Creating a Multi-Session video/data DVD

[jaypeg]

What I am trying to achieve is to make a DVD slide show (that can be viewed on household DVD player, with interactive menu etc) of images (up to 300) that includes the master image files (so you can access them for print).

I have created a video, Quicktime Movie, of the slide show and then created the menu/video content in iDVD. I then created a disk image of my DVD project (Video/Audio TS folder) from iDVD, no problem. I then burned the two folders in the video section of Toast, unticking the 'Close Disk' Option in Advance Options. It burned perfect, and was able to view the DVD as normal, great. But then when you go to try to burn a second session, the image files, on that DVD it will not let you saying 'Insert a Burnable Disk'. I believe that it is automatically creating a closed disk when it is creating the lead out (when the burned DVD is inserted, going into the Advance Options in Toast the Close Disk option is ticked automatically and greyed out). Is there any way to achieve this, making a multi-session video/data DVD, or am I chasing a bad lead. I have seen DVD's done like this before but not sure how it was done (application dependent or DVD authoring know how). I have heard that DVD Studio Pro could be the answer to at least solving some of these issues, but would prefer to have the creative flexibility of some of the video slide show apps (ken burns, match slide show to music etc)


Any help much appreciated.
Mac OSX 10.3.9
Final Cut Pro 5
Toast Titanium 6.05
iDVD 5

[Baldrick]

Moving you to our Mac section.

and welcome!

[Cornucopia]

Toast may or may not be able to burn multiple DVD sessions, but that's not really what you want.

What you want is to have your standard VIDEO_TS/AUDIO_TS folders, AND your QT/JPG/HTML pix source folders ON THE SAME SESSION.

1 Track (DVD)
1 Session

Folder Structure:

Disc
-->VIDEO_TS
------->IFO, VOB, BUP files
-->AUDIO_TS
------->(usually empty)
-->SOURCE
------->MOV, JPG, HTM etc files

You could call it "OTHER" or something else. Could even have more files/folders. Just as long as you leave the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS alone (and insert them 1st, so that Toast knows it's a standard DVD-Video as well)

Scott

[rumplestiltskin]

In iDVD you may add content in exactly the way you wish. If I remember correctly, there's a checkbox for including the original content in its own folder (which will reside outside of the VIDEO-TS folder. iDVD will then author everything in one session for you.

DVDs do not support multiple sessions (yet).

[jaypeg]

All good. Thanks guys. What I originally was doing was putting the VIDEO_TS/AUDIO_TS folders into the 'Video' Tab of Toast and it would create the 'movie' portion but when I put the data, image files, into that tab (even with the 'add data content' option ticked) it would only allow you to make the image files a video slide show. But now I tried putting all 3 folders (VIDEO_TS/AUDIO_TS & data folder-I have added the content as sugested) into the 'Data' section of Toast and works just the way I want, at least on my computer. I will have to try this out on a home DVD player to see if that's still the case. iDVD will only allow you to include original content of you make a slide show in iDVD, way too limiting. And I have found some information on creating multi-session DVDs, but nothing on what types of information can/can't be included in a multi-session DVD. I will let you know how this works on a home DVD player.

Thanks again,
Dave

[Frobozz]

In my experience it is necessary to choose DVD Rom (UDF) as the format in the Toast Data window, click new disc and name the disc the same as I named the DVD disc in the Video window, add the data content, go to the Video window and - with add Data content turned on - burn the DVD.

But since you are working with an existing VIDEO_TS folder it makes more sense to do it all in the Data window. Choose DVD Rom as the format, click New Disc and name it, add only the VIDEO_TS folder (Toast automatically creates the AUDIO_TS when you click the burn button), and add the Data folders. Then burn your DVD.

[jaypeg]

Yup, works on the home player a well. Wasn't sure if adding the extra data file would confuse the player. Thanks again.

[Cornucopia]

If adding extra files/folders were to confuse a DVD-player, I would call that DVD-player "Broken" or "Non-Standard" or "Badly Manufactured", as allowance for an "OTHER" zone is part of the DVD spec.

Scott