BluRay active menus

[setarip_old]

Why do many, if not most, BluRays that have active menus have two almost identical .M2TS files for the active background of the main menu?

[laserfan]

I think if you look closely at the two m2ts files in question, and then playback the actual menu as with a BD player, you may see that these two sequences become as one: a "first" i.e. played-once sequence which introduces the menu, and then a 2nd sequence upon which the buttons et al are overlaid, and which loops-back upon itself and you don't see the initial sequence again. These two are cleverly joined so that the music & video appear more-or-less seamless.

At least, I have noticed this on a number of BDs that I have examined (where I am looking for background videos or stills that I can use in my own compilations).

[setarip_old]

And so my question still remains, "Why?" - What necessitates having two "lookalike" .M2TS files in order to present the main menu?

[b66pak]

the answer from laserfan is clear: the need for a playback sequence like 1,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2...
_

[Gser]

Think of a gif animation you want to start looping at one point. You can either loop or not loop a gif - you can't start a loop point in the middle of it. So hence you make a non-looping gif and a looping gif. The first one extends to the looping point - then stops. Then the looping file is loaded.

[hamletiii]

Think of a gif animation you want to start looping at one point. You can either loop or not loop a gif - you can't start a loop point in the middle of it. So hence you make a non-looping gif and a looping gif. The first one extends to the looping point - then stops. Then the looping file is loaded.

You can do this for DVD and BD without a separate looping menu, just put a chapter point after the initial short intro segment, and put LinkPGN command for DVD or PlayPlatMK command for BD (HDMV) based on GPRM/GPR register condition and loop the menu as necessary.

[setarip_old]

You can do this for DVD and BD without a separate looping menuExactly - I've made such active DVD menus for years (Using TMPGEnc DVD Author).

So yet again, what, if anything, makes this unusual "double-clutching" necessary or desirable?

[laserfan]

For artistic reasons; the initial m2ts is DIFFERENT from the subsequent looping vid.

[setarip_old]

That would be just another feeble attempt by the marketers at justifying the "required" size for BluRays versus good ol' DVDs...

[crl2007]

It's a stupid thing. They could have easily set the same stream for both 1 and 2,2,2,2,2 play. The menu is either BD-J and it's not linked to the m2ts or out-of-mux IGS, which is not linked to the background video m2ts either. And looping is achieved through playlists, not appended video segments.

[deank]

You can do this for DVD and BD without a separate looping menu, just put a chapter point after the initial short intro segment, and put LinkPGN command for DVD or PlayPlatMK command for BD (HDMV) based on GPRM/GPR register condition and loop the menu as necessary.

I'm quite sure that once you transfer the control to the MENU IGS/navigation you cannot execute PlayPLatMK (nor any PlayPL*) and cannot loop a playlist from specific playmark.

[laserfan]

It's a stupid thing. They could have easily set the same stream for both 1 and 2,2,2,2,2 play.Well of course they could have used the same clip. Or they could have placed a static image and avoided video altogether. Or had no menus at all. But authors have chosen instead to have a (sometimes dramatic) lead-in to their menus, with different video AND audio, after which a second type of background video & audiotrack (less dramatic) gets shown over & over.

I personally like Universal's menus, where the Blu-ray logo leads immediately into the menu options, no muss no fuss, but that's just me. I'm amazed that people care enough about menus to expend such energy and use all the fancy options, but then I'm not the creative type. But I do disagree completely that this has anything whatsoever to do with justifying the BD-25/50 disc requirement! :p

[hamletiii]

I'm quite sure that once you transfer the control to the MENU IGS/navigation you cannot execute PlayPLatMK (nor any PlayPL*) and cannot loop a playlist from specific playmark.

NO, the commands are placed on the movie object... it has nothing to do with the button commands... To play a title, it must start from the movie object, therefore it must have a PlayPL command. So if you use some GPR registers to determine if the intro is played or not, you can issue PlayPlatMK command based on that BEFORE PlayPL executes.