Wts(jmanz)
Forum Replies Created
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Two questions:
1. Do your encode your video before import into DVDSP?2. If so, do you use that same file to represent your video button thumbnails?
Jim
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I would have the link launch right away with the start of the clip, not with a chapter set farther into the clip. In my experience, it takes a bit of time for the ROM content to launch, so having it start to launch immediately with the first chapter mark works for me. It takes some types of links on a Mac longer to launch, so having a video clip or still slate timed long enough is essential. 7 or more seconds should be more than enough. You have to have a clip long enough from the chapter mark to have the ROM content launch. If you have a 4 second clip with a chapter mark 2 seconds in, then you probably won’t have enough time. I think the reason some put the link within the video clip and not at the beginning is for fear the ROM content will launch before the viewer can tell what’s going on. I just find that for the most part, it’s not any issue. The content just doesn’t launch that fast. In fact, what can happen if you delay the launch of the content is that the viewer can get the impression nothing is happening and start clicking buttons.
Jim
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I think the culprit is the delay in launch is 3 seconds, and your clip only has 3 seconds more before finishing. IAP needs time to launch the ROM content, and for whatever reason (mind you, it’s by experience, not by some deeper understanding of the operating system differences and the handling of the eDVD content) Mac’s seem to take a little longer to launch the links. If there isn’t enough time, then the link will not launch.
For a URL, set the window off to the side so it doesn’t cover your video. I doubt it will launch so fast anyway as to cover the message on your video, but if it does, having it launch off to the side will keep the video window uncovered (or at least partially uncovered). In your set up, I would set the link at the very beginning (as you have) and set the launch to immediately (0). Make your video clip longer (like 7-10 seconds). I use a slate that says something like–“email/web opening please wait” and set the action to “play” with the video slate directed back to your menu (like it sounds you already have). By doing it this way, your URL should start launching as soon as it opens your video and have enough time to finish launching before the clip goes back to the menu.
Hope this helps. If you build a disc image as I posted before, you should be able to test it without wasting discs.
Jim
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I have answered you in the DVDSP forum as well. You get more than one reply from me, because you posted in both forums. I responded here before realizing you had additional info there. In any event, I think you have to do more than just try the image creation and Mac testing. I think your potential problem is the delay in launch of the link, and the fact it (IAP) doesn’t have time to launch the link while your dvd video continues. I don’t know the specifics of how you set your link, other than you put it on a 3 second delay. It’s important to know how long your track is, or how long before the next chapter is reached on that track. It’s also important to know what action you set for your dvd video with that link–ie to continue to play, pause, or stop. Try the other suggestions I posted on the DVDSP forum as well. URL’s work great on both a PC and a Mac, so knowing this additional information might give me the info I need to help you get the same results.
Jim
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This is sort of those in betweener type answers. You can have both content on a single disc, and because there really isn’t a way to play HD discs on anything but a computer, it’s probably best to author a SD dvd video, and add your HD files as ROM content.
It really depends on how much work you want or need to put into it. You can author a dvd video with SD and have it play on set top players and computers. You can use an application like eDVD 4 to add ROM content and the ability for the viewer to use somewhat of a menu structure to launch the HD files. For example, you can have a photomontage in SD that the viewer can access via a menu and watch on their dvd player or computer. You can also have an HD version of the same, and use a menu to launch the ROM content file if the viewer is using a PC. Of course it would require the particular computer to be able to handle HD content (with an appropriate player and codec), but assuming that’s the case, it can be done.
Jim
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As I posted before, you don’t give much in terms of details. Not sure why your links don’t work, because they should–if viewed on a Mac that has the minimum specs to run the IAP application, and the Mac has the software on board that recognizes the file type it’s asked to open.
Mac executables and launching a folder require you to format and output from a Mac to work on a Mac. The other file types (including URL’s) can be formatted and output from either platform, and the disc should then work on both. I don’t have any issues with URL’s myself, so I don’t know why they don’t for you with the information presented. You posted in the DVDSP forum as well, so I am assuming you have that application? If so, you could import the image folder created in eDVD 4 and follow the steps as outlined in my article to format with DVDSP. Instead of outputting to disc, output to your hard drive as a disc image. You can then mount the image on your Mac, and use the Interactual Player to test the project and see if the links now work or not.
Jim
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Andy,
Maybe you could give a few more details how you are setting it up to get an idea. They should and do work if done right.
Jim
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Borjis,
Eric is correct, you can’t add audio to transitions with DVDSP. The only audio that is ‘allowed’, is the audio that is part of a stock DVDSP template. You can make your own video transitions, but not associate audio.
You could create a menu within a track, and set up transitions that way so that you could assign audio. It results in a menu that is within a title set, but that is exactly how ReelDVD sets up all of it’s menus.
Jim
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Thanks for the kind comments.
Alex,
You prior review made my task easier because you did such a nice job of laying the foundation on how to actually use the application. Alex’s article is a ‘must’ read if you are a first time user.
Ron,
I know the t-shirt will impress my wife. It’s probably the only time I’ve lead the herd! Regarless, my wife is the ‘farmer’, and despite the ‘cow’ thinking he’s leading, he’s not. 😉
George,
Like Ron said, the nature of the game is bigger, faster, cheaper, etc. When eDVD 3 was about to be launched, Sonic posted a suggested price of $800. To my knowledge, it really was never sold for that much. It’s been some time since I bought that version so I don’t remember the pricing details well, but I got it for even less then the ‘special introductory offer’ of $599. There wasn’t an upgrade path per se when eDVD 4 was released, but you could get it for $99 as an introductory offer. I personally never felt I got a ‘raw’ deal buying eDVD 3 for nearly twice what you can get eDVD 4 for now. It’s paid for itself many times over. If you have a need for adding ROM content to your dvd video titles, there isn’t another application (that I know of) that beats it, and IMO, the price point is reasonable. If you are in the market for both a dvd authoring application and are interested in eDVD 4, then DVDitPro is something to consider. You get a full version of eDVD 4 with it. I don’t have any personal experience with DVDitPro, but I’ve heard good things about it, and Alex could chime in more about it since he moderates that forum.
I maybe wrong, but I see this as a bridge to the future. HD discs are going to bring the viewer a lot more functionality than was ever possible. It’s going to make the ‘authorers life’ harder trying to blend video and non-video content together. eDVD gives one the ability to start creating more complex titles. Such discs are different than bread and butter dvd video, and requires careful planning so that when the title is ultimately viewed, it has a logical and seamless flow to it. There is some ‘art’ to the process, but more often it’s just plain old careful pre-planning and practice that will make the entire process easier.
Jim
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How do you encode your files? Do you use open or closed GOP’s. Although theoretically open gop’s can give a better or more efficient encode, they can result in playback pausing while the set top player or computer prepares to playback a file in the middle of the file. IMO the visual differences between open and closed gops is neglibible, but performance is superior with closed gops for jumping around, reversing, ff, etc.
Jim