Writing the Disc Image Files

If you want to proof the tutorial project with a software DVD player (such as CinePlayer DVD), you must write the disc image files to a directory on your hard drive. These files can later be used to write to disc or tape.

To write the disc image files:
  1. With the ReelDVD Tutorial project open, choose Edit > Project Settings. The Project Settings dialog opens.
  2. Click the Layout Settings tab.
  3. Click the Browse button for Disc Image and select a target directory, where the work files and disc image will be written, then click OK. This should be an empty directory residing on a hard drive with at least 400 MB of available space (twice the actual size of the project).

    4. After specifying the Disc Image directory, the directories for DVD Video and Temporary Files are automatically set.

  4. Deselect “Delete When Done” for DVD Video. These files are required if you want to test the project with CinePlayer DVD.
  5. Click OK to close the Project Settings Dialog.
  6. Choose File > Make Disc. The Make Disc dialog opens.
  7. In the Step 1 section, select the options for “Create DVD Video Files” and “Create Disc Image File.” Leave the Write To Device option deselected.
  8. In the Step 2 section, leave the fields set to their defaults (based on the Project Settings).
  9. Click Start. The Information window opens and displays status messages as the video streams are multiplexed, the DVD-Video files are written, and the disc image file is written.

Using CinePlayer DVD to Test the Project

If you have Ravisent’s CinePlayer DVD software, you can use it to further test the tutorial project by playing the compiled image file from the hard drive before burning a disc. This process is typically referred to as emulation and is better suited for checking synchronization, subtitle timing, and playback performance.

To emulate the project with CinePlayer DVD:
  1. Use ReelDVD to create a VIDEO_TS directory with the “Create DVD Video Files” option in the Make Disc dialog (see Writing the Disc Image Files).
  2. From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs > CinePlayer DVD > CinePlayer DVD. The CinePlayer DVD application opens.
  3. Right-click in the Video window and choose Open Media > Browse from the pop-up menu. The Open Media File window opens.
  4. Navigate to and open the project’s VIDEO_TS folder previously written by ReelDVD. Select the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and click Open. The ReelDVD Tutorial Project begins to play.
  5. Use the player controls to interact with the project and test items such as:
    • Audio and video synchronization
    • Timing of subtitles
    • Appearance and responsiveness of menus
    • Overall visual quality of the playback

Keep in mind that CinePlayer DVD is a software decoder and while it provides much higher performance than Simulation mode in ReelDVD, its performance is still limited by the CPU speed of your computer.

For information on using CinePlayer DVD, refer to the online documentation installed with the software.

Sonic Solutions/
Voice: 415.893.8000
Fax: 415.893.8008
info@sonic.com