Totally delete VTS in PgcEdit?!?

[hardkorn]

Hi
What is the best way to delete(not bypass, skip or whatever) but truly delete unwanted VTS, in PgcEdit so the only vobs left would be those that hold the main movie plus the coresponding IFO?. I used vobblanker and dvdremake and alot others, but using those I still have VTS_02_1.vob and IFO file, VTS_03_1...n files+IFO file,though the main movie is in VTS6 for example-I know those VTS's are blanked and being replaced with n kb files, but I don't want them on my final DVD!!!. How can I remove those "extras" so I can have only the IFO+bup file and the vob files: "DVD VTS_01_1.ifo, BUP and VTS_01_1.vob....to VTS_01_6.vob and the VIDEO_TS.IFO&bup let's say"

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
And another thing I'm looking is to remove any reffernces to the removed VTS inside IFO's. Could be this done with PGCEDIT? Totally delete them?

[blutach]

First make sure the VTS's are unreferenced - you cvan find out what calls what with calls cross references.

Once they are you can remap title numbers so the titles in the high numbered VTS are the highest numbered title (Title- Remap Title Numbers). Then you can remap the titlesets (DVD-Remap titlesets) so the titles you want are all in VTS_01. FInally remove all the unwanted titlesets (DVD-Remove last titleset)
Regards

[r0lZ]

Seems you are asking for something very difficult to do. You must understand that deleting a PGC can be done ONLY if there are no references to this PGC. Otherwise, your DVD will crash when the missing PGC is accessed.
It is possible to edit the VM commands and references so that a PGC is unreferenced. But it's usually not easy, and you have to do it manually. This require a very good knowledge ot the DVD structure, VM commands, etc... If you think you can do it, then you should not need to ask how to do it in this forum.

However, if the only thing you want to keep is the main movie, w/o menus, there is a very easy way: use DVD Shrink in reauthor mode, and drag the main movie in the left pane. Then generate the DVD. The movie will start directly when you insert the DVD in the player, and will stop after playing it.

[hardkorn]

Thank you blutach for your exact response. I will look into it. I saw some pgcedit guides, but non of the guides I found cover what I want to do. Not just with pgcedit but with other tools either. Are there any advanced guides using detailed dvdstructure explanation?

Is there a way to reauthor the decrypted main VTS from a dvd, the original menu in another app, let's say DVD-Lab Pro?(I really like it you know:) )

Thank you both!

[r0lZ]

Yes, you can load the original movie in DVD-Lab. Though you dosen't really need to demux it before, it's recommended, escpecially if the title is made of more than one VOB file. Use PgcEdmux (by Jsoto) to demux.
There are also good guides explaining how to make a new menu, and then import back the original movie in the new DVD. See my homepage.

[hardkorn]

Thanks
But I really want to mux back the original menu, not to make a new one from scratch. Could it be done?

[r0lZ]

As I said, yes, it is possible to remove what you want, but you need to learn how to do it. The learning curve may require several months, and I cannot explain it here in details.

Don't forget that when you watch your DVD, you will not see the unused stuff. And if you blank it, it will take almost no space on your DVD. So, why do you insist to remove it totally? It's useless, and unnoticeable.

[hardkorn]

I am quoting myself:

"Let's say that my reasons are purely stupid and If I think it through, no reason at all. I can't stand those files on the DVD (sounds like I'm eligible for a nuthouse huh?) and I'm really curious IF I CAN MAKE IT! hahaha" END OF QUOTE :))


Can you give me some directions? Or some a good place to start? I really want to learn and explain some things to myself. And I really want to know how. Thanks

[r0lZ]

Good reason, indeed! ;)

http://www.mpucoder.com/DVD/
http://dvd-replica.com/DVD/
I can't do much more, since you have to understand almost everything on the DVD internals do do what you want.

[hardkorn]

:) Thank you very much!

I hope it'll help.

[hardkorn]

@blutach

First make sure the VTS's are unreferenced - you cvan find out what calls what with calls cross references.

Once they are you can remap title numbers so the titles in the high numbered VTS are the highest numbered title (Title- Remap Title Numbers). Then you can remap the titlesets (DVD-Remap titlesets) so the titles you want are all in VTS_01. FInally remove all the unwanted titlesets (DVD-Remove last titleset)
Regards

Ok
I started to do what you told me here.

First I get alot of '<unref>', but other "secondary" VTS's are refferenced. What I have to do to unrefference them? Stupid question huh? sorry!
Here's a pic of what I have to deal with:

http://forum.doom9.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=5040&stc=1

Obviously VTS6 being the main VTS.
(my first ever forum pic attachment, hope it works)

So I'm here, where to now?

