How about making it so we could replace the "Highlight" layer with a "Rollover" layer; in "Specify image for thumbnail frame" dialog?
You could have the "Rollover" layer be just like the "Thumbnail" layer except that it can be invisible until mouse-over, like the "Highlight" layer. A text rollover layer would be nice too, but it's already there with the ability to make a text layer the "Highlight" layer. ( an interface to do it in TDA would be nice though) Of course, you could just make a still image with your text on it and load that with a "Thumbnail" type "Rollover" layer

Personally, I would like a "Layer Edit" selection under the regular "Edit" selection of the right click menu for a thumbnail on the "Edit menu theme" page.

The current bottom "Frame" layer should also be made available so that you can
select its image and parameters. A text option here, including the ability to paste from the clipboard, would be good.

A "Rollover" layer that can replace the current "Highlight" layer over Text
items, would be teriffic. You could have a text of the title and when you mouse-over it the "Rollover" layer image or clip would appear.

All the elements seem to be there we just need TDA setup to allow us to use them.

Luck;
Ken

Is there a way to turn multiple AVI's into one mpeg-2 file?
I'm trying to make a DVD of around 13 20 min Episodes of a TV series, but if I do it 1 at a time the file size gets way too big

Yes you can with TMPGEnc. Just load the AVI file. Then select output to one mpeg file. But 13, 20min episodes is too much for just one 4.7GB DVD. You would have to choose very low bitrate. Or use TMPGEnc 3.0's XDVD option to squeeze more video on the disc. Best to put on multiple DVD's or buy expensive dual-layer DVD recordable discs.

I have tried multiple AVI but there is no way to add more than one file. Once I add the first file the source area "locks" or goes grey. Some more detailed instructions would be appreciated.

Hi, I would like to see this option in future version. "Output clips separately", same as TMPGenc encoder.

I want to use MPEG Editor to batch re-encode files, but it only allows you to output to one file. No option to "output clips separately". Batch encode is almost useless to me, without this option for separate files.

thanks for making great, easy software. Hope it becomes even better.

I am using a *.m2v file as the video source and a *.wav file as the audio source , but when I finish output to a DVD, I found that AUDIO_TS folder is empty, aslo, as for sure, I couldn't hear any sound after I burn to disc.
can anyone tell me why? thanks!

The AUDIO_TS folder is always empty---it's supposed to be. It may be used for DVD-Audio discs, but on a normal video DVD, the folder is empty.

Was your .WAV file a proper 16-bit, 48Khz PCM Audio file?

I've got some uncompressed avi files (no audio) that i'm converting to MPEG-1s. At the default settings, Video-NTSC 352x240 at 29.97 fps, they become a bit dark and blocky after being converted. Its not significant on brighter clips, but the clips I have that are somewhat dark to begin with get much worse.

Are there settings I should change to fix this, or am I gonna have to live with it?

Thanks for any help in advance...

Make sure 'Output YUV data as basic YCbCr not CCIR601' is NOT checked under the 'Quantize Matrix' tab.

Try installing FFDSHOW and put a check in 'Raw video' as the decoder for your file.
If that doesn't work then simply use the colour correction settings to alter the balance of the output under the 'Advanced' tab.

It seems that "DVD Lab" is the only tool with which SVCD-DVDs are creatable. What I want to do: making a SVCD on a DVD medium with a easy automatically created DVD menu.

FIRST: I miss an option in "Pegasys DVD Author" for creating a SVCD-DVD to put several SVCD-standard video-steams (480x...) on a DVDR. This can save very much space on the discs and as well reduce the number of needed DVDR/SVCD discs in the DVD-shelf.

SECOND: It would be nice, if the menu creating step would give the possibility to use the file-name of a video-clip as chapter-name. This is not possible.

The aim was: Creating a music video-clip-collection in SVCD-resolution on DVDR. Much work, if you have to correct 100 video-clip-chapter-names!!!

I hope, the programmer can make things true in the next version of the program. "DVD Lab" as alternative is very hard to handle (making connections between all the videos, rename all the so called movies, manually menu creation...). I like the easy and fast handling of "Pegasys DVD Author" much and hope, the need of the two new features will be heared.

...forgotten...

As well: "DVD Source Creator" should give an option to "leave file-names as they are originally" in the output-step after "create for every video a seperatly file":

[X] Do NOT rename output file names, use the originally file-names.

Please help a relative newbie to video files.
I've used TMPGEnc to successfully combine short MPEG files into one.
I have a set of MPEG files, which all play fine in Quicktime, that I try to combine. TMPGEnc tells me that one of them "is not an MPEG file". I didn't create them, but I believe they were all created the same way, and again, they all play fine and look similar in Quicktime.
Can someone tell me what I can check for and how in order to figure this out? And if there's a way to do it with freeware?

Thanks!

Are you sure these are not MPEG4 files?
Download AVICODEC and check the files.

How can I change the combined DVD sound and vision) bitrate so that it will work on a DVD?

Here's what I have....
1 set of .ifo, .VRO and .BUP files from a set-top Sony DVDR.

I have downloaded a trial of TMPG Enc. and want to convert this to DVD-R.
When I try to complete the TMPG steps then at the final stage I get a warning saying that the combined bitrate is too high.
How can I reduce this and keep decent sound & picture quality?

