Programming 'menu' button on remote

[FreQi]

I've managed to author a dvd that has several episodes of a tv show, and I am pretty much prepared to burn the disc and be done with it, however, one thing doesn't work yet, and it kinda bothers me. The "menu' button on the dvd remote control does not do anything. I'd expect that if pressed while watching and episode, it would return to the menu screen the episode was launched from. Currently, the only way out of a playing video is to fast-forward all the way to the end of an episode, or to press the 'title' button on the remote. And that goes to the top-most menu. Any tips on getting the 'menu' button to work?

After an episode finishes playing, either the Synopsis or Chapters menu for that episode is displayed, depending on which menu the episode was launched from. I want the make the menu button force the player to load this same menu, so I don't have to fast-forward my way out anymore.

If it'll help, I took a screenshot (http://freqi.net/capture/dvdr/TGaaG.DVD1_scenario.jpg) of my dvd scenario layout. You'll notice that I have each episode in it's own VTS folder, and all the menus are under "VideoManager->English". Each episode is accessable through three different sub menus. One menu lists 3 eps per screen. From there you can play the episode, read the synopsis for the episode, or jump to a chapter select screen. The "Bouncer" PGC is used for variable checking, and it's the only way I could figure out how to jump to chapter points.

[GM006]

you need to put the episodes' menus into the vts folder, not the vmg, in order to get your "menu" button activated. The menu button on the remote calls the "Root Menu" and you can not have a root menu unless you have the language folders in the VTSs. You can make every VTS menu a black video with a pre or post command that shoots it to the VMG to the correct menu. That'd be the easist way to do it. But you can't make any dummy pgcs in any VTS folder, it has to be a video track (or a slide show, though I have not tested a slide show for my dummy).
Goodluck

[FreQi]

That seems to have done it! Thanks ;]

All I did was add a language folder to each of the VTS's, and to each of those I added a PGC. The PGC is nothing but a post command that junps to the menu I want (based on some variable checking). So when the user presses menu, it'll jump to the empty PGC, process it's post commands and figures which menu to load.

The only quirk is now I get a lot of "Info" messages about missing languages (below in bold). But they are not warnings or errors, so it shouldn't be a problem... right?

Info - No VTS<VTS_2> Language Tracks found
Info - Creating DVD data (VTS Title) VTS#02
Info - Preparing to multiplex track TGaaG_s1e01.mpv_pulled-t
Info - Creating Multiplexer info
Info - Multiplexing
Info - Multiplexing VOB Main Stream
Info - No VTS<VTS_3> Language Tracks found
Info - Creating DVD data (VTS Title) VTS#03
Info - Preparing to multiplex track TGaaG_s1e02.mpv_pulled-t
Info - Creating Multiplexer info
Info - Multiplexing
Info - Multiplexing VOB Main Stream
Info - No VTS<VTS_4> Language Tracks found
Info - Creating DVD data (VTS Title) VTS#04
... etc, etc through VTS_10
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_1>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_2>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_3>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_4>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_5>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_6>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_7>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_8>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_9>
Info - Reading Database for VTS<VTS_10>
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - No VTS Language found
Info - Creating Video Manager Information. (File: VIDEO_TS.IFO)
...

[DnGermany]

Just make a still image and drop it on each of the dummy pgcs that you made, and that should take care of the messages. You can use any graphic program to make a bmp.

[maa]

Hey FreQi - which authoring program are you using ?
I see you can write variable checking.

thanks

maa

[FreQi]

@maa:: I am using Scenarist 2.7

@DnGermany:: I added a 720x480 black bitmap to the Data Editor, then draged it from there to the Track Editor. That allowed me to pull the "blackness" track to the PGC's in the Scenario Editor. However, now when I try to use the "menu" button it just shows the black image and sits there. I'm guessing it's because that's exactly what a still image is supposed to do, and it just never gets to the post commands. But I could probably move the var checking and jumping to a pre command instead of a post to resolve that. Or I could make a 1 frame video clip with no audio... but that sounds more complicated than is necessary.

In any case, you're right, it did seem to eliminate the "info" messages about No VTS Languages, except for one, but I am pretty sure it's because I don't have a language for VTS_1 (the disc opener track).

[FreQi]

I just finished removing the post commands and making everything a pre command instead, and it seems to be working just great! Thanks for the help. I can finally burn these discs and get on to other shows :cool:

Truth be told however, I am not sure if adding that still image is truly beneficial, since it never gets shown anyway. *shrug*

[maa]

I've noticed a lot of DVDs with a still black image in the 0.VOB - even a 0.VOB with 0 bytes- probably put in there just for compatibility...