VMG/VTS menu linking problems (DVD-Lab Pro)

[tors10]

My project is a main video (4:3) and two short clips (a 4:3 and a 16:9)
The initial menu should have 3 links: "Play," "Chapters," and "Clips."

The different aspect ratios require using VMG menus, but I'm having problems:

The compiled DVD works, but after it's finished playing, it returns to the chapter menu. The menu button on the remote also goes to the chapter menu. I want these to go to the main menu, which is "VMG Menu 1".
What am I doing wrong?

The current structure is:
An initial VMG menu
"Play" links to the main video
"Chapters" links to a VTS menu
"Clips" links to a VMG menu which contains links to each clip

Take a look at my Connections window in DVD-Lab Pro if that helps.

[mikiem]

might be helpful to check info here: http://www.dvd-replica.com

It explains what's going on better then I could.

A very basic guess would be that your root menu is also your chapter menu. I think you use the VMG as a way to jump from one VTS to another (actually the 1st play pgc in the vmg I think). DLP covers some of this in their docs, but I find the depth at the linked site helpful for explanation.

[tors10]

I don't see anything on that site that addresses my specific problem. Looks like they're mostly trying to sell guides and tutorials.

I've been experimenting quite a bit and almost found a solution..... which was to make all the menus VMG's. Everything then returns to the Main menu as I prefer, but it introduced a new problem, which is that the chapter menu now only allows a link to the movie start, not the individual chapters.

It seems crazy that there would be no solution to this. What I'm attempting isn't that radical.

All I'm trying to do is the following:

An initial menu that links to (1) the main video. (2) a chapters menu. (3) a clips menu.

The Chapters menu links to chapters in the main video
The Clips menu links to a 4:3 video and a 16:9 video

After playing, everything should return to the initial main menu.

[RoopeT]

This should work (I just played a little with DLP, haven't actually compiled the DVD):

Just created another VTS1 menu that is an exact copy of your VMG1 menu. You cannot define a VMG menu as your root menu, but you can define this fake VMG menu as your root menu ... no one will be able to notice the difference.

[mikiem]

"I don't see anything on that site that addresses my specific problem. Looks like they're mostly trying to sell guides and tutorials. "

True, but there's an awful lot of info excerpted from the book they sell, and it explains the various domains, and what can connect to what, including some diagrams I think might be useful with your current project. The link is on the left, and intro points here: http://www.dvd-replica.com/DVD/index.php. Or I think the DLP docs show how to do it.

The problem of the chapter menu for instance... I think the chapt menu (or domain) has to be under the VTS titleset it works with, as RoopeT has shown.

[tors10]

RoopeT,
I tried that configuration, but the main menu (VMG 1) will not link to the chapters menu. When you try to link by right-clicking on the "chapters" text, that menu is not listed. If you try to link by dragging the menu title onto the "chapters" text, an error message appears saying: "In VMG menu you can link only to ROOT menu (The first Menu in a VTS)"
Did you get that link to work?

mikiem,
Your link sent me to the DVD Specifications Guide. I still see nothing that addresses this specific linking issue in DVD-Lab.

[RoopeT]

True, it won't work. I propably did the linking in different order than you did and didn't get any error message as I didn't try to compile the project ... There's a simple workaround, though

1) Open the connections window, right click->add->bridge
2) Open your original VMG menu and link "Chapters" to bridge1 you've just created
3) Open connections window again and draw a connection from bridge1 to your chapters menu

I've done this sort of tweaking a few times, but I have to admit sometimes the first "logical" solution doesn't work ... again this should work but unfortunately I don't have the time to test it right now. This time I'll save the project so I don't have to recreate it from scratch if you still need help with it. I'll include another screenshot of the connections with the added bridge, but most of the other connections are not added yet into my project ... should be easier to see the point this way. Please let me know if you managed to get the behaviour you were looking for ...

Roope

[tors10]

It worked!
After all the crazy futile experimenting I've done, it's hard to believe it was something as easy and logical as creating a "bridge."

Thanks for your efforts. The menus now function just as I wanted.

[RoopeT]

Great, glad I could help!

... and I'm sure you've just learned something you'll also use in your future projects.