Layered Menus Compatibility?

I've been told in the past not to use layered menus because of compatibility problems with some DVD players/set-top boxes. A layered menu will basically crash the player.
I'm wondering what risk are we taking releasing an educational product to the general public with layered menus. Are we talking a small percentage of player problems, or is this more widespread?
Any insight would be appreciated.
Dual G4 867 - PB 1Ghz - 10GB iPod Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I'm not sure that they actually crash players - also it depends what you mean by using layered menus. People often use these types of mmenu so that when you activate a button something changes. Basically what this entails is anothert version of the menu being loaded hence their inherent slowness.
That's why most people (and Hollywood DVDs) use the simple overlay method as it doesn't swap out the menu every time you change buttons.
Hope this makes sense
Steve Kirkham

Similar Messages

Simulating Layered Menus Using a Series of Linked Overlay Menus

This is an extension of a previous thread that I thought might best be restarted as the focus has changed slightly.
I want to be sure I am presenting the client with an accurate set of limitations. I know I can avoid SOME of the limitations of layered menus (specifically the need to double-click on some systems) by using a series of linked overlay menus connected via auto-action buttons.
But, am I correct to say that since I will be loading a new menu with every button, that video and audio are still not really options? In other words, I am using overlay menus now so, yes, I can technically use audio and video backgrounds, but they will both retrigger with each rolloever, right? This of course makes them useless for all intents and purposes, so assuming I am correct, I would still operate along the lines that video/audio are simply not viable.
I still think using a motion video background and basic overlay menu is the way to go and the more I have been looking at commercial DVDs the more I realize this is exactly how visual interest is typically achieved within the restrictive context of overlay menus. People do not generally look to the behavior of their buttons for the visual interest but rather to the motion background.
Thanks for the continued help.

Yes, I don't think jumping to loop point will quite get me where I want to be.
As far as upgrading, I don't currently own any part of the Studio suite. DVDSP3 doesn't qualify as a upgrade path, unfortunately. But, there are some resellers who offer FCP 5 at a reasonable price. Then I can upgrade from there to Studio for $99. With a little shopping, I think I can get there for maybe even a bit less than half the retail price of $1299.
Something to consider. Thanks.

Motion menu buttons in Layered menus

I´ve got a PSD Layered menu and I need to have a preview of the film playing either as the button or just on the menu, either way I can´t get the track playing in the motion menu.
Is there a way to do this?
Thanks
StooB

I´ve just seen I can´t use video in layered menus, that´s after creating the whole menu system without being told in the manual...
Can I use Overlay mapping to display a layer or image over each of the 9 buttons to select?
I need some help!!
Thanks!

Drop zone and layered menus

Hi,
I have a lovely layered menu made in Photoshop and all works well, but I would like to add a drop zone to it so I can have some of the movie show while the menu is up. I can't get this to work.
I cut out a hole in my psd file and put the movie behind it so it would show through, I then added a layered menu over the top and that works fine except this makes two menus and you can't be in two menus at the same time.
Does anyone have any idea of how to do this?
Best wishes
Michael

Sorry to break this one to you after all your work, but you can't combine video with layered menus - at least, not the way that DVDSP creates a menu from a layered photoshop file.
You can get very close to it though, using a series of menus and sub-menus which you create yourself as standard overlays... this is pretty much how DVDSP will deal with your layered photoshop file anyway. You'll need to create a different menu for each different button state and place the video into each as you want it to appear. However, when you move from menu to menu that video will not be continuous and will start from the first frame each time.
The other thing is why have you used a layered menu in the first place? What is on there that means you have to use layers? Can it be done using standard overlays? If it can, then you will be able to easily add your drop-zone with video to the menu... You might also consider using a layered menu and masking off different areas to simulate the way a layer based menu can reveal different text or images - you can also reveal pieces of video as well - check out the article here:
http://www.editorsbin.com/apple/dvdsp/tutorials/mask_overlay/index.html
There are some limitations with this method, explained throughout the article, but if you can live with these then this might be the better option for you.

Using layered menus or not?

