Can someone explain this DVD player phenomenon to me?

[Jimmykicker]

I wanted to skip over a certain scene on a dvd and so I fooled around with the IFO file until I was able to change some of the start and end values for the movie. When played on PowerDVD, the movie does exactly as the IFO tells it to do -- it skips over the scene entirely. However, when played on my standalone Pioneer 563A, it does not skip over the scene at all...you can skip over it by pressing the next chapter button. Do software players read start and end values and standalones just read start values? Just wondering...

[videobruce]

Funny, over 135 views of this thread and NO answers!!

Must be a newbie only forum!

[tompika]

Funny, over 135 views of this thread and NO answers!!
Must be a newbie only forum!

Why didn't YOU answer if you are so smart?
(its the second time you're making these kinda comments)


"A standalone (settop) DVD player access the files on the DVD over UDF-sectors, while a PC accesses the files over the ISO filesystem, and so the PC doesn't care about start sectors."
www.ifoedit.com

[videobruce]

Because I didn't have the answer!

I call it as I see it! To have that many people view a thread with no response seems to send a message!

[Jimmykicker]

"A standalone (settop) DVD player access the files on the DVD over UDF-sectors, while a PC accesses the files over the ISO filesystem, and so the PC doesn't care about start sectors."

The DVD was burned as a UDF/ISO compilation, so it should have both properties. Also, that statement is confusing because how come the PC software skips the portion that I am talking about and starts at the next starting sector? The standalone doesn't do this. This phenomenon would seem to support just the opposite of the statement. I'm confused...

[RowMan]

Because I didn't have the answer!

I call it as I see it! To have that many people view a thread with no response seems to send a message!

I think the message is, "The title to the question is intriguing, but ambiguous. Once I viewed the actual question, it became clear that I didn't know the answer because it was VERY technical. Even for those who those who don't consider themselves newbies."

Simple. It happens all the time.

[videobruce]

(its the second time you're making these kinda comments)

Probably won't be the last either!

[Jimmykicker]

Still can't figure it out. Does it have to do with how it was burned? Thought I'd recirculate the post for some more views...

[Jimmykicker]

Didn't recirculate the first time...

[Jimmykicker]

I think my connection was messed up, so here goes a 3rd try at recirculation...

[MeTaLgEaRsOoTy]

standalones are different from pc dvd drives.
delete the scene entirely and then sort it out.
when played on a standalone,voila!,it wont be there at all.

[Jimmykicker]

I can't delete the scene entirely and keep the menu (unless I want to spend a million years correcting the IFO file). This has been discussed extensively in other posts. I know that standalones read differently, but that doesn't help me understand the observed phenomenon. Maybe I need to descibe exactly what I did...

[tompika]

Ask MackemX, he is an IFO(Edit) expert.

[proxyx99]

Different players read some instructions differently. I'm sure you've heard about discs playing on one and stalling on another DVD player. Although it's not supposed to happen, it does. All you can do is observe what confuses your player and adjust your routine accordingly. This may not be the answer you are looking for but that's a fact of life. One of my DVD's that played OK on a PC fried my laser pickup on standalone. So unless all players are coming from the same manuf. do not expect 100 % uniformity and compatibility. It all depends on implementation methods. And they differ. Look how many ask for advice which one to buy and still walk away not 100% statisfied. There is no one answer that will make everone happy.

[Jimmykicker]

I agree with that, but it would still be nice to know how and why the dvd player is handling the IFO file. One other thing I found out is that it is apparently not an universal PC phenomenon...it only happens when I play the DVD with PowerDVD. The movie freezes when I play it with Interactual Player and the player in IFOEdit...

[pharlap]

read my latest about how yu swap a dvd

[Jimmykicker]

can't find that post...can you give me a link?

[RabidDog]

powedvd is the most advanced, and resembles a set top dvd player the best. It will try to always emulate set top operation to the greatest degree (more than other software players).

[MackemX]

Ask MackemX, he is an IFO(Edit) expert.

I believe I'm just a lucky newbie

Funny, over 135 views of this thread and NO answers!!

Must be a newbie only forum!

what's so funny?

it's a simple answer to why there are so many views, it's a bloody hard question to answer. I've seen threads with far more views and no replies but I don't go into the post and say "That's funny, look at all the views but no answer!!"

