Easiest way to create a dvd structure with menus from a folder of video

[wcndave2]

I have looked for a way to just take a folder of 20 files and create a simple menu'd dvd structure for them where each file has a menu link, and found 2 tools suggested that are still around today.

I actually have hires mts files I want to use.

BD2AVCHD lets me add files, however each one is put in a queue, and they're not joined with a menu system or chapters.
tsMuxeR lets me join files, however has one options for chapter every 5 mins, or custom chapters which isn't reading the files or anything, it's just a blan kbox.

Is there an easier and more updated tool to do this easily?
It's just for archiving purposes where I can play them say from Kodi where a dvd is preferable to lots of individual files that my setup doesn't like so much.

[smrpix]

AVS2DVD if you're actually making a DVD as stated.

But from your details it sounds as if maybe you're trying to make a Blu Ray.

[wcndave2]

AVS2DVD if you're actually making a DVD as stated.

But from your details it sounds as if maybe you're trying to make a Blu Ray.

I have 4k quality files, but I only want to create a navigable container for them.
They will never see an actual disc....

So the menu is just a list of all the files at the end, and the files can moved without any actual conversion...

Of course this may not be possible, but it seemed the "add 10 files to DVD and create a chapter/menu item for each one" which have been a use case over the years.

One reason I was not so keen on AVS2DVD is that it had one update in 5 years.... I prefer to add things to workflow that are actively managed where possible.
I will check it out in a VM though!

Thanks

[usually_quiet]

I don't think renaming UHD mts files so they appear to be VOB files is going to fool DVD player software. As far as I know, DVD player software needs a proper DVD file and folder structure, including compliant VOB files as the container for video and audio.

Maybe this thread could be useful to you: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/409254-Creating-4k-UHD-Blu-Ray-Discs-%28With-Menu%...-Free-Software

[Cornucopia]

@usually_quiet is correct. Enhanced media players notwithstanding, DVD player apps and hardware understand only
1. SD resolution,
2. Root\VOB folder structure in a UDF1.02 bridge format filesystem (for video-based format),
3. VOB (aka superset of MPEG2 Program Stream) media container format and IFO navigation container format, and
4. Mpeg1, mpeg2 video streams, Ac3/Dts/mp2/LPCM audio streams.
There are more particulars and restrictions (<1GB/file segment, bitrate limitations...), but that is the core that must be adhered to.

If you want something playable in those players, you must convert your stuff to be compatible. Same paradigm holds true for BD, 3DBD, UHDBD formats. Yes, there can occasionally be exceptions or bending of those rules, but straying from the path of compatibility is also in great risk of straying from the path of universal playability.

If all you want is a simple menu to play with existing files on a computer, there are scores of apps that can auto generate HTML pages with links to playable files, then it is simply up to having a browser, and having apps that can play the files, designated as their defaults. Nearly every computer can already do this. You can even do playlists with media metafiles (e.g. ASX) and have menu links for them.

Scott

[usually_quiet]

It looks like Kodi supports playlists of some sort although I don't know how close they are to what wcndave2 is looking for.

[wcndave2]

Hi, sorry all, I had hoped there was a dvd authoring tool that auto creates chapters/titles and menu for them based on the files you add.

The types of thinking you're doing now requires that I actually explain myself properly....

I am using Kodi in a manner where each movie is in a folder with the video_ts structure, and each BR the same.
If I have a "bonus disc", then I create a movie set, so that when you access say "Highlander", you get one option for film and one for bonus disc.
If you have 2 films and a bonus, you'd see them all: Highlander 1, Highlander 1 Bonus Disc, Highlander 3.
Because the settings for the data scraping are "local files only" (I use TinyMediaManager to create metadata), and each folder contains a movie etc... I cannot have it browser a folder full of files...

For home movies and music videos and so on, I use a different scraping/metadata method, and it browses it like files.
However I have some extras for movies, that are in say 20 different files.
I want to see when I go to Highlander, that there is now: Highlander, Highlander Bonus Disc, Highlander Extras, Highlander 4
And then pick and navigate what I want.

As I can't mix the structures, I thought I would just add them all to a "DVD" (even though sometimes the material is 4k), but then discovered that I have 20 x 2 min files with no menu system and no chapters....

Hence the original post!

Hope that makes more sense now. I am not that fussed really about quality etc, just want to bundle them into a single navigable disc.

