Editing one of the .VOB files

[mazinz]

Unbelievable. It doesn't work yet again. After VobBlanking (this time I confirmed that the audio stream is 224kbps) there is no sound in the part of that movie vob where I replaced audio although running only that on cell before VobBlanking works fine.
One difference I noticed now between the original audio stream and the edited one is that VobBlanker recognizes the new one as ac3 which is fine but it tells me that the original audio stream is mpeg1.
yaro

That is your problem. PGCdemux does not create streams, it only demuxs the type of files in a stream. In your case Ulead had to have created an ac3 file for you and not an mp2. This is why you are getting an error. You cannot connect clips with different stats in the same file unless you make it a separate clip all together

do this, put the demuxed ac3 in besweet. In the output put select mp2, on the bottom left check the box that says "force input sample rate" and select 48000. Now on the right click on the box that says "ac3 to mp2". This should properly convert it to an mp2

[Yaro]

Is mp2 the same what mpeg1 then?
yaro

[manono]

MPEG-1 Audio Layer II=MP2 and is a kind of MPA audio. I believe, though, that MPA is usually used to mean MP2 audio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_II

[hech54]

hech54 if I create that one large video file won't I loose all the menus?

Yes....you will.

No....you won't. Replacing the entire movie using VobBlanker

I never mentioned VobBlanker. I don't use it. I don't need it. I don't want it.
So what are you talking about?

[mazinz]

Is mp2 the same what mpeg1 then?
yaro

nevermind I see it was answered. Use manono's reply.

[Yaro]

mazins if I follow your instructions as to BeSweet it will set the right frequency but I can't see any option to set the bitrate to 224 in this case. Thanks
yaro

[mazinz]

Hey Yaro,
you had previously mentioned you had your file at the correct 48k, 224 bitrate but as an ac3. If this holds true, besweet will give you an output mp2 with the same 48k, 224 bitrate stats

[Yaro]

I tried that already but when I added my cell into VobBlanker it shows me 192kbps
yaro

[Yaro]

Looks like the bitrate doesn't matter that much. It works
Finally. Don't know how to thank you all for your help. It was a wedding
video so you can imagine how happy I am that it's fixed now.
There is still a little bit to correct as I'm getting some cracking while
my audio track plays. I played the mp2 track to check if it does the
same and it does. Maybe it was too loud or something. Thanks again
for your support. We got this working
yaro

[mazinz]

hey Yaro glad whatever you did worked, for future reference if you do try this again, here is how you can change the bitrate in besweet


1. go into the besweet folder and you will see a file called "DD-Profiles.ini".
Double click on this and note or word pad will open it up for you

2. Towards the bottom scroll to the line that has this info

DSPguru_MP2_for_DVD=-azid( -c normal -L -3db --maximize ) -ssrc( --rate 48000 ) -toolame( -m s -b 192 -e )

do you see the 192 at the end of it? Change that to 224. Now it should look like this:

DSPguru_MP2_for_DVD=-azid( -c normal -L -3db --maximize ) -ssrc( --rate 48000 ) -toolame( -m s -b 224 -e )

save the ini file (just click Save in notepad)

3. open besweet as you nromally would and on the top right select (highlight) the choice that says

DSPguru mp2 for dvd

now on the bottom click the whatever file format to mp2 and it will now encode it at the 224 (or any bitrate) you desire

[Yaro]

Not much I did. Even though VobBlanker was showing me that the audio stream of my edit is 192kbps not 224 I used it to replace the original cell and to my surprise it worked this time
Great tip mazins about that ini file. Works perfectly. Thanks again
yaro

[Yaro]

I've got the sound fixed now.
By the way when comparing the original with my edit I noticed that the video quality is somewhat worse.
The original stream is sharper and has better colours than my m2v file created by PgcDemux even though its interlaced. I went through PgcDemux menus but can't see anything that could affect the video quality.
yaro

[mazinz]

well that would be Ulead doing that. It sounds like Ulead might have been re-encoding your clip instead of just letting it pass through. Again pgcdemux is not an encoder of any kind, it just separates the audio and video tracks for you.

