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Requirements:

• DVD Studio Pro (Mac only)
• basic knowledge of DVD Studio Pro
• digital media files that you'd want to author into a DVD
• blank DVD media

1) Open DVD Studio Pro

You must have DVD Studio Pro installed on your computer to get beyond step #1 of this tutorial. The application is pretty expensive and Mac only. Buy it now with your boss' credit card from Amazon.com or Apple.com. Or find an evaluation copy using BitTorrent. You'll need DVD Studio Pro to proceed any further. Get the application and install it on your Mac.

2) Import Your Media Files

Import any media (pictures, videos, audio) that you want to work with.

3) Make Track Containers

When you make a new project in DVD Studio Pro, by default, you are given two containers: Menu and Track.

Make more track containers, one for each piece of video you are working with. You can just click on the Add Track button in the toolbar or select Add Track from the Project menu (Project > Add to Project > Track). Then drag your media into the containers. In the example below, there are 5 tracks.

3) Add A Script Container

Now add a Script to your project and name it something like "randomizer" (Project > Add to Project > Script). We will later link either an end of track jump, a button, or a menu time out action to this script.

4) Program the Script

Click on your Script container. Make sure you have the Script window open (Window > Script Editor). By default, Command #1 says "Nop." That means "no operation." Double-click on "Nop."

From the Command drop down menu, select "Set GPRM” (Command > Set GPRM). GPRM stands for "General Parameter Memory." GPRM's are temporary memory blocks used by DVD Players to store information. You can use GPRM blocks 0 to 7 for different scripting purposes. In this example we will use GPRM 0 for our randomizer script.

Next, select "ran" from the Operation drop down menu (Operation > ran). "Ran" is short for random. Also change the Source Value to "GPRM 5" (Source Value > GPRM 5). We selected 5 because that's how many tracks we want to randomize.

When you're done, the first Command in your script should read "ran GPRM 0, 5." Congrats, we now have a randomizer. The DVD player will now pick a random number between 1 and 5. But what are going to do with these random numbers?

The next step is to assign actions to these random numbers. Click on the little + button to make a new Command line in your script. It will say "Nop" again. Double click on "Nop."

Select "Jump" from the Command menu (Command > Jump). Set the "Jump To" to "Track 1" (Jump To > Track 1). And "Compare To to Execute if GPRM 0 is = to GPRM with value GPRM 1."

Repeat this step until you've finished setting Jump commands for each container. See the image below for an example.

5) Activating Your Randomizer Script

There are several ways to activate your randomizer script: End Jump, Button Target and Menu Timeout.

After a DVD player finishes playing a Track, it will look for an End Jump command. If you leave the End Jump set to the default setting, "not set," then your DVD will just stop and the screen will go black. If you want to keep your random DVD loop continuously playing, then you'll need to set the End Jump of each one of your tracks to activate the script (End Jump > Scripts > "whatever you called your randomizer script"). You can change this setting in the Inspector window (View > Inspector). But depending on the type of DVD you are authoring, you may want the End Jump for all your Tracks to go back to a menu screen. It's up to you.

Another way to call your randomizer script is to is to attach it to a Button Target. Just create a new button on one of your Menus, then select your randomizer Script under the Target drop down menu (Target > Scripts > "whatever you called your randomizer script"). Anytime someone clicks on the button, your script will play a random clip.

Another option is to have a Menu "Timeout" action call the randomizer script. You probably already own a few DVDs at home that have a Timeout Action. For example, if you put a movie in your DVD player and leave it on the Main Menu for a few minutes, it might reload and play the opening animation over again. To assign a Timeout Action to a Menu, just set a timeout duration and Action under the General tab in the Inspector window (View > Show Inspector > General [tab], At End > Timeout > XX seconds). And also set the Action drop down menu to call your randomizer script (Action > "whatever you called your randomizer script").

Or experiment with a mix of all 3 options.

6) Set "First Play"

Setting a First Play for your DVD is extremely important. As soon as the DVD enters a DVD player, the container defined as the "First Play" is played on the disc. If you don't enable a First Play on your DVD, when the user puts it inside a DVD player, nothing will happen.

Click anywhere in the blank gray area and you'll be able to edit properties for the entire DVD in the Properties window.

In the Properties window you can name your disc and and define the First Play. Type in a name for your DVD, then select your "Name of your Track [track]" as the First Play.

If you successfully set the First Play, then you should see a little blue disc icon in the top left of your Track container. Congrats! Do a little dance around your desk.

Before we go any further, now would be a good time to Save your DVD Studio Pro project. Save your project file in the same folder as your media.

8) Program the Remote Control Buttons

If you are making this randomized DVD loop for a client, you might want to custom program the buttons on the remote control so they all only do one thing... call the random loop script! This way, almost every button on the DVD remote control will start your loop. It's best to make your work client foolproof when possible. You can find the remote control settings in the Inspector window for the entire DVD. Click on a gray area surrounding your Tracks, Scriprs and Menus and pull up the Inspector (View > Inspector).

9) Simulate, Build, Burn and Get Paid

Unless you like wasting blanks DVD's, you should Simulate your DVD before burning. Just click on the Simulate button on the top toolbar. You want to make sure both your First Play and End Jump are working properly. Watch your DVD and confirm that everything works.

• If you immediately see a black screen and nothing else happens, then you messed up the First Play. Put down the bottle booze in your other hand and go read the First Play section again you lazy turd. And pay attention this time.
  
  
• If your video only plays once and never loops, then you screwed up the End Jump. Seriously, wake it up and read the End Jump section again.

Once your DVD simulates successfully, build and burn a sample and go test it in a regular DVD player. Check the random script. If all looks good the burn a few discs for the clinet and go get paid.

If you're making a randomized looping DVD, then you probably don't need us to walk you through the remaining steps of building a DVD. If you do, please check out this page on methodshop.com: How to Make a Looping DVD Using DVD Studio Pro.

15) That's It Baby!!!!!!!

You've successfully completed this tutorial. Congratulations! Not only have you made a professional randomized looping DVD, but you've also perfected a skill that you can charge a major corporate client up to $1,000 per authored disc.

Congratulations! You are done. Go buy yourself a drink... and feel free to buy us one too. These articles don't write themselves. Show us some love and drop a PayPal dollar in our MethodShop.com Beer Fund. Beer Fund If you are low on cash, you can say thanks by following us on Twitter, fanning us on Facebook, subscribing to our RSS feed or joining our weekly mailing list. We totally appreciate your support.

If you search around the Internet, most websites charge you money or make you register for the information in this tutorial. We offer it free and only ask you tip us if you have an extra $1 in your pocket.

Most people won't even read this paragraph so here's your special reward: DVD Studio Pro Randomized Loop Template. Just download that file and you won't even have to do most of the stuff listed above. That's your reward for reading the whole tutorial.

Happy randomized looping!