Comments

ScottW wrote on 2/1/2007, 5:30 AM
1) it helps if you are familiar with a programming language - mainly because that's what scripting is, programming on the DVD.

2) www.dvd-replica.com is a pretty good resource for the unofficial DVD specifications (which will help in your scripting).

3) DVD Lab Pro has some good examples of "scripting" in its help files - so it may be worth downloading the trial version and playing with it. I will warn you, the latest version of DLP has some very powerful scripting capabilities that may cause you to never look back at DVDA (at least for scripting).

--Scott
GeorgeW wrote on 2/1/2007, 7:04 AM
In addition to ScottW's comments, the "scripting" within DVDA4 is sort of a front-end that DVDA4 interprets and then builds behind-the-scenes routing/navigation commands. So you might use a certain variable or command in your DVDA Scripting, but the actual DVD that gets built might use different commands and variables...
johnmeyer wrote on 2/1/2007, 8:32 AM
Steve,

I second the idea of looking at the Mediachance (LabPro) site.


Script Commands


Click on VM Commands, and then Basic Overview.
GeorgeW wrote on 2/1/2007, 11:58 AM
If you do read the DLP Documentation for VM Commands, just keep in mind that there is good information there; however, there's also alot of DLP-specific information for VM Scripting within DLP that will not apply to scripts within DVDA4
MPM wrote on 2/1/2007, 9:06 PM
Regarding Sony Media Software itself: [Edit: link to search result at knowledge base didn't wrap - searched under script is all, and DVDA doesn't have it.]

Personally I think program flow is important before considering anything but very simple scripts. For DVDs themselves the problem with program flow is there are two types of sources -- people who've read the spec and can't tell you (NDA) & folks who have spent a lot of time taking them apart. In the latter case many of the pioneers so-to-speak now charge for access or published works. MPUCoder is one, and here's another (with a lot of free info available): http://www.dvd-replica.com/ If it helps: http://dvd.sourceforge.net/dvdinfo/ Otherwise all I can suggest is going through related forums at places like videohelp for tidbits here and there. You'll find some good references to flow in discussions re: PgcEdit.

For scripts to insert [like random play] googling works well, though obviously you want to search including the function you have in mind. There should be no difference between apps, as this is just inserting code to be copied verbatim into the IFOs.

For DVDA created layouts, personally think *more involved* work might be easier in PgcEdit where you can use trace mode the same way you would writing PC code -- but I'm not a coder so just a thought... nothing more.