vob file out of sync when extention changed to avi

[sigmma]

Here is what i want to do. I want to be able to edit a DVD (vob) using Premier pro CS3. I know that out there there are lots tools that can convert dierctly a VOB into a avi for editing purposes but they are not free. However I did try the following:

I used decrypter to get me the VOB and then changed the extention to mpeg - then imported onto adobe pro and video was ok but no sound. then I rechanged the extention to AVI and got the video and sound OK but sound is out of sync.....is there anyway to fix this problem?????

[mats.hogberg]

Yes, by doing it properly. Changing extensions doesn't do nothing, except possibly fooling your applications to accept something it's not meant to accept.
VOB to MPG: vob2mpg
MPG (and even VOB) to AVI: VirtualDubMpeg2
vobmerge can also come in handy, if you didn't rip the DVD with no file splitting.

/Mats

[manono]

I know that out there there are lots tools that can convert dierctly a VOB into a avi for editing purposes but they are not free.

Where'd you get that idea? Because it's not true at all.

I'm surprised you can do anything at all with a VOB renamed as AVI. Why not stop trying to cheat or fool your editor?

[sigmma]

Well according to lots of post I have benn reading but simply changing the extention from VOB to avi adobe pro does play the file, but obviously with sync problems....ok now i know that thi is not the way to do things......

I have tried virtualdubMpeg2 and the output avi file increased from 300MB VOB to a 11.3GB avi, and then tried WMConverter and the file decreased from a 300MB VOB file to 170MB avi.....why is this????

Also the VirtualdubMpeg2 output AVI file does play nice on Windows Media player but does NOT play on Nero showtime.

And the WMConverter output AVI file does NOT play on Windows media player (only sound) but plays nicely on Nero Showtime.

Which way should I go if I want to edit my VOB files???? Thnaks guys for your help

[redwudz]

Well, lots of issues there.

VirtualDub (All versions) will save your file to a RGB AVI by default. It will be huge. Just select a compression codec instead. Which one and what settings depends on what you want to do with the file.

You can occasionally change a VOB to a MPG and get away with it, but a VOB has a lot more in it besides the MPEG. There can be multiple audio formats and multiple subtitle formats, besides other DVD data. You are much better off extracting the MPEG properly so you can control what the output format is. See 'WHAT IS' DVD to the upper left on this page for the DVD format and specifications.

You can't rename a VOB to a AVI any more than you can rename it to a .txt file and expect it to play. And if you don't have 'Hide extensions for known filetypes' unchecked in 'Folder Options>View' your renaming won't work anyway. You can have a VOB.AVI.MPG and Windows will only show the first wrong extension.

Not being able to play the file on either Nero ShowTime or WMP doesn't mean much as they are both lousy video players, JMO.

I'm not sure what 'WMConverter' is. Do you mean Windows Media Encoder? It's OK for making Windows media files.

DVD Decrypter can extract a MPEG from a VOB file. You need to read the guides for the program.

I don't use Premiere, so no help there. But if you can end up with a MPEG file, there are a lot of editors that can handle that without converting to AVI type format. VideoReDo an MPEG-VCR are two that come to mind. There are also freeware programs that so well.

If you really have to convert to AVI type formats, you might look into the DV-AVI format. The Panasonic DV codec with VirtualDubMPG-2 or VirtualDub Mod or possibly VirtualDub 1.7 may be able to do that. Or, if you have a fair bit of hard drive space, the HuffyUV codec may be a good choice. All are freeware.

Audio sync problems are commonly caused by corrupt frames, or corrupt audio. Or sometimes by bad cuts and pastes from previous efforts. Or by VBR or similar audio treatments. Just because a damaged file will play back with no noticeable problems on a software player doesn't mean it will encode properly. Software players are very forgiving. Encoders are not. They need 100% error free input.

Sorry, there's a lot to learn in this hobby.

[sigmma]

thanks redwudz for such a detailed and comprenhensive info.....i would lie to you if I say I did undertsand 50% of your message...it is not you it is obviously me....I tend to think a video file its just like a car, something that will take you from A to B without looking at the diferent brands of Cars, KIA, Toyota, BMW, they all do the basic thing but they do it diferently, with a video I tend to think it is just a set of pictures and that all players will be able to play it without looking into the differences beetween mpeg, avi, wmv and the rest.......I know it is a funny analogy but anyway thanks for your info.....finally the reason i wanted to do all this is that at work I am planning to film 36 students performing some experiments and I basically wanted a method where I was able to get the VOB file edit it and convert it into any common video player in this case Windows Media player.

[manono]

The kinds of editing you plan on doing can determine what you initially do with the VOB. As redwudz said, for the simple stuff, VideoReDo an MPEG-VCR might be the way to go. For the more complex stuff, you might need it as an AVI, and I would suggest converting the VOB to either HuffYUV or Lagarith for further editing in Premiere. Those are both lossless codecs, and you lose no quality doing the conversion. They will blow up the size, though. When all done the editing, then you can convert to WMV or whatever you want.

[mats.hogberg]

Why not just extract the mpg out of the VOB(s) with VOB2MPG, load it up in Windows Movie Maker 2, edit away, and save?
Beware of crashes tho, as WMM is very unstable (at least on my system), and save often. (Not the video, but the project)

/Mats