Thank you for your precious time!

[hardkorn]

It seems that finally I made it. I obtained what I wanted. I was able to delete everything else on the dvd except the main vts and the menu
and I'm thrilled about it
thank you blutach and r0lz.
Peace!

[Drinken]

Make sure you test every single menu entry with perhaps PGCedit trace function, and burn it to a RW and test that it works in a set top player... running the find jumps to nowhere function is also a good idea I think.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm by no means a seasoned veteran when it comes to this.

[r0lZ]

Drinken, you're right! ;)

[hardkorn]

It works. I replaced the First play PGC command, so it jumps to VTS1. What it doesn't work is the "scroll bar" or what is called, in WinDvd. I probably deleted something when I tinkered with the commands. Fast forward buttons, next, previous chapter buttons work though.
Peace!

I just have to burn it to a dvdrw and see if my Philips home-cinema likes it.

[r0lZ]

Great! :)
Don't forget to verify that if comes back to the main menu when the movie is finished.

[hardkorn]

I noticed that "the scroll bar" or t"the progress bar" deactivates, stops working when using certain apps. Is there a way to make it work again. How does the commands for it look like?

[r0lZ]

It's a well known bug of WinDVD.
It is caused by the NextPGC and PrevPGC links being non-zero in the PGC. Theses values are forced by PgcEdit's Enable All Operations function to be able to use the Next chapter button when in the last chapter of the title, or the Prev button when in the first chapter.
If you really wants so, you can restore those values to 0 in the PGC Editor. But as far as I know, only WinDVD has this bug.
Note that PgcEdit doesn't change those values if they are already non-zero. If changed by PgcEdit, the value used in both cases is the current PGC number. If the value is different, do not set it to 0, or you will experience problems!

Also, you should verify the forward and backward scan PUOs.

[hardkorn]

Man, you are a GENIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsS! Everything I wanted to do so far, worked.
Now I'm thinking of deleting the "extras" links, buttons etc. from the menu.
What do you think? Should I give it a try. Am I good enough? :) ;)
Thanks r0lZ, you rule!
Peace!

[r0lZ]

Try it, yes, why not?! :)
BTW, if you want to get rid of a button, use Hide button instead of Delete button. It's safer.

[hardkorn]

Hey r0lZ!
I have some <unre> dummy PGC's in the VMGM and in the VTS. Is there an option to delete them individualy. If I try "Remove LU" nothing happends. If I try to delet a Menu PGC it won't let me. How can I delete the <unref> dummy pgc's?
Peace!

[r0lZ]

You can only delete a LU when there are several LUs in the same menu domain. For example, you can delete the "fr" LU and keep only "en". This will never break the navigation, since the player will always automatically use an available LU.

You can (currently) delete only the last PGC of a domain. This is because if you delete a PGC in the middle, the following PGCs will be renumbered. Therefore, all VM commands and Pre/Post/GoUpPGC links must be verified, and modified according to the new PGC numbers. It's not easy to do.
But it's relatively easy to do it by hand. Select the last referenced dummy PGC and call "Go to calling command". A list of all commands calling that PGCs is displayed. Click on the first button on this list, and modify the command to call the first unreferenced PGC instead. Repeat for all commands. When done, copy the PGC commands and parameters to the first unreferenced PGC. Launch the Calls Cross References function again: the first unreferenced PGC should appear as referenced, and the last referenced should be unreferenced.
It is not possible to do that when the original referenced PGC is not a dummy, because you cannot copy the video contents (ie the cells table) from a PGC to another.

Note also that calling several times the Calls Cross References function with the option to clear the commands usually finds more unreferenced PGCs.

A function to move a PGC or swap 2 PGCs is in my todo list...

[hardkorn]

hi again!
I just got my hands on the Starwars III Revenge Of the Sith. I started to look at it's structure and I noticed something very interesting(annoying actually). It's got several menus, different layouts, colors that are played randomly, a diiferent one whenever the dvd is inserted in the player. The menus are 600 mb in size and I want to delete some of the extra ones, cause the VOBS are 6 gbs.Another thing is that the subtitles and audio-language commands that are triggered from the remote control don't seem to work, as whenever I press the buttons, nothing happens. The only way to change the audio and the subtitles is from it's root menu, manually. And is quite a pain in the ass, if you know what I mean.
Where should I look for the subtitle problem and how can I find what to delete from the menus. This is the crappiest manufactured dvd I have ever seen.
And the last question what do you recommand for VOB authoring? I want to compress the vobs to a decent quality, and reauthor'em in DVD lab Pro and replace them with VobBlanker, but the movie being 3 hours long I don't see myself succeeding. Can it be done?

