VCD Menu from still image

[glitch13]

im wanting to use a still image i made as a menu background for my vcd. I made the image, and loaded it into TMPGEnc and converted it to a mpg and loaded everthing setup correctly in EZ CD Creator's vcd thingy. it all works except when i view the preview thing to see what it will look like, the menu image just blinks on and off over and over. im presuming this is because i converted a still image to a mpg and its looping the mpg inturn blinking every time it loops.

how do i make a still image my background with out this?

(ps i never tried burning it to see if the vcd would be like that, didn't want to make any coasters)

[vitualis]

Easy CD Creator doesn't support still images as menus.

In any case, you can't just encode an mpeg in this fashion and use it as a still image mpeg either.

Regard.

[Cardosi]

Sorry Vitualis but i couldn´t agree.


I´m using all the time still images encoded as mpeg in
tmpgenc, about 2 seconds (and it prevents
unauthorized CD IMAGE COPY TOO, yeahhh) and works perfectly.


What happens with EZ CD? It just loop your file exactly as you want
but don´t be afraid, when VCD plays at DVD or PC the still image
just stay freeze after 1st play, no jumpings.

Glitch 13, just burn your VCD and enjoy.


Cardosi

[MarioB79]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
I´m using all the time still images encoded as mpeg in
tmpgenc, about 2 seconds and works perfectly.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

It works somewhere...but somewhere not. It's not standard.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
(and it prevents unauthorized CD IMAGE COPY TOO, yeahhh)
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

What 2 u mean?

Bye, Mario

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: MarioB79 on 2001-09-03 05:08:04 ]</font>

[vitualis]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-03 04:31:06, Cardosi wrote:
Sorry Vitualis but i couldn´t agree.


I´m using all the time still images encoded as mpeg in
tmpgenc, about 2 seconds (and it prevents
unauthorized CD IMAGE COPY TOO, yeahhh) and works perfectly.


What happens with EZ CD? It just loop your file exactly as you want
but don´t be afraid, when VCD plays at DVD or PC the still image
just stay freeze after 1st play, no jumpings.

Glitch 13, just burn your VCD and enjoy.


Cardosi
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

This is not standard -- and won't work on all players.

VCD2.0 supports proper high resolution MPEG still images. EZ CD doesn't support these.

Also, you cannot encode them with TMPGEnc (unless you use the hex editing trick to change the header).

A proper hi-res still image in VCD2.0 only has one frame. It will play in ALL VCD2.0 compatible players. A hi-res frame (just encoded with TMPGEnc without the hex edit) or short video sequence WILL NOT play in many players as you are essentially creating a hi-res XVCD clip.

VCDImager supports the usage of REAL hi-res mpeg stills. One of the new GUIs (TSCV) supports the encoding of the still images and automatically does the hex edit. A few other proggies will actually encode the stills properly.

I've written on this topic many many times. If you search the forums, you will find much more info.

Regards.

_________________
Michael Tam

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: vitualis on 2001-09-03 05:21:02 ]</font>

[Cardosi]

MarioB79

Standard

Since as standard VCD 1.0 support, EZCD and others authoring programs
more recently, a menu background that you can configure how many times or a
infine loop, there´s no reason to believe it works somewhere only.

Think about it: Why the standard discuss about chapters if you don´t have
a method to select them?

I don´t know other than Philips devices that follows this standard so
seriously, and all such things work fine. I have a theory: The standard
was not implemented correctly on some stand alone players.

Image Protection

Just do a experience: EZCD doens´t support a image file from CD when it
have a .dat under 4 seconds. This topic was discussed in other message
boards. You can still convert each one of .dat files on cd to mpeg, but
have to encode again to build a new VCD. People like us know how to
by-pass but most no.


Thanks Michael, i believe in your words and knowledgement about
this matter, but i didn´t experienced any problems.

Regards

Cardosi

[vitualis]

Cardosi,

I don't doubt that you've gotten Easy CD Creator menus to work. I've gotten them to work too.

However, Easy CD Creator doesn't support MPEG still images in the true sense.

Regards.

[TOMMO]

I am all for a simple life.

Find a short audio sample in CD Audio format. Make sure you fade it out at the end in an audio editor. Make sure it sounds good in a loop.

