21 replies to this topic

[acornwafer@yahoo.com]

Whenever I am making a DVD and click on the MYDVD menu, I can't add a new button, the link is grayed out. Likewise Setting from the View menu. Why is that?

[ggrussell]

That option is not available in this version of EMC8.  Buttons are automatically created when you add a video file, image or slideshow.  Those buttons will be linked to the file(s) that you add.

[acornwafer@yahoo.com]

So there is no way for me to add a PLAY button to the menu? I have to go into the chapters and play from one of the thubnails?

[ggrussell]

If you have added chapters, there is an option to not create the submenu.  I you want both, there is a simple solution.

Launch MyDVD
Add your file.
Click on it and copy to clipboard.
Rename this one, Play All
Paste back the clipboard and reposition it.
Right click on it and 'edit chapters'.
rename this one Play Scenes

Technically you have two buttons that point to the same file.

[latinangel_13@yahoo.com]

You can add an unlinked button and access the settings dialog box if you DO NOT upgrade your EMC8 with the downloadable upgrade.  If you have already done so, uninstall EMC8 and then reinstall it and DON'T upgrade!!!

[ggrussell]

Your suggestion will not work for everyone. Only for those that purchased the first release.

[cwarren410]

ggrussell, on Mar 1 2006, 07:12 AM, said:

Your suggestion will not work for everyone. Only for those that purchased the first release.

So what version of myDVD do we have to buy to get these options?

[ggrussell]

Just know that it isn't available yet.  Prehaps a future release?

[acornwafer@yahoo.com]

Thanks a lot. I'll try that when I create my next DVD. So far I have been content with navigating to one of the chapters that I created and pressing ENTER or PLAY on my DVD remote to start the movie. Crude but it works.
I'll give your workaround a shot and let you know how that worked.

[acornwafer@yahoo.com]

ggrussell, on Feb 28 2006, 07:21 PM, said:

If you have added chapters, there is an option to not create the submenu.  I you want both, there is a simple solution.

Launch MyDVD
Add your file.
Click on it and copy to clipboard.
Rename this one, Play All
Paste back the clipboard and reposition it.
Right click on it and 'edit chapters'.
rename this one Play Scenes

Technically you have two buttons that point to the same file.

Your tip worked like a charm! I have burned a few DVDs with a PLAY and CHAPTER button and it plays fine on my DVD player. Thanks a lot.

[ggrussell]

Glad to help

[cwarren410]

ggrussell, on Mar 1 2006, 08:34 PM, said:

Just know that it isn't available yet.  Prehaps a future release?

Is MyDVD 8 Premier being advertised on the Roxio home page the "future" product you are referring to?

Charles Warren III

[rjohnston20847x]

ggrussell, on Mar 1 2006, 08:34 PM, said:

Just know that it isn't available yet.  Prehaps a future release?

The tip for the Play All button worked in the download version Roxio Easy Media Creator™ 8 (Build 805B56B ENU).

[mayo54@ptd.net]

Just for anyone that is curious.  The options that are greyed out in your versions of MyDVD 8 are not available in MyDVD 8 Premier.  I do not own EMC8 and I decided to do the purchase download of MyDVD 8 Essentials.  I was for the most part disappointed with it because almost all of the options I was looking for were not available.  According to their product description, things such as button creation and editing should be available.  So I figured that maybe the Premier version would have all the features I was looking for since it supposedly had all these extra features.  So I unistalled the essentials and downloaded the premier version.  To my surprise, there was almost no difference between the essentials and premier.  the only difference I can even tell is that there are more style templates to choose from, but they are all disappointing.  Again, according to their product description, these features that are greyed out should be there, and they are not.  so I spent the last week trying to get support from Roxio and it is almost impossible.  and after all this there is no way I am going to pay $35 more dollars for them to tell me some BS story that these features are going to be in a later version, which means I paid for stuff that's not available now, and will have to pay for it again when these features are considered "available"  I had a version of mydvd made by sonic from years ago that was much more useable than this.  unfortunately I no longer have the cd key for this or i would have certainly use that instead.  Unless I have done something really wrong with installing this software, it is totally not worth it because it doesn't give you what they claim it does.  If anyone has any ideas as for what I should do in this situation I would be very grateful.  Thanks.

