Is it time to eliminate motion menus? (1 Viewer)

[Dave H]

I don't know about you, but I hate having to wait through motion menus (several seconds) just to access a scene. Static menus (ala Superbit) are much more efficient and I can acess scenes much faster. It seems motion menus are just gimmicks to "sell" the whole DVD concept to J6P. J6P can say, "Wow!" I don't mean to offend any non-J6P who happens to like motion menus, but hopefully you can see my point. I am just getting tired of having to wait through them and think they are pointless.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Why do you assume that just the so called J6P consumers like the motion menus?




Crawdaddy

 

[Tom_Bechet]

u are right, sometimes it is very annoying if u have to wait for all the animations to finish. But if studios would stop (universal and FOX) with their user prohibitions then we would be able to switch between tracks and subtitles without having to go through endless menus.
I like them nevertheless. It all adds to the presentation of a disc. But the format should allow to have static fast menus for those who want to get on with it and moving menus and transitions for those who like it.
HTH

 

[James Reader]

I like how the Spider-Man disc has the quick menu where you can access everything on the disc in a single click!

 

[Adam_WM]

I love motion menus. Menus are one of my favorite things about DVD's. However, I do like the ones where you can just hit menu and got to the end result.

 

[Dave H]

Why do you assume that just the so called J6P consumers like the motion menus?

Because I don't see the point in them and they do take up some bit space. What benefit do they provide besides being "catchy," "cool," or "neat"? They seem to exist more for show or commercial reasons - something to help sell the product more (even though no one surely buys a DVD just because of the motion menu).

 

[Robert Crawford]

I like them and I don't consider myself whatever a J6P type is and just because you don't see the point of them doesn't make your assumption correct.




Crawdaddy

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

I think motion menus should stay...but I think one should have the ability to skip the intro animation and go straight to the main menu by simply pressing a button (actually, this is done on some DVDs...on some discs, if you hit the "menu" button during the intro animation, it skips directly to the main menu, bypassing the intro animation).

 

[Dave H]

Robert,
Obviously you must know what a J6P is in order to make the judgement about yourself that you are NOT one. There has been discussions on this forum about J6P and just what makes one many times before.
I am not saying that one is or has to be a J6P to like motion menus. I am just getting very tired of having to wait several seconds in order to skip to a chapter or scene. If they are going to use them, cutting down on the amount of time it takes would be a bonus. In my opinion, it's getting very tiring going through these and I think it's just added unnecessary fluff to try and impress people. I do understand some people like them, however.

 

[Damin J Toell]

I am not saying that one is or has to be a J6P to like motion menus. I am just getting very tired of having to wait several seconds in order to skip to a chapter or scene.

Several seconds of waiting make you tired? Sounds like you need a better diet.
DJ

 

[Robert Crawford]

I know what I am and I definitely don't need stereotypical designations to label my love for home theater and movies. Also, I found several of those discussions divisive in nature and something I don't totally agree with personally.





Crawdaddy

 

[Joel C]

I often like to listen to commentary tracks while falling asleep, and the menus that loop constantly (meaning my player stays on all night) are annoying. I'd rather have menus that were animated, but didn't loop like that.

 

[Steve Christou]

I'm so used to animated menus that I get really annoyed when I see a static photo with captions instead.
I've recently seen the menus to Attack of the Clones, wow, fabulous, state of the art, really gets you into the mood to see the film sooner rather than later.

 

[Mark-W]

I don't like motion menus, epspecially when they display
the best parts of the film (which they usually do) or
give away crucial information.
Hmmm...DVDs (on the spur of the moment)
that give (throw) away the best shots:
Spiderman
The Matrix
A DVD's menu that RUINS the movie for newbies:
Planet of the Apes
Then there are the noisy OBNOXIOUS !-!-!-L-O-U-D-!-!-! menus that would make
one jump off a building if subjected to for more
than a minute:
Hairspray
Gigi
My Fair Lady
(These DVDs' authoring guys should be tortured by having
to watch their motion menus for 3 hours straight...no
doubt they'd kill themselves before the three hours was over.)
There are a few motion menus that are nice, and
subtle, that I like, but they are few and far between.
Notorious
Spellbound and
Casablanca come to mind.
Finally, a DVD with still menus, that are crisp,
clear, and elegant:
Black Narcissus
I'm sorry, but the "neat-o" factor on motion menus
is lost on me after the first time I pop the disc
in the player.
Mark

 

[Joel C]

In some ways I like the Spider-Man menu. But, as they say on the commentary, it's the "money shot" and seeing it in an endless loop while I wait for everyone to get settled, ect. undercuts the impact a bit.

 

[Kenneth Cummings]

Some animated menus go on too long (CTHD), but most tend to be at a good pace. Ones like Star Wars are quick and fun (since they don't always have the same scene the next time you pop the disc in), along with what I heard, Lord of the Rings EE.

And I can't see DVD dropping animated menus, as watching a old dvd of Mulan the other day, it was just jarring to see just some still background when I get done with the Disney DVD crap.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I will definitely have to check out this Spiderman menu easter egg. This is one smart sounding way to bypass the animated menus for people that wish to do so. For me, it does not matter but I do wish they would at least put the buttons in place rather than have to wait for all of the animation(s) to finish before making the buttons available.

 

[Brian E]

While I'm not a fan of all animated menus if done right they are nice IMO. The super loud MGM lion bothers me more than a menu that takes a few seconds to run. Now I will say that there have been a few animated menus that annoyed the hell out of me.

It kind of bothers me also that a whole segment of people are getting lumped in as supposed J6P's like they often are on these forums.

 

[Seth Paxton]

The super loud MGM lion bothers me more than a menu that takes a few seconds to run

amen to that.


Also, I agree that short looped menus can make you crazy. The worst is probably the Twilight Zone menus thanks to the quick music loop.

An animated menu with a loop that is much easier to take is the DVD of The Anniversary Party.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I personally dislike the animated menus and see it as a marketing gimmick as well. Gimme static menus anyday.