I would like to know If I can create Chapter Indexes using EZ CD creator. I know it is possible to do this using Videopak 4.0 but I am curious as to whether or not it can be done using Ez CD Creator. If so how?

Thanx

MrVCD mrvcd@juno.com

-- MrVCD (mrvcd@juno.com), August 03, 1999

Answers

Yes, you can do this. The Wizard takes you through it, although it's a bit cryptic.

Kevin

-- Kevin (delgadil@cisco.com), August 04, 1999.

So Adaptec EZ CD creator can do indexes (indexes being points within an MPEG track that you can skip to instead of having to fastforward or rewind to).

Do you know how to do this? Also can you create meunus (ones that have hotspots or buttons which allow you to activate mpeg tracks?) that are interactive?

-- MrVCD (mrvcd@tsoft.com), August 05, 1999.

Yes, you can make menu-driven VCDs with Adaptec Easy CD Creator Deluxe (VCD Creator). It me a while to figure out how to do it since the documentation is piss poor in this area. Here's how to do it:

- In addition to creating your individual MPEG files that will end up being the specific chapters in the VCD, you'll want to create two more MPEGs: one is used by VCD Creator as the "start sequence", the other MPEG is used as the actual menu screen.

- When you burn a menu-driven VCD with a start sequence, menu screen, and your MPEG chapters, the idea is that, when you play the VCD, the start sequence will always play first, then the menu screen will come up. The menu screen MPEG should include text indicating the menu choices (I usually add an additional menu choice for "Play all chapters" as well). The menu screen will continue looping until a choice is made with the remote. I sometimes use a DolbyDigital intro or THX intro for the start sequence as a joke. For the menu screen I generate a 720x480 AVI file with the appropriate menu choices (I use MediaStudio Pro that came with my RainbowRunner [which I don't use anymore since I got the Dazzle DVC]) and then convert that to VCD MPEG with Xing MPEG Encoder. I find that doing it this way gives me crystal clear menu screens.

- Anyway, using the Wizard works well once you've figured out what it's doing. Here are the basic steps in the Wizard:

a) Select "One Menu Level Structure", hit "next" b) Add all of your play items, including the MPEG files for the start sequence and menu screen. Hit "next". c) Hit "next" to create the menu and play sequence. d) On the left select the MPEG(s) you want to use as the start sequence (START_SEQUENCE), and click on "Add>>". (You can use "Add File" if you forgot to add it in step b). Hit "next". e) Hit "next" to select the menu page. f) Select from the pull down list the MPEG file you want used as the menu screen. Hit "next". g) Select the number of menu choices you have available from the menu screen. For example if you have five choices on the menu screen MPEG, enter 5 in the little box. This will create 5 "play sequences", each play sequence can consist of either one chapter, or multiple chapters. You'll be defining the play sequences in a moment. Hit "next". h) Hit "next" on this screen. The default setting here is fine. Advanced users can tweak with this later. i) Now you'll see a screen saying "Adding Pages to the Menu". Hit "next" for now (since we are making a single level menu). j) Now here is where you set up the play sequences. You should be at a screen that says "Creating a Play Sequence." On the right it should say "Sequence:PLAY_SEQUENCE1". On the left should be all of the MPEG files you included in step b above. From the left select the MPEG file(s) you want the VCD player to play when the viewer selects "1" from the menu screen. E.g. PLAY_SEQUENCE1 is the sequence of files played when option 1 from the menu is selected. When you have added your file(s) defining what is to played in PLAY_SEQUENCE1, click "next". Now, you'll need to do the exact same thing for the next PLAY_SEQUENCE, and for the next, etc. Thus, if you have 5 items on your menu screen, you'll need to define 5 play sequences, PLAY_SEQUENCE1 through PLAY_SEQUENCE5. Note that a play sequence can have multiple files in it (but does not write the same MPEG multiple times to VCD). It's handy to create play sequence that will play all chapters all the way through because the VCD will return to the menu after a menu item is played. When you hit "next" after all play sequences have been defined you'll see a screen with "Playing VCD Layout" k) Here you can test the layout of your VCD before burning it. You can play it select menu choices to see how it will work. This is strictly optional. I usually skip this and click "next". l) Now, select how to actually make the VCD. Note: I ALWAYS create an image file for the VCD, then burn the VCD at 1x speed from that image file. Reduces chance of wierd blockiness in the final VCD (that's my experience anyway). I have consistently found that VCDs burned at 2x don't play as well as those burned at 1x. m) Burn that sucker!!

Hope that helps, and hope it all makes sense. Would have been nice if Adaptec had explained how to do this in the manual, but it can be figured out with some tinkering. Best of all, it's actually pretty logical once deciphered, and it works great!!!!

BTW I am using Easy CD Creator Deluxe 3.5C, but this also works with older versions back to 3.0.

Cheers, hope this clears it up.

Kevin

-- Kevin (delgadil@cisco.com), August 08, 1999.

To clarify, this enables you to index chapters themselves, but not index spots within chapters themselves.

Kevin

-- Kevin (delgadil@cisco.com), August 10, 1999.