Peter

The other day I tried to use Tmpgenc 2.5 to edit a mpg-2 file I had captured. When I tried to open it I got the file unsupported or can not open or is not supported error. However, if I start powerVCR or PowerDVD I can open the file (or any mpeg-2 file for that mater) and edit it. I didn't have to do this in the past so I assume some setting has been altered but I have no idea which one. It seems like Tmpgenc will only use the cyberlink Mpeg-2 codec if another program is also using it.

any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks.

Ken

Not being an expert myself, but have use tmpgenc 2.5 for a while, and I believe that MPeg files are not supported. It can only creat mpeg files (1+2). I'm sure one of the experts like Ashy or minion will guide to towards a program that will. I would re-post what exactly you want to do with your mpeg files first.
Hope this helps.
mickC.

Heya, Ive got TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 and when creating dvd menus, the only way that i seem to be able to get a picture for the menus (of the paticular title) is what the start frame is. As in if it starts with black, the thumbnail is black etc. Can anyone please tell me how to add my own pictures for thumbnails for menus?

Just click on the Picture and use the Slider to choose an other Pic...

I've come across several "tricks" to make just about any menu
you can dream up, in TDA.

First off you will need a graphics editor that can make ".psd" files,
Photoshop, or the free GIMP 2. (for the first two ideas)

The latest is the "kk_oop Thumbnail Speck" trick
("kk_oop" provided it on the "rec.video.desktop" Newsgroup)

When you make your own Thumbnail Frames, you create a .psd
file with three layers. The bottom layer gets labeled "Frame" and
normally is shaped as a frame. On top of that is a solid black
layer that normally fills in the an area "inside" the frame, this is
labeled "Thumbnail". Lastly, a copy of the thumbnail layer is on
top, it's visibility is set "off" and it's labeled "Highlight".

"kk_oop" came up with this trick so that he could have fancy "layer"
effects on his text menu buttons. TDA's text lets you use most fonts
but only with solid colors, no gradients or such. He posted:

" I made my frame layer the fancy text. I made the thumbnail layer
have a very tiny rectangle. Note that if I made the rectangle too small,
TDA would not let me import it. So I just had to make it the size of a
spec. I made my highlight layer have a rectangle cover the frame
layer, and made the highlight layer invisible, as normal.

This worked great. Since the Thumbnail rectangle is so small, you
really can't see it on the TV (though it is big enough that TDA will
accept it). And the" Frame "can be any graphic you want. The trick
is that you set the highlight size for the frame instead of the "spec"
thumbnail. Like I mentioned, if TDA chokes when you pull it in, it
probably means you made your spec too small."

I've used the "kk_oop Thumbnail Spec" trick to finally make the
TiVo episode description into a "track"/title selection button. I
leave the "Thumbnail" layer transparent and set it at 10x3 pixels.

"Roll-over Text" trick:

Another thing you can do when making your own "Thumbnail
Frame" based graphic "Button" is to use a fancy font text layer
as your "Highlight" labeled layer. You can now adjust the color
and transparency of the highlight effect, so set it to opaque and
when you mouse-over your "frame" the text will appear.

With the above approaches you can make objects that you can
manipulate within TDA.

My older method won't allow as much manipulation within TDA
but is very versatile otherwise;

I have a trick that I use, that allows me to define any
square or rectangular area, of the background, as the button.
Basically I use blank text characters and a dot, asterisk or
something from the "Wingdings" font for the mouse over highlight.
You incorporate whatever you want to be your "Button" into the
background image. Then, in TDA, you position the blank text area
over your "button" area. The text "button" area's width and height
can be adjusted within TDA.

I've made some with a still background using Gimp-2,
but anything that can make any of the formats the
background selection dialog allows will work. Motion
menus could also be produced -externally from
TDA- and brought in as background clips. As long as
the button area(s) remain in the same spot/area it should
work. (actually, as long as the item you select on's
movements keep it in an area on the screen that doesn't
overlap the area of another selection item, you will be ok.)

Hope this can be of some use.

Luck;
Ken

Thanks for this - could be very helpful. However, I'm having a problem designating the SIZE of my buttons. I made them 120x60 in Photoshop, but they're being displayed as squards, all distorted.

I want to be able to use text as buttons, and have yet to figure that out...

Also trying to figure out how to just type text on the menu screens... or remove buttons I don't want, etc. I wish this great program would give us more power over layout and displayed options...

JG

yup, now when i try to convert some movies, it says stream write error, when it has done about 35% from analzynig. Is there anyway to fix this problem?

Please answer this question.

I have about 11,5 Gb of free sapce in the drive where i try to put the movie.

Last time when I had a codec problem, I think it was Ashy that recommended I use an ffdshow with VFW. Well recently, I upgraded to the newest version of that ffdshow version October 12, 2004. All my XviD files play in Media Player Classic but when I try to open them up in VdubMOD, it says the decompressor for XviD can't be found and that VFW is needed to view XviD in Vdub. I went in ffdshow and disabled XviD there. Then I went in the VFW configuration menu and enabled XviD. But still, it won't work in Vdub. Why is this?

Just enable everthing in FFDSHOW VFW from XVID to MP41.
No need to disable anything in FFDSHOW first.