Disc not playing as created

Question

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I can't figure this out. I have a project that contains 2 AVI assets, 1 menu item, and a timeline named 'Movie'. One of the AVI assets is a motion background, while the other is a 20 minute movie which is located on the timeline. This is the setup as seen from the flowchart:
DVD Project:
First Play: Animated Menu:Default
Override: Not Set
Title Button: Animated Menu:Default
Main Timeline: Movie
DVD Project points to the Animated Menu icon. Clicking on that brings you the following properties:
Basic:
Name: Animated Menu
End Action: Movie:Chapter 1
Override: Not Set
Default Button: 1
Offset: 0
Motion:
Video: [ this points to the motion background AVI ]
Audio: [ this points to the motion background AVI ]
Duration: 00;00;28;20
Animate Buttons is checked
Loop Point: 00;00;03;20
Loop #: 3
The menu contains 1 button, Play. This is setup as follows:
Basic:
Name: Play
Number: 1
Type: Normal
Link: Movie:Chapter 1
Override: Not Set
(none of the boxes below are checked)
Transition:
Asset: Nothing
The Animated Menu then points to the Movie (timeline) icon which is setup as follows:
Name: Movie
End Action: Animated Menu:Default
Override: Animated Menu:Default
Menu Remote: Animated Menu:Default
I think that's all the information, but if you need more, let me know.
Anyway, I can preview this whole project within Encore and it works just fine. The menu behaves as I would expect it, it loops (to where it's set) as it should, and after looping 3 times it starts the movie automatically.
However, when I build the DVD, it doesn't work properly. When played the menu comes up and runs for its duration (28 seconds and 20 frames) then it simply stops (as if you hit Stop on the player.) If I hit Play (on the player or remote) it starts up again, but at the beginning of Chapter 1.
Now, after the 20 minute movie is done playing it does go back to the menu as it should and miraculously this time the menu will loop, however it won't loop back to where I told it to, 3 seconds and 20 frames in. It loops back to 00;00.
So all in all, I have an odd DVD here and I can't figure out why it's behaving this way when burned, yet I can preview it in Encore and it works as expected.
Ideas anyone?

Answer 1

Aha, see, I'm not using a timeline for the menu, at all.
Okay, I'm not sitting at my production machine right now (I will later this evening) so I'm going to try to do this off the top of my head here (not that there's much room to hold any valuable data to begin with...)
Open Encore, Create a new project. Once opened, I import three items:
Import As Asset, AnimatedMenu.avi (28;20)
Import As Asset, MainMovie.avi (20;00;00 - roughly)
Import As Menu, Menu.psd
This PSD contains: background layer, a 'Play' button layer, and a Title layer. Really, nothing else.
Now, that AnimatedMenu.avi I mentioned above? It is the background layer off of the Menu.psd file, imported into Premier and a 28;20 clip placed on top in a corner, then rendered as a full frame. That 28;20 clip is completely different than what the 20 minute movie is. If I simply linked the movie to the button, it would give me the movie's poster frame, which isn't what I wanted.
Ok, moving on. Once I have the three assets in Encore, I create a new timeline and drop the MainMovie.avi on it (and leave it alone.)
I switch to my Menu tab now and I go to the Motion options. Here I link the Video and Audio to AnimatedMenu.avi. At this point the AnimateButtons is unchecked, and the loop count and point are greyed out. Since I want the menu to loop 3 times, and I want it to go specifically to 03;20 seconds into the AVI, I check the Animate Buttons and set the loop point and count. I switch back to the Basic tab and set the End Action to be Chapter 1 on the movie timeline.
Now, clicking back on the menu, or specifically the 'Play' button, I set the link to Chapter 1 on the Movie timeline. (Override is set to nothing.)
Now switching to Flowchart, I click on the movie icon and set the End Action and Menu Remote, both going back to the Animated Menu:Default. Override is once again not set.
This whole setup works within Encore, and as of the last creation of the disc late last night, it also works when played. This is the sequence of things when played:
DVD starts up and you see the menu come up and start running at 00;00. It runs till it hits 28;20 and then it loops back to 3:20, as I would expect it to. It keeps doing this for 3 times (the loop count) then it automatically moves on to Chapter 1 on the timeline and the movie starts. OR, you can also hit the Play button and it quits the menu and goes to the movie.
When the movie ends, it goes back to the menu and starts up at 00;00 again where it will run till 28;20 and then loop back to 03;20 again and the cycle repeats itself again.