Stop points in scenes

[Dave McElderry]

I've created a scene selection menu. The start points work fine. However, at the end of the scene the video just continues on. I'd like to be able to set a stop point for each scene that would return to the scene menu. The only references to "Stop" in Steve's book have to do with setting an End Action for when playback has finished, or the user presses the Stop button on the remote. I'm probably missing something obvious.

[Steve Grisetti]

In order to stop after each scene, each scene will need to be a separate video, Dave. Then the DVD player will follow the End Action at the end of the scene and will return to the menu page.

If you'd, then, like to give your viewer the option of playing several scenes in a row also, you would create a Playlist.

[Dave McElderry]

I had thought of this workaround, but thought that surely there must be provisions for something a little simpler that wouldn't use the extra disc space. In this particular instance the disc space isn't an issue for me, but it might be down the road. I was thinking that most commercial DVDs worked the way I described, but maybe not. I may be thinking of the "Features" menus, which can be made to play all features, or you can select only one and it then returns you to the menu. Same principle though.

Oh well, a minor stumble in my project. Thanks for the reply Steve!

[Steve Grisetti]

Actually, a Playlist takes up no more disc space. Since it uses video files that are already there, it's just instructions to re-use your existing video differently -- not a duplication of the video.

[Dave McElderry]

I understand, but each of the items in the scene menu will have to be a separate video, which I can't create from a playlist, right? So if I'm turning my main video into a collection of scenes I'll have to go back into PRE and extract each scene as a separate video. The main video is about 15 minutes long, so that will add an additional 15 minutes of clips to the disc. Am I correct, or am I missing something?

[Steve Grisetti]

It shouldn't.

If you've got a one-hour video and you break it into four 15-minute videos, that's the same amount of space, right?

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Dave, the clips are only there once. The playlist(s) defines different sequences of playback.

EDIT: Beat me to it there, Steve.

[Dave McElderry]

I see now what you're saying. I was thinking of using one 15 minute video, plus a bunch of clips that add up to another 15 minute's worth. If I start with the bunch of clips and turn them into a playlist that becomes my complete video that's the end of that. Okay, can do.