combining two VOBs into one

[Jan G.]

Hello,

I have a question regarding the merging of two VOBs.

A while ago, I have create a DVD with menu structure with Pinnacle Studio based on two video sources.
Now I have captured the video from the first source in a better quality; unfortunately I do not have the original material of the second video source anymore. Using the same Pinnacle Studio project, I have recreated the DVD, only based on the material from the first video source. There is one VOB file (VTS_01_3.VOB) that contains data both from the first and the second video source.
My question now is whether it is possible to combine the first part of the new VTS_01_3.VOB file with the second part of the old VTS_01_3.VOB file without any recompression.

Thanks in advance!

[Baldrick]

Maybe possible using vobblanker...or maybe it will only work to replace different titlesets and not same vob title, see http://www.dvdr-digest.com/articles/article_vobblanker_page1.html

Or use tmpgenc authoring works or mpeg video wizard dvd, open the vobs, cut, join and output as a new dvd. They should not reconvert dvd compliant video.

[t0nee1]

Or re-name both and try VobMerge...

[lordsmurf]

Renaming a VOB is a terrible idea. A VOB contains more than just audio/video data.

[usually_quiet]

Editing the video and re-authoring using an ap that does not re-encode indescriminately, as Baldrick suggested, is probably the safest and easiest choice for a beginner.

If the current VOB set (VTS_01_1.VOB - VTS_01_X.VOB) includes multiple individual programs, it would be a good idea to split them up into individual programs again using an editor and re-author using titlesets, so each episode has its own VOB set, instead of all episodes being merged into one VOB set. That way replacing one episode is not terribly difficult. (I author using titlesets and use PgcEdit to replace recordings of individual programs with better ones later, if I can.)

[t0nee1]

@ lordsmurf, I didn't mean re-naming the file extension....Merge Vobs and create/author a new DVD structure...
Worth a try, no?

[lordsmurf]

Rip the first DVD using this method: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/edit-dvd-recorder.htm

Then you'll have a single VOB file, and that one can be renamed to .MPG for your project.

[t0nee1]

Yeah, I'm aware of that method and I've used it as well as using DVDshrink or the newer DVDFab Platinum(vob passthrough)..
Whatever works...

[usually_quiet]

If the editing/authoring ap I used could not import VOBs, I would probably use VOB2MPG on the resulting merged VOB file, or demultiplex to elementary streams, instead of renaming it to .mpg. Since neither of these procedures involves re-encoding, the video and audio quality wouldn't be affected.

[Jan G.]

Thanks for the reply on my question!

I have used the suggested mpeg video wizard dvd tool to generate one VOB out of the two original VOBs. For me as a relative newby this seemed to me the easiest solution.
I replaced the original VOB file with the newly created one.
When using WinDVD to watch the DVD all worked fine; using the menu and whatching the chapters. However, when using the option to 'scroll' through the time on the DVD, WinDVD behaved weird around the newly created VOB. Is there someting that needs to be fixed?

[usually_quiet]

There is programming included in every DVD that controls playback, menu functionality etc, plus navigational information in the VOBs. You can't simply paste VOB files into the structure and have it work. Even worse, you are trying to swap out part of a titleset. There are tools that allow an entire titleset to be replaced, but I don't know of any that allow part of a titlest to be replaced.

You need to re-author the whole thing with either Pinnacle Studio or mpeg video wizard dvd to create an entirely new DVD.

[bikerval]

I've used VobMerge with great success. It's easy to use.

[intelliflop]

Hi guys,

If all you need to do is merge VOB files and then re-author them by editing (cutting?) the larger VOB...the answer is fairly easy...and you don't need any special software. On a normal DVD you'll usually find a mix and match of IFO, BUP and VOB files. The IFO's normally contain information regarding the make up of the DVD, the BUP's are generally backups and the VOBs do all the actual work. VOBs are split up into "pieces" smaller than 2 Gb. This is due to limitations of the hardware normally used for playback.

Look for a series of VOBs with the same VTS number followed by an incrementing (sub) number:- VTS_01_0.VOB, VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB... These are the files that contain the main part of the DVD (without scene selection, menus, "look at behind the scenes" etc. Whats more, they are all contiguous...that is they can be spliced!!!

