DVD-VR To Regular DVD-R (Using a DVD Recorder)

[AnthraxFan1987]

Ok. You say you do not like computer generated menus. Yet the last one (above this reply) is clearly PC-authoring generated.

Just do not ask what program made it. But if you got this by trades I would suspect some off-the-shelf package Nero etc. since most traders would not have the knowledge to be more ambitious. I say that with respect since I have done a fair amount of trading in the past so I have also seen many examples.

Well this was as close to a DVD Recorder menu as I could find in the very slim selection. Sure I would like to have something that looks closer to a DVD Recorder menu, but I don't see that happening.
If you have any better suggestions, don't hesitate to offer one.
I wish I could somehow take the structure of one of my DVD Recorder menus and add it to the template as an option. I tried doing that once with Nero Vision but it was a waste of time.
In the metal trading community, if there is no menu or a DVD has some kind of Nero Vision looking menu, the source is often questioned. I've done it myself many times. I've watched 5 of the DVD's that I've switched over so far, and the quality is without a doubt excellent though. And the fact that the original chapters are still intact is great, this guy made custom chapters before each interview and video.

[LMotlow]

I'm not surprised that TMPGenc can't import menus from a DVD-VR disc.

1. There are no menus on a DVD-VR disc to import.
2. I have never seen authoring software that is able to import menus directly from DVD discs and edit them to create new menus or even simply re-use them as is.

My old Panasonic DVD recorder made DVD-VR's and let you format a menu that looks exactly like the layout and colors of the top menu in this post https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/369422-DVD-VR-To-Regular-DVD-R-%28Using-a-DVD-Recor...=1#post2367080. Importing menus from Japanese videos is another story, I guess. I wouldn't give any authoring app credit for interpreting any and all menu setups. I tried looking up one of those old Panny DVD-VR's but with some 2500 movies in my old DVD disc rat's nest, I gave up after a while (LOL!). A lot of newer stuff is on hard drives, so it wouldn't be there.

[usually_quiet]

@ LMotlow & AnthraxFan1987 You two are relying on memory. Fortunately, in this case I don't have to do that. I still have a DVD recorder that produces the same menu as your Panasonic sample for finalized DVD video discs. However, the "menu" it displays for its -VR mode DVD-RAM discs looks quite different from the ones used for its finalized DVD video discs. Below is an illustration from the manual depicting it.


Yes the real Direct Navigator is mostly blue, with a little gold and gray. However, my Panasonic recorder uses the same "menu" for unfinalized DVD video discs. They don't have menus either until the user has finished adding recordings and has finalized the DVD. If there was a menu on the -VR mode DVD-RAM discs my DVD recorder creates, it would use that instead of the Direct Navigator, but it can't use something that doesn't exist. There is only a playlist and information about the recordings contained in the IFO file. DVD recorders only use DVD-RAM or DVD-RW for DVD-VR and the discs are usually left unfinalized. DVD-RAM doesn't need to be finalized and can't be finalized. DVD-RW can be finalized, but -VR discs are often left unfinalized so users can directly edit recordings on the disc or delete them.

If I insert a DVD-VR mode disc and don't call up the Direct Navigator, the DVD recorder simply plays videos on the disc one after the other, based on the playlist.

[AnthraxFan1987]

Ok, I'm not going to argue about the menu thing anymore.
I simply don't care to keep discussing if there 'was or wasn't' a menu on the discs.

But does anyone have any clue about the 3 'protected' VR Mode discs that I have?
I can't watch them, I can't copy them. Right now they are pretty much useless. I'm sure my Japanese friend who sent them to me can view them on his player, but I can't do anything with them.

[usually_quiet]

Ok, I'm not going to argue about the menu thing anymore.
I simply don't care to keep discussing if there 'was or wasn't' a menu on the discs.

But does anyone have any clue about the 3 'protected' VR Mode discs that I have?
I can't watch them, I can't copy them. Right now they are pretty much useless. I'm sure my Japanese friend who sent them to me can view them on his player, but I can't do anything with them.