[r0lZ]

IMO, in this case, it's better to split the DVD on two DVD-5, or to burn a DL DVD+R.

If you want to split it, you may use VobBlanker, and remove the last chapters in the first DVD, and the first ones for the second DVD. Of course, you will have to inhibit some menu buttons in the chapter menus, and correct the navigation commands so that the buttons of the second DVDs play the right chapters. Seems difficult, but IMO, it's easier than trying to remove the menu stuff you don't need. And you will not loose quality. (Even with an excellent encoder, shrinking 3 hours for a DVD-5 cannot offer good quality, especially if you want to keep the animated menus or some extras.)

Usually, I use MenuShrink and DVDShrink to compress my DVDs, but I don't like to use a compression ratio less than 70 or 80%. If the movie is too long, I split it, and I keep the menus and extras on both DVDs.

[hardkorn]

ok thnx. I thought I would have to eventually.
But what about the subtitles and audio? Can I fix this?

[r0lZ]

Oh, yes.

Do you mean that you cannot change the subtitles and audio directly with the remote, w/o having to return to the audio/subpic menus?
If it's the case, it's probably caused by the PUOs. You should double-click on the main movie, and, in the PgcEditor, remove the Prohibited User Operations for Subpic and Audio change.
You may also want to remove the PUOs in all PGCs of the title domains. You can use DVD -> Filter Prohibited User Operations to do that, but IMO, it is better to leave the PUOs in the menu domains (VTSM, ans sometimes also VMGM.)
If that doesn't work, you may have also some PUOs in the VOBs. To remove them, you need the PUO plugin, available on my homepage.

[hardkorn]

Thank you and A Happy New Year!

[hardkorn]

hey

It's working I think.
I have another question. Is it possible to tell which software was used to create a certain DVD, after just looking at its strucure or in another way?

[r0lZ]

Might be possible in some cases.
There is nothing in the IFOs to write the name of the authoring program (but the provider ID is sometimes used for that purpose.)
Of course, each authoring program has his own way to organize the pieces together. So, it is theoretically possible to recognize the "signature" of a program by looking at the IFOs. After some time, you will find the same methods on several DVDs.
Also, Spruce Technologies, for example, uses an image of his logo instead of pure black in the VOB of the menu domains with only dummy PGCs.
However, as far as I know, there are no simple tricks to know for sure which authoring program was used.
BTW, if you are interested, maybe you can contribute on this matter. If you find a good and easy way to recognize an authoring program, please let us know.

[MoonDoggie]

Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the info. I've been messing around with doing this myself but was having problems but thanks to this thread I was able to delete several blanked out vts,vobs, and pgc's using a mixture of PgcEdit & DVDRemake. Took some hunting and time but I got it and it works perfectly. :)

I should mention the fact that PgcEdit's trace feature was a godsend for this.
So thanks everyone.

Moondoggie

[hardkorn]

Hi r0lZ!
I am going to post here as it seems that you are very responsive :))
I am trying to compress a *.m2v source file with an *.m2v output. I was thinking CCE but the most I read out-there the most I have doubts in using it, mostly because it doesn't take feeds from source *.m2v files. I was thinking using VFAPI Converter and feed it the generated avi. What do you think? Is it that a good solution for a great size/quality ratio? Or do you know smth else that will help? Maybe AVS frameserving?
Thanks man again, you rock!

[r0lZ]

I use CCE only with AVI sources, but frameserving through AVS is probably a good solution.

[voo_doo99]

You must understand that deleting a PGC can be done ONLY if there are no references to this PGC. Otherwise, your DVD will crash when the missing PGC is accessed.
It is possible to edit the VM commands and references so that a PGC is unreferenced. But it's usually not easy, and you have to do it manually. This require a very good knowledge ot the DVD structure, VM commands, etc... If you think you can do it, then you should not need to ask how to do it in this forum.

