Play video in loop

[cd090580]

Hi,

I have authored a DVD with TMPGENc DVD Author 1.6 and now, I'd like to play whole dvd in loop with the menu.

So here's what I'd like to have.

1. Insert the dvd
2. Start to the menu
3. Display the menu for 120 seconds maximum.
4. Start the video
5. Return to the menu
6. running step 3 to 5 indefinitely until the stop button is pressed or disc is ejected.

I followed this advice with PGCEdit:

I take it you don't have any problem going back to the menu after the finish of the video? Your problem is getting the menu to show for exactly 2 minutes before then automatically playing the video again? If so, PGCEdit is your friend. Open the completed DVD in PGCEdit. Highlight the menu in the left window. Right-click and hit "Menu Buttons", and then hit "Edit" at the bottom of the new screen that opens up. There's a chance you may have to go View (at the top of the newest screen that opens)->Show Advanced Controls. In the "Advanced, global controls" in the bottom part of the newest screen is an option to "Force Action button after xxx seconds". Change whatever it says to 120 seconds. If the "Play" button isn't number 0, then you'll also have to use the slider just above. Then "OK" followed by "Close" to get back to the main screen, File->Save DVD, and test it out. If you manage to do something you don't like, just replace the IFOs which have been saved automatically and start over again. I've never had to do this, but I'm pretty sure it'll work.

Here is my settings in PGCEdit:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3425/pgceh6.png

Once editor, the dvd is not working anymore in PowerDVD.
The menu display fine but the buttons are not working anymore and after 120 seconds nothing happens.

What do I need to change ????

Thanks a lot.

[spyhawk]

Is your menu a still or motion menu? Make sure that the cell still time is 0 in the PGC Editor. Also change the "Number of numerically selectable buttons" to 4 in the Menu Editor to be numerically selectable via remote.

Alternatively, if it is a still menu you can change the cell still time to 120 sec and not use the force action option. If a motion menu and the running time is less than 120 sec, then don't use the force action option but insert the post-command at line 1 similar to the button command leading to the video. If more than 120 sec, then use the force action option.

[cd090580]

My menu is a still.
I'll try your infos.

[r0lZ]

Strange problem. However, I suggest NOT using PowerDVD to test. It is not a good standard-compliant player, and it has several bugs.

I'm interested to know if you experience the same problem with other software (and hardware) players.

Anyway, the second method explained by spyhawk should work fine, even with PowerDVD!

[cd090580]

Thanks. The second method for still menu is working fine :thanks:

For software, I only have PowerDVD and Windows Media Player. So I can't test with other. Now it's working on PC, I'll burn it on a dvd-rw and test it on hardware player.

[bigotti5]

"Force auto-activation after" must not be used in PGCs with "Cell still time > 0".
"Force auto-activation after" modifies HLI_E_PTM and BTN_SL_E_PTM, but during Cell Still these two values has to be FFFFFFFF.

If the Cell has a non-zero value for Cell Still and the highlight information in the cell includes FOAC_BTN, some players execute the FOAC_BTN command (at the end of Cell Still), but the others do not execute it (both players are compliant).

If you have a PGC with a FOAC_BTN during Cell Still Duration you should do:
(1) If you set FOAC_BTNN 1 to 36, add same command as a Cell Command.
(2) If you set FOAC_BTNN 63 (activate currently selected button) add the same function in Post Command area using SPRM(8).

[r0lZ]

Great info, as always! Thanks.

But the player is it supposed to display the button highlights correctly? I guess that the answer is no, especially when the user selects another button, as it has no nav pack to refresh the button information. Right?

[bigotti5]

But the player is it supposed to display the button highlights correctly? I guess that the answer is no, especially when the user selects another button, as it has no nav pack to refresh the button information. Right?

Do you mean in stills?
No need to refresh button info (no HL/SPU repeat)
Select button (e.g change with remote) does not set cell still off, but activate a button does.

[r0lZ]

Yes, in still menus.
Understood. Thanks again.

[bigotti5]

Imho Pgcedit should not modify "HLI_E_PTM"
The highlight end time must be equal to a display end time of the sub-picture stream SPU.
Modify "BTN_SL_E_PTM" (≤ HLI_E_PTM) should do the job.
The forced action button number describes a button number which is forcibly set to a determined state by the button select end time BTN_SL_E_PTM.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20040151475.html (free registration)
(0341)
(0365)

[r0lZ]

OK, so, to summarize:

When HLI_E_PTM == -1 (0xFFFFFFFF), the "Force Auto Activation After" field in PgcEdit should be unavailable, and the BTN_SL_E_PTM value must be -1.