I don't care to waste my time things that I feel are idiotic either. That is why I'm not going to help you create a counterfeit DVD recorder menu. Having partially done that so I could fix a mistake on one my DVD recorder made, I can tell you it's a difficult, time-consuming and ultimately meaningless project, plus I never could find a similar font.

There is a decryption program, relCPRM. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/326725-How-to-decrypt-and-copy-CPRM-VRO-files

[AnthraxFan1987]

Ok, I'm not going to argue about the menu thing anymore.
I simply don't care to keep discussing if there 'was or wasn't' a menu on the discs.

But does anyone have any clue about the 3 'protected' VR Mode discs that I have?
I can't watch them, I can't copy them. Right now they are pretty much useless. I'm sure my Japanese friend who sent them to me can view them on his player, but I can't do anything with them.

I don't care to waste my time things that I feel are idiotic either. That is why I'm not going to help you create a counterfeit DVD recorder menu. Having partially done that so I could fix a mistake on one my DVD recorder made, I can tell you it's a difficult, and ultimately meaningless project, plus I never could find a similar font.

There is a decryption program, relCPRM. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/326725-How-to-decrypt-and-copy-CPRM-VRO-files

I don't remember asking you to help me create a menu.
Again, I'm done with the menu thing.
But you've been so much help otherwise

[nic2k4]

It wouldn't take much for you to capture one of your original menu, then do a little copy/paste in Photoshop to remove the text items, but keep the thumbnails, resize to 720x480 and export to BMP.

Open TDA, go to create menu, select new theme and pick a main menu layout with the same number of thumbnails (the position does not matter), choose your buttons and any background image and click ok.

Click the display menu settings button and select main menu only, go to the chapter tab to set which chapter points to display (controls the number of thumbnails per page), hit ok.

Click the edit menu theme button, now you can change the background image with your bitmap, resize and rearrange the thumbnails to cover the background ones.

Personally I hate the Play All button, so I captured it and edited it in Photoshop. TDA can use PSD files for buttons (transparency allows for any shape button), right click the button and choose edit to pick yours.

While you're importing your videos, click the chapter edit button, then look if there's a chapter point at the end, if not hit the move to end frame button, hit previous once and add current frame to chapters. If there's no chapter point at the end of the movie you have to FF to get back to the menu.

Another inconvenience of using 1 track with chapters is if you select one clip, when it's done playing it won't go back to the menu. If you'd rather play only the clip you select, you will have to rearrange the movie so that all clips are on their own track (import and cut chapters to isolate each clip), and switch to track menu only layout.

[usually_quiet]

Ok, I'm not going to argue about the menu thing anymore.
I simply don't care to keep discussing if there 'was or wasn't' a menu on the discs.

But does anyone have any clue about the 3 'protected' VR Mode discs that I have?
I can't watch them, I can't copy them. Right now they are pretty much useless. I'm sure my Japanese friend who sent them to me can view them on his player, but I can't do anything with them.

I don't care to waste my time things that I feel are idiotic either. That is why I'm not going to help you create a counterfeit DVD recorder menu. Having partially done that so I could fix a mistake on one my DVD recorder made, I can tell you it's a difficult, and ultimately meaningless project, plus I never could find a similar font.

There is a decryption program, relCPRM. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/326725-How-to-decrypt-and-copy-CPRM-VRO-files

I don't remember asking you to help me create a menu.
Again, I'm done with the menu thing.
But you've been so much help otherwise

You asked for help from the forum, so yes you did ask me for help, among many others.

I have been tremendously helpful. You just don't realize it yet. In addition, my previous post contained a link with information about the only program ever mentioned here for decrypting protected VRO files.

Your heartfelt expression of gratitude is deeply appreciated.

P.S. nic2k4 is only giving you the Reader's Digest condensed version. Somehow I don't think just doing what he suggests will be completely satisfactory.

[Noahtuck]

Ok. You say you do not like computer generated menus. Yet the last one (above this reply) is clearly PC-authoring generated.

