iDVD slideshow / continous play issues - please help!

[Alph Seeker]

Hi,

Any help sincerely appreciated here. I am trying to create a DVD that will play a continuous show of slides. I created separate slideshows in iphoto and sent them to the DVD project. When I play the DVD, they do not play one after another. When one slideshow is done, the main menu appears and I have to click the next show. It's like putting in a commercial movie DVD and only being able to play chapters separately - frustrating!

I created the slideshows that way because they have different audio, different transitions, etc. Is there a way to create a slideshow like that on it's own- that has changes in audio and transition within it? I have not been able to do that. Further, it seems that the slideshow feature of iDVD does not have the creativeness of those created in iPhoto, so that's why I did it this way. Also, I get that these imported slideshows are not able to be manually controlled during playback of the DVD, but it I also notice a SERIOUS drop in photo quality from the original slideshow viewed in iphoto to when it is ultimately played in and iDVD project.

In summary, this is what I would LIKE to do --I want to create a movie that plays slides and movie clips continuously, but that has changes in the transitions of slides and I want certain audio to go with certain series of slides, not just a playlist that goes from one song to another. And I want the photos and video to retain their quality. Is this possible?

Thank you and please help - this is for a project for my son's little league team.

PS--iphoto / IDVD '09

 

[MightyGem]

Create your various slideshows, and the Export to Finder. Then Import into iMovie and create a Project with those slideshows/movies, and send that to iDVD.

There will be some loss of quality from the original iPhoto quality due to the resolution of dvds.

To record moving pictures, DVD-Video uses either MPEG-2 compression at up to 9.8 Mbit/s (9,800 kbit/s) or MPEG-1 compression at up to 1.856 Mbit/s (1,856 kbit/s).

The following formats are allowed for MPEG-2 video:

At 25 frame/s, interlaced (commonly used in regions with 50 Hz image scanning frequency - PAL):
720 × 576 pixels (same resolution as D-1)
704 × 576 pixels
352 × 576 pixels (same as the China Video Disc standard)

At 29.97, interlaced (commonly used in regions with 60 Hz image scanning frequency - NTSC):
720 × 480 pixels (same resolution as D-1)
704 × 480 pixels
352 × 480 pixels (same as the China Video Disc standard)

DVD-Video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[chas_m]

Another option: assemble the project exactly as you have done, but BEFORE burning it in iDVD, go to the "menu map." You will see a square that offers you the option of dragging the movies into it, creating a "menuless," autoplaying DVD which sounds like exactly what you want.

If you have Roxio's Toast program, you can also create an autoplaying DVD there as well.

 

[Alph Seeker]

Thanks for the replies! I did try option 2, but it seems that only one of the slideshows plays - ie - it will only accept 1 slideshow to auto play. I will be trying option 1 in the coming days. Any other tips appreciated! Thanks again.

 

[Alph Seeker]

Ok, making progress. I worked with iMovie and created a test project / DVD. So, this will work for what I want to do. Thank You!

As I thought, the photo quality is not that great when viewed on a TV. So, does anyone know if there is a way to burn a CD of an itunes slideshow - one that retains full quality of the .jpegs, maybe has music, but otherwise is only limited by the capacity of the CD? I'd like to make a shorter version of the DVD that just shows as many full quality photos as I can -nothing fancy.

TIA

 

[chas_m]

Nope.

The problem is that standard-definition DVDs are limited to a maximum resolution of 720x480 pixels -- this is usually five to 10 times lower than the resolution the pictures were shot at.

You're also unable to create Blu-Ray (HD) DVDs on a Mac without spending a whole bunch of money on software and equipment, so for non-professional purposes that is pretty much out as well.

However, if you have an HDTV already, there is a cheap option that perfectly preserves the quality: AppleTV, $99.

 

[Alph Seeker]

Nope.

The problem is that standard-definition DVDs are limited to a maximum resolution of 720x480 pixels -- this is usually five to 10 times lower than the resolution the pictures were shot at.

You're also unable to create Blu-Ray (HD) DVDs on a Mac without spending a whole bunch of money on software and equipment, so for non-professional purposes that is pretty much out as well.

However, if you have an HDTV already, there is a cheap option that perfectly preserves the quality: AppleTV, $99.

How about a full resolution slideshow on CD to be viewed on a PC or mac - with or without music soundtrack. IE-- why can't I burn an itunes slideshow on CD for viewing on another machine? How about putting it on a usb drive?

 

[MightyGem]

How about a full resolution slideshow on CD to be viewed on a PC or mac - with or without music soundtrack. IE-- why can't I burn an itunes slideshow on CD for viewing on another machine? How about putting it on a usb drive?

As I said earlier. Just export to Finder as a Quicktime movie. Use the largest movie option that you can.

 

[chas_m]

why can't I burn an itunes slideshow on CD for viewing on another machine? How about putting it on a usb drive?

You can. Just export the slideshow as a QuickTime movie (or MP4 if you prefer) at full quality, and burn it on a DATA disc not a MOVIE disc (or put it on a USB drive if you like).

 

[Alph Seeker]

Thanks for the replies. Haven't had time to work on this project in a while; this will help when I start up soon.