VCD Menu HotSpots for Mouse

[spooky]

Is there a way to create a MENU for VCD with HotSpots so you could then ( in Power DVD for example ) click on the IMAGE of say the first chapter & it will then play the first chapter, instead of using the number keys.
I have been reading all the AUTHORING section how to's but really non of them is telling me how to make that happen.
Also, say if I play this on a DVD Player, using the arrow keys instead of number keys, how can I make the ICONS highlight just like on a DVDs
Or is that even possible with VCDs?

Thanx

[kitty]

Not possible for VCDs (VCD spec is much older than the DVD spec & the old hardware wasn't that fancy).

If you want hotspots author to DVD-R (or mini-DVD which should work in the PC apps)

[adam]

Yes it is possible on VCD's, remember Hotspots are not just a feature found in dvds. They are also a feature of CDI's and VCDS support CDI functions.

XML actually supports hotspot commands so you could do this with vcdimager but authoring it by hand would be daunting, and I doubt you would be able to do much.

By far the best commercial software for this would be video pack 4.0, maybe 5 I don't know I don't use it. With vid pack 4 you can do incredibly complex menu structures all with hotspots. This program gives you lots of options in this regard, you can make the button animate when you click on it, when your mouse hovers over it, etc...

Other than that you may have to get a CDI authoring program. There are a number of freeware ones on the internet but I have never used any so I don't know how well they work or if they even can create VCDS.

These hotspot menu's will work on your pc just like a dvd will, you click on the button you want. They will also work on on a CDI player just like a dvd, you scroll through the buttons to select what you want.

Unfortunately there are few dvd players which support CDI functions, I have only ever heard of one and I can't remember what the name was. You can, however, include a hotspot button for each regular "button" on your vcd, so that it will still work correctly on both your hardware and software player.

[nailbmb]

http://www.geocities.com/mikk999/VCDStills.htm

scroll down until you see the 'buttons' topic

[vitualis]

VCD hotspots will realistically only work on CD-i players and those software DVD/VCD players that support them (not all do or do so properly). Thus, don't make them crucial for menu selection!

If there is a DVD player that supports VCD hotspots, it is a very special machine indeed. You wouldn't happen to know the model / link to that player adam?

You can make hotspots with VCDImager using the XML scripting system. I am unsure if VCDEasy or TSCV (or any other VCDImager GUI) offers a GUI way of making the hotspots. However, be reminded that you are very unlikely to make them work on a stand-alone player. As adam already stated, VideoPack 4 can make them as well.

As for arrows/cursor menu selection, that is not part of the VCD specs and is not possible to be authored in that way. However, if you have a player that supports hotspots (e.g., a CD-i player), then you can use a cursor but it is realistically a player specific function.

Regards.

[kitty]

Michael - is there a test disc using the hotspot features to test our players?

[tigerten]

i just made a small vcd using Philips VCD2.0 toolkit with clickable hot spot. it works on Windvd (intervideo). i'll have to try it out tonight on my personal Sampo DVD player. if you want feed back, i'll post it tomorrow. this is my first experience making a movie. It took me a long week to figure out how to use this toolkit. and I finally found a way to burn it on a CD with virtually any burning software, not just Gear or Winon CD. i use cloneCD and CDRWin. fantastic! If the demand is high, I may consider to write a detailed but easy to follow protocol for newbie like me.

[kitty]

If you do find an easy burn method please post and do let us know if your player likes the hotspot.

[tigerten]

good news!! the VCD I made yesterday worked on my DVD player in the way i expected. of course you can't use the mouse to click on the hot spot anymore. You can use the number keys to go through the hotspots. I followed exactly the short tutorial and used their assets. so the VCD included a Movie, Looping Movie and Slide Show. Everything worked as the author discribed in that tutorial. I'll be elaborate on the way i made it in a later time. I am still in a process to recollect all the steps i have gone through. i hope to write them down before i forget.