Menu/Chapter limits? Last menu page not working

CLWaldroff wrote on 6/2/2012, 6:24 PM
I have a project with 8 menu pages and 6 animated buttons on each page with titles underneath each button, with 40 buttons (chapters) in total. All the links work on pages 1 - 7 but on the 8th page when you select a button the DVD just stops. When you go back to page 7 and play a chapter and then keep selecting chapter ahead then you can get to the last chapters but selecting the buttons on the 8th page doesn't work.

I've been thinking the menus are too big so I've tried removing the animations to reduce the size of the menus but that didn't work.

The video was exported in Vegas Pro 11:
Audio: 224 Kbps, 48,000 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo, MPEG
Video: 29.970 fps, 720x480 Upper field first, YUV, Variable 1-6 Mbps
Pixel Aspect Ratio: 1.212

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_gmwi92U1jzYmNTdFZmY19ZeWc/edit

Comments

videoITguy wrote on 6/2/2012, 6:35 PM
Please reference the specs for a DVD and the help file of DVDArchitect Pro - there are limits for the application of a menu scheme with buttons and submenu arrays and while they are defined as such and such, you may have run into a combination that will not work.

I am not certain, but I believe the limits are also defined in terms of the screen aspect ratio, be it 4:3 or 16:9.

And if you are constructing Blu-ray project, the limits are entirely different.
CLWaldroff wrote on 6/2/2012, 11:08 PM
My project is DVD, not Blueray, 16:9 NTSC.

Here's the interesting thing, the menus and buttons work fine on my bluray player, but whenever I try one of two different DVD players and select a button from the last page the DVD just stops. So the bluray player must have more ability to play more complex menus??
videoITguy wrote on 6/2/2012, 11:18 PM
One thing to note in testing burned discs is that they should be tested in their respective set-top players mode. So the rule would be that you test burned DVD in a native set-top DVD player, or a burned Blu-ray disc in a native Blu-ray set-top player. True that you can play a burned DVD in a Blu-ray player, but what comes out in the player performance can be affected by a large variable in the firmware that is on board that machine.

So before you conclude that something is amiss in your example, I would suggest that you play and test your burned DVD in no less than five (5) different brand and age DVD players. Then if you want to go the extra step, you should test in no less than five (5) different Blu-ray players of different brand and age. Let us know your results.
CLWaldroff wrote on 6/2/2012, 11:28 PM
I just found this in the help file:

Menus in a DVD widescreen project can have a maximum of 18 buttons, and menus in a DVD full-screen project can have a maximum of 36 buttons.

But is that saying a single menu page can have 18 or 36 or over all menu pages? The 36 button limit may be what I'm experiencing because I have 6 buttons per page and everything works up to the 7th page (6x6=36) but fails on button 37 . . .

but my project is widescreen 16:9 . . . and really you should have more space on widescreen than fullscreen?!?!
videoITguy wrote on 6/2/2012, 11:50 PM
Back to my earlier comment , you must read "arrays of sub-menu/buttons" limitations - that might be well what you are experiencing in the last fail - array is the matrix you have created by your selection in design.

Go test test test on players of diff age and manufacturer.
CLWaldroff wrote on 6/3/2012, 12:05 PM
Well if DVDA has those types of limits it's time to move on. I'm currently working through DVD Lab Studio now.
videoITguy wrote on 6/3/2012, 2:02 PM
The confusion in reading the help files of DVD Architect Pro is that they identify the word "titles" many times and what they don't explain although they do mention the term "VTS" which really refers to "Video Title Sets". Sony DVDAPro can only create one (1) VTS. You should note that (IMHO) the limit of buttons they suggest such as the number 36 is really referring to a matrix across one VTS. For example 6 buttons per menu for six menus.

Now DVDLAB Pro (not sure of Studio) by Mediachance can create a DVD with more than one VTS. It is a trade-off in software interface and usability because having used both - I can say that the SCS DVDAPro5 can deliver very well from Sony Vegas Audio and Video streams. DVDLABPro becomes problematic in that workflow.

I would be interested if you find out that DVDLABPro or Studio can actually deliver more buttons per VTS or WHETHER you have to drop in a second VTS to finalize your project design.
CLWaldroff wrote on 6/3/2012, 3:47 PM
Not sure what you mean by "matrix across one VTS", I've only learned as much as I've needed to and don't understand everything, but I guess that's why guys like me run into trouble like this.

Anyway, just spent the last 6 hours learning and rebuilding my project in DVDLab (Studio version). The process is a bit different. . . I have to create motion backgrounds for each page (which DVDA does automatically) so that part stumped me for a bit, but the nice thing is there are far, far more options available than in DVDA, and I am finding that I can create the same projects in half the time so I'm happy with it.

After rebuilding the project, there's no problems with the menus stopping when selecting buttons past 36, so everything is good. So long DVDA.