Need help re-creating a DVD structure in Scenarist

[BBQmyNUTZ]

Hi, having a little problem re-authoring a dvd and was hoping I could get some help.

When I rip it with DVDDecrypter, it shows 1 VTS & 3 PGC's. All three PGC's have the same length and # of chapter points. I figured out that it's using 3 seperate clips, 1 per PGC (it's a 3-episode complilation of an anime). However, I can't figure out how to set up the chapters so it will play like a normal 1 VTS & 1 PGC setup as in the original dvd.

I think it might be using a dummy PGC of some sort, but to be honest, I don't know how to properly set one up and most of the information I've gotten off of these forums regarding the subject has been pretty vague. Any ideas?

Kai

[coona]

I´m little bit confused. You have 3 PGCs in one titleset. Now - does each PGC contain the same video or each contain different video? You have to carefully study the IFO files. Does each PGC use the same VOBIDs? I suggest you to read Trilight´s guides (http://dvdguides.trilight.net). If it doesn´t help you can send me your ifo file here (coona@email.cz).

[influenza]

It sounds like somekind of seamless branching. Try to upload your ifo somewhere, so everybody can have a look at it.

[BBQmyNUTZ]

Here's is PGC_1 in the IFO, the exact same thing is repeated for PGC_2 & 3


PGC_1 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 1] [01:24:23.28 / 30 fps] (Programs: 33) (Cells: 34) (uses VOB-IDs: 1,2,4,7,9,10,11)
[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 1/ 1] : time: 00:00:23.06 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:00:23.06] [Frames: 696]
[Ch 02] [Pg 02] [Cell 02] [V/C Id: 2/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:01:06.12 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:01:29.18] [Frames: 2688]
[Ch 03] [Pg 03] [Cell 03] [V/C Id: 2/ 2] : time: 00:02:09.10 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:03:38.28] [Frames: 6568]
[Ch 04] [Pg 04] [Cell 04] [V/C Id: 2/ 3] : time: 00:01:43.15 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:05:22.13] [Frames: 9673]
[Ch 05] [Pg 05] [Cell 05] [V/C Id: 2/ 4] : time: 00:06:44.13 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:12:06.26] [Frames: 21806]
[Ch 06] [Pg 06] [Cell 06] [V/C Id: 2/ 5] : time: 00:08:55.11 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:21:02.07] [Frames: 37867]
[Ch 07] [Pg 07] [Cell 07] [V/C Id: 2/ 6] : time: 00:02:37.24 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:23:40.01] [Frames: 42601]
[Ch 08] [Pg 08] [Cell 08] [V/C Id: 2/ 7] : time: 00:01:40.05 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:25:20.06] [Frames: 45606]
[Ch 09] [Pg 09] [Cell 09] [V/C Id: 2/ 8] : time: 00:02:02.00 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:27:22.06] [Frames: 49266]
[Ch 10] [Pg 10] [Cell 10] [V/C Id: 4/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:01:40.23 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:29:02.29] [Frames: 52289]
[Ch 11] [Pg 11] [Cell 11] [V/C Id: 4/ 2] : time: 00:05:59.12 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:35:02.11] [Frames: 63071]
[Ch 12] [Pg 12] [Cell 12] [V/C Id: 4/ 3] : time: 00:02:59.06 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:38:01.17] [Frames: 68447]
[Ch 13] [Pg 13] [Cell 13] [V/C Id: 4/ 4] : time: 00:02:54.26 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:40:56.13] [Frames: 73693]
[Ch 14] [Pg 14] [Cell 14] [V/C Id: 4/ 5] : time: 00:01:44.19 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:42:41.02] [Frames: 76832]
[Ch 15] [Pg 15] [Cell 15] [V/C Id: 4/ 6] : time: 00:01:07.18 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:43:48.20] [Frames: 78860]
[Ch 16] [Pg 16] [Cell 16] [V/C Id: 4/ 7] : time: 00:06:09.20 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:49:58.10] [Frames: 89950]
[Ch 17] [Pg 17] [Cell 17] [V/C Id: 4/ 8] : time: 00:02:58.05 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:52:56.15] [Frames: 95295]
[Ch 18] [Pg 18] [Cell 18] [V/C Id: 4/ 9] : time: 00:02:01.21 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:54:58.06] [Frames: 98946]
[Ch 19] [Pg 19] [Cell 19] [V/C Id: 4/10] : time: 00:00:27.20 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:55:25.26] [Frames: 99776]
[Ch 20] [Pg 20] [Cell 20] [V/C Id: 7/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:01:00.12 / 30 fps [Pos: 00:56:26.08] [Frames: 101588]
[Ch 21] [Pg 21] [Cell 21] [V/C Id: 7/ 2] : time: 00:05:02.29 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:01:29.07] [Frames: 110677]
[Ch 22] [Pg 22] [Cell 22] [V/C Id: 7/ 3] : time: 00:02:44.21 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:04:13.28] [Frames: 115618]
[Ch 23] [Pg 23] [Cell 23] [V/C Id: 7/ 4] : time: 00:01:16.05 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:05:30.03] [Frames: 117903]
[Ch 24] [Pg 24] [Cell 24] [V/C Id: 7/ 5] : time: 00:04:34.27 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:10:05.00] [Frames: 126150]
[Ch 25] [Pg 25] [Cell 25] [V/C Id: 7/ 6] : time: 00:01:44.00 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:11:49.00] [Frames: 129270]
[Ch 26] [Pg 26] [Cell 26] [V/C Id: 7/ 7] : time: 00:00:20.18 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:12:09.18] [Frames: 129888]
[Ch 27] [Pg 27] [Cell 27] [V/C Id: 7/ 8] : time: 00:03:28.02 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:15:37.20] [Frames: 136130]
[Ch 28] [Pg 28] [Cell 28] [V/C Id: 7/ 9] : time: 00:00:56.12 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:16:34.02] [Frames: 137822]
[Ch 29] [Pg 29] [Cell 29] [V/C Id: 7/10] : time: 00:04:06.12 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:20:40.14] [Frames: 145214]
[Ch 30] [Pg 30] [Cell 30] [V/C Id: 7/11] : time: 00:01:17.21 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:21:58.05] [Frames: 147545]
[Ch 31] [Pg 31] [Cell 31] [V/C Id: 7/12] : time: 00:02:02.01 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:24:00.06] [Frames: 151206]
[Ch 32] [Pg 32] [Cell 32] [V/C Id: 9/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:00:08.00 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:24:08.06] [Frames: 151446]
[Cell 33] [V/C Id: 10/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:00:15.05 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:24:23.11] [Frames: 151901]
[Ch 33] [Pg 33] [Cell 34] [V/C Id: 11/ 1] Layer Br.: time: 00:00:00.17 / 30 fps [Pos: 01:24:23.28] [Frames: 151918]

