DVDA Menu Based

[Mike Kujbida]

Bryan, I see no need to have to place the main video clip on the DVD twice.
IMO, the key is to have as many chapter markers as necessary on the main video clip.
Once that's done, then it's a case of choosing the appropriate sections to appear in the desired locations.
Over the next few days I'll try (using just Generated Media so it's easy to exchange) to make up a sample DVD layout following your needs and post it here for you.
Are you using DVDA Pro 5.0 or an earlier version?

[Edward Troxel]

Bryan, instead of adding individual clips AND the complete clip, you just add the COMPLETE clip multiple times - once for the play all and once for each of the individual sections. DVD Architect will see that it's the same media and only put the media on the disc ONCE even though you've added it five times.

[Mike Kujbida]

Edward is correct and, as promised, here's the proof.
The zipped file contains a veg file and a dar file for Vegas Pro 8 and DVDA Pro 5 respectively.
I joined the copyright and company logo clip together as a "First Play" so those two get rendered separately but from the same timeline.
Everything else came from a single video clip.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Bryan, instead of adding individual clips AND the complete clip, you just add the COMPLETE clip multiple times - once for the play all and once for each of the individual sections. DVD Architect will see that it's the same media and only put the media on the disc ONCE even though you've added it five times.

You will also need to mark in and out points to define the range on the clip for each section( drag the little yellow marks on the timeline) so that you can define the end action when the playback gets to the end of a section.

Ron Evans

[Edward Troxel]

You will also need to mark in and out points

Absolutely. You have to specify what segment of the complete video is to play when you have it playing smaller segments. The key is to use the same FULL segment as the "Play All" and choose the smaller segments from the whole instead of bringing in a bunch of smaller clips too.

[Sam Houchins II]

This is a MARVELOUS revelation.
Thanks guys!

As a thought, leading from the Chapters menu, I would be tempted to change the end actions of each of the chapter selection options to go to the next element, rather than the most recent menu. That way play would continue as "normal," but starting from wherever the user wanted. As already lamented, pressing the remote "menu" button would kik them back to most recent menu anyway.

i.e. following this flow: Main Menu Chapters>Chapter menu 3-4 prep chapts>select prep chapt 2>end action, play prep chapt 3?
or
just extend the end point for each of the chapter menu elements to include the rest of the project.

Unless you're intentionally trying to avoid this :-)

Very nicely done gentlemen. Illustrations and file attachments very demonstrative.

[Ron Evans]

Be aware that I have never managed to get the "Top Menu" function available on some player remotes to work. It usually goes to the last menu in the total sequence when pressed( at least on my players). I have taken to always putting a Top Menu button on all the sub menus so that at least the user has a way back to the top. ie menus have back, forward and top as available buttons if applicable.

Ron Evans

[Bryan Daugherty]

Thank you all for the clarification! I figured there had to be some way to make this work and it never occurred to me to use the same clip twice with different references. 4 yrs with DVDA and just now making this realization. I will try this out with the next job. Thanks again! Gotta love DVInfo.net.