Encoding Multiple VOBs with MeGUI

[Abbotta4]

Hi guys,

So I used DVDDecrypter to rip a DVD to chapters. I would like to encode each of the VOBs into their own .mkv containers using the x264 encoder with MeGUI. The guide I have been following (off of BTN) has me create an .avs script and load it into MeGUI to use. When I do it this way, MeGUI encodes one big mkv file that has all of the chapters in it, and does not encode key frames at the chapter splits, so I can't split it back into (proper) chapters once it is encoded this way. The files I have now are 46 chapter vobs, an ifo, a d2v, and the ac3 audio. I would also like to encode the final mp3 with aac audio, but if I need to use ac3 that is fine.

A lot of threads with questions like these often get answered by recommending different software. If this is a limitation of MeGUI then I would be okay with using other software--otherwise, it would be nice to use the software I already have to do what I am trying to do.

Thanks,
Abbott

[Baldrick]

I don't think megui can do that. I would just batch convert each vob with vidcoder instead.

[hello_hello]

MeGUI just opens vob files. By default, it'll include any sequentially numbered vob files when you open the first one in a set. It doesn't support DVD chapters etc.

"46 chapter vobs"? It sounds like the vob files are already split appropriately. How are they named/numbered? Maybe MeGUI is indexing all the vob files as a single indexing job because they're sequentially numbered, so it thinks it should. There's a setting in MeGUI's options labelled "auto load vob files incrementally" (under the External Program Configuration tab). You could try disabling that option. Normally you wouldn't, but for the DVD in question, maybe you need to.

Or....
You might need to prepare the DVD video properly/differently for MeGUI. If you open the ripped vob files with DVD Shrink, you can use it's re-author mode to re-author the DVD. Normally you'd drag a title (or several) from the right pane to the left. Each title would be a movie or episode etc. Then you can use DVD Shrink's backup function to re-save the DVD and it'll output a set of vob files for the movie or a set of vob files per episode etc. Make sure the target output size is set to DVD9 or greater in DVD Shrink's preferences so it won't try to shrink the video.

If you need to split the files up into chapters and there's more than one chapter in a title, you can drag each title from DVD Shrink's right pane to the left pane multiple times, and use the edit function to edit each title down to an individual chapter. Then backup the DVD again.

[Abbotta4]

"46 chapter vobs"? It sounds like the vob files are already split appropriately. How are they named/numbered? Maybe MeGUI is indexing all the vob files as a single indexing job because they're sequentially numbered, so it thinks it should. There's a setting in MeGUI's options labelled "auto load vob files incrementally" (under the External Program Configuration tab). You could try disabling that option. Normally you wouldn't, but for the DVD in question, maybe you need to.

I used settings in DVDDecrypter to rip to chapter so the VOBs are already split to be one VOB per chapter. They are numbered VTS_01_CHAPTER_##_1.VOB if I remember correctly (currently at work). I used DGIndex to load up all of the chapters and make the d2v so that is probably why there is only one index file. If I disable MeGUI from auto loading VOBs incrementally, will I be able to batch encode them or will I have to encode each of the 46 chapters one-by-one with their own d2v and avs script?

I don't think megui can do that. I would just batch convert each vob with vidcoder instead.

Like I said in my original post, if you are SURE that there is no way to do this in MeGUI I will get this new software. My main concern is quality loss. Applications like Handbrake are frowned upon in BTN because most of the people that encode with it encode it poorly and with lots of content loss. Can you vouch for the end product quality of this application?

[hello_hello]

If I disable MeGUI from auto loading VOBs incrementally, will I be able to batch encode them or will I have to encode each of the 46 chapters one-by-one with their own d2v and avs script?

You should be able to batch encode using the OneClick encoder. It'll open a folder's worth of files. I pretty much never use it myself, but it does batch encode. You can create a script to use with a OneClick preset if you want to.
You might save yourself some batch encoding confusion by re-naming each vob file first, and the output files will probably make more sense. ie chapter01.vob, chapter02.vob etc

Like I said in my original post, if you are SURE that there is no way to do this in MeGUI I will get this new software. My main concern is quality loss. Applications like Handbrake are frowned upon in BTN because most of the people that encode with it encode it poorly and with lots of content loss. Can you vouch for the end product quality of this application?

There's nothing wrong with Handbrake/Vidcoder as such. They use the x264 encoder. Handbrake's High Profile preset uses the default x264 settings and High Profile 4.1 (although you can change all that).
The main difference between Handbrake and an Avisynth based encoder would probably be the filtering, and Avisynth gives you lots more options there.
If the DVDs are purely interlaced, I'd be disabling Handbrake's decomb filter and enabling the Bob de-interlacer (50fps/59.94fps output). Other than that, the decomb filter seems to do a reasonably good job, but I've only played with it a little. And unless you tell it otherwise, Handbrake tends to default to outputting a variable frame rate, which some people aren't crazy about.

Speaking of de-interlacing.... have you discovered QTGMC yet? I just thought I'd mention it in case the video in question is interlaced. Getting it to work initially can be a bit of an adventure and it's very slow, but it's better than Yadif or "Yadif with Bob" (for double frame rate output).