Solution to the PAL menu highlight problem

Udi wrote on 11/13/2003, 3:01 AM
Hi,

I played with the generated VOB files for the menus in PAL.
This is technical, and I hope Sony will provide a quick solution.

In the sub-picture command for the "normal" mode menu, there is a command - SET_DAREA (05) and DVDA set the paramaters to be - 0 to 719 and 2 to 575. It seems that the player don't like the Y range to be above 573.
Using vobedit you can change the value to 573 and the highlight is showing.

For anyone intresting - in vobedit (http://mpucoder.kewlhair.com/derrow/) open the VIDEO_TS.VOB file.

Look for entry called "Sub-Picture Pack". You might have a few - select the last one in the list.
Dbl-clickt the SubPicture Frame item and go to the end.

The last bytes will look like:
05 00 02 CF 00 22 3F 06 xx xx xx xx 00 FF
You need to change the 3F to 3D.

BTW - This will work on the top menu only - you need to find the entries for sub-menus which are more complicated.

Udi

Comments

Lucius_Snow wrote on 11/13/2003, 5:32 AM
Great news !!
Thanks a millions Udi !!
*clap* *clap* *clap*

Sony : Hurry up for an update since you have the solution now !
SonyEPM wrote on 11/13/2003, 11:05 AM
So this is indeed a player bug (right?)

Anyway, thanks very much for the info, we'll do what we can to solve the problem in a future version of DVDA.
Udi wrote on 11/13/2003, 12:48 PM
It is a player bug, according to my understanding.
But there are WAY too many playes with this problem in PAL world.

Any indication to timing?????

Udi
Thomas wrote on 11/13/2003, 2:43 PM
Thank you, Udi!

SonyEPM: Even if it's a player bug. It seems not to be too hard now to do some adjustments in the next DVDA patch. I've got a sensitive thomson dth4200 dvd player for PAL 4:3. And now it works - on the top menu.

I would appreciate a 'fix' very much here in PAL-land.
Udi wrote on 11/14/2003, 12:27 AM
About the player bug, on checking again - it is DVDA bug, and not player bug.

In the spec, the sub-picture display area is limited to 573 lines, dvda set the size as 2-575 which is 574 lines - one too many!!

In NTSC, the limit is 478, and dvda set it correctly to 2-479.

Sony - please provide a quick patch for this problem!

Udi
Baldy2 wrote on 11/14/2003, 8:06 AM
Thanks Udi, for clearing up the fact that it is not a player issue. Other DVD authoring apps I tried work just fine.
Hopefully, a patch will be made available for DVDA very soon as this is just too important to ignore.

btw don't know if it has been mentioned before but the 16:9 PAL menu highlights work fine.

Ron
PAW wrote on 11/15/2003, 3:21 PM

baldy2, I have had the problem with 16:9 PAL menus which is strange as most people say 16:9 should be OK.

Udi ,thanks for the work

PAW
Udi wrote on 11/16/2003, 12:47 AM
In 16:9 seeting -- make sure that theplayer is in letterbox mode. If it is in 16:9 mode (when the player assume that your TV is 16:9) it will use the "normal" bugy mode.

Udi
PAW wrote on 11/16/2003, 1:08 PM

Your right, I set my player to 16:9 as I have a large format 16:9 set.

I wondered how it did not tie up with everyone else.

Thanks, Paul
Rosebud wrote on 11/17/2003, 2:27 AM
>>Hopefully, a patch will be made available for DVDA very soon as this is just too important to ignore.
I agree with that.
kobi1 wrote on 11/17/2003, 4:36 AM
udi

you are my master

thanx a lot
we love you
SonyEPM wrote on 11/17/2003, 8:58 AM
Update: Thanks to everyone here for helping us track this issue down, especially Udi. We sent a test patch around to a few people, it appears to completely resolve the issue discussed in this thread with no ill effects.

So, if you are running into this PAL menu highlighting problem, please contact our customer service department for the fix- its a very lightweight attachment (~250k), easy to install.

again, thanks for the help-

DVDA Engineering team

kobi1 wrote on 11/19/2003, 7:12 AM
WHERE CAN WE DOWNLOAD THE FIX?
Aje wrote on 11/19/2003, 9:19 AM
I sent an epost answer to AM and got an answer with a dll file and installation info.
I made a DVD image with the fix installed without problem.
When I should burn the image though I had an error and made a coster.
Another try and the same thing happened.
Even burning the image with Nero failed.
I sent the detailed errormessage to Sony but haven´t heard anything yet.
I then reversed the dll files and now it burns perfect again.
I don´t know if the highlighting problem is solved (I burned the "fixed image" with the old dll file istalled) until tomorrow .
I sent the disc to a friend who have had highlighting problem with my DVDA discs and she will contact me tomorrow.
I use Sonys DRX-500UL burner.
Have anyonelse tried this Beta-fix ?
Aje


Thomas wrote on 11/19/2003, 2:26 PM
installed the fix
used DVDA to burn
nd1300a 1.06
Verbatim DVD-R 4x
Imation DVD+RW 2.4x
burned both well and highlighting works fine on thomson dth-4200 as well
as still on PowerDVD and WinDVD. no coster.
kobi1 wrote on 11/23/2003, 11:48 PM
The fix work !!
mfhau wrote on 11/30/2003, 2:18 AM
any news on this fix yet???
Udi wrote on 11/30/2003, 7:35 AM
It is ready, contact customer support and they will send you the fix.

mfhau wrote on 12/14/2003, 9:51 PM
They sent me an email saying it was attached but it wasn't. I have subsequently asked for it three times again - twice replying to their email but have have had no response. All this in the last 10 days.

Anyone at Sony reading!!!
aussiemick wrote on 12/14/2003, 10:02 PM
Me too! Got sick of asking!
SonyEPM wrote on 12/15/2003, 10:06 AM
if you can't get through to tech support for whatever reason, email me directly and I'll send you the fix. Its a small file, less than 1mb, easy to install.

Dr.dropout@sonypictures.com
Stany wrote on 12/15/2003, 1:00 PM
I asked CS for the patch and next day I got an answer saying that the file was attached. It wasn't attached either but if you click on the link in the e-mail to open the problem report then you will find the file at the end of the report. Just click on it to start the download. I hope your problem report is not closed yet...
In my case the patch solved the problem! After having applied the patch (and re-rendering) the DVD's play very well whereas this wasn't the case before.
Thanks to all!
farss wrote on 12/17/2003, 1:08 AM
Would it be that hard to put it up on this site?
Might save support and the users a lot of grief.

BTW, bit sad that I had to read this thread to find out about it.
lemke wrote on 1/8/2004, 2:48 AM
is it possible to get a patch? my mail is lemke@libero.it
thanks to anyone who'd send me this file