Sony DVD Architect 5.0 Pro problems with Next button on Remote for DVD.

[romit99]

Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum.
I have Sony DVD Architect Pro 5.0 version and I have been authoring DVDs since March. I have this problem that I am stuck with.

So basically the DVD has a menu with 6 videos and a link to sub menu 1 . The sub menu 1 contains 6 videos and a link to sub menu 2 with 2 videos. Each video is named Lesson 1 , Lesson 2 and so on.

I have done end action, menu navigation and everything that was necessary. After I insert the DVD in the player.

In the main menu I can play all the videos properly. While watching Lesson 1 if I press Next on the remote I can skip to Lesson 2 and same until Lesson 6.

Once I play Lesson 6 and try to skip to Lesson 7 (Lesson 7 which is in sub menu 1) using the "Next" Button it doesn't go to Lesson 7 but instead goes back to the main menu. I am having the same problem when I click "Next" to skip from Lesson 12 to Lesson 13 (Lesson 13 is in sub menu 3).

I am attaching 3 all the screen shots so you can understand better. I have been trying to find solution for this problem but I am unable to find anything.
Please help me out!

This is the main screen shot of how I have the menu's videos placed in Sony Architect Pro

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20956345/New%20folder%20%2815%29/page1.jpg

These are the sub menu pages -
Sub menu 1

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20956345/New%20folder%20%2815%29/energy2_submenu1.jpg

Sub menu 2

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20956345/New%20folder%20%2815%29/energy2_submenu2.jpg

Please please help me out!
Thank you very much,
Romit

[DB83]

As you discovered, you can not jump to a title that is on a different menu even if the menu page has a link to the sub-menu.

The solution:

Does Architect Pro support playlists ?

If it does then you create a playlist for each menu item. So the first video has all 13 vids in a playlist. The second has vids 2-13 and so forth.

But ask yourself if the end-user is reallly bothered - it is only one click to go to the next menu.

[_Al_]

next button cannot follow that logic that lesson6 and lesson 7 is consequent, lesson 6 is video, lesson 7 is menu, I'd even say that most DVD players might play it exactly like you want, ignoring end jump to menu while pushing next button, they'd just search for next title (lesson in your case)

you can try to create very short video title lesson 6.5 (black or colors similar or same as following menu) where the sole purpose of that title would be just to jump to the menu as it ends, but this is kind of awkward solution, some players might not agree with this anyway and this doesn't work backwards.

The playlist solution explained above is neat, better, looks kind of wild for whoever makes that DVD, but it is elegant, except you cannot jump back using next button on remote control, like you start lesson three and try to move back to lesson two. Playlists work forward alright but not backwords.

Next time, you should approach the whole thing like Hollywood pro's, do not try to come with something else, because it is counter intuitive for user or behaves like that, as in your case, you should do this :

Encode all lessons as one title, one long video, then create chapters (each lesson), main menu, where there is button play all, and lessons button that behaves like chapter menu with more pages, exactly what you already have, and then back in main menu you can throw one more button for some weird things or bonus, your credits.
You can always create playlists with only one lesson if you want to play only one chapter calling from the menu but to return to the same menu and to highlight same button to not confuse user. So you see user can use next to jump to next lesson but at the same time after lesson is finished it jumps back to menu, it is quite logical, because he had play all chance in the main menu and he did not use it.

[romit99]

Thank you very much guys, I am re-doing the whole DVD using the way Mr _AI_ Suggested creating a complete movie instead of having separate videos. I have now created a complete movie and added chapter markers. I can also click on Next and Previous and it all works great. My only problem now is when I am watching chapter 3 for example and when I click stop, it doesn't go to the menu page for some weird reason. It goes back to the menu page only after the last video is complete. I am attaching the screen shots of the new way I have it done

This is the current way I have it! Thanks a lot guys! You are very helpful! I really appreciate it!

Page 1 - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20956345/page1.jpg

Page 2 - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20956345/page2.jpg


Thanks!

[DB83]

It's not a weird reason. it's the way that chapters usually work.

A chapter is an entry pointin to a specific part of a video. It's exit point usually points to the net chapter. 'Stop' would never go to the menu. At best it would leave playback in limbo. What happens if you hit the 'menu' button ?

[romit99]

Wow! I didn't really see that!!! The menu button works perfect!! Awesome!! Thank you so much!! So this is the solution right. I am not doing anything wrong is that true? Sorry this is my first time trying to do this method!!

[DB83]

it's A solution.

Of couse I am prejudice and prefer a playlist method

[romit99]

haha! Thank you very much! I am trying to do this since morning and my I almost gave up! Thanks once again!

[_Al_]

You still do not have main menu just chapter menus, so you still do not keep that Hollywood navigation 100%, this could always throw user off, looking for some bonus or extra .

That playlist method can be done also, just using chapter playlist. But Architect has its own logic and engineering , nothing like other DVD authoring programs, you do that differently. DVD Architect is using something like virtual titles, or how to call it, more closely how it actually works with DVD's and using IN and OUT markers, so button can be pointed to different virtual movies.

It goes like this (I tested it long time ago, hopefully I remember this correctly):
I copied movie or better say title (do not remember how perhaps simple copy and paste), you do not create another movie, it is virtual movie, it is going to be stored on DVD only once. I edited that copied title with IN and OUT points on its timeline and then that copied title is linked, and create chapters on that virtual movie timeline also. You can create like that many virtual titles and each one of them with different chapters! Something very unusual and powerful, I think not many people knows about that feature. Really unique among DVD authoring programs.

[romit99]

wow, that's cool, I was trying to find how to use IN and OUT but I could not find how to use it. When I used it once I could have only 1 part and I didn't really know how to copy paste or duplicate the whole time line like you do in after effects or some editing softwares. The person for whom I am doing the DVD wants the menu's to look like this (Like a tutorial / how to do experiments) I wish there was a tutorial out there on how to use IN and OUT on youtube. I also tried looking on youtube videos but could not find it

[_Al_]

IN point just marks START of that title on timeline, OUT point marks the end, nothing else, if you link that title on some button and test DVD, it starts end ends where you put those IN and OUT markers.

Point of this is, that you can create virtual title and mark IN on beginning of lesson 2 and OUT at the end of lesson 2 , link it in the menu and ONLY lesson 2 is being played. This way you can play each chapter separately. Or you can play any part of video with its own chapters created out of that one long movie. Just to elaborate DB83 playlist solutions, to show you that even in DVD Architect it can be done simply like that and having only one long movie created. You can created lots of those virtual titles out of one title.

[romit99]

Got it! I am going to give it a try! it sounds interesting and its probably easier to do. I thought it was too complicated but the way you explained it sounds easy! I'll give it a go and let you know! Thank you so much!

[_Al_]

You do not have to fix you DVD like that that was just elaborations on "chapter playlist" solution. Your DVD seems to be working the way you want.

If I was creating it I'd have main menu with play all button, chapter menus button, bonus button, credit button ...

So play all would play all, and buttons in those chapter menus COULD be pointed to those virtual lessons, where just one lesson would be played and of course you'd need to return from that lesson to the same menu with same button highlighted. You might not want to do it that way or whoever has to say like things should run on that DVD. Maybe DVD Architect has even something that is called chapter playlist function directly already, not like I checked years back. Even though I'd bet it would be called differently, 'cuz as I said DVD Architect is kind of unique and uses different approach, terminology for solutions.