Problems using ImgTool Classic

[jr_2005]

OK so I have a VIDEO_TS directory structure on my hard drive, complete and in full working order (with a simple menu structure) ready to burn as a DVD-Video. If I drop the directory on my Windows XP desktop shortcut to VLC, it all plays just fine. Total file size around 4600,000000 bytes, so it will fit on a DVD5 - I fire up ImgTool to create an ISO image, in preparation for burning. Hmm; the ISO file produced is over 4900,000000 bytes in size and will no longer fit on a DVD5. Very odd. Again, when dragged-and-dropped onto VLC, the oversize ISO file plays correctly.

I have done this several times before and never failed to produce a workable disc that plays in my standalone DVD player (Toshiba). Examination of the oversize ISO file shows it contains exactly the same files (and sizes) as the original structure. Thinking something had gone a bit awry during the process of creating the ISO file with ImgTool, I repeat it. This time I get an ISO file which is around 5100,000000 bytes long! This is with an unchanged VIDEO_TS structure. How is this possible? Something seems to be reserving an indeterminate amount of space in the image.

In desparation I try Folder2Iso - at last I have an ISO file of my video structure which is the right size at just over 4600,000000 bytes. Drop it ontol VLC and ... no go. It starts up but no menus operate and the video won't play. Burn it onto a DVD-RW (on a brand that my Toshiba likes) and ... no go again. "Please check disc" error message.

I'm guessing here that Folder2Iso had generated a Data format ISO file, whereas I need a Video format one. Is this right? Any ideas why ImgTool seems so unstable, with regard to the variable ISO file sizes? It always used to work OK...

JR

[FulciLives]

My guess is something is wrong with your VIDEO_TS folder. The structure might be bad.

Never ever had a problem with ImgTool classic version but then again I haven't upgraded it in a while ... not sure what version I have.

Did you maybe just upgrade to a newer version recently?

If not then my guess is the problem is something other than ImgTools ... perhaps what I suggested before but could be something else.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jr_2005]

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that Folder2Iso is intended not to be used for DVD-Video, so I will give up on that one.

I am using the latest version of ImgTool Classic (0.91.7), but then I always have and had good results in the past. Even if there is something wrong with the VIDEO_TS file structure, I am struggling to understand how two executions of ImgTool on the same file structure can generate two vastly different file sizes - with no changes to the vob etc files how can the two ISO files be so different?

JR

[vico1]

Correct me if I'm wrong here,
but I believe your VIDEO_TS folder (and anything else you choose to put into your iso)...
Has to be no larger than about 4.36Gb, to come under the 4.7Gb mark in iso,
to fit on a standard single layer...no.


-------------> <--------------

[FulciLives]

I also currently have ImgTools Classic Version 0.9.1.7

I have yet to have a problem with it but I see that this version is NOT all that old ... It is from January 5, 2006 ... so maybe this version is "buggy" somehow?

Since I have upgraded to version 0.9.1.7 I have only had to use it a few times as these days I mostly use TMPGEnc DVD Author and when I use TMPGEnc DVD Author I use it's built-in ability to create an ISO IMAGE FILE ... these days I usually only use ImgTools Classic if using DVDShrink which I haven't used much lately.

Maybe try using a burning application that can burn straight from a VIDEO_TS folder ... I think Prassi Ones can do this and is highly regarded. I know NERO can do it as well but NERO is crap ass for making a DVD Video.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[FulciLives]

Correct me if I'm wrong here,
but I believe your VIDEO_TS folder (and anything else you choose to put into your iso)...
Has to be no larger than about 4.36Gb, to come under the 4.7Gb mark in iso,
to fit on a standard single layer...no.


-------------> <--------------

Good point ... when you are in Windows Explorer or my computer and hover the mouse on the VIDEO_TS folder ... what size does it report?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jr_2005]

Correct me if I'm wrong here,
but I believe your VIDEO_TS folder (and anything else you choose to put into your iso)...
Has to be no larger than about 4.36Gb, to come under the 4.7Gb mark in iso,
to fit on a standard single layer...no.


-------------> <--------------

Good point ... when you are in Windows Explorer or my computer and hover the mouse on the VIDEO_TS folder ... what size does it report?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

4.28GB. Should easily fit - I have had other VIDEO_TS structures which were a tad bigger than this (though not by much!) and ImgTool always worked just as I expected. I've always used the same version, so I am scratching my head a bit here.

JR

[jr_2005]

I think I have found the problem. Normally, I have a directory structure such as:
c:\Root\Destination\VIDEO_TS
c:\Root\Destination\AUDIO_TS
with all the usual .vob and .ifo files in VIDEO_TS, an empty AUDIO_TS and the iso file being written to Destination, which was normally empty.

For reasons that seemed irrelevant at the time, I had other non-related files in the Destination directory (it was being used for temporary purposes, and had a few hundred Megs of old stuff in it). Note the VIDEO_TS directory did not have any superfluous files in it. Somehow, it seems that these excess files in the Destination directory were affecting the final iso file size. That I did not expect. Removing the excess files (in the Destination directory, remember!) and re-running ImgTool fixed the problem. (This also accounts for the apparant .iso file size instability - I had simply added another 100 Megs of temporary files in the Destination directory by the time I repeated the process...)

Thanks for your comments!

JR