TMPGenc DVD au. 3: Lengthy audio as menu item?

[Spiny Norman]

Submitted for your advice: I have 4 audio tracks that I want to add to a DVD. In order to save disc space I thought I'd add the as background audio, each to a different menu page.
(I could enter a bmp file as a video and then add the mp3 as audio track for it, but that just takes a lot of disc space that I prefer not to use for it.)

But it seems 6 minutes is the maximum of background audio that TMPGenc DVD author 3 allows.

Can this be changed by some trick perhaps? Or are there any other ways to include audio that do not use too much disc space?
I was using mp3 but I also have the wav that the mp3 came from.

[nic2k4]

That's a limitation I haven't found any way around, but it makes sense not many want to watch a menu for more than 6 minutes. Most DVD players have the ability to browse discs for files in other format like MKV, DivX and MP3. You could author your disc normally, add the files to the resulting folder (maybe in the AUDIO_TS folder under Volume_1 or make your own) and burn with another program (like IMGburn).

[smrpix]

A BMP still of any significant duration uses very little disk space. It is highly compressible, not like full motion video.
You can also set it up as a slideshow.

[Spiny Norman]

Thanks for the input - perhaps there is no easy solution.

That's a limitation I haven't found any way around, but it makes sense not many want to watch a menu for more than 6 minutes. Most DVD players have the ability to browse discs for files in other format like MKV, DivX and MP3. You could author your disc normally, add the files to the resulting folder (maybe in the AUDIO_TS folder under Volume_1 or make your own) and burn with another program (like IMGburn).

That's what I was afraid of. Of course, I am strictly speaking trying to do something that it wasn't designed for. I even had a look in the registry if there was no way to change those 6 minutes into 30.

A BMP still of any significant duration uses very little disk space. It is highly compressible, not like full motion video.
You can also set it up as a slideshow.

Does TMPGenc DVD Author 3 have a slide show function?
I tried the bmp thing of course - but it still amounted to a somewhat larger file then I had room for.

I had 4 half-hour episodes and 4 audio tracks from lost episodes, so it would have been nice to combine them inside 1 menu.

[_Al_]

Create 4 audio tracks in a video title. One background (black as an extreme saving) and you can use four subtitles as a info for particular track.

[Spiny Norman]

Create 4 audio tracks in a video title. One background (black as an extreme saving) and you can use four subtitles as a info for particular track.

Interesting idea. No need even for subtitles, I can just write on that background the text "You have four audio streams to choose from: 1. ...".
I like it. Unfortunately, this program allows a maximum of 2 audio tracks (and 2 subtitles). Isn't that so?
Although, 2 stereo tracks can play 4 mono recordings... Would be a bit clumsy for the viewer, but it might work.

[manono]

I tried the bmp thing of course - but it still amounted to a somewhat larger file then I had room for.

Then it was encoded. It shouldn't be much larger than the audio alone. It's a BMP, not a video made from the BMP. You can easily do this in Muxman - open the DVD-compliant BMP (720x480/576), open DVD-compliant audio (not your MP3), and author for DVD.

I had 4 half-hour episodes and 4 audio tracks from lost episodes, so it would have been nice to combine them inside 1 menu.

Why put it in the menu? You can also make separate titles from them quite easily. You can set up something in TMPG DVD Author that it will allow - some sort of very short 'dummy' video - and then replace it later with the real thing using PGCEdit. I do this sort of thing all the time, just not with TMPG DVD Author.

[Spiny Norman]

I tried the bmp thing of course - but it still amounted to a somewhat larger file then I had room for.

Then it was encoded. It shouldn't be much larger than the audio alone. It's a BMP, not a video made from the BMP. You can easily do this in Muxman - open the DVD-compliant BMP (720x480/576), open DVD-compliant audio (not your MP3), and author for DVD.

I had 4 half-hour episodes and 4 audio tracks from lost episodes, so it would have been nice to combine them inside 1 menu.

Why put it in the menu? You can also make separate titles from them quite easily. You can set up something in TMPG DVD Author that it will allow - some sort of very short 'dummy' video - and then replace it later with the real thing using PGCEdit. I do this sort of thing all the time, just not with TMPG DVD Author.

