The easiest way for me to tell you about the DVD/Video capability of PDMSB is to describe what I am doing with it and then allow you to judge what these things might mean to you.

First, understand that I am a compulsive saver. In addition to purchasing recorded tapes, I'm taping all kind of things off the TV, I've got, literally, hundreds of tapes of things too numerous to mention. The critical point is that I have no way of knowing what is on all those tapes. Of course, you might say, "What's the sense of saving them if you don't know their content?" Good question. In my own way, I'm working out the answer. I'm reusing some tapes, using PDMSB to catalog others, and finally transferring other stuff to disc for cataloging and access with PDMSB.

While I continue to tape things from TV, I have almost (weasel word) stopped purchasing prerecorded tapes, I want DVDs. I wish I could reasonably record DVDs myself; however, recording on CDs is adequate for the present. Naturally, all purchased and/or created  DVDs and CDs are immediately loaded into my Personal Digital Multimedia ScrapBook.

With my collection of music videos as an example, I can play selections from my collection in any sequence I choose, at any time I choose, to any/all of the TVs and/or stereos in the house. What more could one desire??

Well, let me try to guess your reaction.

Too much work, you don't have time to enter all that stuff into the computer. You're right, of course, and here is what is needed to correct that problem and what I have accomplished so far. A properly authored DVD can be loaded quite easily. Properly authored means that the disc have a unique disc name that the computer can read. With a unique disc name, the DVD can be loaded into a ScrapBook within a few seconds. Just put it in the drive, punch a few keys and you are ready to play (properly equipped machine).

Properly authored also means that the author has used the TXTDT_MG structure to store chapter information. If you use Alabama's release of "For The Record" as an example, PDMSB will automatically load direct access to each song when the album is played the first time. From there on, access to individual songs is far easier from PDMSB than from the author's on disc menu system. Of course, PDMSB also provides access to the on disc menu system.

Lastly, properly authored means that the author has not restricted direct access by setting the permission flags. You will find more information on this in the help files; however, I have discovered that using one of those freeware backup programs, it is possible to re-author a copy that will play very nicely in PDMSB. You will, of course lose access to the menu system. I don't wish to be any more specific here, but will answer any questions you might have.

The next improvement will come when the DVD author is persuaded to include PDMSB data and software on his disc. I'm working on that and your help would really be appreciated.