Splitting a DVD title using avidemux

[brian_mk]

For some reason, new registrations are currently disabled on the avidemux forum, so I thought I would ask the question here…

I am attempting to use avidemux 2.6.8 (Windows 7 64bit) to split a single video title from a DVD recorder (captured from VHS tape) into 3 separate titles. There are three original VOB files: two are both the max 1GB size and the third is smaller. I opened the first VOB file and avidemux automatically pulled in the other two.
I selected the start and end points for the required sections and saved them using the default parameters. That gave me three new VOB files, one for each title. So far so good.

I thought I could then use a DVD creation tool such as Windows Live Movie Maker or Nero Vision to burn the three titles to disc.

There are two problems:-

First, neither WLMM or Nero Vision will correctly open and process the new VOB files created by avidemux.
Nero Vision is unable to open the files at all; it gives an error message about file format.
In WLMM, the files open but the frame thumbnails appear blank. The audio does, however, appear to load. Note that WLMM can open original unmodified VOB files from the DVD recorder without problems.
I have found that the new VOB files do play correctly using VLC.

The second problem is that two of the new VOB files created by avidemux exceed 1GB, so even if I could burn them to DVD, chances are they will not be compatible with the DVD recorder. I have been unable to find an option to split the output files into 1GB chunks. Does that mean using another utility to split the VOB files?

Any help appreciated.

[Kerry56]

There are several things to try. You could save as mpeg2 files instead of vob files. Or you could take the existing vob files and rename them as mpeg files, or use Vob2Mpeg (in Vobset mode) and losslessly change the container format to mpeg2. Try importing these into Movie Maker.

Personally, I'd have used DVDShrink and its ReAuthor-->Start, End Frames tool to cut out sections and used no compression. The output would be small DVD-videos.
This is a free option. A commercial tool that works well with mpeg2 and DVD-video is VideoRedo.

[brian_mk]

Just tried saving the output from aviemux as 'MP2' instead of the default setting of 'copy'.
It took forever to do the encoding - I would guess about an hour for 45min section of video.
It would have been quicker to have re-recorded the section from the original VHS tape using the DVD recorder in real time!
After all that, it made no difference - Movie Maker still fails to open the file correctly.

I have always found trying to edit/split/merge video to be a minefield of problems and compatibility issues.
Why does something that should be a relatively simple task end up being so difficult and time consuming?

When you try to find answers in forums, all you seem to get are suggestions to try yet another software tool.
My experience of many of these free tools is that they don't work properly and/or they try and install all sorts of unwanted rubbish and malware.

I'm going to give up attempting to edit the files and split the title by re-recording from the original VHS tape - at least I know I can get that to work.

[Kerry56]

Oh good grief. Renaming the vob files to mpg would take all of 5 seconds. Running the vob files through Vob2Mpg would have taken a couple of minutes at most. Either of these had a reasonably good shot of working. And MP2? Who said anything about MP2?

If you download DVDShrink from Videohelp.com, you'll have no issues with malware. Just click on the name in the previous sentence. It would be very fast to cut and save, since you can use it with no compression applied to your clips from the DVD you made in the recorder. And the end result is DVD VIDEO! With no extra steps.

Probably too late by now, but yes these free tools work. AviDemux on the other hand, is known to have snit fits for no perceptible reason. Many around here have simply given up on it, and I personally would never use it with DVD-video or mpeg2 files. I've seen it fail too often with those.

[brian_mk]

Ok - sorry, I was just getting frustrated that a common task that should be made simple for non-expert users turns into something complex that takes forever and then doesn't work.

1) Renaming VOB to MPG was the first thing I tried. It made no difference.

2) avidemux has no MPEG2 output option. I thought MPEG2 and MP2 were the same thing. Am I wrong?

3) If you go to the 'official' DVDShrink website and follow the download link, the download is no longer available. Instead it takes you to a page where it tries to download a 'downloadispeed Toolbar'. That didn't fill me with much confidence.
Nevertheless I will try the download from the videohelp site.
Having said that, even if it does work, then by the time I have downloaded and installed DVDShrink, figured out how to use it, copied the DVD onto the hard drive, carried out the edits, burned the result back onto another DVD, it will almost certainly take longer than re-recording from the original VHS tape.
I don't give up easily, so I will persevere.

4) The reason for trying to use avidemux in the first place was that I was following advice from other forums. It seemed like the right way to go as it appeared to offer the ability to split vob files without re-encoding.

[Baldrick]

2. Always use copy mode if you just want to cut without reconverting in avidemux. Set the Format to: mpeg-ps container and save as video.mpg. Avidemux can not output dvd vobs directly. Nero must be able to import standard mpg files. Or try reauthor/make a new dvd from the new mpg with for example the free avstodvd.

3. There is no official dvd shrink page. Use our mirror https://www.videohelp.com/download/dvdshrink32setup.zip

[brian_mk]

Ok, so I've just spent most of the morning trying to get DVDShrink to work.
I managed to create a set of VOB files for the required titles using max 1GB chunks.

The next problem is how to burn a DVD with menus.
I followed the advice on http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/help/usedvdshrink.asp
which suggested using DVDStyler to create the menus.
I tried this but I can't get it to work with titles made up of multiple VOB files.
It seeems to treat each VOB as a separate title.

As I said earlier, when it comes to modifying DVDs, nothing is ever straightforward.
You can end up wasting hours trying to do even the simplest things.

[videobruger]

I tried this but I can't get it to work with titles made up of multiple VOB files.

Use DVD -> Add -> File as chapter

[Baldrick]

You can easily edit dvds with for example tmpgenc authoring works or videoredo tvsuite. Import the dvd and edit. Output as a new dvd.

But most free methods are much more complex as you have noticed. I would use vob2mpg to get a single mpg. Edit it with avidemux or mpg2cut2, and last make a new dvd with for example dvdstyler.

[videobruger]

I too would use either VOB2MPG or MKVMergeGUI to create a single file.

And then I would merely use that 3 times in DVDStyler and trim each (if it needs to be titles and not merely three chapters - you could have the same navigation on a DVD using chaptres?)

[brian_mk]

In the end I used Nero Vision.
It successfully pulled in and combined the multiple VOB files created by DVDShrink into single titles.
It also created the menus in a straight forward manner.
When it burnt the project to DVD, it split the VOBs into 1G chunks automatically, so the fnal disc is compatible with my DVD recorder.
I assume it re-encoded the video data as part of this process but I don't suppose I will notice any loss of quality compared to the original VHS tape.

It's been a difficult and lengthy process: A day and a half just to divide up a single DVD title!
Hopefully, having been through the pain once, it will be easier next time.

I have several more VHS tapes to digitise.
In future I will take more care to stop the recording process at the end of each title to try and avoid all the time consuming post-processing.