Oddities in Retail Authoring

[The_Flash]

While backing up my copy of "Fletch Lives" (R1 NTSC), I noticed that the entire main menu of the movie "Blue Crush" was embedded into the VIDEO_TS.VOB. It hogged about 450mb of space. I remember a while back noticing this on another DVD as well. Just wondering if anyone else has come across this and if anyone knows why DVDs would be authored like this? There is no mention of or even trailer for "Blue Crush" on the Fletch DVD. Seems strange.

[RB]

Have seen this as well. For instance on the German R2 PAL release of "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (2 Disc Special Edition), copies of the three deleted scenes that can be seen in the extended version on disc one existed in VIDEO_TS.VOB, making it over 1 GB. Of course this material was not referenced anywhere. Using IFOEdit, I stripped VIDEO_TS.VOB to a whole 86 KB :D (the language selection menu).

As for why, I think it's simply an authoring error or something they planned to do initially and then forgot to take it out.

[2COOL]

I'd say they are easter eggs and that you need to do a unique secret button navigation sequence to get to it. Also, you can tell if there is extra footage when you see them as "Unreference materials" in DVD Shrink after it's analysis.

[The_Flash]

Sounds reasonable 2Cool, except what kind of reward is the main menu to "Blue Crush" !? Even if you could access it, what would you do except look at it and then ponder why it has been integrated into a DVD of a film from 1989?

I was wondering if the menu was being used as a 'template' of some sort, and they just didn't bother stripping the VobIDs that contained the actual video for the menu. Maybe there was a technical reason for it. Don't know, just wondering.

[Clown shoes]

Definatly sounds like a mistake to me. I have seen this happen before and have almost done the same myself. The poor overworked, under paid DVD author has been given a deadline to knock this movie out and has probably used an earlier project (Blue Crush) as a template for the current job. Changing over the assets where necesary, only one of them slipped through the gap. You can bet he realised his mistake after it had been sent of to replication, and he cringes every time he thinks about it. There would be no navigation for it, so the average viewer would be none the wiser. Out of interest, which authoring company released it?

Clown Shoes

[The_Flash]

"Fletch Lives" R1 NTSC is produced by Universal Studios, the same producer for "Blue Crush".

[auenf]

Originally posted by Clown shoes
The poor overworked, under paid DVD author has been given a deadline to knock this movie out and has probably used an earlier project (Blue Crush) as a template for the current job.

you talking about me again?

Enf...