TMPGEnc DVD Author couple of problems.

[chimaera15]

1. No matter if I select "Display Main Menu" in the "firstplay action", as soon as I pop the dvd in my player, or open the ifo on my pc, it will always start playing the first video first, and weirdest thing is that it doesn't even play it from the beginning, it just starts at some random part in the episode.

2. How can I make it so that when I press the menu button on my remote, it brings me back to the main menu. Now the only way I can go back to the menu is by pressing the 'next or back chapter button' (which i would also like to function as the 'next or previous chapter' button.

This has been driving me insane for quite some time, there don't seem to be any settings that i can change to make it play correctly....so any help will be greatly appreciated. thanks

phil.

[chimaera15]

anyone?

[Phoebos]

Its a little bit weird. Try experimenting before you burn the DVD. Make the image with TMPGEnc DVD Author and then play it on PC using a program like PowerDVD or any that is for DVD playing. What you see there? Normally if you define for 1st action "Display Main menu" then this is what you sould get when you run the program.

[northcat_8]

It sounds like you need to go into your "show" chapter selection menu and make sure you have a check mark in the box for the very first chapter.

You should also check the the little drop down box in the upper right and make sure it says what you want it to.

There is also an option in your menu options for what to do after playing the video file, make sure you select, go to main menu. (this may be in the upper right drop menu...can't remember, I have TDA at home)

[northcat_8]

I would also suggest you have TDA create a ISO image file, so you can check the DVD before you burn it. That just saves you from ruining blank discs.

Download Daemon Tools so you can mount and watch the ISO file, and you can still burn the ISO with DVD Decrypter

[Phoebos]

@ northcat: Why burn with another program (like decrypter) and not with TDA burning tool? Does it make any difference?

[northcat_8]

It's just easier to load Decrypter. (for me anyway).

I always have TDA create an ISO so I can check the DVD before I burn it anyway.

This is in part because almost every DVD I make, I need several copies, so I need an ISO file.

I've never burned a coaster with Decrypter (knock on wood) so that's what I trust and is the only program I burn with.

I am also a firm believer in using software designed by experts. TMPGenc is a video software company. They are experts in video, not burning. Nero is an expert in burning software. I would not trust TMPGenc to burn any more than I would trust Nero to encode. Decrypter is designed for 2 things, ripping and burning...that's it. If you drive a Chevy car you wouldn't take it to a Ford dealership if you had a problem with it would you? Or have an electrician re-roof your house. A prime example is Microsoft and Movie Maker 1 & 2 Microsoft is an OS software company, if they want to be a video company they should buy Adobe and let Adobe run it.

But this is just me.

[OldAmateur]

I would also suggest you have TDA create a ISO image file, so you can check the DVD before you burn it. That just saves you from ruining blank discs.

Is there any reason to prefer creating, then unpacking, an ISO image rather than simply having TDA create IFO/VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder on your hard drive, for testing before burning?

[edsmith77]

OldAmateur,
IMHO, in general, there is no significant advantage of an ISO file over a VIDEO_TS folder with all of the appropriate IFO, BUP and VOB files.
The next step is to burn those to disc. Now, as previousl noted, TDA is made by a video company and burning would be a side line business. However, TDA does burn discs and very good as well. However, their burner is not the speediest of those on the market. DVDDecrypter however, in my official unoffical speed trials is faster than TDA and Nero .
Upon further reflection, I can think of one reason that an ISO might be better than a VIDEO_TS folder and that is determining the layer break point on dual layer disks. Some applications with the VIDEO_TS folder just do not seem to get it right. But this is not always the case, just sometimes.

[northcat_8]

I would also suggest you have TDA create a ISO image file, so you can check the DVD before you burn it. That just saves you from ruining blank discs.

Is there any reason to prefer creating, then unpacking, an ISO image rather than simply having TDA create IFO/VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder on your hard drive, for testing before burning?

Sure I can output as a VIDEO_TS folder, matter of fact, if you make an ISO with TDA, TDA creates the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders anyway. But as I said, I typically need to burn several discs. I think another big point of an ISO over the VIDEO_TS folder is that the ISO is one file, whereas a VIDEO_TS folder has all the IFO, BUP, VOB files in it, more files = more chance of fragmentation. I refuse to burn DVDs with Nero, I did that once, it played on my DVD player but not on the customers Burned the same image file with Decrypter and it played just fine.

Everyone has their own process, mine works for me.

Capture - S8
edit - Premiere
encode - S8
convert to MPEG-2 - TMPGenc Plus 2.5
Author - TDA, although I've started using DVD-Lab Pro now and like it better. Output to ISO.
Load in Daemon Tools
Check DVD with WinDVD 4
Burn with Decrypter.