DVD specifications in detail ?

[ad1mt]

I have recently purchased a standalone dvd recorder to replace my VHS recorder, and also the new sony DVD writer for my PC.
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what I would like to do is use my PC preserve DVD+RW recordings made on my standalone recorder onto cheaper DVD-R media.
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I have succeded in doing a disc to disc backup and a re-encoding to SVCD.
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but what I would like to do copy onto a single DVD, 2 movies that were originally recorded on seperate DVDs. menus would be nice but are not essential.
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I have followed the ifoedit guides for merging two or more VOB files onto a single DVD, but this does not work - only part of the first movie is visible.
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I suspect that my standalone DVD recorder is using a weird structure to do the original recordings, and would like to know if there is any information anywhere so I can manually check the structure my standalone DVD recorder is writing.
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I looked at mpucoders site at http://mpucoder.kewlhair.com/DVD/ but was wondering if there any other more detailed sources of information out there.
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thanks
mark.
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[int 21h]

I would doubt that the recorder is using any sort of non-standard format, unless only your recorder will play back its discs...Couple of things to try...


Does the +RW disc from your standalone recording unit play in your standalone DVD Player?
Load up the +RW disc into your PC and see what a program like DVDDecrypter says.
Start considering the authoring software you will use (if you really want menus), and stick with it.


If you don't care too much about menus, you can accomplish everything you want to do with freeware tools :) After you answer those questions, I can show you the door, but only you can open it ;)

[mpucoder]

DVD recorders use a different application format (DVD-VR or DVD-SR) than DVD-Video. These formats are optimized for real time recording. I don't have any specifics on the formats, but being realtime formats means that cannot be linked properly for DVD-Video. To do so would mean going back over the recording to "back fill" forward pointers. You might try Get_VTS_Sectors, as this rebuilds all such pointers. Beyond that, my books say nothing.

[int 21h]

mpucoder to the rescue!

[ad1mt]

Originally posted by mpucoder
DVD recorders use a different application format (DVD-VR or DVD-SR) than DVD-Video. These formats are optimized for real time recording. I don't have any specifics on the formats, but being realtime formats means that cannot be linked properly for DVD-Video. To do so would mean going back over the recording to "back fill" forward pointers. You might try Get_VTS_Sectors, as this rebuilds all such pointers. Beyond that, my books say nothing.

Thanks for your help.

I suspected my standalone recorder was using a different format because you have to "finalise" DVD+R's before they will play in ordinary standalone players. However you *don't* have to finalise DVD+RW's - which is what I am using. I don't have a standalone player - only the recorder & the PC writer.

I will try doing a Get_VTS_Sectors, and see if that works.

BTW you mention "your books" - what books are you refering to? can you recommend any detailed sources of information about all this? I am a programmer by trade, so complicated technical detail does not scare me.

Thanks again. Mark.

[ad1mt]

Originally posted by mpucoder
DVD recorders use a different application format (DVD-VR or DVD-SR) than DVD-Video. These formats are optimized for real time recording. I don't have any specifics on the formats, but being realtime formats means that cannot be linked properly for DVD-Video. To do so would mean going back over the recording to "back fill" forward pointers. You might try Get_VTS_Sectors, as this rebuilds all such pointers. Beyond that, my books say nothing.

mpucoder:

would one solution be to demultiplex the VOB and re-author to a new DVD?

will ifoedit do this, or will I need more clever authoring software?

mark.

[mpucoder]

Demuxing and authoring would probably be the best way. I'm not even sure if DVD-VR contains the NAV packs required by DVD-Video.

[ad1mt]

Originally posted by mpucoder
Demuxing and authoring would probably be the best way. I'm not even sure if DVD-VR contains the NAV packs required by DVD-Video.

yes, the NAV packets are there.

there is some info about DVD-VR here
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/video/videoformat.html

mark.

[mpucoder]

Here we go with the "+" and "-" thing again. According to that article DVD+VR (not to be confused with DVD-VR, used by DVD-R(W) recorders) can be played on a DVD player as is.
Since you are using DVD+RW media I'd assume it uses DVD+VR (as stipulated by the DVD+RW Alliance) - is there any way you can confirm this? Can you just pop the disk into a player and watch it?
Also, thanks for the link, I'll tuck it away for later when I get the time to add to my pages.

[ad1mt]

Originally posted by mpucoder
Here we go with the "+" and "-" thing again. According to that article DVD+VR (not to be confused with DVD-VR, used by DVD-R(W) recorders) can be played on a DVD player as is.
Since you are using DVD+RW media I'd assume it uses DVD+VR (as stipulated by the DVD+RW Alliance) - is there any way you can confirm this? Can you just pop the disk into a player and watch it?
Also, thanks for the link, I'll tuck it away for later when I get the time to add to my pages.

when I was testing the DVD recorder, I made a finalized DVD+R recording and it played perfectly on a DVD player in the shop.

also they play on my PC DVD drive, which does not explicitly state DVD+R compatibility.

as far as I have read, the logical format of whats written to DVD+R v DVD-R is the same, except for "lossless linking" which supposedly improves playback compatibility.

[jj59]

For the "+" side is "some" info available on
http://www.licensing.philips.com/ordering/soft/documents311.html
maybe the manual could be usefull??

jj

[ad1mt]

Originally posted by mpucoder
Demuxing and authoring would probably be the best way. I'm not even sure if DVD-VR contains the NAV packs required by DVD-Video.

I have finally given up trying to put two separately recorded movies onto one DVD.

The last thing I tried was demuxing, then remuxing & re-authoring using spruceup, but it complained about id's being out of sequence in the demuxed video, and refused to continue (vob id's I think but I'm not 100% certain - I should have made a note but by this time was tearing my hair out & thoroughly pissed off).

I think I will just have to live with having just one movie per DVD (in some cases).

if any experts out there would like to take a look at a DVD recorded by my recorder, then I would be happy to send one :)

thanks for all the help.
regards,
mark.