Using layered menus with PSD assets is a good and quick thing to have your buttons appear exactly as you want it.
Is there any pitfalls in using layered menus, compared to standard menus, with overlay files?
(one thing is that you will have to be careful naming your layers or get mad clicking around trying to assign the right layer to the right button. :-))

Niklas:
Something I forgot to mention is that DVDSP create hidden menus for each button state, then, when you change from one button to another, you are going infact to one menu to another, and the user will find a "delay" in the navigation.
From DVDSP User Manual (page 207):
Because layered menus use separate layers for each button state, DVD Studio Pro performs some behind-the-scenes processing, creating separate hidden menus for each possible state of the menu. In the above example with 12 buttons, 25 versions of the menu would need to be created (one with all buttons in their normal state, and one for each button in its selected and activated states). These menus are not visible as separate elements within your project, but are displayed when you use the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to navigate to a button and activate it.
Due to the number of menus that are created using the layered method, some DVD players may have a slight delay in displaying the menus as viewers navigate around the buttons, which may confuse impatient viewers.

Mouseover not working in my layered menus

I've just finished creating a project in DVDSP4 in which I have created a set of layered buttons for each of my menus (which was no small achievement I can tell you!) so that a curved icon appears underneath each menu heading when it is selected. When I simulate the project in DVDSP the DVD plays exactly as I expected, with a mouse over resulting in the curved icon appearing underneath each header and then disappearing correctly when I move to the next button/heading.
However, when I author the DVD and play it on a MAC/PC, the mouseover no longer works. I have to click each heading to select it (and make the layered curved icon appear) and then click again to load that content or sub-menu.
I've been playing around with the settings but, as it appears fine in simulator, the only way to check is to keep burning discs, but with no joy. Any ideas what might be the problem?

Thanks - that's kind of what I expected. Reason I went with layers was that the client i'm producing it for wanted to imitate an existing style of button. Couldn't find anyway of recreating it with a standard menus. At least i've got a good comeback if they give me grief!
Cheers

Trouble with Layered Menus

Hello,
I've created a menu with icons that show when the curser is in the button's field and disappears when the curser moves out of the button's field. Unfortunately, I've made a few mistakes and need to add some text to the menu but I am unable to do so with DVDSP.
Also, the photoshop layered menu that I created has text with a drop shadow but when I transfer it over to DVDSP, it isn't there... and the quality isn't very good either- Very blocky.
Anyone know how to solve this?
Thanks
Anyone?

I've created a menu with icons that show when the curser is in the button's field and disappears when the curser moves out of the button's field. Unfortunately, I've made a few mistakes and need to add some text to the menu but I am unable to do so with DVDSP.
Not sure, but you can make text in DVD SP, but if you made the menus outside better to use the other app
Also, the photoshop layered menu that I created has text with a drop shadow but when I transfer it over to DVDSP, it isn't there... and the quality isn't very good either- Very blocky.
Make sure to rasterize/layers and effects, also make sure to use sans serif fonts 20Pts+ if possible

Help with DW layers/menus

Hi,
I am having a time trying to get the Dreamweaver rollover
function with layers to work in creating webpage menus that you can
rollover and hyperlink to. The page I am working on is at
http://anne.swva.net/pcof/ ,
and if you scroll over Worship you can see what I mean...on rollout
it disappears without any time to select a hyperlink subpage (not
linked yet.)
An example of the page I need it to work like is
http://www.greenadvantage.org
, and any of the top bar menu items there.
I am working in Dreamweaver 4, and this is for a non profit,
a local church. Any help is appreciated!
- AV

scorched earth wrote:
> Do you have a suggestion on what menu system would work
best for this?
Hi,
Note the show/hides on the images above and below the Worship
image,
note too the new layer ('closer' - you might want to give it
a temporary
background colour so that you can better see what is
happening - remove
the background colour when you have an understanding) which
also has
show/hides attached - anyway.....
try this - in code view replace everything with this....
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01
Transitional//EN"
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
charset=UTF-8">
<title>index_draft w slice.jpg</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;">

<script language="JavaScript">

function MM_findObj(n, d) { //v4.01
var p,i,x; if(!d) d=document;
if((p=n.indexOf("?"))>0&&parent.frames.length) {
d=parent.frames[n.substring(p+1)].document;
n=n.substring(0,p);}
if(!(x=d[n])&&d.all) x=d.all[n]; for
(i=0;!x&&i<d.forms.length;i++)
x=d.forms
[n];
for(i=0;!x&&d.layers&&i<d.layers.length;i++)
x=MM_findObj(n,d.layers.document);
if(!x && d.getElementById) x=d.getElementById(n);
return x;
function MM_showHideLayers() { //v6.0
var i,p,v,obj,args=MM_showHideLayers.arguments;
for (i=0; i<(args.length-2); i+=3) if
((obj=MM_findObj(args
))!=null) { v=args[i+2];
if (obj.style) { obj=obj.style;
v=(v=='show')?'visible':(v=='hide')?'hidden':v; }
obj.visibility=v; }
//-->
</script>
<style type="text/css">

