3 replies to this topic

[teddyoh]

I've posted a couple times trying to work with making a new DVD. I have successfully made them before using my DV Camera and EMC 7.5. With the new 8.0, I've been having a ton of trouble. Let me explain my goal first then I'll talk about the problems I've encountered. I would really appreciate any help.

I would like to capture video from my Sony DV camera, and use it to create a DVD with submenus to allow for easy navigation of my home movies. That's it! Very simple! Using EMC 7.5, I would import the video using SmartScan. That created multiple small avi files that were easily added to a MyDVD project. I was able to have for example 4 main menu items on the main page. Each had a submenu with several clips. Thereby, I was able to use a 60 minute DV tape, capture the various scenes and navigate according to the topic.

I bought EMC 8.0 for one reason - it supported 16x9 widescreen video. That would allow me to record my movies in such a way that I could enjoy on my widescreen TV. So here are the various problems I have encountered.

1) SmartScan doesn't work. It only captures some of the tape. If it detects 20 scenes, 10 or so will be imported properly, while the other 10 are imported as 32kb files with no data. Okay, then I try to manually capture those remaining scenes. NOPE! The import app freezes. I tried a Windows XP firewire update with no change.

2) Next I use import to capture the entire tape to a single file. I then used Media Manager to autodetect scenes. So far so good. But what do I do with the scenes? I can add them to a Videowave project, but adding that project to a DVD doesn't save any scene information. It is just a single video file that cannot be divided into seperate menus or chapters. I try to drag the individual scene files from Media Manager to MyDVD, but they are not found when I do it that way or I get an error saying they cannot be edited. Finally, I know I can use the edit chapters scene detection in MyDVD. Again, this doesn't let me create menus and submenus for easy navigation.

It's great that I can create these scenes. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THEM!!!???

It seems that it all boils down to the SmartScan. I can't get the scenes to do anything useful, so I guess I need seperate files for each menu I want to create. I know I can use this WinDV program to accomplish this, but I can't figure out why EMC 8.0 doesn't do it anymore!

[ggrussell]

I can't help with #1 since I personally do not like the way Roxio does smartscan. Way too much fastforwarding and rewinding causes wear n tear on the camcorder.
  
As for #2, I think you are confusing scene detection and Chapters. They are not necessarily inclusive. The fundemental difference between 'scenes' and 'chapters':
  
  Scenes is more for editing
  Chapters are only applied during DVD creation.
  
I don't use smartscan, but I'm fairly sure it does NOT create separate files for each scene. It still captures as one large file and then create a 'list' of scenes that you see separately in Media Selector. You can then manipulate those 'scenes' separately. The same thing happens when you capture a single file manually and then do the scene detect. To use these scenes in Videowave, you must use Media Selector under TOOLS. You can not use ADD VIDEO/IMAGES.
  
  

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I can add them to a Videowave project, but adding that project to a DVD doesn't save any scene information.

  
Why should it? That's what EDIT CHAPTERs is for. If you need to 'edit' the scenes like change a transition, then you should use the 'edit movie' button under TOOLS. MyDVD does not assume that the user wants 'chapter marks' just because you have 'scenes'. Once you add the Videowave project, you still have to 'Edit Chapters' to create those.

  Chapter options:
  Add Chapter Here button: creates a chapter mark manually
  Using scene detection:  mostly used for analog captured files.
  At Start of Every Panel: Creates a chapter mark for each panel in the storyboard which would be the same as creating a Chapter mark for each scene since each scene is in a separate panel.
  Every X seconds:  Don't need to explain that
  
  If you want chapter marks without a submenu, then uncheck the 'Generate chapter menus'.
  

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Finally, I know I can use the edit chapters scene detection in MyDVD. Again, this doesn't let me create menus and submenus for easy navigation.

  
Interesting, because that's exactly what that check mark at the bottom of the dialog box does. But you HAVE to create the chapters first. The submenu will be created automatically with thumbnails (thumbnails depends on the style template).

Hope this clears the process needed to properly create a submenu with chapter thumbnails.

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Edited by ggrussell, 27 January 2006 - 08:24 PM.

[rocko14]

But HOW DO YOU PLAY THE MOVIE?

This is my first movie using EMC8.

I created the chapters [every 600 seconds] for a movie I made and everything appeared to be fine. I looked at the movie in preview and when I pressed the play button it jumped to the chapter menus.

Problem #1: how can I play the movie from the main menu without having to go to the chapter menu?

Next, I pressed the navigation button to select chapter 1 and pressed play and the movie started.

So, I closed the preview and burned the movie to disc.

Problem #2: when I play the disc on any dvd player I get the main menu, I press play and get the chapter menu. I navigate to the first chapter and press play and get the main menu again!

How do you play the movie?

All I want to do is setup up the main menu with a play button to play the movie from the main menu and have another button to access the chapter menu so I can go there if I want to start from a specific scene?

I've been trying to read the help but it is so primitive I  find it hard to read.

Any help would be appreciated.

Currently, I'm stuck creating the movie with no menus until I find out how to do it.

Thanks

[ggrussell]

First, you shouldn't change the subject of a thread. Please create your own topic.

Edit Chapters does nothing more that create points in a video that the viewer can jump to. In that dialog box, you have the option to NOT create the submenu, but the chapter marks will still be made. In that case when played, you will first see the Main Menu. Selecting the button will play the movie and the chapter marks will still be there.

To have TWO buttons - one to play and one for chapters:

Launch MyDVD
Add your video file. The button will be created. CLick on it and name it PLAY.
Copy this to the clipboard
Paste it back and move to another location on the Main menu.
Right click on it and edit chapters.  Edit the text and rename it Scenes
  Done

Essentially you have two buttons that point to the same video.  This works much better than V7 which put two copies of the same file on the DVD.