Posted by Ken Maltby on 11/18/05 12:10

"Bob" <spam@uce.gov> wrote in message
news:437d9cf0.207765484@news-server.houston.rr.com...
> On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 19:06:58 -0600, "Ken Maltby"
> <kmaltby@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> I just set it to 8Mbps,
>
> I just found that out the hard way. The documentation in VRD is wrong.
> Setting it to 10Mbps does not guarantee DVD compliance. But 8Mbps is
> low enouhg that the audio rate can't throw it over the DVD compliance
> rate.
>
>> The Batch process lets you set up your editing projects,
>>for later processing. This can come in handy when you have
>>a number of edits in each project (clip). If you are only
>>changing the header bit rate, it is faster and fewer steps, to
>>just do each of them, one after the other.
>
> I was able to get the Batch processer to do the Quickfix - all you do
> is enter the filename instead of the command filename and VRD assumed
> you want to process each file with QuickStream Fix.
>
Right, I'd forgotten about that.

> BTW, I discovered a rather nasty bug with QuickStrream Fix even when
> you manually process each clip. Make certain that Quickfix is actually
> doing what you expect it to do - do not assume anything because it may
> come back to bite you.
>
>> If you want to add text to a menu, that's easily done in TDA.
>>You might be much better off if you just started over from your
>>original DVD and forget about trying to correct the MF4 files.
>
> At this moment in time I have a total of 12 main clips plus one intro
> clip. Each was painstakingly imported, processed, sized, tested,
> reworked, honed, polished and lacquered, etc. I have a huge investment
> in those clips since each one is done to my exacting specifications.
> To have to go thru all that again is unacceptable.
>
>>Perhaps if you describe that you are using MF4 to accomplish,
>>I can describe an alternate way of doing it.
>
> Over the years I have collected certain videos that I really like. In
> each of them there is one scene, the keynote scene, that characterizes
> the entire video. I have wanted to collect those keynote scenes on one
> DVD with a menu so I can play any one or more of them whenever I
> wanted without having to fish thru the originals. If I am having a
> conversation with someone about something that has to do with a
> particular video, I can quickly play the appropriate clip.
>
> I want the menu to show the first frame as a thumbnail with text on
> top of it identifying the clip. The viewer mounts the DVD, up comes
> the menu, he selects the clip from the menu, it plays and when done it
> returns to the menu. It's as simple as that, you you would think I was
> composing the design specifications for an Atlas missle for all the
> hassle I have had to go thru.
>
>> It sounds like you have the "Menu display settings" wrong.
>>You need the "Firstplay action:" set to "Display Main menu".
>>If you want just the one "Main" menu, to be able to select
>>the VTS, then use the "Only Main menu" option and not the
>>"Automatic settings" option.
>
> I have done those things and it now works the way I want.
>
> BTW, how do I designate one clip to be the "intro clip" - the one that
> plays automatically when the menu first comes up but not anymore when
> the menu comes up later? MF4 calls it "Use first clip as introductory
> video".
>

Well, if you mean the first clip plays, then the menu comes up that's
pretty easy. Just set the "Firstplay" option to "Play only first track".
It will play the first track then bring up the Main menu.

To remove the first track's thumbnail and text, from the menu
you just take advantage of the fact that if you reduce a menu element
below a certain size it won't display. That and you use a blank
character, like a space, in the text field. (Of course you can use the
text field for some other purpose if you want. Perhaps a short poem
or quote using a fancy font.) Just move the elements you don't want, to
the side, and make them as small as they will go.

Of course, to do this you will have to have made your own menu
theme. You can't edit the supplied ones like that.

> Back to TDA. One thing I do like about MF4 is the ability to render
> each clip by itself and save the clip for later use. When I do the
> final composition, MF4 assembles the finished product without having
> to re-render each clip, which means the final composition process goes
> reasonably quickly (minutes vs. hours). I am continually adding new
> clips so I do not want to have to re-render 12 or more old clips each
> time I add a new one.
>
> How do I accomplish the same thing in TDA? IOW, how do I export
> individual clips that have just been rendered and how do I import
> these into the final composition so that I do not have to re-render
> them again?
>

There is no rendering going on with TDA, except the audio in
certain circumstances. It works with .mpg clips. The source
clips are not effected by TDA, the image data is read then a new
modified version is made into the .vob. TDA, like many others,
also lets you store a project file, that contains all the information
about the modifications needed to make the DVD. (At least all
those you have done up until you saved the project.) If you can
have your clips in the same folder they were in when the project
was saved, everything will be just the same as when it was saved.

Once you have opened your "existing project file", you can make
any changes or additions you want. TDA is like VRD in that you
define what you want to do to your source files, then all the
processing comes as the last step. Also in that the original files
are not effected by these program's processing.

Luck;
Ken

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