Export Wedding DVD for iPad playback

[Taky Cheung]

I have been using Encore to export to DVD, Bluray, and Flash for computer playback. It retains DVD menu navigation and some extra features (popup menu, subtitles). It works on PC, Mac, Android... BUT NOT iPhone and iPad.

I checked with other professionals. Some deliver final output on USB thumbdrives by copying all the .mp4 files to it. There will be no menu. I think I can do a little bit better by slicing the PSD menu from Encore into clickable links point to other menu and .mp4 files. In that case, it can be playback in iPad now.

[Patrick Janka]

Explain your process for making the clickable links to the .mp4's. Thanks!

[David Chien]

Most likely, he'd have to export to HTML web page that links to the MP4 files for playback on the iPhone/iPad/etc.

Otherwise, he'd have to create a standalone Apple App that is programmed with the title loading feature, click feature, and media playback feature.

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In the future, why convert?

Let's say you master a wedding DVD or BluRay. Simply copy (extract) all the files on the master disc to a folder on your computer. You can put it on a flash drive, network drive, cloud, PC, etc. and play it back on any computer just like the original with all original functionality.

(eg. Simply use videolan.org VLC or Media Player Home Classic on any PC to play these folders just like the MASTER disc.)

Nothing is lost and you can make additional copies/backup of your videos by burning these folders back to a DVD/Bluray.

Portable devices like tablets/phones may not handle such now, but certainly will in the future.

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For the present, a HTML linked to MP4 playback is probably the most universal since most devices will support both when linked. Alternative formats like MKV can handle more functionality, but the issue is whether the client can do anything with these formats later.

Flash is essentially a DEAD web video format.

Adobe has killed off everything except their desktop Flash player, and that's going next once their HTML5 Video programs are up and running. They will even stop Android Flash updates after August 2012.

YouTube has already begun their Flash to HTML5 video transition, so no point giving the client a soon-to-be-unable-to-playback format. If they can't get the Flash Player anymore in the future, they won't be able to play back what you gave them.

[Taky Cheung]

I use Encore to author DVD and BluRay. There is no additional effort in exporting to Web format. It works extremely well. Flash is a dying format, but it is not dead yet. It will still be around for years before HTML5 completely take off.

The Flash export from Encore plays the online DVD off internet or thumbdrive on PC, Mac and Android device retaining the DVD navigation experience. There is no need to ask the customer to install additional media player. It plays off a browser window. What I have to do extra is to do something so iPad can view the video.

Since I already have the DVD menu created in Encore, I loaded the PSD in Encore and use the Slice feature to add links to individual mp4 files.

[Tim Bakland]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

Since I already have the DVD menu created in Encore, I loaded the PSD in Encore and use the Slice feature to add links to individual mp4 files.

Hi, Taky,
I too would love to have my Encore Web builds work on iPad. One question: I understand what you mean about manipulating the HTML to point to the MP4 videos, but how do you make the MP4 files to begin with (Encore only has the FLV option for the web encoding)

[Taky Cheung]

Tim, it's a work around. this way will never preserve the DVD navigation experience as in the Flash export. However, it only targets to iPad/iPhone user.

Just have to use Adobe Media Encoder to encode a mp4 version of the video. You have to do it separately.

After everything is done with Encore, Grab the folder \Sources\Menus to locate the menu PSD file. Use photoshop to slice the menu and add links point to that particular mp4 file.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10318178/We...ymond-Menu.png

[Tim Bakland]

Ah! I see -- thanks so much for clarifying, Taky

[Sigmund Reboquio]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

Tim, it's a work around. this way will never preserve the DVD navigation experience as in the Flash export. However, it only targets to iPad/iPhone user.

Just have to use Adobe Media Encoder to encode a mp4 version of the video. You have to do it separately.

After everything is done with Encore, Grab the folder \Sources\Menus to locate the menu PSD file. Use photoshop to slice the menu and add links point to that particular mp4 file.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10318178/We...ymond-Menu.png

Taky - celebration word on the menu spells "celeration" //

[Taky Cheung]

I knew that. already fixed. thanks :-)