I need a DVR that can record without making a menu page

[khicks]

I produce a public tv show called "The MrSandman Show". The TV stations have changed the way I turn in my shows. They need the show as a DVD without menus. So when you put the DVD in the player it automatically starts playing. I know I can convert my avi to DVD without menus,using the PC which I will do with all new shows. The problem is the old shows which are on tape. I have 10 years of older show. With a DVR I put in a tape and walk away while it is recording on the DVD. The other way I have to recapture to the pc then convert to DVD then burn. Very time consuming. What would be a good DVR what will do this for me?
Thanks

[jjeff]

All Panasonic DVDRs allow you to format the disc so it will autoplay the first title. If you push MENU on your player it will still bring up a menu, but if you just put the DVD in a player it will automatically start playing.
Since it sounds like you don't need a tuner then the Panasonic EA-18 should work well for your use. It goes for <$180 from many online dealers. It's rather hard to find B&M as many DVDRs are.
Here is one place that carries the EA-18
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3921502&CatId=4672

[RowMan]

You could take the DVDs from your DVD recorder and run them through DVD Shrink in "Re-Author" mode. This will remove the menu and create an "auto-play" DVD.

[khicks]

I'm not sure if they want it auto play or the reason for no menus makes it easyer for them to take the movie off to put on there server. I'm not really sure how it works.
Thanks Jeff for your input.

[khicks]

I have read about doing that and as a last resource will probably use DVD shrink.
Thanks

[jman98]

It is insanely easy to create a DVD without a menu. In fact, I personally have found it such a bitch to create menus with the tools I use that I actually have NEVER done it. Never could get DVDAuthor or GUI for DVDAuthor working due to DLL hell. Didn't feel like fixing it. I use Scenarist exclusively and to create menus for it requires Photoshop or similar knowledge and I don't have such programs, nor do I have weeks/months to get myself to the point where I could learn to create even the simplest of menus and then import them into Scenarist. So since my DVDs are all for my use or that of family or a very very small set of friends, I just create DVDs without menus all the time. They just autoplay like you need. It's easy.

There are all kinds of reasons why they might not like menus. Menus can be screwed up and not work. It does make it a little easier to rip the contents off the DVD and copy it to a computer if you need to when there is no menu and so on.

[aedipuss]

It is insanely easy to create a DVD without a menu. In fact, I personally have found it such a bitch to create menus with the tools I use that I actually have NEVER done it. Never could get DVDAuthor or GUI for DVDAuthor working due to DLL hell. Didn't feel like fixing it. I use Scenarist exclusively and to create menus for it requires Photoshop or similar knowledge and I don't have such programs, nor do I have weeks/months to get myself to the point where I could learn to create even the simplest of menus and then import them into Scenarist. So since my DVDs are all for my use or that of family or a very very small set of friends, I just create DVDs without menus all the time. They just autoplay like you need. It's easy.

There are all kinds of reasons why they might not like menus. Menus can be screwed up and not work. It does make it a little easier to rip the contents off the DVD and copy it to a computer if you need to when there is no menu and so on.

so are you recommending a several thousand dollar program to create a standard dvd with no menu? that you don't even know how to use? i won't even ask if it's a legit copy...

[YoungGun]

DVD Shrink is the easiest and cheapest.

1) Get DVD Shrink. it's a free software you can get from the internet. Google on "download DVDShrink" Install it to your PC and run it.

2) Insert the DVD into your PC's DVD drive. DVD Shrink: choose Open Disk. it takes about 1 or 2 mins to load the DVD. In the left col., you will see folders: Menus, Movie, Etc much like Windows Explorer. Click on the Movie and you see Title2. Sometimes you see Title3, Title4... Since these are movies, their size is large compared to the Menu items, which in many cases is Title1. You can also play these on the video screen at the bottom: click a Folder name or Title and click the play button on the video. You want to save the movie portion(s) only. But if you back up at this point, it will include the menu. So we choose Re-Author.

