Menus at startup? Why? (1 Viewer)

Aaron Garman · Dec 9, 2001

Hello all. Upon getting Pearl Harbor, I have finally had it with DVD menus popping up when the disc is inserted. I mean come on, it takes forever for them to finally start up so I can get to the movie. In addition, when inserting the second disc, the same menu appears. NOOO!!! Anyone else agree that menus should NOT pop up when inserting the disc? Kudos to Paramount for not doing this with the Godfather collection. The studios need to wake up and just start the movie when the disc goes in (sure, throw up your FBI warnings and whatnot, most of the time they can be skipped). That's one thing I miss about laserdisc: no damn menus!

Cheers,

AJ Garman

David Lambert · Dec 10, 2001

Actually, I prefer the menus to come up first. I always watch the trailers first before watching any film. It makes sense to me to see these first, since that's how you'll feel the most impact from them: BEFORE the movie.

I always hate it when a DVD start right into the film.

But I agree that PH's menus, among others, take way too long to get going and let you make a choice.

What I hate is animated menus. THEY are what should be banned. Or else keep them, but don't let them interfere with what you are trying to choose, and quickly.

Don't "fade in" the menu choices, or otherwise keep them from appearing on-screen immediately. Show them right away, and allow them to be used right away.

That's your REAL complaint, isn't it?

Alex Shk · Dec 10, 2001

You cannot avoid menu's on discs that have multiple soundtracks (DPL - DD - DTS) as is the case with Pearl Harbor and NOT the case with the Godfather series. If your system allows you to play a choice of soundtracks, wouldn't you prefer to select them prior to the start of the film? The problem with Pearl Harbor is that if you select the DTS track (as I did), you need to reselect that choice when you insert the second disc. The default soundtrack on DVD's is DD (per specification). Any other soundtrack need to be re-selected.

I don't mind the menus as much as the graphics I had to sit through twice. The second disc of PH should just have a static menu with "audio options" and "play part 2".

Brian O · Dec 10, 2001

How about a quick option window without any extra-curricular activity when a disc first boots up giving you two options:

1. Start movie - with Sound option selection

2. Go to menu - where you get the full animated menus.

Artur Meinild · Dec 10, 2001

I like the menu to pop up fast, but animated menus should be skippable.

Mike Brantley · Dec 10, 2001

I've always hated it when VHS tapes start playing by themselves (when the record-protect tab is removed). I like that laserdiscs don't autoplay, and I would hate my DVDs to start playing by themselves upon insertion. I like to load the movie into the machine in advance of getting myself and my guests into position and "equipped" with popcorn, drinks, etc. THEN I want to press play or choose "play movie" from a menu with my remote.

I hate coming-on-DVD promos that start playing by themselves, and I despise FBI warnings that can't be skipped. Those warnings should be put at the end of the feature, where the would do just as much good (which is no good at all, really).

I agree with others who prefer fast, responsive menus. Save all the gee-whiz animated antics for something else. Nice, attractive, functional menus like Criterion uses is all I want. I just watched The Blob on Criterion, and its menu has an animated background, but it is simple and fast to load. That's all you need.

Eric Huffstutler · Dec 10, 2001

I believe a majority of the people here will agree that menus should be the first thing that comes up.

When DVD's first came out in 1997, most did not (including Warner) and there was a big boycott to make studios have menus come up first.

A lot of money goes into the design and creation of animated menus and surely the studios would frown upon people skipping their hard work!

Jeff Kleist · Dec 10, 2001

There are some animated menus you can skip. The new X-Files box for instance

Jesse Skeen · Dec 10, 2001

Wait a minute- people actually COMPLAINED about the discs that started with the MOVIE? I think the first discs from Warner and Columbia got it just right- start the MOVIE, go to STOP mode when it's over, and show the menu ONLY when you hit the MENU button! It's a movie, not a video game!

Brad_W · Dec 10, 2001

I would have to disagree with Jesse on this one. I prefer to have a menu first because I like to see what extras I may want to watch after the movie, check the audio set-up (on my Coppola's Dracula DVD, it played the film in 2.0 rather than 5.1 without me actually switching it. Usually the auto-PCM will detect "the best possible audio" for my DVDs, but not on this one), check for widescreen/pan and scan set-up (In the Mouth of Madness and Mulan have this option that I can think of off hand), and a lot of times I load a disc and walk away to turn off lights, make something to eat, masturbate, ect.

