TLOTR - Extended Editions [SOLVED]

[Xolo]

I hope everyone here has had a happy holiday so far. Keep up the great work!!

I've got a bit of a problem. Years ago I had combined my Lord of the Rings extended DVD's into single video files. I went to watch them yesterday, but they wouldn't play all the way through. At the point where they were combined, they all froze.

So I need to go back to the drawing board and start again from scratch. And this time I'd like to have all of the chapters available from both disks if possible. And it's been a hell of a long time since I've done anything but use DVDFab to rip my DVD's & Blu-rays and then use Handbrake to make videos that I store on my media server.

I've researched a bit and I know that Handbrake doesn't combine files, so that option is out.

I have tried a few things, but nothing has worked yet. The majority of the posts that I had found use obsolete software that doesn't run on Windows 7. So I'm turning to you, the experts here for your help.

I have the original DVD's. I also have them ripped to my media server in native VOB files in their respective VIDEO_TS folders. We watched these instead last night, and they still play flawlessly!!

I had tried to combine the VOB's into a common VIDEO_TS folder, but the software available kept crashing (too old). I was then hoping to use Handbrake to create my compressed video file to store and watch at my leisure.

[Xolo]

Update:

I re-encoded my DVD's using Handbrake, paying special attention to the size and bitrates to make sure that they matched (or at least are closer bitrates, frame size had to match exactly). That allowed me to try joining them using MyMP4Box.

However, the issue with the resultant file is the second half has a lag in the audio. Is there a way to correct this? Do I have to make sure that the bitrates are identical to keep this from happening when joining the files together?

[hello_hello]

The bitrate shouldn't effect the audio sync. x264 has a --stitchable option for appending encodes, but I don't know if you can use it with Handbrake.

I had a similar problem with those DVDs myself, but it was so long ago I can't remember much detail, although I suspect the audio and video streams had slightly different durations. And if the memories returning as I type are real, I think the audio stream for the first half is a little longer than the video stream, so if the streams are appended without accounting for that, the end result would be the audio for the second half is delayed relative to the video.

If you still have the freshly minted MP4s and the audio sync is fine when you play them individually, try opening and appending them with MKVToolNixGUI and remuxing them as MKV. I know nothing about MP4 or MyMP4Box, but MKVToolNixGUI should maintain any existing "gaps" between the streams. If the audio sync is okay for the MKV, at least that'll be a start, assuming the final format has to be MP4. If that's not important, MKVToolNixGUI might be easiest fix.

And I think I'm remembering...... there's quite a gap between the two halves of each movie isn't there? A gap where the player displays nothing but black frames for a few seconds, or maybe for an incredibly large number of seconds.... but if I'm correct you could use Handbrake to edit it out.
If the first DVD has a duration of 6 days, nine hours, 37 minutes and 44 seconds (or do they just seem that long when you're not into them ) and the last 137 seconds is just blank frames, you could encode the first DVD minus the last 130 seconds, and if the second DVD begins with a lot of black you could edit it out too. Handbrake lets you specify start/end points doesn't it?
The idea behind that would be to make sure the video and audio streams are the same length by deleting a bit at the end, and if I'm correct about that being the problem, once the crud is removed and any "gaps" with it, you'd probably be able to append the MP4s. Just a thought....

Plan "C" might be to remux each DVD as a single MKV with MakeMKV, append the two MKVs with MKVMergeGUI or MakeMKV, so you'd have the whole movie as a single file and if the audio sync is still okay you could encode that in one go with Handbrake. Actually, that sounds like it mightn't be a terrible idea,. Maybe plan "C" would be the place to start?

[Xolo]

Thanks for the tips.

I know, it's been so long since I performed the conversion the first time. I think I originally used AnyDVD's virtual drive and mounted the VIDEO_TS folders and then used DVDShrink to combine them together. But I could probably never manage to get that to work again.

I tried Plan "C" first. Remuxing using MakeMKV and appending using MKVToolNixGUI. It didn't work, or I did something wrong. I'm not familiar with MKVToolNixGUI, so it definitely may have been my error. Trying to play it after the append process only showed the first DVD's video. Also the overall video length was showing as incorrect.

There doesn't seem to be any gap in between the files.

I've just now tried using the MP4 files in MKVToolNixGUI. The first file worked (Fellowship). It has all the chapters and no delay at all. For that one I'll just have to reconvert to MP4 now. Same with the second file (Two Towers). So I think that's the route I'll be able to go with. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I'll now have functioning files again. Will probably watch them again in about 4-5 years from now!