Animation / moving pictures in VCD main menu

[liorde]

Hello all,
I am "extreme newbie" in VCD in general.
I would like to know if VCD supports this feature, like in DVD, that you can see motion in the VCD main menu. Moving pictures instead of one still image with menu options.
Can this be done...? If yes, how and with what application please?

Thank-you.

[mats.hogberg]

Long time since I did VCD, but IIRC, you can add a VCD spec mpeg1 as menu BG as well as a still image. For authoring VCD, there is only one application (worth mentioning) - VCDEasy.

/Mats

[marsmayhem]

VideoPack 5 has this feature. I've used it briefly, and you can add motion thumbnail chapter buttons to a menu.

Ulead DVD Workshop might do it too.

I think Nero Vision might too, though I'm not certain.

VCDEasy doesn't make menus. At most, it makes stills.

[mats.hogberg]

No, you make the menu - VCDEasy authors it. Menus are just movies.

/Mats

[liorde]

I would appreciate it if I can some more explanation about this.
What should I do then...? I want one software if possible, that can do this thing.
Can someone please provide an explicit example?

Thank-you !

[mats.hogberg]

No. It's not a task for one app. You create the visuals with many apps (graphics apps, video editors, video cameras...) encode with others, and piece a VCD or DVD or whatever together with yet another app (VCDEasy for (S)VCD).
To create a movie (to use as menu) with let's say a moving background, with "buttons" layered on top, I'd use VirtualDub and the logo filter, or perhaps Ulead Video Studio if I'm satisfied with the options that app provides.

/Mats

[jman98]

Just a warning - I've never seen a commercial VCD that had motion menus. VideoPack 5 may do it, but that may only mean that it's a non-standard feature they implemented and as such, may or may not cause playback problems on some devices. Standard "by the book" VCD menus are VERY VERY simple and consist of still pictures.

[mats.hogberg]

Not entirely true. The menu just has to be an mpg. Still or movie doesn't matter. It can be "play once" or looped indefinately or any # of loops. Uncommon, yes, but not out of specs, if that's what you meant by "by the book". A good reason for not creating motion menu backgrounds, is that you're usually tight on space on a VCD, and a still menu takes much less space from the "main title".

[Mem0]

I think Videopack is no longer a standalone product. Which one replaced Videopack?

[adam]

Motion menu's are perfectly within the VCD specifications. The reason you don't see them on commercial disks much is because they are pretty impractical and also because commercial VCDs usually don't have any kind of menu's at all. Incidentally, I do have a commercial VCD with a motion menu.

I always just authored my motion menu's in VCDEasy. Here is the method I used:
http://users3.ev1.net/~CavemanLawyer/

Mem0, the VideoPack line merged with the WinonCD line. The latest version of WinonCD should be able to handle motion menu's or you can maybe track down VideoPack 4.0 or 5.0.