John Miles · Dec 10, 2001

Menus first.

I do NOT want the movie to begin playing until I hit "Play" on the remote.

Rob Lutter · Dec 10, 2001

no MENUS.... it totally messes up the illusion of reality... it messes up the continuity, you are drawn out of the film.

John Miles · Dec 10, 2001

no MENUS.... it totally messes up the illusion of reality... it messes up the continuity, you are drawn out of the film.

WTF? You haven't started the film yet!

Click to expand...

Aaron Garman · Dec 10, 2001

So what if a film has multiple soundtracks? There IS an audio key on every DVD remote. Now if most studios would let us switch the audio from the remote. In the case of Pearl Harbor, it cannot be selected from the remote. A good example is Shrek: one can flip easily between Dolby Digital and DTS. Sometimes, this is good for comparisons. But the fact of the matter is that I would prefer to have the movie start first. If not, at least have the second disc (as in Pearl Harbor, Ben Hur, etc.) start right into the movie.

Ed St. Clair · Dec 10, 2001

If the all DVD films' started with 'my' choice of soundtrack & subtitles, I to would like the disc to jump into the film. Some even 'forget' the FBI, or better yet have it at the end [except Disney, who not once, not twice, but three times, runs a warning. Yea, that will stop them!]

Now there's even titles that do not allow you to change soundtracks without going back though the menu. Nut's!

We could never [I know never...] get EVERY studio to release all films with 'everyones' choice of S&S.

So, I propose have a default setting on the DVD player, for personal choices of S&S. A la Sony having a default setting, some say because early Tristar releases always had the subtitles on, to play disc with 5.1 [if available] and subtitles off. Do all Sony DVD players still do that? Sorry, wrong forum. You don't have too answer that!

Dharmesh C · Dec 11, 2001

MENU first!!! But I do hate menus which show clips from films, like What Lies Beneath!!!

ps Never watch a trailer before the feature, What Lies Beneath is the perfect example of how to ruin it for the audience!

David Lambert · Dec 11, 2001

ps Never watch a trailer before the feature, What Lies Beneath is the perfect example of how to ruin it for the audience!

Didn't ruin it for me! OR the missus! BZZZZZ!!! Sorry, wrong answer; thanks for playing, though...

I will always take the same chance of watching the trailers beforehand that the audience in-theater did watching that trailer on-screen in the weeks leading up to the feature's release. If it spoils it for them, it spoils it for me.

Studios are advised to design trailers - AND DVD box art and animated menus - that *WON'T* spoil a movie for their audience. They should always ask themselves "when my (grand)son or (grand)daughter sees this for the first time, what surprises should be left intact?".

Hence, I'll re-iterate that menus should always come up first, and be simple/quick to get access to at all times.

Click to expand...

Dharmesh C · Dec 11, 2001

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ps Never watch a trailer before the feature, What Lies Beneath is the perfect example of how to ruin it for the audience!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Didn't ruin it for me! OR the missus! BZZZZZ!!! Sorry, wrong answer; thanks for playing, though...

I will always take the same chance of watching the trailers beforehand that the audience in-theater did watching that trailer on-screen in the weeks leading up to the feature's release. If it spoils it for them, it spoils it for me.

Studios are advised to design trailers - AND DVD box art and animated menus - that *WON'T* spoil a movie for their audience. They should always ask themselves "when my (grand)son or (grand)daughter sees this for the first time, what surprises should be left intact?".

Hence, I'll re-iterate that menus should always come up first, and be simple/quick to get access to at all times.

The entire trailer gives away the film, once you start watching it you know what's going to happen. I'm not the only one who thinks this, but I digress Different horses for different courses

FOX and Planet of the Apes art is another example...

Click to expand...

Mike_G · Dec 11, 2001

Thumbs up on menus

Thumbs WAY down on spoilers in the animated menus!

I like to set my audio options before I start the movie.
MIke

Douglas R · Dec 11, 2001

I also vote for menus first and have always assumed this was the preference for the majority of home cinema enthusiasts. I hate it when a film starts immediately because I then have to stop it and go to the menus to see the options and extras available. I also want time to settle down and get in the right frame of mind before starting the film.

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