Just do not ask what program made it. But if you got this by trades I would suspect some off-the-shelf package Nero etc. since most traders would not have the knowledge to be more ambitious. I say that with respect since I have done a fair amount of trading in the past so I have also seen many examples.

That is a TDA menu if I ever saw one!!
LOL!!

[usually_quiet]

Ok. You say you do not like computer generated menus. Yet the last one (above this reply) is clearly PC-authoring generated.

Just do not ask what program made it. But if you got this by trades I would suspect some off-the-shelf package Nero etc. since most traders would not have the knowledge to be more ambitious. I say that with respect since I have done a fair amount of trading in the past so I have also seen many examples.

That is a TDA menu if I ever saw one!!
LOL!!

Yes, although it's possible that TAW may not have all the same templates as its TDA predecessors.

[AnthraxFan1987]

Ok, I'm not going to argue about the menu thing anymore.
I simply don't care to keep discussing if there 'was or wasn't' a menu on the discs.

But does anyone have any clue about the 3 'protected' VR Mode discs that I have?
I can't watch them, I can't copy them. Right now they are pretty much useless. I'm sure my Japanese friend who sent them to me can view them on his player, but I can't do anything with them.

I don't care to waste my time things that I feel are idiotic either. That is why I'm not going to help you create a counterfeit DVD recorder menu. Having partially done that so I could fix a mistake on one my DVD recorder made, I can tell you it's a difficult, and ultimately meaningless project, plus I never could find a similar font.

There is a decryption program, relCPRM. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/326725-How-to-decrypt-and-copy-CPRM-VRO-files

I don't remember asking you to help me create a menu.
Again, I'm done with the menu thing.
But you've been so much help otherwise

You asked for help from the forum, so yes you did ask me for help, among many others.

I have been tremendously helpful. You just don't realize it yet. In addition, my previous post contained a link with information about the only program ever mentioned here for decrypting protected VRO files.

Your heartfelt expression of gratitude is deeply appreciated.

P.S. nic2k4 is only giving you the Reader's Digest condensed version. Somehow I don't think just doing what he suggests will be completely satisfactory.

No, actually I never asked you personally. You just keep showing up in the conversation, and I've been kind of vaguely reading what you said. Besides the information about the protected VR discs, you haven't really done all that much.
LMotlow was the most help for my situation, but I never asked you, or anyone to help me make a menu.
Now I did say that I wish I could find a menu closer to a standard DVD Recorder menu, but did I say I was going to bother with doing it? No. And I never asked you if you could.
But again, thanks for ALL your help.

[AnthraxFan1987]

It wouldn't take much for you to capture one of your original menu, then do a little copy/paste in Photoshop to remove the text items, but keep the thumbnails, resize to 720x480 and export to BMP.

Open TDA, go to create menu, select new theme and pick a main menu layout with the same number of thumbnails (the position does not matter), choose your buttons and any background image and click ok.

Click the display menu settings button and select main menu only, go to the chapter tab to set which chapter points to display (controls the number of thumbnails per page), hit ok.

Click the edit menu theme button, now you can change the background image with your bitmap, resize and rearrange the thumbnails to cover the background ones.

Personally I hate the Play All button, so I captured it and edited it in Photoshop. TDA can use PSD files for buttons (transparency allows for any shape button), right click the button and choose edit to pick yours.

While you're importing your videos, click the chapter edit button, then look if there's a chapter point at the end, if not hit the move to end frame button, hit previous once and add current frame to chapters. If there's no chapter point at the end of the movie you have to FF to get back to the menu.

Another inconvenience of using 1 track with chapters is if you select one clip, when it's done playing it won't go back to the menu. If you'd rather play only the clip you select, you will have to rearrange the movie so that all clips are on their own track (import and cut chapters to isolate each clip), and switch to track menu only layout.

Thanks for the information, I tried doing a lot of this in Nero Vision way back, maybe a year ago. I took a high resolution screengrab of one of my DVD Recorder menus, but I could never get it to turn out right.
I have never tried it on TMPGEnc Authoring Works, but it might be easier to work with than Nero Vision.

