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Professional DVD Authoring Services

Designed For - DVD Producers / Content Holders, Corporate Media Depts. Indie Film Makers, etc.

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DVD Studio Pro® Project Proofing Service

AVOID Becoming A Statistic...

Be Sure to Have Trai Look Over Your Files Before Replication

Trai Forrester is the World's Acknowledged Leading Authority on DVD Studio Pro®

Trai got his start with DVD Studio Pro in the spring of 1999 when the program was known as Astarte DVDirector. Trai became the world's leading Astarte Dealer/Distributor by fall of 1999, traveling throughout the country, installing and training on the new system, helping bring in scores of early adopting studios into DVD Production.

Apple hires Trai Forrester as a private consultant in April, 2001, to help introduce DVD Studio Pro 1.0, at NAB. Photo credit: Lou Skriba

Trai introduces the first (and still only) comprehensive DVD Studio Pro Scripting Tutorials disc in July, 2001.

"Trai's scripting disc taught me how to 'think DVD' - Marc McCoy

Trai Founded TFDVD.com a DVD Studio Pro support site, in 2001.

"I'm beginning to understand. All DVD Studio Pro roads lead to Trai" - A Poster on 2-Pop, Spring, 2002

Unsolicited comments from TFDVD.com members, during 2002/2003

Trai collaborates with John Brisbin Releasing the "TFDVDSP Engine",the first and still only, professional DVD Studio Pro Advanced Play List Project Templates - early 2002

Trai released the "TFDVD-9 Maker" the workaround to DVD SP's DVD-9 formatting bug - summer 2002'. For almost 2 years afterwards, it's the only way to guarantee a spec compliant DVD-9 in DVD Studio Pro®.

Trai led the development of DVDAfterEdit, beginning in Fall, 2002. The program was originally designed to extend DVD Studio Pro's capabilities.

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New Constellation
Technologies
is licensed with
the industry's best
DVD Verification
capability

DVD Forum License

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Description of Services and Pricing

TFDVD Research Labs
Description of services 
with pricing* 

Please contact Trai Forrester with questions,
and/or to arrange custom configurations and 
combinations of these packages.
Note: Volume pricing is available.


TFDVD Research Labs' DLT pre-mastering
is bullet-proof (and guaranteed).
Two DLT Pre-mastering Packages to Choose From:
1) DLT Pre-mastering with Eclipse Image Analysis® and the 
MEI DVD-Video Verifier® Testing
This pre-mastering package guarantees your replicator will have no problems with your DVD Image submission, thanks to the Eclipse Image Analysis® testing.

Send in your VIDEO_TS folder, Jacket Pictures and ROM Data (build folder from any DVD authoring system), or DDP Image, on hard drive or DVD recordable, or please inquire about FTP transmission.

Note: please do not send in a playable DVD-Recordable formatted by your authoring system, as it will be unsuitible for replication, due to how most authoring systems stripe the VOBs with flags that permanently identify them as residing on a recordable disc - not what we want on the replicated discs. Format the authoring systems build folder onto a UDF formatted DVD+-R with third party writing software, instead.

Once we receive the materials, we'll format your data into a DDP Image, including with CSS Copy Protection and Macrovision, if specified. From there, we'll extract the VIDEO_TS folder out of the DDP Image so we can test it with the MEI DVD-Video Verifier®. If all's well, we'll then use Eclipse ImageCopy® to transfer the DDP Image to DLT tape and verify after the write. An Eclipse Image Analysis® test is run on the Image during this transfer process.

Professional Image Submission is the Way to Go

Next, we'll label and package the tapes and Eclipse Image Analysis report for submission to the replication plant. We can forward directly to your replicator, or ship back to you or your client. Turnaround time is 24 - 48 business hours.

Special consideration: If we find something that needs correcting in the Image and if we can do it here, we will; no extra charge; or, if it's something only your authoring system can redo, we'll have you make the change (s) and resubmit - again, no extra charge for the first resubmission.

Cost: $499 (DVD-5) $599 (DVD-9)

The DLT packaging and Eclipse Reports turns heads at the plant

2) Premiere DVD Project Proofing, DLT Pre-mastering Package

This is our flagship, product which combines a lot of the services listed on this page. Plenty of Phone consultation time, project proofing, player bank testing, etc. We see your project both before and after replication, for instance. Please click here for a full description.

