HTML & I-Author

[Tokafondo]

Greetings from Canary Islands.

I am trying to create professional-like SVCDS. That is why I use I-Authot to author SVCDs. This creates MPEG2 SVCD compliant streams with subtitles, too.

I rip Subtitles with SubRip 0.98 and mux them with I-Author because SubMux and WinSubMux doesn't mux them right.

I have a Belson BSA-3500 DVD player, that is a Spanish brand that actually uses a Shinco board to do the work. When I started authoring, I had a lot of trouble with subtitles muxing.

When I decided using I-Author, all that troubles went away.

Now I'd like to have chapters and that stuff in my SVCDs. All I-Author guides I found everywhere always rely on the wizard to create the authoring, or creates very basic menu.

What the hell is the HTML part of I-Author?? And what is VMP?? How to use them??

Thanks for you answering this

[djidjo]

Hi,

I used to use I-Author when VCDImager was "not so easy" to use. I never used the HTML part of I-Author though. But I can tell you that VCDEasy (former VCDImager) is now an all-in-one solution that's MUCH better than I-Author.

Another big problem with I-Author is that they stopped making the English version some years ago, so all official documentation is in Japanese now...

Forget I-author, try VCDEasy !
Djidjo

[Tokafondo]

Thanks for your quick response.


Is there any VCDImager / VCDEasy FAQ out there??

What can not I do with VCDImage and XML??

[jj59]

Some info on VCDimager and how to use XML is here
http://www.vcdimager.org/documentation.phtml

Info on VCDEasy a gui for VCDImager/CDRDAO is here
http://www.doom9.org/mpg/vcdeasy.htm
http://www.vcdhelp.com/author.htm

hpe this helps
jj

[smiller667]

You can have the best of both worlds :) ... use the I-Author muxer to generate your stream with subtitles, make sure to tick the "PS" (program stream) box ... rename your .ps to .mpg (used to be necessary for vcdeasy(?), maybe obsolete now) and then do your authoring in VCDEasy or TSCV.
Good luck ...

NB: I-Author is Chinese software ... docs would be in Chinese as well :D.

[adam]

The html options in I-Author allow you to basically author web pages onto your svcd which are only viewable on pc's. Its basically like the dvd extra content on dvds. You can add flash animations, links to other web sites ect.. onto your svcd. Except for business applications it seems like a pretty pointless option to me.

The VMP option allows you to create auto run scripts so that your disk will automatically perform a certain function when inserted into your pc. I've never really tried too hard to use this function but it doesn't appear to work. There is a separate autorun function just for playing the disk on the pc using I-Author's own software dvd player but its all in chinese so not too useful for me. I think with the VMP option you could, for example, have your svcd autoplay in a separate software dvd player like WinDVD, PowerDVD or media player.

Vcdimager is great if you don't mind doing everything by hand. The vcdeasy gui really doesnt have any menu building functions and the only one that does, TSCV, is horribly buggy and unintuitive, ex: if you have 50 still menu's it sure would be nice for them to have unique names. I have a hard time remembering the difference between menu26 and menu42 simply by looking at the names.

As far as svcd menu authoring is concerned there is simply nothing which comes close to I-Author's capabilities. Just try authoring with it without the wizard thing, it seems pretty straightforward and intuitive to me. If you can create a simple menu why not a complex one? Its just the same steps over and over again. As far as the chapters, simply create a play item for each chapter you need. Use the same mpg (.mps) as the source for each one. Set the entry times for each chapter and link them appropriately ex: ch2 next goes to ch3 and the previous goes back to ch1. I don't really see why you need a guide for this. Let me know if you have any more questions about I-Author though.

[Tokafondo]

OK, it seems that you know a lot about I-Author...

I'm trying to create *REAL* Karaoke VCDs. I say "real" because I don't want a video with the subtitles burned in, I want real karaoke subtitles. That is the only way my standalone player would activate the karaoke functions it has.

