Keep original DVD menu, add new movie file

[Booklet]

Hello everybody,

I have a question that's been bothering me. I wanted to know if it is possible to take the menu out of a commercial DVD title (I own a few that I have already backed-up on my PC, with no compression at all, if that helps), but insert another video file to be played when the user clicks on "Start", for example a HD version of the movie on a mkv file. Or, more generally, just keep the DVD menu, and manipulate it in any way possible, like, for example, have my own files play when the user clicks on certain on-screen buttons. Would any of these be possible?

Thank you

[usually_quiet]

Here's one thread on the same subject https://forum.videohelp.com/topic351654.html There is a good guide available here for editing menus https://forum.videohelp.com/topic313743.html.

Welcome, It's nice to have a new member. This is in no way shape or form a criticism of you, but we encourage members to search the site first before posting a question since the same tend questions to pop up repeatedly. If the normal site search doesn't provide good results, the Google site search (the box in the top right corner of the page) often provides additional hits.

Edit: Mixing mkvs with DVD menus is not going to work. DVD menus are meant to be used with authored DVD video.

[Noahtuck]

but insert another video file to be played when the user clicks on "Start", for example a HD version of the movie on a mkv file.

To play on what ??
you would have to convert the mkv file to dvd specs for it to work and play on a dvd player.

[Booklet]

Thanks for the help.

Actually, this question is slightly different, but I get your point on the site's search function. I didn't really clarify though, that I don't need the resulting work (the mixing of a DVD menu with a HD mkv file for example) to be necessarily playable on a DVD drive, I want to keep it on my PC, and play it from there. I'm new to video editing and all this may not even be possible so, to make it easier for everybody, the following should sort my confusion:
1) DVD specs do not support high definition video (720i/p and above), correct? That is, you can't playback an HD movie on ANY DVD player.
2) How can I grab the DVD menu from the DVD, and save it in a form different than what the DVD standard specifies (so as to be able to use it with my mkv file or build something entirely new)?
3) Can I:
. a) add the DVD menu to my mkv file, OR
. b) encode the mkv file's video-audio-subtitle to DVD, and add the DVD menu, OR
. c) something between those two,

but still retain the HD of the mkv video?

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for the help.

Actually, this question is slightly different, but I get your point on the site's search function. I didn't really clarify though, that I don't need the resulting work (the mixing of a DVD menu with a HD mkv file for example) to be necessarily playable on a DVD drive, I want to keep it on my PC, and play it from there. I'm new to video editing and all this may not even be possible so, to make it easier for everybody, the following should sort my confusion:
1) DVD specs do not support high definition video (720i/p and above), correct? That is, you can't playback an HD movie on ANY DVD player.
2) How can I grab the DVD menu from the DVD, and save it in a form different than what the DVD standard specifies (so as to be able to use it with my mkv file or build something entirely new)?
3) Can I:
. a) add the DVD menu to my mkv file, OR
. b) encode the mkv file's video-audio-subtitle to DVD, and add the DVD menu, OR
. c) something between those two,

but still retain the HD of the mkv video?

1. They are rumored to exist, but I have never run across any reliable information on DVD players that play HD files.

2. You'd have to re-author the menu and its video using one of the formats that supports HD video and menus. I am not into that yet so I can't tell you which if any of [edit: the HD authoring programs] allow importation of mkv files.

The guide in my second link tells you how to extract the menu background as a still, as well as the subpicture for the highlights. If the menu is a motion menu, you could convert the VOB(s) with the video and audio to mpgs or demultiplex to elementary streams. Theoretically you might be able to reuse these assets in some way, maybe after resizing any still pictures and converting the video and audio, but the menu functionality you want would have to be added during authoring.

3. DVD menus are meant to be used within a DVD file structure. You can't tack on an mkv or something else that is foreign to the DVD specs. To use the menu as is, you would have to convert the mkv video and audio to conform to the DVD video standard, extract and convert the subtitles, remultiplex them, then replace the existing title as described in my first link. There is no way to keep HD. DVD compliant video only supports SD.

This all seems like a lot of work to me, especially for someone who is just starting out and has a lot to learn in this area. I think you would be better off to begin the learning process for HD authoring by creating some simple original menus.