Dual Layer in DVD Stdio Pro at DVinfo.net

Daniel Stevenson · September 12th, 2007, 02:25 AM

I need to put six half hour episodes of a series across a dual layer DVD, all accessed via a main menu. The DSP manual refers to a break point where the DVD player switches from reading one layer to the other. HOWEVER the manual assumes my content is one long continuous file - i.e. a movie.

What I want to do is have three tracks on one layer and three on the other, or four on one and two on the other. Therefore a break point seems to be a bit of a tricky one to set, I don't want it in the middle of an episode because it causes a slight pause in the footage. Does anyone have any ideas how I should set this up?

Sean Kiely · September 12th, 2007, 07:11 AM

You could add a few seconds of black slug to the last frame of episode three and mark the break point there? I'm presuming credits will have just finished there, and the viewer(s) will have shifted their attention from what's going on on-screen.

Do you absolutely have to use DL? They can be problematic with some DVD players. Just a thought.

Robert Lane · September 12th, 2007, 09:39 AM

Sean is correct; dual-layer discs that are burned rather than imaged from a replicator tend to be problematic on playback with various players. If possible you'd be better off using a 2-disc distribution on DVD-5 rather than DVD-9 (dual layer) and you'll avoid *most* incompatibility issues.

Jim Fields · September 12th, 2007, 10:45 AM

If you break your project into separate timelines in FCP (pending they are short videos) and export each video separate, you can then open DVDSP and drop each one into it's own track. Once done, if you only want 1 link on the menu then you can connect the end of each video to the beginning of the next, so on and so on, then if you you decide to do Dual Layer, you wont have as much of an issue with the break point, as you will have a better chance of that break point being between video tracks, and not on a video track.

you could also place a marker at the end of one of the videos and tell DVDSP to do the jump to the second layer at that marker.

I love DVDSP, it has to be one of my, if not my favorite program out there.

Daniel Stevenson · September 12th, 2007, 06:07 PM

Yeh i like dsp too Jim, I'm not sure I use it to its full potential but it has served me well!

thanks guys, i'll see how it goes.

Daniel Stevenson · September 27th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Just an update, yep as was flagged, the dual layer option in DSP didn't go down well in our DVD player so went fpr 2 DVDs instead.

Thanks for your help!

September 12th, 2007, 02:25 AM	#1
Daniel Stevenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 60	Dual Layer in DVD Stdio Pro I need to put six half hour episodes of a series across a dual layer DVD, all accessed via a main menu. The DSP manual refers to a break point where the DVD player switches from reading one layer to the other. HOWEVER the manual assumes my content is one long continuous file - i.e. a movie. What I want to do is have three tracks on one layer and three on the other, or four on one and two on the other. Therefore a break point seems to be a bit of a tricky one to set, I don't want it in the middle of an episode because it causes a slight pause in the footage. Does anyone have any ideas how I should set this up?

September 12th, 2007, 09:39 AM	#3
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,788 Images: 15	Sean is correct; dual-layer discs that are burned rather than imaged from a replicator tend to be problematic on playback with various players. If possible you'd be better off using a 2-disc distribution on DVD-5 rather than DVD-9 (dual layer) and you'll avoid most incompatibility issues. __________________ Robert Lane Producer/Creator - Bike Pilots TV

September 12th, 2007, 07:11 AM	#2
Sean Kiely Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ireland, South East Posts: 35	You could add a few seconds of black slug to the last frame of episode three and mark the break point there? I'm presuming credits will have just finished there, and the viewer(s) will have shifted their attention from what's going on on-screen. Do you absolutely have to use DL? They can be problematic with some DVD players. Just a thought.

September 12th, 2007, 10:45 AM	#4
Jim Fields Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fort Worth Texas Posts: 247	If you break your project into separate timelines in FCP (pending they are short videos) and export each video separate, you can then open DVDSP and drop each one into it's own track. Once done, if you only want 1 link on the menu then you can connect the end of each video to the beginning of the next, so on and so on, then if you you decide to do Dual Layer, you wont have as much of an issue with the break point, as you will have a better chance of that break point being between video tracks, and not on a video track. you could also place a marker at the end of one of the videos and tell DVDSP to do the jump to the second layer at that marker. I love DVDSP, it has to be one of my, if not my favorite program out there.

September 12th, 2007, 06:07 PM	#5
Daniel Stevenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 60	Yeh i like dsp too Jim, I'm not sure I use it to its full potential but it has served me well! thanks guys, i'll see how it goes.

September 27th, 2007, 09:24 PM	#6
Daniel Stevenson Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 60	Just an update, yep as was flagged, the dual layer option in DSP didn't go down well in our DVD player so went fpr 2 DVDs instead. Thanks for your help!