Master Kitchen of Ludwigsburg, Germany was asked by European guidebook publisher Marco Polo to create interactive DVD travel guides for major European cities. Master Kitchen was selected for their impressive media production portfolio and the innovative approach they proposed for the interactive DVD travel guides

Challenge

Each DVD was to contain a 45 to 60-minute video about Berlin, with additional shorter videos about city locations, including hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, entertainment venues, etc. (By October 2003, the DVD guidebooks had been released for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Paris.)

When played on a PC, the DVDs required additional functionality, such as active Internet links. For example, a user should be able to book a hotel online after watching a video about that hotel.

Marco Polo also required this functionality without the need to install additional software on the user's computer. This proved to be a challenging requirement-one that only Visible Light's OnStage products could realistically meet.

Berlin DVD

The final DVD has a 45-minute video introduction to Berlin. There are also menus to jump directly to different points of interest, with additional information such as an address or short description. A map is also provided, where appropriate. If an information page contains an Internet link, clicking it will open a new browser window, keeping the position of the DVD presentation intact.

When playing a video clip for a hotel, an "Online-Link" button appears on the DVD control bar (bottom of screen). Clicking it connects to a related Internet site where he or she may book accommodations or perform other online functions.

Another highlight of the DVD is a map feature. The viewer can scroll using the cursor. When a site is clicked, the appropriate section of the main movie plays. When play finishes, the user is returned to the map. The map works like an alternative, location-based menu structure for the DVD.

Solution

Master Kitchen's approach for the Berlin DVD guidebook included development of a customized player that offered the features described above.

Visible Light's OnStage DVD for Director was selected for several reasons:

First, OnStage DVD for Director is the only DVD playback and control software that runs without installation. This requirement was mandatory for the DVD.

Second, OnStage is designed with a high degree of compatibility among various Windows configurations and DVD decoders.

Third, the rich feature set of OnStage DVD for Director provided Master Kitchen with an extensive programming interface using Director's Lingo language. Since Macromedia Director offers a lot of freedom for programming such an application and supports multiple media types, a customized DVD player could be built with the same "look and feel" as other screens, creating a seamless user experience.

The resulting DVD control toolbar utilizes the same look and feel as the rest of the program, but contains more functionality than the default OnStage DVD toolbar.

OnStage DVD for Director enabled Master Kitchen to control every aspect of DVD playback and to program the required functions. It also provided status information used for the display of the control panel. Master Kitchen could build a player with the functions of a DVD player, plus provide extra functionality unique to the DVD.

Results

The combination of Director and OnStage DVD for Director is extremely powerful and enabled Master Kitchen to create a product that exceeded the customer's expectations. It fits perfectly with the application's requirements-which could not have been met in a realistic manner without OnStage DVD for Director. Johannes Killinger of Master Kitchen has this to say about Visible Light:

"The support at Visible Light is extremely responsive and helpful. Without their excellent OnStage software, Master Kitchen could never have met Marco Polo's requirements in a timely and economical fashion. Our client was thrilled with the product we were able to deliver with Visible Light's help."

Additional Information

For more information about how you can realize the benefits from Visible Light's OnStage line of products, please contact a Visible Light sales representative directly at 888-216-1883 (US toll free) or 407-327-5700.

For more information about Master Kitchen, visit http://www.masterkitchen.de