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Paul,
What is this ? Only one CPU socket in your machine ? Not even a pair of Xeon E5-2697 in sight ?
No IPS display ? And only 28" ?
Seriously though, the 2 xGTX 970s are a waste.
A single GTX 960 would have been better.
I would have gone with 7200pm rpm HDDs rather than SSHD, too. I don't see how SSHD can help for video editing. The SSD part is too small to matter. And for caching you have the 64GB RAM in your PC.
How do you like HC-X1000 ? I wonder how it performs indoor or lowlight with the small sensor.
Paul - it a great setup I would love to have. Pro Editors like DaVinci Resolve now have multi-GPU support so your 2 xGTX 970s are not a waste and should be supported by Power Director. Jealousy makes us ugly. 
With an 8 core 16 thread i7 CPU it looks more like a Buffalo than a Wildbeest!
Al
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Can PowerDirector 14 create an ISO file to burn a DVD later? It is Power2Go inlcuded? Needed or not? I would like to grab an Adobe Premiere Pro exported movie and to create an ISO file. Also, Do I need a dual layer or single layer DVD? Adobe Encore creates problems reading second layer when using dual layer DVD. Thanks. Any way to decrease file size to fit into a dual layer, such as Smart whathever? Thanks.
I got P2Go free with my PDR14 upgrade offer. If you create an ISO in PDR13/14 there is another way to burn to DVD or BluRay. I found that Win8.1 has a hidden feature and can mount an ISO in a Virtual Drive without additional software. You can only burn one DVD at a time. It's not ideal but I have tested it on 2D ISO's and it works for DVD, AVCHD DVD, and Blu-ray.
See http://windows.about.com/od/windowsforbeginners/a/How-To-Mount-Or-Burn-Iso-Files-In-Windows-8.htm I don't have Win10 but assume it is the same.
I tried ImgBurn but found it was not so friendly and I created a lot of DVD coasters which would not play.
Al
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Hi, Will_S!
Likely you have a little Windows icon sitting at bottom-right of your screen, near your clock, and when you move your curser to it, it says "Get Windows 10"? Yep, same here! Been on my computer for past few months(appeared somtime during June, I think). You can't miss it... It sits there, trying to tempt you in...... "C'mon! Install me! You know you want to.....!" To which I say to Microsoft: "Thanks but no thanks! I'm perfectly happy with Windows 7!"
Cheers!
Neil.
Hi Neil,
You can stop that annoying reminder and get back to normal Windows Update
Just click on this link: Unwanted Win7/Win8.1 upgrades to Win10 can now be stopped
Al
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This is not a new issue as many users have complained about the disappointing quality of DVDs from PDR13. Can we please get to the bottom of this problem. We are talking about "perceived" quality - or a visual loss in quality which is subjective.
According to Wiki
"The following formats are allowed for H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 video.
At a display rate of 25 frames per second, interlaced - 720×576 pixels
At a display rate of 29.97 frames per second, interlaced - 720×480 pixels"
So there should be a visual quality difference between PAL and NTSC.
The DVD MPEG-2 format is limited to a bit-rate off 9.80 Mbit/s used for video alone.
Jeff may be right but I have seen many DVDs produced by other NLEs like Edius with really good quality when played on an HD TV.
A pal of mine had a 50 min 720p MP4 wildlife docu video and ask me if I could put it on DVD for him. I used a free program called Freemake Video Converter and with a single click it converted the file to MPEG2 and wrote a DVD-R. I was amazed by the quality as I viewed both the MP4 file and the DVD on my TV. I cannot get anything close to that quality from PDR13.
It may have something to do with PDR13 and the way it converts/resizes.
My PDR13 projects consist of 10Mp photos, 1080 50p MP4, 720 50p Mp4 and 1080 50p MTS (from my Sony).
Quality is good on DVD-AVCHD and BluRay DVD, but as soon as I create a normal MPEG2 DVD the quality is unacceptable.
I found my photos (slides) needed to be re-sized from 10Mp to 1920X1080 (2Mp) using PhotoDirector before importing into PowerDirector13. HD output quality improved a lot. PDR13 likes input quality as close as possible to planned output.
Most users now shoot HD vs SD, but DVDs are still the cheapest and easiest way to distribute edited video projects and if you want Titles and Chapters PDR13 DVD writer should be able to produce decent quality MPEG2 DVD.
The most confusing thing in PDR13 is the myriad of output options you are faced with in Produce regardless of your project content with no explanation or guidelines of how to use them. Within each option you can change output quality and fps and the consequences are not always good and you can create your own custom settings to further confuse things.
