MeGUI, chapters for three different episods in one VOB file

[ZikO]

I am trying to create chapters using MeGUI's Chapter Creator and include them in a MKV/x264 file.

There are three different episods in VOB file on that DVD. When I load IFO file into Chapter Creator, it gives me lists of three different PGC sections, as I will call it. It turns out I have to extract them to three separate files. The problem is that everything starts from 00:00:00 after importing while episods start from different time in video.

Is there anyway to add offset so that all chapters would match times of episods in the video?

Thanks

PS. I can do it manually but it would take time. I am asking if this can be done automatically using the tool.

[hello_hello]

I'm not sure about your actual question but why not encode each episode individually? You should be able to open the ripped DVD files with DVDShrink and use it's Re-Author function to prepare the vob files. In Re-Author mode drag the title for each episode from the right pane to the left. Make sure DVDShrink's compression is disabled (or set the target output size in Preferences to DVD9 or larger so it won't try to "shrink") and use the backup function. That should give you three vob files, each containing a single episode and the chapters should match.

If there's only one title, drag it from the right pane to the left three times and use the edit function (edit button at the top of the left pane) to edit each title down to a single episode by chapter, then use the backup function.

[ZikO]

Hi hello_hello,

Below are fully ripped files from my DVD disk:

VIDEO_TS.BUP
VIDEO_TS.IFO
VIDEO_TS.VOB
VTS_01_0.BUP
VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_0.VOB
VTS_01_1.VOB
VTS_01_2.VOB
VTS_01_3.VOB
VTS_01_4.VOB
VTS_01_5.VOB
VTS_01_6.VOB
VTS_01_7.VOB
VTS_02_0.BUP
VTS_02_0.IFO
VTS_02_1.VOB

It happened to be an old DVD, with interlaced video. My understanding is there are only two titles: one with the main movie including all three episods and the other with extras. If I want do create chapters, I understand I need to load VTS_01_0.IFO. Once I have done it, the following window appears:



There are different PGCs, thats is ProGram Chain. I am not exactly sure what it is but I can choose only one. Then I have a list of chapters in following window:



As you can see, it begins at 00:00:00. It is the case with each of them regardless of PGC selected, even though it says VTS_01 - PGC2 begins at 00:57:47.400 in the previous window--I have selected PGC2 for this example.

What can I do to include this particular offset, for instance 00:57:47.400? If I extract chapters this way, I end up with each of them beginning at 00:00:00 which is obviously wrong.

EDIT: I had a few problems with DVDShrink. It does its job but I've had a couple of DVDs which froze this tool. It gets complicated as it gets drive locked. I had to restart computer. So many times I use DVD Fab, free for use to rip DVDs.

[hello_hello]

As long as the DVD was ripped to a folder of DVD compliant files, you can open the folder with DVDShrink and re-author it. No need to open the disc.

How long is each episode from your DVD? If it's about an hour then it looks like you have three titles, one per episode. I could be reading that wrong, but I think that's what it is. If there's chapters for the extras, you'd probably extract them by opening VTS_02_0.IFO.

I'm not sure if there's any way around your problem, aside from manually adjusting the chapter timecodes, as I've always prepared the DVD for encoding the way I described, but here's what happens when you re-author a DVD as I suggested. In this case the DVD contained seven episodes of a TV Series, all in a single set of vob files (much like the DVD you have).

After re-authoring, instead of PGC 1, PGC 2, PGC 3 etc, when you open the Video_TS_IFO file they're all PGC 1.



But there's also an individual IFO file for each episode containing just the chapters for that episode.



Each IFO file corresponds to a vob file, or set of vob files, for a particular episode.



And it's a much better way to encode episodic DVDs.... as individual episodes..... rather than encoding multiple episodes as a single file..... in my opinion, and as I said, you can re-author the ripped files rather than open the DVD with DVDShrink (use the "Open Files" menu), but set the target output size to something large in preferences so it doesn't try to shrink when you re-author.

