strange error in ifo

[Dark Lemming]

i just processed a music dvd, and as usual, the clips/menus/photos featured backfround lpcm audio.

i converted the lpcm to ac3 for the menu and for the videoclips, but i'm facing a problem in the photos vobs. they have a peculiar cell structure wich ifoedit can't achieve and i can't manage to replicate.

here's the original vob structure: pgcedit_shot.jpg (http://pwp.netcabo.pt/rogeriorocha/pgcedit_shot.jpg)

anyone has any ideas?
thanks

[jeanl]

What's peculiar about the structure? The fact that you have 2 cells per chapter?
What's the procedure you've been using anyway?
jeanl

[Dark Lemming]

pgcdemux -> m2v,wav,celltimes
softencode -> ac3
ifoedit/muxman (m2v,ac3,celltimes) -> vobs

(rejig outputs an erroneous vob with only 2MB)

this is the output i get:pgcedit_shot2.jpg (http://pwp.netcabo.pt/rogeriorocha/pgcedit_shot2.jpg)

[jeanl]

It should be easy with PgcEdit to change the program numbers and the chapter numbers... Simply click on the program button to remove programs where you don't need them. You might have to edit the chapter table to remove the extraneous chapters, but that's also easy with PgcEdit...
jeanl

[Dark Lemming]

i've been messing with pgcedit too, but the problem is that when ifoedit muxes the m2v with the ac3, it does not create the correct number of cell and chapters (also putting chapters in the wrong place

[blutach]

Use muxman with celltimes.txt. Never fails.

Regards

[Dark Lemming]

@blutach - it failed...

[CirTap]

besides, it looks like the cell times are different, too. the originals have pretty constant values, 02:00 or 02:24, wheras in your remuxed version the cell playtimes are totally different, or is shot2 from another disc?
I don't think MuxMan actually failed, but created one cell per program. your celltimes.txt needs to be based on cells not programs (you can change this in PgcEdit on export), then you may (manually) "restore" the double-cell layout with PgcEdit.

Have fun,
CirTap

[Dark Lemming]

thanks for all you guys trying to help. but you haven't noticed that playback time is somehow altered. the m2v is ok and the ac3 is ok, but the muxed file is half sized...

[CirTap]

but the muxed file is half sized...well hopefully it is, since AC3 uses less space than LPCM -- that's the point, isnt it? but this should not affect playtime. a minute is a minute either in AC3, MPA or LPCM.

[Dark Lemming]

well... i meant half-sized in timestamp it should be 2min and it's only 50 seconds. just demuxing and remuxing original files i get the same output.

[jeanl]

It is possible that the original playback times are erroneous! Did you check that? In any case, something's quite fishy in the original cells:
Notice the first cell lasts about 2s, but only uses 274 sectors. The second one lasts 2s but uses 730 sectors. It's not impossible, but it's kind of strange. Can you see what's in the first cell and what's in the second one? (You can visualize them in PgcEdit, but you might have to open the VOB with vobedit to see exactly what each cell has - video? audio?)...
jeanl

[Dark Lemming]

this is a photo slideshow

they all have sound

cells 1,3,5, ... ,49 are still pictures
cells 2,4,6, ... ,50 are the transitions

so i bet the still images have some kind of code that makes them stay visible for a second or so... how can i recompile this?

[CirTap]

may sound stupid, but does this thing play at all, and if so, is the audio pitched somewhat? maybe sth. went wrong (as well?) in the PCM->AC3 transcoding (samplerates?)
do the standalone AC3s play/sound normal?
[EDIT:] I just read that both files seem ok.

since the "timing" is stored in the IFO (afaik), replacing the audio should do the trick IF you reuse the original IFOs but just patch the audio track to be AC3. Honestly, I'm still totally lost if it comes to IFO editing, so hopefully some qualified ppl may help you with that.
I suspect these are stills and videos interleaved, while the transitions take as much time as they need, the length of a still (1 frame) depends on the IFO setting. since you hnow have AC3 the final VOB must be shorter in file length, but playtime depends on the IFOS ... but I'm just babbling and running out of ideas. sorry.

Good luck!
CirTap

[Dark Lemming]

thanks anyway. i'm grateful for your effort