Quick-Play Menus, the gateway drug to BDedit menu creation.

[Lowpro]

I just finished adding an alternate playlist to the "Panic Room" Blu-ray for the TOP MENU, the menu graphics confined in this case to the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the film. By default the 1.78:1 menus are used. Selecting "PLAY", then navigating "DOWN" and pressing "OK" provides for toggling between the two. For the POPUP MENU I elected to go with the 2.35:1 menus since I physically mask down my 1.78:1 projector screen for scope content. In any event, just thought I'd share. Eye candy provided below as always, pics of the 2.35:1 menus in use by the POPUP MENU. And no descriptions accompanying the pics this time. For additional details see my last few posts.

POPUP MENU:


SETUP\AUDIO:


SETUP\SUBTITLES (Page 1):

(Additional pic: Page 2)

SCENES (Chapters 1-4):

(Additional pics: Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-12, Chapters 13-16)

EXTRAS:


EXTRAS\COMMENTARIES:


EXTRAS\RESUME:


EXTRAS\PRE-PRODUCTION\PREP\The Testing Phase:

(Additional pic: Safe Cracking School)

EXTRAS\PRE-PRODUCTION\PREVISUALIZATION\Creating the Previs:

(Additional pics: Previs Demo, Previs Demo with Commentary)

EXTRAS\PRE-PRODUCTION\PREVISUALIZATION\Habitrail Film:


EXTRAS\PRE-PRODUCTION\PREVISUALIZATION\Multi-Angle Featurette:

(Additional pic: Page 2)

EXTRAS\PRODUCTION\Shooting Panic Room:

(Additional pic: Make Up Effects)

EXTRAS\EASTER EGGS\Real Safe Rooms:

(Additional pics: Breaking the Mirror, Digital Video Essentials)

[Lowpro]

My "Universal Blu-ray Authoring Template (UBAT)" is not ready for public consumption yet, but it's getting there. I'm still in the process of updating it so that the menu layout and underlying functionality of the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray release can be replicated with the template while still retaining the prior functionality.

Well, this is actually the case with respects to the BDMV structure of the template. The changes there extend to the Photoshop portion of the template and associated actions however, the Photoshop actions automating the process of exporting the objects (PNGs) for import to BDedit and the menus. That's the portion I'm still building out to account for some of the latest additions.

That being said, I thought I'd provide a small look behind the scenes if you will. Click here to download a copy of the current GPR Definitions (variables) in excel format for the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray. The excel sheet documents the values I'm moving to GPRs under MovieObject 0 and MovieObject 1 on First playback to make the Blu-ray work as intended. Some GPRs have preset values that apply. In those cases the current values in use are highlighted in red.

Below is a quick example of the GPR section under MovieObject 1 responsible for determining what Playlist (MPLS) is played for the Title 0 (TOP MENU), Title 1 (Feature Presentation) and Titles 3-32 (Bonus Features). This is the first section I usually attend to for a given Blu-ray as it's the foundation the rest of the Blu-ray sits on.

Note I didn't mention Title 2. Title 2 isn't assigned a Playlist (MPLS). It's reserved, a special use case. It serves as an all-in-one Playlist for the TOP MENU and Bonus Features when the "Resume" functionality of the disc via GPR3000 is set to always be able to resume playback of the "Feature Presentation" from the TOP MENU, even after having played a Bonus Feature.





Once assigning a Playlist (MPLS) to each Title the menu items for each "BONUS" page are then assigned a Title to play. (Page 6 is the main "BONUS" page accessible from Page 1. From Pages 7-13 can then be accessed from Page 6. Page 7 is the dedicated page for a "Bonus\Commentaries" option. Pages 8-13 are for general use.) A given menu item can also be treated as a category if you prefer, activating the menu item in this case taking you to a separate page rather than playing a Title, the separate page containing the playable bonus feature menu items for the particular category.

With the latest additions to my template the nesting of pages from Page 6 can extend as deep as you like from any given page, each page now including a GPR (variable) which calls out the "Parent" page it belongs to for navigation purposes. Prior the template only supported the nesting of pages one level deep from Page 6, i.e. jump to Page 8 from Page 6 for example, navigating back a level always returning to Page 6.

In the case of the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray the "Pre-Production\Previsualization" bonus category on Page 6 takes you to Page 9 for example. Page 9 includes 5 menu items (BOGs 1-5). Menu items 1-3 (BOGs 1-3) each play a Title. Menu item 4 (BOG 4) takes you to Page 10 where the playable "Habitrail Film" bonus feature menu item resides. Menu item 5 (BOG 5) takes you to Page 11 where the playable "Multi-Angle Featurette" menu items reside. Navigating back a level from Page 10 or Page 11 returns to Page 9. Navigating back a level from Page 9 returns to Page 6. Navigating back a level from Page 6 returns to Page 1.

