DVD Authoring, create submenu during playback

[Crazya]

Hello-
I'm new. I used to use FCP and all the Mac DVD authoring software, but now I purchased a Windows computer and I'm trying to relearn the basics of video editing and DVD creating.
I have a large project in mind for home videos. I want to create DVDs that have an "additional content" type of button appear during playback that can be selected to jump to other pictures or text (old emails, documents - I realize that DVDs cannot read documents; they will have to be converted to an image or make a scrolling text or something) that can be read on the TV, and then jump back to the original video.
I have subscribed to the Adobe Creative Suite, and I see there is no DVD authoring software included. Someone suggested Pegasys, but I've not used it before.
Is there a DVD authoring software that can do what I want it to do?
Thank you for your help.
Eric

[Swedaniel]

Yea they do excist, a few people that had been doing such dvds gave me an minor tour in their dvd collections and had such stuff, i dont remember the names of the softwares but it was several different...

Edit: They said they had found them on the internet and that they was competely free to use and all they had to do was to drag and drop the movies, images, document into this program and click burn! The only name i remember that had menus with videos, i dont remember any documents and such was some sort of DivX software.. One software it was even possible to replace the program brand/logo with your own brand/logo in the menus and such things!

Maybe Nero have something usefull!

[Crazya]

Thanks a lot for your help and comments! I'll keep searching the interwebs and see what I can find. I'm glad to know they are out there, anyway.
I apprecaite it!

[Swedaniel]

Thanks a lot for your help and comments! I'll keep searching the interwebs and see what I can find. I'm glad to know they are out there, anyway.
I apprecaite it!

Yeah there are many different im sure! Wasnt so easy to remember the names since the only one i was familiar with was DivX! The ones who got an hold of those programs probably stuffed them somewhere on an usb stick or backup hdd, maybe busy watching tv shows but they must be somewhere around to share some names of the programs! They were really cool ones that they had made some of the stuff themselfs and put on the menus!

[Crazya]

Sounds great. I hope someone comments that has done that before. I have an old mac that still has FCP and DVD Studio Pro on it. I think I'm going to use Premier for all the video editing and then just shoot everything over to Studio Pro to create the DVDs. I don't know if Studio Pro can do what I want, but for now, at least, I don't need to purchase a new program. Thank you for your help. I'll check out DivX... never used it before but maybe it's the way to go.

[usually_quiet]

Sounds great. I hope someone comments that has done that before. I have an old mac that still has FCP and DVD Studio Pro on it. I think I'm going to use Premier for all the video editing and then just shoot everything over to Studio Pro to create the DVDs. I don't know if Studio Pro can do what I want, but for now, at least, I don't need to purchase a new program. Thank you for your help. I'll check out DivX... never used it before but maybe it's the way to go.

DivX is a video codec that enjoyed great popularity at one time. It is incompatible with DVD video discs but the owners of DivX created a program called DivX Author to add advanced features to their creation such as menus and chapters. The new and improved DivX never really took off. I am not sure what can be used to play the enhanced version of DivX these days.

[Swedaniel]

Sounds great. I hope someone comments that has done that before. I have an old mac that still has FCP and DVD Studio Pro on it. I think I'm going to use Premier for all the video editing and then just shoot everything over to Studio Pro to create the DVDs. I don't know if Studio Pro can do what I want, but for now, at least, I don't need to purchase a new program. Thank you for your help. I'll check out DivX... never used it before but maybe it's the way to go.

Ill try find them and ask them! i think some of the programs was some sort of 'give aways' during some sort of events from the school years.. basicly if going to an soft air gun "education" and tour and they had learned of weapon licenses and all of this, they got free version installers from paid programs and allso the owners to theese companies have "employee" installers, basicly an free installer with extra features and allso built into the programs is key generators that can create legal 100% free product keys for them to give away as they feel like!

[DB83]

Whilst I seem to recall an actual dvd (or more) that showed an 'extra' button at some point in the playback of the main content, this is hardly a simple task.

1. The playback requires to know when to shown the button. Or not show it if the prescribed selection time has elapsed. And ferther to that one has to program the button to recognise the selection since it is assumed that you are watching on a standard player rather than on a PC with a mouse which can go to the button much quicker than otherwise.


2. The playback needs to know where to resume the playback either from the end of the 'extra' or by aborting it.


All that being said, it is quite possible. By basic authoring/software ? Hardly. One would have to control both the stream (or a chapter) and when to show the button. Provide a 'Jump' to the extra content and back to main content. All that requires scripting of the content and only certain software provides for that. DVD Lab Pro might do it and software that studios use such as Scenarist probably will (cost of which will inhibit even the most ardent amatuer)


All that being said, if one reverses the process. Provide a formal sub-menu to show the extra and then link to the specific content that can be achieved relatively easy and with most authoring tools.

[usually_quiet]

Hello-
I have a large project in mind for home videos. I want to create DVDs that have an "additional content" type of button appear during playback that can be selected to jump to other pictures or text (old emails, documents - I realize that DVDs cannot read documents; they will have to be converted to an image or make a scrolling text or something) that can be read on the TV, and then jump back to the original video.

The feature you are looking for is called BOV (Buttons Over Video). I have never tried it but the Windows program DVD-lab PRO (not free) supports this feature. I can't tell you whether or not Studio Pro supports it.

[DB83]

^^ Indeed. But I always thought that BOV applied to a menu - static or video - where one saw the (selection) button over the content and not one that appears during the playback.

[Cornucopia]

You can do it (BoV) if you are careful with your placement at precisely a chapter edit point which is also the start of a new closed gop. I have done these more than a few times using DVDMaestro & Scenarist, and know it can also be done with DVD Studio Pro (which I have long suspected was a port from their acquisition and killing of Maestro), and probably DVD Architect and Encore, and possibly DVD Lab Pro as was mentioned.

None of those are easy to work with unless you are quite familiar with DVD navigational structure and logic. Most of those are hard to find, $$, and long gone now. Your best bet is probably DVD Lab Pro.


Scott

[usually_quiet]

^^ Indeed. But I always thought that BOV applied to a menu - static or video - where one saw the (selection) button over the content and not one that appears during the playback.

DVD-Lab Pro's website has a web page with instructions about how to use this feature at https://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/helppro2/index.html?video_buttons.htm Based on my reading of this page, it appears DVD-Lab Pro has not restricted the use of this feature to menus.

[DB83]

^^ I stand corrected. Quite a cool implementation to provide for this via a subtitle track.

But dvd lab pro (if you can get it) is by no means a free program.

[usually_quiet]

^^ I stand corrected. Quite a cool implementation to provide for this via a subtitle track.

I think it has to do with the button highlights.

[usually_quiet]

But dvd lab pro (if you can get it) is by no means a free program.

They are selling DVD Lab Pro2 now. There is a link to buy it at https://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html It is $90.00 (US).