[DVDLABPRO] How I can work with an animated menu and a static inside cells?

[kirous]

Hi, I saw some DVD's that in cells put a short video and then goes into a static cell without audio, or animation, only one image or several sub-menus as VTS but several cells. The good news is that no problem can create a cell that is the "Static" submenu, putting link, buttons, colors, etc. Now the problem is that when I add a video to another cell, the video is all encompassing and that its duration is less than 10 seconds.

Now as I can solve this problem, so that the video is not all encompassing along with the other cell, if not in the same cell ?.

I await your prompt help. And I hope you understand me .... Sorry my bad english XD


PD: If you can not on the DVD LAB PRO, with PgcEdit as can be done ?.

[manono]

Let me get this straight. You want a motion video (some sort of an introductory video) to play and then afterwards for the DVD to go into the menus? Is that right?

And have you already created this introductory video as a short little DVD? If so, then add it as a first-play using PGCEdit. It won't be a part of the menus at all, but will play before the menus.

[_Al_]

You cannot have video part of a menu as a one cell and then add static menu right after that just adding a cell. I could be wrong, but I always assumed that is not a way to go. Not sure if DVDLABPro can create this.

[r0lZ]

You are wrong, _Al_. It is theoretically possible to join a motion video and a still menu in the same PGC. But I don't know if there are free tools or authoring programs that can do that.

My advise is to adopt manono's suggestion. It is easy to create the short intro and the still menu with any authoring software. If you cannot merge them together in the same PGC, it should be possible to ensure that the intro ends with the same picture than the frame used for the still menu. At the end of the playback of the intro, the still frame will still be displayed while the player seeks to the menu (and that can take max 2 seconds), and when the menu will be played, the same picture will be displayed, but this time with the button highlights. It's not perfect because the menu will be displayed for a short time without sound and buttons, but IMO it's good enough for a home video.

[Cornucopia]

That is not how it's done. _Al_ and r0lz are close, but not quite.

Static/still is static/still and motion is motion, you cannot combine the 2 into a single PGC in DVDland. What you can do, and I'm pretty sure what was done on the title in question, would be to create a piece of video, say 5 min., wherein the last, say 30 sec, is designed to not include moving items (with or without sound, though if sound would have fades). Then, create a "menu/buttons-over-video" feature that matches that last 30sec. I've done these very styles a number of times before, though not with DVDLP (instead Scenarist, DVDMaestro, DVDArchitect).

Scott

[Cornucopia]

<duplicate>

[r0lZ]

That's almost what I suggested to do, except that the still menu CAN be a real still, if you have the right authoring tool or if you author it in another PGC than the intro. A short animated clip that looks like a still does not at all work the same way than a still-frame menu. You have to loop it endlessly, and each time the playback reaches the end of the clip, the button highlight disappears, and reappears one or two seconds later. During that gap, the user cannot activate the button or select another one. It's frustrating. The looping part must therefore be relatively long. With a real still (without audio), the button highlights can be displayed endlessly and there is no need to create a loop. IMO, it's the best solution, unless you want audio on the still part of the menu.

What authoring program can be used to do what is another question. Usually, I use DVDLab Pro to create the animated intro in the VMGM and the still in the VTSM, and I modify the navigation with PgcEdit. Manono's suggestion to import the animated intro after the FP-PGC works also fine.

[Skiller]

I have done this before using DVDMaestro, PgcEdit and VobBlanker.

You encode your m2v with the animated part leading into your still picure with the still picture showing for a second or so (doesn't matter how long if there's no audio). It makes sense to place an I frame exactly where the button highlights should appear.

Then you author and create the menu so that the button highlights appear when the still shows, set end state to still (not loop or time out).

Then I used VobBlanker to "still" the second cell, which is where the button highlights pop up, to make it a real still (single I frame with infinite duration).

Then I used PcgEdit to modify the commands so that whenever the menu is called again it jumps right to the still rather than playing the intro again (using LinkCN Cell 2 command).

[r0lZ]

Yep, that's a very good way!

[kirous]

Hello Everyone, I'm not talking about the main menu (MENU ROOT), I only speak of the sub menus, well, a small example of an original DVD would be Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, because in the navigation options selection scenes, languages and special features, always have a small introductory animation with audio and video. And in the PgcEdit, animation is inside a cell, that this case is the cell 1 and the following would be an image with navigation buttons (LINKS), which is represented in the following figures:

Cell 1



Cell 2



As it is the same Submenu be divided into cells as the first cell is a small animation and the next cell is a static image.

Skiller friend said that before used DVD Maestro, PgcEdit and VobBlanker. In my case I am using DVDlab PRO and PgcEdit.

Now, how would that same type of images but using the PgcEdit and DVDLABPRO?.... A little guide using these two programs

Sorry for not responding quickly, I was busy.

Sorry my bad English XD!!

[Skiller]

1) You create and encode an m2v (MPEG2 elementary) with your animation leading into one or two seconds of your still image at the end.

2) You make a new menu in DVDLab, import your m2v, set the point where the buttons appear to where your still just begins, import your subpics and draw the button rectangles. Set end action to still (not loop or time out).

