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  1. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    This guide will describe how to frameserve a DVD (or MPEG2/MPG/TS/HDTV files) to a video editor that does not support DVD or MPEG2. Frameserving the DVD means that you create a direct link between the DVD video and the editing tool, you don't have convert to a temporary huge AVI file or reconvert to a lossy AVI video format. For example if you want to edit your DVD in Premiere Pro, Ulead Videostudio, Vegas.

    If you just want to do some basic DVD cutting and joining don't use this method, use for example Tmpgenc DVD Author, select Add DVD Video and select the VIDEO_TS on the DVD and you can do basic editing without any video conversion.

    Another method to edit DVD is to use MPEG Video Wizard, you can do a lot advanced editing and the video that is not edited will not be reconverted again.


    Tools required
    DVDDecrypter if you have a commercial DVD
    DGMPGDec
    VFAPI Reader
    Premiere Pro, Ulead VideoStudio, Vegas or your favorite video editor


    Guide
    Copy the DVD to your HardDrive, browse the DVD and copy the entire VIDEO_TS folder to your HD.
    If you have a commercial DVD you must use DVDDecrypter and rip the DVD to your HD. Read https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=496&howtoselect=6;34#496 .

    DGIndex
    Copy all files from the DGMPGDEC zip to one folder, copy also the VFAPI files to that folder.
    Start DGIndex.exe
    Open the main movie. Hold in CTRL or SHIFT to select the files, usually the VTS_01_1.VOB-VTS_01_X.VOB.
    (You can also open MPG/MPEG2/TS/HDTV files, use the Stream to select correct streams if you open HDTV TS files)


    Drag the bar at the bottom to view the DVD and check that you have opened the entire DVD. If not try reopen other VOB files.
    Select under Audio->Output method->Decode to wav.
    Select under Audio->Track method and the track you want to keep.
    Select File->Save project and save it. Only the audio will be converted to a wav file and it will take some minutes, the video will not be converted.
    (If you want to convert several audio tracks, select the track number and then File-Save project again. If your editing tool supports ac3 or dts you can select Audio->Output Method->Demux all tracks.)



    VFAPI
    Convert the DGIndex project file to a "fake" AVI file that most editing and encoding tools can open.
    Start VFAPI Reader
    Click on Add file
    Click the drop-down next to Files of type and select DGIndex Project file (.d2v)
    Open the .d2v you created with dgindex
    Hit convert and a "fake" avi will be created. The video WILL not be converted.



    Frameserving video files
    You should now have a wav file, .d2v file and the "fake" avi. Try play the .avi with Windows Media Player, it should work(the playback may be a bit slow). If it doesn't try run the vifpset.bat included in VFAPI reader.



    Editing or Encoding
    You should now be able to open the video and audio in your editing tool.

    Examples:
    Premiere Pro


    Vegas
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  2. Член BJ_M's Avatar
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    good guide -- fast easy method

    vobs are directly supported in vegas already ... but the ac3 becomes an issue ...


    alt.binaries.hdtv ? warez ?
    "Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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  3. Member Soopafresh's Avatar
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    Just tried it in Vegas with a 1920x1080 frameserved clip. Works great. Thanks.
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  4. After you've done your editing in Premiere or Vegas, won't it get re-encoded when you reburn to DVD?

    Wouldn't it be simpler and better to just use something like MPEG Video Wizard so that only the non-cutting changes get re-encoded?

    I'm obviously missing something here.
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  5. Originally Posted by trock
    After you've done your editing in Premiere or Vegas, won't it get re-encoded when you reburn to DVD?

    Wouldn't it be simpler and better to just use something like MPEG Video Wizard so that only the non-cutting changes get re-encoded?

    I'm obviously missing something here.
    If you just want to do some basic DVD cutting and joining don't use this method, use for example Tmpgenc DVD Author, select Add DVD Video and select the VIDEO_TS on the DVD and you can do basic editing without any video conversion.
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  6. No, I don't think that's what I'm missing

    MPEG Video Wizard is precisely for when you want to do more than basic cutting and joining - it does transitions, filters and lots more.

    I use both Vegas 5 and MPEG Video Wizard and I do all my avi work in Vegas and all my MPEG work in MPEG Video Wizard.
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  7. Originally Posted by trock
    No, I don't think that's what I'm missing

    MPEG Video Wizard is precisely for when you want to do more than basic cutting and joining - it does transitions, filters and lots more.

    I use both Vegas 5 and MPEG Video Wizard and I do all my avi work in Vegas and all my MPEG work in MPEG Video Wizard.
    There is more then just "Basic" in Vegas,I understand what you are saying,But these are apples and oranges. If it can be done in Mpeg Wizard then ok.But there is alot more you can do in Vegas.
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  8. Yes, that is true indeed. MPEG Video Wizard can't do 3D compositing or bezier masking etc. but I doubt that most people editing existing DVDs would need some of the higher-end Vegas functions - but I could easily be completely wrong.

    MPEG Video Wizard is the only direct MPEG/VOB editor I know of that can do sophisticated transitions, including 3D transitions, multiple filters, titles etc. I just find it the fastest way to edit DVD footage. YMMV.

