Keep only original menus? (nothing else)

[WayToGo]

Sometimes it's nice to do this, when there are interesting "menu" bonus features (Java?), and the main feature (and bonus videos) have been backed up/converted.

What's the best way to do this? If I deselect all tiles, I'm not allowed to move to the next step and choose "maintain original menu". Since CloneBD already knows the menu structure, It'd be nice if it could allow this in a more user-friendly way.

Are menu titles strictly the ones labeled as "Intro", "Menu Background" and perhaps "Still Image"? If so, selecting only those should be ok? The problem is that there can be hundreds of such titles and I can't find a way for multiple title selections... (with Shift, for example).

 

[Ch3vr0n]

Afaik Not possible at all. Intro's have nothing to do when the menu, they're exactly what the label says. Intro's aka trailer/copyright crap that are usually shown BEFORE the main menu is loaded. Backgrounds are exactly what they say too, the images used IN the background and nothing else. Still images are exactly what they say too, a static image but often those are copyright message crap too simply displayed for X amount of time.

 

[WayToGo]

Thanks Ch3vr0n. I tried to select just one "small" title (to waste less disk space possible) and then "Maintain original menu". I get the attached prompt, so it seems CloneBD does not accurately/automatically detect menus. Which is a bit confusing... exactly how does the option "Maintain original menu" operate?

Perhaps with some trial and error it can be done - certainly best to do what the message says (Select all, then deselect videos instead of trying to figure out all menu titles).

 

[Ch3vr0n]

Seems to me that the title you selected isn't directly connected to the menu. Try to use one of the smallest bonus clips. How it operates I can't tell you exactly. A menu is basically nothing but Java code that loads certain artwork or menu video clips. No more no less. When you do a partial copy CloneBD will default to use it's own way because that's the only way or can guarantee the menu will work correctly. Keep original tells it to keep the original menu, but if you removed the wrong clip the menu could not work correctly.

 

[WayToGo]

Yes, selecting only one or a few menu titles won't work. CBD will warn when menu titles are not selected, but it will not auto-select unselected menu titles when using "Maintain original menu" (this would be a nice feature). The solution is to just select everything and then carefully remove videos.

I managed to do it without much effort, since menu-related titles are usually grouped next to each other, small and easy to identify (the awesome video preview and estimated size info are of great help).

 

[Recycle]

Sometimes it's nice to do this, when there are interesting "menu" bonus features (Java?), and the main feature (and bonus videos) have been backed up/converted.

What's the best way to do this? If I deselect all tiles, I'm not allowed to move to the next step and choose "maintain original menu". Since CloneBD already knows the menu structure, It'd be nice if it could allow this in a more user-friendly way.

Are menu titles strictly the ones labeled as "Intro", "Menu Background" and perhaps "Still Image"? If so, selecting only those should be ok? The problem is that there can be hundreds of such titles and I can't find a way for multiple title selections... (with Shift, for example).

Like Ch3vron says it is not possible to do what your asking. Only way to do what your asking is if you were re-authoring the disk with the original menus in the Movie studio and only then would you be able to make those changes. The changes you makes in CloneBD will not look nor functions like the factory menu once you break that structure.

 

[LoneSwan]

It is possible to do this with BD-Rebuilder. With Independence Day Resurgence, I tried a few times to get CloneBD to use the original menu and it resulted in a "rip" that would load, but not play with PowerDVD. Same thing happened with BD-Rebuilder when trying to use just the main movie and keep menu.

Finally, I tried the -reverse-: Full Backup, use manual Edit to "blank" the main movie. This resulted in re-encode, even though no problem with output size (which ended up being much more than predicted: over 19GB). When done, not only did the original menu work, the menu structure used was the full retail version, giving access to _all_ the Extras (not rental/Redbox version with "Extras" missing from menu).

I'll try the same method with CloneBD, today. Perhaps that will also work by Selecting _ALL_ titles, then De-selecting main movie titles?

UPDATE: Tried (above) and it does work, but with less than desirable result. CloneBD very nicely labels parts referenced in the main movie playlist as "Fragments". De-select all the main feature titles; then look through list and de-select any "fragments". You might need to use another tool {BD-Info} to verify the fragments contained in main feature playlists, to make sure you got all of them. In this example, there are 3 fragments used in different combinations with main titles.

CloneBD warns about de-selecting titles when attempting to keep original menu. My take on this: if it is _not_ BIG (affects fit on BD-25) leave it in. {The exception is "fragments", if they force main feature being automatically added.}

The next hang-up was the existence of a Pop-Up Menu. The BD-Rebuilder rip included this. As a result, PowerDVD loaded the Pop-Up, which allows choosing to watch intros(trailers) or jump to the Main Menu. The Main Menu referenced is the full retail version and has the added "Extras" link. So, with this rip there is menu access to _everything_. Otherwise, all bonus features would have to added/edited manually using a CloneBD generated menu.

If CloneBD had a way to "find menus", a user could make a judgement of which to select. There is no (menu) selection choice in BD-Rebuilder, either. But BD-Rebuilder found the "Pop-Up" (somehow?) and output that.

This "extras" BD was 9.74GB in actual size, copied without transcoding. However, BD-Rebuilder sometimes refuses to avoid transcoding (no matter how you try to opt-out), and the output from BD-Rebuilder for the same disc extras was 19.6GB. Perhaps BD-Rebuilder's careful checks for Bluray compliance had the benefit of correctly enabling the Pop-Up menu?

Both BD-Rebuilder and CloneBD have very useful, unique tools that may be used alternately on the same project.

 

[Pete]

Finally, I tried the -reverse-: Full Backup, use manual Edit to "blank" the main movie. This resulted in re-encode, even though no problem with output size (which ended up being much more than predicted: over 20GB). When done, not only did the original menu work, the menu structure used was the full retail version, giving access to _all_ the Extras (not rental/Redbox version with "Extras" missing from menu).

I'll try the same method with CloneBD, today. Perhaps that will also work by Selecting _ALL_ titles, then De-selecting main movie titles?

It should work, yes, but you'll have to be careful: a lot of those discs have small playlists, that look like bonus features and actually link to fragments of the main movie (you'll see the same clips when hovering with the mouse over the tracks in CloneBD) - if you leave those in place, you may end up still copying the complete movie.
Depending on the complexity of the disc, this can end up being really complicated, especially when bonus features reference the main feature itself.

 

[LoneSwan]

Depending on the complexity of the disc, this can end up being really complicated, especially when bonus features reference the main feature itself.

I agree; sometimes a lot more trouble than it is worth. At least it is a "learning experience".

The "references" that cause the most trouble in this case are part of the java menu. When the main movie (+ fragments) is edited out, this BD will play a few, very short clips if the main movie is selected. [One of these appears to be a blank, black frame.] And, a slightly different combination of clips plays, depending on how the main movie is selected from menu areas. I believe the removal of one of these clips caused the failures to maintain a working original menu on my initial attempts with both BD-Re and CloneBD.