Bluray menus won't play properly on Samsung BR players

TheFamilyMan wrote on 9/19/2017, 3:50 PM

I've used DVD Architect Studio 5 for a few years making bluray discs of HD vacation footage. Results have been excellent, and played perfectly on my LG BR player. Recently got a Samsung BR player, a K8500 (supports UHD discs for my new 4K LG OLED). With this player, these BR discs I've made play only about 3 seconds of each menu track before it decides to restart the menu's loop; these menus tracks are about 30 seconds longs. Menu navigation works fine, as does the actual playback of the content. I've tried using DVD Architect 7, via the payware trial now available, and it has the same problem (btw if it didn't I'd buy that upgrade right now). I've also tried different media brands and types (-R, -RE) with no joy. Also tried a different Samsung BR player which exhibited the problem. Can't figure out any DVD A setting that can fix this, plus it does work perfectly on some BR players. Anyways, just reporting this problem; I'd be most surprised if this were to be resolved.

BTW, "professional" software this is NOT if it can't make discs which are compliant with the BR players on the market. Ever seen a commercial BR title with this problem?

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 9/21/2017, 7:26 AM

You're assuming that this is a software problem, FM. Do the discs play without issue on your computer's disc drive? If so, the issue is more like related to home-burned discs and the fact that many disc players simply don't play them well.

TheFamilyMan wrote on 9/21/2017, 2:24 PM

Seems to me the problem is a bit too specific to suppose that it's a media issue with that player. Everything about the DVDA BR discs work perfectly on the Samsung player, that is if you ignore the fact that it truncates the menus' playtime to 3 seconds for the main menu and every submenu on the disc. Also, every DVDA BR disc that I've tried, some going back a few years, have the exact same problem. That consistency is something that isn't a coincidence of some media issue. Got to be a software issue IMO, and considering how open ended a spec can be interpreted, blame can be laid at either party (hence I doubt any solution will arise).

A high-end Panasonic BR player I had a few years ago would completely loose the ability to navigate the DVDA BR disc menus once you navigated to a submenu. Again, a very specific and consistent defect which every DVDA BR disc I tossed in it had. The actual content played perfectly. Attributed that problem to what I mentioned above; and solved it by retiring that player, though that won't be happening for a while with my K8500. Once you experience UHD on an OLED TV, there is no going back.

TOG62 wrote on 9/23/2017, 1:26 AM

I suppose the obvious question is; "Have you tried authoring on the same media with a similar menu using different software?".

TheFamilyMan wrote on 9/23/2017, 6:21 PM

Using the disc authoring tool in Premiere Elements 11 I created a HD BD disc with a main and submenus with the same structure as the problematic DVDA discs, and even used the same audio files for the menus' background audio. Using -RE media, that disc played perfectly well in my Samsung K8500. That same media, heck, that same -RE disc, when used with DVDA exhibited the menu truncation issue on that player. One other fun fact is that the problem persists whether the audio is AC-3 or PCM. So my opinion stands that it's a software issue. My gut says that DVDA is gimped for bluray authoring (not the first playback issue I've encountered with it)...but its so far better than the other authoring tools (DVD or bluray) I've tried that I'll live with this particular shortcoming...crud, I do wish this could be fixed. BTW, I won't bother making a DVD project to prove anything else...for my needs the DVD ship sailed long, long ago.