Which authoring packages allow VOB import?

[bek]

I know TMPGEnc does it, and does it pretty well. DVDLab does it as well.

Any others out there?

[presto]

Don't confuse Tmpgenc DVD Author with Tmpgenc. Two different animals.

[bek]

Sorry, should have said TMPGEnc AUTHOR.

So... any answers?

[D_Knife]

Any particular reason you want to know more - since you suggested two packages in your first post??

[bek]

Yeah. I really need this ability (along with the ability to write AC3 audio), but I am not impressed AT ALL with the menu ability of TMPGEnc Author, and the DVDLab 1.1 trial that I had wasn't looking all that great, either.

Tonight I got DVDLab 1.3 and am still investigating it, but so far I am having trouble finding good documentation on it. There are a few guides here and there, but I need some basic stuff. It's not a hard IDE, but not real intuitive, either.

So I'm wondering if there is anything else out there that will do what I want. I am hopeful that DVD Workshop 2, when it comes out in January, will add some much needed features. I absolutely love the interface, but could use that AC-3 compatibility and import VOB capability that DVD Workshop doesn't have.

[MachineMan]

Ulead Movie Factory2 can by doing a "Import DVD Video" but it takes for ever to load and might not have other VOB features you are looking for.

[bek]

Ulead Movie Factory2 can by doing a "Import DVD Video" but it takes for ever to load and might not have other VOB features you are looking for.

Neat--I didn't know that. MF2 has a great interface, but I need that AC-3 compatibility as well. I feel like I am asking too much from authoring software sometimes, but the reality is that the software is just too mature yet (imo).

[D_Knife]

DVDlab currently has the ability to outsource AC# encoding via Besweet - with the usual encoding warning about non-compliant streams
but apparently it will have an internal encoder soon along with multple audio tracks - in a "pro" version

I like 1.3.1 DVDlab, I've had no problems with it - although I haven't done any "really" complex menu's
And yeah I agree with you on TMpeg author menu's - not happy at all

I don't recall having any problems with learning DVDlab though - I think that's one reason why there isn't many guides - I could be wrong there though.

[hech54]

Ulead Movie Factory2 can by doing a "Import DVD Video" but it takes for ever to load and might not have other VOB features you are looking for.

Neat--I didn't know that. MF2 has a great interface, but I need that AC-3 compatibility as well. I feel like I am asking too much from authoring software sometimes, but the reality is that the software is just too mature yet (imo).

I read that UDMF2 does handle AC3 audio.....but it's the upgrade(download to 2.1) that screws up the AC3.

[MachineMan]

I just did a test with MovieFactory. I imported a complete DVD and it seperated every chapter into its own MPG file. I checked the MPG file with AVIcodec and it shows AC3 support! I have the latest MF2 update and it didn't complain about the AC3 like it does when importing a regular video file.

When importing the DVD video files I was only able to select the entire folder not individual VOB's.

[bek]

Freaky--I will have to try that out! I didn't think it could handle AC-3.

Btw, I have been working with DVDLab for hours now, and it's actually proving to be pretty good. I am a little freaked, 'cause it didn't look so hot about 5 hours ago. Just takes a little time to get used to it. Still, making chapters is a bit tedious, 'cause I'm going back and forth between the menu and the chapters, but oh well.... I am hopeful.

I'll probably quit all this research (i.e. "messing around") when DVD Workshop 2 comes out in January.

[hech54]

Indeed.....Freaky...
Check here:
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/cgi/forum/ikonboard.cgi?s=2e316b4affd05ff187c6c6bccda4c64f;ac...=ST;f=7;t=9192

[bek]

Why would they cripple their software? Plot is getting stranger...

I'm just picky, I guess, but I won't hardly use software unless it lets me write AC-3 DVDs.

[energy80s]

Why would they cripple their software? Plot is getting stranger...

I'm just picky, I guess, but I won't hardly use software unless it lets me write AC-3 DVDs.

