Very Basic Authoring Question

[Seeker47]

Here's what I'd like to be able to do on an upcoming project:

The DVD auto-loads (like any commercial DVD that you buy), going directly to a short introductory clip that plays. From there it goes straight to a menu of Clips or Episodes or Chapters, for the user to choose from. Preferably, I'd like some sort of generic procedure for this, not tied to any specific authoring program like TDA. The source program material may have come out of SHRINK, or stuff recorded on my standalone Pioneer recorder, or ______ ?

Can this be accomplished manually -- say, by setting a few "flags" somewhere with PGCEdit ? I would like this method (or methods) to be as widely applicable as possible

If there are some existing Guides here for doing this, a simple link for them would be sufficient, and much appreciated.

[Pinstripes23]

Why don't you want to use an authoring program? especially if you want to incorporate menus. It will be a lot easier to do. PGCEdit is a great prog but mostly its intended use is to manipulate already-authored dvds.

[jameshgross]

If you think there are existing guides why not search for them?

[redwudz]

If you want to do more 'manually', you might look into GUI for dvdauthor. Here's one guide: https://www.videohelp.com/~gfd/GUI_DVDauthor_eng_07.htm

Or for really basic, dvdauthor itself. It's command line driven.

[Seeker47]

Why don't you want to use an authoring program? especially if you want to incorporate menus. It will be a lot easier to do. PGCEdit is a great prog but mostly its intended use is to manipulate already-authored dvds.

It's not that I really have anything against authoring programs: I've used Nero Vision Express on a number of occasions (but I think it always re-encodes, which is often said to be a bad thing, quality-wise), and I plan to learn some better authoring software. But, for example, take a case where I've recorded some things on the Pioneer standalone, and finalized the disc. It already has menus, albeit from the limited selection of canned templates they give you. This is more of a quick 'n dirty situation, but the disc is already 90 % of the way there. In that case, would it not be just a matter of changing a flag or two with PGCedit, in order to make the disc AutoPlay like a commercial one ? I don't know, but having an Intro play before going to the menus might be a bit more involved than that . . . .

[Pinstripes23]

It's not that I really have anything against authoring programs: I've used Nero Vision Express on a number of occasions (but I think it always re-encodes, which is often said to be a bad thing, quality-wise), and I plan to learn some better authoring software.

Good authoring progs shouldn't re-encode compliant DVD elementary streams. DLP is a good one.

But, for example, take a case where I've recorded some things on the Pioneer standalone, and finalized the disc. It already has menus, albeit from the limited selection of canned templates they give you. This is more of a quick 'n dirty situation, but the disc is already 90 % of the way there. In that case, would it not be just a matter of changing a flag or two with PGCedit, in order to make the disc AutoPlay like a commercial one ? I don't know, but having an Intro play before going to the menus might be a bit more involved than that . . . .

Well I guess in this situation you could use pgcedit on the authored dvd(jump to pgc upon dvd insert).

[lordsmurf]

NeroVision isn't an authoring program. It's an all-in-one piece of crap.

Real authoring software is something like Ulead DVDWS2, Apple DVD Studio Pro, and even TDA or SVCD2DVD. Those will not alter already-compliant video streams.

[rkr1958]

I don't know, but having an Intro play before going to the menus might be a bit more involved than that . . . .

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic287694.html#1438883

PgcEdit w/TDA to make a into clip that then goes to a menu.