next button problems

knrhodes wrote on 1/9/2007, 12:18 PM
why doesnt the next button function follow the end action? or atleast let you specify where the next button takes you (if you dont have chapter markers or are past the last chapter marker)

I have a root directory that has 3 videos on it. Each video ends with a series of questions for the viewers to discuss.

We did this by putting the question on menu pages - so the end of the first video end actions to q1, then the button on the menu page goes to the second video, then end action to menu page with questions, and so on.

However, if I am watching the video and press the next button, it goes to the next video, bypassing the question. I know, I can turn the next button off - but what if after the video someone wants to review just the questions?

am I missing something?

(yes, I know I could just put the questions on a link in the root, however we dont wnat the viewer to byoass the video initially, thus no work)

Comments

bStro wrote on 1/9/2007, 12:39 PM
why doesnt the next button function follow the end action?

Because if you hit the Next button while on the last chapter, your DVD player skips the end of the movie. And that's when end actions are activated -- at the end of the movie. It's the same as if you left a restaurant in the middle of dinner; of course you didn't get desert -- you left before it was served! ;)

I've heard that some DVD players will actually run the end action anyhow, but I don't think it's the norm, and there's no way for DVD Architect to force your DVD player to do something it doesn't want to do.

The simple solution would be to either:

a) disable the Next button as you've already figured out, or

b) add a chapter marker immediately before the end of your movie. When the viewer hits Next prematurely, the player will jump to the end of the movie (or near it, anyhow), and they won't skip the end action. (Assuming they don't hit Next again.)

Rob
knrhodes wrote on 1/9/2007, 1:59 PM
we tried the chapter marker just prior to the end, and it wouldnt work if the marker was within 2 seconds of the end of the video. In my opinion that was to much time and the person would hit next again, thus going to another video skipping the questions - and I understans about the end action being at the end, and the next skipping it - and I liked you analogy -

It wold be nice if you could tell where the next button would go - and I dont even now if the super high dollar dvd apps let you do that -

we also were finding how different manuf. dvd players would act differently to certain actions as well - I guess there is not just a "standard" for how the dvd functions work
James Gerber wrote on 1/9/2007, 3:42 PM
As a new user, I'm out of my element on this, but are there restrictions to Background Media? (can it be any length, paused, fast forwarded, etc..?)

Would a posibility be to have the video play as a "background media" movie clip and have the buttons always visible, overlayed on the video some how.

If you have to have the next chapter point no closer than 2 seconds before the end of the video clip, if acceptable, could you go back and add 2 seconds of video to your clips? (ie: fade your video to black, then have 2 seconds of black.... or even fade it to a screen that says "End of Section One.... " or "Now Loading Section" two... anything for 2 seconds basically).

Neither may work, but just thought I might throw those out there anyways : )

knrhodes wrote on 1/9/2007, 5:57 PM
There is a 1 gb limit on over-all menu size - and when you are embedding video on menus you can reach that 1 gb limit very quickly

as for the 2 seconds of black - we thought about that - but that could lend to people seeing "oh black, let me hit next again" and we are back to square one.

We got aournd this by turning of the next button, but then there is no way to skip forward unless you fast forward - we thought about making a secondary main menu that all video clips your default to after everythign was said and done that would have a "review questions" button on it, however, if they watched it again at a later time woudl still have to re-hash all the video

oh well - one day maybe...
bStro wrote on 1/9/2007, 7:41 PM
as for the 2 seconds of black - we thought about that - but that could lend to people seeing "oh black, let me hit next again" and we are back to square one.

That's why you have the "Now Loading..." screen. It lets them know that something is happening, and it has the added bonus of almost making it look like you're running an application rather than "just" a DVD.

Another option, if you're using DVD Architect 4 (thought not DVD Architect Studio 4, I don't think) is using Buttons on Video, a new feature. Turn off the Next button, but instead add a button onto the video itself for skipping purposes. That way, if the viewer wants to skip the rest of the video, they can -- but they will go where you want them to go.

