DVDArch5: Loss of Menu Selection after FF in Menu

[Sam Houchins II]

I've noticed that it's impossible to make a menu selection after fast forwarding while in that menu. Is this a fixable error on my part, an unfixable glitch, or a "feature," lol? Note: This happens with my remote with my DVD player, not while in "Preview" in DVDArch5.

This is a DVD of a school Christmas concert.

I've created my menu layout in Vegas, using some of the individual performance pieces as the background media for menus, and overlaying empty (subsequently assigned) buttons over my Vegas-created-menu elements' layout. Because of the length of some of the menu media pieces, I'd like to retain the FF option, just to be able to advance to later times in that piece.

I've also tried a DVD structure where it's just a list of added media, including the Vegas-menu pieces with added buttons, in the list.

In all cases, once I press FF on my DVD player's remote while on that "menu" page, the slection option disappears off the screen. If I leave and return to the menu, option slections return too, so gratefully it's a temporary glitch.

Thanks for your input!

[Edward Troxel]

I don't understand. You're fast forwarding in video that is PART OF A MENU?

[Sam Houchins II]

Yes sir.
Thanks for your interest :-)

[Don Bloom]

if the video is playing as part of the menu what are you FF to? Not quite sure I understand.

[Sam Houchins II]

I would be fast forwarding to a later time in the same video/menu.

I would expect the menu selection options to remain available, but instead, after resuming play in the same menu (having advanced the time), the selectability of any options are gone, until leaving and returning back to the menu.

Thanks for your efforts to understand :-)

[Edward Troxel]

I guess I'm being dense... why would a menu be so long you have to fast forward? Remember, ALL menus combined are limited to 1 gig.

[Sam Houchins II]

I don't know if more information on the DVD's content would help explain the circumstances:

There were soloist performances as interludes between class performances at the concert. I'm using those solist performances as my menu background media.

[Don Bloom]

OK I *THINK* I understand. (maybe)
Let's try this. How long is the video piece and how long do you have the menu set for?
Look in the PROJECT PROPERTIES and that will tell you the amount of time the menu is set for. IT sounds to me like the menu is set for a shorter time than the video so when you fast forward you're going past the set amount of time the menu is set for.
Of course I could be all wrong but we're brainstorming here so take a look at the times of the video and menu and let's see where that takes us.

[Mike Kujbida]

Edward, add me to the dense list.
Menus are generally so short that I see no useful purpose in being able to fast forward through them.
If you have to do that, it means that they're too long and need to be shortened.

[Don Bloom]

Mike and Edward, I too don't understand about FFing thru a menu but...

Sam, we're just a bunch of old guys and the older you get the denser, like a tree. ;-O (kidding guys but you know my humor!)
Let's see those numbers!

[Sam Houchins II]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

I guess I'm being dense... why would a menu be so long you have to fast forward? Remember, ALL menus combined are limited to 1 gig.

hehe...

as a matter of fact, after stumbling onto that restriction, I had to let DVDA recompress the menus to a 5.75 bit rate to accommodate.

This is an aside though welcome detail...

A subsequent effort to create the overall feel i wanted went like this:
I merely added all the media (including the pieces with the Vegas created menu layouts) to the disc project, added my own buttons, set the end actions to the appropriate next element, and voila! No menu size restrictions. The appropriate pieces merely had the like-a-menu buttons added to them. To the user, it looks/acts just like a menu, but is just another added media. Because the "menus" are actual elements of the concert, they are welcome to be viewed when watching the eniter project start to finish... not trying to hide to hide or isolate them anyway. Each soloist piece acts as a menu/scene selection//intro/credit for the subsequent class performance after it.

In both scenarios, however, using Fast Forward in the "menu" or the MENU loses the button selectability.

Thanks

[Sam Houchins II]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Mike and Edward, I too don't understand about FFing thru a menu but...

Sam, we're just a bunch of old guys and the older you get the denser, like a tree. ;-O (kidding guys but you know my humor!)
Let's see those numbers!

I appreciate all of your guys' input; please be patient with me while i try to keep up with 3 helpers :-)

While I have sometimes shortened the end point of the media using the timeline for some of the menus, I'm quite sure that I'm not FF'ing past the end as you've creatively pondered. Merely jogging it using the FF button will immediately eliminate the selectability of any buttons, although the media can continue to play.

Otherwise, menu lengths (when using real MENUS) are set to Auto Calculate.

Thanks!

[Sam Houchins II]

Originally Posted by Mike Kujbida

Edward, add me to the dense list.
Menus are generally so short that I see no useful purpose in being able to fast forward through them.
If you have to do that, it means that they're too long and need to be shortened.

Ouch!
Let's not limit creativity!
hehe

[Sam Houchins II]

>Menu: Welcome/Intro media with "Play" button linking to soloist 1 media; end action go to Soloist 1

_>>Soloist 1 media has 5 link buttons, one to each of soloists 2,3,4,5 and 6 medias as well as a back to welcome link/button; end action go to Soloist 2

_____>>>Soloist 2 media has *2 scene select buttons and scrolling credits info about the Choir, as well as a *previous "menu" (= soloist 1) link/button and a *next "menu" (= Soloist 3)link/button; end action go to Choir Media
________>>>>Choir Media, with 2 chapter markers; end action go to Soloist 3

_____>>>Soloist 3 media has *4 scene select buttons and scrolling credits info about the Band, as well as *previous "menu," *next "menu," and *back to soloist 1 "menu" links/buttons; end action go to Band Media
________>>>>Band Media, with 4 chapter markers; end action go to Soloist 4

_____>>>Soloist 4 media has *2 scene selects and scrolling credits info about the Senior Choir, as well as *previous "menu," *next "menu," and *back to soloist 1 "menu" links/buttons; end action go to Senior Choir Media
________>>>>Senior Choir Media, with 2 chapter markers; end action go to Soloist 5

_____>>>Soloist 5 media has *3 scene selects and scrolling credits info about the Orchestra, as well as *previous "menu," *next "menu," and *back to soloist 1 "menu" links/buttons; end action go to Orchestra Media
________>>>>Orchestra Media, with 3 chapter markers; end action go to Soloist 6

_____>>>Soloist 6 has *3 scene selects for the Finale, scrolling special thanks messages, as well as *previous "menu" and *back to soloist 1 "menu" links/buttons; end action go to Finale Media
________>>>>Finale Media, with 3 chapter markers; end action go to Intro

Left alone after pressing "PLAY," all medias will show consecutively. Next chapter, FF, etc can be pressed at any time in addition to being able to scene select in the soloist medias. All this without actual menus and its acompanying 1 GB size restriction. If i could just keep the buttons active after pressing FF while on that page, all would be sweet! :-))) I thought this would be a creative way to use the soloists to spice up the "menus" to make them an integral and interesting part of the DVD, while conveying credits specific to the classes they introduced as well.

Note that even using the conventional menu/scene slelection formats, i found that the button selectability disappeared when pressing FF.

Otherwise, thanks for all you thoughts!

[Edward Troxel]

So... basically ALL of your content is menus and ALL of the content has buttons over them?

Typically, I would have:
Menu pointing to the 6 soloists individual videos as well as buttons to each of the "extras" you have scattered throughout the various menus. Click on their button, their video plays (as a VIDEO - not as a MENU) and then returns to the menu. Click on an "extras" option, that video clip plays and then returns to the menu.

I can certainly say I've never had a menu long enough to fast forward through. I tried to duplicate in DVD Architect in the preview. I could not duplicate. And I really don't want to burn a DVD to check this out. But it's possible that it COULD be the player. Have you tried in multiple players?