How to read/extract info from ifo file

[cd090580]

Hi,
I've a lot of DVD movies that are the annoying 2.35:1 format and the black bars take more than halof of the screen

So, when I backup them, I'd like to set the display mode which is set to "only letterbox" and change it to "pan&scan & letterbox" so I can watch then with letter box or in pan & scan mode (like when they are broadcasted to tv).

But to do this, I need the full structure for the ifo file. I 've made several search on the web but I can't find the "SDK" to read an ifo file.

So where can I get these informations to make a little program who is able to patch the ifo file.

Thanks.

[Megahurts]

cd090580

I think what you're looking for is IfoEdit but don't think it's going to do what you're trying to do. But check it out.

Chas

[cd090580]

I'll download it and I check if it has the possibility to do that.

[vhelp]

@ cd090580,

from my limited knowledge (and understanding) that information (aspect ratio)
is stored inside the actual MPEG-2 source file (VOB) not ifo. I could be wrong,
but that's where you would change it.

You could try and run them through dvdpatcher and see what happens.
But, maybe you also want to learn a few techniques through programming as
well
.
I user this app a lot, when I'm testing my MPEG-2 encodes that I make from
TMPG.

Personally, I like the widescreen look (weather on ws tv or not - - though I do
not have a ws tv set)

Good luck,
-vhelp

[cd090580]

The aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9 is set in the mpeg-2 file) but the display mode is given by the ifo file (movies in 2.35:1 has only small black bars in the video, to keep aspect ratio additional black bards are added by the tv or the dvd player. So in Pan&Scan mode, the left and right of the video are cut off but the video is displayed in approx 1.77:1)

[ryan06]

cd090580,

As a video and film production major, I understand why you do not like to see those black bars on your TV set. Do you have a full screen TV? Regardless, some widescreen TV's even show this.

Did you know that all Hollywood movies filmed since like the early 70's are always filmed on widescreen? Film is now getting to be an old "technology". When you see the black bars, thats the grade of film that was used to shoot the movie with (or since digital/HD is now being used, its generally the lens), and also the nature of it. Though it depends on the kind of TV and it may not seem like it, you are viewing 100% of what the director wanted you to see. Nothing has been doctored.

A "pan & scan" movie really is one where an editor goes through the movie and literally cuts away 2/3rds of the picture, so that the picture fills a square, as opposed to a rectangle (Widescreen). In doing this, he has to zoom in and pixelate the picture in order to correctly fill the entire square. So, by the time the editor is done, you are missing out on 2/3rds of what was originally filmed. I know that this process is done because I have preformed it myself, as an editor.

Full screen will sell simply because people fail to understand the nature of Widescreen filmmaking. for those who do not have a widescreen TV, they want that picture to fill the entire square and to get those ugly bars out of site. What they do not realize is the fact that 60% or 2/3rds of their movie has been cut away.

The reason why letterbox exits is because when you view a 2.35:1 picture inside a 1.33:1 TV, you have a bit of a problem. The black bars are really just place holders for empty information that is not filled up.

You can go ahead and try to modify the original picture, but do realize that you will be distorting it from the original exhibition.

Best solution to this is to view the movie on a widescreen TV.

[gll99]

Since you put this request in the "Programming" forum, you probably want source code and/or dvd specs to design something for yourself.

This old thread on doom9 contains some vb code to parse ifo
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=50552&page=3

Reading further into the thread there is a link to some more code written in PureBasic. I took a very quick look at that code and it looks like it could be interpreted for use in another coding language or possibly even make it easy to design a binary writer to write back to an ifo instead of just reading the variables.

Also, if you look back to page 2 of the linked thread above someone has posted a valuable archived file DVDLayout.Zip with lots of valuable information about the dvd structure including an html with the ifo's field description, position and size.

Not sure if that will let you achieve what you want but hopefully it's a start.