This is beginning to sound good! And for both of your suggestions it will give better results (in this case, smaller) if I use AC3 instead of MP3?
If the first does not work I can try the second. Do you suppose there is a way to replace a menu page's audio too (doesn't have to be a menu page, but just out of curiosity)?

[manono]

And for both of your suggestions it will give better results (in this case, smaller) if I use AC3 instead of MP3?

You can't use MP3 as it's not allowed for DVD. Whether or not the AC3 winds up smaller depends entirely on the bitrate of the two. At stereo 192 the AC3 shouldn't be much if any larger.

Do you suppose there is a way to replace a menu page's audio too (doesn't have to be a menu page, but just out of curiosity)?

I've tried that before and decided it was more trouble than it's worth, which is why I didn't suggest doing it that way. Menus have buttons and that throws another monkey wrench into it. You can't just replace audio and video and then be done with it the way you can with titles.

[_Al_]

grab DVD authoring that allows more audio tracks, like DVDLabPro, they have even functional trial, read help files (it has vast library of how to do whatever you want to do)

[Spiny Norman]

grab DVD authoring that allows more audio tracks, like DVDLabPro, they have even functional trial, read help files (it has vast library of how to do whatever you want to do)

More audio tracks isn't necessarily the problem. I'll keep the alternative in mind but so far I was pretty pleased about tmpgenc dvd author.

I've tried that before and decided it was more trouble than it's worth, which is why I didn't suggest doing it that way. Menus have buttons and that throws another monkey wrench into it. You can't just replace audio and video and then be done with it the way you can with titles.

But it IS possible to make a really small DVD track based on just 1 bmp and 1 audio track?

Because I actually thought that tmpgenc dvda could do that, but it only makes the tracks the length they'd be if it was a full video of that length. What software could I use to make just that 'replacement' track you suggested? (I'd know for avi, but I'm not so sure for mpg/vob.)

[manono]

But it IS possible to make a really small DVD track based on just 1 bmp and 1 audio track?

If by small you mean not much larger than the audio, of course. Why not try it yourself and see, rather than going on and on about it for days. Prepare a 720x480/576 BMP and an AC3 audio track of whatever length, open them both in Muxman, and make a DVD of them. Compare before and after sizes. Muxman couldn't reencode anything even if you wanted it to. It will only author it for DVD.

What software could I use to make just that 'replacement' track you suggested?

Replacement track? The final one with the BMP and the AC3? I already told you. Muxman. You'll have to feed it DVD compliant assets though. No MP3, no JPG or whatever.

[Spiny Norman]

But it IS possible to make a really small DVD track based on just 1 bmp and 1 audio track?

If by small you mean not much larger than the audio, of course. Why not try it yourself and see, rather than going on and on about it for days. Prepare a 720x480/576 BMP and an AC3 audio track of whatever length, open them both in Muxman, and make a DVD of them. Compare before and after sizes. Muxman couldn't reencode anything even if you wanted it to. It will only author it for DVD.

What software could I use to make just that 'replacement' track you suggested?

Replacement track? The final one with the BMP and the AC3? I already told you. Muxman. You'll have to feed it DVD compliant assets though. No MP3, no JPG or whatever.

Because I prefer to know what I am trying in order to save time. Looking back I see that you had actually already mentioned muxman before.

On a side note I wonder if it will not also work if I enter the resulting video in tmpgenc dvda the normal way, or even enter the files in the right specification (AC3 has to be 48khz I gather - I had it at 44100). PGCedit seemed a bit daunting last time I tried it.

[Spiny Norman]

PS The answers to my last questions are yes (file from muxman is accepted) and no (tmpgenc can't do the same after all).

Thank you very much. I can now complete the DVD quickly and exactly like I wanted.

[Spiny Norman]

PPS Ah well it looks like it needs replacing with the ones from muxman anyway - the files were re-encoded to 'normal' length anyway (usually the program was quite good with this sort of thing).

Still, it seems to be not too hard with "Replace VTST Titles". (The rest of PGCedit still looks rather complicated.)