Problem extracting MPEG from DVD

[PlayWithFire]

I am trying to restore some old home videos. I had the PAL VHS tapes that i had converted to a DVD, and now i would like to do some editing.
I want to start with one large MPEG, cut that up into smaller MPEGs, then do some processing on each MPEG and create another DVD.

My problem is the first step, extracting the MPEG from the DVD. I read this excelent tutorial and ended up trying three tools: VOB2MPEG, DVD Decrypter and ReJig. Neither one worked right.
The video is 2:12:00 in length. When i played it media player classic, only VOB2MPEG output showed up with the right time, the other two apps showed the video being 57 minutes, even though it looks like everything is there.
Now, when i try to import things into Cutterman, VOB2MPEG ouput is said to contain GOP errors. The other two seem OK, but the time still bugs me.
What am i doing wrong?

Also, how can i extract the sound? It seems that cutterman is looking for a separate sound file.

Thanks for any help.

[hech54]

DVDDecrypter
IFO Mode
Tools
Settings
(IFO Mode Tab)File Splitting NONE
That will give you one giant lump of video...though it won't be named an .mpg file.

[PlayWithFire]

it's odd, but that is exactly what i did
i will try again tonight

is there a tool out there that can help me detect errors in a video? i have no idea what a GOP error is, but would like to be able to find it.

[PlayWithFire]

tried it with DVD Decrypter, still no luck
Is there another program that can slice up a M2V file without reincoding it, and be more tollerant of errors? Preferably free.

[David K]

Mpeg-VCR is an excellent program for cutting out bits of mpeg files without reencoding.
It's odd that you're having trouble ripping your own non-copy-protected DVD discs.
What did you use to create them?
A GOP error would usually something that a DVD authoring program would complain about, not a ripping program. (That is, that the structure of the encoded frames, the Group of Pictures, is not DVD compliant).

[hech54]

Can you list the file structure of the DVD in question? That would give people a better understanding of what is going on.
DVDDecrypter may be outdated by new copy protections BUT it is still the best ripper if you need to do something "special"....like what you are attempting to do....IE...make one giant lump of video.

[PlayWithFire]

i am pretty sure the DVD isn't copy protected, it's just a result of VHS to DVD converstion

The structure is this (with the size of the files, in case that matters)
-DVD
---VIDEO_TS
------VIDEO_TS.BUP (14KB)
------VIDEO_TS.IFO (14KB)
------VIDEO_TS.VOB (50KB)
------VTS_01_0.BUP (90KB)
------VTS_01_0.IFO (90KB)
------VTS_01_1.VOB (1,048,018KB)
------VTS_01_2.VOB (1,048,018KB)
------VTS_01_3.VOB (1,048,018KB)
------VTS_01_4.VOB (1,048,018KB)
------VTS_01_5.VOB (9,284KB)

[canyon]

I've been attempting this for a long, long time, with load of problems on the way.
Eventually I found this procedure, that works for me with my JVC DRM10 DVD recorder:
1: Record on to a DVD-RW (My JVC uses DVD- disks) in DVD-VIDEO mode and finalise the disk. I generally use the Long Play mode, which gives acceptable quality for VHS transfers, and allows 4hrs on a DVD.
2: Rip to the PC using DVDDecrypter with the settings given by hech54.
Use VideoReDo Plus to fix/sanitise the VOB file and to do the editing. I've tried many other programs including Nero, and Womble, but always got problems with VOBs ripped from DVD recorders.
4: Open VideoReDo Plus and select Tools > Qucikstream fix... and process the VOB file.
If I do this I get a useable video file. If I don't do this I always get files where the timing is screwed up.
5: Open the fixed file in VideoReDo Plus and edit it - it's very quick.
6: Save the edited file.
You should end up with a DVD compliant mpeg2 file.
7: Author a DVD with your preferred program - I use DVDLAB Studio.

Using this process, I've transferred my collection of "Carry On" films from old VHS recordings to 12 DVDs, 2 films on a DVD with nice menus. Sad, but true...

[jsmithepa]

I use DVDlab Pro, there is an option to rewrite missing GOPs, under Tools -> Rewrite GOP Timecodes.

[PlayWithFire]

canyon and jsmithepa, thanks for you advice, i will try that

once i get the MPEG extracted though, i have to cut it up, and will need to do some processing on the individual files with VirtualDub or AviSynth (which i can't get to work )

then, i'll have to author the DVD, so there'll be an extra step in there for me

[hech54]

Let's go back to the beginning because there is nothing I see in that file structure that could be causing you any problems....that file structure is exactly what I was hoping to see.
Now...what do you mean exactly by this:

tried it with DVD Decrypter, still no luck

If you do indeed end up with what you are looking for....IE...one giant lump of video then it is a success. Quite often...you can't just run material from a DVD Recorder DVD straight into another editing/authoring program....especially NOW that it is in one giant lump of video instead of the 1GB chunks that is required by DVD standards.
FixVTS was made especially for this scenario(from what I understand).
Run that giant lump of video through FixVTS...no backup(you have the original DVD anyway...no need to clog your HDD)...just fix it in place.
What I am getting at is....if DVDDecrypter does it's job and gives you one giant lump of video...don't give up just because the next program in your chain of events does not accept that video.

[PlayWithFire]

what i mean by still no luck, is that the video lenght shows up incorrectly, but what you are saying makes perfect sence actually

maybe, it's just the players that i use that don't like the fact that it's over 4GBs file i am trying to play. WMP, VLC and Media Player Classic all show an incorrect running time.

What programs can i use to chop up the big MPEG?
I would like to run chunks of video though some filters to clean them up, but not sure what would be the best tool for cutting it.

and i am trying not to give up, but getting into the area of video editing with something as complicated as old movies restoration is pretty daunting, and very confusing at times.
it's going to be a gift for my folks once i am done.

[ofbarea]

I use TMPGEnc DVD Author to RIP the MPEG files from disks recorded with a Panasonic DMR-ES10.

I also use this program to reauthor the movies.

[Scorpion King]

What programs can i use to chop up the big MPEG?
I would like to run chunks of video though some filters to clean them up, but not sure what would be the best tool for cutting it.

and i am trying not to give up, but getting into the area of video editing with something as complicated as old movies restoration is pretty daunting, and very confusing at times.
it's going to be a gift for my folks once i am done.

Since this is not a copy protected DVD I think I would of used Windows Explorer and simply copied the VIDEO_TS folder to my HDD. I would use VOB2MPG to mux, then VirtualDubMPEG2 to filter, cut, etc, then frameserve to TMPGenc Encoder the portions I had to reencode. I would use either TMPGEnc DVD Author or TMPGEnc MPEG Tools to cut-Merge the files into the order-etc I desired for my new project DVD.

This is actually an easy project as long as you keep it as simple as possible. ok

Good luck

[PlayWithFire]

The tools the ended up getting me over the hump were VOB2MPEG to extract the MPEG file, and Mpg2Cut2 to cut up the video into 37 pieces. I do like the fact that out of all the tools i tired, free tools are the ones that came though.

The next step for me is the harderst, and that's restoring the videos. I just need to get AviSynth working again.

Authoring the actual DVD should be a fun experience.

Thanks to everyone for their help!