    My main concern was how to avoid re-encoding the rest of the footage using the method above.
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  9. This is great! I've been trying for almost a year to edit video clips from DVD's and have tried lots of programs...for whatever reason, each had a problem or just plain wouldn't work. This solution worked first time! Thanks you!
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  10. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by trock
    I'm obviously missing something here.
    Yep...I didn't like mpeg video wizard........but I could mention that you can use it also if you are going to export as dvd again and don't want everything to be reeeeeencoded again.
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  11. Hi,

    I want to edit a VOB file (from my DVD camcorder) and burn it back to DVD. I use Sony Vegas. I tried the above steps. I used DGIndex and successfully obtained the .dv2 file. (There were 3 .VOB files: VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_02_1.VOB and VTS_03_1.VOB)

    When I create the DV2 file individually for each of the VOB files, then I am able to open the file in VFAPI reader and get the AVI. But when I open all the three VOB files in the same project in DGIndex, then I am unable to load the resultant .dv2 file in VFAPI reader. Is there a way to get around this.

    Another important question: When I do the above steps, is there "any" loss in audio/video quality? I want to maintain the exact quality when I copy from DVD, edit and write back the edited content to DVD.

    Thanks,
    RG
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  12. Member
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    i got lost at this step:

    "Convert the DGIndex project file to a "fake" AVI file that most editing and encoding tools can open."

    how do i convert the d2v to a "fake" avi? i tried simply renaming the file extension but that doesn't work so i think you're talking about something else. is there a hidden function i'm missing that i should know about?

    edit:

    ok it seems i was reading the guide a bit too literally, but my problem still remains. i'm assuming that VFAPI is used to create the fake avi, but when i load the d2v into it, i get an error thown at me (that isn't translated).
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    ok i figured it out. i'm just using dvd2avi instead of dgindex and it works now.
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  14. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    vfapi should work with dgindex. try put the dgindex and vfapi in the same folder.
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  15. Baldrick

    Like brianconnely, I couldn't get it to work with DGIndex either, but it did work with dvd2avi.

    As dgindex is hailed as a better programme, any idea what the issue is?



    Rhyme Maker
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  16. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    did you extract all files in the dgmpgdec zip to a folder and also put the vfapi in the same folder?
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    I did too, got this error msg:

    VFAPI Reader Codec
    ????f:\blues1.d2v ??????.
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  18. That's exactly the message I got but with my file name and location.

    sdsumike619, try using the same procedure but use DVD2AVI instead of DGIndex and see if it works. I did and it did.

    Baldrick - any idea what's going on here?


    Rhyme Maker
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  19. Member
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    what is dvd2avi, is it free?
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  20. Originally Posted by sdsumike619
    what is dvd2avi, is it free?
    Yeah its freeware.
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  21. Member
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    that program sucks, it doesn't play any audio at all
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  22. Member
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    ****, and it locks up every friggin minute
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  23. Please keep your language clean.
    / Moderator Cobra
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  24. Member Gargoyle's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Rhyme Maker
    Baldrick

    Like brianconnely, I couldn't get it to work with DGIndex either, but it did work with dvd2avi.

    Rhyme Maker
    I was having the same issue, until I discovered that if you click the drop-down next to "files of type" when opening a file in VFAPI, you can select either "DVD2AVI Project file (.d2v)" - OR - "DGIndex Project file (.d2v)"
    You can't fool me, I'm a moron!
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  25. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    updating the guide. thanks.
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  26. I was getting the same error in FVAPI. It was because i installed the beta version 1.3.1. If you copy version 1.3.0 instead and then overwrite it with the beta files, then it works fine! No more FVAPI codec error!
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  27. I have found that NeroVision does the most straight forward job of converting a DVD movie to a Divx movie with frame resizing. Since most commercial dvd content does not need any filtering applied I just:
    1. Load up the vobs
    2. Use Aspect2 to select Perfect Output Frame size with 16*16 multiple
    3. Select Divx 5.2.1 as codec
    4. Use its built in calculator to get bitrate my target 700mb filesize.
    5. Export the video
    6. Burn CD-R and put into my phillips dvp642/37 dvd player.
    7. Can get up to 1:30 with good quality.

    Most important for me is that disk plays in my dvd player.

    I don't like to look a movie on the PC.

    Supercrew
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  28. I've been following the guide and I've encountered a new problem. I was able to create the fake AVI. I was able to play it from Windows, slow but accurate. I was able to read it into Premiere Pro. I was able to preview it in Premiere Pro. The actual frameserving piece is not working though. I dragged the fake AVI into a timeline and cannot see a thing. I even tried rendering the timeline. I can hear the WAV since it is a separate file but the AVI is not working. Why??? I'm so close. This is the last step!

    My other option will be to convert to a real AVI. Now at that point I have to go with uncompressed right? That will mean HUGE hd space requirements. I need to get frameserving to work! Help.

    Ed
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  29. Member
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    Baldrick in your guide you wrote:

    Select under Audio->Output method->Decode to wav.
    Select under Audio->Track method and the track you want to keep.
    Select File->Save project and save it. Only the audio will be converted to a wav file and it will take some minutes, the video will not be converted.

    If your DVD has ac3 audio, you never see the Decode to wav option and you end up with a demuxed ac3 file. You can then convert the ac3 file to a wav file using Ac3Tool if you need to. I used your method to convert a wedding DVD I made for some friends into a smaller wmv version using Windows Movie Maker that they can watch over and over again on their computer. Note that Windows Movie Maker wouldn't load the ac3 file so I loaded the wav file I made into the Timeline as the audio/music file and that worked fine.
    Thanks for a great guide!
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