Can't select next menu page

[risi]

I'm using DMF5+. I have an instructional video (VCR) that came with equipment which I have captured and am trying to create a DVD with the captured video. The size is very small (less than a GB) but I have 28 chapters -- I want to be able to go to whatever part of the instructions I need to re-reference.

I chose a text menu, and then chose the layout that had 8 links. I then re-arranged the chapter/text links so that they are in a single vertical list (rather than 2 columns). I also moved the navigation icons to make more room. Everything remains within the rectangular border that indicates the working space.

The problem I am having is that I cannot get to the navigation buttons to move to the next page of chapters. In preview mode, I try to select them but it doesn't seem to grab them. I didn't discover this until after I'd burned the DVD and I have the same problem on the DVD player - I can't get to the additional pages of chapters (but the 8 links on the 1st page all work).

I have customized templates before, including moving the navigation buttons around. I admit that I haven't done anything this complex before. In my customization, I have turned off transitions. I've also turned off the title menu, so that I go directly to the chapter menu. (Hmmm, I've done that before but not on any projects with multiple pages of chapter menus... is that my problem?)

Any help is appreciated.

[etech6355]

Nice descriptive writeup:
Have you downloaded & installed the patches to MF5+?
Can't see where you've done anything wrong, only can suggest to do as you have done, uncheck the create title menu, then goto customize and select the template that has about 9 links on it (makes getting all the chapters into one page easier), maybe leave the default layout, burn a dvd and see if the link to new page works or not. If it does then I would guess there's something up with how you re-arranged the menu items. In the customizing I also select "No Frame" (last selection all the way to the right when customizing).

Here's the link to the updates for MF5: Read before downloading. I think you need the service pack (3rd link down of the page)
DVD MovieFactory 5.0 Service Pack 1 (Release Date: 2006/08/31)

Don't know if you ever tried MF6+ trial or whatever but that may also affect this menuing problem, depends on the MF6 version, there was a beta floating around that had this problem. I think some were trying to pass the beta on as the retail version.

[sjj1805]

Let me know which Menu you are using (They are all named beneath their thumbnail) and then try and post a screenshot of your intended layout.
I could perhaps modify it for you in PhotoImpact.

[risi]

The menu that doesn't work is 05_Text06. After posting I went back and made a copy of the project and then tried other templates. When I use 05_Text11, using the 6-link layout, it appears to work in Preview mode but I haven't burned it yet. Well, the Text11 8-link 2-column layout also appears to work but the titles are too long for 2 columns and I haven't tried re-arranging it yet. I also re-tried the 05_Text06 template without re-arranging it and had the same navigation problem - whatever they are using for the highlight on that template doesn't seem to work well on the higher-link layouts. Is there any way to look at or modify the hightlight?

After all of this work (and all of this thinking) I am considering going back to the original capture and breaking it into smaller clips (setup, basic operations, advanced operations, etc) and then just chaptering those. That would give me a multi-layer hierarchy that might actually make it easier to navigate to a specific feature. I'm also trying to learn how to use VS9 (which came with my capture device) which might be the better tool for what I want to do. Don't know enough about it yet to be sure, tho. Which do you think would be better?


The link to the updates page says this:

The DVD MovieFactory 5 Service Pack 1 is for Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5. If you have purchased Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 Plus, you do not need to install this update.

Since I do have the Plus version, I have not installed it. There do not seem to be any other updates that apply to the 5Plus version.

As for upgrading to DMF6 - it requires at least XP and I am still running W2K, so upgrading isn't an option. Or rather, it becomes an issue of funding the DMF upgrade AND the OS upgrade, which makes it rather expensive.

[sjj1805]

The DVD Menu creation abilities of MovieFactory and VideoStudio are almost identical. There are a few slight differences but you would have to look hard to find them. In fact the DVD Menu creation of abilities of DVD MovieFactory is slightly more powerful than that found in VideoStudio.

Here is an example of something that can be done in DVDMF6+ that cannot be done in VS11.5+

[etech6355]

Also as I previously posted some of the templates do not use the highlight button.
So when using some templates the activation is a small part of the thumbnail frame. On a dvd player this small outline can be hard to see.
So that's where I use the customize feature and select "No Frame".
When you play this back in a dvd player the complete thumbnail then becomes highlighted when you select it. Much easier to navigate the dvd.

But the "Next Page" I don't know. Just make sure to install the MF5 updates because they are important, there were are few fixes to the menuing system.

[Bruce5m]

I'm running MF 7 SE. I'm using one of the standard templates with 6 buttons on it for clips. I would like to create a DVD with several pages, but I would like to select certain clips to put on each page. For example, I would like to have one clip on the first page, 6 clips on the second page and 5 clips on the third.

By default, MF puts the first 6 clips on page 1, the next 6 on page 2, etc.

Is there any way that I can move clips between pages?