TitleWriter ver 4.21 - add DVD text/Menus/Automation - 19 May2007

[FallenAngel]

Another note: Its optional to delete all the "extra" files .bups, ifos
TW only uses Video_ts.ifo,Video_ts.vob and VTS_nn_00 ifo's and vobs

Getting rid of the rest just reduces storage per template

If you don't mind Perhaps I could see your final code?? I'm curious as to what you are up to

[PBS]

had it! lol

well i had it working for a few titles....then i made some mods and couldn't get dvdauthor to produce anything! not even with the gui!! so i started over..
got it back to where the menu template works fine on it's own..but i think there's a problem now cuz i can't figure out how to make all the movies in their own titleset with dvdauthor...cuz when i author the original title i'm stuck to that structure...[i'm piping with ffmpeg and that's only way i can see to use the piping,you end up with Vts_XX_1.vob fr each movie...
[i have an idea about piping them all on same line,will try later]
i built a menu that works great with tmpg's dvdauthor,but i need to be able to make same kind with the opensource dvdauthor,so i can automate it..
[got all that part done..much visual tweaking but looks nice already,just making thumbs with mplayer of each movie]

will show ya a pic of the menu..it's perfect up past the creation of the menu.vob with spumux...and creating the title works as is,but not when i try to add it...i think cuz it's the layout with one titleset full of titles,instead of many titlesets with only 1 title in each..
if you can make a dvdauthor compatible .xml example and share it i'd be much appreciated... or if you know to make that type with dvdauthor jsut let me know..
once i have the structure down i'll never need to change it really..
[doing a 4-up spread]
will gladly share the batches when i get them reliable..
[it's all batch files! well,plus graphics magic, ffmpeg, dvdauthor, and your proggy ]
just feed it mpegs and it does the rest! [burning with nero included]
here's a pic...

[PBS]

hmm,isn't dvdstyler based on dvdauthor? will it output the same .xml files?

i'm sure i just had a brain fart...bet it's just syntax or quotes or something i messed up...only worked on it for about 5 hours so far..

[FallenAngel]

Never used DVD Author so can't help there.

You are right TW will dork --trying to handle multi titles per vts as seperate
"episodes/movies" the mapping is seperate Movies(VTS_xx)

-- I modeled TW's mapping movies to menu based on DVDShrink reauthor mode -- I don't think its possible to create a multi ttn vts (probably all wet on this) in Shrink

Post your command line to DVD Author (I'll bet its something simple) as it seems that DVD Author should be capable of multi VTS creation/per "input vob"

[PBS]

hmmm, sounds like you use the same structure then..i wonder what's going wrong?
i also noticed the originals i produced weren't doing the post command either so probably something screwy here...i had it working before as it should have...then i changed some thiings and it broke...but almost there..
normal command lines to make a simple multi-movie dvd with no menus:
dvdauthor -o outputdir -t movie1.mpg
dvdauthor -o outputdir -t movie2.mpg
dvdauthor -o outputdir -T
[last line creates TOC]
which would create the structure vts_0x_1.vobs and a video_ts.ifo to start it off..

the .xml i use to create the 'template' looks like..

any thoughts?

[FallenAngel]

I'm almost intelligent enought to reply

Pls zip the (pre burn post tw) end stage ifo's and if small enough the video_ts.vob

Pls zip the pre TW video_ts.ifo

Are you using the Beta I provided??

I finally see what you are up to --custom thumbs menu for movie selection(With pictures in the Vmg)

I've got a feeling you need to be creating chapter points if I understand this line you won't have any
vob file="small.mpg" chapters="00:00:00.00" /

Looking hard at your xml you are creating a menu with 1 VTS with multiple titles -- Is this your intention?? TW will dork

If you are selecting between multiple "Movies" it would be cleaner to handle "Movie" selection through the VMG

[PBS]

exactly!

yea,i need to make the titles in their own titleset but can't figure out how with the .xml file...[and docs are almost non-existant]

creating from command-line does create correct structure,1 movie per titleset..[and titlesets play consecutively]

what target do you point to? i know there's restrictions in what you can jump to from certain locations...[the target titleset menu? the vts itself?]
[the actual dvd target command] and i'll root around to see if i can find a translation in dvdauthor...

the graphics magik part is easy and pretty reliable..i'll post that part soon as it's almost completely ready...[making the backgrounds and muxing]
my 'button mask'.png never changes so i keep same one always,max 4 titles right now..

there's a dvd-unauthor.exe that comes with dvdauthor...
i'll try 'un-authoring' a good multi-vts menu and adjust so dvdauthor can create correct structure...from what i know it should be able to...
may try un-doing one of your templates too...[but may bomb without all the parts]
so close...
thanx for all the help...

