bsod77

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Here is the situation:

Currently we are running a Windows based dvd authoring system that takes the video directly from the cameras and burns it to the DVD. The script that runs adds the into video with our promo, and creates the menus. It pulls these files by time stamp from the server to correspond with the date and time of their ride, typically to be ready when they are finished.

I know it sounds really complicated, but I think it should be fairly easy to configure.

I would like to switch over to a Linux solution, is there anything close to what I need?

David the H.

The base dvd authoring tool in Linux is called, naturally, "dvdauthor". It's a command line tool that builds the dvd according to an xml input file. There are plenty of examples of how to use it available on the net. From your description, it should be fairly simple to create a script or program that will prepare the xml and run it through dvdauthor.

You might also look into tovid or devede, two higher-level scripts/programs that frontend for dvdauthor and other tools, and make it relatively easy to do simple dvd authoring.

cym0

I'm curious what the Windows based solution was, and why you are dropping it? Is there some additional capability you are looking to fulfill with the Linux solution?

Shadow_7

It's fairly easy to script DVD authoring. Once you have your baseline it's just a lot of cut and pasting. Relative to the time to convert videos to the DVD format and other things it takes minimal time. Unless you want something more than simple. It really depends on how you want the thing packaged. Fancy menus, or just a disc you put in a player and it plays a single video. Devede is pretty dumbed down and functional. K3b could probably do a simple playable DVD too, although I don't know if it generates a menu for one.

If you've got a standard structure, all you really have to change is the video content. Everything else stays pretty much the same. Say for a football game or something 4 quarters plus halftime. Same old structure regardless of the game. Except for the content, it's cut and paste automated for all intents and purposes.

Is there something specific you're looking for?

If you want to do something complex, it probably wont be in an automated package. videolink / weblink / or whatever it goes by now, lets you generate a dvd menu from a basic html webpage. And many other options for dvd authoring. QDVDAuthor, DVDstyler, DVDslideshow, and others. Depending on what you want to do.

I've worked out a povray generation method for the graphics. Convert for the subtitles. Gimp for some information gathering (subtitle coordinates), scaling and other effects. ffmpeg + yuvscaler + mpeg2enc + mplex for video editing. spumux + dvdauthor + mkisofs for actually generating the dvd image. So many parts to make the whole, but having full control can make your dvd appear better than the competition. Which is hard to automate.