VOB to MPEG File help

[efiste2]

I am populating a HDD with Videos to watch via USB connection on my Sony Smart TV, Most of them are stored on my PC as Vob files in TS folders. The TV plays MPG files well so I have converted a couple using DVD Vob2Mpg 2 without a problem.
However I would like to add a THUMBNAIL to the file so an actual "THUMBNAIL" appears on the TV selection menu rather than the usual MOVIE symbol, Is it possible and how do I do it ?

Aside from the above, which is the better format, MPG2 or MP4 as the TV will play both ?

[Kerry56]

If you are starting with a DVD-video, then changing the vob files to mpeg2 involves no visual quality loss. Mpeg2 files would be the better choice, rather than converting to another video codec in an mp4 file.

Don't have a solution for your thumbnail question. Does the manual for the Sony tv say that it can show thumbnails?

[TorBru]

I'd rather use MP4 with h264/AAC codec because it takes up less space with the same quality. You can quite easaly extract thumbnails from videos with ffmpeg using a command line like:

ffmpeg -ss 00:00:05 -i YourVideo.VOB -frames:v 1 -an -vf "[0:v]scale=200:-1" Thumbnail.png

This will extract a frame 5 seconds into the video and scale it to 200 wide and the height will maintain the aspect ratio.

An easier way to handle this is to use FFQueue (my GUI for ffmpeg) - here you can create a preset that converts you videos to MP4 and creates thumbnails and/or mosaics on the fly.

How you are going to get the thumbnails displayed on you TV I do not know. Usually this is done by naming the thumb as the video and store them together (myvideo.vob + myvideo.jpg). But you will need to search further into this

[newpball]

If you are starting with a DVD-video, then changing the vob files to mpeg2 involves no visual quality loss. Mpeg2 files would be the better choice, rather than converting to another video codec in an mp4 file.

^ this.

[newpball]

I'd rather use MP4 with h264/AAC codec because it takes up less space with the same quality.

Entirely up to you but no, it is not the same quality.
If you start with an MPEG-2 file you only make things worse by reencoding.

The space argument is in my opinion a foolish one, storage is dirt cheap.

An easier way to handle this is to use FFQueue (my GUI for ffmpeg) - here you can create a preset that converts you videos to MP4 and creates thumbnails and/or mosaics on the fly.

Again an in my opinion ridiculous proposal to do a completely unnecessary renencode.

[LMotlow]

Agree one thousand percent. People think video encoding is like WinZIP or something. h264 isn't magic either, if the source started out as decent MPEG.

[blud7]

If your TV recognises TS you could try TSmuxer, select the first large VOB, then join the rest. You'll end up with one big TS file.
Or you can try ProjectX which I think does the same thing.
Also, if your TV can play ISOs you can use ImgBurn (or any ISO software) to add the files to a single ISO.

Sorry to stray off topic, but i got sidetracked by the replies so far.
You can try muxing as mkv using MakeMKV and adding an image to the mkv by muxing a screenshot or movie poster afterward.

[TorBru]

I'd rather use MP4 with h264/AAC codec because it takes up less space with the same quality.

Entirely up to you but no, it is not the same quality.
If you start with an MPEG-2 file you only make things worse by reencoding.

The space argument is in my opinion a foolish one, storage is dirt cheap.

An easier way to handle this is to use FFQueue (my GUI for ffmpeg) - here you can create a preset that converts you videos to MP4 and creates thumbnails and/or mosaics on the fly.

Again an in my opinion ridiculous proposal to do a completely unnecessary renencode.

If you reencode to h264 with a high quality setting you can shape roughly half the byte size of your MPEG's and the quality you loose is neglible. Of course, you cannot remove 50% of the bytes without loosing some of the quality - but you will defenately not loose 50% of the quality. Whether or not this is a "rediculous proposal" is probably a question of what you prefer

When I want to store something from my harddrive recorder I reencode from TS to MP4 (reencode video, copy audio). A movie that would take up about 10GiB of storage then only takes up around 2-3GiB (depending on complexity) and I'm quite pleased with the quality

[efiste2]

Thanks for the indepth responses, Quality isnt too much of an issue to be honest, Its the time factor to convert my TS files to MP4 using Handbrake. when VOB to Mpeg is relatively speedy. However MP4 files generate a thumbnail on the TV so perhaps MP4 is the way forward. Once again you expert advice is very much appreciated!!!!

[newpball]

[
If you reencode to h264 with a high quality setting you can shape roughly half the byte size of your MPEG's and the quality you loose is neglible. Of course, you cannot remove 50% of the bytes without loosing some of the quality - but you will defenately not loose 50% of the quality.

If we take the simple "rule of thumb" that H.264 compresses about twice as good with the same quality then with reencoding to H.264 with half the bitrate we get:

All of the MPEG-2 artifacts plus a similar amount of different H.264 artifacts.
So effectively you double the number of artifacts.

Because think about it, say you start with a lossless video and create a compressed MPEG-2 copy and also a compressed H.264 copy at half the bitrate. Let's say for the sake of simplicity the quality of both videos would be similar.

But that is not what you do, you take the compressed MPEG-2 and then on top of it compress it again.

[efiste2]

I "AGAIN" have lost direction on the basics, can you learned chaps confrim someting, I have a DVD which I have extracted with shrink, which has created Video_TS and Audio_TS folders, in the Video Folder there is the IFO,BUP and VOB files, as I understood it the VOB files are the actual video. The first VOB file is the main film in my case.

Can I ask WHY when I click on that first VOB file the movie plays in WMP11 without problem, BUT if I take that single VOB file out of the TS file, into another folder, it simply doesnt play. Does it require to be grouped with the other files ?

Again apologies for my lack of knowledge

[manono]

Does it require to be grouped with the other files ?

No, it requires you use a decent player.

[Kerry56]

As manono states, many video players will be able to play an individual vob file. The real question is why are you doing this? Vob files are arbitrarily split into 1gb divisions, and rarely line up with individual titles or chapters within the DVD-video.

Try VLC or Media Player Classic Home Cinema for the vob file.

[LMotlow]

I "AGAIN" have lost direction on the basics, can you learned chaps confrim someting, I have a DVD which I have extracted with shrink, which has created Video_TS and Audio_TS folders, in the Video Folder there is the IFO,BUP and VOB files, as I understood it the VOB files are the actual video. The first VOB file is the main film in my case.

Not in your case, and not in any anyone else's case. The first VOB file is always VTS_01_0.VOB, which is the Menu for the first video title, not a video. Some players will pick up from there, other players won't.

https://www.videohelp.com/dvd#struct

[Kerry56]

^DVD-video doesn't always have a menu. In that case there is no VTS_01_0.VOB file.

So, the first vob file in the Video_TS folder is not always VTS_01_0.VOB. Without a menu, the first one is VTS_01_1.VOB, which will be video. I doubt that I have half a dozen ripped DVD's where I've kept the menus, so the vast majority of my collection on hard drives look like this.

But your point stands, and if he is trying to open the VTS_01_0.VOB when it is separated from the others, it won't do anything except play the menu. (yes I've tried this) But it should do that much, and not refuse to open at all.