DVD Video template

[pchan]

Hi All,
My brother has many video clips that he would like to backup into DVD-R discs for playback.

I am thinking of setting up a DVD file structure template where I can drop a few .VOB files and shrink to 4.5GB with DVD Shrink.
1. How to create such DVD file structures?
2. Does the .VOB file size must be less than 1GB?
3. Any fast way to convert .mp4 or MTS to .VOB?

Thanks in advance.

[ProWo]

3. Any fast way to convert .mp4 or MTS to .VOB?

DVD needs mpeg2 as videocodec, 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) and mpa or ac3 as audiocodec.
You can convert any video to this specifications and mux the resulting streams to VOB with clever FFmpeg-GUI.

[TheGhost]

AVStoDVD
https://www.videohelp.com/software/AVStoDVD

However, DVD is fairly low quality and DVD-R discs are prone to damage. BD-R discs would be better.

Could you simply burn the video files to BD-R as a data disc, to avoid processing them and keep the original quality? Many blu-ray players will recognise *some* data file formats on a disc, such as mkv. You could run the file through MKVToolNix (https://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVToolNix) to remux to that format very quickly without loss of quality.

[pchan]

Thanks for all the replies.

In the mean time, I have taken a look at DVDstyler.

Any comment on it?

Thanks.

[The_Doman]

Converting video's to DVD/VOB is not really what i would consider a "backup".
If you using a Blue-ray player you could just put the files "as is" on a DVD?
Most Blue-ray players can play those files directly.

[pchan]

@The_Doman,
I don't he is getting a bluray player.

Here is what he did.
1. Take a Video_TS with a certain number of .VOB files.
2. Replaced them with the same number of .VOB files that he intended to keep.
3. If Video_TS folder exceed 4.7Gb, shrink it with DVD Shrink. Run through FixVTS before shrink.

Problem: DVDStyler, DVD Shrink both complain VTS_01_1.VOB file not found.

Is there any way to get around this problem?

Thanks.

[ProWo]

Problem: DVDStyler, DVD Shrink both complain VTS_01_1.VOB file not found.
Is there any way to get around this problem?
Thanks.

VTS_01_1.VOB is the first videoset (_01) part 1 (_1).
If you have renamed all new vobs this way and the error remains, you have to edit the ifo files to match with the related vobs.
This can be done with Ifoedit.

[The_Doman]

@The_Doman,
I don't he is getting a bluray player.

Or possible if his DVD player can play SD video files from disk/usb you then can just burn the converted Mpeg2 files directly on DVD?
Many DVD players, often labeled with Divx, can do that since a long time.
VOB's are just authored MPEG1/2 files.

As noted you CAN edit the DVD-Menu VOB structure manually with the right tools.
But really, why you would go though all the trouble to accomplish that?

Better find another solution to playback his video files i think?
May be a cheap media player?
Even a used older generation player would be good enough to do that.

[pchan]

Problem: DVDStyler, DVD Shrink both complain VTS_01_1.VOB file not found.
Is there any way to get around this problem?
Thanks.

VTS_01_1.VOB is the first videoset (_01) part 1 (_1).
If you have renamed all new vobs this way and the error remains, you have to edit the ifo files to match with the related vobs.
This can be done with Ifoedit.

@ProWo,
I google and there isn't much about Ifoedit guide. I follow this guide.
https://www.ifoedit.com/createifo094.html

I tried to the following VOBs.
VTS_01_1.VOB (from disc A)
VTS_01_2.VOB (from disc B)
VTS_01_3.VOB (from disc B)

It can only play the first VOB and hang.

Any tips on how to link these 3 VOBs together ?

Thanks.

[pchan]

I found my problem i.e. FixVTS backup folder was mistaken as fixed.
Just check In place(no backup!).

1. Use IfoEdit to Create IFOs of the VOB files.
2. Use FixVTS to fix Full DVD.

DVD Shrink will be able to shrink the Video_TS folder.

Thanks.

[r0lZ]

You cannot simply replace existing VOBs with new ones. The IFO (and BUP) files contain many tables about the content of the VOBs, and modifying, even slightly, a VOB without recreating the whole DVD structure is not possible. The ifoedit + fixvts trick may work, but you will have to burn the DVD with a good program as well. I recommend IMGBurn. Burning the files with a general purpose burning program will almost certainly produce a bad DVD, that will be refused by most hardware DVD players.

[Cornucopia]

It is *SO* much easier to just:

1. Demux/extract to elementary streams (*.M2V, *.AC3, etc)
2. (optional, only if necessary for next app) Remux to standard MPG streams
3. Import into DVD Authoring app
4. Author as you prefer the title to be (streams, menu, navigation, etc) & compile into ISO/Files&Folders
5. Burn with ImgBurn

You would be done by now.


Scott

[pchan]

@r0lZ and Cornucopia,

Thanks. Maybe I should enlighten my situation. This dude that I am helping is a retiree and it's hard to teach old dog new trick.
He grabs free to air broadcast on travelling using a LG DVD recorder and burn them onto DVD-RW. Pull all the VOBs into his PC.
Here is his tricky part. He will reuse old DVD as a template based on the numbers of VOBs. For example, if his DVD-RW has 5 VOBs then he will go get an old DVD that has 5 VOBs and replace the VOBs from his DVD-RW. You folks can follow? After that, he will use FixVTS the frankenstein DVD and if it's more 4.7GB then DVD shrink it.

Recently DVD Shrink wouldn't launch due to DEP issue. Fixed that. But FixVTS wouldn't work on the frankenstien DVD. It says invalid VOB.

Yours truly told him to junk that frankenstein method and use this method.
1. Grab all the VOBs in the DVD-RW and dump them in a Video_TS folder.
2. Use IfoEdit to generate new IFOs on those VOBs with Create IFOs.
3. Use FixVTS to fix those files in the Video_TS folder.
4. DVD Shrink it if Video_TS folder > 4.7GB.

So far it works. But for how long ?
Please don't ask why he keeps travel videos.

[Cornucopia]

He is making it harder than it needs to be. Good luck.
(old dogs CAN learn new tricks - I should know).


Scott

[cornemuse]

[I]I have many, MANY video TS + (I prefer)*.iso's on computer and hdd's. On hdd's I view them with MPC on the comp, with the option of viewing them consecutively? or repeat forever! On TV, I use my Argosy or Dune or rarelyWDtvlive?. All old but for me, most excellent. With the VOB's, I have to "back out" to the containing folder. The *.iso's when they end, always close at the containing folder.
Many of my posts here refer to the (15 year old!) Argosy player, I love that thing!

[pchan]

Thanks for all the replies.

If anyone who is in the same boat as me, then this thread from Baldrick should suffice.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/68128-How-to-author-burn-a-DVD-from-VOB-trailers-files

Update:
This is a better alternative.
1. Put all VOBs into 1 folder e.g. VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB
2. Launch Avidemux and drag & drop the first VTS first file.
3. Avidemux will prompt "There are several files with sequential file names. Should they be all loaded? Click "Yes".
4. Change Output format to "Mpeg-PS Muxer(ff)". Click "Save Video".
5. Input "filename" and click "Save".
6. Author DVD with the .mpg files.