Edited by mayo54@ptd.net, 12 March 2006 - 08:37 AM.

[jball2]

Regarding the Greyed Out option for adding an unlinked button, thanks to all for this topic and for the suggestions given re a Play All button.

I have been fighting this for a few days, as I always create a Play All button and a Chapters button - used to have Pinnacle Studio and have recently downloaded EMC8 to a new machine.  I just could not get anything obvious to work.

**Vent on ***

I'm furious and fuming about the removal / omission of this option.  Surely, the ability to add a button to a menu is a fundamental basic of any DVD authoring program?  Frankly, this cannot be a serious program without it, when other competitors have been providing it for years, and the idea that MyDVD is being sold as a boxed stand-alone program suitable for authoring complex DVDs without it leaves me stunned!

I'm also  trying to reconcile the advertising blurb that EMC8 and MyDVD 8 gives you "full control...including buttons" with the greyed out option.  Certainly, my understanding of "full control" and "buttons" is that you can actually create one and set it to perform a basic action - not that you have to use another option to create some automatically for a specified purpose, and then scrabble around to make one fit for use.   I downloaded EMC8 to replace a light Sonic version that came OEM with most useable functions disabled, as this was one of the functions that I wanted to use, and appeared to be advertised as present.  Trading Standards, anyone?

Venting more, why give help and detailed instruction on a topic that doesn't exist in any version? ...and shoving a get-out at the top saying that "some options may not be available in all versions" doesn't really cut it when the option isn't in fact available in any.  This line is also misleading - I had assumed that this meant that it was available by shelling out on another version, and nearly did.  Once again, Trading Standards, methinks...

This omission is unforgiveable.  I can only hope that someone from Roxio / Sonic can explain why this was taken out, and when (not if) it is going back in (as an free update, not as a costly upgrade).

**Vent off ****

Anyway, at least mayo54 and ggrussell saved me some dosh - and for that, thank you!

Jeremy

[ggrussell]

You're more than welcome.  That's why we are here.

Quote

and when (not if) it is going back in (as an free update, not as a costly upgrade)

How can it go back in if it was never there to begin? I wouldn't hold my breathe on that one.  It appears that Sonic/Roxio is releasing different versions with different features 'enabled'. I would guess there is still another version with ALL features enabled.

[jball2]

ggrussell, on Mar 14 2006, 06:26 AM, said:

You're more than welcome.  That's why we are here.

How can it go back in if it was never there to begin? I wouldn't hold my breathe on that one.  It appears that Sonic/Roxio is releasing different versions with different features 'enabled'. I would guess there is still another version with ALL features enabled.

My mind is working along the lines of....since other posters have said that the option was enabled in the CD version (v8.0) but was not in the download (v8.5), the option seems to have been taken out rather than never there.  Unless I'm misunderstanding?

I went for EMC8 as I had been happy with the Roxio items I owned before.  Now, I'd think twice before buying any other product, looking at competitors such as Nero.  I think its a shame when established happy customers are put off.  I never had any quibbles with Easy CD Creator v5 or 6.  I'm just beginning to think that since Sonic and Roxio got together, they are more interested in how to milk more and more from customers for different versions, when the features are really basic and should be there anyway.

Ta!

Jeremy

[ggrussell]

Mulitple versions isn't a new idea. Roxio even had several versions of previous releases, too.  The greyed-out menu items were never there although the Control+R did work in the original release. They removed the keycode in the 8.05 patch and download purchases.

[monsterbucket]

ggrussell, on Mar 14 2006, 10:08 AM, said:

Mulitple versions isn't a new idea. Roxio even had several versions of previous releases, too.  The greyed-out menu items were never there although the Control+R did work in the original release. They removed the keycode in the 8.05 patch and download purchases.

this is a bit of BS - on their product page they clearly state that in MyDVD Essentials you can modify the menu background using your own image, or movie even!

[Larry]

monsterbucket, on Mar 14 2006, 12:42 PM, said:

this is a bit of BS - on their product page they clearly state that in MyDVD Essentials you can modify the menu background using your own image, or movie even!

monsterbucket,
Being able to change the background has nothing to do with the buttons on a menu, which is what this topic was discussing.