Hi r0lZ,
I's like to revisit this topic because recently I often found myself needing to do this exact task. The reason is some DVD titles [like Madagascar ...] would obnoxioulsly included 30, 40 VTS of previews which was a pain just to blank them out in the backup :eek:. And even after cleaning, there still existed the clutter of unsightly useless VTS stubs :(. It would be so much better if those junks can be removed completely from the backup DVD structure :)

Anyway, I have researched the steps in PgcEdit and been doing it with some success, but there seemed [for me] too much going back and forth between many screens to edit the references. I think PgcEdit, with its excellent searching and documenting capability, can help putting all needed infos in one screen for this task. For example, after I did "Delete last VTS in DVD" [say VTS 2] I will get an Info screen which will help me with editing the references. The screen will have two main sections: one section listing all the commands of the [deleted] VTS; and the second section listing all the "Calling commands". And additional section for "Find jumps to nowhere", maybe???

Below is a sample screen I constructed with infos pulled within PgcEdit:

PgcEdit: Delete VTS 2 in DVD [screen title]

VTS 2 (VTS_02_0.IFO)
--------------------

VTSM 2 , LU 1 (en):

VTSM 2 , LU 1 (en) , 1 (dummy) RootM - Chapters: n/a, Programs: 0, Cells: 0
********** pre commands:
1 (JumpVTS_TT) Jump to TTN 1 in this VTS
********** post commands:
********** cell commands:


VTSM 2 , LU 1 (en) , 2 (0:00) - Chapters: n/a, Programs: 1, Cells: 1
********** pre commands:
1 LinkPGCN PGC 1
********** post commands:
********** cell commands:
********** menu buttons commands:



VTST 2:

VTST 2 , 1 TTN 1 (0:00) Title 4 - Chapters: 1, Programs: 1, Cells: 1
********** pre commands:
********** post commands:
1 Set gprm(10) =(mov) 1000
2 Set gprm(0) =(mov) gprm(15)
3 Set gprm(15) =(mov) 0
4 Set gprm(2) =(mov) 99
5 if ( gprm(0) == gprm(2) ) then { (CallSS) Call the VMGM PGC 1, resume cell 1 }
6 (CallSS) Call the VMGM PGC 3, resume cell 1
********** cell commands:


CALLING COMMANDS
-----------------

VMGM , LU 1 (en) , 2 (dummy) - Chapters: n/a, Programs: 0, Cells: 0

********** pre commands:
1 (JumpTT) Jump to Title 4
********** post commands:
********** cell commands:


VTSM 2 , LU 1 (en) , 1 (dummy) RootM - Chapters: n/a, Programs: 0, Cells: 0

********** pre commands:
1 (JumpVTS_TT) Jump to TTN 1 in this VTS
********** post commands:
********** cell commands:



This woud really be helpful for the task, and very cool if you can find way to provide links back to the referenced commands :D. Hope you will give it good consideration.

:thanks:

[r0lZ]

It's not a bad idea, but I use another method.
I start by modifying the VM commands so that the unnecessary titles and menus are not played anymore, with the help of the trace and the Go To Calling Command function.
Then I use the Calls Cross References function, with the option to remove the VM commands in the unreferenced PGCs. I use this function several times, until all unreferenced PGCs are cleared. (You can see the number of PGCs that are cleared in the status bar. When this number doesn't change any more, you're done.)
At this point, it is easy to see which titles and/or menus you may safely remove.
Note that a menu callable with the remote is never considered as unreferenced, so you might have to verify manually if it is still called, or you should remove the menu type (ie change the "RootM", "AudioM"... labels to none) before calling the calls cross references function.

[blutach]

But r0lZ - any menu that's callable only with the remote from an unreferenced VTS is itself unable to be played, yes? So, maybe it should be marked as unreffed too?

I see this when I delete VTSs but perhaps some others would not think they can delete the VTS unless they see all "pink". What do you think?

Regards

[r0lZ]

That's right. It's a little bug/limitation in the calls cross reference function. But due to the way it is implemented, it is not easy to fix.
Note that even a menu in a VTS with only a title that is still referenced but not played because it has been blanked out or the user has applied the kill playback functiion cannot be called, too. But this case is even more difficult to test.

[voo_doo99]

It's not a bad idea, but I use another method.

Ugh! I can tell it is an advanced method because I never used any of those functions before :o. I confess even as an longtimer in DVD backup, I still am not PgcEdit savvy :(. I mainly use this tool to perform simple tasks that I did with IfoEdit before: bypass logos, warnings, previews, ... and most of the powerful features of PgcEdit are beyond my grasp. There were simply not enough tutorials about them, and PgcEdit became an expert's tool much like PhotoShop as compared to PS Elements. I am not really complaining, I got all my usual works done with PgcEdit :)


