getting my m2v/ac3 files off the DVD in order to.....

[sdsumike619]

Hi, I have 15 finished DVDs that were authored with Ulead DVD Workshop 2.0, To get to that point, I encoded my files to standard .m2v and .ac3 files (NTSC) using Vegas 5.0.

The project I need to do now, requires me to take bits and pieces from the finished DVDs to make another DVD which will serve as a demo at a show.

Somehow, I need to get the m2v and ac3 file(s) off the discs and then convert them back to wav and avi so that I can edit them in vegas again since you can't open m2v and ac3 onto the vegas timeline...

Any suggestions on how to accomplish this task? Can it be done?

Thanks,
Mike

[Baldrick]

you can use several toools:
https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=638&howtoselect=3;6#638

[sdsumike619]

DVD Workshop is listed, does this mean I can do everything with that program?

[Baldrick]

no, workshop can only import dvds. not convert to m2v,ac3.

or use https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=759&howtoselect=9;58#759 , no need to convert to avi.

[sdsumike619]

man there is so much stuff and options on those guides you posted,, could you just point me to the one I need? I know vegas imports VOB files, but it doesn't import the ac3 audio stream with it.. I am so lost.. If i want to just take two small pieces from each DVD, to reauthor a new DVD using those pieces, umm, dammn I don't even know how to ask the question i'm so lost haha

[sdsumike619]

I think this frameserv thing might work, trying it now

[canadateck]

If all you are doing is Cut's of the footage,Use DVD Workshop. or Just Demux the AC3 and convert to Wav and import into Vegas.

[sdsumike619]

I think that's what I'm doing now with this DGIndex program, it's making a big wave file

[sdsumike619]

crap, I tried to open the d2v file with that VFAPI program and this dialog box comes up:

VFAPI Reader Codec
????f:\blues1.d2v ??????.

any ideas?

[sdsumike619]

I successfully opened the VOB file in womble video wizard, and expoted it to an mpeg 2 program file with wav audio.

What will happen if I now re-encode to m2v and ac3 through Vegas to make my DVD compliant files? What happens when you re-encode an already encoded mpeg? I guess that is why i was asking how to get back to AVI since I'd need to re-encode again...

[canadateck]

In womble video wizard I think you can Cut the Video and it wont Re-encode it,But Vegas will. Re-encoding will mean a quality loss.

[sdsumike619]

yeah that's correct, but I want to make edits and stuff to the video pieces, add a voiceover, etc, what I'm asking is if it will be "safe" to just re-encode the mpg files once i'm done doing what i need to do with them on the vegas timeline.. After I'm done editing them, I always encode to m2v and ac3 to bring into DVD Workshop...

[canadateck]

Yeah I edit mpg all the time in Vegas and re-encode,It will be fine,But Like I said you may see a quality drop,I really never notice it,But on afew I do.

But nothing to worry about you can Re-encode the "Video" and 'Audio".

[sdsumike619]

ok cool, the quality is super clean to begin with so I think it will be fine

[canadateck]

If all you are doing is simple "Cuts".use womble video wizard for that,And do the Voice over in Veags and Encode it to Ac3.

[sdsumike619]

I don't know womble, I don't really want to know womble, i'm comfortable with Vegas, and I can't use two different programs one for the video and one for the audio, the stuff has to be in sync... I'm just going to use the womble to create the mpeg program file and open it up in vegas and do what i need to do, quick and dirty, hopefully not too dirty..