[usually_quiet]

No, actually I never asked you personally. You just keep showing up in the conversation, and I've been kind of vaguely reading what you said. Besides the information about the protected VR discs, you haven't really done all that much.
LMotlow was the most help for my situation, but I never asked you, or anyone to help me make a menu.
Now I did say that I wish I could find a menu closer to a standard DVD Recorder menu, but did I say I was going to bother with doing it? No. And I never asked you if you could.
But again, thanks for ALL your help.

Almost everybody who has posted in this thread has just kept showing up in the conversation. That is how forums usually work.

However since you are all good now and don't need any help with making menus, I'm moving on. Good luck.

[AnthraxFan1987]

No, actually I never asked you personally. You just keep showing up in the conversation, and I've been kind of vaguely reading what you said. Besides the information about the protected VR discs, you haven't really done all that much.
LMotlow was the most help for my situation, but I never asked you, or anyone to help me make a menu.
Now I did say that I wish I could find a menu closer to a standard DVD Recorder menu, but did I say I was going to bother with doing it? No. And I never asked you if you could.
But again, thanks for ALL your help.

Almost everybody who has posted in this thread has just kept showing up in the conversation. That is how forums usually work.

However since you are all good now and don't need any help with making menus, I'm moving on. Good luck.

Ok.
This CRPM thing didn't work either. After it attempts to remove the protection or whatever, all I get is a bunch of green mess for the video, and no audio at all.
I tried it with all 3 DVD's and none of them turned out.
At least I can switch over the other discs though, those are really important.

[DB83]

Ok. You say you do not like computer generated menus. Yet the last one (above this reply) is clearly PC-authoring generated.

Just do not ask what program made it. But if you got this by trades I would suspect some off-the-shelf package Nero etc. since most traders would not have the knowledge to be more ambitious. I say that with respect since I have done a fair amount of trading in the past so I have also seen many examples.

That is a TDA menu if I ever saw one!!
LOL!!

Why this 'LOL !!' ?

You have just proved my statement about 'computer-generated'. I have never used TDA so would never have known that. TDA may not be 'off the shelf' but it is one of the more widely distributed commercial offerings IMHO.

Sometimes you may just actually contribute to a topic rather than some trolling comment. Again. JMO.

[nic2k4]

Thanks for the information, I tried doing a lot of this in Nero Vision way back, maybe a year ago. I took a high resolution screengrab of one of my DVD Recorder menus, but I could never get it to turn out right.
I have never tried it on TMPGEnc Authoring Works, but it might be easier to work with than Nero Vision.

I use TDA (TAW should be the same) to author DVD's from DVD camcorders, usually I'd use an interesting segment from the movie for the menu background. One of my client is like you and really likes the menu from his recorder. I had him give me a sample with a single entry (to keep the cleanup to a minimum) and I captured the menu with PowerDVD (could be done with any media player that will display a DVD menu) and cleaned it in Photoshop. He was happy with the results. I use NeroVision only to recover footage from discs that are badly smudged (prior to recording), the result skips, but at least it plays and clients can see why they should keep their fingers off the discs. The menus it generates look too childish to me and TDA gives me more control.

[usually_quiet]

Ok.
This CRPM thing didn't work either. After it attempts to remove the protection or whatever, all I get is a bunch of green mess for the video, and no audio at all.
I tried it with all 3 DVD's and none of them turned out.
At least I can switch over the other discs though, those are really important.

While my Panasonic DVD recorder can apply CPRM to -VR recordings on DVD-RAM discs, it has never been applied to any of my recordings, so I have not had the opportunity to use relCPRM myself. ...but if jagabo says it works, that is a pretty good indication that it does. In any case, I forgot that DVDFAB Passkey was also recommended for defeating CPRM in the thread I linked to, although it isn't free.

relCPRM and DVDFAB Passkey probably have to be used on the original disc to perform the decryption. If someone gave you an ISO copy, I'm skeptical that either would work. Based on what is done with some other kinds of copy protected discs, the decryption key could be added to the disc during manufacture in a location that can be read by most DVD burners but which can't be burned by one.