Why would you need AC3 support? Are you encoding a lot of surround sound material? MPEG2 audio will be just the same quality and file size and is supported by most authoring packages.

[D_Knife]

For PAL players yes - but not all NTSC / USA players will
Some are crippled like that

[energy80s]

Ahhh, forgot about that NTSC thing!

[D_Knife]

Yeah it's amazing how you forgot some players can't play everything

[hech54]

Plus having AC3 support is just one less step to worry about for me....a relative newbie at this stuff. I already find myself yelling at my screen "Shut Up And Take It !!!!"

[bek]

My player plays just about everything, but I make a lot of videos for friends. I need an audio format that is very standard, which is why I like AC-3. It's nice that it compresses so well, also.

[macleod]

eat--I didn't know that. MF2 has a great interface, but I need that AC-3 compatibility as well. I feel like I am asking too much from authoring software sometimes, but the reality is that the software is just too mature yet (imo).

I believe that MF2 will allow you to import AC-3 via a registry tweek. Do a search for AC3 and MF2 and there should be a post that tells you how to turn "on" this feature (plus a few others).

[Specialist]

Ulead MEDIASTUDIO PRO 7.01 supports AC-3 (stereo).

You can use an included ULEAD DVD-VR CAPTURE PLUG-IN to grab AC-3 5.1/stereo.

Output is AC-3 stereo only.

The included ULEAD DVD-VR CAPTURE PLUG-IN will grab from both .VOB files in Video_TS folders and also .VRO files in DVD_RTAV folders.

I recently bought a Toshiba D-R1 model stand alone DVD disc player/recorder.

I used the machine to record video/audio to a cartridged DVD-RAM disc.

I then inserted the cartridged disc into my Panasonic SW-9571 drive, which features a deep-dish tray that will accept cartridged DVD-RAM media.

I then used Ulead MediaStudio Pro's DVD-VR capture plug-in to extract the video/audio from the DVD-RAM disc.

I wrote a step-by-step tutorial explaining how to do this:

http://www.jonesgroup.net/msptoshibastepone.htm

It works great.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net

Ulead Movie Factory2 can by doing a "Import DVD Video" but it takes for ever to load and might not have other VOB features you are looking for.

Neat--I didn't know that. MF2 has a great interface, but I need that AC-3 compatibility as well. I feel like I am asking too much from authoring software sometimes, but the reality is that the software is just too mature yet (imo).

[video-phile]

Bek, try renaming your vob to mpg and Ulead DVD Workshop (or Movie Factory) would accept it. Even ver 1.2 which is supposed not to support AC3 would do the authoring. Give it a try.

[Turtle49]

I found this in a previous post:

In XP, look in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Ulead
Systems\Ulead DVD Movie Factory\2.01

Open DVDMF.ini in notepad and edit "PlayAC3=0" to "PlayAC3=1"

I know that works in dvd workshop. I haven't really tried it in Movie
Factory, it might work like some has said here.

Also, you'll have to multiplex the AC3 with mpeg since ulead doesn't accept
streams.

I'm sorry but I don't know who posted it.
I did this .ini tweak and went into MF2 and imported an MPG containing a AC3 audio track with no issues. After it output the VIDEO_TS folder I checked it using Windvd.

Just thought this might help.

[bek]

I actually tried this fix many months ago, and although it does allow me to import AC3, I thought that it actually did NOT write AC3 audio. Am I mistaken??

[Turtle49]

I just tested the authored title by pulling it into TMPGEnc DVD Author using the "Add DVD video" option and selecting the VIDEO_TS output from MF2 and it shows the Audio as:
Dolby Digital (AC3) 4800hz, 5ch

So it looks good 8)

[bek]

You rock, Turtle!

Thanks, man.

[Turtle49]

Keep in mind that is the only line I changed in the .INI. There are several others that refer to AC3 but I left them at =0.

Good luck


FYI my MF2 version is 2.10.1000.0100