</style>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div id="Worship" style="position: absolute; width: 150px;
height: 94px;
z-index: 2; left: 143px; top: 310px; visibility:
hidden;">
<table bgcolor="#312e4b" border="1" width="100%">
<tr>
<td bordercolor="#FFFFFF"><div
align="center"><font color="#ffffff"
face="Poor Richard"
size="4">Ministry</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bordercolor="#FFFFFF"><div
align="center"><font color="#ffffff"
face="Poor Richard"
size="4">Ministry</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bordercolor="#FFFFFF"><div
align="center"><font color="#ffffff"
face="Poor Richard"
size="4">Ministry</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bordercolor="#FFFFFF"><div
align="center"><font color="#ffffff"
face="Poor Richard"
size="4">Ministry</font></div></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
width="800">

<tr>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="118"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="41"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="469"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="91"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="81"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="1"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="5"><img name="index_draftwslice_r1_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r1_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="164"
width="800"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="164"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><img name="index_draftwslice_r2_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r2_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="31"
width="628"></td>
<td><img name="index_draftwslice_r2_c4"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r2_c4.jpg" border="0"
height="31"
width="91"></td>
<td><img name="index_draftwslice_r2_c5"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r2_c5.jpg" border="0"
height="31"
width="81"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="31"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><div id="closer"
onMouseOver="MM_showHideLayers('Worship','','hide','closer','','hide')"></div>
<img name="index_draftwslice_r3_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r3_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="28"
width="118"></td>
<td rowspan="9"><img name="index_draftwslice_r3_c2"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r3_c2.jpg" border="0"
height="505"
width="41"></td>
<td rowspan="9"> </td>
<td rowspan="3" colspan="2"> </td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="28"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r4_c1.jpg"
name="index_draftwslice_r4_c1" width="118" height="76"
border="0"
onMouseOver="MM_showHideLayers('Worship','','hide','closer','','hide')"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="76"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2"><a href="javascript:;"
onMouseOver="MM_showHideLayers('Worship','','show','closer','','show')"><img
name="index_draftwslice_r5_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r5_c1.jpg"
border="0" height="69" width="118"></a></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="29"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3" colspan="2"> </td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="40"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r7_c1.jpg"
name="index_draftwslice_r7_c1" width="118" height="71"
border="0"
onMouseOver="MM_showHideLayers('Worship','','hide','closer','','hide')"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="71"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2"><img name="index_draftwslice_r8_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r8_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="72"
width="118"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="46"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3" colspan="2"> </td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="26"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img name="index_draftwslice_r10_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r10_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="62"
width="118"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="62"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img name="index_draftwslice_r11_c1"
src="index_draft@20w@20slice_r11_c1.jpg" border="0"
height="127"
width="118"></td>
<td><img src="spacer.gif" border="0" height="127"
width="1"></td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
HTH
chin chin
Sinclair

DVD menus compatibility

I moved DVD templates from Premiere Pro 2.9 to Encore DVD 2.0 (or 1.5).
When I open the menu library with Encore, only submenus are displayed.
What must I do to get the main menus too ?
Thank you in advance

I would advise you not to do this, as the menu structures used by Encore and PPro are different.
If you would like to do it, then open the DVD template file in Photoshop, then format the layers so they conform to Encore's menu standards. There's more info in the Encore Help for details on Encore's menu structure and layer prefixes.

How Do I Do This WITHOUT Layered Menus?

Hi Everybody -
I made this great looking menu with layered Photoshop files, but the menu navigation is SUPER slow. I've read through the forums and it sounds par for the course, so I am going to go back to overlays.
My question is this - how do I get this type of effect using overlays:
OFF:
ON:
Thanks so much everybody, SO much appreciated.
Jason
G5 Quad 2.5Ghz, 30" Cinema HD Display, Final Cut Studio, CS2 Suite Mac OS X (10.4.9) Powerbooks, other Powermacs, iBooks, iMacs, etc...

JAson:
You can get it working with the Stroke layer effect over your text 3 times. Here is a sample:
- Apply the first black stroke (I used 2 pixel wide) over your text.
- Duplicate that layer (to keep the other as backup)
- Rasterize the second layer (create an empty layer and merge with it to rasterize)
- Apply the seconf Stroke now with a 50% gray (I used 2 pixels again)
- Duplicate and rasterize again.
- Apply the last Stroke with a 25% gray (I used 3 pixels this time)
You can download the source PSD file I created using * T H I S L I N K *
Probably you must play with the strokes thcikness to get the best effect, but I think this is a good workflow to get that.
Hope that helps !
Alberto

Scripting in Layered Menus

Hi I'm currently making a jukebox like layered menu. When you hover over a button a new layer will be created next to the button etc. I'm doing it so you can select a multiple numble of track buttons and it will play them in that order.
However I just can't find a way of getting it work... I can get it to work on a normal layer but on a layered menu i just can't find a way of getting it to run. Could anyone please help? Is the anything I need to do before hand?

