How do I re-use a clip in a DVD without reencoding?

[bidomo]

Hi everyone!

I was thinking if there's a way to use a clip more than once in a video, like the opening for a TV program, Encoding it only once but recalling it whenever is needed.

Any help will be appreciated.

[manono]

Hi-

You can create a menu when you author the DVD. It'll have both clips on it, the main video and the extra clip. Then you can make it play whenever you are in the menu. Free authoring programs that can easily do this might include DVDAuthorGUI and GUI For DVDAuthor. Popular commercial apps might include TMPGEnc DVD Author and DVDLab (Pro).

Alternatively you can make the clip play first, anytime you put the DVD into the standalone, before then going to the menu or the main video. PGCEdit can do this after you author, and most authoring apps can have it do this when authoring.

If you want to make it play automatically anytime before one of the episodes is shown, then I guess you can add the 2 videos, the short clip and then the episode, and then author. Me, I'd add it in when authoring with Muxman (free). It only takes elementary streams though. That is, the audio and video have to be separated. I don't use TDA, but I think it can do that pretty easily.

Edit: If guns1inger has figured what you want correctly, his playlist idea is better. That way you store the clip only once on the DVD, where my way stores it as many times as there are episodes.

[guns1inger]

I will assume you mean in a DVD, given this is the DVD Authoring forum.

The simplest way to do this is with an authoring tool that supports playlists. DVD Architect is one, DVD Lab Pro is another. Create the intro as a separate title, then create playlists that look like

Playlist 1
Intro
Episode 1

Playlist 2
Intro
Episode 2

Etc.

Your buttons would then link to the playlists instead of the episodes. Depending on the authoring toll there might be other restrictions such as losing chapter playback etc.

The other option is to simply use multiple copies of the intro video. Encode once, then make extra copies and link like so

Button 1 -> Intro 1 -> Episode 1
Button 2 -> Intro 2 -> episode 2
etc.

This takes up more space than the play list option, but is easier to implement in most authoring tools.

[bidomo]

guns1inger, you're the one... in this hehe.


Well, that's what I wanted, I've saw some dvds created like this, but didn't have idea how to produce'em.

And the chaptering, you're right, they're not playing correctly backwards.

If DVD Authoring had a programming language allowing the use of variables, I think this would be easier (I'm not so good at programming too, but is like a buckle).


Thanks guys, I'm gonna do some studies in the Playlist option in DVD-lab, is my only choice for now, and I don't know how expensive Architect is...

[guns1inger]

It does have a programming language, and it can be used to do some tricky things, but for the most part the idea was to keep the spec pretty simple.

DVD Architect is expensive because you can only buy it in a bundle with Vegas (not a bad thing - I love Vegas). I have both, but use DLP exclusively.

[bidomo]

Where do I find info about this??? this could be helpful for me.

[guns1inger]

If you look at any post on this site that mentions a particular tool, the first reference to that tool will be a link to the page for that tool in our tools section. From there you will find links to the tool's main site, guides and comments. Makes it pretty easy to find anything you need.