[manono]

hech54 if I create that one large video file won't I loose all the menus?

Yes....you will.

No....you won't. Replacing the entire movie using VobBlanker

I never mentioned VobBlanker. I don't use it. I don't need it. I don't want it.
So what are you talking about?

I'm talking about this thread. Demuxing the video is only one step in a several part process which results in keeping the menus. Obviously that's what Yaro wants and since he's now managed to do the editing correctly, that's what he got. Of course if you demux the video you don't get the menus. Judging from Yaro's response to your post, he thought taking your suggestion would result in the menus being gone for good. That's the impression I was trying to change.

Yaro, I had been very suspicious of this ULead software you've insisted on using since the very beginning, but not knowing anything about it, couldn't say definitively:

Me, I'd work on the audio with Audacity (after converting to WAV first) and author using Muxman. Since I don't know Ulead Studio, I can't offer advice there.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. As mazinz says, PGCDemux doesn't alter the audio or video in any way, shape, or form, so if the video winds up looking worse, it has to be ULead reencoding it.

One better workflow might be to decode the MP2 audio to WAV (many programs, including BeSweet, HeadAC3he, DGIndex, etc.), edit it in a WAV editor (I use Audacity - free and good), followed by a reencode to MP2 audio using BeSweet again. Then take the edited MP2 and the untouched M2V fresh out of PGCDemux, remux using Muxman, followed by VobBlanker.

You can compare the videos and VOBs - the source, the M2V generated by PGCDemux, and/or the video (or VOB) produced by ULead - using such programs as Bitrate Viewer, ReStream, GSpot, and/or Media Info, to satisfy yourself as to where the video got changed, and if it did get changed.

[Yaro]

Thanks manono. I'll try that as only I get back home. I was using Ulead only because it felt pretty easy to use for a newbie.

I found one more problem with my DVD but that's for a new topic

yaro

[Gavino]

This thread is a prime example of a bad idea to begin with(trying to edit just one VOB) being bombarded with patches and work-arounds using obscure, non-newbie friendly software.
Just go back and re-rip the disc with DVDDecrypter, IFO Mode, File Splitting NONE(leaving you with one giant lump of video and separate audio) while demuxing and start over.

You could be right - we're now up to 74 posts and still not resolved.

[Yaro]

Oh no, it is resolved. It finally works as I wanted it to. It's just some details now.
yaro

[mazinz]

Thanks manono. I'll try that as only I get back home. I was using Ulead only because it felt pretty easy to use for a newbie.

I found one more problem with my DVD but that's for a new topic

yaro

Hey Yaro, I have no idea how similar ulead studio is to their dvd workshop2, but in dvdws2 when you add video content it does have the option (a box with a check) of leaving the video as is or have ulead re-encode it for you. Perhaps your Ulead studio has such an option?

[Yaro]

Hi mazins. I found it. It was called Compression in Ulead. Unfortunately as when I was trying to change the bitrate in to 224kbps it has no effect.
yaro

[Yaro]

I was just comparing the video quality of the original vob with the m2v file the PgcDemux. The m2v is much worse. Its brighterand less sharp. Looks like that's where the problem starts.
yaro

[mazinz]

that is because ulead is probably re-encoding your video clip and doing it's regular sh*t job on it.

[Yaro]

mazins it's not Ulead. The procedure was to get PgcDemux to extract my single cell then I was working on it in Ulead. The file I played to compare with the original vob came from PgcDemux not Ulead. Now I don't need doing anything in Ulead any more as I
have the m2v file from PgcDemux and the edited audio mp2 file from Ulead. I tried DVDdecrypter and it gave me much better quality m2v file although still brighter than the original vob but sharper than the one PgcDemux gave me and with better contrast. So now I'm using this one in Muxman and waiting for the result.
yaro