For example I complained about the poor color saturation in an HD project made from GoPro HD clips and I blamed PDR13. Ron (optidata) suggested I create a custom template and increase the H.264 MP4 bitrate from the default setting. It made a huge difference and I never would have figured that out on my own. I just assumed that PDR13 default setting would be best.
Once again, my observations are subjective but there have been so many complaints about DVD quality on this forum, I think it warrants a proper objective investigation because it is just plain unacceptable - or to me un-useable.
Al
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I can also wait for the SP.
Mine isn't set to auto install. Isn't there a setting in the update?
Mine started downloading Win10 automatically. Some users reported it auto installed. You will see in my post a link to solve these and other problems until you are ready to install Win10.
Al
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I just posted an update on Windows status and stability on the forum Sticky Windows 10 Compatibility and User Problems for those interested. Among other things, Service Pack 1 has been delayed from Oct to Nov and based on what I've seen to date I won't be upgrading from 8.1 until then.
Also how to stop Windows Update from auto updating and downloading Win 10 until you decide you want to.
Al
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Updates on Win 10 Status
Please see following links on delay on Win 10 SP1 (now Nov), existing Win 10 problems and how to avoid Auto Upgrade for those who want to wait.
Unwanted Win7/Win8.1 upgrades to Win10 can now be stopped
Where Windows 10 stands right now
Check that your Windows 10 upgrade block settings are still in force
Petition asks Microsoft to fix two glaring shortfalls in Windows 10
12 Windows 10 install issues -- and what to do about them
Windows 10 hardware is off to a shaky start
Al
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This was also a problem in PDR13.
It should have been fixed by now as DVD/BluRay is still the easiest way to distribute video projects.
Now users are asking for it in PDR15!!!!
Come on Cyberlink - this is a big problem - not a
"wish list" feature.
See http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/25/45634.page
Post on 04/10/2015 22:15:34
Al
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http://pureinfotech.com/2014/11/04/windows-10-native-mkv-hevc-h265-file-formats-support/
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I think H.265 is native to Win 10 and should be faster - but I haven't tried.
Al
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I also find that HD jpegs filcker badly when motion (pan) is added in a slide show and results look terrible on DVD.
Turning off PDR13 features is not a fix - just a work-around. Cyberlink needs to address the HA problem.
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And AVCHD MTS and M2TS are common in Sony cameras and one of the worst codecs for editing. It should also be converted to an intermediate codec before edit. Premiere Pro can handle it but most other NLEs give poor results and conversion is tough due to codec licensing costs.
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Assuming you have everything correct and you are using HD:
If you are creating MP4 H.264 HD under Produce create a custom 1920x1080 profile and increase the bitrate from 15.5m to 30m and check the framerate is same fps as your GoPro clips. Made a big difference to my GoPro output quality.
Use Mediainfo (free download) to compare original GoPro MP4 clips with PDR13 MP4 file info.
Al
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Thanks Carl. I will correct it.
Al
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HD
When the term "HD" came out it was loosely applied to two very different formats 720 and 1080. To confuse the public, flatscreen TVs were sold as "HD Ready" and buyers later found that both the new "HD" TVs and Camers were actually only 720. Newer HD TVs came out and were labeled "Full HD" meaning 1080 but were sold along side 720 "HD Ready" TVs which still confuses the public today. Cameras were later advertised "1080 HD" - a more accurate description and many consumers are still not aware of 1080p vs 1080i. Misleading advertising - say the least. But "let the buyer beware".
So what about "standards"? In 2005 an industry association known as EICTA (and since re-named DIGITALEUROPE) set down a standard for the term "HD Ready". For a television to qualify as HD Ready it needs to be capable of 720 horizontal lines of resolution. It also must accept certain inputs such as HDMI or DVI with copy protection (HDCP).
The term "Full HD" is often used in marketing materials across the globe. It is not, however, a standard that has been adopted by any government agency or trade organization. Full HD is used as a synonym for 1080p as a means of up-selling consumers looking at HD Ready TV sets. Since Full HD is only a marketing term, it does not indicate any particular qualities besides 1080p. A set labeled as Full HD may not be capable of 1-to-1 pixel mapping or might not be able to properly display all 1080p video sources.
4k/UHD
For those moving into the expensive world of "4k" involving new TVs, Monitors, and Cameras please note that the term "4k" is being used loosely, once again, to confuse the public. The differences are not as drastic as so-called "HD" but they are worth knowing before you buy. What is 4k? To confuse consumers even further the industry named 1080 resolution after image height (1920x1080), but named 4K after image width (4096x2160). For extra added fun, you also might hear 4k resolution referred to as 2160p. 4k Cinema Standard is 4096x2160 and the new Ultra HD (UHD) consumer format has a slightly lower resolution of 3840 X 2160. There is no real visual difference so we will skip the technical differences as both are four times HD resolution.