I start by modifying the VM commands so that the unnecessary titles and menus are not played anymore, with the help of the trace and the Go To Calling Command function.
Then I use the Calls Cross References function, with the option to remove the VM commands in the unreferenced PGCs. I use this function several times, until all unreferenced PGCs are cleared. (You can see the number of PGCs that are cleared in the status bar. When this number doesn't change any more, you're done.)
At this point, it is easy to see which titles and/or menus you may safely remove.
Note that a menu callable with the remote is never considered as unreferenced, so you might have to verify manually if it is still called, or you should remove the menu type (ie change the "RootM", "AudioM"... labels to none) before calling the calls cross references function.
OK, time to learn some new stuffs, may be you can give me a tutorial here. It would help me understand better if you could apply your method with details on the small sample that I used earlier, a typical trailer preview, VTS 2 with Title 4 and a VTSM Root menu. I'd like to know details how to reroute commands, check cross references, and watch for visual clues when it comes ready to delete the VTS. Screen captures if possible would be great.

:thanks:

[r0lZ]

Hum, writing such a guide is not easy, mainly because there is no standard way to reroute the navigation to bypass a title or menu, and I don't have many time.

You can, for example, use the Jump To PGC Upon DVD Insert function to bypass the warnings, or kill playback on a bonus menu (with buttons), selecting the 'return to main menu' button when requested. Note that Jump to PGC leaves the original commands of the FP-PGC in place, just in case and for documentation purposes, so you have to delete them manually so that the first PGC that was called is not referenced anymore.

After that, use the Calls Cross Reference function with the option to delete the VM commands in the unreferenced PGCs. Since the jumps from the unreferenced PGCs to other PGCs are deleted, the next time you use the same function, some new PGCs will be detected as unreferenced, and the commands of these PGCs will be also deleted. So, call the Cross Refs function until no new unreferenced PGCs are detected. At this time, you should see which PGCs are really unreferenced. You can therefore use safely your method to remove them (with Remap Title Numbers, Remap TitleSets, Delete Last PGC in Domain and Remove Last VTS in DVD.)
Finally, verify that there are no Jumps to Nowhere, just to be sure.

Try this method on a simple DVD to familiarize yourself with the functions, and why they are used.

Notes:

In many cases, rerouting the navigation is not sufficient to make a title unreferenced. This is because the authoring program may create a VMGM PGC to call any title. This PGC is usually called with the title number in a GPRM, and, in the PGC, this GPRM is tested to call the right title. Even if the title is never called directly by this method, the Calls Cross Refs function detects a reference to the title, and therefore consider it as referenced. In this case, you have to remove the jump to the specific title manually. Do it only if you are sure that the title is never called via this PGC!

Also, as blutach said, a menu callable with the remote (ie a Root Menu, Audio Menu, Title Menu, etc...) is always considered by the current version of PgcEdit as referenced, even if there are no explicit jumps to it. But if all titles in the same titleset are never played, the menu cannot be called by the remote and should therefore be considered as unreferenced. I have modified the Calls Cross Refs (and the Go To Calling Command) functions to mark those menu PGCs as unreferenced. You can download v0.6.4 beta 3 here (http://www.videohelp.com/~r0lZ/pgcedit/beta/PgcEdit_winexe_0.6.4beta3.zip).

[blutach]

Thanks for that r0lZ. :)

Regards

[voo_doo99]

r0lZ,
I have reread all posts, tried PgcEdit Calls Cross Reference function, and had a better understanding. Essentially, your method favored a global and active "Pre-Delete" VTS processing; while my approach based on a more local and passive "After-Delete" clean-up. Honestly, [for me] the Calls Cross Reference function touched more objects than I am comfortable with. I would rather work on one VTS at a time to keep it simple and to contain any mess-up :).

Regardless, both method would need the first step: modifying the VM commands so that the unnecessary titles and menus are not played anymore, which my earlier "VTS Info screen" request was meant for. Such info screen, on the VTS level, would become very useful and popular as infos from 3, 4 other screens or functions can be pulled together and displayed in one place. Kinda like a worklist, which would let me review all commands of the VTS, and to make modification to the Calling Commands. :cool:

Hope you will create it :thanks:

[LordHeinrich]

@voo_doo99,

I am not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I finished a guide today that does lots of things to a DVD.

I used Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes back for the guide.

What I did was:
Completely remove THX Logo & Ending Credits
Re-route commands to jump straight to the main menu
Delete extra menus
Remap Title 1 to VTS_01
Unreferenced all extra (unwanted) material
and lots more (it is over 50 pages long!)...

