Newbie question, advancing (really ?) from SVCDs to DVDs

[JN]

I created many SVCDs (using Ulead DVD Workshop) from captured music videos (each cca 4 minutes/70MB). I was satisfied how the menus were done: I had several menus, on each menu six links, which started particular video by pressing numeric key or after timeout the first video on menu page. Menus could be switched by next/previuos button. When one video was done, next continued, even if it was linked from other menu page. First menu was shown, when disc was inserted. Very easy.

Now I have DVD+/-RW drive (NEC 1300A), so why don't make DVDs, they have more space. After little reencoding, I started make my menus the same way. I was very disappoited, what I found out:
- There's no using of numeric keys and next/prev keys in menus
- When I want to push some button or link, I must navigate to it by cursor keys (it gets highlighted) and push enter to activate it. For example, when I want to go to next menu page, I must press 5 keys instead on one
The rest is maybe my lack of knowledge:
- My Samsung DVD/VCR combo doesn't show any highlighting, I am blind when navigating
- Pressing Menu (on Samsung) key ends the whole playing. The only way to show first menu is to reinsert the disk.

What seemed one step forward, is now three steps back...
Can somebody point me in right direction ? Thanks.

[Richard_G]

I've only ever used DVD Workshop for DVDs so can't help you with the differences in the menus. One thing I found when I first started using it though was no highlighting on the menus just as you have. It seems the default colours for text is white that turns white when you select that menu item. It is being highlighted but can't see it! When you create the menu item select a different highlight colour from the drop down box, then you'll be able to see it.

[JN]

OK, I gave up hope that I can use the next/prev keys to jump between menus and numeric keys to play movie in DVDs. If only the highlighting stayed on prev/next button when listing between menus - it always jumps to upper left button.
The mentioned DVD workshop has definitely bug in highlighting on desktop player. It has some patch, where some problems with menus are mentioned, but I cannot apply that patch, have only trial version. DVD Movie Factory (also from Ulead) has higlighting OK , but has other bug with text colors, I have same problem with patch. Also cannot change color of xx/yy text in lower right corner. Don't want to buy either of them, until I'm 100% sure that bugs are fixed.

I'm trying other software, I'll post my experiences later.

[spiderman2k1]

I must say in some way's SVCD is better then DVD. I capture alot to. SVCD is much easier to edit. And with DVD's you have to capture very high bitrate's
to get a good picture about 8000 CBR. Then you have to author the DVD DVD that take's time. Then IF the DVD is to big to fit on a DVD-R I use IC7 or IC8 or CLoneDVD or DVD2ONE. One thing if you want to record DVD. APEX DVD's can now read raw MPEG2 file's capture and burn.