Newbie DVD Authoring Question

[Clement]

Hi, all. Long time listenter, first time caller here. I have a few problems that are probably really easy...but...well *I* can't figure them out, so maybe someone out there can.

1) I'd like to be able to burn a DVD directly from a VOB file. I'm looking for a program that will read the VOB, create whatever other files (BUP, ISO, etc) a DVD player would need to read it, and package them all in a VIDEO_TS folder that I could then burn using Toast Titanium.
I bought DiscomVOBulator, and it doesn't seem to do what I need. (No disrespect to the author. I've used 42 for months now, and I'm more than happy to support his/her efforts.) FFmpegX doesn't seem to do what I need either....the DVD authoring options seems only to work with mpeg files, not VOBs.
I'm sure that there must be a way to build the auxiliary files (BUP, ISO, ect) and then package them along with the VOB. The alternative would seem to be breaking down the VOB into it's component m2v and ac3 streams and then remultiplexing them with FFmpegX into a DVD folder. But this seems like a waste of time, when most of the time will be spent re-inventing what I already have....the DVD-ready VOB file. I've heard that there are PC programs that do this, but I don't have virtual PC, and it's really not practical for me to buy and run on this computer, so I need a native Mac or UNIX solution.
Any comments / suggestions here would be welcome.

2) After upgrading to the latest version of FFmpegX (0.0.8d, I think), the program doesn't seem to work as well as before. Before, it would open the terminal and slowly, but surely work towards doing what I asked of it. (Slowly, because I'm running a single 400mhz G4.) Now, it seems to just go off on it's own into that little rotary-wheel-spinning mode, where it's effectively frozen, and isn't building the files I've asked it to. Has anybody else had a similar experience here? What could be the problem.

3) Thanks so much to all of you. I've learned a lot reading the posts here. I'm glad that, as a Mac user, I have someplace to go where everybody doesn't tell me that I just can't do what I want to on a Mac.

Till later,
Clement

[galactica]

1) I'd like to be able to burn a DVD directly from a VOB file. I'm looking for a program that will read the VOB, create whatever other files (BUP, ISO, etc) a DVD player would need to read it, and package them all in a VIDEO_TS folder that I could then burn using Toast Titanium.

There are several ways to do this....
1. If the .vob's have been backed up with dvdbackup 1.3 and are less than 4.4 gigs total, just make sure they are all in sequential order, like this
VTS_01_01.vob
VTS_01_02.vob and so on
put them all in one folder, and then download a PC app (requires VPC) called IFOEdit. Open VPC, then open the app, and click GENERATE IFO's and it will ask you for the first .vob. Make sure you are "sharing" the folder for the PC so you can select it and let it do its magic.

2. The other option is to just demux the .vob's into video and audio component. Then just use Sizzle to remake the dvd image, where you are adding each video and audio file from each .vob in the order of your .vob progression.

When the image is made, just drag it to toast, put in a dvd-r and burn.

I'm sure that there must be a way to build the auxiliary files (BUP, ISO, ect) and then package them along with the VOB.

Yep, but it required Virtual PC and the small IFOEdit.exe

The alternative would seem to be breaking down the VOB into it's component m2v and ac3 streams and then remultiplexing them with FFmpegX into a DVD folder.

You could, but sizzle is a little easier, just add each in order and click CREATE IMAGE. much simpler.

But this seems like a waste of time, when most of the time will be spent re-inventing what I already have....the DVD-ready VOB file. I've heard that there are PC programs that do this, but I don't have virtual PC, and it's really not practical for me to buy and run on this computer, so I need a native Mac or UNIX solution.
Any comments / suggestions here would be welcome.

Not really no. Its quite fast. demuxing takes seconds to min. Sizzle takes only a few min 30 at the most for a full dvd.

2) After upgrading to the latest version of FFmpegX (0.0.8d, I think), the program doesn't seem to work as well as before. Before, it would open the terminal and slowly, but surely work towards doing what I asked of it. (Slowly, because I'm running a single 400mhz G4.) Now, it seems to just go off on it's own into that little rotary-wheel-spinning mode, where it's effectively frozen, and isn't building the files I've asked it to. Has anybody else had a similar experience here? What could be the problem.

not sure.... could be lots of things... hope you kept the old version

3) Thanks so much to all of you. I've learned a lot reading the posts here. I'm glad that, as a Mac user, I have someplace to go where everybody doesn't tell me that I just can't do what I want to on a Mac.

Till later,
Clement

Not so newbie after all, you seem to know your stuff quite well....