Backing up original movie split across 2 DVDs?

[soneman]

Hi, I'm having a problem in backing up one of my original region 2 DVD movies. The problem is that the movie is split across 2 DVD discs. The movie is about 3 hours and 30 minutes long - the first half of the movie is on one disc, and the other half is on the other disc.

I kinda wanted to merge the two discs together if that's possible. I've noticed that both discs has their own menu and set of subtitles and audio tracks.

I only want the main audio track (English) plus the English subtitles from both discs. I would also like to keep the original menu so that I can choose when to start playing the movie.

Can anybody recommend me an application or a program that can do all this for me? I've already had a look at DVD Shrink, it gets rid of the menus (which I want to keep).

All replies will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Baldrick]

dvdremake pro, https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=924&howtoselect=6;57#924

[t0nee1]

Did you use Shrink in re author mode

[Baldrick]

but you will lose the menus then.

[t0nee1]

You're right Baldrick!

[archaeo]

I believe you can retain the original menus with DVD2ONE...

But 3 hours 30 minutes on a dvd-5 will leave you with very little bitrate - proabably no better than a poor VHS recording. Maybe you should look at putting it on a DVD-DL

[soneman]

I believe you can retain the original menus with DVD2ONE...

But 3 hours 30 minutes on a dvd-5 will leave you with very little bitrate - proabably no better than a poor VHS recording. Maybe you should look at putting it on a DVD-DL

I'll give DVD2ONE a go.

I happen to have some blank DVD+R DL discs lying around so I could use them if I wanted to. I'm not sure how this movie would work on a DL disc though.

I was hoping that I could perhaps use the first layer to play the first half of the movie and the second layer to play the second half of the movie. Is that possible? Can DVD2ONE prepare both of the original discs so that it can fit onto one DL disc? It would obviously need to set the layer change correctly before I can burn with a burning app such as ImgBurn.

If not, then I suppose I should just stick to burning it to a SL disc.

@Baldrick, I'll see what I can do with DVD Remake Pro.

[archaeo]

soneman -
The key with joining two discs is (for me) to do it seamlessly - that way you don't have that break or pause in the navigation structure - you can FF or rewind thru the entire movie. If you use shrink, they'll be joined, however you won't be able to navigate thru - it will only go up to the break, which is very annoying at times. With DVD2one, it offers the choice to merge the titles seamlessly.

IMO it is best to allow ImgBurn to choose where to place the layer break on a DL. When you go to create the ISO in ImgBurn, create a PSL, so that it optimizes the best place for a layer break.
I've always done this, and have had 100% success.

[soneman]

For some odd reason, DVD2ONE wouldn't let me merge two titles from two seperate discs together. I was using the trial version, I don't know if that makes any difference.

But I have managed to fit the entire movie onto a Single Layer disc. I used DVD Remake Pro to do the merging and DVD Shrink to shrink it to an SL DVD.

I've gotta say, I'm disappointed with what DVD Remake Pro outputted.

Yes, the menus from the original two discs were still intact but for some reason, DVD Remake Pro added it's own menu at the beginning of the disc.

When I insert the DVD into my DVD Player, the DVD Remake Pro menu runs first, It gives me two options to choose - either Disc 1 or Disc 2. Once I've chosen Disc 1, it automatically plays the first half of the movie. But once the first half of the movie ends, it automatically goes to the original Disc 1 menu. When I click 'Play' in this menu, it starts the first half of the movie again. Once it ends, it goes back to the original Disc 1 menu.

The only way I can access the second half of the movie is by going all the way back to the DVD Remake Pro menu and chosing the 'Disc 2' option. But even then, I still have to carry out the same steps as I did for the first half of the movie. I'm basically left with another title in which after it completes playing, goes back to the original Disc 2 menu and then when I choose the 'Play' button, it starts to play the second half of the movie again.

Is it not possible to completely merge the two halves of the movie into one seamless title track that uses only the title menu from one of the original discs? Or is there something that I've done wrong here?

[archaeo]

You currently have two discs with two separate navigation structures... You can't get to one or the other without a MAIN menu to take you there. I'm not a menu expert, but I think that if you want a seamless merge and ONE main menu, you'll probably have to create it, and eliminate the old menus. If you imported the two separate VOB file sets (w/out menus) into DVDRemake pro, and then created one primary menu for the whole movie, I think that would work.

[soneman]

You currently have two discs with two separate navigation structures... You can't get to one or the other without a MAIN menu to take you there. I'm not a menu expert, but I think that if you want a seamless merge and ONE main menu, you'll probably have to create it, and eliminate the old menus. If you imported the two separate VOB file sets (w/out menus) into DVDRemake pro, and then created one primary menu for the whole movie, I think that would work.

I don't know much about DVD menus and DVD menu structures. You're going to have to tell me the exact steps I need to carry out.

I'm not too comfortable with DVD Remake Pro either.

[archaeo]

soneman,

I don't know DVDRemake too well, so I'll convey what I typically do to merge two discs in DVD2one. This gives me a seamless movie, but without menus, however.

I also don't have the program in front of me right now, so I'll try to briefly describe:

Take each disc, and rip 'movie only' in re-author mode in DVD Shrink. Save each in separate folders labeled D1 and D2.
Open DVD2one and select the first source D1, then select 'seamless merge' for the second source D2. Process.

Now, if you choose to go with DVD Remake, you can merge AND add a main menu to this merged movie. But it will be one you will have to create.

[t0nee1]

In conjunction with Shrink, you can use VOBedit, Ifoedit and VobBlanker,to get what you want.. It takes some work but it works!!!
http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=77030

[t0nee1]

You can also use DVDFAB platinum 3.0.8.0 ,it has feature to merge 2 DVD's or flippers......
Did my GONY 2-disk set in approx. 57min. to dvd-9 size to PC, have not burned yet, no DL media, but going to buy some Verbs. tomorrow... 8)

[soneman]

archaeo and t0nee1, thanks for the suggestions but I've already managed to burn the project that DVD Remake Pro created and I really don't wanna waste a disc.

I shall keep your suggestions in mind though the next time I come across a movie split across 2 DVDs (or a flipper DVD).

Oh and apologies for the late reply.

[spyhawk]

You can also use DVDFAB platinum 3.0.8.0 ,it has feature to merge 2 DVD's or flippers......

I'm not familiar how this program merges. Does it retain full menu functionalities of each disc, and can select which disc to play?

@soneman, the situation you described in previous post is normal. There has to be a default menu for you to choose which disc to play. When you're finished playing disc 1, DvdReMake Pro does not know that you want to go to disc 2. What if you still want to hang around making other selections in disc 1? So to access the other discs, you just press Title menu to go to the default menu.

Is it not possible to completely merge the two halves of the movie into one seamless title track that uses only the title menu from one of the original discs?

You can do this with DvdReMake Pro with only a few steps. Actually there are a few discussions about this, and variations of the merging process, in the official DvdReMake forums.

btw, there's a guide in the manual under Advanced Editing that tells you how to make disc 2 play automatically after merging.