Next button on remote control

Cunhambebe wrote on 6/29/2005, 10:46 AM

Some people complain that my DVDs have the "Next" button on the remote control disabled. In fact I'm not used to authoring with chapters, first of all because most of my clips/videos are short, 10 minutes each.Second of all, because if I ever get a 30 minute clip DVDA seems to create chapters automatically. Please I'd like to know if I am mistaken. No one can know everything, that means I need some help.
I've already checked one of my DVDs previously authored with DVDa 3.0a. When I press the next button on the remote control, it starts to play the files this way:
1.intro;
>Next
2.second intro;
>Next
3.intro for button (that is played before the first movie);
>Next
4.intro for button 3, 4 and so on...
>Next
...and then after all intros for the buttons are played, it starts to play the movies;
>Next
x.movie 1;
>Next
y.movie 2;
>Next
z.movie 3...

Is there any ohter way the Next button can work or it all depends on the sequence previously added?
Thanks in advance

Comments

rsp wrote on 6/30/2005, 7:26 AM

Maybe this can help you - check Help in DVDA (index) "next button goes to next title rather than chapter"

Cunhambebe wrote on 7/1/2005, 8:01 AM

No, I'm afraid it's not going to work. I'd really like to configure the "Next" button so that hitting it on the RC unit, would play the videos this way:
intro1
>Next
intro2
>Next
intro for movie1
>Next
movie1
>Next
intro for movie2
>Next
movie2
>Next
intro movie 3
>Next
movie3....and
>Next
movie4 (no intro for this one)
>Next
return to intro1 and so on
It seems hitting Next with DVDA always make the DVD play the next video in the same sequence it was previously added to the project. Is there any other way to achieve what I'm looking for?
If you would like top see a picture showing my project, please go to:
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=273023
Thanks in advance...

johnmeyer wrote on 7/1/2005, 9:20 AM

Unfortunately, when you use multiple MPEG files, DVDA creates multiple titlesets. If you want to create everything as one titleset, then insert a "Music Compilation" and put the MPEG files (and associated audio files) into that. Do not be misled by the "Music Compilation" title because video works just fine.

If you still want to create your DVDs using the standard approach, which will create multiple titlesets, you need to know that DVD Architect has a flaw in it (bug?) [Edit] The navigation at the end of each titleset is controlled by "end actions," which is what you would expect. The unexpected part is that the navigation, when you press the remote control chapter advance button, is controlled, not by the end actions, but by the order in which the titles appear in the project menu (the area on the left side of the DVDA screen where all the project files appear). I bet you didn't expect this, did you? The solution to your problem is to drag these files so they appear in the order you want them to play when you press the chapter advance. You may find that you have to drag them to the bottom of the project menu -- strange things sometimes happen if you drag them towards the top of the project screen.

[Edited for better clarity.]

Cunhambebe wrote on 7/1/2005, 9:45 AM

Thanks for taking time to respond john..
"you need to know that DVD Architect has a flaw in it (bug?) whereby the navigation at the end of each titleset is controlled by "end actions" (which is what you would expect), but the navigation when you press the remote control chapter advance button is controlled by the order in which the titles appear in the project menu (the area on the left side of the DVDA screen where all the project files appear). I bet you didn't expect this, did you?"

- No, I didn't. or.....

- On the other hand: I would say yes, I did, because the titles are controlled by the end actions. And this just works the way it is supposed to do. This feature is OK. A video is linked to another one or back to the same button on its respective menu. This is an end action. On the other hand I would answer No, I didn't because DVDA should have a specific option for the end action of the Next button and not leaving things the way they are, I mean, leaving the next button to play the titles on the same sequence they were added to the project.

" The solution to your problem is to drag these files so they appear in the order you want them to play when you press the chapter advance."

- I was trying to do exactly this way, but I guess you know that DVDA has yelow folders for Menus where you put your movies and.....other folders that in fact are Menu pages (a little roxy/bluish ones - also inside the yellow folders) where your buttons or intros (working as buttons) are placed and linked to the main movies. If I try to drag the main movies there on the Menu page, other buttons will be created; got it??????????

