Can I transcode a DVDs original menu and reathor so the original button links work?

[rkorkie]

I am currently working on the Sopranos dvds, and I am trying to get every extra bit of space I can afford for the main movie while preserving the menu. I realized I could get about an extra 200MB by reencoding the menu perhaps, and using the 2 channel dolby track instead of the 5.1 channel track.

So, I transcoded the menu with CCE, then authored the entire season 1 disk 1 with DVD Maestro. I imported the new .mpv into the menu section along with the .ac3 track. I am assuming (probably a big mistake here), that I can simply just import the menu and audio, then with some kind of function in IFOEdit and/or IFOUpdate, I can update the menu files so that the button links will actually work the same way as the original dvd.

Well, after DVD Maestro authored the dvd, my menu did indeed show up properly, but none of the menu links worked. I sifted through the guides and forums, but couldn't find anything to help. So my question is this: what do I have to do, either in DVD Maestro, IFOEdit (maybe something with Menu Extras button) or IFOUpdate to get the original menu button links to integrate into and work with my transoded menu??

Thanx a lot for any help. That would be great!

Ryan

[oddyseus]

u cant do this. There r highlight stream to be considered here.

There is no guide or report on this. Maybe its possible, but noone has tried enough to achieve it yet.

[EcchiNut]

actually you can downsample the menu with InstantCopy. Though i suggest only using that for the menu, as you'll prefer your CCE encodings of the movie. I know theres a topic in the DVD2One/InstantCopy thread, that details pionters on using IC to make the menu and ripped structure, and then using CCE to do your movie encodings and then IFOUpdate to incorperate your transcode back together.

[rkorkie]

Great, thanx for the reply. I just thought if a person was looking to get every last inch of space possible, this would be one of the things they would look at doing. However, looking at it now, most menus are never really that big, so I'm not sure getting an extra 100 - 200MB would really be worth it...agreed?

[kitchy]

I've thought about this for a few days now and have started to think that if you drag out vobs id's/cells from your menu vob, transcode, and put it back with all sub streams, sound and highlights, you might be able to skip the process of linking stuff together. But each PGC menu has to have the same PGC number as the original, and that might be a bitch to find out.
But if you got everything put together, as the original, you might be able to run a ifoupdate on the thing and it would be linked correctly.
I haven't tried this, but it might work..:)

Kitchy