'Play All' button in DVDauthorGUI works except for '>>|' (next chapter).

[dphirschler]

I am authoring a DVD of cartoons and I wanted a "play all" button. So I made one using the instructions I read here (link downloads a PDF file):

http://download.videohelp.com/liquid217/dlfiles42/tips.pdf

I can play each cartoon individually and return to the menu, or I can hit the "play all" button to watch all the cartoons. It works just right. The problem I am having is that if I "play all", I cannot hit '>>|' (next chapter) to jump to the next cartoon. Is there a work-around for this?

FWIW, I am testing the DVD on a PS3. When I hit the '>>|' button, it displays a message similar to "This operation cannot be done at this time".


Darryl

[liquid217]

Hmm. I have seen that happen on some software players (like VLC), although testing under MPC works fine. As a workaround, try putting a chapter point near or at the end of the title. That way, the >>| button will jump you to that chapter point, at which point, the title ends, and the next post command happens as usual.

[Bonie81]

As far as VLC is concerned
>>| is next title
>| is for next chapter.

DVDAuthorGUI pretty simple, but, powerful.
Author is requested to run the show and regular updates.

[liquid217]

As far as VLC is concerned
>>| is next title
>| is for next chapter.

That makes sense. Thanks.

DVDAuthorGUI pretty simple, but, powerful.
Author is requested to run the show and regular updates.

I think something is lost in translation. What does it mean to run the show and regular updates?

[dphirschler]

As far as VLC is concerned
>>| is next title
>| is for next chapter.

>>| is the button on the Playstation remote for next chapter. Actually, it is just labeled 'NEXT', but the button works for Spongebob, Looney Tunes, Popeye, and other cartoon compilations I have bought. FWIW, the PS3 seems to be my only player exhibiting this problem. My other players behave as expected.

@liquid217, I considered adding a chapter at the end of each title. Seems a bit of a messy workaround, but I suppose it is necessary. Is this problem something that is out of your control to fix? Is there another way to do the 'Play all' functionality?


Darryl

[liquid217]

I have considered adding "play all" functionality to the GUI, but it would basically use the same method outlined in the 'tips and tricks' pdf. I just wrote the GUI, sorry. I don't really have any other thoughts, except for the chapter idea. Maybe some of the dvdauthor gurus around here or on the dvdauthor mailing list might have some idea.

As a test though, if you author a dvd with 2 or more titles, with no menu and leave the default post command configuration, does the ">>|" function correctly as it should?

[dphirschler]

The thought just occurred to me, wouldn't adding a chapter near the end of each title cause you to have to hit NEXT twice on other DVD players?


Darryl

[Bonie81]

DVDAuthorGUI pretty simple, but, powerful.
Author is requested to run the show and regular updates.
I think something is lost in translation. What does it mean to run the show and regular updates?

I have used DVDAuthorGUI successfully in past for authoring few DVDs. DVDAuthroGUI has certain limitations when it comes to DVD menu generation like adding up chapter menu, subtitle menu, angle menu. plus buttom bmp has to 4 or 8 bit only , I do not remember well by now. plus dvdauthor and mplex has to be updated to latest version etc...

I have a very quick Q about Menu Generation.

After generating menu1, menu2 and menu3, menu4, menu5 and so on....
How to define root menu, chapters menu, subtitle menu, audio selection menu, and angle menu without editing DVDAuthor XML?
menu1=root menu
menu2=chapter menu
menu3= angle menu
....
menu4=sutitle menu
menu5=audio selection menu???


At last. but not least, I would like to thank you for your nice creation DVDAuthorGUI.

[liquid217]

The thought just occurred to me, wouldn't adding a chapter near the end of each title cause you to have to hit NEXT twice on other DVD players?
Darryl

It shouldn't, if it is close enough to the end of the title. The mod I sent you times the chapter at .5 seconds from the end. (For those following along, I emailed a tweaked version of the GUI which adds a chapter point, with the above criteria.)

[liquid217]

I have used DVDAuthorGUI successfully in past for authoring few DVDs. DVDAuthroGUI has certain limitations when it comes to DVD menu generation like adding up chapter menu, subtitle menu, angle menu. plus buttom bmp has to 4 or 8 bit only , I do not remember well by now. plus dvdauthor and mplex has to be updated to latest version etc...

I have a very quick Q about Menu Generation.

After generating menu1, menu2 and menu3, menu4, menu5 and so on....
How to define root menu, chapters menu, subtitle menu, audio selection menu, and angle menu without editing DVDAuthor XML?
menu1=root menu
menu2=chapter menu
menu3= angle menu
....
menu4=sutitle menu
menu5=audio selection menu???


