Method for presenting menu buttons
View Patent ↗Optical storage media often contain data structures for a menu suitable for selection of a title, a chapter, a parameter or others. Such menus usually comprise a number of buttons to be displayed, with each button having a state. Possible states of buttons are; e.g., “unselected”, “selected” or “activated”. According to the invention, the menu may contain buttons that can be selected through the keys on the remote control, but that don't have any images or text associated. This allows creating “invisible buttons” that automatically execute commands upon selection. Further, a sound or sound sequence; e.g., melody or click, may be associated to a buttons state, and may be played back when the button enters this state. Such menu data may be stored; e.g., on a Blu-ray disc.
1. A method for decoding a menu data segment, the method comprising the steps of
detecting, within the menu data segment, data corresponding to a plurality of menu items belonging to a menu page;
extracting from the menu data segment for each menu item of the plurality of menu items at least first data defining whether the menu item is selectable and second data defining whether the menu item has graphic representation data associated;
decoding data corresponding to first menu items to selectable display data, wherein the first menu items are menu buttons and have graphic representation data associated;
decoding data corresponding to second menu items to non-selectable and visible display data, wherein the second menu items have graphic representation data associated; and
decoding data corresponding to third menu items to selectable and invisible menu elements, wherein the third menu items have no associated graphic representation data, and wherein the third menu items are menu buttons that are automatically activated upon selection,
wherein a first menu item has one of the states unselected, selected or activated, and wherein the second data extracted for each of the menu items enables defining that a menu item has graphic representation data for one of said states associated and stored within said menu data segment, but not for another of said states.