However, as r0lZ stated, it is not standard, though this guide should work for all Star Wars releases and its reasoning can be applied to all other DVDs. Sony DVDs are a little trickier though, because some, like Legend of Zorro, use the VTSM menus to decide which title is played. I wrote a guide on that as well and here is the link:

http://rapidshare.de/files/13888439/Legend_of_Zorro.pdf.html

However, I wrote this more for an ARccOS guide than editing guide, so I did not go too in depth. Also, I did not show how to clean up the menus and remove references to PGCs that will cause the DVD to freeze (sony puts them in intentially for some reason)...

@hardkorn,

For Star Wars, I got a 71..3% compression and the result was visually identical, if not slightly better than the original. (I know the bitrate drops and the quality should go down, but some of the enhancements make the picture "look" better).

If anyone is interested, I can upload the guide to Rapidshare and post the link to the guide with Star Wars. That guide is mainly about editing so it will give more info than the Zorro guide.

[dirio49]

If anyone is interested, I can upload the guide to Rapidshare and post the link to the guide with Star Wars. That guide is mainly about editing so it will give more info than the Zorro guide.


sure, why not.
thanks

[LordHeinrich]

Here it is:

http://rapidshare.de/files/13911401/Advanced_Editing_Guide_06.pdf.html

Just a note, that the hyperlinks on the first page may not take you exactly to the correct section. Use the bookmarks tab in Adobe for more accuracy.

Just some more info:

I just backed up Ultimate Avengers and noticed that it uses a similar menu & navigation structure as Legend of Zorro. This means that the method pointed out in Zorro (the editing part) can be applied to this movie as well, only the PGCs will be different.

Previously when I mentioned cleaning out the menus, I meant that some menus have commands like:

Post commands:
1. Set GPRM (3) = 0
2. Set GPRM (0) = SPRM (highlight button)
3. Set GPRM (0) /= (div) 1024
4. if GPRM (0) != 1 then goto line 8
5. LinkPGCN PGC 23
6. NOP
7. NOP
8. NOP
End of post commands

This would mean that if for some reason the DVD would go to line 8, it would crash the DVD player. Fixing this would be as simple as deleting lines 4, 6, 7, & 8.

Also there were some VTS that had a root menu and 4 blank menus. The root menu then had something like:

If (GPRM (1) != 0 ) then Link PGCN PGC 5, which was a dummy menu with no commands.

For menus like this, I cleaned the commands in the Root Menu. Then copied the commands and removed the VTS menu. I then created a new menu and pasted the commands to the New Dummy Root Menu.

So far I have only noticed this in Zorro and Ultimate Avengers, but I have not payed much attention to things like this before. There is potential of some new variant of ARccOS that may rely on this potential of crashing the DVD player...

[naiden_99]

@LordHeinrich

Very nice of you to share with the rest of us.

Just a small request. Would it be possible to upload the guides to any other hosting service? Cause Rapidshare is giving me a lot of troubles to download anything.

Tnx in advance

[WarDog]

This is a free hosting site with hot linking
http://www.files.bz/

[LordHeinrich]

@Wardog,

Thanks for the suggestion. I gave it a try:

http://www.files.bz/files/4515/Legend%20of%20Zorro.pdf
http://www.files.bz/files/4515/Advanced_Editing_Guide_06.pdf

[naiden_99]

Those links worked fine for me!

Thanks for all your efforts

[voo_doo99]

@voo_doo99,

I am not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I finished a guide today that does lots of things to a DVD.

LordHeinrich,

Thank you for sharing your Editing Guides [and Wardog for the tip to the hot link site]. I am very impressed with your expert analysis of the DVD structure, commanding knowledge of the toolsset, and the superb documentation. The guides are so exciting making me want to whip out my StarWar:ESB and jump in, but the techniques are really advanced so I should read a few times to be more familiar with the steps. These are great tutorials and I surely will learn plenty from. :)

I will probably have many detail questions later, but at this point I want to ask you [and rolZ if you are reading] in general, how much of the IfoEdit work needed (removal, remapping, mock-stripping, ... ) could be done with PgcEdit?. Are we close to a point to have works all done in PgcEdit?. There is the benefit of learning a current tool like PgcEdit and asking rolZ for more good [macros] stuffs. :D

:thanks:

[r0lZ]

Well, IfoEdit is still an invaluable tool if you want to study the contents of the IFO files. Consider it as a good IFO monitor. But, IMO, it's not a good IFO editor. Too many limitations and bugs, and it is very difficult to locate the information you need, even for the expert. There are too many mouse clicks to do to access the VM commands, for example, and when you want to edit them, you can only do it interactively for some of them, without the IF conditions, search feature, etc...
I use IfoEdit only to examine the tables not displayed by PgcEdit, or for his good DVD Play function (IMO, the best way to test your DVD before burning it.) His Join Clips function is still useful, too.
As far as I know, all other functions of IfoEdit are now available in other tools like VobBlanker, FixVTS, DVDShrink, Muxman and, of course, PgcEdit.

