How to put 2 complete DVD-5's onto 1 DL Disc?

[Web Junkie]

Is there a guide on how to put 2 complete DVD5 discs, including menus, on to 1 Double Layer disc with a menu so you can select each disc and have it play back like the original SL disc?

Also, is it possible to author this disc in such a way that the Layer Break is at the end of the first disc so it burns the second disc on the second layer so I have the whole of 1 disc on Layer 1 and the whole of the second disc on Layer 2? This is to avoid data crossing the Layer Break and causing potential playback problems on the layer change.

[jel]

although it is a commercial program, DVDRemakePro by dimad would be the simplest solution for joining two complete dvd's and retaining full functionality for both.

another option is to use PGCEdit (freeware), although the learning curve for doing this can be quite steep:
Join two DVDs with preserving original menues (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=96211)
you can also use pgcedit to set the layer break where you like ... although be warned, iirc the first layer can hold more information than the second layer, and combined they cannot fit two (full) DVD-5's worth of information.

hth
j

[Web Junkie]

OK, I've sorted the 2 discs on 1 Double Layer disc but now I want to use my own simple menu, a background picture with some text for each disc that gets highlighted when you select it.

So I found a guide on this forum that shows how to change the menu for one of your own:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=99306

but I keep stumbling at the same spot! The SubPic never highlights in the colour I want. I followed the second guide to alter an existing menu, get to the end of the guide but the highlight is not right! The guide does say to use Photoshop for saving the subpic but I haven't the need or money to buy it!

So I look for another easier guide on making my own menu!

[goonix]

@Web Junkie

You don't need Photoshop to save the subpic. Every graphic program that can save a BMP in 4 bit format can do it, even M$'s Paint (probably on your computer already).

You mention that your subpic will be highlighted, but not in a color you want.
With PGCEdit's menu editor you can change the highlight color.

An easy solution is to create a nice menu with DVDAuthorGUI or DVDLab and import it with PGCEdit.

goonix

[Web Junkie]

Cheers goonix, I will try that and let you know what happens :)

[Web Junkie]

Well, not easy as it looks!

DVDAuthouGUI made a menu but the highlight appeared more to the left than in the menu creator when saved? Had to keep inching it to the right and saving until it looked right in PowerDVD.

That said, when you import the menu you lose the PGC commands from the previous menu, luckily VOBblanker had a saved set of IFO's and I was able to copy & paste them back into PGCEdit for the new menu so it worked correctly.

So now I have my menu, the next bit is the killer! Layer Break! As mentioned, the layer break needs to be at the end of the first disc so the layer change starts at the beginning of the second disc. Not easy as the first layer must contain more data than the second, and my second disc is BIGGER than the first so that must be on the first layer so the menu will play the wrong disc! I think I can figure the menu out, the problem is how do I set the layer break in the correct place, end of first disc start of second?

[the phoenix]

seems stupid but can't dvdshrink do that ?
one image on the hd one from the disc and combine both without compression

[Web Junkie]

Does DVDShrink allow you set where the Layer Break is?

I have the DVD ready to burn on the HD, 6.6GB, complete with a menu I'm happy with and edited in PGCEdit to skip to the title menu on each DVD and avoid the Warning and intro animations. I'm just concerned about burning a VOB across the layer break and it screwing up on playback.

I just don't understand PGCEdit enough to edit a Layer Break in.

[the phoenix]

i guess the software that burns make so that it doesn't cut vob into 2 to put each part on differents sides.
to be sure you can use clonedvd2 to do it since it uses dvdr dl

[frank]

Pgcedit is the only application you need!
Use the latest version.

It's very easy to set the Layer Break. Press Burn button and you'll get a cell list!! No other app in the world is able to do that.
Then you can select the position/cell where to set the Layer Break. And you can preview.
Trust PgcEdit! If you cannot select the begin of your second disk part then it is really not possible.

[Web Junkie]

I don't get a cell list?

I open my DVD in PGCEdit, click the Burn DVD button, setup menu comes up so I had to download and tell setup where mkisofs and imgburn were, then I get the Burn DVD window, can't see anything about cells?

[Web Junkie]

I have another problem, so i'm going to leave the layer break alone!

I've created a menu and edited the button positions/highlights in PGCEdit as DVDAuthorGUI kept screwing the highlight box up and looked naff anyway. But now the navigation buttons don't work when I save the DVD? I burn a test DVD and the arrow buttons on the remote don't move the highlight box up and down so it's stuck on the first button?

How do I enable the navigation buttons on my menu?

[Web Junkie]

OK, solved nearly all my problems now (except layer break)!

I started from scratch with my project, merged my 2 DVD's and re-read goonix's guide and followed it again and this time the menu worked and the subpic highlight was working :) I must have fixed the number of subpics to 0 in PGCEdit initially as a message pops up asking if you want to do this!

The subpic I edited in Paintshop PRO X, created the highlight text then reduced it to 4 colours and saved, that worked perfect. The menu button text now highlights in light green when selected and white when unselected :)

The menu navigation problem seems to be linked to the buttons on the Menu EDIT screen when editing a button in PGCEdit. There are 5 square buttons in the 'Adjacent buttons' section that look different than the ones I had, I think mine were all set to 1 so that's why only button 1 worked I guess? I also think the problem was due to me not importing a menu layout to create the values for those buttons in the first place, they must control where the highlight goes when you press the up/down/left/right buttons on the remote, depending on how many buttons you have on your menu and the center button must correspond to the button number you're editing so it correctly activates the same menu button on your DVD when you highlight it and press the enter button on your remote.

So I'm now at a point where I'm ready to BURN the DVD!

Now to solve the layer break! My 2 original DVD 5's for some reason have Layer Break entries when looking in IFOEdit, lots of them actually. So is there a way to clear all layer break info from a DVD? The concern is that all that layer break info might screw the burn process up on my Double Layer disc, and I want to avoid an expensive coaster!!

Also, I keep getting an error when creating an ISO in PGCEdit when it's setting the Layer Break, Cannot find the first VMG Sector? What does this mean and how to fix it? It also stops the Burn DVD menu from closing, the OK CANCEL buttons are greyed out and the 'X' in the top left does not close the menu. I have to close the whole program via the 'X' button in the main PGCEdit and reload.

Any ideas on these last 2 problems?

[Web Junkie]

Solved ALL my problems now!

See these posts for the Layer Break info: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=106629&page=2