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CCE and TMPGEnc Encoder are about the same price-wise. Cinema Craft Encoder Basic is $58 https://www.visiblelight.com/mall/index.aspx. TMPGEnc with MPEG-2 functionality is $37 http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/tp_d.ht ml. It's been a couple years since I used these applications but my experience was that CCE produced high quality DVD compliant MPEG-2 video and TMPGEnc did produce high quality MPEG-2 video but had some DVD compliance problems. CCE is also much faster than TMPGEnc. Disclaimer: That was a few years ago and maybe those problems have been fixed.

To produce DVD video I use CCE ($58) for the encoding and TMPGEnc DVD Author ($89.95) for the authoring http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/tda20.h tml. I find TMPGEnc DVD Author a bit tough to initially learn but produces great results.

CCE and TMPGEnc Encoder are about the same price-wise. Cinema Craft Encoder Basic is $58 https://www.visiblelight.com/mall/index.aspx. TMPGEnc with MPEG-2 functionality is $37 http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/tp_d.ht ml. It's been a couple years since I used these applications but my experience was that CCE produced high quality DVD compliant MPEG-2 video and TMPGEnc did produce high quality MPEG-2 video but had some DVD compliance problems. CCE is also much faster than TMPGEnc. Disclaimer: That was a few years ago and maybe those problems have been fixed.

To produce DVD video I use CCE ($58) for the encoding and TMPGEnc DVD Author ($89.95) for the authoring http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/shopping/tda20.h tml. I find TMPGEnc DVD Author a bit tough to initially learn but produces great results.

Due to an unusual work shift, I have to record any TV show I want to watch. I converted an old system into a DVR (using SageTV and couple Hauppauge tuner/capture cards). Works great.

When it comes to playback, I copy the files to my main system. I strip out the commercials using Pegasys TMPGEnc MPEG editor. Knowing that most commercial breaks are three minutes, I can just jump around the timeline until I find where the show resumes. Then I watch the shows on the pc or burn them out to a DVD-RW for later TV viewing.

Really quite simple.

Due to an unusual work shift, I have to record any TV show I want to watch. I converted an old system into a DVR (using SageTV and couple Hauppauge tuner/capture cards). Works great.

When it comes to playback, I copy the files to my main system. I strip out the commercials using Pegasys TMPGEnc MPEG editor. Knowing that most commercial breaks are three minutes, I can just jump around the timeline until I find where the show resumes. Then I watch the shows on the pc or burn them out to a DVD-RW for later TV viewing.

Really quite simple.

This is exactly what I was planning on doing myself, just using MyDVD as the AC-3 encoder and using *anything* else to actually master the DVD (I even prefer Nero to MyDVD, though DVDlab sounds very appealing). My current (prior to MyDVD 5.2) process is to use Scenalyzer to grab the video, TMPGEnc to MPEG-2 VBR, and then Nero to VOB.

NOTE: It looks as though there may be another low cost AC-3 DVD authoring alternative to MyDVD in TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.5/AC-3 plug-in. for $90. Unfortunately for me the plug in not compatible with TMPGEnc Plus 2.5, and requires periodic license checks.

actually, if I asked about mac software I'd love to see linux solutions. Usually just a quick recompile away...

But to respond to the original question, try TMPG. It's not free, and it doesn't do everything that the really complicated programs do, but I've had good luck with it. It's been more than competent at switching video types around for me and reencoding, and the themes/buttons that it comes with can be switched around.

It certainly wipes the floor with SonicMyDVD, which came bundeled with my burner.

PS- I run all these on my PC. No need to call me a mac troll

for phorm, I don't have a good solution. However, in regard to the second question by smz420, I have found that TMPGEnc and TMPGEnc DVD Author are great tools.

I have tried most of the different authoring tools mentioned above with limited VCD success and no DVD success (with the exception of Ulead, which I haven't tried yet). However, TMPGEnc DVD Author took my MPEG-1 files in VCD format and let me burn 20 of them (at 22.5 minutes each) to one DVD. Mind you, they weren't great quality to begin with but being able to put 450 minutes of video (Buzz Lightyear episodes for my son) on one disc was great.

I have also used TMPGEnc to put a movie and TV episodes captured in DivX into MPEG-2 format and then burn it to disc with TMPGEnc DVD Author. Worked great!

TMPGEnc DVD Author allows the user to create custom menus, move things around, change back grounds, et cetera. I haven't tried the easter egg stuff yet, but you never know. I've only made one coaster so far and that was my fault for trying to compile while burning.

Both tools have wizards but TMPGEnc allows you to set it up without the wizard once you feel more comfortable. TMPGEnc DVD Author builds the DVD structure on your drive and then you can create an ISO, burn it to disc with the built in tool.

With these tools, I've been able to build and burn DVDs of my captured TV shows (from satellite) at about 9 episodes per disc in great quality. If you go at low quality, 20 episodes per disc.

You can buy them in a bundle or separately from http://www.pegasys-inc.com. And, no, I don't work for them.

These babies are my favourites, if you've designed your own buttons and such you can import them otherwise theres a range of sample layouts & buttons which have all the 'code' behind them pre-set.

TMPGEnc DVD Source Creator - Good for converting a bunch of movies (of almost any source) to dvd-compliant MPEG2 to fit to size.
TMPGEnc DVD Author - Awesome tool for taking your compliant MPEG2 files and assembling them into a fully compliant DVD (with VOBs, IFOs, BUPs, etc) with menus, etc.

HTH.

These babies are my favourites, if you've designed your own buttons and such you can import them otherwise theres a range of sample layouts & buttons which have all the 'code' behind them pre-set.

TMPGEnc DVD Source Creator - Good for converting a bunch of movies (of almost any source) to dvd-compliant MPEG2 to fit to size.
TMPGEnc DVD Author - Awesome tool for taking your compliant MPEG2 files and assembling them into a fully compliant DVD (with VOBs, IFOs, BUPs, etc) with menus, etc.

HTH.