DVD - Change aspect ratio by editing ifo files?

[Just_a_boy]

I have a regular DVD of an 8 episode series that displays each episode at 16:9. The main menu displays at 16:9. There is no other menu. I can select Play All, or select one episode to play, from the main menu.

Everything, menu and episodes, needs to display at 4:3. I use VLC media Player so it's an easy thing to press 'a' until the aspect is correct. Every time I play the DVD. Every episode. Every time I loan it to a friend I must explain this.

It's a standard 720x480 NTSC Mpeg-2 stream just like a thousand others. The only problem seems to be that the aspect ratio byte is set wrong. As I understand it, one setting causes it to be compressed vertically to 720x405 for widescreen display, or expanded vertically to 720x540 for full screen display, using the same 720x480 video stream.

Here is the directory:

-----16,384 - VIDEO_TS.BUP
-----16,384 - VIDEO_TS.IFO
-----36,864 - VTS_01_0.BUP
-----36,864 - VTS_01_0.IFO
-34,273,280 - VTS_01_0.VOB
803,121,152 - VTS_01_1.VOB
-----36,864 - VTS_02_0.BUP
-----36,864 - VTS_02_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_02_0.VOB
809,330,688 - VTS_02_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_03_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_03_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_03_0.VOB
810,426,368 - VTS_03_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_04_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_04_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_04_0.VOB
902,289,408 - VTS_04_1.VOB
-----18,432 - VTS_05_0.BUP
-----18,432 - VTS_05_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_05_0.VOB
--9,000,960 - VTS_05_1.VOB
-----18,432 - VTS_06_0.BUP
-----18,432 - VTS_06_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_06_0.VOB
-20,908,032 - VTS_06_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_07_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_07_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_07_0.VOB
899,911,680 - VTS_07_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_08_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_08_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_08_0.VOB
897,363,968 - VTS_08_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_09_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_09_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_09_0.VOB
898,570,240 - VTS_09_1.VOB
-----38,912 - VTS_10_0.BUP
-----38,912 - VTS_10_0.IFO
----116,736 - VTS_10_0.VOB
809,443,328 - VTS_10_1.VOB
42 Files - 6,896,410,624 bytes

05_1.VOB & 06_1.VOB are lead-in videos that play just once, before the main menu. 01_0.VOB is the main menu. The eight biggest vobs are of course the individual episodes.

I'd like to be able to edit just the ifo files, leaving the vob files alone completely, and have everything - lead-ins, menu, and episodes - play back at 4:3. I've been led to believe that IfoEdit can do this. I have it and it's just too daunting since I've never used it before. This is only the second time I have ever wanted to edit a DVD and it will likely be the last, so I'm resistant to spending weeks or months exploring and learning how to do it and instead have come here to unabashedly ask someone who knows to simply tell me.

I understand a hex editor. I also understand binary and Boolean. Please tell me how to identify the byte in an ifo that needs to be changed, and the new value. A zip of all bups and ifos is attached.

Thanks.

[Cornucopia]

Put it in a hardware player first to make sure it isn't OK and your app is at fault.

If it is truly messed up, try using ReStream (or DVDPatcher, or MPEGPatcher) to fix it.
Note: metadata like AR designation exist BOTH on the IFO file level and within the MPEG2 video stream of the VOB. One might be right and the other might be wrong, or both could be wrong. Different players look to different sources to adjust.

Scott

[netmask56]

This is the screen in IfoEdit you will need to adjust, if necessary as Cornucopia has remarked