Method for generating multi-language menus

1. Method for executing a software application relating to an audio-visual presentation, wherein the audio-visual presentation is one of a plurality of titles stored on a first storage medium, the method comprising the steps of

detecting a title selection request, and in response to the title selection request performing the steps of:

reading data from the first storage medium, the data comprising files with audio-visual presentation data and software application data, the software application data having a language label associated;

generating or updating a virtual file system based on the files and software application data read from the first storage medium;

generating a first audio-visual presentation based on said audio-visual presentation data, wherein the first audio-visual presentation starts automatically, and during the first audio-visual presentation performing the steps of

comparing, within said virtual file system, the language label associated with the read software application data with a preferred language identifier;

selecting, within said virtual file system, software application data that are associated with a language label matching the preferred language identifier; and

caching the selected software application data that are associated with a language label matching the preferred language identifier in a cache memory;

upon termination of said caching, performing the steps of

terminating said first audio-visual presentation;

generating a second audio-visual presentation from said audio-visual presentation data;

executing a software application based on the cached data while generating said second audio-visual presentation, wherein the software application is distinct from the audio-visual presentation and the software application modifies the audio-visual presentation, and wherein said title selection request refers to the title of the second audio-visual presentation.

2. Method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of processing the cached data, wherein the processing comprises preparing archived Java code for setting up a Java Virtual Machine.

3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said software application is a control menu being overlaid to the audio-visual presentation.

4. Method according to claim 1 , wherein a group of alternatively usable software application data sets is defined in the data structure, the group containing files that are used for the same purpose or application, but for different languages.

5. Method according to claim 1 , wherein software application data that have a pre-defined default language label are cached if no software application data has a language label matching the preferred language identifier, and wherein software application data that have a language label not matching the preferred language identifier and not matching the predefined default language label are not cached.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein after said step of caching the selected software application data in a cache memory, all language dependent data cached in the cache memory are associated with one and the same language label.

7. Method according to claim 1 , further comprising steps of detecting a modification of the preferred menu language, detecting which of the cached data has an associated language code, determining a group type of the cached data having an associated language code, and replacing in the cache such data with data having the same group type and having associated a language code that matches the modified preferred menu language.

8. Apparatus for executing a software application relating to an audio-visual presentation, wherein the audio-visual presentation is one of a plurality of titles stored on a first storage medium, the apparatus comprising

means for detecting a title selection request;

means for reading data from the first storage medium, the data comprising files with audio-visual presentation data and software application data, the software application data having a language label associated, wherein the means for reading data from the first storage medium operates in response to the detection of a title selection request in said means for detecting a title selection request;

means for generating or updating a virtual file system based on the files and software application data read from the first storage medium;

means for comparing the language label associated with the read software application data with a preferred language identifier within said virtual file system;

means for selecting within said virtual file system software application data that are associated with a language label matching the preferred language identifier;

caching means for caching the selected software application data that are associated with a language label matching the preferred language identifier;

means for generating first audio-visual presentation from said audio-visual presentation data upon said virtual file system being generated or updated, wherein the first audio-visual presentation starts automatically while said caching means caches the selected software application data, and for generating a second audio-visual presentation after said caching means cached the selected software application data;

means for executing a software application based on the cached data while generating said second audio-visual presentation, wherein the software application is distinct from the audio-visual presentation and the software application modifies the audio-visual presentation, and wherein said title selection request refers to the title of the second audio-visual presentation.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising means for processing the cached data, wherein the processing comprises preparing archived Java code for setting up a Java Virtual Machine.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said means for selecting software application data selects software application data that are associated with a pre-defined default language label if no software application data associated with a language label matching the preferred language identifier was read, and wherein software application data that are associated with a language label not matching the preferred language identifier and not matching the pre-defined default language label are not selected and not cached.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein all language-dependent software application data stored in said caching means are associated with the same language label.