Swapping out a title on a finished DVD

[StoryDonut]

Is there any easy way to take a finished VIDEO_TS folder, with menus and options and stuff, and change out one of the titles with a completely different one? For example, let's say I have I have the m2v and ac3 file for "Six-String Samurai" and a VIDEO_TS folder for "Seven Samurai". Can I alter the "Seven Samurai" folder so that when "Play movie" is selected, it plays "Six-String Samurai" instead?

[willrob]

I've never tried it, and perhaps am not aware of all the factors involved. But it wold be very easy to test. Give the replcement movie vob files the same names as the ones you want to replace. Do this is a copy of the VIDEO_TS folder. Then use DVDPlayer to see if it plays the way you expect it to. There's no need to multiplex or burn a DVD to find out. It is possible that the length of the vob files or some other factor would need to match....I'm not sure. The IFO files are an important factor in a situation like this, I suspect.

[terryj]

the IFO would determine the runtime and length
of each individual VOB. so if VOB one through three
was 25mins, and Vob four was 15 mins, and you
substituted it with four VOBs, one through three at
25mins each, and VOB four at 11mins, the IFO
when read would return a mis-match in structure,
just like it does when say you rip an ArrCCos release
DVD, and the padded bad VOBs if removed/changed,
do not let you re-quantum the disc.

So without an IFO editor, I'd say no way it will work.
And if you are going to edit the IFO, you might as well
just be safe and re-author at that point.

[StoryDonut]

Interesting. Say, for the sake of argument, that the swapped titles happen to be exactly the same length, would that work, and is it as easy as Willrob suggests? Suppose the two titles are the same length, but due to re-quantizing they're not exactly the same file size?

[terryj]

read further here:
what's in a DVD?

In your question, I'd still say no, because I had forgot this earlier,
and that is the IFO also contains chapter marks for
navigation, so that in creating its "roadmap" for you the user,
when you play the DVD, it knows not only the times/run length,
and the amount of VOBs associated with each IFO in a set
(VTS1.IFO and VTS1-4.VOB, as well as VTS0.IFO, and VTS0.VOB,
etc.), but what chapters SHOULD be contained within that VOB set.

and Chapters as we know, are placed in Authoring.
Again, so I don't think it would work, based on this,
without editing the IFO, but in Editing an IFO ( and then
re-creating its necessary BUP), you might just be better off
re-authoring the disc.

[StoryDonut]

I might seems like I'm beating a dead horse, but I'm finding this fascinating. Given everything you've said, consider: A completely different movie, BUT it is the exact same length as the original, AND the chapter breaks happen to be at the exact same times. (Same numbers of audio/subtitle/angles/etc.) Everything's the same, just that the m2v and ac3 are a different show. Do the VOBs swap cleanly then?

[terryj]

try it an see.