So let's take a look at the menu items and page structure just described starting with Page 6 shall we. Pics of the GPR definitions and assigned values shown below.







Each "BONUS" page supports up to 16 menu items (BOGs 1-16) and include a GPR which calls out the "Parent" page (GPR600 for Page 6) the given page belongs to followed by 2 sets of GPRs (variables) which are referenced when activating a menu item. The first set of GPRs (GPR601-GPR616 for Page 6) determine what Title is played if any when activating a given menu item. If a value of "0" is assigned the second set of GPRs (GPR621-GPR636 for Page 6) are referenced, the associated GPR for the menu item just activated calling out the page navigation that should take place instead, i.e. the menu item serving as a category rather than playing a Title.

From here let's activate the 3rd menu item (BOG 3) shown above on Page 6, "Pre-Production\Previsualization", the associated GPRs being GPR603 and GPR623. GPR603's value is set to "0" in this case, i.e. "Move GPR603, 0". This results in a page navigation taking place based on the value assigned (Move GPR623, 9) to GPR623, i.e. navigate to Page 9. So now let's take a look at the menu items and page structure for Page 9. Pics of the GPR definitions and assigned values shown below.







As previously described, menu items 1-3 (BOG 1-3) on Page 9 each play a Title based on the values assigned to GPR901 (Move GPR901, 5), GPR902 (Move GPR902, 6) and GPR903 (Move GPR903, 7), i.e. Titles 5-7. Menu item 4 (BOG 4) takes you to Page 10 based on the values assigned to GPR904 (Move GPR904, 0) and GPR924 (Move GPR924, 10) where the playable "Habitrail Film" bonus feature menu item (BOG 1) resides.







Menu item 5 (BOG 5) on Page 9 takes you to Page 11 where the playable "Multi-Angle Featurette" menu items (BOGs 1-8) reside, i.e. Titles 9-16.









Navigating back a level from Page 10 (Move GPR1000, 9) or Page 11 (Move GPR1100, 9) returns to Page 9. Navigating back a level from Page 9 (Move GPR900, 6) returns to Page 6. Navigating back a level from Page 6 (Move GRP600, 1) returns to Page 1. So as you can see, the process of establishing the page structure and action to be taken when activating a given bonus feature menu item is very straightforward from the assigning of Playlists (MPLS) to Titles, to the assigning of Titles or page navigation to each bonus feature menu item including the trip back home for each page, i.e. the "Parent" page a given "BONUS" page belongs to.
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And something I didn't touch on per the above. With the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray the "Run Time" is displayed at the bottom of the screen when the menu item selected is a playable bonus feature. With the original disc when going to a bonus page the first menu item on the page is always selected by default. As such, the "Run Time" for the first menu item can be shown by default as well. With my version the last menu item played on a given page is selected by default instead. As such, I needed the associated "Run Time" to be displayed by default as well.

That being said, when playing a bonus feature to its conclusion from the original disc you're taken back to the bonus page in question afterwards, the next menu item selected by default, the correct "Run Time" immediately shown as well. So for BD-J the BOGs enabled by default when going to a given page can be dynamically set based on this observation. Well, if they're even considered BOGs in the BD-J world.

My version uses HDMV however, i.e. not Java. With HDMV the default state of all BOGs (enabled/disabled) on a given page can't be changed dynamically prior to going to the page. They are fixed to what they were when muxing the IG out to the M2TS file. As such, this left me with 3 options per going to a given bonus page, the last menu item played from the page being selected by default, the correct "Run Time" immediately shown as well.

My first option was to include the "Run Time" as part of the object (PNG) that's shown when each bonus feature menu item is selected. My template makes exclusive use of button overlap groups to display the selected menu item, the object (PNG) for each menu item including all menu items seen on-screen, the menu item in question showing as selected within the image, only one object within the button overlap group being enabled at a given time.

So including the "Run Time" within the object for each menu item was the easier option. Unfortunately the dimensions of each object end up being very large as a result since the "Run Time" is displayed at the bottom of the screen. With a hardware based Blu-ray player the menu (IG) has to be pre-loaded into memory ahead of time. The memory allocation used for this purpose is ridiculously small. During testing I confirmed this first method wasn't a viable option as the full IG couldn't be pre-loaded into memory as a result, several BOGs displaying menu items for Pages 12 and 13 failing to be shown on-screen.

The second option was to include a separate button overlap group containing the "Run Time" object for each menu item on the given page. When going to the page the last bonus feature played is always shown immediately, even if it resides within a button overlap group as I'm jumping directly to that button from outside the page. The "Run Time" object has to be enabled by default or enabled once arriving on the page however. If enabled once arriving on the page there's a brief moment where the "Run Time" object is not shown. This produces an undesired result, hence the third option.

