Software for DVD menu

[busterbrown]

I've never used any authoring software so I'm a complete novice.

What I'd like to do is add a simple menu to my DVD's that have 2 or more "segments"....ie (4) 30 minute tv shows for example.

Just a simple numeric and text screen at the start of the disc that will let me scroll with the remote and select the episode I want to watch.

Beyond that, I don't have any desire (right now) for anything else, so I was wondering if anyone could reccomend some basic, user friendly software that would do this for me. The best choice to get up and running and to do this simple menu creation.

I don't need any burning capabilities (I have Nero6 installed) or want anything that would conflict with the DVD shrink I have installed as well.

Thank you

[setarip]

"TMPGEnc DVD Author" (Different than "TMPGEnc" and "TMPGEncPlus")...

[reboot]

Nerovision Express. If you already own Nero (with valid license key) go to nero.com and get the upgrade package free.

[busterbrown]

No kidding....that's great....because I just checked and I already have that installed (part of the Ultra package I guess).

I'm going to look at it later but let me ask....

My goal is to do this simple menu and somehow add it to my DVD shrink files before burning with Nero.

The only time I want a menu is when I'm recording a series of half hour TV shows, like 4 or 5 on a disc.

I always reauthor in DVD shrink which loses the menu function and I can't do a straight backup because there are are usually 6 to 7 episodes on the original disc......so when I teach myself this vision express and able to compile a simple menu, can I simply take the file output and "add" it to the folder with my DVD shrink files (VideoTS)?....or does it get more involved than that?

What I'd like to do is have some sort of generic menu that I've saved and then just type in the titles and program numbers each time I'm doing a "TV show disc".

Thanks alot for your help on this.

[megamachine]

Hmm, I think you will have to re-author it again at some point, to add the new menus, and TMPGEnc DVD Author is an easy to use program for that. It has generic menu templates that are very basic, but get the job done. I'm really not sure about NeroVison Express, but since you have it mess around and see what it does.

[reboot]

You will have to reauthor it.
Extract your mpegs from the vobs, run them thru Nerovision Express, add menus/chapters, then burn directly.

[busterbrown]

Ok, great I'll look at this later and try to figure it out.

I may need to get back to this post and pick your brain some more, thanks very much.

[reboot]

My pleasure.
Nerovision Express is too simple. Just follow the wizard.
The hardest part is going to be extracting your mpegs from the vobs. Check http://www.videohelp.com/mpeg2tovcd.htm
You might have success by simply renaming the .vob to .mpg because that's really what it is.
Nerovision express may accept the file, but if it insists on re-encoding, then you're better off to re-enocde in tmpgenc as described in the article than let Nero do it.