Multiple language choice

[pvideo]

A client has asked whether I can encode a DVD with a choice of different languages. I don't know. Can this be done using conventional 4.7 DVDs--actually, what if the video is only 30 minutes, would I have to encode different tracks for the different languages, or can there be one track with a choice of language?
I rent DVDs that have a choice of language track--but can I do this easily?
Thanks.
Pam

[Mr Bill]

Yes you can do this.

Like you said you need to encode different audio for the same video but in another language.

To place these different audio tracks onto the DVD you need to bring these different audio tracks into the Authoring program....

Now this is where it gets a little complicated.
Every Authoring program is different ,
so my question to you is:

"What Authoring program do you use ?"


Bill

[pvideo]

What authoring programs will permit me to choose individual audio tracks to mix with the same video?

[SRsupport]

dvdlab pro

[Mr Bill]

I use DVD Studio Pro... but that's an Apple Mac app.

Another PC app apart from DVDLab Pro is Adobe Encore.

[STORMDAVE]

Syncing is an essential part of this...so you can have tracks 1-3 in Edius, and mute track 2 and 3 and export track 1 for "language 1". Then mute 1 and 3 and unmute 2 and export the wav as "language 2", then mute 1 and 2 and then unmute 3 and export that as "language 3". Once you get the 3 wav files (this is just an example) you import them into the same program and assign languages, so when the user hits "audio" on their remote control, it will show what language it is playing and switch the audio from 1-3. I'm about to finish up a documentary that will be in 2 languages and mass produce this DVD, so this is what I did for testing purposes, and it works.

I am using Encore CS3 under OSX. I might use DVD Studio Pro for the master.

[pvideo]

Thank you for that information. So you choose the language with the remote, not with the menu? My client wants English, French, German, and Spanish, so I need 3 additional languages. I will sync all with the video, using English as the model, so all will be the same length as the timeline. I would appreciate any advice you have with this.

Pam

[biopic]

So you choose the language with the remote, not with the menu?

It's up to you. You can have a language menu or not, and you can enable remote language selection or not. These are all options you can change with an authoring program such as DVDLab.

Obviously all language tracks must be exactly the same length to sync with the video, but again it does not matter which language you chose as your basis, since ultimately they all end up encoded in a similar way.

The most complicated disc I have ever done was in English, French, Spanish and Mandarin - all worked fine.

[biopic]

Oh and just another point ...

I don't know how far down the line you are with this, but you will find that a 1:1 translation from English to French works out roughly the same length, but the German will be quite a bit longer and the Spanish even longer still. (That's why if you ever see an English feature film dubbed into German, everyone seems to be speaking very quickly.) You may therefore be advised to try to get similar run-length translations, even if that means paraphrasing some of the original. Also, if possible, you might want to do the edit in Spanish, so everything else is guaranteed to fit.

[pvideo]

I haven't started the project yet. Thanks for the tip on the translations lengths, and using the Spanish as the base. What I will want to do is choose the language on the menu screen, not the remote. I have downloaded the DVDLab trial to see how they run the multiple language choice.

[STORMDAVE]

I haven't started the project yet. Thanks for the tip on the translations lengths, and using the Spanish as the base. What I will want to do is choose the language on the menu screen, not the remote. I have downloaded the DVDLab trial to see how they run the multiple language choice.

Choosing language on the remote does the same thing as doing it through a menu :)

Even if you have a menu for language, you can always change the language track on the fly with the remote during playback of the movie.