Remove Play All button from menu?

[Riv]

My apologies if this is a FAQ. I have spent quite a while searching for an answer but without success.

Using VideoStudio 11.5+ alone, and using the readily available DVD menu templates, is there a way to remove the Play All button from the menu? I mean the one that looks like the normal "Play" button in DVD players and VCRs.

I assume, but haven't tried, that this is possible if I go and edit the menu files in PhotoImpact (I have PI8 and haven't really played around to see how I can edit the menus with that).

When customising the menu in Videostudio, I am able to hide all other buttons in the template but if I select Hide for the Play All button, the button still shows up in the final burned DVD. I believe it even shows up in the preview just before burning (apologies again, for not being sure; I'm not at home when writing this and cannot double-check).

I'm trying to produce a DVD consisting of three items:
1) Video (originally AVI from a DV camcorder)
2) Slideshow (still images from my digital camera)
3) Some extra videos (stuff that interests me relating to the topic but others are more likely to just view the main video clip in item #1). This particular item opens a chapter menu.

Now, my intention is that after any of these three items, the viewer will automatically return to the main menu as I don't believe I will be showing both the video and the slideshow to the same audience at the same time. This works fine when selecting any of the individual items on the main menu. But when selecting the Play All button, it will, well, play all that's on that DVD. And if anybody else but me is holding the remote control of the DVD player, they just seem to press the play all button as that seem's to be selected by default.

Many thanks for any advice.

[Ron P.]

You can't remove it, but you can hide it. Just right-click on it, and select hide. However if someone pushes the Play button it will still activate the Play-All.

[Black Lab]

Ron, if I am understanding him correctly he is saying that doesn't work.

but if I select Hide for the Play All button, the button still shows up in the final burned DVD.

I have hidden other buttons on the menu, but I don't know if I've ever tried hiding the Play button.

[Riv]

That's correct.

I did try to hide the Play All button and it seems to be hidden as long as I'm editing (customising) the menu. It's there, you can select it, but it's invisible while editing. Then in the final menu I get on the burned DVD, the button is back again. Other buttons stay hidden as you would expect to.

Seems like a bug to me but I started wondering if something in the DVD standards state there has to be a Play All item like that.

[woodchuck]

Riv,

I know exactly what you mean because I have wrestled with the same situation. You can drag the play all button to the edge where it will not display on DVD but it will still be active. Most people just press the play all button and off it goes.

I downloaded a trial version of PI and was able to modify some of the menu templates to remove the playall button. I modified my favorite templates and saved them with a different name. This was the only solution I could find.

[JohnDale]

Hi Riv
This is what I do to remove the button. 1st hide the button whilst editin. 2nd make it inactive by using PGCedit.

[Riv]

Many thanks for the comments. Still sounds like a bug to me that the system tries to hide to button but then will bring it back again. If it's a feature to always have the Play All button there, then the system should at least warn me when trying to hide it.

For the project I was working on last week, I already needed to just live with what I had as I ran out of time. For the future, I just googled PGCedit and might actually try it at some point. Or then just go with PI.

[Black Lab]

I wouldn't called it a bug, but simply how it was designed.

[sjj1805]

Please view:
VS10/MF5: Removing the PlayAll Button