3) Do everything else you need to do in DVDLab (connections, titles and so on) and let it compile the DVD.

4) In VobBlanker you use the function called "Still" to make Cell 2 of your menu a real still

[kirous]

Hello, I forgot to tell Rather it is the first time I use the VobBlanker. The PgcEdit and DVDLABPRO if I know, but ... I'm just learning VobBlanker.

Rather, I did all the steps except step 4, I can not find the "STILL" function, the only thing I found in the menu bar at the option of "MENUS" and from there found the following functions: "STILL ALL WITH AUDIO "and" STILL aLL W / O AUDIO "and from there nothing else ... I do not know where to start ....

What if I forget to tell you that if at the point two, if more cells to increase menus with different static images, the process is the same ?, I mean, in a cell animation and the next cell or cells as background images ... not I know if you understand me.

Well, what if in point 4, must guide more detail, as I said just'm learning that application.

Sorry my bad english XD!!

[Skiller]

These are the steps for VobBlanker:

1) In the middle section mark the Title Set with your menu (like "VTS_01_*.VOB").

2) Click "Menu" on the right.

3) In the new window that pops up mark the correct language unit (top section), usually it's just 1 anyway.

4) In the bottom section mark the correct PGC of your menu(s).

5) Click "Cells" on the right.

6) Mark Cell #2 (assuming Cell #2 is indeed the still part of your menu!).

7) Click "Still". In the new window just klick "OK".

8) Click "Apply", then "OK".

9) "Process".

What if I forget to tell you that if at the point two, if more cells to increase menus with different static images, the process is the same ?

Yes, the process is the same, except that the cell numbers of the menu PGC increase.

[kirous]

Hello my friend Skiller, I did the steps, but still it does not work at all the "still". What if I'm in doubt it is about the audio as you mentioned me "only" file "m2v" but no "AC3" or other audio format.

Look at a picture of my project, which is the sub menu, as this sub menu has animation for 15 seconds and 14 seconds appears the navigation buttons.



I'm fine what I'm doing ?, because the whole video is 15 seconds long.

Now when I perform the steps you mentioned, at the end, cell 2 is not static, it is played and returns to run from the cell 1 and so on.

The question is: I did wrong ?, how can I stop this annoying reproduction, which should only remain "only" cell 2 and remain "static"?

Sorry my bad English XD!!

[Skiller]

What if I'm in doubt it is about the audio as you mentioned me "only" file "m2v" but no "AC3" or other audio format.

If you have audio for your menu you can use it, but then the still part of your m2v should have the right length so that the audio has the chance to play completely.


"Loop" would be the correct end action for the menu in that case (with audio).

Basically, the DVD should already behave as intended right after compiling. What I mean by that is when the still part of the menu reaches the end, it should jump back to the point where the button highlights appear, not to the beginning of the intro animation. If the latter is the case then there is something wrong with your DVDLab Pro settings. I would have to look into DVDLab then, because I normally never use it.

This can also be fixed in PgcEdit afterwards (LinkCN Cell 2), but it's better to get it right in the fist place.

[kirous]

Hello, thanks for helping, but a question, if not use the "VobBlanker" only in "PgcEdit" do, how they would perform (through a guide) ?. I await your prompt response.

Sorry my bad english XD!! and THANX.

[kirous]

Hello again, good still not solve this small problem, but I was investigating some steps and I am surprised that some cells do not belong in the same VTS, otherwise they are called "other" VTS that are "hidden" Or are in VTS created, for example in the audio submenu in one of the cells shared with the scene submenu, but if I tried to do it, doing these steps, for example:

1.- In the first one is the topology, in this case, I made a VTS (SUBHIDE) more, which is going to call the submenu scene (SUBMENU) in cell 1.



Note: in the VTS (SUBHIDE) the extension is in MPG and the VTS (SUBMENU) is in m2v.

Here the contents of the SUBMENU:



2.- After compiling, change to PGCEDIT by double-clicking on VTSM 1 LU 1 (en) 3, and change this:



For this:



Note: the "Assign VOB / Cell ID for PGC Cell1", change from 2/1 to 3/1, since 3/1 would be the SUBHIDE.

And once done I put "OK" and then save the whole project.

3.- Then open the VobBlanker and I followed the steps according to the guide that my friend SKILLER gave me according to the images I show him.















With this in the end I execute in "process", and then I test in both the Media Player Classic and Power DVD. And everything is fine.

But when I burn to a DVD and put it in the DVD player, it starts normally, and when I choose the "scenes" option, the INTRO of cell 1 is executed normally until it goes to cell 2 that is displayed with the Navigation buttons, and now when you move to the next cell that is the number 3, it freezes everything and does not appear navigation buttons, they disappear.

The solution is to return to the main menu as well as the Title button or Menu button and so again when choosing the "scene" option, the same problem is repeated.

Well, it would be good to be told if what I am doing is right or wrong, or if not, if there is something to modify or add.

I await your prompt reply. Thanks, I hope you understand me and finish this problem. XD

[kirous]

Hello everyone, well, I already found the solution, without the need to use the VobBlanker, only configure and specify the cells. Well, thanks for the help friends. I hope when I have problems, help me, Thank you. XD!!