[voo_doo99]

Well, IfoEdit is still an invaluable tool if you want to study the contents of the IFO files. Consider it as a good IFO monitor. But, IMO, it's not a good IFO editor. Too many limitations and bugs, and it is very difficult to locate the information you need, even for the expert. There are too many mouse clicks to do to access the VM commands, for example, and when you want to edit them, you can only do it interactively for some of them, without the IF conditions, search feature, etc...

I would think not of editing VM commands in IfoEdit, it was like coding in Assembly :rolleyes:. Not that I didn't try, still have 2C:):)L list of command hex codes. Bless you for PgcEdit command builder :D. Anyway, what I wanted to know was whether those title/chapter count adjustments could be done in PgcEdit. I do think so, just not know how yet. OK, will make it my learning exercise to apply the steps in LordHeinrich's guide using PgcEdit, that ought to be fun ;)

Btw, you haven't said "yay" or "nay" to my request of the VTS Info screen. Will it get on your "dew" list? :)

[r0lZ]

Btw, you haven't said "yay" or "nay" to my request of the VTS Info screen. Will it get on your "dew" list? :)
The necessary info can already be found with the Calls Cross References function. Basically, you want the same output, but for a single VTS at a time, and stripped of the references from the VTS itself. Right? Seems feasible, but as I said, it's not really needed, since it is already possible to do it, with a little bit more work, though.
Anyway, I'll do it if I have some time...

[voo_doo99]

The necessary info can already be found with the Calls Cross References function. Basically, you want the same output, but for a single VTS at a time, and stripped of the references from the VTS itself. Right? Seems feasible, but as I said, it's not really needed, since it is already possible to do it, with a little bit more work, though.
Anyway, I'll do it if I have some time...
Cool :). It will be so much better when working with those 20+ VTS backup. :thanks:

[LordHeinrich]

@voo_doo99,

I am not too familiar with all the functions of PGCEdit. I have only been using it for a couple of months now. The program is much better for actual editing of IFOs than IFOEdit.

As for changing the number of titles on a DVD or the number of VTS, this can only be done in VIDEO_TS.IFO. I have not found a way to do this in PGCEdit. Changing the number of VTS and number of titles is almost a cosmetic fix. The only way I can see not making the changes to cause a problem would be if you manually try to access the removed titles using your DVD remote.

As for the Chapter displays, I am almost positive this is only a cosmetic fix. If not fixed, your DVD player will display Chapter 2 as chapter 1, chapter 3 as chapter 2 and so on... I have burned a few DVDs without making this fix and have noticed no problems with playback.

BTW, I am pretty sure that the identical mathod can be used on all 6 Star Wars DVDs. Also, the edited DVD will have a higher playback compatibility with older DVD players. The reason being that older players have a hard time with complex DVDs and by editing, you are making them simpler.

I have noticed this with my old Samsung DVD-611. It used to only play backups made on Taiyo Yuden DVD+R, but now it also plays Ritek R03 DVD+R, but only if I edit the DVD prior to making the backup.

[voo_doo99]

@voo_doo99,
I am not too familiar with all the functions of PGCEdit. I have only been using it for a couple of months now. The program is much better for actual editing of IFOs than IFOEdit.
No comparison for me, I simply can't edit VM commands without PgcEdit.

As for changing the number of titles on a DVD or the number of VTS, this can only be done in VIDEO_TS.IFO. I have not found a way to do this in PGCEdit. Changing the number of VTS and number of titles is almost a cosmetic fix. The only way I can see not making the changes to cause a problem would be if you manually try to access the removed titles using your DVD remote.

As for the Chapter displays, I am almost positive this is only a cosmetic fix. If not fixed, your DVD player will display Chapter 2 as chapter 1, chapter 3 as chapter 2 and so on... I have burned a few DVDs without making this fix and have noticed no problems with playback.
Thank you for the pointers.

BTW, I am pretty sure that the identical mathod can be used on all 6 Star Wars DVDs. Also, the edited DVD will have a higher playback compatibility with older DVD players. The reason being that older players have a hard time with complex DVDs and by editing, you are making them simpler.

