Seamlessly playing video clips

ingvarai wrote on 5/28/2009, 12:27 AM
My project is divided into "blocks", each rendered out to its own MPG file, DVDA format, ready to go.

The user's experience shall be "a continuous movie".
For me - the project becomes manageable.
This is my main concern now. Later, when I get this to work, I want to add menus with "scene selection", like the pro videos have.

My problem is that I have not succeeded in playing back the MPG seamlessly - that is - no stops, no notifications on the screen etc.
I have tried "Playlist" and a few kinds of variations in DVDA, regardless - while I manage to have the end of one video start the next, and as such the user will see the entire movie, I have not avoided ugly notifications to pop up on screen "Now playing #2" or things like that - besides - an unacceptable pause (a short stop) in the playback flow also happens.

Is there a way to configure DVDA that I have overlooked? As an emergency solution, can I glue those MPGs together in one or another way? (Not desirable)

ingvarai

Comments

TOG62 wrote on 5/28/2009, 1:34 AM
You can create a music/video compilation containing each 'block' of mpegs. The compilation will play continuously. DVDA will create a chapter point at the beginning of each clip. You can then use these to create a scene selection menu.

Mike
ingvarai wrote on 5/28/2009, 2:15 AM
Hi Mike,

this is from the help file:

If the video is interlaced, some DVD or Blu-ray Disc players will not display this frame correctly. Recompressing your compilation as progressive-scan video will avoid this problem.

I do intend to use interlaced material, indeed. Have I missed something here..?

Edited:
A music/video compilation seems to not be what I want.
What I want, is to divide my project into manageable chunks, then put all on the DVD and play it back continuously, like it was a single MPG file. Having read more about A music/video compilation, and having tested it, it seems to me tthat this is not the right way to go.

ingvarai
TOG62 wrote on 5/28/2009, 5:42 AM
Hi ingvarai,

What I want, is to divide my project into manageable chunks, then put all on the DVD and play it back continuously, like it was a single MPG file. Having read more about A music/video compilation, and having tested it, it seems to me tthat this is not the right way to go.

What is the problem you encounter when you test?

Mike
Former user wrote on 5/28/2009, 5:57 AM
It sounds like to me this is a setup on your DVD player, not in DVDA. I can play several titles back to back with no OSD of title change etc. But some DVD players give you wayyy too much info.

Have you tried different DVD players?

Dave T2
ingvarai wrote on 5/28/2009, 7:52 AM
Hi!
>Have you tried different DVD players?

No, and I do not really need to. One is enough..
I wan it to work ok on all players.
I have in the mean time learnt that people recomment one single large MPEG file and the user markers. I must fiind a way to combine projects and then output one MPEG file from Sony Vegas, which is my NLE tool.
The explanation is that separate files will make the DVD player have the head seek for the second file, which sometimes take a little time, at least enough to not give the smooth, continuos playback I want.

So - it seems I must solve this outside DVDA by somehow combining my projects into one MPEG file. Thanks for the help so far!

ingvarai

bStro wrote on 5/28/2009, 7:58 AM
Having read more about A music/video compilation, and having tested it, it seems to me tthat this is not the right way to go.

Exactly what have you read that makes you feel that way? People here have been using music/video compilation for years to do exactly what you describe. I haven't seen a single complaint in all that time (other than the fact that they can't set additional chapter points).

As for the bit you quoted, you left off a rather key element: "If the audio in a compilation item is longer than the video, the last frame is frozen until the end of the audio." Unless you plan on intentionally using the wrong length of audio, I don't see how this is a problem.

Rob
Terry Esslinger wrote on 5/29/2009, 9:56 AM
And I guess you don't want to take your separate projects and nest them in one new Vegas project and render that out as a single MPG to take to DVDA?
bStro wrote on 5/29/2009, 10:40 AM
The explanation is that separate files will make the DVD player have the head seek for the second file...

That only applies if you've "joined" your individual MPGs using a playlist or end actions. When using the compilation method, they are put into a single file as chapters.

Rob