Direct scene selection from DVD - specific timing

[Arheos]

Hello,
I was asked by a friend to make a little presentation involving several different scenes from various DVDs.
Is it possible to use a script without having to rip the whole of the DVD or even the specific parts of it to the HD?
I need both video and audio and I have to use precise (well to 1/2 of a second at least) timing because the scenes change in less than seconds.
I am trying to do this to avoid the whole process of having to rip 7-8 DVDs to the hard disk (too time-HD consuming) and DVDShrink doesn't give me that precision to cut scenes so precisely (and then I would have to go back and forth checking the exact timing on the DVD player because I only have the timings on a piece of paper and not e.g. a description of a particular scene).
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

[Ebobtron]

Arheos,
What ever you do your in for a little work.

I see two ways to start this.

rip only the vobs you need with DVD Decrypter or it's like.

Then chop out your clips and stick them back together again.
the vobs on regular dvds will be large.


You may use dvd shrink to reauthor the clips you need to harddrive.

Make them just a little bit bigger then toss them though an editor to clean them up.


Number 2 would be my choice.

I would then gather all the vobs together numbering them 1.vob, 2.vob and so on.
pass the vobs though dgindex saving the audio as wave.
Do it right and you get two more files, a d2v file and a wave audio file.
use the following script
v = Mpeg2Source(vobs.d2v)
a = WavSource(theWavefile.wav)
AudioDub(v,a)

The above should play in MediaPlayerClassic (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/guliverkli/mpc2kxp6485.zip?download)or avsFilmCutter (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=97438)and the sound should be in sync.

Add trim()++trim() to select the clips to the frame
encode and reauthor

That is not real hard. You can get a lot fancier, do you have time?

[Arheos]

Option number one is what I am trying to "evade".
I actually started re-authoring the clips with DVDShrink while waiting for a reply here, hoping that there'd be a more scripty way to do it particulary to select the frames more precisesly from the original.
I don't mind scripts, I already have a couple prepared (from a previous favour to another friend ;) ) to do a little fade in/fade out and triming/joining but thanks for the example.
So if I understood this correctly there's isn't a way to do that (with Avisynth of course) without using DGindex (or what) or some kind of preparing-ripping the vobs to HD, correct?
Thanks again.

OT. I had already dl'ed the latest beta of your avsFilmCutter before you replied to try some integration.

[Ebobtron]

So if I understood this correctly there's isn't a way to do that (with Avisynth of course) without using DGindex (or what) or some kind of preparing-ripping the vobs to HD, correct?
Thanks again.

I don't, not one that works as well or is as predictable as DgIndex, Mpeg2Source and a WavSource. The only reason to try another method in my mind is to try and develop a better one (good luck trying that).

If you could spend some time devoted to learning FilmCutter's scene editor, you would find that it works well for your needs, because picking the start and ending frames of scenes is why I wrote the thing, everything else is Fizick's fault. :)

Good luck with your project.

[setarip_old]

Hi!

Before you can access any part of a typical commercial DVD for manipulation, you have to rip (remove CSS and any other copy protection) it in some fashion - unless you want to play it in real time and perform screen capturing with Camtasia, Fraps, or similar...

[Arheos]

Thank you both for the input.
@Ebotron: Will definitely give FC a try, those screenshots are a babe... erm sorry AviSynth-addict magnet.
@setarip_old: I'm sure there's many commercial products for that kind of work. I just don't have the mean$$ to use them!