Chapter Titles, "First-Play Video", etc.

[me]

Trying out DWS2, WinXP Pro SP1.

I created a DVD out of one video. Only one title, therefore no title menu.

I did create chapters and a chapter menu, however.

Being that most viewers will probably not be interested in the chapter menu, I do not wish the video to start with the menu. I'd like the video to just start automatically. If someone is interested in the chapter menu, they can press the Menu button on their remote control, to see the chapter menu.

Unfortunately, I have not yet figured out how to set it up that way.

With my one clip highlighted, if I click "set as first-play video", that will make the video start right away without going to the menu. However, it doubles the clip! The one title then appears twice, and the file size is doubled, too large to fit on a DVD.

If I then delete the second of the two clips, I've lost the chapter menu!

So--this setting of "set as first-play video" does not seem to be a viable option for this project.

The thing I have found so far that comes closest to what I describe above is the following: set the (still) menu to only play for 1 second, then automatically go to the first chapter. Then the viewer will see the menu for one second first, before automatically starting the video. A couple of problems with this though--1) I'd still prefer if the video started right away, without going to the menu at all, leaving the chapter menu only as an option for those who might want to use it. and---

2) Doing that procedure (paragraph above) also means that when someone manually goes to the menu, because they wish to go to a particular chapter, the menu will also only last for one second, perhaps not giving then enough time to use it.

I would think that there must be a way to set it up the way I wish, but I haven't yet figured that out. Could anyone help with this?

Thank you.

[GeorgeW]

Have your first MENU be a "Dummy" menu with an invisible auto-activate button after 1-second.

The auto-activate button's PLAYLIST should play the Main Title, then go to the Regular Menu.

[me]

Have your first MENU be a "Dummy" menu with an invisible auto-activate button after 1-second.

The auto-activate button's PLAYLIST should play the Main Title, then go to the Regular Menu.

Thank you for your response.

I'm not sure I understand it, though. Do you mean create a second menu ("dummy"), set that up to be the menu that opens at the beginning, but only for one second? If so, wouldn't it be that menu that opens up also, if someone presses the Menu key on their remote,and wishes to use the real chapter menu?

How would I set it up so that it is the "dummy" menu that opens at the beginning, going automatically to the video after one second, yet the real chapter menu opens up (without a time limitation) if the viewer presses the menu button?

Is Ulead aware of this problem? One shouldn't have to use a work-around like that. One should be able to have the video start automatically (without a menu), yet have a menu available if the viewer wishes to use it. (In fact, many commercial DVDs are like that.) I hope they are working on a fix for this "bug".

[GeorgeW]

Unfortuntely, I don't know of a way to do what you want within DWS2.x.

DWS 2.x is almost 2 years old now, and there have been features like this that have come up that should be included in future updates to DVD Workshop.

Ulead's other Authoring application that was released earlier this year has an option to play all titles before the menu (DVD MovieFactory 4.0). So I would think they would incorporate that option into future updates to DVD Workshop.

[me]

Unfortuntely, I don't know of a way to do what you want within DWS2.x.

DWS 2.x is almost 2 years old now, and there have been features like this that have come up that should be included in future updates to DVD Workshop.

Ulead's other Authoring application that was released earlier this year has an option to play all titles before the menu (DVD MovieFactory 4.0). So I would think they would incorporate that option into future updates to DVD Workshop.

I wonder why they haven't updated DWS in two years? It is supposed to be a more advanced authoring application than DVDMF, no?

In DVDMF though, I found one cannot create a chapter menu without having a title menu, right? (Not really the right forum for questions about DVDMF, but since you mentioned it.....) With only one title, no use for a title menu, I only wanted a chapter menu. Is that possible in DVDMF?

Back to the work-around you mentioned (DWS) in your first response--could you elaborate some more on that? (See my questions about it in previous post.)

Thank you.

[GeorgeW]

Yes, DMF 4.0 DC allows you to only have a Chapter Menu (i.e. you can set it up so that there is no Title Menu).

