Attempting to demux VOB gives pop-up "file error" window eight ti

[taa]

ffmpegx 0.0.9y

Using Tools->Demux

After hitting the OK button eight times, another window comes up saying, "Done" also with an OK button.

1. What could cause these "file error" windows?

2. Where are the demuxed files supposed to be stored?

[Case]

1/ The Demux tool only demuxes .mpg and DVD compliant .VOB. Could you specify what format video (e.g. MPEG-1/MPEG-2) and audio (PCM/AC3/M1A/MP1) are in the VOB?
For some muxed files, MPEG Streamclip does a better job of demuxing into elementary streams (maybe related to timecode breaks). It can also convert some audio formats while demuxing, depending on your needs.

2/ The demuxed files should end up in the same folder as the source file. (Don't try to demux directly from a read-only medium, as it will fail to write the output files.)

[taa]

Hi Case, thanks for the prompt reply!

a) I'm not sure what video/audio forms are in the VOBs. Is there a tool I can use to find out?

b) I tried Mpeg Streamclip on this DVD (it's home movies and nothing copy protected) and unfortunately it's not able to process the fifth and final VOB for some reason (it seems to be skipping it completely). Mpeg Streamclip handled the first four flawlessly. Because Mpeg Streamclip had a problem, I turned to ffmpegx. Even when I try ffmpegx on the =first= of these VOBs, I get the "file error" so it's not even like ffmpegx is trying to process the same VOB that Mpeg Streamclip is choking on.

[Case]

ffmpegX can give some details on the video and audio by dropping the file in the Source Format section of the Summary tab. You could copy the results (the text is selectable) out of the Video and Audio field, below the From field.

Also, MPEG Streamclip (File > Show Stream Info) can list details about video and audio on the file.

Can you play the problematic VOB file in VLC? That player can provide some information on the content of the VOB file, too. Pause the clip. Menu Window > Information > Advanced Information. Click the arrows (triangles) to show the information for each stream.

Another demuxer you might try is bbDemux, although I wonder if it will succeed where MPEG Streamclip failed.

Have a look at the file size. If it is 16 KB, it might be just half a second (or less) of black screen - hardly worth converting.

If it is home movies, I don't expect it will contain exotic streams like DTS audio.

Have a look at the folder in which the VOB files reside (Get Info (Cmd-I), Ownership and Permissions). Do you have Read & Write access?

[taa]

Hi again, Case,

1. ffmpegx reports the following about the VOB:

video: mpeg-2, 720x480, 4620 kbps, 29.97 fps
audio: ac3, 48000Hz, 256 kbps

2. Mpeg Streamclip v1.9.2 reports:

Stream: VTS_01_1.VOB
Path: /Volumes/DVD_VR/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB
Type: VOB program stream

Duration: 2:01:04
Data Size: 4.27 GB
Bit Rate: 5.05 Mbps

Video Tracks:
224 MPEG-2, 720 × 480, 4:3, 29.97 fps, 4.62 Mbps, upper field first

Audio Tracks:
128 AC3 2/0, 48 kHz, 256 kbps

Stream Files:
VTS_01_1.VOB (1020.00 MB)
VTS_01_2.VOB (1020.00 MB)
VTS_01_3.VOB (1020.00 MB)
VTS_01_4.VOB (1020.00 MB)
VTS_01_5.VOB (289.44 MB)

Note: Did the above directly off the disc, but if I do off the same files I copied to my hard drive, I get the same info.

3. VLC v0.8.6i plays a few seconds of VOB#1 (the one ffmpegx is having a problem with), then remains as a "still" (and the audio also stops) even though the time indicator keeps advancing. If I open the other VOBs in VLC, the video is black, no audio, and the time indicator keeps advancing. I'm really not surprised that VLC has a problem as I find VLC to be a bit buggy anyway.

Here's the stream info from VLC:

Stream 0: codec mpgv, type Video

Stream 1: codec a52, type audio

4. After Mpeg Streamclip had failed, I had tried bbDemux v1.40rc1. It had kept crashing when I tried it yesterday but today, amazingly, it seems to work. It gives three output files per VOB, one .m2v, one .ac3 and a third I'm not able to identify (it doesn't even have an extension). Interestingly, VLC =is= able to play bbDemux's files.

5. See file sizes listed above under #2. They are all > 16K.

6. I hadn't thought to check permissions on the VIDEO_TS folder. BINGO! It was read only. Must have gotten that way by my simply copying the DVD's VIDEO_TS folder to my hard drive.

Thanks for your help!

[taa]

Maybe... instead of "file error" it could say something about not being able to write to the folder or check permissions or something similar?

[Case]

Yeah, just "file error" isn't very descriptive.
Anyway, I'm glad it worked out.