We have a UHD standard which is worth reading here: ITU global standard for international mobile telecommunications more commonly known by the abbreviations Rec. 2020 or BT.2020, defines various aspects of UHDTV such as display resolution, frame rate, chroma subsampling, bit depth, and color space
In brief there is more to 4k/UHD than resolution.
- Rec. 2020 defines two resolutions of 3840 × 2160 ("4K") and 7680 × 4320 ("8K") - These resolutions have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and use square pixels.
- FRAME RATE - Rec. 2020 specifies the following frame rates: 120p, 119.88p, 100p, 60p, 59.94p, 50p, 30p, 29.97p, 25p, 24p, 23.976p - Only progressive scan frame rates are allowed.
- BIT DEPTH -Rec. 2020 defines a bit depth of either 10-bits per sample or 12-bits per sample.
- COLOR SPACE -The Rec. 2020 (UHDTV/UHD-1/UHD-2) color space can reproduce colors that can not be shown with the Rec. 709 (HD) color space.
- Transfer characteristics - Rec. 2020 defines a nonlinear transfer function that can be used for gamma correction with RGB and YCbCr.
- Codecs - The Rec. 2020 color space is supported by H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). On December 22, 2014, Avid Technology released an update for Media Composer that added support for 4K resolution, the Rec. 2020 color space, and a bit rate of up to 3,730 Mbit/s with the DNxHD codec. DNxHD is actually not an additional cost if you edit in Premiere. The codec is provided free of charge and works all the way up to 10-bit 444, 080P. The 10-bit Rec. 2020 will quickly become relevant (and not just for film). With Windows 10, millions of people will have embedded support for accelerated 4K HEVC h.265 that will start to replace h.264 format. Both HEVC and WebM have announced support for 10-bit, and Rec. 2020 color space, offering a giant leap forward in picture quality. Link - More Info DNxHD codec
- HDMI - HDMI 2.0 supports the Rec. 2020 color space.[16] HDMI 2.0 can transmit 12-bit per sample RGB at a resolution of 2160p (UHD) and a frame rate of 24/25/30 fps or it can transmit 12-bits per sample 4:2:2/4:2:0 YCbCr at a resolution of 2160p and a frame rate of 50/60 fps.
TVs/Monitors - 4k/UHD - You need a 50-65" screen to see the benefits of 4k for home viewing - and you need to sit close. Quality variesdue to differences in technology. UHD is still somewhat a work in progress. This year's models still don't conform to a number of pending, still in development or just announced highly-technical upgrades such as HEVC, HDCP 2.2, HDR and HDMI 2.0a. HDR brings a demonstrably higher degree of color, both in intensity and the number of colors and how accurately they're displayed. See HDR: the biggest advance in video for ten years and it has nothing to do with resolution! Dolby revolutionized sound and they are now doing it for video with HDR. See Dolby Vision (don't miss this!) Most UHD TV's use LED LCD and quality varies due to backlighting etc. OLED is here and a huge color quality improvement (12% over LED) but still expensive. Samsung and LG have announced new "quantum dot" LCD 4K UHD TVs. Quantum Dot LCD 4K UHDs do display significantly brighter, deeper colors — 30 percent more color than the current industry standard, compared with the mere 12 percent boost from OLED. See Beyond LCD: Which New 4K UHD TV Technology Is Best?
Bottom line - most UHD TVs don't yet do justice to 4k video. "UHD Ready" TV meant that it could display 4K video resolution footage downscaled on a HD screen. Also UHD could just use 8 bit color depth andthe color gamut of Rec 709. Many on the market are limited to 25fps - not good for viewing sports etc as they don't have HDMI 2.0. Most cannot reproduce the industry standard Rec2020 Color Space so you can't see the true UHD colors.(On April 6, 2014, Sony announced development of a 30 in (76 cm) professional 4K OLED display that will support the Rec. 2020 color space and is expected to be released in the spring of 2015.) See 4K TV and Ultra HD: Everything you need to know and 5 Reasons NOT To Buy a 4K UHD TV - Yet
CAMERAS
We have all seen the differences in HD camera video quality. Now you can record 4k on your new iPhone but it may not be the same as you get from a new $10k camera. One factor to look out for when you buy a 4k camera is that most 4K/UHD camera's, most of them don't comply to the minimum BT.2020 color specs as they are just Rec709 (8bit HD spec) camera's with higher resolution. So read the specs carefully if you want to see the true benefits of 4k/UHD and "let the buyer beware". (On September 4, 2014, Canon Inc. announced that with a firmware upgrade they will add support for the Rec. 2020 color space to their EOS C500 and EOS C500 PL camera models and their DP-V3010 4K display) but Rec.2020 is only available on Pro cameras so far.