[PBS]

finally!

cool...so i found a good structure for dvdauthor .xml file...

still working out some bugs...[my order of buttons is off..]
[there's a n auto-order=rows somwhere]

[PBS]

got the order sorted... having problems with post play command...
[it just locks, i hit stop then play to get back to menu]
more testing now with less movies and maybe blanks, so 4 movies no matter how many inputs..[just small 'nomovie' movie] or black frame as placeholder..any suggestions appreciated..

btw,the movies will almost all be 1 lang. non-sub,4:3 tv shows so none of the fancy stuff needed here..[and yes,using the beta version of Titlewriter]

so many thanx...without your little proggy,i couldn't save all that time demuxing/muxing..
so as soon as ffmpeg puts in the blank vobu's, [plus about 30 secs to create menu and add] you have finished dvd folder with menus..
NO TEMP FILES!!
[straight from original mpeg to dvd folders in one step for the movies]
almost 10 gigs temp seemed a bit much so that's why i started this..
[and most people make an iso to burn which makes it 12+gigs temp for one disc!] i could pipe the whole thing out to cdrecord but not with the after-menus, but not missing that..

i may compile the whole thing into an auto-it script for speed and aesthetics..[decompilable and editable]
i seem to remember seeing you on some other boards.. what other stuff do you work on?
i'm mostly making GBPVR plugins..[of which this is 'kinda' one]
Enjoy
p.s. oh and here's the menu.xml to create the menu with spumux..

[FallenAngel]

Heres a fair guideline

A VMGM menu can only jump to:

Another VMGM menu
The root VTSM of a titleset
The start of a titleset

A VTSM menu can only jump to

Another vtsm (pgc) in the same titleset.
A title or chapter within the titleset.
The first VMGM of the disk

Found a simple tutorial for dvdauthor xml
I made a couple of changes to your menu file --Does it crash also??

In the last 30 yrs I've done everything

[PBS]

good catch

yea,that was a snippette from some really old sources so syntax was off a bit...but finny thing, after looking at it,it shouldn't have worked but the disc even played in my 24$ dvd player
i made the changes and added the post command to the movie creation command line and it works goes back to main menu after every movie..
the adjusted actual commandline for initial movie creation is:

for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%f in (%dvdque%) do fmpeg -i %%f -y -f vob -target ntsc-dvd -vcodec copy -acodec copy - | dvdauthor.exe -o %dvdtemp% -t -i post="call vmgm menu entry title resume 1;" -c 0,10:00,20:00,30:00,40:00,50:00,60:00,70:00,80:00, 90:00,99:00 -f -
[all one line] then..
dvdauthor -o %dvdtemp% -T

seems to work for me..
now to adjust for 1,2,3 or 4 movies without breaking it all..lol
the menu1.xml works fine for me..no errors except for complaining about not finding any subs,expecting 4 but it works great...will be making some rather large titles and seeing how it goes...and some sort of limiting for total disc size.. [and lots o cleaning up to do...lol]
thanx for the help and the nice niche proggy
Paul
p.s. and to make quickie thumbs with mplayer use this..

mplayer.exe -vo png:z=4 -ao null -ss 10 -frames 1 -really-quiet -vf pp=lb,scale=360:240 %1

and the whole menu creation bit...

set pics=-label Andromeda Andromeda.png -label SG1 SG1.png... etc. etc.
gm montage -texture backgroundo.jpg -borderwidth 20 -tile 2x2 -geometry 300x200+10+5 %pics% -resize 720x480! background.jpg
jpeg2yuv -n 25 -I p -f 29.97 -L 1 -j background.jpg | mpeg2enc -n n -f 8 -o background.m2v
mplex -f 8 -o menu_background.mpg background.m2v menu_audio.ac3
spumux menu1.xml < menu_background.mpg > menu1.mpg

note: if i don't use /generic and have less than 4 videos,it plays first video before going to menu..
if i use /generic, all is well...4th spot plays 1st title as expected..
interesting 'feature' [for an intro video type effect]

[FallenAngel]

In TW been using pgceditview for menu thumbs --probably will open the ttn's at some point

So you are adding to the title and not the menu -- I'm guessing you are not using /Generic in TW CLI

[PBS]

My new PVCR

here's my new PVCR...i stuffed a full matx motherboard dvd burner etc into a Sony vcr...
just finished the lcd display hooked into my pvr software and now dvd burning from the remote..
the buttons on front work and everything..[power,eject etc..]
and the dvd pops out from the tape slot..[i made the door swing outwards]
the power light is the hd light and i get processor and mem and hd usage in little meters on the lcd display..lol [along with show names/titles/mp3 info etc]
i am really enjoying playing with my little toy and appreciate your part of this last little part of the picture..now it's a real dvd recorder just like the commercial units,except networkable, i get weather, movie listings,etc and a million other things none of the others can do...and it's pretty reliable..
[cool to the touch too..]
so i'm rockin now..!
thanx
ok,back on topic...lol sorry..

[FallenAngel]

One word of caution with /Generic the titleset commands will be imported from menu ttn (If there) So if you ever fancy your menu's up you will have to have your JMP vmgm in menu creation not Title

You are getting away with it because (I think) your menu has no ttn command table

Curiosity -- can you snapshot (1 click) the thumb entries or are you just using a generic or the first frame

[FallenAngel]

When not using generic
Start play with Movie is default setting (thats why the initial movie then menu)

If /Generic isn't there

/JMP_TO_MENU On Dvd Insert Jumps to root menu VTS_01 (Assumes root is first menu in titleset 1)
/JMP_TO_MOVIE On Dvd Insert Play starts with movie

I'm guessing you are going to have to remove the /GENERIC and use one of the above cli's if you tinker with your menu's.

Well sounds like you got what you wanted -- a customizable menu straight off the gate.

Couch Potato time