[Cornucopia]

OK, so for that I would try some combination of:

1. Kodi-scrape & create so you have MORE than you need (you've probably already done this), backup the kodi database just in case
2. Kodi-export nfo files
3. Text editor/Media Manager-custom fix the movies/folders' nfos that don't nicely follow the scrape rules (possibly creating playlist files to combine segments), save
4. Kodi-reimport the nfo files to recreate the database with original unfixed material of other stuff + fixed material of custom stuff
5. Kodi-change your scrape rules/parameters to ignore those custom ones from here on out
6. enjoy! (and make a 2nd, alternate backup)

I see Kodi site also mentions how to work with "split" video files. Not sure if that is how you are wanting to organize your stuff since you mentioned keeping the DVD/BD structures.
I expected to see Kodi already supporting .ASX playlist metafiles, and am surprised to see it doesn't. Shame.

I don't use Kodi much anymore, so not the best to guide here.


Scott

[usually_quiet]

Hi, sorry all, I had hoped there was a dvd authoring tool that auto creates chapters/titles and menu for them based on the files you add.

The types of thinking you're doing now requires that I actually explain myself properly....

I am using Kodi in a manner where each movie is in a folder with the video_ts structure, and each BR the same.
If I have a "bonus disc", then I create a movie set, so that when you access say "Highlander", you get one option for film and one for bonus disc.
If you have 2 films and a bonus, you'd see them all: Highlander 1, Highlander 1 Bonus Disc, Highlander 3.
Because the settings for the data scraping are "local files only" (I use TinyMediaManager to create metadata), and each folder contains a movie etc... I cannot have it browser a folder full of files...

For home movies and music videos and so on, I use a different scraping/metadata method, and it browses it like files.
However I have some extras for movies, that are in say 20 different files.
I want to see when I go to Highlander, that there is now: Highlander, Highlander Bonus Disc, Highlander Extras, Highlander 4
And then pick and navigate what I want.

As I can't mix the structures, I thought I would just add them all to a "DVD" (even though sometimes the material is 4k), but then discovered that I have 20 x 2 min files with no menu system and no chapters....

Hence the original post!

Hope that makes more sense now. I am not that fussed really about quality etc, just want to bundle them into a single navigable disc.

Thanks for clarifying the problem. Sadly, I am not going to be any help at all. I tried Kodi a few years ago and didn't get very far with it before I decided that NextPVR was an easier option to use for turning my HTPC into a poor man's TiVo.

[wcndave2]

OK, so for that I would try some combination of:
...
I don't use Kodi much anymore, so not the best to guide here.


Scott

Thanks, I will have a look again at what I can do with Kodi, however I came here because I couldn't do anything, can't scrape multiple files into a single playlist that Kodi sees as a movie (at least not easy enough to add to my workflow), so wanted a tool that creates takes 5 files and creates 5 chapter disc. I will have another go though!

Thanks for clarifying the problem. Sadly, I am not going to be any help at all. I tried Kodi a few years ago and didn't get very far with it before I decided that NextPVR was an easier option to use for turning my HTPC into a poor man's TiVo.

That's ok, thanks for trying to help. FWIW I am not doing any recording, it's literally to play all my media and also home videos and photos.. it works really well, with separation for kids as well, just not set up for a "movie" made up of 20 files.... thanks again!

[usually_quiet]

I guess that you tried asking for help at other forums such as https://forum.kodi.tv/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/kodi/ or https://www.avsforum.com/ (in the Home Theater Computers subforum) and didn't get any useful advice?

[wcndave2]

I guess that you tried asking for help at other forums such as https://forum.kodi.tv/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/kodi/ or https://www.avsforum.com/ (in the Home Theater Computers subforum) and didn't get any useful advice?

I will do that next.
My thinking was that I have a good and simple setup and workflow where movies are one per folder, and therefore I need to create a single "disc" for extras.
I had thought it would be easy. I used to author DVDs but it was quite a pain back in the day. I do recall my old Sony DVD writer would create a menu for each item, but that's long gone...

Given it's not so easy, next simplest thing to do, is create a fake disc (nfo) which has a description saying "files are on NAS at movies/Highlander (1986)/Extras" or something like that. The use case is rare enough that it's not worth any real effort - I had just hoped a quick "write files with menu" existed.

Thanks again for your responses, appreciate it!