Creating "force-play" DVD chapters using a Mac?

Okay, I couldn't find anything in the Mac forum on this, and I'm working with a Mac Mini so I need some help. Basically I'm restoring a stack of tapes and saving a bunch of 5GB+ *.dv files onto an external hard drive using Final Cut Express 3.5. I want to eventually take those files, dump them into iDVD and transcode/burn a DVD Image file that I can burn to DVD at a later date. I want to add two force-play chapters to the beginning of the disc(s) as well though. Is there any way I can modify the disc image I'll have created in iDVD to add force-play chapters. I have MyDVDEdit and a few other Mac-based programs, and would like to do this without spending any additional money. Step-by-step instructions would be most appreciated. Again, thank you everyone for your time.

Like Herve, I am not sure how to parse your question unambiguously. However, if Terryj has correctly interpreted your request, and autoplay is all you are seeking, then here is a link to Apple's own explanation on how to make iDVD do this:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1091

And if autoplay does not solve your problem, please post back with less cryptic prose and we'll try again.

First, let me apologize for being so ambiguous; I couldn't think of a better term than "force-play" when I wrote my initial post.

What I want to make the disc do is play two short videos and then go to the menu to allow the viewer to select the video to play. Think of how a professionally authored DVD, such as one of the Star Trek films/TV shows is authored. First there's a copyright warning screen, then there's the Paramount Pictures logo, and then there's a menu that allows you to select actual episodes; that's the type of UOP chapters that I'm trying to create. iDVD-quality menus are fine for this project, but I need to be able to create the two UOP intro chapters mentioned before. (Granted I won't be using the UOP chapters for copyright warning and studio information, but rather, for trailers that are roughly 10 seconds long each.) I hope this clears things up.

Terryj, thank you for the "autoplay" information; I might need that down the road. Also, since you brought up Toast, perhaps I should offer a better list of the programs that I have on hand to use for this project:

- iDVD (and the whole iLife suite that goes with it)
- Roxio Toast 5 Titanium (Installed on PowerBookG4)
- Sizzle (Also on PBG4)
- MyDVDEdit
- MacTheRipper (primarily to remove iDVD's Region 1-6 locking,)
- DVDRemaster (Installed on PowerBookG4)
+ External Hard Drive(s)

There might be a few other programs I'm forgetting, but those are the ones that I can remember right now.

I'm actually going to be purchasing DVD Studio Pro as soon as Apple updates the Final Cut Studio box set, which I admittedly thought they'd have done by now. I fully intend to run Final Cut Studio on my Mac Pro, but I'm waiting for Apple to upgrade Final Cut Studio 2 to Final Cut Studio 3 before I purchase the Final Cut Suite and subsequently purchase DVD Studio Pro. Likewise, this is admittedly why I'm running Final Cut Express 3.5 on a Mac Mini temporarily; I couldn't see the Mac Mini handling serious editing software like FCP or the rest of the FCS suite, but FCE works fine in a bind for standard definition video until FCS3 is available.

I know that iDVD can't do this alone, but I'm hoping that there's a workaround using other programs in conjunection with it.

Terryj had the right idea though, I basically want to create UOP "Chapters" that only play when the disc is inserted into a "set-top/standalone" DVD Player (or in some cases, Apple's DVD Player software,) as the disc begins. I could even make the intro video/trailers a single "chapter" if necessary. When the disc plays in a standalone set-top DVD player, it should look something like this:

1. UOP video 1 (assuming that I have two of them)
2. UOP video 2 (still assuming that I have two of them)
3. Main Menu (initially created by iDVD)
4. Video selected from Main Menu; not one of the UOPs.

I hope this is clearer than my first post. Let me know if it's not, and I'll try again.

terryj,

Thank you for the DVD SP instructions; they're much appreciated. If FCS3 is coming out at WWDC09 I can definitely wait until June before I buy Final Cut Studio. From what I understand, the "delay" behind FCS3 is because Apple's rewriting the entire program using Cocoa APIs; in truth, this would explain why we didn't see FCS3 last year. I honestly thought that we might see FCS3 at MWSF09 earlier this month or NAB09, but it doesn't look like it. My guess is that we'll also get the new Backlit LED Cinema Displays when we get FCS3 which would make sense.

I want to get Final Cut Studio for my Mac Pro, but I don't want to purchase FCS2 while FCS3 is supposedly right around the corner. Likewise, I've yet to purchase a 30" ACD for said Mac Pro because I'm waiting for the LED Backlit model to come out. For the project I'm working on now, I could probably get by with something like iMovie HD for the editing (I'd go nuts without a professional interface though,) but for other projects down the road I'll need Final Cut Pro and other programs in the Final Cut Studio box, so I want to wait for the latest version before I spend a couple thousand dollars on a suite of programs that I'm going to be using for a long time.

Final Cut Studio is definitely on my list of programs to purchase, but right now I can wait until June. While I prefer FCP, I have Adobe Premiere Pro, which I can use on my Mac Pro until Final Cut Studio 3 is available. While Premiere Pro drives me nuts because it won't recognize the second XLR input on my camera (this is where Final Cut Express comes in very useful,) I can still use it for near-professional quality editing in standard definition.

Finally, ignore the specs in my profile; they're horribly outdated and might actually have information about my old Alienware PC mixed in with the ones from my Mac Mini. When I have my Mac Pro set up I'll update the specs of my computer. Again, thank you for your time and advice. I'm actually looking forward to getting DVD SP, but I want to wait for FCS 3 before I do so.

Excuse me, but how does one ask for help? I don't know where to post my IDVD question.

Thank you for the information.