Will the Menu button resume a video?

Maestro wrote on 3/20/2003, 2:57 PM
Easy question about how DVDA works:

In a commercial DVD, if you're watching the video and you press the menu button, it will take you to the main menu. If you press the menu button again, it will resume the video from the point you left off.

I know that ReelDVD will not do this--every time you press the menu button it will just take you to the main menu, even if you're ALREADY AT the menu. Frustrating.

Does DVDA work correctly like a commercial DVD or not?

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 3/20/2003, 5:18 PM
Buttons on remote controls work differently depending on DVD make, even model.

For example here are the actions my Pioneer 333 does with a DVD-A burned DVD. Result probably will vary on different remotes.

Pressing:

Menu........takes you to top menu
Top Menu....takes you to top menu
Return......takes you to back to sub menu page *see note #1
Next........advances to next chapter, if last chapter, end reached, back to sub menu
Previous....takes you back to previous chapter
Pause.......pauses video
Step........steps video one frame at a time
Slow........plays video in slow motion
FWR.........scans disc rapidly forward See note #2
REV.........scans disc rapidly backwards See note #2

Special buttons 1-9 pressing plays chapter relative to where you are. Example if you've selected the second video on your DVD, press 5 would start play of the second video from the 5th chapter.

Note #1
Regardless how many sub menu pages you have clicking on 'return' takes you back to the initial sub menu page. Example. You have a single sub menu page for a video. You press any thumbnail to begin play. Pressing return takes to back to sub menu page. If you have a sub menu that spans two, three five pages, whatever, you STILL get taken back to the FIRST sub menu page of the video.

Note #2
Scanning rapidly foward 'jumps' through the video without regard to chapter points. Holding down or repeatedly clicking takes you through ALL the chapters to end from the point you presently are at in video all the up the the end of the video. Same action on reverse ending at start of video.
Maestro wrote on 3/20/2003, 5:27 PM
I spoke with a Sonic reseller and they're saying that how the DVD behaves with regards to what I'm suggesting is a function of the authoring software, not the player. ReelDVD and even Producer don't behave like you'd expect a commercial DVD to behave. Sometimes you'll be in the middle of a video, and go to the main menu to change audio or subtitle settings. Maybe you just pressed the menu button by mistake. The "resume" function is the key to what happens when you press the menu button next. Good authoring software will truly resume the video from the point where you pressed the menu button. Crappy software (IMHO) will just keep jumping to the main menu, making it impossible to get back to the video.

Just checking if SOFO got this one right or not.

Thanks,

-Maestro
SonySDB wrote on 3/21/2003, 6:52 AM
I assume you're using version 1.0. Please download and install version 1.0a. It should resolve this problem.
kentwolf wrote on 3/22/2003, 11:33 PM
I installed 1.0a (build 184) and it did NOT solve this problem.

Do I understand that it is supposed to make the authored DVD resume the video from where you left off? It currently doesn't.

Thank you.
SonySDB wrote on 3/24/2003, 6:46 AM
It depends on the DVD player you are using. Some give the menu button a dual purpose: when pressed once, it takes the action of the menu button; and when pressed a second time, it takes the action of the resume button. Other DVD players have a separate resume button. What brand of DVD player are you using?
wobblyboy wrote on 3/25/2003, 5:49 PM
Perhaps Sonic SDB or someone can shed some light on this subject. I know it has been beaten to the ground but still remains a problem. On my Panasonic DVD, titles developed in DVD Workshop will return to the main menu if I press the Top Menu button, will return to the sub menu if I press the menu button. Titles developed in DVD Architect will return to the main menu for both buttons. The return button does nothing on either system. It appears that I will, like so many others that have posted about this issue, will have to use Ulead for anything with sub menu structure. The interesting thing is that when I preview in Architect all seems to work as it should?
wobblyboy wrote on 3/25/2003, 9:48 PM
I guess I'm not clear on the function. In my mind "Top Menu" should return to the initial menu, and "Root Menu" should return to the last sub menu. Is this correct? All I know currently is that if I press menu on DVD generated in Workshop it goes to the last sub menu and if I press menu on DVD generated in Architect it goes to the Top menu. "Top Menu " button goes to the top menu in both systems. However if I hit the menu button (top or root)twice it returns to the clip where it left off. Everything seems to be working as it should except "root menu" function. If top menu went to top menu and root menu went to last sub menu all would be well in DVD Land.
SonySDB wrote on 3/26/2003, 6:51 AM
In DVD-A, the "top menu" button (i.e. title) and "menu" button (i.e. root) always take you to the uppermost menu. (The "back" button in DVD-A's preview is not a "menu" button.)
DigVid wrote on 3/26/2003, 6:03 PM
My experience with DVDA is that YES it will "resume" the video from wherever you exit to menu using the menu button (either title or root). However, remember that different players have different ways of utilizing "resume". In my Sony NS755V there is a menu selection that you can turn on or off this option. So, if your player has the option make sure it's turned on for this to work.

However, I have noticed that on "Music Comp" DVDs the resume will take me to the beginning of the song (chapter) rather than some mid-point where I may have left off. This is probably for the better though...
wobblyboy wrote on 3/26/2003, 10:07 PM
It does on my Panasonic.