Which jukebox script are you using?
The script shouldn't rely on the menu layers, only the button values... at least, that's the way my Jukebox scripting system works.
Check the links here:
http://www.dvdstudiopro.co.uk/play-lists-and-jukeboxes/

Layered Menu Buttons not working on DVD player

Hello,
I just made an SD DVD with several layered menus. The backgrounds for the menus come from photoshop files with different layers for normal, selected, and active states. Navigating the main menu works fine in the simulator and when I play the disc in my computer, however, I can not arrow to another button on dvd players. I have made several discs this way and this is the first time I have had this problem. My burn process is to make an image and then burn the image in toast. Any thought?
-Brian

Hi Brian - welcome.
Layered menus are particularly tricky... they almost always require two actions from the user to get them working in a player. One click to land on the button and another to select it. This is really frustrating at times, but is down to the way the layered menus work.
You can convert them to standard menus pretty easily though, and unless you absolutely need to have different layers I'd strongly advise that you do convert them. Standard overlay type menus work with a rollover type of effect, allow you to have an audio bed and work far faster on DVD players.
The only time I'd stick with layers is when the selected state reveals a further piece of information that takes up most of the menu area. In all other cases I'd avoid them if I were you

Photoshop Layering Bug with Multi-language discs

I have searched and couldn't find information regarding this problem.
I am in the process of converting projects created in DVDSP1.52 that were multi-lingual and used layered menus created in Photoshop. Projects are moved into DVDSP3.02 where the language tags for a language menu are reset so they will work properly.
When projects are converted in DVDSP3.02, menu layers behave normally until I change the languages outside of the Simulator. As soon as this is done, the layers ALL turn on. I can reset them to their proper settings manually but the settings will not hold.
This isn't really a problem as long as I have the disc behaving EXACTLY the way I want it to in DVDSP1.52 before translation and I don't need to overhaul some other aspect of the project that would require me to toggle the displayed languages.
However, I forsee a point in time where I will have to work on this library further and the translated projects would be my starting point.
Has anyone experienced these issues?
Does upgrading to DVDSP4 resolve this bug?

For apple to see your request, you need to repost it at
http://www.apple.com/feedback

Background audio that plays over multiple menus continously

How do i make a song for example, play in the background of the title menu and continue on even when a button is activated to go to another menu...
More specifically is this possible with a layered menu...

Welcome to the boards
It is not really possible, there will be a break in the music when moving from one menu to another and layered menus will not work for this either as a workaround.
You can try buttons over video, but even then music will not be smooth and you have no real way of "knowing" which point in the music is being jumped from/to.

Building menus question

Working on DVDSP 4.1.2, Mac OS 10.5.4, on a MacBook Pro 2.4, 4 gigs ram, I have been building a Main Menu. There are about a dozen buttons that have motion in them from the video track they are linked too.
I wanted on State 1/Normal of the button to have "my title" below the button.
State 2/Selected have the "my title" below the button disappear and across the center of the button have "a different title" appear.
State 3/Activated I am not concerned with because of how briefly it appears screen.
I don't think its possible to do this with a standard menu, so I thought I was going to have to learn about layered menus but it appears layered menus can't have audio associated with them, or have drop zones or motion. Ouch.
I had each of those in the initial mock up. A television runs on the main screen. A drop zone zone gave the television the screen to playback a movie that also has audio. I am not happy about giving those elements up as its part of the feel.
It seems a layered menu is only relaying on the mouse or remote clicks to make them interesting, which seems like it would be hard to do if everything else is still and no audio.
Any suggestions or recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

In Photoshop, type and position "my title" and color it 100% red. Then type and position "a different title" and color it 100% blue. No need to use different layers. Save the file as a PSD, Tiff or Targa. Bring it in as an asset in DVD SP. Select your menu in the outline tab, and in the General tab in Inspector, select the imported file as the overlay file. Create a button, and in the Colors tab in Inspector, choose "Overlay Colors: Advanced", and then "Mapping Type: Chroma". Play around with the opacity sliders for red and blue and you will see your different titles appear.

Layered Menus Compatibility?

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