Regarding the workaround, I don't think it will work for you because you want to be able to press the MENU button and have it go to the Chapter Menu. But if you let it play through, it will play the Title First, then move on to the Chapter Menu.

Your first menu would be a blank menu (black background with an invisible button). The duration of the menu could be 1 second, and the Playlist for that invisible auto-activate button would play your Title, and then play the Chapter Menu. But like you said, if you hit the MENU button on the remote, it will only go back to the dummy menu.

[me]

Yes, DMF 4.0 DC allows you to only have a Chapter Menu (i.e. you can set it up so that there is no Title Menu).

Thanks, George.

Yes, I've now figured out how to create a Chpater Menu in DVDMF4, without a title menu, and to have the video start first, without going to the menu.

One minor quibble though. When I set it up that way, the menu still starts automatically, at the end, after the video.

Isn't there a way to set it so that the menu does not start automatically at all? The chapter menu is there if someone wants to access iit manually, but for those not interested in it, it doesn't show itself?

Certainly a menu auto-play at the end is less obtrusive in this regard than one at the beginning, but one really should be able to set it so that the menu does not automatically play at all, but is accessible to those who wish to access it manually. Most commercial DVDs are like that, no? Most viewers are interested only in seeing the movie straight through, would not want to be bothered by a menu. But the menu is there, for those who wish to go to a particular scene, view extra content, etc.

Anyhow, if that's not possible, I hope someone from Ulead is reading, and will add that capability to updates of all their products, to specify that a menu not auto-play at all, at beginning or end or anywhere else, while still being accessible manually. I assume that would not be a difficult capability to add.

Hopefully, though, it is possible now in DVDMF, and I just haven't figured out how to do that yet. If so, I would greatly appreciate someone telling me how to set it up that way.

Thank you.

[GeorgeW]

What do you want to happen at the end of playback? If you want it to continuously loop, then:

In DWS2.x you can set it to LOOP by adding a Start/End Loop in a Button's Playlist.

In DMF 4.0 you can tell it to auto-repeat -- it's one of the options in that popup window that lets you tell it to play all titles before the menu...

[sjj1805]

I have another workaround.

1. Create a 'Normal' Menu Driven DVD.
2. 'Burn' it to your hard drive.
3. Now use PGCEdit (Program Control Edit) its FREE
http://home.tiscali.be/debie.roland/pgcedit/

Details instructions on how to use PGCEdit are found here
http://jean.laroche.free.fr/

[me]

What do you want to happen at the end of playback? If you want it to continuously loop, then:

In DWS2.x you can set it to LOOP by adding a Start/End Loop in a Button's Playlist.

In DMF 4.0 you can tell it to auto-repeat -- it's one of the options in that popup window that lets you tell it to play all titles before the menu...

Nope, I don't want it to auto-repeat. I just want it to end. Pretty normal way to end, if you ask me. I'd prefer that it not go to the menu, just end. Those who want to access the menu can do so, via the menu key.

[me]

I have another workaround.

1. Create a 'Normal' Menu Driven DVD.
2. 'Burn' it to your hard drive.
3. Now use PGCEdit (Program Control Edit) its FREE
http://home.tiscali.be/debie.roland/pgcedit/

Details instructions on how to use PGCEdit are found here
http://jean.laroche.free.fr/

Thanks for the info. In looking at the guide though, it looks like a very complicated lengthy procedure, for what could be a simple choice in the DVD authoring program (DWS or DVDMF in this case). I might try it, or might just leave the menu auto-play at the end.

I hope Ulead gets this message--the fact that someone creates a menu, does not mean they want it to play automatically, at the beginning or the end of the movie. It's there to be accessed if desired, but the DVD creator might not want the menu to play automatically at all. That should be a simple choice to add, I hope Ulead is listening.

[sjj1805]

It's not as complicated as it sounds and I usually manage to go through the process in a couple of minutes. Worth a try and also its a handy piece of arsenal to add to your software collection.

[GeorgeW]

I agree with sjj1805 -- pgcedit is a great tool to add to your authoring toolkit -- no matter what Authoring software you use...