There may be a way, if you are willing to go to the trouble: You would need to make four copies of your original main menu and in each menu you would have to highlight the appropriate link manually (menu properties). Then you link the end of each video to the that version of the main menu that has the next video link highlighted. If haven't tried this myself, but it should work.

Thanks, that makes sense.

Marc

I've noticed something around here. What you want is already possible if you watch the DVD on your PC with your DVD driver. My LG returns...exactly the way you want. On the other hand top DVD players don't such as my Sony. There may be a reasonable explanation for that.
;)

I don't know what program those other two are using, but what you want to do is really simple in DVDA2 and DVDA3. ;-)

From the menu you're designing, double-click a clip to open it. Go to the Properties window and find its End Action settings. Destination should be "Most recent menu" (which it sounds like you've already got). Set Destination button to whichever button you want highlighted when the clip finishes playing.

That's it.

If you're using DVDA1 or DVDA Studio, I forget, but I don't think you can choose a destination button.

Rob

Thanks for the input. Do you author this way? BTW, I've just started DVDA2. I've got the properties for one of my clips. This is the list here:

End Action
Command-Link
Destination-Menu (first destiantion)
Destination-N/A (not enabled)
Destination- Default (second destination)
So, please, which destination shoud I choose to return to the same button that has just played the clip? The first or the second one (since the other one righ tin the middle of both doesn't count since it's not enabled....
Thanks in advance...

Setting the destination to "Most Recent Menu" does not seem to do the trick, because then the destination button is grayed out (which is logical: How would DVDA know which button you would like to specify, if "Most Recent Menu" could refer to any number of different menus on your DVD).

However, if you specify your menu (insert appropriate menu name here) as the destination menu, you can select any of the buttons of that menu from the drop-down list as the "highlight destination". That does work, at least in the preview. Haven't actually burned a disk with this yet.

When I suggested the other workaround, I did not have access to my Vegas PC and I also had not previously looked into "destination buttons". Sorry.

Hey you, bStro...where are you???

However, if you specify your menu (insert appropriate menu name here) as the destination menu, you can select any of the buttons of that menu from the drop-down list as the "highlight destination". That does work, at least in the preview.

You're right, you have to choose the menu you want. Yes, it works on a burned discs. I've done this dozens of times -- just forgot one detail.

Rob

Thanks Rob, I'll give it a try.

Marc

Thanks a lot bStro. Sorry for my ignorance ;)

You are forgiven, my son. Go forth and spread The Word.

Rob

No problem dad, but I've notice something - VERY IMPORTANT!
My menus loops. It's as simple as that. I guess most people author DVDs this way. Menus are always looping. I've noticed that the end action, when the menu loops, the highlighted button gets back to its default position, that means, the first clip on the list (the button is not moving of course, only the HIGHLIGHTED mark).
I have been looking for a way to correct this, but it seems impossible. Is there a way to fix this? I mean, after the end action and when the menu loops, it gets back to the same position it was before, showing the same highlighted button?
Thank you very much dad...(just kidding, thanks in advance).

I have a looping scene selection menu. If I manually select (=highlight) a certain clip (not the first one), it stays highlighted even after the menu loops (= no returning to default positon).
But, I did not use the "destination button" feature discussed earlier on this menu. So, perhaps, what you see applies only, if you specify a destination button vs. manually selecting one.

My first guess is that you're SOL, then. Most menus that I've seen (on commercial DVDs) go back to the originally highlighted item when they loop. It can be an incovenience, sure, but I personally wouldn't consider it "very important."

On DVDs where the highlight position stays the same after the menu loops, I imagine the DVD producer used a program that gives access to cell-level commands, which DVDA does not do.

If it's that important to you, use the multiple menu suggestion from earlier and set the default button for each one accordingly.

