Just proves that the Help in DVDA is not the best, or that a good tutorial is missing.

In a DVD usually every video is treated as or considered a title -- this does not include menu page video. Every title has an end action, meaning at the end of play *something* will happen. A *Playlist* will string separate titles together, playing them one after another.

Every video DVD has instructions to or for the player, & these include at least one of what's called a cell per video. Each cell is, simplified, an amount of time -- chapters point to the beginning time of individual cells. After DVDA renders a DVD layout, this layout can be edited in software like PgcEdit to specify an end action for individual cells.

If I understand correctly Craig, you want to have individual titles that when they're done playing return to the main menu. And you'd also like to be able to play them one after another. The simplest method I think would be to import separate titles, create individual links to them, then add them to a playlist, with a link or button for that.

Needless to say this is just basic stuff -- it wouldn't hurt at all to read up on DVDs here and elsewhere....

Yupp, did this myself yesterday in DVDA.

1. Make small (well, everything is relative...) videos of each "chapter".

2. Put the videos on "root" level in the DVDA project tree.

3. For each video, set the End Action to specify the Destination = the meny page that you want to show when you stop playing the vide("chapter)"

4. For each video, set the End Action to specify the Destination Button = the hot-spot/icon/image that played the movie (otherwise the DVD-player might position the "cursor" at the first entry on the menu page you set in step 3 above. You want to return to the entry you choose in the first place...

That takes care of the individual playing of movies

Next, make a playlist on root level and include the movies ("chapters") you want to play in sequence and order them in the correct order.

Make a new button or new menu page and make a button/hotspot with "Play entire movie" and then just link to the playlist. Any individual End Actions previously set (as above) are disregarded and it will play from start to end.

It sure is basic stuff once you'd done it and say "oh my, this was simple". The Help is, as usual, good once you know how to do it... I've said it before, a good Tutorial would not be such a bad idea. Perhaps I write one myself one day, when I know more about stuff. This forums generates good info and source material. Well, some day - after the DVD project perhaps...

One note when you join separate Titles in a playlist, there can be a slight pause/delay between Titles (during your "Play All" sequence).

In cases where a "Play All" is needed, I tend to import one long Title, and then copy/paste the Title onto a menu, and set In/Out points (for the separate sections/chapters). This way the "Play All" plays smoothly from start to finish, and you also have buttons for specific chapters. DVDA will be smart enough to only include the Title once (so you don't lose much disc space -- maybe a tiny bit for commands).

Another benefit of the one long Title -- using the Next/Prev buttons on your remote tend to work a little better (but that's a different topic...)

Where do you set the In/Out points?

I might have a concert that has "chapters" (Cx) and a narrative start (Nx) and then I want 3 ways to view this:

1. One long sequence: N1-C1-N2-C2-N3-C3-...
2. One long seq. without narration: C1-C2-C3-...
3. Menu page (M) that address indiv. chapters and then return to menu page: M-C4-M, M-C2-M, etc. depending on what the viewer selects to see.

Is there any other way to do this without playlists and only to have the movie once in the project?

Using playlists I thought of having
PL1: N1-C1-N2-C2-N3-C3
PL2: C1-C2-C3

and then a menu page addressing the indiv. C1, C2, with the end action to "return to previous menu".

Comments?

As a small test, drag a long video clip to a menu (a thumbnail will be on the menu). On the thumbnail, rt-click/copy, then rt-click/paste. A new item is under the menu in the TREE on the left. Double-click the new item, and drag the ENDS in to make your small "section" (the In/Out marks) -- these can be treated separately, and you can add them to playlists -- they won't take up more space. You can copy/paste for as many as you need...

Thanks.
Interesting - will try this.

Is there any importance where teh "clips" are placed in the project - i.e. on root level or under a special menu?

"Is there any other way to do this without playlists and only to have the movie once in the project?"

I haven't tried this in DVDA so I've not at all sure about any *Gotcha's*, but on commercial DVDs they might use angles -- an example of just what you want can be found I think on the "Wedding Crashers" DVD, where they have cut & uncut versions of the same film on one DVD. I don't know that there would be any advantage, &/or if they would overcome the extra hassle involved, but wanted to mention it as a possible option in case it interested you.

"Is there any importance where teh "clips" are placed in the project - i.e. on root level or under a special menu?"

I *Think* placing the video at root level there is both less likelihood of problems like DVDA wanting to include the video more than once & less work if/when you change something. But it's a little bit more work setting up buttons.

It *may* also effect how DVDA loads the video into VOB files: i.e. move the intro video above the 1st menu, & it goes into the same titleset as the menu background video -- put it beneath the menu and it sits in it's own titleset. Mpg2 that sits next to each other on a disc might mean less delay between the 2 - I'd think anyway... but could be wrong. I've seen commercial DVDs with video all over the place that work fine, & I don't know if that's because it doesn't matter, or because they weren't burned...?

George, I very rarely do the playlist sort of thing, besides being a bit dense from time to time ;?} When you use the long video with links to in/out times I'm guessing that DVDA inserts cell end actions to bring the viewer back to the menu, rather than having to insert them manually? Is that correct?

Thanks too for posting about the lag times -- as above I've seen commercial DVDs that place small titles individually as well as in longer mpg2 files, and I'm guessing that their not being burned discs makes up for it.

<<<
When you use the long video with links to in/out times I'm guessing that DVDA inserts cell end actions to bring the viewer back to the menu, rather than having to insert them manually? Is that correct?
>>>

The copy/paste sets up new "TITLES" within the Titleset, along with Start/End "addresses" for the specific section. For example, you might have a Title that is 30 minutes long -- you can copy/paste to make a smaller section, and specify it goes from the 5-minute timecode to the 12-minute timecode. It uses "reference pointers" to the long title for the Start/End positions (so it does not have to physically add a new section of video -- which would take up more space). There's more to it if you have embedded chapters in the long Title, and if you start adding the smaller "virtual titles" into a Playlist -- but that's the basic idea...

Thanks for all the tips - I guess the others are right about this issue not been layed out clearly in the users manaul. Obviously I consulted this first. Either it wasn't there or it wasn't explained clearly. I wonder if any of these manuals are ever tested on first time users? It would save alot of time to the first time end users and the experts having to explain. This is not my first package so I am not a total novice either. I appreciate all the help I have got here. Thanks Craig

Manuals/Help.
Having been involved in this process for many years (not at Sony) I can with 99.99% certanty say that the writers usually know 40-50% of what's going on. Very rarely (never?) are they skillful in the product. It's up to freelance fanatics to write good books and DVDs, and some do a good job in that. Don't know if the Vegas community is big enough to support this line of business. AVID have a extensive set of DVDs, training, tutorials etc. Some DVDs I think have been taken out of market by Sony? Fine, if they can't make money selling them - put them out for free for download then.

What's interesting is that if you ever tried the "STUDIO" versions of Vegas and DVDA, they include some interactive video tutorials that guide you through many common editing/authoring procedures. I think those tutorials are pretty good -- but they do not include them with the FULL/Pro versions of the software probably because the target audience and expected level of experience is different...