[influenza]

I'm curious which vobids are used in pgc 2 and 3, since we are missing 3,5,6 and 8 in pgc 1

[BBQmyNUTZ]

I noticed that too when I went through it the first time trying to figure out how to approach it. Those VOB ID's aren't used at all. Like I said, all 3 PGCs have the exact same structure as the one I posted.

Kai

[influenza]

Then you can just demux it by pgc1 and only demux pgc1 (unless pgc and 3 have a different audio or subtitole lay-out or so). In scenarist just create 3 pgcs in your layout and drag the reencoded pgc1 to all your 3 pgcs.

Extract only pgc1 (or two or three, but only one pgc) otherwise you end up with a vobset thats triple the size. It's seamlessly brached that's why.

[BBQmyNUTZ]

My first instinct was to simply demux the video & ac3, then re-author it completely (the structure itself isn't really necessary to me, I just wanted to know what it was and how it works in case it comes in handy later on).

Problem is, after demuxing the video, it seems that I have the entire feature in one video file, but when DVD2AVI tries to read the m2v file it will only read the first 28 minutes of it (which coincidentally enough is the first episdoe). This holds true for the other 3 PGCs as well. The file will play properly in my media player without any issues, but there was obviously something odd there.

I can actually load the demuxed m2v file into scenarist, but I get sequence end errors. This was pretty much how I figured out that they used 3 seperate clips and just stuck them together somehow.

Kai

[influenza]

Then there's only one solution. do it by vobid and put it together in Scenarist. (I guess the 'missing' vobids will pop up too, seen this a couple of times.)

[BBQmyNUTZ]

Well, I was hoping more for an explanation of what this structure is and how it works. If you could actually provide an explanation of the structure I would really appreciate it.

I've already re-authored it by ripping the episodes individually (I just selected the chapters in ifo mode for one episode, ripped it, then repeated for the other 2 episodes). I then went about IVTCing & re-encoding using AviSynth & CCE. I ended up with 3 individual m2v files, one for each episode. Loaded them into Scenarist, created the 3 tracks w/scene points, then dragged all three tracks into one PGC. All the tracks play seamlessly in sequence as if it were one clip, which was what I was looking to do. I'm not sure if there are any drawbacks to doing it this way, but it seems to be working for now.

Kai

[influenza]

What is done a lot of times with episodic dvds is creating one pgc with all three episodes after each other. And then a seperate pgc for every single episode.

Because every pgc uses the same vobids (most of the times just vobid1) this does not take any extra space. Although te video is repeated the size stays the same, because everytime (parts of) vobid1 is used. A form of seamless branching.

What is the use of three seamingly the same pgcs is not clear to me, based on the given info. But maybe if you open your ifo file and go to the pgcity part you'll see different commands for the three pgcs. I think it's something like this, because otherwise there's no use to duplicating the pgcs.

If you want to recreate this structure exactly you should rip the pgcs by vobid and recreate this exact structure in scenarist. You can use doitfast4u for this. I recommand ripping an image on your dvd to HD and use daemon tools to mount it. Use doitfast4u on this image to process your assets. There's no better way I must say.

[BBQmyNUTZ]

I think I get it, thanks for the help.

Kai

[DnGermany]

Most of the time this is used for episodes. One pgc for play all,and others for each episode. The same type of structure was used for some other episode dvds that i have. Just rip the pgc that contains all the episodes and reauthor as you like.