Playing SVCDs

[Laurence Wilmer]

I'm nearly there - capture to .vcr file, use ATI Library to convert to mpg,
use TMPGEnc to convert to SVCD, use Nero to burn to CD.

Only snag I have is that PowerDVD will not autorun them - have to browse to
the MPEG2 folder and open the Avseq01.mpg file manually in PowerDVD, not
something that wife and child can do.

I have tried fiddling with autorun.inf files etc, but without success, I
think because the ATI File Player has hijacked mpg file associations. MMC
configuration will only let me change them to WMP, which I don't want - and
ATI File Player is no use as it will only play sound on .vcr files, not mpg.

Thus PowerDVD - in fact, TMPGEnc could not even open the converted mpg files
until after I had installed PowerDVD, so this is obviously doing something
right that ATI isn't.

I would just like it to be able to autoplay - OK, I know I should probably
ask in rec.video.desktop, but I probably wouldn't understand the answers,
and I reckon many here must be using PowerDVD so hopefully are familiar with
it.

many thanks,

(W98SE, cat 3.5, MMC 5.1, PowerDVD 4)
Laurence

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

I burn mpegs as svcd with nero and they autoplay, do you set the menu option
in nero/compilation properties/menu.

Thanks for reply - 2 things there:-

1. I found a website that suggested exactly this - menu option - but I can't
find any such menu in my copy of Nero.
It's Nero express 5.5.9.9, and it is all Wizards with great big <NEXT>
buttons for the simple minded to press, no menu options at all. (Came with
the CD/DVD/RW). Maybe I have the wrong Nero?

2. When you say "they autoplay", do you mean in a stand-alone player or on
the PC? I don't have a stand-alone, and suspect that all the extra stuff
that Nero bungs on to an SVCD other than the mpg file is totally redundant
and does not seem to be used.

Thanks,
Laurence

 

[Babble]

I'm nearly there - capture to .vcr file, use ATI Library to convert to mpg,
use TMPGEnc to convert to SVCD, use Nero to burn to CD.

Only snag I have is that PowerDVD will not autorun them - have to browse to
the MPEG2 folder and open the Avseq01.mpg file manually in PowerDVD, not
something that wife and child can do.

I have tried fiddling with autorun.inf files etc, but without success, I
think because the ATI File Player has hijacked mpg file associations. MMC
configuration will only let me change them to WMP, which I don't want - and
ATI File Player is no use as it will only play sound on .vcr files, not mpg.

Thus PowerDVD - in fact, TMPGEnc could not even open the converted mpg files
until after I had installed PowerDVD, so this is obviously doing something
right that ATI isn't.

I would just like it to be able to autoplay - OK, I know I should probably
ask in rec.video.desktop, but I probably wouldn't understand the answers,
and I reckon many here must be using PowerDVD so hopefully are familiar with
it.

many thanks,

(W98SE, cat 3.5, MMC 5.1, PowerDVD 4)
Laurence

Have you going into the Configuration screen in P-DVD? Under the
General tab, you can select the Rom drive of choice, then below that,
tick to 'Play automatically upon insertion of disc'.

Babs

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

Have you going into the Configuration screen in P-DVD? Under the
General tab, you can select the Rom drive of choice, then below that,
tick to 'Play automatically upon insertion of disc'.

Babs

That option was already checked, but thanks to this suggestion I have now
worked out that:

1. Insert CD without PDVD running nothing happens
2. Start PDVD then insert CD and it DOES autoplay

Many thanks, problem solved

Laurence

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

1.Nero express should have an option for svcd menus and there also is an
option to switch to nero burning rom which is the full nero interface which
most use, may be the time to read the manual
2.I use powerdvd/winxp and internal dvdrom, i did have to setup an autoplay
handler for svcd and powerdvd but that is easy with tweakui and xp.

1. Yes, it has options for SVCD menus, but I couldn't find an "AutoPlay"
option. Manual! You expect me to read .pdf file on a CD??? (I had actually
looked but couldn't find any entries in index or search under "autorun" or
"autoplay").

2. "autoplay handler" that sounds like exactly what I want, and I've trawled
through Tweakui and not found anything, I don't think W98SE version has it.

(Not a sufficient reason to destroy my otherwise perfectly working W98
system)

Thanks,

Laurence

 

[DoD]

"Laurence Wilmer" <[email protected]> dared to let
the following out of their mouth in text.cableinet.net:

That option was already checked, but thanks to this suggestion I have now
worked out that:

1. Insert CD without PDVD running nothing happens
2. Start PDVD then insert CD and it DOES autoplay

Many thanks, problem solved

Laurence

Yes, i had this problem, i used VCD easy (much better than nero IMO, have
both)

But all i could do was select source -> CD drive...

Not sure if this is in Win 98, but in XP u can change the properties of
the drive - possibly setting it so that when u put in a video CD it will
play it on power DVD.

i remember windows always wanted to use media player, so i disabled it,
and opened it manually.

