Re-authoring set-top DVDs

[bookbiz]

Can anyone recommend a good set of tools to convert set-top burned DVDs (not encrypted) for re-authoring with menus and chapters?

I'm using DVDcryptor to extract the audio and video. I convert the audio from AC3 to MPG1-II (because my authoring program can't handle AC3). I then re-mux the video and MPG1-II audio with TMPGenc. I then use TMPGenc to trim set-top burner trash from the beginning of the title and then re-encode the trimmed MPG into a new MPG to import into DVD Workshop.

All that mess adds up to more than eight hours of processing time which produces a finished product that is of slighty lower video quality than the original set-top disc. On one of my players the new disc shows infrequent, but annoying, motion artifacts, on the other it's fine. Also the new disc's video seems darker and maybe has lower contrast.

Is there anyway to expedite this conversion process and produce an exact duplicate of the set-top DVD?

What's the best way to decode a set-top burned DVD, trim the trash out of it, and then convert it into a fully compliant (except for MPG1-II audio) MPEG file to use in DVD Workshop?

Thanks for any suggestions for improving the process or the tools I'm using.

Richard

[Gazorgan]

DVDShrink then re-author. Trim the trash and go. You can keep the menu or not, keep the extras or not.

[bookbiz]

The finished product needs to be a single MPEG stream to import into DVD Workshop. How do I convert the multiple VOBs to a single MPG stream.

[noki]

Gazorgan
if he re-authors the menus and chapter points will not be functional.

bookbiz
TMPGENc DVD Author will create beautiful motion menus and chaper points from your dvds. very easy to use, 30-day trial available, then fork over the big bucks cuz you will love the program opps, have to mpeg? never mind.... might i ask...why?

[bookbiz]

I don't need chapters and menus from the original DVD. All I want is to extract an mpeg audio (mpg1-II)/video combined stream by the quickest means available after it has been trimmed on the front and back ends to remove unwanted frames.

The trimmed MPG stream is needed to import into DVD WORKSHOP to create my own menus and chapters for a new DVD.

[noki]

bookbiz
the menus/chapters creation in TDA is just that; you create them. they are not the original ones from the dvd, unless you want to dupilcate them as such in TDA.
the trimming can be done in DVDShrink using re-author and then start-end. need to compile lots of "streams"...use Shrink again. the resultant files go into TDA for menus/chaps. good luck.

[Gazorgan]

DVDDecryptor, stream processing. End result is an M2V and an AC3 file. Drop those into TMPG Author.

My chapter points work in re-authoring, but then I cheat :P

[noki]

hey Gazorgan
please show us the way...have not heard how to make menus/chapters functional after re-authoring in Shrink. thanks for the help

[bookbiz]

"the menus/chapters creation in TDA is just that; you create them. they are not the original ones from the dvd, unless you want to dupilcate them as such in TDA."

I have TDA, but I don't like it. It lacks the features I need.

I need to import MPG into ULEAD DVD WORKSHOP

[noki]

It lacks the features I need

what might those be?[/quote]

[andkiich]

Rip and trim the DVDs with DVDDecrypter or DVDShrink, then author them with DVD-Lab.

[FOO]

Whatever you do, the Re-encode is not necessary.

TMPGenc MpegTools will trim the trash without re-encoding
Why do you re-encode ?

What does Workshop do that's essential ?
(besides refusing to accept VOBs and AC3)

[noki]

andkiich

Rip and trim the DVDs with DVDDecrypter or DVDShrink

i know about streams but how do you trim w_Decrypter? or is it a grammar thing?

[FOO]

It's a grammer thing. You trim with Shrink

[bookbiz]

OK, thanks to the hints I've gotten here, I now have a leaner, meaner conversion process:

1. extract VOBs from original set-top burned disc using VOBEDIT.
2. Demux VOB's into separate video/AC3 stream using VOBEDIT.
3. Convert AC3 audio stream to MPG1-II audio using HEACHACHE.
4. Mux video and MPG1-II audio into combined MPG stream using TMPGENC.
5. Trim combined MPG stream using TMPGenc.
5. Import finished MPG into DVD Workshop.

This process is working beautifully, but using TMPGENC to mux and trim is painfully slow. Can anyone recommend something faster to mux and trim?

I tried using DVDSHRINK to extract VOBs and trim, but DVDSHRINK crashes when it tries to analyze these setp-top burned DVDs.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

[FOO]

womble mpeg2vcr edits mpeg2 files many times faster than TMPGenc
5 minutes for a 4G movie.

Also if you have 2 disks, make sure the output file for each step is
on a different disk from the source. That is much faster.