3) On the Re-Author screen, again you have the left and the right columns. In the right col., you will see the contents on your DVD. In the Main Movie section, you will see something like Title2, or which ever your DVD has. (it could be title 1 or has more than 1 title) click and drag it over to the left col. (you can LEFT click the title name and choose Add.) You want to do this for each Title listed in the Main Movie section.

4) When all the movie Titles are added to the left column (again it could be just 1 Title), click Backup. If you have a DVD burning software on your PC (such as Nero) you can burn to a new DVD directly at this point.

[usually_quiet]

I think using DVD Shrink on the DVD-Video discs from your recorder will be the easiest way to get the required menuless DVDs.

The only way I know of to capture using a DVD recorder and not have any menus on the finalized disc, is to use the DVD-VR format for recording. However, I'm very doubtful that either you or the TV station will want to use it.

Not all DVD recorders support DVD-VR. Even then, the option to use it is often available only for some types of re-writable DVD media. In addition, most hardware and software DVD players are only designed for use with DVD-Video format and can't play the discs. The file structure used is different from DVD-Video discs. It isn't really autoplay either. The player or recorder itself usually generates a menu-like window from the infomation on the disc to display after it loads the disc.

[khicks]

Thanks for the input I have and use DVD Shrink. If there was a way to record and burn directly to the disk using a pc that would work.
I have the shows on tape and would like to get them on DVD rewith menus and not have to baby sit the process. I'll look into the Panasonic DVDR's. by the way you can check out the some of the shows on youtube.
Thanks

[usually_quiet]

If you need to preserve closed captions in the DVD copy, stick with a DVD recorder. Most of them record closed captions. However, when shopping for myself a few months ago, I found no current model consumer capture cards that could encode line-21 closed captions from an analog source in their MPEG-2 output.

I know of a couple of direct-to-disc capture programs, but I am not sure if either is going to work well for what you want to do.

Cyberlink PowerProducer can record directly to disc and claims to produce a DVD that will play in a stand-alone DVD player. There is a free trial for the software. I don't know if it produces a menu on the disc because never tried it for direct-to-DVD captures, and unfortuantely my trial period has expired.

Roxio's MyDVD has a similar direct-to-disc feature, but I don't know if the discs it makes are playable in a stand-alone DVD player, or include a menu. I didn't find a free trial for it.

[khicks]

I have been making the DVD with DVD Shrink and a few have worked and the TV station was happy. But Now somthing has happened and they have statred rejetting them. I test them when I mail them out and they work for me. Is there a sure fire way to test DVD to make sure it plays for maost players?

Spot 00029746293 was cancelled because the DVD was unreadable. Please send new media.



1 29746 PSA/ROANOKE_6 00029746293 MR.SANDMAN-HALLOWEEN I 1800 9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM 10/31/2010 12:00:00 AM Cancelled Virginia CHR042LFINS4 Cancelled

[jman98]

I wonder if you are using poor quality media and that's the real problem. In North America, only Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden media is consistently reliable and all other brands are iffy.

[RabidDog]

It would make sense to find out WHY they want DVd's with no menus.. possibly video files (xxx.mpg) just burned to a Data disk is even better for them..they are likely to be inputting them to some sort of digital production process after all.
Or maybe all shows on a Hard disk... must say, I'm salivating at the thought of some 10 year old Mr SAndman shows being aired...



With all Due Respect to your Hard work

[nic2k4]

I have been making the DVD with DVD Shrink and a few have worked and the TV station was happy. But Now somthing has happened and they have statred rejetting them. I test them when I mail them out and they work for me. Is there a sure fire way to test DVD to make sure it plays for maost players?

Spot 00029746293 was cancelled because the DVD was unreadable. Please send new media.



1 29746 PSA/ROANOKE_6 00029746293 MR.SANDMAN-HALLOWEEN I 1800 9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM 10/31/2010 12:00:00 AM Cancelled Virginia CHR042LFINS4 Cancelled

Jman makes a good point, use quality media. I would add, burn at a slower speed, I usually burn at 4X. Might also be a good idea to send at least 2 copies, if one disc is not working the other might. At least you'd save on shipping.