At my wits' end...

[Nilfennasion]

I downloaded the Trial version of TMPGEnc, and I managed to work out how to insert the chapter stops I want, but when I go to output the files, it keeps telling me that the combined bitrate of the video exceeds the upper limit for a standard DVD and stops. Given that I have taken the video from a DVD, I don't know how this is possible. What am I doing wrong?

[andyp1]

I think you meant to say TMPGenc DVD Author
Not a problem.
When it say it exceeds the limit you click ignore and let it do its thing.
Then you can use DVD Shrink to just compress it a little to fit on a DVD-R.

You open shrink and load the VIDEO_TS folder that TDA produced.

[Nilfennasion]

I see.

I did just that, and now it will not play properly. When I double-click on the VIDEO_TS.IFO file, it brings up a blank screen and does nothing. Seems to be a zero-length file or something. Most frustrating after I put in all the chapter points.

I'm beginning to understand the Never Approach A PC... tagline whatshisname uses.

[andyp1]

not quite sure what your doing there.

Clickng VIDEOTS.IFO won't make it play.

At what point do things go wrong. TMPGenc creates your VIDEO_TS folder which you can burn using Nero or whatever.
If you want to test playback before you burn you can use WinDVD or Power DVD and select the VIDEO_TS folder to play it.
The only playback you will get from within the VIDEO_TS is by double clicking any of the .vob's

[Nilfennasion]

I double-clicked on most every file in the directory, as well as the source directory the files were taken from, and it just wouldn't play in PowerDVD at all (I have it set so that .VOB files are automatically opened by PowerDVD).

I've started again from scratch, making a folder of the files using DVDShrink.

[mats.hogberg]

You should try not to look at a Video DVD as "files". With PowerDVD, there's a "play from folder" option - use this when (trying to) play a Video DVD structure on your HDD.

/Mats

[Nilfennasion]

I really haven't had it refuse to play before. Maybe I am doing something different this time. I'm in the process of making another chaptered clone of the DVD, so hopefully that will produce the results I want.

[teegee420]

Have you tried mats.hogberg's suggestion yet?

[Nilfennasion]

No, but I am about to (allow an hour or so for the files to be encoded again).

[presto]

I double-clicked on most every file in the directory, as well as the source directory the files were taken from, and it just wouldn't play in PowerDVD at all (I have it set so that .VOB files are automatically opened by PowerDVD).

I really don't think that works. Doesn't for me. To play the files with Power DVD you open PowerDVD and hit the button near the lower right. A menu pops up and you choose "Play DVD files on hard drive" or something like that. (I don't have the program open right now).

(I see that this was mats.hogberg's suggestion first)

[Nilfennasion]

Okay, I tried it again using the recommended method, and it worked this time.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get my subpicture stream back.