This is rapidly evoloving technology and, like HD, is getting better and cheaper, but moving faster. Within a few years all TVs on the market will be UHD.
For those who knew all of this - sorry I bored you - but for those, like me, who didn't I know there is always newer technology around the corner but at least we can make a better informed (or less confused) decision when we buy. Your PDR13 cost is peanuts once you decide to go 4k!
Cyberlink also needs to give us access to new free codecs like that added support for 4K resolution, the Rec. 2020 color space, and a bit rate of up to 3,730 Mbit/s with the DNxHD codec. There are other free codecs like Grass Valley HQX and GoPro Cineform that currently support 10 bit and 12 bit color coding.
See also Massive upgrade to Blu Ray: 4K, HDR, 10 bit, Rec 2020 colour space and 4K Blu-ray Discs and Players Arriving in 2015
Al
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10/10 to our members! Hopefully "disgusted" will now change his username
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Excellent work - well done!
Is there any reason for Win 8.1 users to install as well?
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Point taken Optodata - maybe we should start a new forum called Win 10 Pioneers!
rickblane - you are correct. Converting AVI files is a pain - not a workaround - and every time you convert a vid file you lose some quality. Codecs like Cineform can do "near loss-less" conversions when used as intermediate codecs - but we don't have it yet - but we are working on it.
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Sorry no offense intended!
I used to write programs in assembler and then debug in machine language on the console and finally output programs in machine language on punch cards. We had mag tape and hard disks as well. I remember Bill Gates once said "personal computers will never need more than 64k memory" - and they called him a visionary!
Windows 7 was the best release ever but I think it was due to their total disaster called Vista. I have pals who were so frustrated they went back to XP and stayed there!
Our PDR13 forum is the best I have come across with experienced users taking the time and effort to help newbies with problems and how to use PDR13 effectively and suggest product improvements. Non-Linear Video Editing is a complex field of it's own. I think our focus should still be on PDR13 and not on Win 10 problems - but that's just my old grumpy cynical opinion!
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AIS you are not old I programmed assember with punch cards 
Thanks but I also started in Basic and Advanced Assembler on Burroughs computers, then Fortran, Cobol etc and worked on IBM 1401s and 1440s and then on to IBM 360's and 370s. I started with offline 80 col punch card sorters and collaters and the first MICR check readers. So I am getting old, cynical, and grumpy with Bill Gates who did not develop DOS (but sold it to IBM) and stole his Graphical User Interface (GUI) from Steve Jobs (Apple) and has produced more user headaches in the form of Windows rubbish than anyone in computer history - and somehow became a multi-billionare in the process - so please pardon my lack of faith in yet another new Windows release. Operating systems should be transparent to end users as we have seen with Android which is Linux based. The "experts" claim Win 10 will be the greatest relase in Microsoft history due to the fact that users will have it on their cell phones, tablets, and PC's - but Windows cell phones have been declining in market share since their release. Linux (Unix based) has always been able to run on everything from Smart Phones thru to the latest IBM mainframes - and it's free! Now Microsoft have offered Android users Microsoft Office for free - but we Windows users still have to pay for it! Go figure.
I have a Samsung Android tablet still running on Android 4.1 and have never had an update but continue to download and update Apps without a single hiccup or virus to date - but my Win 8.1 desktop is still downloading up 100MB per week of security updates and fixes and I still have to pay for an AntiVirus plus Malware Bytes and still have problems!
Everyone now knows that when a new version of Windows is released you should wait intil the first Service Pack before trying it. Windows 10, in spite of Beta testing, has once again proven this is the case so I symphasize with software developers like Cyberlink and am simply suggesting users wait until Oct. for the first Win 10 Service Pack. Not "Rocket Science" - just common sense.
Al
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Thanks, Al. Lots of useful info! I agree that the autodownload is a problem and hopefully MS will be rethinking that.
Referal to DOS reveals something about our ages I would probably also try Win 10 on a Surface Pro but I have lost my desktop pioneering spirit!
You can stop forced AutoUpdate in my link above Microsoft Backtracks On Windows 10 Forced Updates
Good Luck - Al
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