Add your still image to your encoder - like TEMPEnc, then add your audio file to the audio source. ( make sure your image profile is correct).

Encode as MPEG

Add to EZCD as menu and tell it to loop.

[BIGTHREE2001]

TRY NERO M8, IT S ACE FOR MENU S
YOU CAN LOAD ANY PICTURE IN YOU LIKE
WITHOUT HAVING TO FIRST CONVERT IT..DEAD EASY
UNLIKE EASY CD WHICH IS NOT AS THE NAME SAYS!!!

[vitualis]

A point of note: Nero does not correctly author still menus and they do not work on some stand-alone players and most software players.

If you VCDXRIP an image created by Nero, you'll see exactly what's wrong.

Regards.

[drhickman]

Does this mean I'm doomed to failure in trying to create a hi-res still image slide show with just one sound file playing throughout? (I don't want to tediously create individual sound clips for each image). Nero 5.5 creates nice hi-res slide shows, easy to do, but no sound. I tried VCDGEAR to convert Nero .nrg image file back to mpg, but TMPGEnc doesn't recognize the mpg. If it would have, I could have added one sound clip to the whole show. No dice. HOW CAN I DO THIS???

don Hickman

[BIGTHREE2001]

WELL I HAVE TO DISAGREE VITUALIS, NERO HAS ALWAYS WORKED PERFECTLY WELL FOR ME
AND THEY PLAY ON MY STANDALONE PLAYER...

[Vejita-sama]

Nero is hit and miss when it comes to these things (esp for MPEG2 stuff). For menu's I use TSVC (www.ttool.org) it's a VERY VERY nice program (still in beta stage thou).

Read the online guides and you should be able to figure it out. You can make still menus, motion menus, etc. Up to 9 levels of menus. Plus you can add seamless chapters, intro/exit movies, etc. etc.

There's also a forum at the site for questions.

[vitualis]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-05 17:28:20, BIGTHREE2001 wrote:
WELL I HAVE TO DISAGREE VITUALIS, NERO HAS ALWAYS WORKED PERFECTLY WELL FOR ME
AND THEY PLAY ON MY STANDALONE PLAYER...
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Firstly, is it necessary for you to type with CAPS LOCK on?

Secondly, it is irrelevant that it worked for you. I said that it doesn't work on SOME (which doesn't equal ALL) stand-alone players.

Thirdly, this problem has been teased out months ago. Nero CONSISTENTLY incorrectly authors the PBC for still menus. It authors a still menu by getting it to loop indefinitely. This is the INCORRECT method of doing it. The CORRECT way is for it to play the still image once and then pause for a given time.

The original reason why this was investigated was because there were plenty of posts asking why Nero made menus didn't work on software DVD players. Also, there are some reports that Nero made menus work erratically on some hardware players too (e.g., inability to go beyond the first menu screen).

Someone eventually posted a VCDXRIP'ed XML of a Nero image and it then became obvious where the problem was. Nero has a bug in its authoring of still menus.

Nero, however, correctly encodes the hi-res still mpeg. Thus, if you want to create your own VCDs but you still mpegs as menus, you can create a Nero image with the pictures you want, write a NGR image, and then use VCDXRIP to extract all the files.

You can then use the Nero encoded still images in your VCDImager projects.

Regards.

[digvid]

The following methods work for me when I want to create a compliant VCD or SVCD mpeg still:

Nero Method:
1) Create a very short mpeg video and name it "Dummy.mpg"
2) Load this in an (S)VCD project in Nero
3) Drag-and-drop your still images into Nero
4) Choose "Image Write" as your burner
5) Burn to a file on your hard drive
6) Use VCDImager "vcdxrip" to extract the stills
7) Run VCDImager "vcdxminfo --generic-info" to verify stills

I-Author Method:
1) Encode your still images as *video only* in TMPGEnc
2) Rename the resulting files to have a .vbs ending
3) Load the .vbs file in I-Author multiplexer
4) Choose lo-res still for svcd, lo-res or hi-res for svd
5) Rename the resulting file to have a .mpg ending
6) Run VCDImager "vcdxminfo --generic-info" to verify files

- digvid