Menu background sound with on/off button

Edin1 wrote on 2/18/2005, 12:46 PM

I am able to add a background picture, and then a separate audio file to play in the background on the Main Menu, but I want to give users the choice to turn this background music on and off with a button on the menu.
I know this can be done on a DVD, but can it be done in DVDA 2.0, and how?

Comments

bStro wrote on 2/18/2005, 1:04 PM

Make an exact copy of the menu and remove the audio track from the second copy. Put a button the original menu and link it to the copy -- label this button "Background Audio Off". Put a button on the copy and link it to the original menu -- label this button "Background Audio On". That oughta cover it.

Can't say that I've ever seen this on a DVD before, though. I'd think the average viewer would assume the button has something to do with the movie audio rather than the menu audio. One is at the menu for such a short time -- who cares if the background audio plays or not?

Rob

Edin1 wrote on 2/19/2005, 4:41 AM

Thank you! That's a good idea!
I don't remember which DVD exactly, but you know how some videos employ timeouts, and even "crack jokes" after some time of being in the main menu. For example, "Shrek" has the donkey jumping and yelling "Oh, pick me! Me, me!" And in the end an animation plays, and the movie starts automatically. Makes you want to stay just to see what else will happen if you wait long enough in the main menu :-)
People leave DVD players on for many reasons, and if the main menu background music annoys them, it is a nice option to turn it off.

My question still remains; besides this way of solving this issue, is there another way of having a Sound On/Off button in the main menu?

bStro wrote on 2/19/2005, 7:20 AM

My question still remains; besides this way of solving this issue, is there another way of having a Sound On/Off button in the main menu?

What, you mean without having a duplicate menu? I doubt it. Just like any object on your DVD, the video and audio in the menu's VOB file are "married" together. Play one, you have to play the other. I could see it being done with multiple audio tracks -- one with music, one silent, but this is only applicable to full-on movies; Menus don't have multiple audio tracks (not in DVDA, at least -- dunno if it's allowed on DVDs in general).

My guess is that Hollywood DVDs accomplish this the way I've described, though I don't know for sure.

Rob

ScottW wrote on 2/19/2005, 8:49 AM

According to me "Unofficial DVD Spec" a menu can have multiple audio tracks, but as you point out, DVDA doesn't allow (neither does DVD Lab Pro, unless I'm missing something).

--Scott