I have noticed this with my old Samsung DVD-611. It used to only play backups made on Taiyo Yuden DVD+R, but now it also plays Ritek R03 DVD+R, but only if I edit the DVD prior to making the backup.
I share your opinion. I have a fussy old Audiovox portable that I use to qualify my backup. If it played there, it plays everywhere. :)

Your guides are superb tutorials. Hope you will continue to share your best guides with the forum. We had the distinguished 2COOL Guides for earlier time, but he rode into sunset a good while now [Happy Trails, 2C:):)L].
:thanks:

[hardkorn]

@LordHeinrich

Thanks for the guide you posted.It seems useful. I'll check it out. Thanks.



@r0lZ

I saw that you released a new Pgcedit beta version, but on doom9.org it's just a link for beta4. As I saw on the beta page the last beta is nr7.
OTHER: I'm trying to remove from several dvds the language selection menu that comes first, but I didn't succeed yet. Doing it so in Pgcedit and changing the first play pgc of the title menu in VMG(which is the language selection menu) to the root menu, cripples the dvd. The links to other titles makes this a hell of a job. :)
Of course there are a lot other vts references to other titles that I can't remove without making it unplayable.
I tried to create a new IFO's with Ifoedit, but the movie starts directly without the menu appearing.
Is there a way to resolve this? I'm sure there are other threads concerning this, but having alot of exams lately, can't afford looking more into this.
I think I have found a way to recognize dvd authoring software(we talked about it as you might remeber), studying vob and ifos. I'll post my finds the week to come, hopefully.

[r0lZ]

I saw that you released a new Pgcedit beta version, but on doom9.org it's just a link for beta4. As I saw on the beta page the last beta is nr7.
Yes, the latest beta is beta 7. You can download it here (http://www.videohelp.com/~r0lZ/pgcedit/beta/).
(You have to look in the main PgcEdit thread (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=100890) here at D9 to be notified of betas.)

OTHER: I'm trying to remove from several dvds the language selection menu that comes first, but I didn't succeed yet. Doing it so in Pgcedit and changing the first play pgc of the title menu in VMG(which is the language selection menu) to the root menu, cripples the dvd. The links to other titles makes this a hell of a job. :)
Of course there are a lot other vts references to other titles that I can't remove without making it unplayable.
I tried to create a new IFO's with Ifoedit, but the movie starts directly without the menu appearing.
Is there a way to resolve this? I'm sure there are other threads concerning this, but having alot of exams lately, can't afford looking more into this.You should use the "Jump to PGC upon DVD insert" function. It was designed to be compatible with all DVDs. However, this function is a bit more difficult to use than the other high-level functions. The method rely on the trace. First, you have to locate the right PGC (with video contents) you want to begin with. Then, set a pre/post breakpoint to this PGC. Then, start (or restart) the trace mode, and trace until you reach this PGC. Now, launch the Jump2PGC function. After this point, everything is automatic. Save and test.

I think I have found a way to recognize dvd authoring software(we talked about it as you might remeber), studying vob and ifos. I'll post my finds the week to come, hopefully.
Great! :)

[r0lZ]

Oh, forgot to say. It is also possible to bypass a menu PGC (with buttons) simply by using Kill Playback on this PGC. I have recently improved this function. Now, if the killed PGC has menu buttons, the menu buttons viewer is opened, and you can select the button you want to simulate. During playback, the menu will be hidden, but the navigation will continue normally, like if you activated the button.
Take care, however: if the same menu is called several times, it will always lead you to the same point. So, this function is suitable only to bypass a "first-time" menu, like a language selection menu, or to return to the main menu from a bonus menu.

[hardkorn]

What command should I enter so it returns to the VTSM 1, LU1(en), 10 after the movie is over (which is the real menu)?. If I enter JumpSS-VTSM it jumps to the root menu of the current VTS which is a dummy.

[r0lZ]

It is not possible to go to a specific PGC of a VTSM menu from the title domain, unless the menu PGC is a special entry PGC (Root, Subpic, Audio, Angle or Chapter menu.)

But you should be able to return to the real menu by jumping straight to the Root menu PGC, even if it's a dummy. Since this PGC is automatically called whenever you press the Root Menu button on the remote, it should lead you to the real menu anyway.

TAKE CARE: To jump to a menu PGC from a title, you must use a CallSS, not a JumpSS, which is illegal in this case! (JumpSS can be used in all domains except the title domain. CallSS can be used only in the title domain.)
If you are not sure which Jump or Call to use, use the last menu in the command editor, called "Jump and Call", and select the right starting and target points. The right command will be selected automatically for you.
Normally, you should leave the "return cell" parameter of the Call command to 1.