Ulead DVD workshop - please help me!

[Friskie]

I'm stuck - my intro video starts but my menu ain't doing anything apart from looking good. It doesn't link to any of my videos. What have I done wrong ?

It works okay on PC preview just not on my stand alone DVD player.

[offline]

Hmm... have you tried different media? I have never heard of
this problem with UMF before? What happens when you
jist press "enter" ? How close are your buttons?

[gab2001uk]

Try mounting the .ISO image DVD Workshop creates in Daemon Tools, so you can check in any software player if the menus react correctly. If they do, then use a -+RW disc for testing and try other set-top players.
I assume this is a DVD not VCD you are creating?

[northcat_8]

did the menu work properly when you went to the "finish" tab and preview the Menu's before burning?

DVD Workshop is very picky about how close the thumbnails are together and sometimes the menu will not work properly if they are too close together.

Everything kind of depends on your menu's what type. Are they Thumbs or buttons? The buttons are harder to define than the thumbs. With the thumbs you just capture a pic of a clip during the video to set the chapter point but with buttons you have to define them differently. It has been a while since I made a button menu so I would have to check it out when I get home.

Workshop is also very picky in the order everything happens on your timeline. Make sure your "first Play" video is in the First play frame and that your videos follow in order from there and make sure your menus follow in proper order.

Side note. I have always had better luck with workshop if I have the program write to disc (folders or ISO) then I use DVD Decrypter to burn. I do this to avoid making a coaster but it does serve the dual purpose.

[jgandara]

If you edited the menus, changes are that somwhow you lost your links.
+ Check on the edit (where u see the thumbnails at the bottom) screen, right click in all the videos and they should say something like "Play Next"
+ Also check on your menus, that they are linked to a video file.

[Friskie]

The menu works fine in the preview on the finish step, pressing enter doesn't work on the standalone DVD player, media is verbatim +R, and have tried +RW.

I tried spacing the buttons but no luck, It's just really strange. Oh well, I'll have to keep making coasters - at least I can print on them with my new printer !

I'm gutted it doesn't work. I'll try a template menu to see how I get on but they look terrible.


Cheers for the feedback and time you guys.

[jgandara]

Did you tried the wizard menu? Creating custom menus is complicated, specially for all the configuration you must do for each link and button. Try the wizard and see if it works.

Also get a DVD/CD emulator like Daemontools or alcohol. You can create an iso image and mount it with any of those programs. These programs create a virtual DVD/CD drive that load/mount iso/bin images.

[Specialist]

I agree it's best to use the MENU WIZARD in Ulead DVD Workshop until you gain enough familiarity with the menu creation tools to manually create menus.

By the way, there are some good step-by-step tutorials on the Web page at the following link:

http://www.ulead.com/learning/dws.htm

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

[northcat_8]

OHHHHHH, I'm sorry I didn't know you were not using the menu wizard.

I suggest always using the menu wizard then making changes to that to make it like you want it. I have ALWAYS had problems with menu's that I create and just bring into DVDWS.

My menus will work in other authoring programs but DVDWS doesn't like them, I don't know why.

[Friskie]

Have now tried the wizard and still no luck when playing on my standalone DVD player.

I've read the tutorials and am now depressed with the whole thing. Do you think it's because I'm using a trial version? Although, why would it play the opening video clip? The problem is evry much with the menu and links - do you recommend any other authorware that's mega easy to use for a novice?

I've got 6 vids plus the pre video which leads into a menu and I'm trying to get a DVD made up so I can hand it out to folks for posperity - we made a film series for a summer camp - I thought this would be easy.

Thanks for all your replies..!!!

[jgandara]

How old is your DVD player? What brand and model it is?

Can you test in in another standalone DVD player?

[gab2001uk]

You said earlier the preview was working ok. This suggests the links etc are also OK. Try the virtual drive/software player. If that works as well, then as suggested by jgandara you could have a hardware incompatability.

[Friskie]

Thanks guys - I'll be taking my host of coasters to my Father in laws house - he just bought a new DVD player. I got a Goomans - but strange it plays the opening first play video, the menu appears, but no selection of buttons allowed.

Will let you all know how I get on.

Cheers.

[northcat_8]

Another way you can check it is to have DVDWS write to disc and play the DVD from the HD using WinDVD or PowerDVD or download Daemon Tools and play the DVD from the ISO file before burning it.

I always do this and it has caught some problems. I just like to check it in a program that has nothing to do with Ulead to make sure before burning it.

AND for whatever reason, I always have more trouble with static backgrounds than I do with motion backgrounds...I don't know why...maybe DVDWS is busy rendering the menu video clip and forgets to screw up the menu structure

[krazymuppet]

im having problems with green blocky video. my video is too big to burn within UDWS so i converted to iso, mounted the image & view with windvd, which resulted in these flashing green blocks. Any ideas?

im still unable to burn these iso images into a working vcd

[gab2001uk]

krazymuppet - This is not really relevant to the original post, so you might want to start a new thread.

There is no video too big for UDWS, I have converted 40GB AVI successfully. Perhaps more details needed here. (In a new thread)