I have played with OGTCREATOR, with no success at all. There is a recording function that I can't understand.

Would you help me??

Thank you.

[adam]

I wish I could help but I have never made a karaoke disk before. I know how to make soft encoded subs for svcds both with I-Author and without, but I do not know if karaoke cds use this exact same format.

Here is a decent description of how to use I-Author's ogtcreator,
http://www.vcdhelp.com/svcdsubs.htm

There are some freeware karaoke programs available. You may have better luck with these than with I-Author.

Sorry I couldn't be more help but this is about the only feature of I-Author that I haven't experimented with.

[Tokafondo]

Adam, I'd like to know if you have learnt all you know by "try-error" or you have the help files that should come with I-Author.

I'm really interested in get that files. I'm really interested in having my wife and daughter sing along with REAL karaoke (s)vcds, and NOT fake ones (ie: subtitles burned in the video stream).

I will tell you what I have found in creating Karaoke with I-Author.

1.- You load the .MPA audio file with "stream->load stream".
2.- You type all the lyrics with a time code of 0:0:0 / 0:0:0.
3.- You press F9 and press space bar everytime a line should appear.
4.- When finished, you press F9 again and press right cursor arrow everytime a WORD should be highlighted.
5.- When finished, press F5 and you will see the final result.

Many times you will see that she highlighting seems to be desynch'd with music, but I don't know why is it. Also, I don't know what "page interval" option does.

AND

In the SVCD specs, you will see that SVCD also support karaoke... and NOBODUY knew about it!!

Perhaps we could team to create the first worldwide method to create Karaoke (S)VCDs.

BUT...

If there is a LARGE selection of existing K(S)VCD/DVDs, what the hell authoring system do they use???

----

How to get around about the 645MB limit in I-author??

----

Thank you for you reading this.

[adam]

Everything I know I learnt from online guides and trial and error. I too would love to get my hands on I-Author's official documentation, but I think like most people on this forum, that might prove difficult. I'm not even sure if there is an official English manual but if you find one definitely let me know please.

I doubt that comercially produced karoake disks are authored using
I-Author. There are tons of commercial karoake authoring software bundles and possibly even some freeware ones. Just do a web search if your interested in purchasing one, I didn't have any problems finding any on google, though I agree, you "should" be able to do everything you need with I-Author.

Like I said I wish I could be of more help but I don't have any experience in this area. The subs I use are taken directly off my source dvds so I do not use the OGT creator and I have never even attempted to make a karoake cd since I am a horrible singer :)

There is a patch to remove the size limit. I believe it is named
"I-Author Limit remover." It is my understanding that this patch violates no copyrights so I'll go ahead and tell you that you can probably find it at vcdspain (I forget the exact url.) Mods feel free to edit this out if I am in violation.

[Tokafondo]

OK. I thought the "limit remover" was about some kind of limitation in length of using time, not length of the CDs. I have it downloaded, but I never used because with only replacing the file in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM I used it with no problems at all (until now).

I try to make karaoke disc because it seems it's the only thing nobody has done before. The karaoke sets I have found outthere seems to create "burned-in" subtitles, not selectable ones. Initially I created such a kind of karaoke vcds, but they were NOT recognized as K(S)VCDs by my player, because they really are (S)VCDs. My player does NOT activate karaoke options as they are not such ones.

Surely I will sing those songs, but I want to create mainly for the entertainment of my family, who likes to spend time singing the "last hit" songs.

---

When I open OGTCREATOR and pressed "F1", a message appears about looking for the "OGTCREATOR.HLP" file.

The I-Author version available outthere seems to be a cracked demo. I have found the official sales page of enreach in china, but I haven't found any support page or such a thing.

