Can you make motion menus?

[ranvil010]

Can you make motion menus with vcdeasy? If you can can somebody tell me how to do it? It would be much appreciated. THanks

[dark_knight_br]

as far as I know, motion menus can't be done 'cause vcd interactivity is just with FF, REW, PLAY, STOP... and it won't accept keys like UP, DOWN, ENTER...

[adam]

You can use motion menu's but you are pretty much limited to navigating with the number keys, which works fine you just have to insert #'s onto your motion menu. Actually you can use the Enter key as well in (S)VCDs.

ranvil010: try reading my guide, it covers motion menus.

http://home.att.net/~adam.poole/Introduction.htm

[spyhawk]

Adam, your guide is pretty helpful. But do you know there's a way to simulate button selection on a motion menu? Your guide explains on simulating selection on still menu (picture) - Language section. (Maybe I have missed some explanation somewhere.)

Also, is there a way to remove some selections from the motion menu as I do not need that functionality? For example, Extra, Commentary, Gallery, etc. I know how to do that for still menu. I'm not an expert in Photoshop, but maybe there's a script that would do repetitive task to remove that selection, or mask/overlay it with camouflaged background at a specific coordinate for every frame. Then merge all the frames into a new clip. Maybe using Adobe Premiere, which I haven't experimented much? Or maybe someone knows of an easier way....

[spyhawk]

never mind, I found it.

[adam]

Ok you got me. How would you simulate buttons on a moving menu?

The only way I know of is to manually make a very simple motion menu, using multiple still images, ie: still 1 times out immediately to still 2, then to 3, then to 4, then back to 1.

Then have the same sequence but with a different button highlighted. Then if you are on, say still 2 of sequence 1 you can have it where the next track jumps to still 3 of sequence 2. If the switch was instantaneous then the motion menu would appear to continue playing in sequence while the button just switched. There is almost always going to be a pause though so it would be hard to time it out and it would vary from one player to the next. Also you wouldn't be able to have audio, unless you don't mind the track starting over everytime you navigate.

Other than that you got the usual # keys for navigation and stop and enter...

So other than this impractical method using next and prev track buttons, I don't see how you could possibly simulate button naviation on a moving menu...enlighten me please.

[spyhawk]

> Ok you got me. How would you simulate buttons on a moving menu?
I don't know. That's why I'm asking you or anyone who might know.

I realize there's almost always be a pause during navigation in the motion menu, which consists of multiple still images with different button highlighted. But is there a smoother way!? Because I bought a SVCD movie, and was able to navigate using prev and next track button in motion menu, seeing the selection being highlighted and hearing audio background, and I don't see a pause in it. So there must be a way. Nothing is impossible. We just haven't discovered it yet.

I saw my brother one time use some of the video clips, strip them to multiple images, modify each one, combine them back again into a video clip, add sound and visual effects, moving images... All using Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, and 3dMax (very expensive professional 3D modeling software -- use in studio, making animation, pc games). Well, too complicated for me to use.

I don't know if we can program in XML to continue playing the audio while navigating in the menu. Don't know if VCDImager be able to parse the info and if DVD Player be able to understand and execute what you want it to do. In other words, can we use for..next, while loop, variables, functions, procedures, in addition to reserved keyword understood by VCDImager, or VCDxBuild? If this is possible, then we can finally create almost-like DVD menu structure.

btw, I know this is off-topic in this thread, but I have a bought VCD movie, that contains 2 different audio languages. I thought VCD movie can contain only 1, whereas SVCD can contain up to 2. Could be wrong. I created a SVCD movie, with 2 selectable audio and it works. Never try with VCD. Funny thing is on my Apex 5131 (just like yours, Adam), I cannot select Audio button, it plays both languages at the same time. But in my Toshiba SD2800, it does that too, but you can select Left or Right channel via Audio button, then it plays one language. hmm, I think in Apex, I can do that through the Settings.

[adam]

To have an actual button overlayed on top of a moving menu you would have to have a hotspot feature, and while this is supported in the VCD and SVCD standards, they don't work on DVD players, they are CD-I functions and will only work on a CD-I player or on a pc.

spyhawk: I don't know how your SVCD could have had selectable buttons on a moving menu, the standard just doesn't support it. The method I mentioned is really just a way to simulate a motion menu, and it really doesn't work that well at all. Well, I'm still stumped.

I frequently use all of those programs you mentioned, and they are great for creating mpg sequences to use in your disk, but there is just no way to have an actual button overlayed on top of a moving menu, that I know of at least. Its really just a practical limitation. The only navigational buttons supported in a (S)VCD are ff, rw, next, prev, play/enter and stop. When dealing with mpg sequences none of these buttons is going to do you any good.

VCDs support 1 stereo or 2 mono tracks. Your languages are just both mono, one right and one left. That's why they play at the same time, though some players may allow you to toggle between them.

SVCDs, on the other hand, support 2 stereo or up to 4 mono tracks, so you can have two completely independant stereo tracks and select between them using the audio button on your remote. That Apex of yours, and mine, works great with SVCDs and fully supports any combination of 4 mono streams. I frequently make SVCDs with the main audio track in stereo and then have 2 separate directors commentaries in mono. (Its just a guy talking into a mic, it doesnt really need stereo, IMO.) I can toggle between each of them with the remote.