IFOUpdate issue with dummy PGC

[Kedirekin]

Okay, I've struggled with this long enough. I think I understand what is going wrong here, but if someone could double check my reasoning, I'd appreciate it.

I'm using the big 3 approach for backing up a DVD. Everything was going swimingly till I reached the IFOUpdate stage. I keep getting the dreaded 'The original IFO's PGC area is not large enough to hold the new PGC' error.

I searched the forums and found several threads that said this is caused by a mismatch in the number of chapters between the two IFO files. I looked both files over in IFOEdit, and each PGC has the same number of chapters.

I ran IFOUpdate again, and noticed the logging, so I started to look at that.

For each PGC 1 through 6, it logged:

- Processing VTS_PGC_0
- Copied Color Table


[Aside: it logs VTS_PGC_0 for each PGC. Is that normal?]

When it gets to PGC_7 (by count), it generates a warning:

- Processing VTS_PGC_0
- WARNING: Source to Destination mismatch
Original time = 00:01:00
Newly Authored time = 00:00:00
- WARNING: Source to Destination mismatch
Original file has 1 chapter
Newly Authored file has 0 chapters
- Copied Color Table


However, in both IFO files, PGC_7 is 00:00:00 and has zero chapters. PGC_8 is 00:01:00 and has 1 chapter.

It generates similar warning messages for PGC_8 and 9, then aborts on PGC_10 saying the original file has 3 chapters and the newly authored file has 8. However, PGC_10 has 8 chapters in both IFO files; PGC_11 has 3 chapters.

It looks to me like the dummy PGC_7 is completely mucking with IFOUpdate. IFOUpdate processes the dummy PGC from the newly authored file, but skips over it in the original IFO (I'm guessing). It thereafter tries to copy stuff from PGC_N in the new authored file to PGC_N+1 in the original (again, guessing).

So again, is my reasoning correct? Is there any way I can work around this? Am I just doing something stupid? I dread having to perform manually in IFOEdit all the steps that IFOUpdate automates. It looks like IFOUpdate copies multi-kilobytes of data between the two files - doing the same by hand would take forever.

TIA

[Kedirekin]

Here are links to the two IFO files.


((links removed - you didn't think I'd leave these up in my web space forever, did you.))

[influenza]

I think I read a long time ago that ifoupdate had problems with dummy pgcs, but like I said some time a go. The latest release should not have this problem.

Don't you have any video in your dummy, that could be a problem. I would suggest to just add 1 sec slide show and see what happens then.

[Kedirekin]

Thank you for your reply.

I am using the latest version of IfoUpdate (0.72). At a guess (and I emphasize guess) I'd say that the prior dummy PGC problem must have been with dummy PGCs in the newly authored IFO. In this case, the dummy PGC is in the original IFO (and I suspect *that* must be rare).

I appreciate your suggestion. The newly authored MPV for PGC 7 has 14 frames - only ½ second, but I think it amounts to the same thing.

Unfortunately, I don't think it can make any difference. I believe the problem is with the zero-chapter dummy PGC in the original IFO file, and there's no way I can change that (or it wouldn't be the original anymore).

At this point, I'm inclined to think my only options are:
- use DVDShrink (compression factor 8 - ouch - but at least it works)
- author the title in its entirety in scenarist, including authoring menus

I'm sure authoring the whole thing would be very educational.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Eyes`Only]

I've seen issues like this when users didn't use the correct titles for each pgc. Have you double-checked to make sure your titles match your pgc numbers?

[ShaneZ]

Also, it seems like I ran into this error when I was trying to update the wrong IFO file. Just a thought :)

[Kedirekin]

Thanks for the responses. I do appreciate it - especially as I thought this thread was dead.

Eyes' Only - I didn't check my titles against my PGCs, and unfortunately I have since deleted all the assets, so I can't check them now. The only thing I can say is that I didn't mess with anything intentionally - not that that is saying much.

ShaneZ - You're right, I may have selected a wrong IFOs, but I don't think I did. I tried about 6 or 8 separate times, and a couple of times backwards just for kicks. I can only claim that I *think* I did it right.

Though I've since deleted the assets from my hard drive, I didn't get around to removing the two IFOs from my web space, so here are the links again if you want to compare for yourself:

[links removed - no longer available in my web space]

Of course, you'll have to take my word for it that these files are named correctly.

After lots of thought, the only conclusion I can come to is that IfoUpdate hickups on the dummy PGC in the original, but that really is just a guess.

Lastly, I realize in retrospect this isn't so much an issue with the big 3 as it is (maybe) an issue with IfoUpdate, and this thread might be better in the IFO edit forum. Or, the issue could just be with me, in which case the thread doesn't belong anywhere. ;)

[Eyes`Only]

I couldn't tell anything from those file except that the 'newly authored file' is NOT the .ifo that scenarist output. Do you have that .ifo? I'm 100% sure that what you showed me is not it. There's no way that the timecodes/durations of a Scenarist-output .ifo would match an original .ifo exactly, it just never happens.

[Kedirekin]

Okay. I know now it's probably something I did wrong. Thank you for taking a look.

Unfortunately I don't have the Scenarist generated files any more. I deleted them to free up space - it's amazing how much space authoring takes, and I only have the one 80 GB drive.

I can run the title again and see if I can duplicate the problem. If I do experience the problem again, would you still be interested in seeing the IFO files?

[Eyes`Only]

sure

[Kedirekin]

Okay, I ran the title again and I'm experiencing the same problem. IfoUpdate chokes and reports
The original IFO's PGC area is not large enough to hold the new PGC.
Please see the top post in this thread for more details.

I've done due diligence to make sure the files attached are what they're supposed to be (copied original IFO before starting scenarist, copyied scenarist generated file before running IfoUpdate, etc).

Please run these through IfoUpdate and let me know if you see the same behavior.

[links removed - no longer available in my web space]

[influenza]

Interesting, since scenarist won't let me create a file like that.

You can tweak your scenarist ifo to make it exactly the same as the original (in pgcity/pgc7 delete programs and cells).

But still you cannot update the ifo then, still the same error.

[Eyes`Only]

Yeah, now that's more like it. That's definitely the scenarist-generated .ifo! The issue is that your PGC 7 in your original has NO cells, while the scenarist project has one cell. You need to make that PGC contain zero cells, just like the original.

Influenza: You can create PGCs with no cells, if the PGC is not a separate title. I thought for the longest time you couldn't, but it seems the limitation is by title, not PGC. So, since PGCs 2-8 are title 2, PGC 7 can have zero cells. Weird eh? I'm still learning a little more each day!

[influenza]

Even if you recreate the exact structure ifoupdate gives the error, . (i tweaked the scenarist ifo a little bit to have the exact structure) I think ifoupdate always expects at least one chapter?

I could have known it was possible, since I create a dummy VMG every now and then (for button over video) and then I have PGCS without any cells :( So you're absolutely right. I was fooling around to see if I could get it done in a project I was working on and in fact that was by title and didn't work

[Eyes`Only]

In that case, try cell-only update mode. I've used that more than once on an IFO that had blank PGCs with success. As long as both ifos have the exact same amount of cells, that should work.

[influenza]

Bingo that works.

Kedirekin: like I said I only edited your scenarist ifo in the pgcity section of pgc7 change programs and cells to 0, your structure is the same as the original. Update in cell mode like eyes only says and you're set

[Kedirekin]

Thanks guys. That worked like a charm. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Now I just need to study the button over video guide - this disk uses it for almost all the extras. [I would have to pick a difficult title to cut my teeth on].

[influenza]

BOV is in most cases not that difficult. Just let us know if you need any help