I'm confused with Cell Flag

[lovelegend]

I never understand the cell flags but I didn't have trouble before, so I just leave what they're set and never touch them. However, few days ago I added a cell command to a cell but PowerDVD didn't execute it. I then searched for the answer and I saw somewhere in the homepage of DVDremake stating that if the seamless flag of the next cell was set, then the cell command would not be execute. This makes me wanna clarify the meaning of those cell flags but I couldn't find much info in this forum (but maybe I used the wrong keywords).

For eamaple, if I wanna set a cell command for cell #10, then what flag(s) shouldn't I set for cell#10 or cell#11?

Usually I see in a PGC the first and last cell are set to 2 and the others are set to 8, but after adding subtitles and replacing the main movie, the flags of the first and last cell are set to 10, will that matter? Or should I change them back to 2?

[2COOL]

However, few days ago I added a cell command to a cell but PowerDVD didn't execute it. Hmm....a cell command will execute, without user intervention, when the cell is done playing. If you decide to skip forward during its play, you bypass its cell command. That's to the best of my knowledge for now.

[EDIT]jeanl mentions about this matter here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=617990#post617990).

[r0lZ]

Normally, a cell following a cell with a cell command must be non-seamless. Also, the first cell of a PGC must be non-seamless. This is why the flags are 2 for the first cell, and often also for the last cell.
The exact behaviour of the players for a seamless cell with a cell command in unpredictable. A player will execute the cell command regardless of the value of the seamless flag, while another one will ignore the cell command.

[mpucoder]

I though Dimad corrected that. Anyway, the first cell needs "seamless" (bit 3, value 8) =0 and "STC discontinuity" (bit 1, value 2) =1. Any cell following a cell with a cell command needs "seamless" =0 but "STC discontinuity" may be either value.

"seamless" can be set only if:
edit: strike this line! 1) there is no discontinuity (ie "STC discontinuity" = 0)
2) the multiplex itself is seamless (check for first vobu audio pts < vobu_s_ptm)
3) the previous cell has no cell command
4) the cell is on the same layer as the previous

"STC discontinuity" will be set if:
1) new video sequence (every video sequence starts a new VobID, but not every new VobID is the start of a sequence) (check SCR)
2) the cell is not adjacent to the previous (check first sector equal to previous cell's last sector +1)

[Dimad]

I though Dimad corrected that.
So did I :D At first I wandered what DRMP version lovelegend has used, but reading his post once again - he never say that he used DRMP to add "a cell command to a cell".

[lovelegend]

So did I :D At first I wandered what DRMP version lovelegend has used, but reading his post once again - he never say that he used DRMP to add "a cell command to a cell".
No, I didn't, I just went to your website and read your tutorials.... :D

btw, how about the seamless angle flag? When should it be set? :confused:

[frank]

Originally posted by mpucoder
"seamless" can be set only if:
1) there is no discontinuity (ie "STC discontinuity" = 0) Not true.
In DVD "Pearl Harbor", director's cut, PAL 2 every cell (chapter) restarts the timer (STC=1) and the seamless flag is set! You can watch the cell times with DVD2AVI.

I think STC flag means SET TIME COUNTER but has nothing to do with seamless playing (not breaking through the layer, or no great laser head moving).
The flags give information to hardware players (decoder buffer management), but if they use it, that's the question.

[Trahald]

PowerDVD just does not execute cell commands( well at least not in a title). i thought i made an authoring error once. until i was told about this.. the command executed on windvd and my standalone.. just not powerdvd. (Ive never tested it for menus nor in a title against the standards mpucoder set)

[mpucoder]

[/B]Not true.
In DVD "Pearl Harbor", director's cut, PAL 2 every cell (chapter) restarts the timer (STC=1) and the seamless flag is set!
You are correct, point 1) above is not true (what was I thinking?). It is quite common to reset the clock in a seamless joint. btw "STC" means "System Time Clock", the reference for all time values such as SCR, dts, pts, and ptm.

[mpucoder]

PowerDVD just does not execute cell commands
It was by testing the "Emulated Random" (http://www.mpucoder.com/Muxman/mxp/ex_random.html) script on PowerDVD that I discovered this, and later confirmed on my Sony's. If the following cell is not marked as seamless then the command will execute.

[blutach]

I find PowerDVD v6 has several little bugs. Another one is that it will not display subtitles selected from the menu!

Regards