Rob

I didnt get it, sorry, Just a little confusing what you've just said. Please, how do you manually select this certain clip and where? Can you please give me some detailed explanations? Thanks in advance.

lol, I'm SOL, whatt? lol....
No, it's not important to me, but then I guess the answer is just NO, it's impossible to achieve what I am looking for. I have to accept that after the menu loops, it gets back to the highlighted default position and that means a different button from the last one that was hit to play the clip.
I don't know how to use the multiple menu suggestion, though. It seems too difficult to do it. Can anyone please give us some more detailed explanations? Thanks in advance.

I am almost getting there (if I've got that right) despite the fact I find some of ro_max's explanations a bit confusing when he says to highlight buttons. I guess they way it has been explained how to make those menus, all of them and that includes background media will have to be dragged in again, what increases the size of the DVD. I would really like to know how to do it. Thanks

By "manually selected" I meant that the viewer selects the clip (from a scene selection menu) using the player's remote control without pressing "OK", enter, or the like. If I do that, the highlighted clip stays highlighted also after the menu has looped and does not default to the first or top clip. BTW, I used DVDA 3.0a.

[Edited for spelling.]

I still don't get it, sorry (lol).
By "manually selected" I meant that the viewer selects the clip (from a scene selection menu) using the player's remote control without press "OK", enter, or the like.

- Maybe we don't understand each other. Let's see it:
By "scene selection menu" you mean, a regular, common menu, don't you? Anyway, how can you select the clip without pressing OK? The way you refer to, will only highlight the clip you want and probably after the menu loops, if, for instance, clip n.3 was the selected one, the menu will get back to its default clip after looping, for instance, clip n.1 (this is it).

"If I do that, the highlighted clip stays highlighted also after the menu has looped and does not default to the first or top clip".

- I'm so sorry, but I don't get it, really.

BTW, I used DVDA 3.0a.

- could be the problem here. My DVDA is version 2.0

Yes, as I said before selected = highlighted. We were talking about highlighting a certain clip/button and not actually activating it (=starting the clip).

By "scene selection menu" you mean, a regular, common menu, don't you?
Yes, exactly. A menu you would use to start playback at a certain chapter in your video.

The way you refer to, will only highlight the clip you want and probably after the menu loops, if, for instance, clip n.3 was the selected one, the menu will get back to its default clip after looping, for instance, clip n.1 (this is it).
No, in that case clip no. 3 stays highlighted (and does not go back to clip no. 1) also when the menu loops, that is my point. It also works with DVDA 2.0, I checked.

I'll try again but I don't find this function highlighted.....I may be blind. Can you please write a short guide, step by step, on how to do it? :) It can be a simple thing like this:
1...
2...
Hope you don't get ofended...Thanks in advance.
One more thing: this way of highlighting the buttons has nothing to do with what you've said overthere on making lots of menus....hope so.

I'll try again but I don't find this function highlighted
What function? In all previous posts I was referring to a DVD menu (not a menu in the DVDA software)

For a test, try the following:
1) Create a new DVD with a main menu and one video. Make sure the video has let's say 6 chapters.
2) Insert a scene selection menu (refer to the manual, if you are not sure about the procedure). Make sure that this menu loops (say after 20 seconds). It may be a good idea to have the clip buttons animated (kind of a thumbnail preview), so as to be able to see, when the menu is looping.
3) Prepare and burn the DVD (preferably on RW media).
4) Put the DVD in a set-top player.
5) Navigate into the scene selection menu and use the remote control to highlight any one of the clips (except the first one (=default)). Wait for the menu to loop and observe, whether the highlighted clip stays the same or goes back to clip no. 1.

One more thing: this way of highlighting the buttons has nothing to do with what you've said overthere on making lots of menus....hope so.
Not really. That was a workaround, because I had not look into destination buttons before. So this workaround should no longer be necessary. The workaround was also in reference to the earlier problem of not being able to choose a button to be highlighted after a video finished playing.

What I have been talking about in the posts since then refers to the highlight on the button/clip changing to the default position because of a looping menu. That is a different issue, one I cannot reproduce on my system (I don't see the highlight changing as a result of looping).

Hope that helps.