Brought documentation up to date.

[videolink.git] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index 3cd0e120611804bcfa14fab63079a601881ba962..45c0189c3cfac96f930a85fa7dd36f7807de0231 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ WebDVD depends on the following software:
 - dvdauthor
 - expat 1.x
 - Gtkmm 2.0
 - dvdauthor
 - expat 1.x
 - Gtkmm 2.0

-- mjpegtools
+- ffmpeg or mjpegtools

 - Mozilla 1.7.x (later versions may work but are untested)
 - netpbm
 - Xvfb (from XFree86 or X.org)
 - Mozilla 1.7.x (later versions may work but are untested)
 - netpbm
 - Xvfb (from XFree86 or X.org)


@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ To build a complete DVD image you will also need:
 
 - mkisofs
 
 
 - mkisofs
 

-You will also need a program such as ffmpeg or mencoder for producing
-DVD-suitable MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video files.
+You will also need a program for producing DVD-suitable MPEG-1 or
+MPEG-2 video files.

 
 Usage
 -----
 
 Usage
 -----


@@ -44,16 +44,25 @@ sequence ("title" in DVD terminology) or to add chapter marks to a
 video sequence, create and link to a VOB-list file (explained below)
 whose name ends in ".voblist".
 
 video sequence, create and link to a VOB-list file (explained below)
 whose name ends in ".voblist".
 

-You can link to a title and begin playback at the beginning of a
-specific chapter by adding "#" and then the chapter number to the end
-of the URL.
-

 VOB-lists
 
 A VOB-list file is an XML file with the document element <vob-list>
 and containing <vob> elements as described in the dvdauthor manual
 page.  The file names in a VOB-list file are resolved relative to the
 VOB-lists
 
 A VOB-list file is an XML file with the document element <vob-list>
 and containing <vob> elements as described in the dvdauthor manual
 page.  The file names in a VOB-list file are resolved relative to the

-directory containing the list file.
+directory containing the list file.  For example:
+
+    <vob-list>
+        <vob file="main.vob" chapters="0:00,4:55,12:13,17:45"/>
+        <vob file="credits.vob"/>
+    </vob-list>
+
+This will result in a title with the following chapters:
+
+    1: main.vob  0:00- 4:55
+    2: main.vob  4:55-12:13
+    3: main.vob 12:13-17:45
+    4: main.vob 17:45-  end
+    5: credits.vob

 
 Video standards
 
 
 Video standards
 


@@ -75,6 +84,13 @@ the directory in which to create the filesystem (which should be
 either nonexistent or empty).  WebDVD will automatically follow links
 to the other pages and to the video files.
 
 either nonexistent or empty).  WebDVD will automatically follow links
 to the other pages and to the video files.
 

+By default, WebDVD now calls ffmpeg to generate MPEG-2 streams for
+menus.  If you want it to use mjpegtools as it previously did, you
+must add the option "--encoder mjpegtools".  If you use mjpegtools
+1.6.2 or earlier you must instead use "--encoder mjpegtools-old".
+This is due to an incompatible change in the syntax of the ppmtoy4m
+command between versions 1.6.2 and 1.8.
+

 If this is successful you can then use mkisofs to create a DVD image
 from the output directory.  Alternately you can write this directory
 directly to a writable DVD with growisofs or with mkisofs piped to a
 If this is successful you can then use mkisofs to create a DVD image
 from the output directory.  Alternately you can write this directory
 directly to a writable DVD with growisofs or with mkisofs piped to a


@@ -84,7 +100,7 @@ Example
 -------
 
 A live example set of menus can currently be found at
 -------
 
 A live example set of menus can currently be found at

-<http://womble.decadentplace.org.uk/software/debconf5-dvd/menus/main.html>.
+<http://womble.decadent.org.uk/software/debconf5-dvd/menus/main.html>.

 Note that this has large background images that will take some time to
 load.
 
 Note that this has large background images that will take some time to
 load.
 


@@ -93,10 +109,13 @@ Limitations
 
 Each page must fit within the frame - DVD players do not support
 scrolling menus and WebDVD currently is not able to split them into
 
 Each page must fit within the frame - DVD players do not support
 scrolling menus and WebDVD currently is not able to split them into

-multiple menus.  Note also that the video frame is somewhat larger
-than the visible area of a normal TV.  For this reason WebDVD applies
-a stylesheet to all pages that adds 60 pixels of padding on all sides
-of the body.
+multiple menus.  The standard frame size for PAL and SECAM is 720x576
+pixels; for NTSC it is 720x480 pixels.  The exact visible area varies
+between TVs so the background should cover all or very nearly all the
+frame whereas the important content such as text must not be placed
+near the edge.  For this reason WebDVD applies a stylesheet to all
+pages that adds 60 pixels of padding on all sides of the body; this
+doesn't apply to the background.

 
 Prior to Mozilla version 1.8, which I have not yet tested, Mozilla may
 signal that a page is completely loaded before any background images
 
 Prior to Mozilla version 1.8, which I have not yet tested, Mozilla may
 signal that a page is completely loaded before any background images


@@ -128,15 +147,18 @@ reduce link highlighting to 1 transparent and 3 opaque colours using
 Floyd-Steinberg dithering, which is certainly good enough for
 anti-aliased text but may not be so good for complex highlighting.
 
 Floyd-Steinberg dithering, which is certainly good enough for
 anti-aliased text but may not be so good for complex highlighting.
 

-There is a limit of 99 "titlesets" (groups of video sequences) on a
-DVD.  Currently WebDVD does not attempt to group video sequences
-together, so there is a limit of 99 video sequences altogether.
+There is a limit of 99 "titles" on a DVD.  If you need to include more
+than this number of video sequences, you could arrange them as
+chapters of a title, so long as they use the same codecs, resolution,
+aspect ratio and sample rate.  However, each chapter will run into the
+next.  If this is a real problem, let me know, and I may be able to
+provide a better solution in a later version of WebDVD.

 
 Author and copyright
 --------------------
 
 
 Author and copyright
 --------------------
 

-WebDVD was written by Ben Hutchings <ben@decadentplace.org.uk>.
-Copyright 2005 Ben Hutchings.
+WebDVD was written by Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>.
+Copyright 2005-2006 Ben Hutchings.

 
 This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
 Copyright 1991-1998 Thomas G. Lane.  (This applies to the file jquant2.c.)
 
 This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
 Copyright 1991-1998 Thomas G. Lane.  (This applies to the file jquant2.c.)