PS I think I've come across a situation before where the length of the video and audio for an episode aren't exactly the same (in other words there's gaps in the audio between episodes) and extracting the audio for all episodes as a single file doesn't account for that, so the audio can go out of sync. Re-authoring as individual episodes should prevent that from happening.

PPS Does DVD Fab have an option to rip single episodes at a time rather than just rip the whole disc? That might be another way around the problem.

[ZikO]

The length of each episode is about 1h and there are indeed three episodes.

DVDFab has an option to either rip the whole disk or main movie. There are other options available if one has paid for it. I did try to use the MainMovie option before with different DVD with episodes and AFAIK it automatically takes the largest VOB that includes all episodes in one title. I guess this time it would also take VOBs with encoded all three episodes.
I don't know how the ripping process works to be honest. I have imagined it would simply be a process of copying all DVD files into HDD. From what you say, it is probably more advanced. I have not realised the encoding/recoding is even occuring on the way.

I'll try your method with separate VOB and IFO files when I am back home. I am happy to use anything to make the final video working

Thanks

[hello_hello]

I'm not really all that familiar with the DVD structure myself. I've only ever created a few DVD-Video complaint discs in my life as I usually re-encode.

Another option for ripping would be MakeMKV. I've not used it much myself but I'm pretty sure it'll rip individual episodes including their chapters. It's doesn't re-encode the video, just puts it in an MKV container. You can of course still re-encode that if you wish, although MeGUI uses DGIndex for indexing and decoding vob files and it's pretty reliable. More so than using ffmsindex or L-smash for mpeg2 video inside MKVs. MakeMKV is free.

Most rippers have a "movie only" mode but as you've discovered they don't always have an "individual episode" mode.

If you have any problems with the DVD Shrink method I'm happy to help if I can, but as long as the discs was ripped correctly you shouldn't.

I don't know how the ripping process works to be honest. I have imagined it would simply be a process of copying all DVD files into HDD. From what you say, it is probably more advanced. I have not realised the encoding/recoding is even occuring on the way.

Technically, ripping is simply copying the files from the disc to a HDD, although removing any copy protection in the process, while re-encoding is a separate step. Some programs such as DVD Fab (the non free version, I think) blur the line by describing ripping and re-encoding as "ripping" but you appear to only be ripping.
I mostly rip with DVDShrink myself. Actually, I use RipIt4Me which in turn uses DVDShrink to do the work. It'll still handle most DVDs, but there's some newer copy protections it can't handle (ie the type Disney use that makes it appear the DVD contains 40GB worth of files). For those I use DVDShrink with AnyDVD running in the background doing the decrypting as then I can still use DVDShrink to rip and re-author the same time. AnyDVD isn't free though.

[ZikO]

Most rippers have a "movie only" mode but as you've discovered they don't always have an "individual episode" mode.

If you have any problems with the DVD Shrink method I'm happy to help if I can, but as long as the discs was ripped correctly you shouldn't.

Thanks. DVDShrink worked as described I have re-authored DVD content on HDD and managed to create three separate titles that came with individual VOBs, including subtitles and audio tracks for each VOB.

I mostly rip with DVDShrink myself. Actually, I use RipIt4Me which in turn uses DVDShrink to do the work. It'll still handle most DVDs, but there's some newer copy protections it can't handle (ie the type Disney use that makes it appear the DVD contains 40GB worth of files). For those I use DVDShrink with AnyDVD running in the background doing the decrypting as then I can still use DVDShrink to rip and re-author the same time. AnyDVD isn't free though.

I did look at AnyDVD (or AnyDVD HD). Those are quite expensive. I would consider lifetime licence for it. But for now, the combo DVDFab / DVDShrink seems to work for me. DVDFab's ripping component is for free unless re-encoding (e.g. shrinking) is involved. It's true the process is hidden but as long as the full DVD content is copied, that is rather a little issue. It managed to rip almost all DVDs removing protection and regions. Almost because, there was one DVD I couldn't copy: "Nebraska" (2013). DVDShrink seemed to cycled around the same sectors, whereas DVDFab, which is funny, asked me to buy their product. If AnyDVD (HD) can manage to handle it, I would consider buying the product

Cheers!