Cost: $1495 (DVD-5) $1795 (DVD-9)

Player Bank Testing - Industry's Highest Standard DVD Compatibility Testing:

List of TFDVD Research labs 145 players

  • Included with all our player testing packages are the MEI DVD-Video Verifier® testing and the DVDs' command routing is inspected by Trai Forrester. Before we test in the player bank, we'll know precisely the weaknesses of the Disc, and will zero in on them as we go through the bank, to make sure the disc holds up in the players. This preparatory work is crucial, and exclusive in our Industry.
  • Also, before the discs are put through the player bank, we run an Eclipse Image Analysis® Read Performance Scan on the DVD. While not the equivalant of a CATS physical test of the disc, the Eclipse® performance scanning we run on your DVD will show us the areas players might have a tough time reading. These 'soft spots' are noted, and become the areas where our staff will check for stuttering playback, as they go through the player bank. Checking the disc's read performance prior to player testing is also exclusive to TFDVD Research Labs, and not practiced by the Burbank testing facilities.

Send in several of your stamped Check Discs, or a DVD recordable of a project you're trying something new on, and we'll run it through all or a portion of the gauntlet that is our player bank.

Minimally, all DVD Check Discs should be run through a bunch of players that represent what is 'out there' before release into the market.

 

 

The Industy's Highest Standard Compatibility Testing

This package includes MEI DVD-Video Verifier testing of your VIDEO_TS folder, Eclipse ImageAnalysis® and UDF file structure testing of the Image on your replicated Check disc or DVD +-R , and Trai's personal domain and navigation routing proofing at the DVD spec level of your project.

All the navigation packs in the VOBs in your DVD are scanned to make sure the total bit rate of video, audio, and sub pictures are DVD Specification compliant.

Then we check your disc in our player bank.

All player bank compatibility testing should be preceded by thorough and experienced file system and DVD Spec domain routing analysis; otherwise, how does one know what may need to be paid special attention to during the player testing?

TFDVD Research Labs currently has 145 specially collected DVD players. Send in your project on DVD-+R before replication and your replicated Check Discs after they've been pressed, and after our exclusive file system checks noted above, we'll run your DVD through our banks of players and several Mac and PC software players; and if all the previous went well, we'll then watch your DVD in it's entirety to make sure there's no imperfections (audio cutting out, mpeg breakups, etc. ) in any of it's streams.

You'll receive a written report on our findings.

We will check specific

Cost: $799 (DVD-5), $999 (DVD-9) *Complicated DVD games at an additional fee, please inquire.
Wholesale pricing for DVD Production studios  is available on this item, please inquire. 

Phone Consultation

DVD Specification and experienced based DVD Project help by phone:

1) DVD Project Formatting procedures.
2) Client disc feature request second opinions and implementation strategies. 
3) DVD Production best practices.
4) Asset preparation and DVD authoring "gotchas" avoidance.

General DVD Production and authoring system training by phone:

Specific step by step instructions  for questions on procedures and settings in Sonic™ 
Scenarist®, Sonic™ Creator®,  Spruce™ Maestro®,  DVD Studio Pro®, and 
DVDAfterEdit.

High Definition DVD (HD DVD and Blu-ray) Consulting.

Trai has the spec books and is working with Eclipse Data Technologies and Doug Carson Associates (DCA), as well as other manufacturers. Call Trai to map out your company's Hi Def DVD entrance strategy, or about anything related to HD DVD or Blu-ray.

Immediate assistance is available now.  Trai has been helping international DVD Producers by phone since March, 1999.

DVD PRODUCTION/REPLICATION HOTLINE: 800-213-2297 or 610-924-9204

Cost: $100 per 15-minute time block. Or, set up your facility with a $500 retainer for a 2 hour block of time designed to be used by the entire staff, over one or more project's lifetime of days and/or weeks (or even months).

TFDVD Research Labs is set up with Skype for free international calls, please contact Trai Forrester to set up a time you will be ringing.

