What software is best to use for multiple titles with multiple scenes?

[usalabs]

Ok, here's the problem.

I've tried every trialware program out there for DVD authoring, and none seem to do what I want compared to Linux version of DeVeDe, the problem is,,, DeVeDe has the ability to create multiple menu titles and with each title a video can be assigned to them, EG, to create a menu selection for a choice of 4:3 or 16:9 video I can assign the created mpg files to each title, and have that choice displayed on the root menu, but, DeVeDe lacks a selection of root menu themes and buttons.

Is there an app, that can do that with a nice range of menu themes like
Windows DVD maker uses, without having to manually create the menu backgrounds, buttons, and text, such as when using DVDLab Pro?

I used Magix Video Pro X2 for creating the 4:3 and 16:9 mpg files ready for adding to a DVD menu, but I need to have software that I can create a menu title, EG, called "Movie 1 (16:9 Widescreen)" then add the 16:9 mpg to it, then create another menu title called "Movie 1 (4:3 Full Screen)", and assign the 4:3 mpg file to that, so that when the DVD is played you get a choice of playing 4:3 or 16:9, but also have an auto size allocation which would auto adjust the final compilation to fit as much as possible on the DVD whether it's DVD5 or DVD9 by auto adjusting the final quality, IE, if the final compilation is less than the DVD size,,, then by pressing a button, the program would use a higher video quality to fit the final mix on the DVD, but if the final compilation is larger than the DVD size, then the program would adjust it to use a lower video quality to fit the DVD,,, Linux DeVeDe can do that, but I haven't seen any windows programs that can do any of what I mentioned.

[_Al_]

DVD Lab Pro can do it and there are some menu themes about 70 backgrounds and some basic objects for you to use. You can always import your background and subpicture that you can custom made to whatever you want to but it means some advanced DVD authoring, DVD Lab Pro is a robust Pro solution.

To reduce mpg's to fit a DVD is a wrong workflow idea. You need to grab some calculator and do basic math before you load those mpg's in DVD Lab Pro. By pressing "compile DVD" in the menu it will show you how full your DVD is or you can see it all the time viewing DVD topology.
To do it right, use appropriate bitrate to encode mpg's in the first place so it just fit on DVD. You can use bitrate calculator.

[usalabs]

Thanks for the reply, but trying DVD Lap Pro, looks way to complicated, I can import movies into it, but there's a 'connection' window, and when I assign each movie to a new menu, and try to compile the DVD it says, it can not perform the compile due to having a 4:3 and 16:9 format in one TS folder, and they have to be in separate TS folders. which I have absolutely no idea on how to do that, and also, I don't see anywhere to just click or drag-n-drop a theme and also there is no 'preview menu' option to see what the final menu would look like, hence the reason I'm looking for another solution, an easier solution.

I would like to do this myself, but, if an easier solution is not found, I may have to send the 2 mpg's to a professional and pay $100s to get them to create the DVD burnable ISO, with the menu to play either 4:3 or 16:9 format, according to whatever screen format the DVD is being watched on.

I was asked to video a rock band's gig, and to smarten it up a bit, which I used a Sony Handycam mini DVD, so, if I can't do this, I'll just have to make multiple copies from the master mini DVD to a standard DVD, without editing, and give it to them as-is.

[_Al_]

As for DVD specs, you have to put video with 4:3 and 16:9 to different VTS. So at the beginning you choose "Advanced (VMG +VTS menu+movie)project" . Then can create different VTS.
TS folder in nonsense. DVD consists of :

VMG - consider it a sector that can "connect" rest of DVD together, different VTS, imagine that sector as some kind of management area, you can have menu there. It is called VMG menu. For example you create main menu -aka title menu for DVD, you can put it there. It is a very convenient place to have it there. You can have movies there too, but it is a good idea to put tiles, or you can say movies, into VTS.

VTS - most likely consists of root menu ( if you mark it such) and title (movie) or more menus and movies. Notice in connection window that one default VTS1 menu is already mark as root menu, that's default. Also one VMG menu in connection window is already marked as title menu.

Do you need each menu for each movie? Then you create VTS for each movie and you put a movie there and one menu. they differ in color in connection window.

Then you have to connect them together. In connection window use select "draw links" tool , that's that "plus like" button and you just join what you need, mostly end jumps for movies. Menu jumps you create within menu.

Remember. You cannot jump from one VTS to other VTS directly. You have to go through VMG. This is good to know if you plan your 4:3 and 16:9 videos to play somehow in a sequence automatically. I know your head might spin from this, but you should know, these are basics.

There is some free DVD authors out there, check here in the forum, they' have been talked about a lot, I thing there are two or so, I tested them while ago, one of them created a title for each movie, not sure what was the name. So that one might be for you. But I am not sure if it can create menu for each movie (title). Maybe someone else will help you concerning this.

[Chug a Bug]

DVD lab Pro is pretty simple to use it doesn't take much effort to get around it and there are plenty of good tutorials on their website. If you want complicated try Scenarist!

[usalabs]

Do you need each menu for each movie? Then you create VTS for each movie and you put a movie there and one menu. they differ in color in connection window.

I don't want 2 menus for 2 videos, I just want 1 menu for both, the root menu should have the 2 buttons and 2 preview boxes for each button, and when the DVD is placed in the player the root menu is what is shown first, but doing that using the VMG menu with connections to each video using linked text (as a test, later I can try using buttons), when trying to compile the project, I get something like:- "unable to compile project: There is no first play selected", but selecting the VMG menu as first play, it says it still can't compile because the first play is selected as the menu with infinite loop.

So I tried with a VMG and Root menu, but, only the VMG menu is capable of selecting across multiple VTS folders, soo, back to square one.

The idea is to put the DVD in any player and the first play is a menu with 2 buttons 'Widescreen' and' Full screen' along with preview boxes above each button, then when a button is pressed, the movie associated with that button then plays, and when the movie has ended, it's back to the first play menu, hence, 1 menu, 2 VTS folders, simple when using DeVeDe but not so simple when using any other authoring software.

DVD lab Pro is pretty simple to use it doesn't take much effort to get around it and there are plenty of good tutorials on their website.

I looked at their website, and there's nothing as far as tutorials.

[TreeTops]

Look for DVD Lab Pro tutorials on YouTube.

[_Al_]

download this project, it is attached below, these things are quite difficult to explain but are really easy,
ask if you do not know how to create certain object in the project

it is always good idea to create root menu in each VTS with just one and only purpose in this case and that is jump back to Main menu in VMG, VM command was created in PRE command sector, so all remote controls work properly, after pressing any menu button, it'll lead to title menu

edit: attached project is PAL , which is wrong , you start creating NTSC project.

[manono]

2 versions of the same video, one for 4:3 TV sets and the other for 16:9 TV sets? Am I understanding this correctly?

You only need one version and set it up as 16:9 and Automatic Pan And Scan (rather than the more common 16:9 and Automatic Letterbox). If your authoring app can't do it, you can easily do it after the fact using PGCEdit. That way it'll automatically play as 16:9 on widescreen TV sets and be cropped down to 4:3 for 4:3 sets.