Need to create thumbnail chapters on DVD creating with AVStoDVD

[Studly]

I need to create thumbnail chapters & make a menu on a DVD for my 2 hour long home video (.avi is the source) that I'm converting to DVD using AVStoDVD. What is the best freeware to do this with that works well with AVStoDVD? I read something about TitleWriter. Does that work on Windows 10 and does it work with AVStoDVD? My priorities are quality and simplicity because I am new to this.

[Baldrick]

Have you tried dvdstyler?

[videobruger]

I don't believe that you can make a menu with buttons for chapters in AVStoDVD - only for titles. (If that's what you mean by create thumbnail chapters & make a menu). You can define the chapter points in AVStoDVD but you need to navigate to them using your remote control.

You can use DVDStyler in case you want a menu with thumbnail buttons to navigate to chapters. Here are two videoes on creating chapter points:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mORqE_3-t4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPybljDTVYw

And a video on how to have buttons playing chapters and a button to play the whole video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0jIx0dukXU

With two hours playtime you'll get a bitrate about 5 Mb/s for a DVD-5. The drawback for DVDStyler is that it uses 1-pass CBR encoding. This may be good enough for 5 Mb/s but better would be to use 2-pass VBR encoding found here:

https://sourceforge.net/p/dvdstyler/discussion/318795/thread/4a559ea3/

[manono]

IThe drawback for DVDStyler is that it uses 1-pass CBR encoding.

Yeah, but if he's already got a DVD created by AvsToDVD, then he shouldn't need to have it reencoded. Can't he just open the VOBs in DVDStyler (he asks, never having used DVDStyler)?

I do something similar using DVDAuthorGUI. I'll make a menuless DVD outside of the program and then make a 'dummy' DVD with the background menus I want and a small video just as a 'placeholder'. When done I'll replace the DVD video created by DVDAuthorGUI with the 'real' one, and keep the menus I created. This step is done using the 'Replace VTST Titles' function of PGCEdit.

My point is that you can take a DVD made using AVSToDVD (or any other program) and add nice looking menus later, without a whole lot of difficulty.

[videobruger]

If the OP already made a DVD in AVStoDVD he could use DVD -> Add -> Titles from DVD .. in DVDStyler.

But the OP writes because I am new to this so I'll take one step at a time. And I'm not complete sure what the OP wants.

[Studly]

Yes Manono that is exactly what I was hoping to find out because I really like AVStoDVD and just need a good fit for authoring the menu.

Videoburger, I like the ease of making the menus with DVDStyler. Is there a way to add the menu after I burn it with AVStoDVD & IMGBurn?

[videobruger]

In AVStoDVD select your output to "Muxed MPEG2 file" and use that as source in DVDStyler. And in AVStoDVD you should properbably (I would) edit the title and lower the bitrate some 100 kbps.

[Studly]

I am not having success getting the menus to show up. Wondering what I am doing wrong?

In AVStoDVD... I selected the output as "Muxed MPEG2 file". I add the .mpg file into DVDStyler and added chapter menus. It all looks good. Then I go to burn an .iso. I get the message that it has been generated. I go to play it in VLC Media Player and nothing shows up. I viewed the .mpg file beforehand to make sure I have a good source and that is working fine. Does it have to do with how I set the BitRate? The version that I have for AVStoDVD (vers. 2.8.3) has a lower Bitrate that I set to 2500 and the MaxBitRate that I set to 8500. It doesn't have the Avg. BitRate like you show above.

[theewizard]

Yes Manono that is exactly what I was hoping to find out because I really like AVStoDVD and just need a good fit for authoring the menu.

Videoburger, I like the ease of making the menus with DVDStyler. Is there a way to add the menu after I burn it with AVStoDVD & IMGBurn?

NOT to a disc that has been burned

they are talking about editing/changing either the unburned DVD folder or image , And creating a NEW disc ISO image
then burn the new disc image

[videobruger]

I am not having success getting the menus to show up. Wondering what I am doing wrong?

It could be VLC

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/375660-DVD-Styler-corrupted-menu-screenhttp://forum...ed-menu-screen

has a lower Bitrate that I set to 2500 and the MaxBitRate that I set to 8500.

That's because you're in preferences and those are threshold values. Rigth click your video and select Edit title.. or Ctrl+E

[Studly]

Videoburger - Thanks for all your help! I finally got this to work. Clicking on the "Loop" in the the properties menu on DVDPlayer was a big help because I was getting that grey screen. The other things that were not working properly were addressed in this follow-up video that was created in December 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0jIx0dukXU in addition to the videos you suggested for DVDPlayer. You are a video genius and I really appreciate you helping out a novice! Thanks to all who responded - you are an amazing team!