , , , Should I try with the MainConcept codec? . . . .

As the Smart Copy and Smart rendering did not work, the video files on the timeline are not BluRay compliant.

For BluRay discs to be playable in any BD player, or Player software that supports BluRay, the video files for the movie and the menu(s) must be BluRay compliant irrespective of the encoder used.

With the MainConcept encoder the result will be the same, the non-compliant video will be rendered to be compliant.

There is nothing you can do to get around the BluRay standard's requirement and create a playable disc without rendering at some stage.

John EB

So if what I'm trying to do won't work in MEP, is there another authoring/burning software that does allow you to burn the files to disc without re-encoding, and that also lets you create a customized menu?

johnebaker wrote on 12/3/2024, 5:14 PM

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

I think you are missing the point - it does not matter which software you use, if the source video files are not BluRay compliant, they will be re-encoded instead of being copied or smart rendered.

You cannot bypass this and create Bluray discs which meet the required standard for a playable disc.

There is much more to a BluRay, and DVD, disc then the video files for the main movie and menus, there are control files, play lists, clip info files and other support files, that the player needs to actually play a disc.

John EB

VPX 16, Movie Studio 2025, and earlier versions 2015 and 2016, Music Maker Premium 2024.

PC - running Windows 11 23H2 Professional on Intel i7-8700K 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, RTX 2060 6GB 192-bit GDDR6, 1 x 1Tb Sabrent NVME SSD (OS and programs), 2 x 4TB (Data) internal HDD + 1TB internal SSD (Work disc), + 6 ext backup HDDs.

Laptop - Lenovo Legion 5i Phantom - running Windows 11 23H2 on Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4-SDRAM, 512GB SSD, 43.9 cm screen Full HD 1920 x 1080, Intel UHD 630 iGPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)

Sony FDR-AX53e Video camera, DJI Osmo Action 3 and Sony HDR-AS30V Sports cams.

jak.willis wrote on 12/4/2024, 7:56 AM

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

I think you are missing the point - it does not matter which software you use, if the source video files are not BluRay compliant, they will be re-encoded instead of being copied or smart rendered.

You cannot bypass this and create Bluray discs which meet the required standard for a playable disc.

There is much more to a BluRay, and DVD, disc then the video files for the main movie and menus, there are control files, play lists, clip info files and other support files, that the player needs to actually play a disc.

John EB

But yet I could just create a data disc with the files on?

emmrecs wrote on 12/4/2024, 8:26 AM

@jak.willis

But yet I could just create a data disc with the files on?

Yes you can, but then the files will not be playable by a Blu-ray player, for the reasons John indicated. A Data Disc is simply a storage method, it is neither intended nor designed to be, in that sense, "playable". Also, therefore, no menus.

Jeff
Forum Moderator

Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Intel i7 Quad Core 6700K @ 4GHz, 32 GB RAM, NVidia GTX 1660TI and Intel HD530 Graphics, MOTU 8-Pre f/w audio interface, VPX, MEP, Music Maker, PhotoStory Deluxe, Photo Manager Deluxe, Xara 3D Maker 7, Samplitude Pro X7 Suite, Reaper, Adobe Audition 3, CS6 and CC, 2 x Canon HG10 cameras, 1 x Canon EOS 600D, Akaso EK7000 Pro Action Cam

ericlnz wrote on 12/4/2024, 4:29 PM

@jak.willis Depending upon your player it may play a Data Disc in the same way it plays videos from a thumb drive if your player has a usb input for thumbdrives.

My experience with a Panasonic player was that it searched the disk for playable files and then showed me a list of the files from where I could select what I wanted to view. It's not the same as a proper menu but usable.

I haven't tried my current Sony Blu-ray player to see if it does the same.

jak.willis wrote on 12/4/2024, 6:13 PM

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

I think you are missing the point - it does not matter which software you use, if the source video files are not BluRay compliant, they will be re-encoded instead of being copied or smart rendered.

You cannot bypass this and create Bluray discs which meet the required standard for a playable disc.

There is much more to a BluRay, and DVD, disc then the video files for the main movie and menus, there are control files, play lists, clip info files and other support files, that the player needs to actually play a disc.

John EB

@jak.willis

Hi Jak

I think you are missing the point - it does not matter which software you use, if the source video files are not BluRay compliant, they will be re-encoded instead of being copied or smart rendered.

You cannot bypass this and create Bluray discs which meet the required standard for a playable disc.

There is much more to a BluRay, and DVD, disc then the video files for the main movie and menus, there are control files, play lists, clip info files and other support files, that the player needs to actually play a disc.

John EB

What if I were to choose DVD instead of BD? The files are in 1024x576