I'm looking for anybody who has the FULL distro, so /(s)he could send me OGTCREATOR.HLP

[htc10825]

Hi Adam,

Quotation:
-------------
"I'm not even sure if there is an official English manual but if you find one definitely let me know please."
--------------
I´m Chinese, when you get a Chinese manual of it, let me translate or write a guide of it(Karaoke-CD).


Quotation:
-------------
"I doubt that commercially produced karoake disks are authored using I-Author"
--------------
commercially produced Karaoke disks use non-PC software.


Quotation:
-------------
"There are tons of commercial karoake authoring software bundles and possibly even some freeware ones. Just do a web search if your interested in purchasing one, I didn't have any problems finding any on google, though I agree, you "should" be able to do everything you need with I-Author"
--------------

all the commercial Karaoke PC-Software except I-Author make only burned karaoke-subs on vcd or dvd, not the real karaoke witch Tokafondo dreamed of. The 90% search results in web are even audio only - only for mp3 player like winamp!
I-Author has many limitations. I´m sure you can´t do everything you need with I-Author.

Some good news:
In a earlier thread in forum "SVCD Authoring" I´ve told you the max. still image menus of I-Aithor are limited to 49(not 50). I´ve made a svcd with more menus by using of TSCV(build first 2-3 menus, save the .XML file) and than manual editing the .XML file. It was not difficult to change the mane of each "selection" to make it more readable. use vcdxbuild.exe in vcdimage0712 dir to build the image.

[htc10825]

hi Tokafondo,

1. VCD/SVCD/Karaoke-DVD

VCD has only one sound track and NO subtitle. All the commercial Karaoke VCDs have burned subs and left channel with only music right channel with vocal and music. No switchable subs for VCD possible.

I´ve never seen commercial Karaoke SVCDs
The very most of Karaoke-DVDs have only burned subs. Only very few have switchable subs. I don´t know what I-Author with "Karaoke-VCD 3.0" means. Have you ever got a commercial Karaoke-(S)VCD recognized as K(S)VCDs by your player? NO!

The most karaoke players have the special functions: play back only the left channel, play back only the right channel, play back stereo, remove the vocal from the stereo source and play back.
The first 3 functions are used for Karaoke-VCDs/DVDs. The last one is used for normal music (V)CDs/DVDs.

I would like to create professional looked karaoke svcd(with switchable subs) too, but you must consider:
a. many dvd player can´t play subs
b. only very few players can display subs with tow or more colors(have you checked out if your player is able to display subs with white AND pink?)
c. when you are in the lucky position that your player does, it is good possible that the player of your friend does not. when the svcd only worked on one machine, it is surely less fun with it.

2."limit remover"

I-Author has no limit in file/image size. I´ve made SVCD over 920MB(on a 90min cdr) with no problem. There is limitation on buring the image. I used CDmage to convert the .cif file to .bin/.cue files then burn it using cdrdao(comes with vcdeasy/vcdimage).

To overburn, you need a suitable burner(Richo/LG/Plextor is OK, but not HP/Sony) and CD-R(Verbatim/Platinum). Software: cdrwin 4.0(old) or 3,9(new) is ok, but not cdrwin 5.x

3.OGTCREATOR.HLP
pls see the 1st point of my reply to Adam

[adam]

Unpatched I-Author does have a size limit. I can't remember if it happens during multiplexing or authoring or both but I-Author gives an error msg saying the file has exceeded the maximum allowable size and that it will not fit on a 74 min cdr. It halts multiplexing/authoring at this point. That shows you just how old I-Author is.

No offense but I think its safe to assume you didn't buy your version of I-Author and that goes for just about anyone else on this forum. If you used the "full patch" to unlock it then I think the limit remover is included in this, which explains why you didn't notice the size limit.

[Tokafondo]

Please, if you are chinese, take a look in the pages this search returns, as they are EnReach official product specifications. Look there if is there something of interest.

http://www.alltheweb.com/search?cat=web&cs=utf-8&l=szh&q=%2B%22i-author%22+%2Benreach+%2Btechnology