EPISODIC DVD GUIDE [1 DVD9 to 2 DVD5]

[Ma_Jie]

PART 1

Introduction

Since the site was extremely slow yesterday and I couldn't access it, I devised my own guide for backing up episodic DVDs. This guide is very basic and simple, and it does not have menus added to it. However, it adds subtitles, audio, and retains the original chapter points (I think). So, without further ado, here it is.

EPISODIC DVD BACKUP GUIDE [ 1 DVD9 to 2 DVD5]

Software required (All FREEWARE):

DVD Decrypter (newest version)
DVD Shrink 3.2

STEP #2: Ripping the DVD

Open DVD Decrypter. Press F, to bring up the file menu and rip the entire DVD like so.




Then, after you select all the files (you can press Ctrl+A to select them all), hit the big DVD to HD button.

Step 1 Done! Simple? Yes.

STEP 2: Re-authoring the DVD

Open DVD Shrink.
Hit Open Files and find the VIDEO_TS folder.

Then you’ll see something like this:



Then, highlight the episodes that you wanted — listed under the Main Movie heading —
and drag them to the left pane, under DVD Structure. (Note: In the following example, we’re copying the final three episodes, Title 5, Title 6, and Title 7.)

Highlighting:



PART 2 to follow...

Cheers,

Ma Jie

[Ma_Jie]

I've just attached the whole guide. It's in a zip file.

It's easier than posting all the images.

Cheers,

MJ

episodicguide-1dvd92dvd5.zip

[HartsVideo]

I have episodic DVDs which contain anywhere from five to ten cartoons on each DVD in VOB format. Will this program separate the cartoons and save them to my hard drive, making each cartoon an individual file? I have converted the files to mpg format but I still cannot separate them.

If this program doesn't separate episodic DVDs, what program is available to do it?

Thanks in advance . . . HartsVideo

[RDS1955]

In our other posts concerning VOB2MPG, I mentioned you can use a Video editor to do this..The episodes, as you say are now in one file.. so your only option is to use a Video Editor like TMPGenc to manually cut each episode into it's own individual file...

[HartsVideo]

Thank you . . . that the info I was looking for.

[HartsVideo]

I downloaded and installed TMPGenc. I converted the VOB files to MPEG files. Using TMPGenc, I opened up MPEG tools, added the MPEG file, selected/highlighted it, and pressed the edit button. When the edit window opens, either a timer can be set or the slide bar can be moved to an area where a cartoon ends in order to cut it out of the MPEG file. However, the slide bar goes to the extreme right when "play" is pressed, which does not allow cutting a cartoon from the remainder of the file using the slide bar. The timer does not change as the MPEG file plays so that I cannot cut out a cartoon using the timer. If there is another method to cut out the nine cartoons in the MPEG file to make nine separate cartoon files using this program, please advise me. If you need any additional info, please let me know.

[HartsVideo]

When converting the VOB file to an MPEG file by determining the file on the DVD which contains the nine cartoons, I places them in a folder which I named "VOB files converted to MPEG." I played the MPEG file and used a timer to determine when the first cartoon ends, which was 6:46. I manually plugged that time into the box in the edit program and pressed run. The editor produced a video stream and then multiplexed. When I played the cartoon that was cut from the MPEG file, the cut was perfect but there is no sound. I believe the reason for this is because I converted only the video VOB files when I chose the video VOB files manually instead of using a program which would have converted the VOB files into MPG/MPEG files, incorporating both the audio and video portions of the files. The program to convert VOB files to MPG/MPEG files will take between 5 to 6 hours to complete. I'll let you know how it turns out when it finishes the conversion and I cut the first cartoon using TMPGenc.

[RDS1955]

The VOB file that you converted should have all the data you need. A VOB file is just another format or type of MPEG file, with extra structure to it, nothing taken away... If I understand it correctly....... Someone else in here can probably highlight this much better than I.... But you should have all the data (Video and Audio) in your VOB file.... With regards to using the TMPGenc editing functions, there are plenty of guides listed here on the forum which will expand what this program can do and how to do it...Quite a bit.. It can be simple or complex, depending on how much you want to edit the files your working with..Including how to work with the Video and Audio portions of your file...It may seem overwhelming at 1st (and it is..) but once you've used an editor of your choosing (and there are quite a number of them, not just TMPGenc).. you'll feel comfortable with working with your multimedia projects..But it'll take some asking questions, searching and studying on your part, which of course is what you're doing... Just keep at it.. you'll get er done...

[HartsVideo]

Thanks for responding and the info. I don't know why the audio was missing when I chose the cartoon and cut it out of the episodic DVD using TMPGenc.

Last night, I started converting the DVD using a DVD-to-MPEG program. It gave me a finish time of about about 5 to 6 hrs but it took about 12+ hours. When it finished, the file was placed in the folder that I assigned but it doesn't play in MediaPlayer, Winamp, iTunes, VLC Mediaplayer or Real Player. It would only play in Nero Showtime. I then opened TMPGenc to cut the episodes into nine invidual cartoons, but my computer froze. When I tried again, my computer froze again. It may be because the file is 1.1G. I am now using a DVD to AVI converter so that the resultant file will be smaller. The estimated time for the conversion is 7+ hours, but because the estimated time for conversion from DVD to MPEG was between 5 and 6 hours and it took 6+ hours, I don't think that the DVD to AVI conversion will be less than 10 to 12 hours again, or approximately 6 am EST on Friday, 9/23, but I could be surprised. When the conversion is finished, I'll again attempt to cut the cartoon episodes into individual files by using TMPGenc.

Just thought I'd keep you up-to-date on the results of this endeavor. Also, if you have any more suggestions, I'd be very happy to hear them.

[HartsVideo]

I converted the episodic cartoon DVD from VOB to AVI but TMPGenc doesn't have the option to split AVI files, just MPEG. I tried again to split the cartoons in the MPEG file, but again TMPGenc froze, but at least my computer didn't freeze this time too.

Do you know of any programs that will split AVI episodic files or another program that will split MPEG files? I did a Google search and came up empty.

[RDS1955]

Go to the videohelp.com home page (start page).. Use the search entire site search engine and type in split AVI...it'll take you to another page with all the topics listed here at Videohelp.com, including tools you can download and topics about working with AVI/MPEG files..

[crazydrve]

this is a great way to save episodes but does anynoe know how to reverse the process.

lets say u have backed it up to 2 dvds (4gb)
but how would u take 2 dvds and essentially put it back to original
onto an 8gb dvd?

anyhelp is appreciated.

[lordsmurf]

this is a great way to save episodes but does anynoe know how to reverse the process.

lets say u have backed it up to 2 dvds (4gb)
but how would u take 2 dvds and essentially put it back to original
onto an 8gb dvd?

anyhelp is appreciated.

It's called "authoring a DVD"

[crazydrve]

i have tried that and looked thru the guides but i cant get any of them to work

i was hoping somebody had made a tutorial.

thanks for the response

[crazydrve]

my biggest thing i want to do and i know its stupid is keep original menu

i know i can just take the episodes and author it that way.

[RDS1955]

The Guides are "Tutorials".... Just gotta find which software program (or combination of programs) is best for what you need...You could make Mpegs with TMPGenc and use Uleads DVD Workshop to do your Menus... But it's gonna be time, labor and learning intensive... Ain't gonna be a One click solution...