Topic: Strange DVD Behavior on Appaloosa

[Touti]

I'm watching this movie in blu-ray format and I had to pause it to write about this right away.  It's the strangest thing I've seen on any DVD.

While the movie was playing I accidentally hit the "Menu" button.  Obviously the DVD menu appeared on the screen but strangely the movie didn't stop playing.  While I'm reading and navigating through the menu it keeps playing behind with full sound.

I find it very strange that they would build a DVD like that.......strange and stupid.

[RossRoy]

Aren't all BR like that, and HD DVD before them? I hate it personally.. If I'm going to the menu, I don't want the movie playing in the background!

[lyonsden5]

Yes, I believe it is like that on all BDs and HDs It may have to do with the goofy PITA issue of stopping a movie and having to start at the beginning again. 

[Touti]

Actually they're not all like that.  I often go to the menu while movies are playing to check out things (like cast & crew) or to change audio and caption options when the dvd doesn't allow to do it "on the fly" and since I bought my BR player it's the first time I see it behave like that.

Just taking a short break from the movie here, I'll return to it now but I have 2 more BR movies that I rented along with Appaloosa, I'll put them in later and check if they do the same.

[Touti]

I just tried it on the Frost/Nixon BD and it does the same thing.  Now I realize you two were right, all BD movies do that.  The difference is that they usually show a menu that only partially covers the screen and with a transparent background.  Appaloosa has a menu with a solid brown background that covers the entire screen.

However with Appaloosa the Top Menu button pauses the movie and takes me right to the features menu while in Frost/Nixon I get a message that the option isn't allowed 

[Achim]

Both kinds are available. My BR player remote (for the PS3) has two separate menu buttons, one which is supposed to call the main menu, leaving the movie and another one which is supposed to call the menu that overlays while the movie continues to play.

Unfortunately some Blu-rays disallow either button, so it may simply not be possible to go to the main menu while the film is running (then sometimes clicking the other button will do that ) and others don't have an overlay menu and you must go to the main menu. It seems inconsistent and is therefore very confusing and irritating.