Easy way to set DVD to play next file instead of returning to menu?

[Calidore]

I'm currently redoing my homemade Bullwinkle DVDs because 1) Seasons 4 & 5 have finally been released after a several year wait, and 2) my last batch was done in DVD Flick (50 file per disk limit, uglier menus), and I've since found AVStoDVD to be a much better choice. My main reason for making my own DVDs is to put the serialized R & B segments together so they can be watched straight through, and also to combine the other cartoons for easier access.

However, one feature that DVD Flick had that AVStoDVD doesn't is the ability to choose whether to have the disc play the next file in order or return to the menu. AVStoDVD has Play All, but that's it. Since we're talking about potentially dozens of very short cartoons on a single disc, neither choice (manually starting each one from the menu or Play All + many-skip-forwards when restarting mid-disc) is very convenient.

So my question is, is there an easy modification I can make to the created DVD files to have the player keep playing once started, and if so, how?

Thanks!

[_Al_]

Not sure if AvstoDVD creates one VTS with multiple titles in it or lots of VTS with single title in it.

But PGCEdit will allow you to change post commands so you can link it together.

If you need to link VTS files it is more difficult, you need to link them through VMG. You cannot jump from VTS to VTS directly but PGCEdit would inform you.

[Calidore]

Thanks for the suggestion! I created a test DVD with the 39 Dudley Do-Right cartoons and looked at it in PGCEdit, but have no idea what to look for or at (even the manual mostly goes over my head). However, that did give me an idea: Reinstall DVD Flick and create another DVD with the play-next-one option enabled, and compare the two in PGCEdit to see what I need. I'll post what I find in case it helps others.

[_MrC_]

Yes, AVStoDVD does not have so far the capability to create multiple titles VTS. Probably in the future

BTW, Calidore, you have a sort of workaround: if you create DVD menu with multiple pages, each Play All button is referring to its page. It will play the titles within that page. No really need to do a tons of skip-forwards. Just few per page.



Bye

[Calidore]

Yes, AVStoDVD does not have so far the capability to create multiple titles VTS. Probably in the future

BTW, Calidore, you have a sort of workaround: if you create DVD menu with multiple pages, each Play All button is referring to its page. It will play the titles within that page. No really need to do a tons of skip-forwards. Just few per page.



Bye

Now you tell me. That's great to know, though, thanks! One clarification: Do you mean only the titles on that page, or everything from that page forward until stopped?

Also, I've created the two DVDs, and it's obvious where the differences are, but it looks to me like any changes would take lots of time and effort to make. Can someone tell me how to post screencaps in a message?

[_Al_]

it looks to me like any changes would take lots of time and effort to make

it is really easy, it is just confusing, so here is step by step:

choose first title, find post command jump to menu, change it to jump to beggining to next title, do this for each title (except last one, you keep that jump back to menu)

[Calidore]

Thanks again, both for the tip and for incidentally showing how to post a picture. I'm currently doing something even more horrifyingly difficult than editing DVD commands--trying to get a teenager to finish a history project now instead of watching anime. I'll try the DVD thing tomorrow and let you know. Very much appreciate you taking the time.

[Calidore]

Okay, to answer your question above that I missed before, on my test Dudley Do-Right DVD build, AVStoDVD does create 39 separate groups of VTS files, thus: VTS_01_0.BUP, VTS_01_0.IFO, VTS_01_1.VOB, etc. However, DVD Flick in "play the next file" mode does exactly the same thing. The structure PGCEdit shows is very different, though, as the attachments show. The first two pictures show in the right panel the "First-Play PGC" and "Title 1" lines that AVStoDVD creates, and the second two are the same as created by DVD Flick. My questions at this point would be:

1) In general, how would I use PGCEdit to go from one look to the other? For that matter, does it need to look the same, or is that just a function of the automatic creation?

2) Is there an easy batch-job way to do it? These particular DVDs I'm making will contain a total of 39 each of Dudley Do-Right and Aesop & Son, 91 each of Fractured Fairy Tales and Peabody's Improbable History, and 326 Rocky & Bullwinkle segments, plus the short Mr. Know-It-All and Bullwinkle's Corner segments and sundry other stuff. (It's an AMAZING set if you're a fan, and only $60 on Amazon). Making one-by-one changes will probably not be worth it, especially in lieu of MrC's welcome info that his "Play All" starts from the current screen rather than the beginning. However, a tutorial will still be valuable for the future (and anyone else reading this who's interested).

[_Al_]

looking at the pictures,
AVStoDVD puts each clip into separate title set, after clip is finished, it jumps to VMG , to menu where was jump made from perhaps, there is a bunch of those menus , each menu is a gate to jump to number of titlesets

DVDFlick has also the same for each clip, movie creates titleset, so both nothing like my example above (one titleset with buch of movies).
After movie clip is played it jumps to first PGC and then back to next clip, so it plays continuously perhaps, but you can hear vrrr, trrr in that pause, laser head goes from end of the clip to beginning and back to next clip - longer the further on DVD you are).
BTW. I'm not sure if it is a good idea to jump from First Play directly to title, there could be compatibility issues with some players, maybe, maybe, I heard about it, so do not take me for that. It also can jump to those VMG menus from first play PGC, I could not tell from posted image. Variable GPRM0 redistributes this, it jumps to VMG menu if GPRM0 is zero perhaps (after you start DVDall GPRM's are zero default) or perhaps higher number than number of titles.

Solution for AVStoDVD structure is to jump from the end of each title to VMG (a must, you cannot jump from titleset directly to titleset). And then you have to jump back to particular title. See how DVDFlick resolved this , first play PGC? You do the same. Third posted image of yours, but you create dummy VMG PGC and copy those codes to PRE command section, you use GPRM0 also, it seems that GPRM0 has the same purpose in both programs (also look at GPRM15), but AVStoDVD has it shifted, if it is 1 you jump to title 2 etc... You delete all end links in titlesets and replace them with one jump to that dummy PGC.

This is just deduction, I could not see all structure,just my guess , for me it sounds pretty doable, but not sure if you go through this in PGCEDIT , there might be problems along, I could not see ...

[Calidore]

I'll have to play around with that; it'll be plenty educational.

Thanks again for all your help and advice!