I'm assuming here that you have access to a computer, that it has an NTFS file system (typically WIN XP up), and that you have enough hard drive space.

Disregard the VTS file that has a (sub) number of "0" and start with the one that has "1" as a (sub) number. Make sure you keep them in sequence. Assume there are four files ("_1" - "_4");

1) Copy the selected files (VTS_01_1.VOB....VTS_01_n.VOB) to hard disk. There's normally four or five of them.
2) Go to the "Start" menu, select "Run" and enter "Cmd" to get a DOS type console.
3) Type "CD\VOBFolder" where "VOBFolder" is the folder containing the copied VOB files.
4) Type "Copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB + VTS_01_2.VOB + VTS_01_3.VOB + VTS_01_4.VOB MyNewFileName.VOB" and hit ENTER.

The four VOB files will now be copied to one large VOB file with the name "MyNewFileName.VOB" in their correct sequence. Provided your computer is running the NTFS file system, just about any modern day software should be able to access it. I'm in the process of writing my own (computer based) DVD player, and even this fairly simple home grown app works just fine.

Hope all of this helps

Regards,

Intelliflop.

[Baldrick]

intelliflop: vobmerge does that.

But if you are going to join different parts of a vob you must cut also.

[usually_quiet]

I've used VobMerge with great success. It's easy to use.

Hi guys,

If all you need to do is merge VOB files and then re-author them by editing (cutting?) the larger VOB...the answer is fairly easy...and you don't need any special software. On a normal DVD you'll usually find a mix and match of IFO, BUP and VOB files. The IFO's normally contain information regarding the make up of the DVD, the BUP's are generally backups and the VOBs do all the actual work. VOBs are split up into "pieces" smaller than 2 Gb. This is due to limitations of the hardware normally used for playback.

Look for a series of VOBs with the same VTS number followed by an incrementing (sub) number:- VTS_01_0.VOB, VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB... These are the files that contain the main part of the DVD (without scene selection, menus, "look at behind the scenes" etc. Whats more, they are all contiguous...that is they can be spliced!!!

I'm assuming here that you have access to a computer, that it has an NTFS file system (typically WIN XP up), and that you have enough hard drive space.

Disregard the VTS file that has a (sub) number of "0" and start with the one that has "1" as a (sub) number. Make sure you keep them in sequence. Assume there are four files ("_1" - "_4");

1) Copy the selected files (VTS_01_1.VOB....VTS_01_n.VOB) to hard disk. There's normally four or five of them.
2) Go to the "Start" menu, select "Run" and enter "Cmd" to get a DOS type console.
3) Type "CD\VOBFolder" where "VOBFolder" is the folder containing the copied VOB files.
4) Type "Copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB + VTS_01_2.VOB + VTS_01_3.VOB + VTS_01_4.VOB MyNewFileName.VOB" and hit ENTER.

The four VOB files will now be copied to one large VOB file with the name "MyNewFileName.VOB" in their correct sequence. Provided your computer is running the NTFS file system, just about any modern day software should be able to access it. I'm in the process of writing my own (computer based) DVD player, and even this fairly simple home grown app works just fine.

Hope all of this helps

Regards,

Intelliflop.

I don't think either of you understands what the OP wants to do. If you read through the OP's post, he wants to replace part of one VOB in a titleset with part of another VOB from a different titleset. That requires actual video editing, not a simple joining of VOBs.

At the end of the process the OP also wants to have a working DVD with a menu, which requires authoring the edited video.

[intelliflop]

Hi Baldrick,

(Got a cunning plan????)....For sure....but from what I read into the question, the requirements are to get different parts from different VOB's....would it not be easier to create one VOB and operate on only that one? Instead of trying to strip bits and peices from different files and then join them?

Regards,

Intelliflop

[Jan G.]

The idea behind my question was as follows.
I had initially created a DVD using Pinnacle. What I wanted to do was to replace a part of an existing VOB with exactly the same video material (so no re-authoring), only now captured in a better way.
The assumption I had was that it is sufficient to replace a VOB in the existing DVD structure (this VOB contains exactly the same scenes as the original VOB). It turned out that this trick did not completely work, e.g. when going with fast forward through the DVD the DVD player is lost. However, for normal start-to-end playing and simple scene selection it works.