Architect Studio problem

[jan]

I have finally completed my geneology videos for my family members using Photoshop and then Sony Vegas. I have even done a basic DVD using DVD Architect Studio. But, I found 2 problems.

Problem 1: When I select a video to watch, all seems fine until I push "stop" in the preview area for remote control use, the screen goes to what seems like a default screen rather than to Menu/Page 1 where all the videos choices are located. How do I get "stop" to take it to the Menu/Page 1? By the way, when I did it on the real TV, it put me into a list format with blank video icons and the # for each video (which looks like it could have a name placed there but I can not figure out that either.)

Problem 2: I made the Movie Clips from Sony Vegas using NTSC Widescreen and 5.1 Surround sound and supposedly no black side bars. But, on the screen (real widescreenTV or in Sony's software) the pictures are elongated with the black sidebars.

Can someone help? I want to get this 10 month project finalized fast.

Jan

[Steve Grisetti]

Hi, Jan.

Where your DVD navigates to when you press the stop button is determined by what End Actions are set. I'm not sure what you mean by "in the preview area for remote control use", but look at the green links listed under that page or media clip in your Project Overview panel. Where is it set to link to? (You can, of course, customize those links to go wherever you'd like.)

As for your second question, it could be that you've not properly configured your DVD. But most likely it's your DVD player. DVD players are set to automatically trigger widescreen when you put a widescreen video in -- but this doesn't always happen with home-burned DVDs. Try just manually switching your DVD player to widescreen.

To see if the DVD is properly set up, put the DVD into your computer's DVD drive and play it with the DVD player software that's on your computer. If it's still showing up stretched out of proportion, we may need to look at your DVD settings in DVD Architect.

[jan]

Hey,
Problem 2 is resolved with the info about Vegas' "cropping" even though I could not get it to keep a preset. Thanks twoshed.
Now I have to deal a flickering issue once slideshows are imported into Vegas.

Problem 1 is not resolved. I am working with End Actions so that when the remote control STOP is hit, the screen returns to the Main Menu/Page 1 but is just not doing it. And if I burn the video onto a DVD to test on the TV, using the STOP button on the remote takes you from the video to a default screen (with Blueray it takes it you to an unedited Chapters list, and with a regular DVD player it takes you the company logo screen.) I have tried every command, destination... yet get the same results. All remote buttons are ON. Here is what I do following help or How to Do It assistance.
1. In Overview window: I rename Menu 1 to Family/page 1 and "set to DVD start".
2. In Workspace:
a. Edit the Menu 1 to say Family so it matches the overview window name.
b. I add a Vegas made video called Ron. This causes Overview window to add a menu called Ron with a green "Most Recent Menu"
3. In Overview Window: I double click on Ron and then go to Properties Window. Here is where I tried everything. But the HELP area tells me to do this which does not work.
Command: link, Destination: Family, Destination item and button automatically change to Start & Default respectively.

Oh, End Action directions sound like they are only for the end of the video. Will the end of the video AND STOP button both return the viewer to the Main Menu or are these two separate inputs?


Jan

[Bobby]

Jan, although a user, I am no expert. But yes I believe that the End action only applies when you reach the actual end of the clip, not when Stop is pressed.

And you may not be able to override Stop - that standard DVD action stops playing the DVD entirely and goes to the manufacturer's main screen. You may not be able to control this via DVDAS as your DVD player is probably not even giving control back to the "program" when you press Stop.

What are you trying to accomplish? If you describe that, perhaps we can help figure out a way to do it.

[Steve Grisetti]

I think you're right, Bobby.

Pressing Menu returns you to your menu. Stop just stops the DVD completely.

This is a function of the DVD player hardware, not the DVD itself, so I don't know of any way to program it out other than disabling the Stop button completely.

[Chuck Engels]

To stop the video and return to the main menu using the remote control you need to press the Menu button, not the Stop button. The End Action does just as Steve and Bobby say, it returns to the menu after that chapter is finished, not anytime before that.

In Encore there are ways to control some of the actions depending on what the user presses on the remote.
I am not sure if the Stop button is part of that but it might be.

