18 Buttons Limitation?

[Daniel Ludwig]

charles,
this is a DVD-spec-thing, you can´t change it – you need to live with it!

there are no more buttons possible than 18 for 16:9.

cheers

danny

[Phil Condit]

I am building a DVD for a feature film with 20 chapters accessed through three “Scene Selection” sub menus. I checked the project and came up with no errors. But when I tried to build it I got an “Encoding Failed” message, with no elaboration. Am I using too many links/buttons?

[Daniel Ludwig]

simple answer: yes you do!

there is a 18button-limmit within DVD-spec at 16:9 or 24 buttons at 4:3.

so you need to create a 2nd page for chapter-selection.

cheers

danny

[Phil Condit]

Thanks for the facts. I looked at everything Lynda.com had on Encore, but I must have missed that point. Just so I’m clear – I may only have 18 links/buttons TOTAL on my DVD. Right? That’ means I have to cut my chapter selection down a lot if I want to include featurettes on the making of. How do the makers of DVDs of Hollywood movies get around the limitation? Between scene selection options, outtakes (one at a time/play all) director’s comment track, the inspiration, the design, the making of, the acting, the special effects, poster gallery and previews it seems like I’m already over the limit.

[Daniel Ludwig]

it´s not a limit of 18 button over all, it´s just a limit for each menu.

so you can have 2 chapter-menu-pages with 18buttons each menu. it´s just a bit work of re-designing and relinking the buttons, and of course linking these two chapter-pages to each other.

cheers

danny

[Phil Condit]

Hi Daniel,

Here is one of my Scene Selection pages (I hope). It looks to me like I have 10 buttons. There are highlights on all of them. Do the highlights count as buttons?

Thanks

[Phil Condit]

Hopefully the image will be attached to this response.

[Phil Condit]

https://i1.creativecow.net/u-upload.php#
This is the screen grab of my Scene Selection page – again, I hope.

[Charles Fasano]

My apologies for the delayed reply. I’ve been busy with my movie premiere this week. 18 buttons per page is the limit for 16:9. I’m not sure how many pages you’re allowed. I solved my problem by grouping 2 separate chapters together into a single button. So instead of “Eagle Rays” and “Manta Rays” as separate buttons, it is now a single button for “Eagle and Manta Rays”. It starts with the Eagle and if the viewer wants mantas right away, they can press the next chapter button.

[Daniel Ludwig]

I don´t know exactly what you mean by that?!

buttons mostly having highlights as well, could you post a screenshot of it, or upload the PSD-file?

cheers

danny