EricJT1006, boy, that looks like a bug to me. I can mimic your findings. The VIDEO_TS.IFO file is the video manager information file and has the playback info for the entire DVD. This being NTSC for a PAL DVD makes little sense to me. The VIDEO_TS.BUP being NTSC makes sense as it's just a backup copy of IFO and not really needed, but mimics the IFO.
Looks like an option is to use a menu, then VIDEO_TS.IFO is correct at PAL.

Jeff

Jeff, you are a most intelligent dude here. Read your thread and then replicated what you found. Took the same pal 16x9 test project created 2 days ago and selected no menu, created the dvd and checked the mediainfo. Millions of people around the world purchased powerdirector and only 1 complaint for a pal dvd in all the years Cyberlink has been in buisness.

Played that no menu created dvd just fine on pdvd and on my digix bd standalone player to a 4x3 ntsc tv just fine. This is the first complaint about a pal dvd that I know of. From my memory of the forums, menu problems started around PD8 or PD9 when PD created BD will not play properly on older BD standalone players. The fix on the forums is to buy a newer BD player or use HA to lower the menu bit rate. This menu bitrate and 24fps menu frame rate was never fixed in later versions of PD that I know of. I continue to use the workarounds.

Don't beleive that this is a bug at all but a programming shortcut like the BD menu problem above. I am sure Cyberlink programmers are well aware of it. If it works for the majority then they don't spend the time to change it. The no menu option is actually a menu to me since mediainfo reports menu chapters. See the attached mediainfo.

Thanks Jeff for looking into this. Your solution of selecting a menu works for me and surely for everybody who will create a 16x9 pal dvd.

EricJT1006 - You might want to report this as a bug to Cyberlink tech support and hope for a patch or advise.

Dafydd - Don't know if you live in a pal country. You might want to report Jeff's findings to Cyberlink and see if anything can be done.

Hello Everyone: Well problem resolved - but not sure how - yet.
My friend (a video semi professional who uses EDIUS video editing S/W) had never seen/used PowerDirector before took charge and did this:-

1. Started a new project


2. In EDITmode, Selected 16:9 and 25FP (PAL) from General Preferences


3. Imported a couple of clips
   So far nothing above different to what I had done before - but then .......
   
   


4. In PRODUCE mode selected File Format: AVI and Profile Name/Quality DV-AVI 720x576/50i (25 Mbps)
   (he always selects AVI in EDIUS, exports to a file then burns a DVD using Nero Burning ROM.)
   
   


5. In CREATE DVD, he took the Forum's advice and selected a Menu Template (Cinematic because it looked basic). and then from "Burn in 2D", ticked Final Output: "Burn to Disc" and "Create a Folder"
   
   


6. The result? see attached. All PAL

I will do some more testing but I think through the Forum's investiagtions and suggestions the "bug" was probably choosing "No Menu", ie. not choosing a Menu template

Thanks to you all for your help with this - greatly appreciated!

JL_JL and Dafydd: I will personally report this to Cyberling Customer Support (I have had some dialog with them - Case ID: CS00145496 but as Senior Contributors it may be good to have your backup on this if that's possible..

Done, well done people.
Dafydd



Edit:

Hi EricJT1006,

I was writing a report on the bug and after I posted my above message I saw your post.

Dafydd

Thanks Dafydd.

I have had several exchanges of information with Customer Support and am just waiting on their latest reply to my case CS001454968 so that I can also report the poblem and probable 'bug'. If appropriate, I would be interesed in their reply to you and will like wise advise you of their reply to me.

Thanks again.

Eric

Update.
The bug has been replicated by CyberLink and they have engineers looking into the issue.

The issue is in PDr13.
Dafydd

Hi Dafydd.

Thanks for letting me know.

There has since been a number of messages between Customer Support and myself - see attached. As you know I am a 'newbie' and I very apprecaite Cyberlink's coninued interest in this case. But it doesnt make sense to me why they are still asking me to do things when I have told them (and attached a screen dump of your message about this) that their engineers have replicated the problem ans are investiagting!

Perhaps you can expalin it to me

I assume their engineers will create a 'patch' at some stage? How is the availability of a new 'patch' normally communicated to users?

Thanks again

Kindest regards

Eric

Hi EricJT1006 ,
This is a situation where the left hand doesn't know what the right-hand and head are doing possibly.
The India based support (ticket number /online support) is seeking info. I passed the data directly to CL in Taiwan. I'll pass on the communication you've provided to Taiwan and see if they have everything and cease the online support approaches.

As for a patch for PDR12, I doubt it'll be done.
a) it isn't a "major issue" and has been probably present for a long while.
b) PDR13 is the current version and if the issue is in that build maybe it'll be patched.
c) PDR14 is the one getting CL's attention I suspect, from now on. (Before I get asked, "I know nuffing!".)

The above is just my take on the situation and is my opinion.

Dafydd

Hi Dafydd.

I suspected that was the case, ie. left hand not knowing what the right-hand is doing. Thanks for volunteering (I was reluctant to ask you) to pass imy communications with India Support onto Taiwan Engineers.

I hope you are wrong about a 'patch' for PDR12, but given it's been around for a couple of years and this is the first they've known about the issue you will probably be right.

I have my work-around for "12" (thanks to ALL who contributed) and have created a successful DVD so I'll work that until I'm forced to upgrade to PDR13.

I dont need the bells/whistles of "13" just the ongoing support.

Eric

Hi Eric,
You were most welcome, you gave every bit of info you were ask for and allowed us time to plod through and look. You had the help of some really good members in this thread, they contributed a lot, even when we guessed wrong it eliminated or sparked other thoughts.

CL have one request, to all readers. If you go to online support, please make sure your CSID number is known early on in the forum thread, so they can sync the information.

Dafydd

Thanks Dafydd. For the record then I have rasied two cases,

1. CS001454968 "some JPG images greyed out on my Video Track but display OK in the Preview Window"
   This was resolved when I was advised to update my VGA graphic card to the latest and my PowerDirector software to the latest version build 3403.
   
   


2. CS001457942 " Video Formatting Issues" this started in CS001454968 and seems to have been resloved by selecting an actual DVD Menu instead choosing the "No menu" option

Eric

Dafydd.

It seems Support have received and understood your message, I received this this morning:

"Dear Eric,Thank you for writing back.Eric, I would like to inform you that we have been informed by forum moderator and confirm the issue has been reproduced in our lab however, engineers are assigned to check it.
Regards,GauravCyberLink Technical Support"

Thanks again

Eric

Thanks Eric.,

Dafydd