 

[patrickp]

That option was already checked, but thanks to this suggestion I have now
worked out that:

1. Insert CD without PDVD running nothing happens
2. Start PDVD then insert CD and it DOES autoplay

Many thanks, problem solved

Laurence

Possibly you need to reset your file associations to PowerDVD, Laurence:
it's likely they've been highjacked by MMC - it tends to do that, given
half-a-chance.

patrickp

 

[Nick M V Salmon]

1. Yes, it has options for SVCD menus, but I couldn't find an "AutoPlay"
option. Manual! You expect me to read .pdf file on a CD??? (I had actually
looked but couldn't find any entries in index or search under "autorun" or
"autoplay").

2. "autoplay handler" that sounds like exactly what I want, and I've trawled
through Tweakui and not found anything, I don't think W98SE version has

it.

Search 'Autoplay' in Windows 'Help', it should be there..... I don't have
a Win98SE installation at the moment but it's very similar to WinME which I
am running - check 'Auto Insert Notification' in My Computer right click /
Properties / Device Manager / CDROM / Settings tab...

[UK]_Nick...

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

Possibly you need to reset your file associations to PowerDVD, Laurence:
it's likely they've been highjacked by MMC - it tends to do that, given
half-a-chance.

patrickp

In File types for mpg I have
"C:\PROGRAM FILES\ATI MULTIMEDIA\MAIN\ATIMMC.EXE" /MFPlay "%1"

Any idea what the "/MFPlay" is about? (I assume %1 is an environment
variable for the filename). If I change the ATIMMC.EXE to PowerDVD and path
that doesn't work.

Laurence

 

[patrickp]

In File types for mpg I have
"C:\PROGRAM FILES\ATI MULTIMEDIA\MAIN\ATIMMC.EXE" /MFPlay "%1"

Any idea what the "/MFPlay" is about? (I assume %1 is an environment
variable for the filename). If I change the ATIMMC.EXE to PowerDVD and path
that doesn't work.

Laurence

The MFPlay switch is specific to MMC file player (since the path is set to
MMC, it needs to know which app to use); the "%1" one seems to be the
universal switch to play a file.

Replace the MMC path with the path to your PowerDVD .exe (click the browse
button), then add (_after_ the quotation marks enclosing the path) a space,
then "%1"

If you can find any file associations that _are_ specific to PowerDVD, you
could see if it has any specific switches of its own. You may also find
some info in the support section of the CyberLink site.

HTH patrickp

 

[patrickp]

Thanks, but I think it defeated me. The ATI File Player type (which is oddly
called "Content Type audio/wav") is associated with WAV ASX AVI M3U MP2 and
MP, there seem to be no way of selecting just one of these to change.

PowerDVD is associated with VOB files (whatever they are), and if I change
the ATI action to the PowerDVD Play With "C:\Program
Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\PowerDVD.exe" "%L", then PDVD tries to play .vcr
files (and still doesn't autoplay SCVDs).
Most odd since .vcr doesn't appear in the list.

I think I preferred Win3x method of handling file associations - at least I
understood it, this makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Thanks anyway for your help, Patrick!

Laurence

The other thing you can try, Laurence, is to run the ATi configuration app;
if you select the File types tab and click on one of them, you may get a
dropdown box that allows you to select a different app for the file
association. AFAICS, it should show any apps which have had that file type
checked in their configuration; but, of course, it doesn't always work.

This seems to be the policy of a lot of software producers now, particularly
for multimedia apps; I suppose they think that if their product aggressively
takes over file associations, people will forget about the other options.

patrickp

 

[pjp]

Thanks, but I think it defeated me. The ATI File Player type (which
is oddly called "Content Type audio/wav") is associated with WAV ASX
AVI M3U MP2 and MP, there seem to be no way of selecting just one of
these to change.

PowerDVD is associated with VOB files (whatever they are), and if I
change the ATI action to the PowerDVD Play With "C:\Program
Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\PowerDVD.exe" "%L", then PDVD tries to play
.vcr files (and still doesn't autoplay SCVDs).
Most odd since .vcr doesn't appear in the list.

I think I preferred Win3x method of handling file associations - at
least I understood it, this makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Thanks anyway for your help, Patrick!

Laurence

You can always go directly to the specific file extension in the registry
and change it to what you want. Caution required and you may find out the
"culprit" program will un-do the change(s) but it might work?

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

message

The other thing you can try, Laurence, is to run the ATi configuration app;
if you select the File types tab and click on one of them, you may get a
dropdown box that allows you to select a different app for the file
association. AFAICS, it should show any apps which have had that file type
checked in their configuration; but, of course, it doesn't always work.

This seems to be the policy of a lot of software producers now, particularly
for multimedia apps; I suppose they think that if their product aggressively
takes over file associations, people will forget about the other options.

patrickp

Tried that, thanks. It only knows about WMP.
Laurence

 

[Laurence Wilmer]

You can always go directly to the specific file extension in the registry
and change it to what you want. Caution required and you may find out the
"culprit" program will un-do the change(s) but it might work?

Yes, I could, and easy enough to take a registry backup first, but have you
any idea where in the registry to look? Is why I liked Win3x days!
Thanks,
Laurence