Frustrated....it has limited chapter markers...is there other dvd authoring

Question

Look like DVD SP is not comptiable with education projects. My projects are usually have alot menus and alot of chapter markers.... I had to split video tracks into few because of too many chapters and actions. Do you know if that DVD SP is possible to pass limited chapteer markers? Or there is good DVD authoring software for Macitnosh? Someone suggested me to use Sceneraic (PC software) and it is way too expensive. Hope there I will get a help.

Answer 1

Oh, Guys,
While we're at it, There are other serious limitations DVD SP has when it comes to the larger projects requiring lots of end actions (over the years, every time I read the DVD-Video Specifications, I find one or more additional cool capabilities DVD SP left out):
1) Cells. DVD SP only allows creating 256 cells in the *entire Video Title Set*. The DVD-Video Specifications provides for thousands in the VOB, grouped in thousands of possible PGCs which DVD SP also has no way to construct (see below).
The paltry few cells that DVD SP does allow placing per VTS, are not allowed to have end actions associated to them, or be targeted by the Connections. Only cells flagged as Markers can have end actions - and then only 52 of the Markers in a Video Title Set (Track) can have end actions (I had a post around here about a year ago explaining why); and only cells designated as Markers show up as navigation targets.
That's a serious limitation for larger projects - and for many smaller projects.
Cells in DVD SP are good to bound buttons on video, and set as the layer break, is about all.
2) PGCs. DVD SP's method of allowing extra one sequential title PGCs (Program Chains) is by creating Stories. But all the Stories in the VTS can only be constructed from the same Markers (same video segments) in the Track. In Scenarist, you can create thousands of PGCs and cells to have all the end actions you need - Check out the logical element and asset domain placement scenario in the "Scene It" DVD games, authored in Scenarist. Thousands of all the logical constructs allowed by the Specifications are there to check out. Note: Those discs can take quite a while to load in the DVDAfterEdit demo, or other IFO Editor browser.
But even though DVD SP allows the creation of Stories (one sequential Title PGCs in the VTS), it does not allow the creation of non sequential PGCs (except for one or two non sequential PGCs in one limited in usefulness circumstance) - which is where the heavy duty arrangement of thousands of PTT's (chapters), Programs, and Cells take place. Gotta be able to create bunches of those non sequential PGCs for those large interactive projects.
I'm preparing an article that goes over the 'regular' limitations of DVD SP and how it has set up some less than optimal functioning for what it does allow. For instance, large projects can slow to a crawl and drop in player compatibility percentages during navigation of the DVD SP generated disc, simply due to the default structures users often create. For instance, the biggie - too many Tracks; There are penalties for trying to use *an entire Video Title Set*, complete with full VTSM menu domain structure (DVD SP hides this from the user), in the place of a non or sequential Title PGC.
There's more to it, of course. But I've spent the last 11 years working on ways to get around these DVD SP limitations. And for most project types, I've been successful helping my authoring studio clients. But one thing all serious DVD SP authors with good paying clients need to consider, is getting licensed with Scenarist Professional ($5,000), which I did several years ago. When you see how blazing fast even simple and complex DVDs output by Scenarist navigate, compared to the same project output by DVD SP, it will be become very clear which project types should be done in which app; and your client will be best served.
Take care,
Trai
New Constellation Technologies / TFDVD Research Labs