TMPG DVD Author Menu Problem

[ApolloCreed21]

Created my first DVD with TMPG DVD Author (actually using the demo for the "Tsnami" version) and hit a problem with the menu when playing back. In 2 of my DVD players, everything is fine (older Toshiba and Xbox DVD player work fine).

However, when I play the DVD in my Cyberhome 320, when I move around the menus (both main and track), nothing gets highlighted and I cannot tell where I am. I can still "blindly" navigate around and meuns and get it to play fine, however I don't know where I'm at because nothing becomes active...

1) Anyone else seen this before or a variation of it ?
2) Is this likely a TMPG bug or just an overly sensitive DVD player ?

Thanks in advance.

[Cole]

I would say that it is an issue with your Cyberhome 320 as if it was a bug on TMPGEnc DVD Author it would be the same for all of your DVD players.

Which font colour are you using for the titles on your menus? What sprang to mind when reading your post was a similar situation where I had authored a menu using yellow as the font colour. When the DVD was played, I couldn't see the highlighted menu selection as my DVD player highlighted the yellow to... ...yellow! I tend to stick to black, red or green now.

My advice would be to create a new version of your film, but choose a different colour for the menu font on a DVD RW.

I hope that this is of some help.

[ApolloCreed21]

I'm thinking the font color was black (don't have it right in front of me), although the highlight color for the icon was the yellow - which was the default. I agree in that this seems like a DVD player problem, although it seems that if something like a menu works on 1, it would work on others. My concern if that if doesn't play on the Cyberhome, how many others won't it play on ?

I will certainly be creating a few more with different menus, and hopefully will get the Cyberhome to work fine with other templates to give me more confidence it will work on other players...

[ApolloCreed21]

OK - I burned a 2nd DVD with TDA with a standard theme, I believe. The same thing again occurred on my Cyberhome 320 - I was NOT able to navigate around the menu system (but was on my other 2 DVD players).

I don't have a problem accepting the fact that the Cyberhome 320 is having an issue, although I'm concerned about how many other players will have this same problem - in the event I want to distribute discs to other family members and friends. This is a newer player and I wouldn't expect this to occur.

I'm just getting started in this stuff, so I would like to find a solid process that I am confident will be most compatiable and give me the most flexibility in creating the discs (I guess what everyone wants). I like the simplicity of TDA and the ability for AC3 encoding, although I'll have to continue with some other demos and weigh the benefits/drawbacks of each...

I assume there are NOT any other options in TDA for highlighting - such as underlining text or something to that affect, correct ?

[FulciLives]

I have never heard of this problem with TMPGEnc DVD Author and I read a lot of thread here on videohelp.com plus I use TDA myself and I do some "side work" so my DVD-R dsics get around to a lot of different people and different DVD players and no one has EVER complained about anything.

DVD-R discs I make with TDA work fine on my Cyberhome CH-DVD 500 but the Cyberhome 300 series has always been "crap" quality stuff.

I wouldn't worry about this and just keep using TMPGEnc DVD Author.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman