HOWTO take files from mythtv and burn them to a DVD
---------------------------------------------------

1) Copy *.nuv file from mythtv box to here.

2) Run avidemux2 on the nuv file.
   Set the output format to "MPEG Video" (see GUI, lower
   left side, "Outp. fmt").

3) File->Save->Save_Video, call it 1.m2v (2.m2v, 3.m2v, etc)

   The resulting file wants to be "MPEG Video Stream Data" if you run
   "file 1.m2v".

4) Audio->Save_Audio, call it 1.mp2 (2.mp2, 3.mp2, etc)

   The resulting file wants to be "MP2, 384 kBits, 48 kHz, Stereo" if
   you run "file 1.mp2".

5) Get out of avidemux2's GUI.

6) Run mplex to put the audio and video back together:
	mplex -f 8 -O 100ms -o 1.mpg 1.m2v 1.mp2

7) Create a DVD file system:
	dvdauthor -o DVD 1.mpg [2.mpg ... n.mpg]
	dvdauthor -T -o DVD

8) Write the video to a DVD, thus:
	growisofs -Z /dev/scd0 -dvd-video DVD

The aforementioned process will create a DVD that starts playing automatically.



HOWTO Create a Menu for the DVD
-------------------------------

0) Go through steps 1 - 6 as described above.

1) Run avidemux2 and find an image that you like.

2) File->Save->Save_Images->Save_JPEG_Image, call the file menu.jpg

3) Convert this to an M2V video file (this is for NTSC video):
	jpeg2yuv -n 50 -I p -f 29.97 -j menu.jpg | mpeg2enc -n n -f 8 -o menu.m2v

4) Merge the background with some audio.  For silence, try this:
	dd if=/dev/zero bs=4 count=2000 | toolame -b 128 -s 48 /dev/stdin menu.mp2

5) Merge the video and the audio:
	mplex -f 8 -o menu.mpg menu.m2v menu.mp2

6) Fire up the GIMP and read into it the menu.jpg file.  

7) Create a new transparent layer and call it "markings".

8) Select a rectangular region and fill it with white in the "markings" layer.

9) Delete the background layer, leaving the "markings" layer.

10) Create a new layer and call it "text".

11) Create the text labels for your menu.

12) Create a new layer called "boxes".  Make sure "text" is the top layer, 
    and "boxes" is the 2nd layer.

13) Select a rectangular region around each individual text label and
    fill that region with the menu highlight color.

14) Delete the "markings" layer.

15) Image -> Mode -> Indexed. Enter "4" in the number of colors.

16) File->Save_As menu2.png (export, insure that "Save Background Color" and 
    "Save Resolution" are selected. 

17) Set the opacity of the "boxes" layer to 0, leaving only the the text showing.

18) File->Save_As menu1.png

19) Create the menu.xml file, similar to that shown below:
<subpictures>
  <stream>
    <spu
     force="yes"
     start="00:00:00.00"
     image="menu1.png"
     select="menu2.png"
     highlight="menu2.png"
     autooutline="infer"
     outlinewidth="6"
     autoorder="rows"
    >
    </spu>
  </stream>
</subpictures>

20) Create the menu video:
	spumux menu.xml < menu.mpg > menu_final.mpg

    You should see some lines in the output to the console that show

    INFO: Autodetect ...

    The number of these lines that you see should be the same number of buttons 
    you created. If there are, then good job!

21) Create the dvd.xml file, similar to that shown below:
<dvdauthor dest="DVD">
  <vmgm>
    <menus>
      <pgc>
        <button>jump title 1;</button> 
        <button>jump title 2;</button> 
        <button>jump title 3;</button> 
        <button>jump title 4;</button> 
        <vob file="menu_final.mpg" pause="inf" /> 
      </pgc>
    </menus>
  </vmgm>
  <titleset>
    <titles>
      <pgc>
        <post>call vmgm menu 1;</post> 
        <vob file="1a.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="1b.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="1c.mpg" /> 
      </pgc>
    </titles>
  </titleset>
  <titleset>
    <titles>
      <pgc>
        <post>call vmgm menu 1;</post> 
        <vob file="2a.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="2b.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="2c.mpg" /> 
      </pgc>
    </titles>
  </titleset>
  <titleset>
    <titles>
      <pgc>
        <post>call vmgm menu 1;</post> 
        <vob file="3a.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="3b.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="3c.mpg" /> 
      </pgc>
    </titles>
  </titleset>
  <titleset>
    <titles>
      <pgc>
        <post>call vmgm menu 1;</post> 
        <vob file="4a.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="4b.mpg" /> 
        <vob file="4c.mpg" /> 
      </pgc>
    </titles>
  </titleset>
</dvdauthor>

22) Create the dvd file structure:
	dvdauthor -x dvd.xml

23) Test the dvd files:
	xine dvd:/master_dvd/DVD/VIDEO_TS

24) Burn the DVD file structure to a DVD:
	growisofs -Z /dev/dvdrecorder -dvd-video DVD

25) DONE!


HOWTO make a Video CD (VCD)
---------------------------

1) Start with an mpeg image.  It probably needs to be converted to VCD format.
   Run it through transcode thus:

	transcode -i <foo>.mpg -y mpeg2enc,mp2enc -Z 352x240 -E 44100 -b 244 -o test

   This will create test.m1v and test.mpa (the video and audio streams).

2) Put these back together into one stream:
	mplex -f 1 -S 680 -o test.mpg test.m1v test.mpa

3) Create the VCD files:
	vcdimager test.mpg

4) Burn the CD:
	cdrecord --scanbus (to find the triplet representing your writeable device)
	cdrdao write --device 0,2,0 videocd.cue

5) DONE!!

AMS  25-nov-2004