Ok with the expected demise of optical disc is there a software package that emulates the dvd experience/box set delivery for a client who may be given a series of videos/
the problem that I have is that I have just produced a series of discs for somebody.
there are 16 videos, so the dvd has
4 menus, 4 videos per menu.
each vieo clip plays and returns to it's menu.
the 4th, 8th and 12th video clip finishes and goes to the next menu page.
the idea is to be able to watch the 16 clips in succession, but retain navigation to any and all.
the screen needs to be a niice presentation, reflecting effort and cash.
I'm interested in what can be done once fewer people have a dvd player.
obviously I could incorporate the files into a powerpoint , so that it had a corporate feel, but no good on TVs.
what is out there to do this?
something equal to dvd compatibility is what I am after. Stick it into a device and it plays.
cheers
I think an external hardware player - like the WD Live for example - may be the only answer for TV presentation at the moment. I can't think of any software alternative that allows a decent TV 'presentation' via a USB input.
At least with a hardware player you can create a DVD ISO - complete with menus - on a USB stick, and that will replicate the DVD replay experience on a TV, via the media player.
Whether any of the cheaper external media players can also read the DVD ISO menus as well, I'm not sure? If they can, it might offer a reasonably cost effective option to the 'cash and effort' problem. ....Just a thought....
I've found it impossible so far to find a format - even without any presentation menus - that can be reliably read by a selection of different TV and PVR USB inputs . Some TVs only reading FAT 32 configured USB sticks, whereas others are happy with NTFS, for example...
And when it comes to things like mp4 or AVCHD encoding, TVs and PVRs can be very fussy about what they will and won't play, via their USB or SD card inputs.
I don't think there's anything in the solid state/ download/ streaming world that comes close to the presentation and universal acceptance that DVDs have (had)..
Nor is there likely to be, I fear....
yes, I am just thinking ahead at the moment.
It's annoying that the presentation factor of a dvd i.e. the "package" was a nice way of finishing a product.
IMHO people are used to a menu and the ability to skip to chaptered points, with extras and artwork.
it seems a retrograde step to lose all that and effectively deliver a VHS tape on a stick.
and as you say the compatibility issues between different TVs is bad enough, let alone a product that is seamless between PC, MAC and home entertainment sytems.
web hosting isn't applicable for all types of stuff. Some is confidential, and some is temporary as far as we are concerned, but nice for people to hang on to.
you also have the copyright issues in that although downloads can be limited to say 5 , the lower level that I am talking about can be copied many times, easily, from the first download.
Even DVDs were a bit harder to duplicate in their full version.
I like the DVD. You can print the surface with all sorts of info, add pictures, your logo, dates, places, times, names. Hand them a stick and what have they got? Nothing they can put on a library shelf.
This any good?
http://www.newcyberian.com/dvd-on-usb.html
It appears you can only copy one TS folder, so not a complete answer.
Just had an unsuccessful play with “DVD on USB”, and it failed to read or stay on the menu, which flashed by in a second.
It will play the VOB files, but on all three TV`s I tried, it says the audio is not supported, but still plays.....Verdict – total rubbish!
By any chance, did 'DVD on USB' have a sneaky little box that had to be un-ticked to prevent also downloading some other program?
I've just about given up on trying out programs that promise something useful, because their real purpose seems to be to sneak a program that you don't want on to your computer. Of course, they also want to harvest your email address so that you can be plagued with spam for ever after.
Tom is right. The DVD, with its menu structure, has many advantages. The mechanical systems needed to spin the disk and move the laser head are disadvantages (particularly as far as manufacturers are concerned). A solid-state equivalent is needed.
There is a solid state equivalent (sort of!)...As I mentioned in post #1, external hardware players like the WD Live will play DVD ISOs .
And it looks as if even the cheaper ones like the Sumvison Micro 4 ( see here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sumvision-Cyclone-Micro-Media-Player/dp/B005EX8XKW for example ) will handle ISOs.
It says both DVD and BD ISOs... whether that's with full menu structures I'm not sure?.... (the WD Live handles full DVD menus, but not full Blu-ray, for example)
These players are not too expensive though....
I have to say it was the death of my DVD RAM player that finally decided me to start to transfer all my DVDs to an HDD . I found DVD RAM very good, but it's no longer very easy to find either discs or players for that format. I don't have any Blu-ray discs, so couldn't really see the need to buy another optical disc player..
Quite how you deal with the artwork and actual 'disc library' aspect of folks collections with solid state, I'm not sure?
I would guess that optical discs - both DVD and Blu-ray - will eventually become like audio vinyl..... no longer mainstream, but a 'niche' market for those who like to keep their collections as 'hardware', with all the nice extras to handle and look at...
RayL.
It was a clean download, nothing to tick to prevent the unwanted.
Reading the information again, there is an exe file to run the program which is not seen on a TV. So maybe it is only meant to play a DVD on a PC. VLC is included.
Speak to Taki about the Takibox
Someone has cracked it then!
A bit pricey for us amateurs though.
You still need extra hardware for TV replay though... and Chromecast does not like PAL frame rates (stutters a lot). AppleTV should be OK (although even that makes a mess of 23.976 and 24p in PAL land apparently).
An external media player with DVD ISOs on USB sticks still looks to be a better (and cheaper?) option - IMHO of course!