At last. but not least, I would like to thank you for your nice creation DVDAuthorGUI.

This discussion is kinda off topic in this thread. I would be happy to continue this discussion via email, PM, or in another thread. I will basically say that your menu issues can all be natively implemented in DVDAuthorGUI, using JumpTable (under tools). This feature will allow any menu or title to jump (or call) to any other menu. From there, it is just a matter of setting the right registers.
The color bit depth for dvd subpictures is limited to 4 bit (or 16 colors). This will include both the "highlight" and the "select" subpictures. As a rule of thumb, I usually recommend keeping the color count in each bmp file to 4 colors (2 bit), just to be safe.
*As far as updates, 0.7.0's changelog doesn't really show anything that a DVDAuthorGUI user could take advantage of. There don't appear to be any bugfixes. In fact, most of it appears to be usability changes, which would mean DVDAuthorGUI's script and XML generation are at risk of being buggy. Mplex was a bit of a pain to compile, and honestly, I think I want to focus on ffmpeg support, over mplex anyway. FFmpeg seems to be very quick, flexible, and seems to do really well on a couple of old finicky dvd players I test on. You can download ffmpeg, and put the binary in the 'bin' directory, and then enable ffmpeg under 'tools' to use ffmpeg.

Anyway, again, this is off topic from the original discussion, send me an email at liquid_217@hotmail.com if you have any questions/comments.

[dphirschler]

As a test though, if you author a dvd with 2 or more titles, with no menu and leave the default post command configuration, does the ">>|" function correctly as it should?

Surprised to discover that the above test failed as well. The Playstation3 says something like "The operation is unavailable". So it's not related to the "Play all" functionality at all. So the question now is, is the PS3 failing or is there an authoring problem?


Darryl

[liquid217]

Did it work correctly with the "ending chapter" workaround? I was reading through a mailing list discussion on a similar subject. One user "Wolfgang", mentions using the chapter workaround, and mentions that he has seen this behavior vary from player to player. Below is a link to the discussion:

http://old.nabble.com/previous-next-button-navigation-problem-to8044075.html#a8044075

[Bonie81]

...., and honestly, I think I want to focus on ffmpeg support, over mplex anyway. FFmpeg seems to be very quick, flexible, and seems to do really well on a couple of old finicky dvd players I test on. You can download ffmpeg, and put the binary in the 'bin' directory, and then enable ffmpeg under 'tools' to use ffmpeg.

Anyway, again, this is off topic from the original discussion, send me an email at liquid_217@hotmail.com if you have any questions/comments.

Thanks for response and inputs.
I use ffmpeg, and mencoder based transcode in TuX for most of the time.

But, please note that mpg-2 stream (even with DVD-SD settings) produced by FFMpeg or Mencoder does not get a GREEN channel pass-through when scanning through professional highly reputed branded software to check DVD compliant streams as mpg-2 stream (even with DVD-SD settings) produced by FFMpeg or Mencoder is way out from DVD-SD specifications, plus most of time professional DVD Authoring Software rejects the ac-3 audio stream out of FFMPeg and Mencoder. In case, if any free authoring software accept these streams and produces a final DVD, it plays highly choppy in stand alone players. plus some buggy FFMPEG/Mencoder releases outputs interlaced and sets mpg-2 flag as progressive. There are tons of bugs in FFMPEG and Mencoder, but who cares. Any piece of crap-ware that uses FFMpeg or Mencoder as back-bone passes these bugs straight through in output streams.

[liquid217]

But, please note that mpg-2 stream (even with DVD-SD settings) produced by FFMpeg or Mencoder does not get a GREEN channel pass-through when scanning through professional highly reputed branded software to check DVD compliant streams as mpg-2 stream (even with DVD-SD settings) produced by FFMpeg or Mencoder is way out from DVD-SD specifications, plus most of time professional DVD Authoring Software rejects the ac-3 audio stream out of FFMPeg and Mencoder. In case, if any free authoring software accept these streams and produces a final DVD, it plays highly choppy in stand alone players. plus some buggy FFMPEG/Mencoder releases outputs interlaced and sets mpg-2 flag as progressive. There are tons of bugs in FFMPEG and Mencoder, but who cares.

Again.. off topic on this thread, but do you have a citation for that statement? I would love to read up on that.

[Bonie81]

Again.. off topic on this thread, but do you have a citation for that statement? I would love to read up on that.

yeah...closing this discussion...
as it is off the topic and list of bugs in FFMPeg and Mencoder is higher than the list of codeds (buggy) libraries included in FFMPeg and Mencoder.

Thanks for the email, being open minded and offering support through email that only very few author can do it!
much appreciated.