The third option is to again, include a separate button overlap group containing the "Run Time" object for each menu item on the given page. This time the "Run Time" object for the first menu item on the page will be enabled by default, additional copies of the page used when the menu item selected by default isn't the first menu item. This provides for the appropriate "Run Time" object being enabled by default per landing page, i.e. one page per menu item. Once on a given page the appropriate "Run Time" object is enabled at the same time the selected menu item changes.

Implementing this required the addition of 3 GPRs (variables) per page. (See the above images, the last three GPRs referenced per page.) Updates to the navigation commands executed at the IG level just prior to being taken to a given bonus page were required as well of course. Took very little time to implement in the end actually and very simple when put into practice. In any event, just a little taste. Now back to work getting the Photoshop side of things updated so I can eventually make this thing available for those interested.

[Lowpro]

I completed my final build of the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray yesterday. My "Universal Blu-ray Authoring Template" with respects to BDMV structure is fully updated as a result allowing for replicating the layout and underlying functionality of the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray while at the same time retaining the prior functionality used for the many Blu-ray examples provided in this thread going back several pages. (A link to the current GPR definitions used by the template can be found in my prior post.) Now I'm working on updating the Photoshop side of things. Once completed I'll be making my work here available for public consumption.

That being said, I did something quite clever prior to burning the final build to BD-R for use with my Sony BDP-CX7000ES 400-disc Blu-ray players, Runco LS-5 1080p Front Projector and 720p Pioneer Plasma display which accepts 1080p 23.976 signals. All the bonus features for this title are in 480i 29.970. Everything else is in 1080p 23.976. Prior to this time I've been enjoying the given build via my HTPC and PowerDVD 18. As a result, the transition from the TOP MENU (1080p 23.976) or Feature Presentation (1080p 23.976) to a given Bonus Feature (480i 29.970) and back again has been seamless, no break in the video, no loss of the video signal as a sync takes place due to the change in video resolution and frame rate.

So prior to burning to BD-R I got to thinking. Yes, the transition from the TOP MENU (1080p 23.976) to Feature Presentation (1080p 23.976) and back again will be seamless. How often is that transition going to take place though in a given sitting? Once watching the film there are a plethora of bonus features available, all of which are in 480i 29.970. When using an actual Blu-ray player, each and every time playback of a Bonus Feature is initiated from the TOP MENU or Feature Presentation my home theater receiver, plasma display and/or projector have to reacquire the video signal as the sync takes place due to the change in video resolution and frame rate. That transition only takes a couple seconds, but still feels tedious, especially if one plans to work their way through a good bit of the bonus content in one sitting.

This brings us to one of the hidden features of my "Universal Blu-ray Authoring Template (UBAT)". The template offers a couple hidden features accessible from the "PLAY" option of the TOP MENU, one of which is the ability to change to an alternate Playlist (MPLS) for the TOP MENU. The Blu-ray here already included an alternate Playlist (MPLS) for the TOP MENU, the static background image pictured in my last several posts with no audio in 1080p 23.976. By default the original full motion video from the original disc (including the gradient to the right) plays along with the included audio. Accessing the alternate Playlist (MPLS) is done by navigating "DOWN" once from "PLAY" then pressing "OK".

Now we get to have our cake and eat it too. To provide a seamless transition from the TOP MENU (1080p 23.976) to a given Bonus Feature (480i 29.970) and back again I decided to make better use of the alternate Playlist (MPLS) which I've since re-authored to 1080i 29.970. It's a video of a static image after all. I then re-encoded all the Bonus Features from 480i 29.970 to 1080i 29.970 and there you go. The default Playlist (MPLS) for the TOP MENU provides for a clean transition to the Feature Presentation and back again as both are in 1080p 23.976. I return to the TOP MENU after watching the Feature Presentation. Let's check out the Bonus Features. I navigate "DOWN" once from "PLAY" and press "OK" to access the alternate Playlist (MPLS) for the TOP MENU, a clean transition then being provided when playing a given Bonus Feature, both the TOP MENU and Bonus Features at that point being in 1080i 29.970.

And yes, there's icing on the cake as well, the added benefit here being the secondary POPUP MENU accessible from a given Bonus Feature which can now be properly presented in HD since the Bonus Features are now in 1080i 29.970, the correct aspect ratio always being maintained as well, irrespective of the related settings of one's Blu-ray player. Examples provided below.

BONUS FEATURE (Return to Main Menu):
When accessed after initiating playback of "Bonus Feature" from TOP MENU. Pressing "OK" skips directly to TOP MENU. Selecting and activating the "Close" symbol or navigating "DOWN" turns the POPUP MENU off.