[mazinz]

mazins it's not Ulead. The procedure was to get PgcDemux to extract my single cell then I was working on it in Ulead. The file I played to compare with the original vob came from PgcDemux not Ulead. Now I don't need doing anything in Ulead any more as I
have the m2v file from PgcDemux and the edited audio mp2 file from Ulead. I tried DVDdecrypter and it gave me much better quality m2v file although still brighter than the original vob but sharper than the one PgcDemux gave me and with better contrast. So now I'm using this one in Muxman and waiting for the result.
yaro

Hey Yaro with all due repsect it does not make any sense what you said since pgcdemux is a demuxer. Whatever or wherever the file was made before pgcdemux is responsible for the quality

regardless as long as you found something that works for you then stick with it

[manono]

I was just comparing the video quality of the original vob with the m2v file the PgcDemux. The m2v is much worse. Its brighterand less sharp. Looks like that's where the problem starts.

Nope. If you're comparing by opening 2 instances of a player, or 2 different players, then one uses the overlay and the other doesn't, leading to the 2 videos looking different from each other. Your problem is not PGCDemux. As I suggested earlier, study the video characteristics using one or more of the programs I suggested above.

If you really want an apples-to-apples comparison, open the videos in the same player 3 different times, and use the 2nd and 3rd ones you opened to compare. Then tell us they look different from each other.

[Yaro]

OK, here is what Media info gave me from my original VOB, PgcDemux and DVDDecrypter. The numbers are not telling me much but opening each of the files with VLC player I can clearly see the difference betwin the original and the m2v files.

****General*****
Complete name : F:\Film\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_3.VOB
Format : MPEG-PS
File size : 977 MiB
Duration : 21mn 59s
Overall bit rate : 6 213 Kbps

Video
ID : 224 (0xE0)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Duration : 21mn 59s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 5 742 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 8 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Standard : PAL
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.554
Stream size : 903 MiB (92%)

Audio
ID : 192 (0xC0)
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 2
Duration : 21mn 59s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 224 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits
Video delay : -216ms
Stream size : 35.2 MiB (4%)




*****General*****
Complete name : F:\PGCDemux\VideoFile.m2v
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
File size : 277 MiB
Duration : 5mn 32s
Overall bit rate : 6 983 Kbps

Video
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Duration : 5mn 32s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 6 700 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 8 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Standard : PAL
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.646
Stream size : 265 MiB (96%)




*****General******
Complete name : F:\Decrypter\VTS_01_1 - 0xE0 - Video - MPEG-2 - 720x576 (PAL) - 4~3.M2V
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
File size : 277 MiB
Duration : 1h 15mn
Overall bit rate : 512 Kbps

Video
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Duration : 1h 15mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 485 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 8 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Standard : PAL
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.047
Stream size : 262 MiB (95%)


Surely there are some differences in these numbers...
yaro

[manono]

You've got 3 different lengths there, so you can take the average bitrates with a grain of salt (although I don't know why the DVD Decrypter one is so low). Based solely on what the figures show, they could very well be the same. Based on what I know about PGCDemux and DVD Decrypter, they absolutely are the same.

One of the things they have in common is the 8000 max bitrate set. Is that what you have with the Ulead one? It'll probably be different unless you purposely set it for 8000 (assuming it was reencoded). Does the Ulead one also use VBR encoding? A lousy encoder might not.

[Yaro]

Hi monono. In Ulead these are my settings :

MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 576, 25 fps
Lower Field First
(DVD-PAL), 4:3
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 8000 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

yaro

[manono]

You set that up in ULead? And you were wondering if it was reencoding? It seems pretty obvious to me. Since they all have the same max bitrate set, then compare sizes, The M2Vs from both PGCDemux and DVD Decrypter should be (nearly?) identical in size, while the ULead one should be different. And you can't set an actual average bitrate in Ulead?

[Yaro]

I can only set max and constant bitrate in Ulead.
yaro

[manono]

Then the ULead M2V should be of a much different size than the ones from DVD Decrypter and PGCDemux. You might have to demux the VOBs to find out, though, if it doesn't keep the M2V it creates. And if the result is of noticeably inferior quality, then the ULead M2V size is probably a good deal smaller as well.