I need expert help

[mikef07]

Ok. Take a disc like Oz. It has 2 PGC's (Each of about an hour for each episode(2 episodes per disc)). If I use DVD2AVI the AC3 file will not work when importing to DVD Maestro. So I use Smartripper to demux file. Problem here is the you have to separate the 2 chains so I end up with an two AC3 files. An AC3 file of about 55 min (PGC1) and an AC3 file of 57 minutes (PGC2).

But the M2V file again is both hours combined. What can I do so that I have just one big AC3 file to merge into DVD Maestro?

[mikef07]

WHere are all of the experts??? Someone has to know how to do this.

[wulf109]

You should rip each episode to it's own directory as one large file,use movie mode in smartripper,IFO mode in DVD Decrypter. Demux into streams after you rip to your HD.

[mikef07]

But then I will have 2 different episodes. I want to have one m2v file and one ac3 file. How do I get it to 1 ac3 file? By doing what u said I will have 2 ac3 files.

[katchupoy]

From what I've read... you already fix the video side and your problem is audio side...

Try DVD2AVI... you can add several vobs...and make one big AC3 or WAV file...

I hope this works

[mikef07]

I can make the one big AC3 file in DVD2AVI. Unfortunately this AC3 file does not work when importing into DVD Maestro because of the multiple PGC's I guess. Is there a different way to extract 1 big AC3 file.

[VidHack]

OK,

Here is your NON-Expert answer. Multi-episode disks are a PAIN in the arss. But since you want to take the Maestro approach in doing a Multi-PGC show.... Here we go.

You didnt exactly give a bunch of details on your exact steps, but lets do it from the beginning....

ToolsVD2SVCD(in DVD Mode), IFOedit, DVDmaestro, DVD2AVI, A case of beer....A shotgun to kill yourself when done....

I am assumeing you know the Multi-PGC problem with Maestro, you load in the entire Video stream and audio stream, then the Chapters for both streams, then create a playlist for both PGC's that are actually each episode. (If you just said HUH?) Forget it man, your not ready for this baby.

The trick to getting both episodes into a single Video and audio stream is this. IFOedit and vStrip. Here we go.

1. Rip the whole DVD to drive.
2. IFOedit, rip streams you want, 1 video, 1 audio.
3. Now you have the show only, but shrunk, so ask yourself, will these new files plus my original menu = less than 4.7gb? If so....Done!
4. Of coarse the stupid thing is tooo big, 5.00 gb...RATS...
5. Load all these new VOBs into vStrip(GUI), and SPLIT BY VOB ID.
6. Now make 2 folders, One for VOB ID 1, another for VOB ID 2.
7. These are your episodes split up.
8. Now cut the credits off, use my "Frame accurate credit cutting" post as a guide.
9. Now see how big your VOBS are? Less than 4.3gb? If yes....Done...
10 Hell no, still tooooo Big.
11 Take all these VOBS and move them into a new directory, IMPORTANT!!! renumber the VOBS, so that they are in the exact order that the original DVD id. VTS_01_1.....VTS_01_2.....ect....
12 Now you have both episodes in a directory (Yea), now run IFOedit, Create new IFO, select the first VOB, set to a SINGLE PGC, let it run.
13. NOW, you have an IFO that you can load into Smartripper, or DVD2SVCD to extract both episodes into a single stream of video and audio, you can use DVD2SVCD to shrink the file down to fit on a DVDr.
14. When your done you can load in the Video and audio into Maestro, set up your playlists, oh yea, forgot an important step, when the vobs where in there own directoris and you cut off the credits, run IFOedit, create ifo's, to create a IFO that you can load into ChapterExtracter to get the chapter points for your Playlists in Maestro. (hope that makes sense?)(Do this at step 9)

OK, your answer is in that Post somewhere, I did this stupid technique on Band of Bro. but, then I moved on to Scenarist.....

Good Luck,

Not to be pain, but I will probably not answer any questions back to me on this post, hopefully this all makes sense...

VidHack

[mikef07]

From Step 5 on your instuctions are not precise enough. How to? THere has to be an easier way. Does anyone know how to just get 1 AC3 file. i know there is a way.

Step 11 makes no sense. Renumber??? No such thing. Rename? to what?

THe original VOB's are named VTS_01_1, VTS_01_2...all the way up to VTS_01_5

Step 12 How do you create new IFO in IfoEdit?

I did step 3 and it is at 4.47GB

[VidHack]

How to create IFO's in ifoedit??? Come'on man.

1. Start IFOedit
2. HIT THE BIG BUTTON THAT SAYS CREATE IFO's.
3. Folow the screens..... Load in your first VOB.......Wait.....Done.

Look, I am trying to help you out, but I said in the beginning that if this doesnt make sense, drink some beer and get the gun.....

The basic concept of this entire mess is to get your 2 PGC's split out of the Title set. Stored into a seperate directory. Cut off the credits. Create new IFO's (To get the new chapter points.) then put them into a new directory and YES Rename and RENUMBER the VOBs. When you split them out of the Tile set using vStrip, you gave it some new name, so what I am saying is to rename (VTS_) and RENUMBER(_01_1) (put that together you get (VTS_01_1) for the first VOB then VTS_01_2 for the next..ect... Then you create a SINGLE PGC out of these shrunk down VOBS, now that its a SINGLE PGC, you can rip a SINGLE stream out of it that really contains BOTH episodes, get it????

Hey, its 4:10pm RIGHT NOW, I will hang for a few minutes, if you answer back within 10 min I will answer or else...this is the end.....

Please re-read my post, its all there, perhaps someone else has a better way, you could use BeSweet/Besplit Audio tools to JOIN the AC3 files if you dont want to use my way. I am simply overing you a complete solution to reauthor this DVD.

Good Luck, u might need it....

VidHack.

[BJ_M]

i didnt read the whole thread - but maestro comes with an AC3 joiner built in and also a seperate one on the install cd ..

[mikef07]

I DID IT!!!!!

You can join 2 AC3 files using a simple DOS command. SO here is what I did to copy OZ. I use CCE to end up getting a m2v file that is about 2 hours long of video only. I then use smartripper and demux EPisode 1 AC3 file and Episode 2 AC3 file separately. Open a DOS window or a command prompt. I have 2 files: ep1.ac3 and ep2.ac3

Type the following without the quotes:

"copy /b ep1.ac3+ep2.ac3 ep12.ac3"

I end up with a 2 hour AC3 file named ep12.ac3

I can then import this into DVD maestro


THANK YOU SO MUCH VIDHACK FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP ME THOUGH. I HONESTLY APPRECIATE IT AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP PEOPLE AS WELL BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID FOR ME. ANY QUESTIONS PEOPLE PM ME

BTW the /b just identifies the ac3 files as binary, but u need to do this.

[BJ_M]

yes i posted that method to join ac3 file and even other files a number of time here and works fine .. sometimes it is suggested to put a /b also at the end ...