[jan]

Intuitively I figured MENU would take the viewer back but it does not. Here is what happens:
1. a viewer hits STOP and is taken immediately to some default page; logically hitting MENU next just keeps the viewer at tha default page.
2. on the other hand, hitting PLAY after STOP does take the viewer back to the main menu

Jan

[Bobby]

Intuitively I figured MENU would take the viewer back but it does not. Here is what happens:
1. a viewer hits STOP and is taken immediately to some default page; logically hitting MENU next just keeps the viewer at tha default page.
2. on the other hand, hitting PLAY after STOP does take the viewer back to the main menu

Jan

Jan, the hardware is doing it. Think of DVDAS as setting up a "program" that runs in the DVD box when the DVD plays. But the box also has its BIOS and that gets control FIRST when the Stop button is pressed. The program never gets a chance, hence you can't control it. It is a hardware function. Once the user presses Stop, it's all over for your menus no matter what you do.

Any actions after hitting Stop are up to the hardware manufacturer and are not consistent I have found.

Again, what are you trying to accomplish?

[Steve Grisetti]

When you say "default page" , you don't mean a page on your DVD, right? You mean something like a logo screen for your DVD player, right?

[jan]

Goal: allow viewer to get back to MainMenu if the remote button DTOP is hit.
This would reduce their frustration with remotes. Your IMO that the hardware takes over was the piece of info I needed and was the very reason I, as a viewer, get frustrated with DVD remote controls that did not work the same.
Ok, I just have to let the viewer hit button until they get where they want.
Q: why in preview of Architect doesn't completion cause it to go back yo main menu per End Action designation? And, why does hitting it's Menu button do nothing? As stated earlier only hitting Play takes it back Main Menu called Family.
Q: when in preview of Architect the counters keep going after counting when the show is finished. I would think they would stop. Is this ok?

Thanks guys!
Jan

[Bobby]

Goal: allow viewer to get back to MainMenu if the remote button DTOP is hit.
This would reduce their frustration with remotes. Your IMO that the hardware takes over was the piece of info I needed and was the very reason I, as a viewer, get frustrated with DVD remote controls that did not work the same.
Ok, I just have to let the viewer hit button until they get where they want.
Q: why in preview of Architect doesn't completion cause it to go back yo main menu per End Action designation? And, why does hitting it's Menu button do nothing? As stated earlier only hitting Play takes it back Main Menu called Family.
Q: when in preview of Architect the counters keep going after counting when the show is finished. I would think they would stop. Is this ok?

Thanks guys!
Jan

1) Forget the first goal - your hardware won't permit it, and there is nothing unique here in your application that nobody else has - it is standard operating DVD procedure.
2) Are you doing the full disk preview, or just previewing that page - makes a difference.
3) The counters reflect what is going on with the end action. If you choose to Hold, the video will just stop but the counters continue to run. Or you can loop (and set loop point) or go to a menu or another clip. Even if you loop, the loop counter should go back, but the elapsed time counter continues to run.

[Chuck Engels]

In Encore each chapter has a End Action, what happens when the user stops the movie.
It can go back to the scene menu with the cursor on the next menu selection, or go back to the main menu, whatever.
Isn't there a similar option in Architect? Is that what you are talking about Bobby?

[Bobby]

Yes, Chuck, there is a very similar action in DVDAS, but not sure why Jan is having problems yet.

[jan]

Yes, Chuck, there is a very similar action in DVDAS, but not sure why Jan is having problems yet.

I must say I am very disappointed with Sony's Vegas and Architect. I loved Pinnacle in the late 90's early 2000's, it was so easy and made great video's (we used it for teaching our high school students video editing.) Unfortunately Windows XP would not let it work properly. Anyway I have some good news.

End Action Solution: I simply went down every menu or title in the Overview Window and worked on their End Actions, did a simple check on Architect's Preview, made a DVD and the End Actions worked nicely per their purpose. (I gave up on the STOP button "control.")
Thanks for the help guys.

Unfortunately, this also showed that the flickering is still present even with "Reduce Interlace Flicker" turned ON from both Vegas and Architect. Wonder if choosing something other than widescreen would make the flicker less apparent? Redoing the shows back in Photoshop to add that Gauss blur thing is not appealing to me. Ideas?

Jan

[Paul LS]

Sony Vegas and DVD Architect are powerful programs but I find them not so intuitive to use as Premiere Elements. Regarding the gaussian blur, you can apply this in Vegas, no need to go back to your photos in Photoshop. Also are you judging the flicker on your TV or in the preview window, if in the preview window you could be seeing interlacing which not be apparent on your TV.