(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)
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BONUS FEATURE (Return to Feature Film):
When accessed after initiating playback of "Bonus Feature" from Feature Film. Pressing "OK" skips directly to TOP MENU. Selecting and activating the "Close" symbol or navigating "DOWN" turns the POPUP MENU off.


(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)
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The original disc uses BD-J which is why the secondary POPUP MENU can be authored and presented in HD despite the fact the given Bonus Feature is in SD, BD-J offering an additional graphics layer unlike HDMV which was carried over from the DVD era. With HDMV the given IG (Interactive Graphics Menu) will only be properly displayed in all scenarios if it's authored in the same resolution as the video it will be accessed from.

(BDedit displays the resolution and frame rate for a given IG in the upper left corner, but it's always greyed out. There's no way at present to select something other than 1080p 23.976 short of working from a IG authored elsewhere that uses a different resolution.)

Well, there's a few caveats to this. When setting the "Screen Format" option of my Sony Blu-ray player to "Original" for example, this results in 480i 29.970 (720x480) content being stretched to fill the width of the 1.78:1 (1920x1080) screen area. In this case the secondary POPUP MENU is displayed as expected when authored in HD. If the "Screen Format" option of my Blu-ray player is set to "Fixed Aspect Ratio" instead the secondary POPUP MENU appears squat horizontally with 480i 29.970 content.

[Lowpro]

My final build of the "Panic Room (2002)" Blu-ray includes a fun addition I have yet to talk about. Included on the original disc is a "DVE Digital Video Essentials" type video that consists of test patterns, demo material and such. The video contains 7 chapters and is 4 minutes 47 seconds in length. It's file "00102.m2ts", playlist "00102.mpls".

I was thinking the video might be an Easter Egg unlike the "Extras\Easter Egg" category which I presume are the Easter Egg videos from the DVD releases. Unfortunately the Blu-ray disc uses BD-J so there's no easy way for me to determine if the video in question is an Easter Egg and if so, how to access it via the menus.

Screenshots from each chapter are shown below, the last chapter having the longest running time, a slow pan from left to right of a panoramic image. That screenshot is a combination of 4 screenshots stitched together, the final image dimensions being 6607x1080.

CHAPTER 1 (00:00:00.000 - 00:00:15.014)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 2 (00:00:15.015 - 00:00:30.029)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 3 (00:00:30.030 - 00:00:45.044)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 4 (00:00:45.045 - 00:01:00.059)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 5 (00:01:00.060 - 00:01:15.074)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 6 (00:01:15.075 - 00:01:30.089)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

CHAPTER 7 (00:01:30.090 - 00:04:47.295)

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

And here's what the "EXTRAS\EASTER EGGS" menu option looks like from my version of the Blu-ray. If the video is on the disc why not provide access to it, right.

TOP MENU (EXTRAS\EASTER EGGS):

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)

POPUP MENU (EXTRAS\EASTER EGGS):

(Click on the preview image above to view the full size image.)
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Okay, so I’ve since learned what’s up with this video. Sony has been doing this for a long time evidently and it is an Easter Egg. It’s accessible from anywhere while on the TOP MENU. Dial 7-6-6-9 (S-O-N-Y) using the Blu-ray player remote as if you’re making a phone call. The video immediately begins to play taking you back to the "PLAY" option of the TOP MENU afterwards. So now it’s time to figure out how to implement this for a HDMV based Blu-ray versus BD-J. Wish me luck!
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Well that didn't take long. I launched BDedit a short time ago and have already implemented the video as an Easter Egg just as was done for the original disc. The Easter Egg is available from the TOP MENU and POPUP MENU in this case. Below is a pic from BDedit, Page 1 of the TOP MENU. All I did was add a new button (0040) to the end of the page. The button is hidden as there are no objects associated with it (FFFF) for any of the different button states. There's also no way to navigate to the button. Once adding the button I updated the first field, the "value" field entering the HEX value (1DF5) for 7669. The decimal value this field represents when entered using the number pad of the Blu-ray player remote will result in the button being activated. I then added a single navigation command, "Jump Title 21" as that's the Title associated with the playlist in question.



With the original disc only numerical entry is required from the TOP MENU. I suspect this is because the button in question has its auto-action flag set to "Yes". Well, either that or it's a BD-J thing. With my initial attempt here the button doesn't have its auto-action flag set. PowerDVD has the virtual remote's keypad greyed out for some reason, so I had to test this with a hardware based Blu-ray player once burning a test disc to BD-RE. Once reaching the TOP MENU I entered 7669 from the Sony BDP-S5000ES activity of my trusty Philips Pronto TSU9600, then pressed "Enter" or "OK". The video immediately played, access to the secondary POPUP MENU included so one can return to the TOP MENU at any time via the POPUP MENU if they like. Gotta love it!