"You may find that you have to drag them to the bottom of the screen"

- where? The main screen?? or the project screen on the left?

" -- strange things sometimes happen if you drag them towards the top of the project screen".

- May I ask you what these strange things are? Such as???
Thanks in advance - I know there must be a way to achieve what I'm looking for.

Cunhambebe wrote on 7/1/2005, 2:08 PM

Hi. I've just re-authored my DVD and now everything works fine. Instead of dragging the media to Menu Page 1, I inserted empty buttons that work as links to the intros and their respective movies, all of them located in the yellow folder "Menu".

Furthermore...yes, johnmeyer was right when he said this:
"the navigation when you press the remote control chapter advance button is controlled by the order in which the titles appear in the project menu (the area on the left side of the DVDA screen where all the project files appear). I bet you didn't expect this, did you? The solution to your problem is to drag these files so they appear in the order you want them to play when you press the chapter advance".

-I have uploaded some pictures at VideoHelp showing what I did to "fix" the problem with the Next button - in fact, following johnmeyr's guide. If you want to see them, please go to:
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=273023

Now the DVD is OK, the movies play correctly as they should, one after the other one, following a more reasonable sequence.

Intro1
>Next
into2
>Next
intro for movie1
>Next
movie1
>Next
intro for movie2
>Next
movie2
...and so on
last movie
>Next is disabled here since there's nothing under the last movie. You can hit menu and get back to main menu or wait for the end of the movie, when intro 1 starts playing once again.

johnmeyer said:
"You may find that you have to drag them to the bottom of the project menu -- strange things sometimes happen if you drag them towards the top of the project screen."

- You are absolutely right, johnmeyer. This is very weird but not that annoying. The only way to modify the menu is dragging the files to the bottom of the project menu. Sony should really fix this because it is definitely a BUG.
One more thing: I have noticed on my PC monitor that inserting empty buttons that work as links don't make text as sharp as when you insert media directly on Menu Page 1, what automatically creates buttons and text. It's weird, but the text created this way was a bit sharper. Maybe there would be a problem with previewing, I don't know. Anyway, everything looked perfect on a regular TV screen. I thought about uploading some pics here but since we are not allowed to...even at VideoHelp, due to poor resolution it is impossible to show this "blur".
Cheers!

johnmeyer wrote on 7/1/2005, 2:34 PM

I went back and edited my original post to make it clearer.

Cunhambebe wrote on 7/1/2005, 7:17 PM

Thanks a lot john, for taking time to help me. Thanks for the detailed explanations.
;)
Cheers!
Mark
PS: I hope Sony can fix soon this problem with the NEXT button. It is very sad to learn DVDA cannot follow a certain sequence when you hit the NEXT button on the RC unit ( the same sequence configured as End Actions). One person I know who lives in Australia and authors DVDs professionally, said this when he watched one of my DVDs authored with DVDA:

........"The thing that I do know about these sort of authoring programs is that they work with abstraction layer technology i.e. almost everything inthe DVD spec is under a GUI to make thngs easier for general users. Even Maestro uses this technology which can be painful. Scenarist does not so you have access to the full DVD spec and complete control of your authoring environment. Back to your disk everything on it works perfectly fine and I hope I have this clear:

main menu folder ----intro1 (link to movie1) Yah Cool
movie1 intro2 (link to movie2) Should not be able to skip into movie 3
should return to menu with next highlight button selected.
movie2 intro3 (link to movie3) Should not be able to skip into movie 4
should return to menu with next highlight button selected.
movie3 intro4 (link to movie4) Should not be able to skip into movie 5
should return to menu with next highlight button selected.
movie4 intro5 (link to movie5) Should not be able to skip into movie 6
should return to menu with next highlight button selected.
movie5 intro6 (link to movie6) Should not be able to skip into movie 7
should return to menu with next highlight button selected.
movie6 intro7 (link to intro1, restart - no main movie) Link back to menu not intro (optional of course)"

So you've got an example above of how a NEXT button should work and DVDA is not able to do this. There are some ways to achieve almost the same thing as explained above, but as I've just said - I hope Sony can fix this.
:)