Slideshow Trickery...

[newbie_geek]

Hey all...

I am building a slideshow/presentation DVD. The simple and obvious approach is to create a video file of the images transitioning from one to the other. Which i have done, and it looks stunning.

During my research on these forums, someone here mentioned using an approach that would involved some clever trickery. Something to the effect of looping a small section of video for a set period of time, thus eliminating the need to have massive amounts of video data.

Does this sound feasible to anyone here?

If so, what is the approach?

Cheers

[zoobie]

sounds like a looped background which is common on the tv news...

[borax]

There are several possibilities for the approach...
It depends on your authoring program, your knowledge and the amount of effort/time you are willing to spend for such a project.
If you have enough space left on your DVD, the effort is IMHO not worth the time for such a DVD.

1. Possibility:
Each slide is a 'menu' and each transition is another menu which links the 'slide' menus.
2. More or less the same but with slides and transitions as PGSs within a title, where the slide PGCs (as stills) have a set duration (not their 'actual' duration)
3. Cells within a PGC, where the 'slide' cells have a loop command, which loops them a given number of times.

The first possibility is probably supported by a lot of authoring applications, without a lot of tweaking (scripting the VM).
The other possibilities are more complicated (or at least I don't know any authoring application, which can create such a DVD without a lot of 'handwork'). For the second possibility, I have an example which uses muxman. I could send you a link if you are interested.

[newbie_geek]

Wow, thanks for the fast reply.

Option 1 -

I think I am following, however, I am concerned about the user loosing the ability to skip to the next images, which right now happens through chapter markers. Besides that, i am concerned about how the menu image would automatically switch to the next one after X amount of time.

Option 2 -

PGC's? I dont know what that is.

option 3 -

You have totally lost me.

To add to all of this, I am wondering if there is ANY chance that the user can control what duration the slides stay displayed?

What is the best approach now?

Thanks so much for the help so far.

[borax]

...What is the best approach now?

If space is not the problem, just use your simple and obvious approach (there are several programs for it, I use dvdslideshowgui myself)

For the other possibilities:
... ANY chance that the user can control what duration the slides stay displayed
No problem if you create a 'menu' for each slide. Menus can have a duration from 1 to 255 seconds and buttons/autoactivate buttons (also invisible, if you should prefer) to go on manually.
It is also possible if you use PGCs as part of a title. You can use chapter markers to manually switch to the next slide (but chapters are limited to 99 per title), or BOV (buttons over video) for a more sophisticated navigation.
The same applies to cells, as cells are just the basis units, which are sequenced in a PGC.


What are cells, titles, chapters and PGCs:
http://www.dvd-replica.com/DVD/cell.php

[newbie_geek]

Excellent,

Thanks for that link. I have some studying to do. I will post if i am bamboozled again, but i feel like i am following you enough to be able to forge ahead on my own.

Cheers!

[handyguy]

Why not use PowerPoint? You can control lots of things that way & add videos (Haven't tried that one but someone said so).

[tinker]

Power Point is made for slide show presentation, most DVD authoring softwares are made for video with slide show as an option and limited capability.
If you still insist on DVD authoring program Nero, Roxio or more sophisticated DVD Lab.

[newbie_geek]

As a matter of fact i am already using DVD Lab Pro 2. GREAT program.

Power point is not an option for this project i am afraid.

Thanks

[borax]

Remark for DVD Lab: If you want to use the mentioned 'menu-slideshow' method, make sure that you select 'giant project' (or something like it - I don't have/use dvdlab myself, but I've read about such a setting). Otherwise DVD Lab fails sometimes with such a lot of menus...

[newbie_geek]

borax:

I have read up on the link you sent, and it sounds like PGC's should be able to do what i need.

I am about to purchase the Unofficial DVD Specifications ebook, but before i do i want to check in with you that using PGC's will allow me to loop cells for a set period of time, and then move to a transition. Or that what we are talking about is doable with enough elbowgrease.

Also, if there is a better book/resource to invest in, then i would like to get that instead.

Thanks for your help.

[handyguy]

One thing you can do is convert PowerPoint to DVD. It's kind of sucky sometimes, but an option.

[newbie_geek]

handyguy : good thought, but i am looking to do this the best way, not the easiest way

[borax]

As written above:
I don't know DVD Lab enough, therefore I'm not sure if you can 'program' it on that level. Maybe you should check this first (mediachance forum or ask another dvdlab expert here).
I'm sure it can be done with muxman. But then I would rather skip buying the Unofficial DVD Specifications book, but buy MuxMan Professional version (~ 20 USD). Then you also get access to mpucoders forum and dvd knowledge site.

[newbie_geek]

Well i have already invested in learning DVD Lab, so i will try that first. But this is not the only time i have heard muxman exhaulted, i may end up going that route.

Thanks