Is it possible to play a bio/intro clip before menu shows?

[user2009]

The program is great, but I miss just one thing: a menu with a mini biography of the main actor of the movie.

[Claire]

do you have the footage?

[user2009]

Yes, I have an avi file.

[ckhouston]

Assuming you want the bio to play before the menu appears, you can use some trickery to simulate what you want.

Add the bio avi first followed by the others. Check the Auto-start playback and Return to title menu after titleset playback options. Delete menu text and remove any thumbnail for the bio in the title menu under Titleset #1 (your bio) in the tree view of CX2D so there is no evidence of the bio when playback first returns to the menu.

[user2009]

Thanks, I'll try that.

[cmr]

I did just that, but there are a few problems.

I do get the the first video (let's call it "into" and the others after video1, video2 and video3) I wanted to show before going to the menu.

However, once I get to see the menu, video1 is not at the top of the list of videos that can be played. It is still at the same place as if I would have the thumbnail for intro before it. I selected a three-title menu page, so because of this I have to go to a second page to get video3 because even if I don't see anything (thumbnail or text) for intro, it is still there.

Also, if I finish playing video3, when I go back to the menu, the space for the intro thumbnail is highlighted. So, actually, only the image of the thumbnail for intro and the title are hidden, but the space for it is still allocated on the menu page and I can still highlight that space using the remote or when I go back to the menu after playing my last video.

If it's not very clear, sorry about that, but I just wanted to say that it's a nice try, but it doesn't really work. The "SOLVED" should be removed until there is something that really works... unless, of course, it is I who did something wrong, but then what? I'll try again, though, and if I find out I am the reason why it went wrong, I'll post again, but...

[Claire]

no, you didnt do anything wrong. I removed the "Solved" tag.

Besides using other software or professional dvd video editing tools I really don't see how this can be done.

[ckhouston]

You can only simulate an intro video as I said. But some of what you described sounds odd if I understand it, the bio does use a space so you do have to allow for that as you found.

Let me know which menu template you used and I will run some checks.

[cmr]

ckhouston, by the way I forgot to thank you... months ago(!) for your info on how to modify the lenght of the audio background in the menu page. It worked perfectly.

Now, to asnwer your question, well, I'm home and my wife took the laptop to work today (CDX is on our laptop), so I can't tell you the "exact" name of the template, but it's one of the series that are all the same except for the background color. I used the blue one with 4 titles. I had 13 titles in all for my project (all home videos). I was hoping that it would take only 3 pages having the first one for the intro only, but as I found out there is always space allocated for the intro even if I remove the thumbnail.

[ckhouston]

You are right, I'm sorry, I made the suggestion without checking it first. It is possible to eliminate that orange rectangular title selector (blue glossy menu) for the first spot in the list by modifying the template INI file. But you would have to use a menu that you could fit all titles on one page so the selector would be available for all menu pages, not worth the trouble.

[toaddub]

This workaround has its flaws. As ya'll already noticed, even if you hide the intro thumbnail, the button hotspot for that thumbnail is still highlighted. Modifying the template is not the solution either b/c you are limited to one page as ckhouston mentioned. The way to do it is hide this button using PgcEdit (freeware), and making it automatically highlight the next button sequence; then you will never see this hidden thumbnail being highlighted at all when navigating through the menu.

Another flaw with this workaround depends on the template chosen. If using VSO template or some other templates that will generate root menus, a root menu will be created for this intro title even if you choose "Auto-start playback" option.

Until the intro video option is implemented in CXD, the better temporary solution is:

1. First convert this intro video to VOB format using CXD with no menu.
2. Compile the remaining videos with menus using your preferred template and any DVD options you want.
3. Open the converted DVD from step 2 in PgcEdit.
4. In PgcEdit, from the menu select Title -> Import First-Play (startup) Clip. Read the explanation and click "Continue".
5. Save DVD.

Voila, you're done!

This solution assumes that both the intro (step 1) and compilation (step 2) fit on your target media. If the intro play time is not too long, then you should be OK since CXD often undersizes the target. How much undersizing depends on the Encoding option you choose.

Note by ckhouston: toaddub's instructions are expanded with more detail in a post below by me for those needing it.

[ckhouston]

Excellent tip toaddub. It should be in the Guides + Manuals forum IMO along with some of the others you have posted.

[ckhouston]

Here is more detail for toaddub's proposed method for adding a short bio or intro clip to play before the menu displays (it works great):

1. Convert your intro/bio video clip by itself using the No menu option.

2. Convert your main project (without the intro) using any menu you like.

3. Select File > Open DVD in PgcEdit's menu. Browse to the VIDEO_TS folder created for your main project in step 2 and open it.

4. Select Title > Import First Play Clip. Enable the Don't pause it's an animated clip option in the first window then click Continue. Browse to the VIDEO_TS folder created in step 1 for the intro clip, select it then open the VTS_01_0.IFO file there. Click Copy VOB(s) at next window then click Ok at next window to save changes.

5. Quit PgcEdit and click Yes in the two closing windows.

6. PgcEdit modified the contents of the VIDEO_TS folder created in step 2 to include the intro clip. You can test the changes by playing the VIDEO_TS.IFO file there in WIndows Media Player (VLC will not play it correctly) or you can burn the folder to a DVD and play it in your TV player.

[Claire]

Hello,

You can now add an intro video to play before the DVD menu very easily in v6 available here
convertxtodvd-beta-version-t18950.html