Converting .TS files to a DVD format

[trents20]

I've been experimenting with burning .TS files produced by Hauppauge's WinTV 7 onto DVD that will play on most home entertainment system DVD players.

Nero 6 DVD maker won't accept .TS files so I converted them with HDTV2DVD. This freeware program produces two outputs. One is a single .mpg file. The other is a folder containing two sub folders: Audio_TS and Video_TS. Audio_TS is empty. Video_TS contains several files: one or more .VOB, one or more .IFO, and one or more .BUP files.

I have found that I can burn a playable DVD using just the .mpg file. I can also burn a playable DVD using any of the .VOB files, yet the .VOB files are different sizes and still seem to give the same result. I have several questions:

1. What are all those files in the Video_TS file about?
2. Why is it that whichever .VOB file I click on WMP seems to play the full clip I recorded? They are different sizes. Are they linked?
3. What is the difference between creating a playable DVD by transcoding the .mpg file or transcoding one of the .VOB files? Is there a quality difference? Is one better than the other?
4. HDTV2DVD supposedly coverts .TS files to "DVD". Yet when I copy the Audio_TS and Video_TS files onto disc and insert it into a player it can't read it. It seems like there still needs to be some transcoding done. What else has to be done to make the disc readable?

As you have gathered by now, I am a noob at all this. It is all so confusing and I'm one those people who likes to understand not just "how" to do something but "why." Can someone help me or at least guide me to a primer on all this?

[PuzZLeR]

You will need to do some reading up, but consider this a starting point (and only that).

1. What are all those files in the Video_TS file about?

This is the DvD structure that the players understand. VOBs are the actual MPEG-2 video (which also includes the video/pictures in the menus) and even some info for the DvD playback. IFOs are information files and BUPs are backups of them (chapters, order, menus, etc).

2. Why is it that whichever .VOB file I click on WMP seems to play the full clip I recorded? They are different sizes. Are they linked?

Linked - as in it's in DvD mode. In other words it's playing a DvD for you and links it all as one unit. If you were to segregate a vob file, even rename it outside of the typical VTS_..., outside of its series numbering and order, in another folder, then it would play it as a stand-alone file.

3. What is the difference between creating a playable DVD by transcoding the .mpg file or transcoding one of the .VOB files? Is there a quality difference? Is one better than the other?

Both are the same quality assuming no re-encoding. VOB is a container, so is .mpg somewhat. However the VOB container contains certain information important to the DvD structure, such as segmentation, etc. You will not get a compliant DvD with .mpg files. You need to remultiplex (remux) and author them. Many authoring tools will accept them as .mpg, or you can just load them with the streams, the video and audio separately, into them to create the VOB, IFO and BUP files.

4. HDTV2DVD supposedly coverts .TS files to "DVD". Yet when I copy the Audio_TS and Video_TS files onto disc and insert it into a player it can't read it. It seems like there still needs to be some transcoding done. What else has to be done to make the disc readable?

Hmmm. Probably your burn software assumes data instead of DvD video. Which burn app are you using? I personally always convert the DvD structure first to an .iso format, which is a "virtual DvD" on your hard drive. Then I burn from that with a tool like ImgBurn.

[redwudz]

1> Look to the upper left on this page for 'WHAT IS' DVD. There you will see the DVD specifications, format and structure.

2> If you play a VIDEO_TS folder, it will play all the files. They are linked. You can play the individual VOBs with some players, but the video will be split across the VOBs in ~1GB sections, irregardless of chapters. WMP isn't a great player, IMO. Try VLC or MPC and they may give you a lot more options.

3> A VOB is a a MPEG file with audio, video, chapters, alternate languages, subtitles, and other information in the VOB container.

4> Not sure what your problem is. I don't use much of that software. Our members may have better suggestions.

EDIT: Looks like PuzZLeR typed faster and gave a lot more info.

And welcome to our forums.

[trents20]

Puzzler,

I was just using the built in Vista cd/dvd burner to copy the files onto disc. So, it sounds like I have to create an image on disc for it to be interpreted as a DVD? Am I understanding you correctly? My acquaintance with .iso files has to this point only been in connection with downloading and burning OS files for installation such as Linux distros.

RedWuz, thanks for the welcome!

[redwudz]

You don't need a ISO/image file to burn a DVD. You just need to have a correctly made VIDEO_TS folder and burn it in the correct mode for a DVD.

ImgBurn can do that. No need for Nero or image files. Just select the VIDEO_TS folder and ImgBurn will figure out the rest. And it does a much better job burning than Nero, IMO.


And trents20, in the future please use a more descriptive subject title in your posts to allow others to search for similar topics. I will change yours this time. From our rules:

Try to choose a subject that describes your topic.
Please do not use topic subjects like Help me!!! or Problems.

Thanks,
Moderator redwudz

[PuzZLeR]

Ah, Redwudz was quicker this time.

Trents20, didn't mean to confuse you. It's happened to me too - burned a coaster out of a VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS, and to be honest, I really don't know how this happened other than the fact that the burn app must have burned it as data, without any of the necessary info that triggers players to read it as a "real" DvD.

Since then I create an .iso file just to be safe. ImgBurn, the free tool (which I too recommend over Nero) can create that for you with the opening menu command "Create image file from files/folders".

Think of an .iso as an actual DvD (or even CD) in every which way except that it has no physical form, only an emulation/simulation of one that the computer will think is an actual DvD. I personally keep several of them around until I'm ready to burn them.

You can burn .iso files to respective (physical) discs using ImgBurn with the command "Write image file to disc" and you shouldn't have a problem.

And I too welcome you to the forums. Stick around and learn and contribute.

[trents20]

As it turns out, PuzZleR was correct in that I had to convert the WinTV 7 .TS file into an .iso first with ImageBurn as ImageBurn did not recognize the WinTV 7 .TS file as a usable file format. The rest was straight forward and I was able to quickly create a player-readable disc. No frills like menus or chapters but it was readable. Thanks for all your help and your answers to my questions were very succinct and easy to understand.