I have no actual experience using this new feature, so I can't be much more help than that, but I'm pretty sure it would work for your situation.

Rob
johnmeyer wrote on 1/9/2007, 7:55 PM
The next button goes to the next chapter marker, if there is one. If there isn't, on most DVD players, it goes to the next "titleset," which in most cases is the next MPEG file. And here's the thing you need to know, and which hasn't come out yet in this thread:

The order of these titlesets is completely independent of the order you set with end actions.

"End Actions" only determine what happens when a given MPEG file finishes playing normally. Nine times out of ten you probably want the titleset order to match the end action order. However, you have to do this manually with each project. If you have DVDA3 or earlier, the order of the assets in the project menu determines the titleset order. You can drag/drop to re-order, but often the files are rather stubborn and won't drop where you tell them to go. Keep trying, and you'll figure out how to make it work.

In DVDA 4, there is a great new feature that lets you quickly see the titleset order and rearrange it to match the order of play set in your end actions.

So, in summary, end actions determine what asset (usually an MPEG-2 file) will play next when the current asset finishes playing normally; and the titleset order determines which asset will play next when the chapter advance button is pressed.

One final note: As hinted at early in my post, some DVD players do not let you navigate titlesets using the chapter button. Thus, if you send out lots of DVDs to different people, you cannot count on the chapter advance button always working the same way (although it usually DOES advance to the next titleset).
James Gerber wrote on 1/9/2007, 8:04 PM
Firstly... glad you were able to find a solution (for now) : )

Secondly... There's a Buttons on video feature??? very cool!

Lastly, Is this a problem that can only be discovered on a stand alone player?
I mean... something that, while previewing the DVD with in DVDA, will work fine for you, but you only get the problem on a Stand Alone? Just wondering because I was able to make a simple one that jumps around that seems to play okay within DVDA... but as usual, I'm probably misreading everything and am out of my element : )

It's not really a big issue, but I'm just a little confused on the problem. Is what you are trying to do (ie: go from a video clip... to a menu... to a different video clip... to a different menu) much different than how things work on a DVD when you view the "Extra/Bonus features, outakes, etc..."? Because I always thought they just take you to where ever you want the to go after they finish (typically back to the same menu screen, but I figure you can send them anywhere)... Once again... just throwing something out there. : )



-- BIG EDIT ---

I just realized you were most likely talking about the questions themselves beeing videos as well... I was under the impression all you had were 3 videos, with no chapters/markers in any of them) and that the questions were just text on menu pages.

sorry 'bout that... jG

(also... I don't meen to be intrusive.. I just find all this interesting, and stuff that I will need to know about for future projects)
knrhodes wrote on 1/10/2007, 8:01 AM
yes, I was / am trying to go to video - menu - video - menu

look like I could have done 2 things - A. Buttons on video - I TOTALLY forgot that had been added - or b. use the playlist option and controlled the order there

oh well - this project was off to the replicators yesterday for a 3500 copy run - now I know for the next one
MPM wrote on 1/10/2007, 10:58 AM
If it helps for the future & FWIW...

I've had problems using the next button emulation in software players that did not appear on standalone players. But as your application might be intended more for PC use, something I've done might *hopefully* give you an idea or 3. ;?P

I've created a number of black videos in the 2 main aspects -- I insert these in order with content vids, set the duration extremely short, turn off all menu & remote options, set their end actions accordingly. Can also add scripting, setting/reading GPRM etc.

If you look at a commercial/retail DVD (try PGCEdit) you see the same sort of thing over and over with dummy menus and vids.
Steve Mann wrote on 1/11/2007, 10:22 AM
Instead of the chapter mark near the end, you could make a transition video of a few seconds and run your questions menu as the end action of that video.

Also, if I am not mistaken, you should be able to disable the "next" button while in the transition video.

Steve