Method for generating multi-language menus

#Next-generation pre-recorded optical discs will provide for content authors a full-fledged programming environment that allows general network connectivity, download of additional content that supplements the content on the disc, and other features. Such programming environment at the same time imposes very few restrictions on authoring interactive menus as it provides low-level functionality that content authors can use to program all kinds of creative menus. A prominent programmable platform that is suitable and available for consumer electronic devices as well as for PC-like devices is the Java programming platform. When distributed on disc, Java programs are usually packed in a single archive file. Beyond the well-known Java class files, such archive files are able to store arbitrary kinds of other files, such as bitmap and/or sound files.

#Next-generation pre-recorded optical discs will also provide a conceptual “application cache memory” (ACM). This is a memory in the player outside the optical disc where such archive files can be copied. This has the advantage that any access to data stored in the ACM does not require a disc seek which might interrupt a running A/v presentation.

#A known feature from optical discs is the multi-language menu feature. On such discs, the same menu can be provided in different languages and the player automatically displays the menu that best matches the user preference for menu language. This improves cost-efficiency as the same disc can be sold in multiple countries. Today's systems however require initial loading of the data.

#The drawings show in

#FIG. 1 usage of an application cache memory (ACM) for changing language-dependent data files;

#FIG. 2 title structure on disc and object data structure of single title;

#It is possible to define for any title an “autostart” feature with an autostart playlist, meaning that the player, and not the user or an application, starts a playback automatically. The autostart feature is however different from the firstPlayback which is the particular title that is played back only once, namely immediately after insertion of the disc, and not selectable from any menu. An autostart playlist may be activated when the user has selected a title from a menu that requires further processing, e.g. unpacking and/or compiling data from a JAR file. Thus, the resulting pause can be skipped, and filled with entertainment. This has the advantage that the user can enjoy a video and/or audio presentation while the player prepares data required for the actually selected title, instead of watching a dark screen.

#Since the respective data for menus are voluminous, it would be desirable to cache only the data for those languages that are required. Particularly for menus it is very probable that for one particular player only one language is used, other than e.g. for audio or subtitle languages where the user might want to switch to another language e.g. for training that language.

#Players may have an internal register that defines their preferred menu language. Other internal registers may specify a subtitle language preference. The user may modify these preferences according to his needs. According to the invention, the preferred menu language register can be used to retrieve and cache only those menu data that correspond to the preferred language. For this purpose, it is an aspect of the invention to mark the respective data, in particular JAR files, with a language code, e.g. in the form of metadata. When the user modifies the preferred menu language, the inventive player automatically detects which of the cached data has a language code, determines the group type of such data, and replaces in the cache such data with other data of the same group type but a language code matching the new preferred menu language. If the player has different modes, then this function may only be necessary in a particular mode, e.g. Java mode.