TV-DVD Menu Systems getting Lazy
 

This may sound strange to make a post about, but has anyone noticed that many new releases of TV shows on Dvd have been using old menu systems.

Desperate Housewives
Veronica Mars
Greys Anatomy

On Desperate Housewives, the menus are exactly the same. The only thing they change is that they take out the "Season One" label. Veronica Mars and Greys Anatomy are the exact same way. I just find it strange.

Personally, I like to see continuity between seasons.

Lazy? Maybe. Consistent? Yes.

The 24 menus were kinda annoying when they spoiled certain scenes in episodes.

I like the old school static menus that don't waste my time or take up much disc space.

Agreed. I like simple and consistent.

Amen! :up:

Back to the old WB menus we go... ;)

The laziest menus I've ever seen are in the House season 2 set. The Bonus Materials menu lists every bonus item available on the entire set with those that appear on other discs greyed out. So although the disc 1 menu lists two commentaries, a blooper reel, featurettes, etc., the only thing actually accessible on that disc is the first commentary. The menu even appears on those discs that don't have any bonus features at all.

I think the Magnum PI Seasons are the same with all eps listed and which disks/sides they are on.

I could see that actually being a nice feature, since it tells you what extras are available on the set even if they're not on the specific disc you have in at the moment. However, the menu would need a legend or something to indicate which disc each feature is on.

I don't like menus that try and get too creative. They usually just wind up running too long; I just wanna watch the content.

^:up:

Ditto. I can't stand having to wait for animated menus to display the options, just so I can select them. If they were simple static images, I would be more than happy. Yes, kinda like the old WB menus, but with a nice background image, not the WB logo. And no sound either! Unless they actually use a complete track, not a loop that is like 30 secs long.

Another thing that really annoys me about menus is most DTS options. You spend the time to go into the setup menu, select DTS, and then what do they do? Ask you to confirm you want DTS! WTF, I already spent the time to go into the menu and select it, so what do you think, I don't want the best possible sound now? Geez, it's always the educated that suffer at the hands of the ignorant.

The House discs DO feature a "legend" of sorts, in that they provide a "Disc X Special Features" label before the features that are on each disc. Personally, I REALLY like this, because it makes it very easy to know which disc to load to find a feature. I don't see it as lazy at all.

Well I really enjoy the menus on the Lost DVDs, they're really creative and immerse you into the show without spoiling too much, it's also easy to access for people who either want to play all the episodes straight through or if you want to watch an individual episode. The Simpsons DVD menus are pretty good too, you can instantly jump to an episode or play them all (although the navigation is a little confusing).

One of the weaker menu systems would have to be 24's, not only do the menus lack a play all feature (very crucial for such a serialized show), but the individual episode menus spoil key plot points to those watching for the first time.

I too enjoy the Lost menus. Great ambiance without beating you over the head with a loud musical loop and flashy imagery.

Exactly. There should be no pictures accompanying the chapters on a show like this. I've noticed quite a few unwanted spoilers (e.g. returning characters) by glancing at those menus.

Well, I think the reason for this is that DTS can't be played on a TV. Most people probably watch DVDs with the sound stricktly coming from the TVs. I have a surround setup, but I moved, moved back and stuff and I'm too lazy to hook it back up right now. If idiots like me selected DTS, we would get no sound at all. I think there should also be a warning that says "DTS sound will not play on your TV, dummy. Make sure that you have a DTS-enabled receiver!"