Read different methods for authoring DVD(mine and others) and share yours

[hyksoss]

Hi,

I want to know how you do some things so we can compare how we each do it.

1 - How do you split a dvd-9 episodic DVD to two DVD-5 each containing a subset of the episodes? (Backup a dvd9 episodic to 2 dvd5)

2 - How to create an episodic DVD with episodes that are AVI files?

2a - How to create avi files from episodic dvd or movie? (Backup episodic or movie to files)

3 - How to backup 1 dvd-9 to 2 dvd-5 so you have an uncompressed movie, full content, full quality and even a "insert disc 2 prompt" if you want? (I do that since I dont want to use DL disc and I want full quality)

4 - How do you create a dvd-5 from a dvd-9 with the best quality possible? (DVD9 to DVD5, compressed, content removal, what most people do, trying to maximize the quality)

Feel free to add any questions or comments and share your methods for these objectives and add objectives and methods if you want.

We can share this and save time since we won't have to try everything to know what's best to do this and that.

Hyksoss

My answers:

1-How do you split a dvd-9 episodic DVD to two DVD-5 each containing a subset of the episodes?

I use PgcEdit, I load the disc, blank the episodes that I want to remove from disc 1 until it fit a dvd-5 than I locate the menu page that contains the buttons pointing to those episodes that I removed and I deactivate the button. Than I reload the original disc but this time I blank the episodes that I kept the first time and I keep the ones I blanked the first time, I edit the menu deleting buttons pointing to the blanked episodes. Result is two dvd-5 containing a subset of episodes. *sometimes vobblanker is easier to blank episodes because pgcedit see them all in one big chunk and want to blank it all, vobblanker can blank only a subpart of that chunk(specific episodes)*

There is probably some other tools to do that more effectively? How do you do it? I found a non-working how to that explained how to do that with dvdRemake Pro but as I said it was non-working. DVDFab seem to be able to do it but I never tried and it does not look very intuitive since you can preview anything and you don't know what will end up where.

2-How to create an episodic DVD with episodes that are in AVI for example.

I use convertXtoDVD and I add all the files I can fit and modify the created menu to my desire.
How do you do it?

2a-How to create avi files from episodic dvd or movie?

FairUse wizard
How do you do it?

3-How to create two dvd-5 from one dvd-9 so don't have to remove any content or compress anything, full content, full quality and even a "insert disc 2 prompt" if you want?

Last time I checked and did some testing the only one that actually worked and produced disc that were readable and working properly was DVDFab Platinum. It can split or compress if you want, you can split where you want and insert a "insert disc 2". You can leave the menu on disc 2 also. It has many many features.

4-How do you create a dvd-5 from a dvd-9 with the best quality possible? (DVD9 to DVD5)

DVDShrink, remove languages, special features subtitles, etc.
DVDfab... same thing
What do you do?

[redwudz]

1. I convert the DVD to MPEG-2 with VOB2MPEG. If necessary, I decrypt with DVDFab Decrypter or RipIt4Me.
Then I edit as needed with Womble MPEG Video Wizard.

2. Depends on the source quality. If it's Xvid or similar, I use ConvertX.
2A. Fairuse Wizard or AutoGK.
2B. FairUse is self explanatory.

3. Remove no content and no compression? Just use DVD Decrypter and a Verbatim DL disc. ISO Read>ISO Write.

4. RipIt4Me>DVD Shrink>ImgBurn>DVD. I remove subs, alternate languages, directors audio, etc. Anything that is
not part of the main movie. Since I have the original, I just need to make it convenient to play on my HTPC.

But I should mention that there are probably many more ways to do any of the above.

You will probably get more replies with shorter questions that are more specific to what you want to do.
And you will also need to have some patience. It takes a while before enough members read your post and reply.

A more specific topic title will help also. We have a lot of posts. A descriptive title often helps to get more reads.

And welcome to our forums.

[hyksoss]

Thanks for the comments, I changed the title, reorganized the post for easier reading and added comment about my questions.

I have no specific questions it's just that there is too many ways of doing the same thing now with all those tools available. Which works best according to you and why? This information is very useful for other people. People could also add objectives I didn't thought of.

Kinda "What's your favorite tools?" post but with methods also since many tools and many different methods can be used these days. If most people use tools XYZ then we can infer that it's a pretty good one. If most people do XYZ a certain way than we can infer it's the best way.

Hyksoss

[guns1inger]

1. Menus don't concern me, so DVD Shrink in re-author mode is easy enough to split the episodes up, DVD Rebuilder to re-encode the new discs for size.

2. I don't. I can fit 12 X 41 minute episodes to a disc as AVI without the quality degradation that comes from re-encoding. Get a Divx/Xvid/mpeg-4 capable player.

2a. AutoGK

3. I don't bother. If it needs that much effort then it's easier to buy a replacement if the original gets damaged. My time is worth more than a backup disc in most instances.

4. RipIt4Me, DVD Rebuilder with ProCoder or CCE or HCEnc.

[hyksoss]

1. Menus don't concern me, so DVD Shrink in re-author mode is easy enough to split the episodes up, DVD Rebuilder to re-encode the new discs for size.

4. RipIt4Me, DVD Rebuilder with ProCoder or CCE or HCEnc.

Ok, so you use dvdshrink, you reauthor you add the menu and let say 2 episodes out of 4.
This way it's smaller and you don't bother about deactivating the buttons for third and fourth episodes.
But why dvd rebuilder to reencode the new 2 disc for size, didn't you just removed 2 episodes so you wouldn't have to compress. The output from dvdshrink should fit on dvd5 once you have removed half of the episodes no?

I aslo get that dvdshrink compressing engine is not the best according to you since you use dvd rebuilder to dvd9->dvd5 your movies. But why do you suggest either Procoder, CCE or HCEnc to compress? Which is the best one according to you as far as quality? One last thing, which settings do you use as far as quality, I hear that you have the choice in dvd rebuilder, the higher the longer time it will take? Correct me if i'm wrong.

Thanks a lot man,

Hyksoss

[guns1inger]

I don't bother with menus at all. If two episodes fit on a DVD5 then I leave it as is. Yes, two episodes should fit, however sometimes it isn't warranted. I have one series where the original was shot on 16mm, and the DVD transfers while clean, were already soft. I was able to use DVD Rebuilder to re-encode at half-D1 to put 4 episodes on a disc at close to the original quality.

Shrink is a transcoder, and is fine an some circumstances and much faster than re-encoding. DVD Rebuilder uses third party engines to compress. ProCoder, CCE and HCEnc are the highest quality options it offers. Different movies will bring out the best in different encoders. Newer, clean movies look better with ProCoder IMO, whereas older movies seem to work better with CCE. HCEnc sits somewhere in between, and is better for low bitrates than CCE. CCE is the fastest encoder option (although you can use Rejig to transcode, just like Shrink). ProCoder is slower, although not always by much. HCEnc is still being developed, and the speed is changing with each release. It is not the fastest, but it is far from being the slowest encoder around.