3 posts in here are yours and not one offers anything remotely considered as being on topic

I actually know the answer to a certain degree but I'm finding it hard to express it lol

EDIT I just checked it and it now has 1132 views

[MackemX]

@JimmyKicker, it isn't what I would class as a phenomenon. It all depends on what software/standalone player you use as they use different methods to read and playback the DVD and some check more than others and refuse to play if they find something outta line. some find things outta line but will just jump to the next thing that they can

what you are saying sounds very similar to the Ifoedit hack I recommend people can use with IC to selectively crop a DVD in the same fashion as DVDShrink's reauthor feature. DVD's will always play back in PowerDVD if modified correctly but they will sometimes play if they are not and I would never compare PowerDVD's playback to a standalone

only IC will allow you to transcode the DVD if it is needed as most if not all the other trancsoders check the DVD structure is valid. IC actually removes the unreferenced material during transcoding saving valuable space on the DVD-R. At one time IC was real fussy regarding IFO hacking but now it's quite leniant. The only thing it does not do is update the IFO's to show the fact the content is not there leaving them what I refer to as Dirty IFO's

PowerDVD is also leniant as it will also play the DVD's with the hacked IFO's. PowerDVD will play most things that other software players won't so I always recommend people do not use this as a comparision to standalones. Ifoedit is one of the fussier along with WINDVD but again it all depends on what has been done to the DVD as some will play and some won't and vice versa

I don't know the exact scientific details but simply put your Panasonic is what I would class as being partly fussy . Sony's are real fussy as most often they refuse to play anything with content removed using normal methods never mind Dirty IFO's. This is probably done for a reason

the rest of the players just don't give a toss what's on the DVD and will play it no matter what as long as it remotely looks like a structure nd these are the best players to own because these types of players will play the IC produced DVD I mentioned above with the Dirty IFO's

If there was a software player that acted like a Sony, imagine how many coasters it would save people . The closest thing I have seen to this is DVDShrink's analysis as it checks the VOBU's and if it find's just one outta line it will refuse to open it for processing. It took me ages to hack the IFO using the cropping method to finally get DVDShrink to accept the DVD but after all that it just referred to the rest of the VOB as unreferenced material and therefore included it in the final output. I now have an idea why and I notice that Nero Recode 2 has an option to remove unreferenced material which may be interesting to play with when it's released so I may go testing again as that may be a handy feature to have

Once you mess with the DVD structure you are asking for trouble if you step outta line. You have to 'be' the player and 'think' like the player to go messing with the IFO's and VOB's and create working DVD's that play on anything lol

I have a simple method using my tool which is DVDStripper along with DVDShrink which allows me to crop the movie, in fact anything in a matter of moments but still maintain the original DVD structure . I have always hoped to develop this feature into DVDStripper but I will have a guide on my site soon just in case current DS owners wish to use it until it is a feature. It's great for chopping intro and end credits that are not contained in their own single cell

[MOVIEGEEK]

powedvd is the most advanced, and resembles a set top dvd player the best. It will try to always emulate set top operation to the greatest degree (more than other software players).

Actually I've found Windows DVD Player(dvdplay.exe or WMP) is the closest to a standalone.If my DVDR/RW will play in it the disk will play in my standalones,PowerDVD is too lenient.

[Jimmykicker]

Mackem X --

Thanks for the explanation! It is good to have at least a little bit of insight into the problem and I thank you for your time...

I have a simple method using my tool which is DVDStripper along with DVDShrink which allows me to crop the movie, in fact anything in a matter of moments but still maintain the original DVD structure . I have always hoped to develop this feature into DVDStripper but I will have a guide on my site soon just in case current DS owners wish to use it until it is a feature. It's great for chopping intro and end credits that are not contained in their own single cell

I often use IFOEdit or empty cells made from DVDXCOPY to accomplish the same thing. What I am really looking for, however, is a way to crop a section out of a movie and still keep the original menu. That was my purpose in messing around with the IFO file in the first place. Thus, it works very nicely when played with PowerDVD (menu in tact and movie cropped) and doesn't work at all on my standalone Pioneer (menu in tact, whole movie plays). If you were able to incorporate this editing ability into DVDStripper, it would be the ultimate tool...