When HLI_S_PTM != -1 && HLI_E_PTM != -1, BTN_SL_E_PTM can be set to any value equal to or between HLI_S_PTM and HLI_E_PTM.

Right?


I'm not sure it is theoretically possible to encounter this case, but what should I do when HLI_S_PTM == -1 && HLI_E_PTM > 0 ?
When HLI_S_PTM's value is -1, does it mean that the button appear immediately at the beginning of the playback of the cell? In this case, can I consider that it is equal to the VOBU Start Presentation Time (VOBU_S_PTM) ?
I need to understand that, as the value of the "Force Auto Activation After" field in PgcEdit is not the real BTN_SL_E_PTM value, but the duration (expressed in seconds) of the button highlight AFTER its apparition. So, I need to compute the BTN_SL_E_PTM value by adding that number of seconds (converted to PTM) to the initial value of HLI_S_PTM. Obviously, that doesn't work when HLI_S_PTM == -1.


I need also another confirmation. Can I assume that HLI_E_PTM is always -1 in all still menus without audio, AND that it is always > 0 in all animated menus or still menus with audio? (Except when it has been forced to -1 by PgcEdit, of course.)

Also, does it make sense to enable the Force Activate Button Number when HLI_E_PTM == -1 ? In other words, when the "Force Auto Activation After" field is disabled, should I also disable the "Force Activate Button" selector (and possibly reset its value to "no button") ?

[bigotti5]

HLI_S_PTM is never -1, only HLI_E_PTM and BTN_SL_E_PTM can hold -1.

In a still menu (1 navpack + cell still time) HLI_E_PTM and BTN_SL_E_PTM is always -1.
AND that it is always > 0 in all animated menus or still menus with audio
Animated menus and still menus with audio (I call it slide, no need for audio, one I-frame stretched by multiple nav-packs) can also have a value -1 if there is a cell still time set and you want the user to interact during cell still time.

Also, does it make sense to enable the Force Activate Button Number when HLI_E_PTM == -1 ? In other words, when the "Force Auto Activation After" field is disabled, should I also disable the "Force Activate Button" selector (and possibly reset its value to "no button") ?
Maybe a hint to set a cell- or postcommand would be helpfull.

[r0lZ]

Thanks again.

Now, let's say I have a standard looping animated menu. I want to keep it, but I want to convert it to a menu that plays only once, and then stays still, without audio, indefinitely. I can simply add an infinite still time to the cell. But the button highlight will disappear at the end of the playback of the animated part of the menu. That's not what I want, so I must have a way to change HLI_E_PTM to -1. Right? Or should I do that only in the last nav pack with buttons, at the end of the animated part of the menu?

And, in this case, can I force the activation button during the still phase of the playback by setting BTN_SL_E_PTM > original value of HLI_E_PTM? Or should I consider this situation exactly like a standard still menu, and change the still time to any value < 255 and use the post-commands to process the default or currently highlighted button?

In other words, should I add an option in the GUI to convert HLI_E_PTM to -1 (perhaps available only when PgcEdit detects a non-zero still time)? And in that case, should I allow setting BTN_SL_E_PTM to any value less or equal to the original value of HLI_E_PTM? (BTW, there is a difficulty here. If the user forces -1 in HLI_E_PTM, I cannot retrieve its value any more, unless I scan the nav packs to find the last pack with the buttons, and use its VOBU_E_PTM value. Not easy.) I agree that forcing a still time after an animated menu and then forcing the automatic activation of a button during the playback of the animated part of the menu doesn't make much sense, but it's theoretically possible.

[bigotti5]

Or should I do that only in the last nav pack with buttons, at the end of the animated part of the menu?

All navpacks have to be modified
...that the HLI data should be identical to that of the previous VOBU...

Or should I consider this situation exactly like a standard still menu, and change the still time to any value < 255 and use the post-commands to process the default or currently highlighted button?
I cannot retrieve its value any more, unless I scan the nav packs to find the last pack with the buttons, and use its VOBU_E_PTM value. Not easy

It is tricky, SPU unit must not have a stop command to keep HLI.
Cell still time >0 and FOAC modifaction requires cell - or postcommands to work properly on all players.
Imho it does not make sense to allow FOAC in conjunction with cell still time in Pgcedit. So a hint and/or macro to modify cell/postcommands would make more sense.

[r0lZ]

Yep, I forgot the stop command.

Now, I think I know everything I need. Thanks again!