DVDs

ProPresenter makes it easy to use a DVD during your presentation by allowing you to select specific clips for playback from a DVD. It is also possible to rip a DVD so that the clip needed is stored on the computer instead having to rely on a DVD working properly or having to use third-party programs to rip DVD clips.

There are two ways to use DVD content in ProPresenter. The first way is to create clips from the DVD. When you create a clip, you aren’t saving the DVD content to your computer, you’re simply creating reference points to the DVD; the DVD must be in the computer in order for a clip to be played.

To access the DVD window, customize the toolbar to add the DVD icon, select it from the View menu, or use Control-D on your keyboard.

Play the DVD as normal using the standard DVD controls at the bottom of this interface.

To create a DVD clip, click the Set buttons on the bottom right of the interface to set the start and end points of the DVD clip. If you need to reset either the start or end point, click Clear and reset the points. Next, choose a name for your clip and press the Save button.

Saved clips are shown in the column on the right. You can view clips for the mounted disc only or click on the Show All DVD Clips checkbox to show all DVD clips that have been created in the application. Selecting a clip will load it in the DVD interface. Once you have saved a clip, you can click and drag it into a playlist or a slide and it will be shown like other media.

Once you have saved a DVD clip, you can play it by clicking on the thumbnail in the column on the right or after you’ve added it to a playlist or slide. If you want to show an entire DVD and would rather just play it directly without making a clip, click on the Full Screen button next to the Eject button.

The DVD must be in the computer for a clip to be used. Saving a clip only creates a bookmark for the clip on the disc. However, if you would rather not rely on the DVD to be in the computer, you can actually rip DVD clips with ProPresenter.

Preparing to rip a DVD clip is the same as saving a clip. Set the in and out points and name the clip, but instead of clicking on Save, click on Rip. You will see a progress bar while the clip is being ripped.

When a DVD clip is ripped, the entire chapter that contains the In and Out point will be ripped. As you can see in the illustration below, the orange segment represents the part of the DVD that is selected to be shown. The In point is in Chapter 1 and the Out point is in Chapter 2. Both of these chapters will be ripped in their entirety, but ProPresenter will automatically set the In and Out points on the final clip to the correct spot. The DVD clip will be placed in your Foregrounds bin in the Video/Image Bin. If you need to adjust the in or out point, you can do that within the range of the video that was ripped.