How to burn MicroDVD

Problem

You have a movie on your HDD, which is divided on 2 CDs, 2 avi files. We have also 2 files .sub or .srt with subitles. We use The Micro DVD Player, but how we can burn it on CDs?

Solution

Note: I suppose, that you have installed Micro DVD Player 1.2 and downloaded my own program package SubTools. I also suppose that subtitles are in sub format - later.

handle subtitles
make INI files
divide on 2CDs
create autorun.inf
burn CD
enjoy the output :-)

SUB and SRT

In next text, I suppose, that you have subtitles in sub format. Be careful about extension, that is not critical. Only the content is critical.

        This is a line in SUB format:
        {825}{864}http://titulky.aktualne.cz
        The same in SRT format:
        1
        00:00:33,007 --> 00:00:34,565
        http://titulky.aktualne.cz

If you have got subtitles in srt format, you can convert them into sub by the Subtitle converter, which is a part of Micro DVD Player 1.2

Step 1 and 2 - subtitles + INI

You have to do this steps together. First of all, run the INI editor (another part of Micro DVD player) and click on icon of wizard. Skip the boring text and you have first questions:

Root directory - set to directory in which are ALL files which is relevat to this movie (We'll divide it on CDs later).
Movie Title - This field does not need any comment.
ID string - ID of the Movie, by which MDVDP recognize second CD of the same movie. I recommand you to simply click Generate.
Multi-CD Main Movie - Check, if the movie is divided on 2 CDs.
CD number - set to 1 even if movie is divided into two CDs !
Wind/Sync - don't change

Next page. Leave the dot in field Directory. Write the AVI names into fields AVI and AVI2. Then, click Load to Movie window next to AVI filename field. Then Click Acquire from Movie next to CD1 frames. Repeat the same for CD2.

Start with subtitles. Write down the CD1 frames number and minimize the INI editor. Use the program twosub2sub from SubTools package with this parameters:

	twosub2sub subtitles_for_CD1.sub subtitles_for_CD2.sub output.sub 123456

Where 123456 stands for CD1 frames number. Than we have one subtitle file for whole movile. Good. Back to INI editor. In the next page of the wizard, we check Subtitles and continue.

Directory - don't touch
Dialog String - you can fill in eg. - and when '-' appers in subtitles (which regularly means that someone else is speaking), they change color. If you left this field blank, subtitles will be always the same colour.
Estimate Display duration - check, if you thing that subtitles disappears very quickly or hang in the screen for too long. In that case MDVDP estimates appear duration as 1+character count * const., where constant cannot be changed. You can also use sub2tim from SubTools.
Filename - Insert here sequently filenames of all subtitles. Don't forget to click Add after inserting the file.
Short - Short, max 3 characters language name.
Long - Long language name.
Offset a Multiplier - For time correcting of subtitles, usually do not fill.

Then we chosse save INI file and save ini file as MDVD.MVD. Now we can try to run this file in MDVDP and if we were success, subtitles appears, and after seeking to the second half movie goes on. On this place, I'd like to notice you about program Sub2Lin from SubTools, which modify subtitles, so they does not overlap the screen.

Step 3 - dividing on CDs

Make directories CD1 a CD2. To both copy files files CZ.sub and EN.sub and MDVD.MVD. To first copy AVI1 and to second AVI2 (how else :-). On second CD edit the MDVD.MVD file and correct CDnumber=1 to CDnumber=2. I also recommand you to copy on every CD subtitle files for that part of movie named same as AVI name, so you can use VobSub. (For instance: if movie file is named CD1.avi, then store Czech subtitles as CD1.CZ.sub and english as CD1.EN.sub). For VobSub, you'd better convert the subtitles to SRT by sub2srt from SubTools. That's all.

Step 4 - autorun.inf

We have to make decidion:

Method A

This is basic choice, that I don't recommand. We copy on both CDs files mdvdp.exe a MDVDP.INI and make this autorun.inf:

[autorun]
open=mdvdp.exe /AutoPlayCD
icon=mdvdp.exe

Main disadvantages of this method is fixed MDVDP setting, which is always changeable but after exitting will be forgotten. Advantage should be that nothing must be installed on HDD which is not true because movies also needs codecs.

Method B

This most better choice consist in run of asociated file type .MVD after CD insert. This type is automatically asociated after instalation of MDVDP. Because Windows cannot run asociated file type as autorun, there is a small program called autorun.exe which you find as part of MDVDP. We have to copy it to all CDs and make this autorun.ini:

[autorun]
open=autorun.exe
icon=autorun.exe

Thi method needs the MDVDP to be installed on client's PC. It's not very bad, because you must also install codec. You can always change settings every time and update to a newer version.

Step 5 - burn CDs

There is no comment needed here.

Step 6 - testing

CDs are burned so we should test them. To a PC, where is MDVDP installed, insert CD1 and wait. MDVDP should automatically open and run the movie. We can try to seek to the next half - CD-ROM drive should open and we are asked to insert CD2. If not, something went wrong - mail me.