How to replicate Menus with Scenes for Non Optical Disc movie storage

[DK2020]

Hi

The menus of motion picture optical discs make navigation easier and even pleasant when artistically done. The menus even function when optical discs are converted to ISO files for local hard drive storage, for home viewing via programs such as Kodi or Plex.

Assume I make a three hour 4K movie, editing it in Premiere or Davinci Resolve for example.
As optical discs become less an option for storage due to 4K and future 8K file size regards, I am thinking that the finished movie would be stored on a hard drive, and never burned to an optical disc.

Question is: How do you mimic the navigational advantages of optical disc menus, when the discs themselves are no longer in the equation?
Even maintaining the aesthetics of optical disc menus with sound and videos in the background.

I thought I read that the AVCHD file format allows for menu creation, but can't find information about how one might do so.

Thanks in advance

[aedipuss]

doubtful a menu could be placed in a video stream. menus run bytecode and need memory registers.

you can still "author" a menu for your 4k movie and create an iso. just don't bother burning onto a disc.

[usually_quiet]

Hi

The menus of motion picture optical discs make navigation easier and even pleasant when artistically done. The menus even function when optical discs are converted to ISO files for local hard drive storage, for home viewing via programs such as Kodi or Plex.

Assume I make a three hour 4K movie, editing it in Premiere or Davinci Resolve for example.
As optical discs become less an option for storage due to 4K and future 8K file size regards, I am thinking that the finished movie would be stored on a hard drive, and never burned to an optical disc.

Question is: How do you mimic the navigational advantages of optical disc menus, when the discs themselves are no longer in the equation?
Even maintaining the aesthetics of optical disc menus with sound and videos in the background.

I thought I read that the AVCHD file format allows for menu creation, but can't find information about how one might do so.

Thanks in advance

Currently there are no consumer UHD Blu-ray authoring apps with a license or certification from the Blu-ray Disc Association, and there is only one unlicensed consumer app that might have the ability produce a UHD Blu-ray ISO with a menu, DVDFAb UHD Creator. When DVDFAb UHD Creator was released, menu creation was planned as a future improvement but I don't know if menu creation is working in the latest version.

[october262]

Hi

The menus of motion picture optical discs make navigation easier and even pleasant when artistically done. The menus even function when optical discs are converted to ISO files for local hard drive storage, for home viewing via programs such as Kodi or Plex.

Assume I make a three hour 4K movie, editing it in Premiere or Davinci Resolve for example.
As optical discs become less an option for storage due to 4K and future 8K file size regards, I am thinking that the finished movie would be stored on a hard drive, and never burned to an optical disc.

Question is: How do you mimic the navigational advantages of optical disc menus, when the discs themselves are no longer in the equation?
Even maintaining the aesthetics of optical disc menus with sound and videos in the background.

I thought I read that the AVCHD file format allows for menu creation, but can't find information about how one might do so.

Thanks in advance

see here - https://www.videohelp.com/software/sections/authoring-bd-hd-dvd
and here - https://www.avforums.com/threads/4k-uhd-authoring-software.2151777/

[DK2020]

Thanks aedipuss, usually_quiet, and october 262.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for menu navigation as I desire, when files sizes increase and optical discs disappear. DVDFab UHD for example, is already involved in these changing waters. Their BD25 2160p, and BD50 2160p can be burned to BR disc or exported to a folder as an ISO file.
Whereas their BD100 2160p can't be burned to a BR disc, can only be exported to a folder as an ISO file. Maybe this foreshadows the future, of how even larger 4K videos and future 8K material will be handled, with ISO files only, perhaps allowing menus with navigation.

[johns0]

Use multiavchd for avchd creation,i tried it and put it on usb flash drive and it played the menus on my sony blu-ray player.

[DK2020]

In checking out the VideoHelp list of Blu-ray authoring programs, I saw the TMPGEnc Authoring Works program. I sent them an email asking about this topic, and they introduced me to their product, TMPGEnc PGMX CREATOR, that gets to the heart of this topic, creating a container with menu and video, bypassing optical altogether.

https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tpxc.html


The PGMX Format [From their site]

PGMX is short for Pegasys Multimedia Box. Developed by Pegasys, it can store both menu and video content into a single file (.pgmx / .mkv). The video stream is H.264/AVC, and since the file does not depend on physical media such as DVD and Blu-ray discs, it is not limited to certain video characteristics. For example, an MP4 video can be used from a smart phone which typically may not be DVD or Blu-ray compliant, or users can even use videos in 4K Ultra HD resolution (4096 x 2304). PGMX files give users the freedom to keep videos at a quality level and resolution of their choosing.

PGMX files can also utilize a navigational menu system that can link to multiple videos within the file. Since both the menu and videos are combined into one file, there is no complex folder structure like those found in the DVD-Video and Blu-ray formats. Having everything in just one file makes it easy to use, copy and transport.

[smrpix]

PGMX creator or player has not been updated since 2015.

I generally like TMPGenc products, so it probably works as advertised, but even they seem to consider this a dead end.

[usually_quiet]

In checking out the VideoHelp list of Blu-ray authoring programs, I saw the TMPGEnc Authoring Works program. I sent them an email asking about this topic, and they introduced me to their product, TMPGEnc PGMX CREATOR, that gets to the heart of this topic, creating a container with menu and video, bypassing optical altogether.

https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tpxc.html


The PGMX Format [From their site]

PGMX is short for Pegasys Multimedia Box. Developed by Pegasys, it can store both menu and video content into a single file (.pgmx / .mkv). The video stream is H.264/AVC, and since the file does not depend on physical media such as DVD and Blu-ray discs, it is not limited to certain video characteristics. For example, an MP4 video can be used from a smart phone which typically may not be DVD or Blu-ray compliant, or users can even use videos in 4K Ultra HD resolution (4096 x 2304). PGMX files give users the freedom to keep videos at a quality level and resolution of their choosing.

PGMX files can also utilize a navigational menu system that can link to multiple videos within the file. Since both the menu and videos are combined into one file, there is no complex folder structure like those found in the DVD-Video and Blu-ray formats. Having everything in just one file makes it easy to use, copy and transport.

PGMX is a proprietary container which is currently only playable with menu support using Pegasys's proprietary player software, TMPGEnc PGMX Player. You won't be able to play PGMX files using an Android TV box and Kodi or a smart TV or use some other Windows-based software player player and access the menus. If Pegasys ends development of their PGMX player, and it ceases to work using a future version of Windows 10 (or whatever Microsoft product replaces Windows 10) where does that leave you? You might still be able to play PGMX files using PGMX Player and a virtual machine but that is a bit inconvenient

[Cornucopia]

Your best bet might be an html page with local links to the files, but that still won't work with most hardware players.

Scott