Why is the DVD menu so slow to maneuve through?

[hsfdchief200]

I have created a DVD using Movie Factory 7 Pro. The menu consists of 4 pages of video files (each is only 3-4 minutes in length - they are converted 8mm film reels). Anyway, I have burned the DVD, and it takes about 5 seconds to go from one video selection to the next when "scrolling" through the video links using the remote. (This also happened in the preview screen on the computer before I burned it, but I thought it might just be a computer issue, but apparently it's not.)

Here are the default project settings:
MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps
Frame-based
(DVD-NTSC), 16:9
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 7000 kbps)
LPCM Audio, 48000 Hz, Stereo


I'm very new to all this, so I don't know how to fix this. Also, another related issue I'm having with the menus is that the background music for the menus starts over every time you move the selector to the next video - even if it was in the middle of the sound clip. As soon as the next movie link is highlighted, the background music starts over. How can I get this to just loop and not start over when I highlight another link on the menu??

[Ron P.]

Welcome to the forums,

I've noticed that using the Menu-In/Menu-Out, animation tends to slow things down. You have to wait for the menus to fade-in, slide-in, whatever. In fact in the past we've noticed that they even caused problems when trying to burn discs. I stopped using them some time ago.

You captured old 8mm reels to put on DVD, how did you capture them? What device did you use? The reason for the question is you're using the default project settings, which uses non-interlaced video, ie; Frame-based. Did you capture your video clips as Frame-based? If so that's fine, but most of the time, capture devices that capture MPEG video uses UFF (Upper Field First) interlacing. Frame-based works good for photo slideshows, and some of the new high-def videos that are progressive formats, not the interlaced.

I've never experienced the background music starting over by just selecting or highlighting another menu link. What type of menus is this occurring with? SmartScene menus behave differently than the Thumbnail or Text menus. With SmartScene menus you have a video playing on like a moviescreen. Other titles or chapters will be seen off to the side. When you mouse-over one of those, this then loads that clip into the moviescreen. I think what may be happening is DVD MF is treating that as if you changed to another menu page or reloaded the one you're in, so it starts the music over.

[hsfdchief200]

The 8mm reels were converted to .avi files by a company that specializes in such conversions. I'm not sure which way they were captured.

I used a SmartScene menu template. Is the slowness of the DVD attributed to the SmartScene menu, where each title loading causes the pauses? If so, is there anything that can be done to speed it up?