First Play PGC

[Olyman]

Does anyone know any DVD authoring programs that will allow you to deselect or delete the first play PGC other than Scenarist.

Thanks.

[mpucoder]

Why would you want to do that? You MUST have a first play PGC. Whether you have any commands in it is another thing, but without at least a jump to a menu or title the DVD will not play.

[Olyman]

The DVD would still play, you'd just need to manually start the DVD. I realise this would be an unlikely use but I need it for inflight entertainment use, on an aircraft the DVD's would be loaded into the players long before they are required for viewing, and the stewardess would start the DVD at a certain time. I'm sure there are other examples, probably when the DVD is used for public viewing.

[mpucoder]

Well, you still need a first play PGC to meet spec. But you can either leave out all commands or use the exit command. Another alternative would be to jump to a still menu with a logo and only one button (to start playback).

[bigotti5]

Ralph LaBarge - DVD Authoring & Production
First Play Domain
The First Play Domain is optional and contains a single program chain that can't include any media elements. This is called the First Play PGC in most authoring tools. Whenever a DVD-Video player is turned on or a new disc is inserted, control automatically passes to the First Play PGC. Essentially this is a standard method to bootstrap a title so that it starts playing automatically when it is inserted into a DVD-Video player. While the First Play PGC is optional, I strongly recommend that you include one on every DVD title you develop. If you do not include a First Play PGC. some consumers will be contused when they insert your DVD title into their DVD-Video player and nothing happens. On many entry-level DVD-Video authoring systems the use of a First Play PGC is mandatory.

[Olyman]

The DVD's I'm authoring are not going to be used by the public but by trained operators, who will expect the DVD to not play. What I need is a cheap alternative to Senarist that will allow me to author the DVD without the first play pgc linked to anything.

[Zeul]

You can use any authoring tool for your needs. Once compiled open the video_ts.ifo in pgcedit and deleted the pre command in the VMG, First Play PGC (this is how it is shown in pgcedit), or as mpucoder suggested replace the pre command with Exit.

[mpucoder]

I had always believed FP_DOM was mandatory, but I can't find anything to support that. So, there will be changes made to MuxMan to allow overriding its default navigation and not create a first play, title menu, and root menu automatically.

[Zeul]

This raises the question as to whether a Title menu and Root menu are mandatory - I assumed they were.

[bigotti5]

Jim Taylor - DVDDemystified

Each disc can have one main menu, called the title (or top) menu. The title menu is optional. There also can be additional menus, called root menus. A disc may have no root menus, or it may have hundreds.

[Zeul]

hmm I have that book - didn't see that though :D

[mpucoder]

menus are optional, even the language unit table is optional. In fact a zero length table (as when there are no language units, therefore no menus) is not allowed. I changed MuxMan 0.17 already to allow for this. One caveat - without automatic generation you must make the title PGC or there is nothing to mux (this one stumped me for a few minutes).

[bigotti5]

hmm I have that book - didn't see that though

Application Details - DVD Video - Menus

-----

Tables in VMG and VTS
VMGI_MAT-------------Mandatory
VMG_TT_SRPT----------Mandatory
VMGM_PGCI_UT---------Mandatory if video present
VMG_PTL_MAIT---------Optional
VMG_VTS_ATRT---------Mandatory
VMG_TXTDT_MG---------Optional
VMGM_C_ADT-----------Mandatory if video present
VMGM_VOBU_ADMAP------Mandatory if video present


VTSI_MAT-------------Mandatory
VTS_PTT_SRPT---------Mandatory
VTS_PGCIT------------Mandatory
VTSM_PGCI_UT---------Mandatory if video present
VTS_TMAPT------------Optional
VTSM_C_ADMAP---------Mandatory if video present
VTS_VOBU_ADMAP-------Mandatory if video present
VTS_C_ADT------------Mandatory
VTS_VOBU_ADMAP-------Mandatory