Add TV Programs To Existing DVD

[JustTV]

I record TV programs on a magnavox dvd recorder and am stuck with rabbit ears so I frequently need to replace a choppy episode with a downloaded MP4. I'm relatively new to burning. I have most of the popular free software and I cannot figure out how to do this. Am I asking too much? Is it possible to download and convert a video to video_ts and then add that VOB to an existing disk that will play in my player. I've been trying to get burnaware free to work for this. It does not recognize the disk as occupied (except for the very first use after install) so it won't write unless it erases which defeats the purpose. How can I accomplish this seemingly simple task? Can someone help with this? Been trying all year to get this to work.

[hech54]

add that VOB to an existing disk

No.

[videobruger]

Vobblanker ?

Replace or add?

[manono]

add that VOB to an existing disk

No.

Yes. As videobruger said. Or, using PGCEdit you can add it as well, although you might have to make menu command adjustments. Maybe make it a first play title.

Or, reauthor the existing titles and new title into a single DVD using one of the free DVD authoring programs, with or without new menus.

Or, lose the menus and author the existing titles and the new one in DVDShrink. They'll play one after the other.

Or, use AVSToDVD to reencode the MP4 and add it to the others which shouldn't be reencoded, and make a new and very simple menu for the whole thing. Other AVSToDVD users will know better than I if this is possible.

All this assumes you won't be going over the size limit of a DVD5 or 9, whichever it takes to add the new one to the already existing one. And hech54 may be right in the sense that this might be beyond your abilities at the moment, although it's certainly possible.

[hech54]

add that VOB to an existing disk

No.

Yes. As videobruger said.

NO...if he is talking about replacing a VOB file on an existing, already burned DVD-R.

[manono]

NO...if he is talking about replacing a VOB file on an existing, already burned DVD-R.

Hmmm... I now see what he wrote can be interpreted as that. Yes, if that's what he's asking then you're right and I apologize. But once he puts it on the hard drive then there are a number of possibilities that open up.

[JustTV]

Vobblanker ?

Replace or add?

I delete the bad episode on the set top recorder. I want to add the downloaded episode (in VOB form) to the DVD on the pc. Then record the next chronological episode on the set top recorder. In other words I want to be able to delete bad titles, add a replacement title somehow to the same DVD+/-RW and still maintain the DVD-Video structure so the DVD will still record and play in the set top.

Vobblanker looks promising. Reading up on it.

[manono]

In other words I want to be able to delete bad titles, add a replacement title somehow to the same DVD+/-RW and still maintain the DVD-Video structure so the DVD will still record and play in the set top.

I guess hech54 was right in what he thought you were asking. Forget about it. Can't be done. With the DVD on the hard drive (NOT in the computer DVD player) and using VobBlanker, you can replace bad episodes with good ones (if you keep them and don't remove them first). That would be easiest. Otherwise you'll have to reauthor, adding the good episode to the ones you kept from the DVD-recorder. Then you can burn them to disc using ImgBurn.

[JustTV]

[QUOTE=manono;2401292]

Forget about it. Can't be done.

I was afraid of that. Well at least it explains why my legion of free software is useless for this. I thought multisession capability would take care of this task ('cause I read that somewhere) but apparently not. Thanks for everyone's input.

[orsetto]

If your off-air reception is really dodgy, to the point you find yourself needing to replace episodes often, you may need to continually use both options: record the series with your DVD/HDD recorder, and also download every episode as backup. I do this every spring between April-May when sunspot activity (or something) disrupts my normally-perfect reception. Depending where I am in the season and how many sequential eps have defects, I either author all of a particular disc on PC using the downloaded files, or dub a fill-in episode from my laptop to my DVD/HDD recorder (thru an HDMI>analog A/V converter).

My recorder rule of thumb with an hour-long series is three eps per DVD in SP mode after commercials are deleted. If I hit a defect in one of the three, I'll dub a fill-in from laptop to DVD/HDD recorder. But if 2 out of 3 have off-air glitches, I'll just author all three eps from files on the PC with DVDflick. Ditto sitcoms: 6 eps per DVD using off-air in the DVD/HDD recorder- but if more than two have defects I'll just burn that whole disc from the downloads on the PC.

I would have dispensed with the DVD/HDD recorder by now, if I didn't still need standard DVDs for my parents (who couldn't learn how to use a media player or cable DVR if I paid them- it took years to wean them from VHS to DVD). For this purpose, a standalone DVD/HDD unit is more predictable and reliable. Converting downloaded video files to dvd format in the PC can be problematic, with audio lipsync drift being a major PITA sometimes.

[TimA-C]

Just on a side note, you might want to try having a look at aerials designed for Caravans and Boats as you may find that you get better reception than with the standard Rabbit Ears. Back when I first started playing with Freeview (digital free-to-air TV here in the UK) I bought an aerial designed for a Caravan and had it sitting on a high shelf for several months and was getting much better reception on all the available channels than I had been. (It also improved the analogue signals too, but the digital was what I was more interested in.)

[theewizard]

FYI ... Caravan = RV aka Motorhoome or Trailer etc..

[JustTV]

Thanks for the suggestions orsetto and TimA-C. It's just more comfortable to watch via (ancient) bigscreen TV than by monitor. What a day it will be when I get one of those 21st century setups.