DVD Image Analysis

Eclipse ImageAnalysis® Testing on Your DDP Image Submitted on DLT or DVD Recordable

If you would like to insure your clients DDP file set on the DLT or Recordable disc won't be rejected at the plant, this minimally requires an Eclipse ImageAnalysis® test (Most replicators use Eclipse ImageAnalysis® as their only pre-replication tests of your Image.  If your Image passes with TFDVD Research Labs, it will pass with them).  While not a full verification of your DVD, we offer this service to compliment your studios' proofing procedures.

Send us your DDP Image on DLT tape or DVD Recordable disc.  We'll run the Eclipse ImageAnalysis® test and report anything amiss; including offering solutions by email or phone. We can even forward your Image on those mediums to the replicator from here after the testing, if you'd like.

Cost:  $149 (DVD-5), $199 (DVD-9)
Wholesale pricing for DVD production studios is available on this item, please inquire.
 

DVD Verification - Spec Compliance Testing

Testing the VIDEO_TS folder with the MEI DVD-Video Verifier.

The MEI DVD-Video Verifier is the DVD Forum DVD-Video file system diagnostic suite; an extensive in scope tool that reports on hundreds of conditions in your VIDEO_TS folder.  DVD Specification IFO settings, VOB navigation packs settings, elementary stream pack settings, even a virtual buffer is run on the VOBs. 

All DVD projects' VIDEO_TS folders should have the MEI Verifier test performed on them , but especially projects adjusted with programs like DVDAfterEdit, complicated structure projects, and projects that have had many changes made to them.

Send us a playable DVD or DVD-Recordable at any point in the DVD Production process, and we'll (you, your client, and Trai) know for sure all is well.

If there's any problem, we report it to you; Includes 15 minute phone consultation to discuss any issues.

Cost:  $299 (DVD-5), $349 (DVD-9)
Wholesale pricing for DVD production studios is available on this item, please inquire. 

Replication Job Troubleshooting

You've run into serious problems at the plant; your DVD Image has been rejected, or the discs out there have been found to have playability problems. Trai Forrester can be brought in to quickly pinpoint the issue, so it can be dealt with appropriately. Though there are many ways that DVD authors and DVD authoring software can cause mistakes, a high percentage of DVDs with playability problems that have come to us, have proven to be caused by plant manufacturing errors. TFDVD Research Labs has on every one of these occasions, used our DVD verification capabilities to present the evidence which has resulted in the replicator redoing the run.For a flat rate of $500, Trai will be available for phone/email consultation and will bring to bear the full arsenal of experience and verification tools we have here, to go over the DVD's, DLT's and/or Images, to find out what the issue is. However the situation manifests itself, when you find your client (and by extension, your studio, of course) is in a jam at the plant, please give Trai a call at 800-213-2297 or 610-924-9204; or send an email.

Guarantee: If we can't identify the issue and offer a solution to the problem, there is no charge.

DVD Studio Pro Project Proofing

Send in your current version DVD Studio Pro® project files, elementary streams and all, on Fire wire hard drive. I'll load your project into DVD Studio Pro® here, and check out your work. This includes up to an hour of phone consultation time discussing things. Seriously consider this service if you have less than several years authoring experience with DVD Studio Pro®, and/or you are not a current or past member of the DVD Producers Guild (formerly TFDVD.com).

Cost: $500 flat rate.*Complicated and large projects with scripting are additional, please inquire.
Wholesale pricing for DVD production studios is available on this item, please inquire 
TFDVD Research Labs
Description of services 
with pricing* 
There are quite a few options (below) to consider 
when it comes to making sure your DVD is ready 
to go.

Please contact Trai Forrester to discuss your upcoming DVD production,orif you're further along and getting ready for replication. Call, and we can figure out the best custom pre-mastering and/or proofing package for your needs.

 

DLT DuplicationAny DLT of current or past replication jobs are duplicated with Eclipse ImageCopy® and an Eclipse ImageVerify® test run to make sure that the Images on Both DLT tapes (original and duplicate) are valid and that a true duplicate is made. The DLT's are returned to you with a bound printed Eclipse ImageAnalysis report verifying their viability.

Cost  $349 per duplicate including DLT tape(s).

If you have any questions on the above services, please don't hesitate to contact Trai Forrester . Or, call if you prefer: 800-213-2297, or 610-924-9204.

*Note: All prices are subject to change

Problems with DVD Studio Pro's Abstraction Layer Solved
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