Have you ever been watching a trolley movie and wondered where a particular shot was taken? Sometimes a printed map is provided and, with the help of the narration, you may be able to figure it out. If the only map provided is an on-screen map at the beginning of the program, or of a sequence, you have to go back to look at it, and then find your place again to continue. What if an on-screen map were available at any time with the press of a button on your remote, with your exact location shown, that you could look at without losing your place? Then you would have a SynchroMapTM!
SynchroMapTM is TGM's exclusive process for encoding an animated map into one of a DVD's subtitle tracks. These simplified maps have a semi-transparent white background, black lines indicating the tracks, and a colored marker (usually red or blue) to indicate the position of the car. This marker is animated to show the position on the map of the car seen onscreen. It can be removed instantly by pressing the Subtitle (sometimes Language) button on the DVD player remote. It can be brought back at any time by pressing the same button again, although it may take a few seconds to reappear. The two images below show the same shot with the SynchroMapTM off and on respectively.
Some DVD players are set to have the first subtitle track ON by default (this is a setting you can change - you'll need to read the instructions for your player to find out how). All our DVD-Rs are programmed to override the default and turn the subtitles OFF, but some buyers of our first two (pressed) DVDs have complained that the picture looks very washed out, with squiggly black lines across it. This is, of course, the SynchroMapTM! If your picture looks like the one on the right, below, then you will need to turn the subtitles off with your remote to see a clear picture like the one on the left.