Am I able to author my vcd with the original DVDs menu? HOW?

[fgtan]

I´m ripping dvds 2 vcds, I already could extract the times for each entrypoint (chapters), I wonder if there´s a way of rippin or extracting the original menu from the DVD. If so, HOW??

Thanxs.

[vitualis]

YES.

As to how, the answer is, there is no easy way.

There is not (and probably will not) be an automated way of doing this. Thus, what you have to do is to extract the media files off the DVD (e.g., the still screens and/or video clips of the menus) and then encode them to the appropriate format and then author the menus.

To extract the menu screens +/- clips off a DVD, I recommend that you either use DVD Decrypter or SmartRipper in File Mode and extract EVERYTHING off the DVD. Once it is all decrypted on your HDD, you can spend time sifting through the data to see what is what.

Usually, the menu screens and anims are in the VTS_??_0.VOB files. Quite often, ALL the menus are in VTS_01_0.VOB. I personally find DVD2AVI useful in extracting stills and clips as it can directly load up the VOB file and save to bmp or AVI.

Obviously, other content such as trailers, hidden scenes, etc., will often be authored in other vobsets. I generally find FlaskMPEG useful in determining what is what then as it has an IFO parser.

Once you've got all the media files (clips and still screens and encoded them all to the appropriate settings), you can then author your VCD menu system (i.e., all the interactive stuff) with VCDImager. For a beginner, a GUI like VCDEasy is recommended, but if you want total control of what you want to do, manual authoring of the XML is recommended.

http://www.vcdeasy.org
http://www.vcdimager.org
http://www.michaeltam.com

There are guides aplenty on how to use VCDEasy and if you play around with it, it is quite easy...

Best of luck.

Regards.

[kschang]

Technically speaking, "not exactly" would be the answer.

VCD does allow a "menu", from which chapters can be access by a number (similar to laser disc or karaoke machines). However, there is no 'pointer' or "highlight" or "point-and-click" like a DVD (AFAIK, that is).

Do you REALLY need chapter to chapter access?

[vitualis]

Obviously you've never made a VCD with full menus, scene select and entrypoint chapter selection.

Because, once you have, the answer to your question is an emphatic YES!

Regards.