Does any program use file names as titles in the menu?

[presto]

When I create a DVD I want use as few "clicks" as possible. I make A LOT of DVD's and have no desire to lovingly craft each one. They are only for my use and I basically want to tell the program "Here are a bunch of clips, use the file names as titles in the menu and go".

I love Tmpgenc DVD Author and Tsunami DVD Author Pro but neither one has this simple feature of using the file name in the menu. I have to copy, click from page to page to page to page, paste, click from page to page top page, copy, etc etc.

I'm going to download some trial programs and see if any of them do what I want but your help would be appreciated. Do you KNOW of any program that uses the file name as the titles in the menu?

[guns1inger]

ConvertXtoDVD does exactly that, however you can use it to create menus for existing videos - it converts avis, then creates the menu and structure.

Personally, if I am going to create a menu, the last thing I want is file names, as they are often meaningless outside the context of the project I am working on.

[TJohns]

In TDA if you enter the title (once) in the TRACK list on the left during source selection, the menu's get created with that name on each page automatically.

Trev

[presto]

Gunslinger,

I downloaded that program to try it. It seems to want to re-encode my perfectly compliant mpgs. That would take forever and degrade the quality. Maybe there is a setting to change that but I don't see it.

TJohns, I guess it's hard to explain but I don't want to enter the titles even once. I'm talking, drop in the clips and that's about it.

It's not unusual that something that seems simple and obvious to me doesn't seem that way to the rest of the world. I guess I work a little differently.

I would think the most natural way for a program to behave is to take the clips you give it and make a menu with those clips names on it. If there are 3 clips, it makes a menu with those 3 clips names on it. If there are 24 clips, it makes a menu with those 24 clips names on it.

You would then be free to edit those names and it would be easy because they would be right there on one page for you to edit. No back and forth or "gee what was that 4th clip?"

As it happens the first prog I tried does use the filenames on the menu. Ulead Movie Factory 5 does it but only puts 3 clips on each menu page. It might be configurable but it is hard to tell if the trial is limited or if the program is. Also there seems to be a bug because when I use the auto chapter points to add chapter points the size of the video doubles. The help section specifically states that this won't happen which is weird because I don't know why in the world it would. GRRRR

[guns1inger]

Told you it would. Although it doesn't take long, but you don't want to do if you don't have to. It was more a suggestion for next time.

To do what you want would only be a low end program. Anything with any sophistication won't support it simply because that isn't how people who create menus usually work.

Perhaps something oike DVDAuthorGui does it this way ? I don't use it, but it might be worth a look.

[borax]

Using filenames in the menu as buttons is the 'default' in GFD... Have a look here: https://www.videohelp.com/~gfd/Help/GettingStarted.html

Reading your suggestions, it seems that we have exacty the same 'spirit' as how a program should work

[DarrellS]

Sounds to me like your best bet is buying a Philips DVP642 and burning Data DVDs. If these discs are for your own personal use and you have lots of small clips to put on the discs. You don't need an Authoring program to make these discs, just a burn engine like Nero or Sonic MyDVD.
Another plus for this option is that you can use all the cheap Ritek/Ridata or any other sorry media that you can't get a sucessful DVD burn with and make perfect playable data DVDs or if you like, you can use CDs.
Nothin' pretty about the menu. It's straight forward like Windows Explorer with the name of the folders (if you choose to use folders) and the names of the files in alphabetical order.