Which program authors professional VCDs?

[Amit]

Hi All,

I just came accross a VCD which is professionally authored. This VCD is based on the VCD 2.0 spec. The unique thing about this VCD is that it creates the Menu Buttons just like DVD i.e. when I click on the button, the color of the button is changed.

I used to author my VCDs with VCDEasy and now I want to do the same thing. When I looked into the VCDXImager manual, at one point it talks about something like this but it I don't know what I need to do in the XML so that a VCD is created this way. I even try to rip the VCD but I am not able to do so it gives me an error that the PSD scan offset error.

Does any of you know how to author a VCD with this functionality using either VCDImager or any other authoring program?

Thanks in advance.
Amit Chugh

[adam]

They are called hotspots. You'll have to read the VCDImager manual to figure out the syntax to use. You basically just define the size and location that you want them, then associate them with whatever function you want it to do. I'll try to find an old XML script with these, but from what I remember the VCDImager manual explained the syntax pretty well. What I used to do was author my SVCD in VCDEasy and then manually add the hotspots in the resulting XML script. These hotspots work in most software dvd players and for VCDs they will even work on CDI players, as if anyone has those anymore.

Also good old Video Pack 4.0 by Cequadrat had some incredible hotspot authoring functions. You could do those button animations you describe and it was pretty intuitive to use. I'm not sure if any later versions of Vid Pack or Winoncd had these features. You'll have to check their homepages.

I believe this is also possible with VCD Toolkit which is available from Philips but it only officially works on Win NT and I could never get it to actually make anything.