PgcEdit v0.3.

[sweetness]

no.i'll try it when i get home to night.

[SurfDrifter]

Just discovered this program and seems very good. I just scanned fast the 3 threads, seeking for the question I'm going to make, so if it already asked, please forgive me.

So, I was wondering if it possible to delete a PGC completly from an .IFO. I;m asking this because I want to do this.

I create a DVD with DVDMaestro with a movie that has it's own time line with audio and subs. Then I create 1 or more playlist because I want to strip out the initial & end credits or some chapters.

Anyway, it doesn't actually matter, what i do exactly, but in my final project I won't ever use the first PGC and i don't won't anyone to be able to access it.

Is this possible?

[r0lZ]

For now, no. Sorry.

Deleting a PGC is not verry simple: I have to check all reeferences to the PGC and delete/change them, or at least warn the user.
But things are worse with the following PGCs: all references to thoses PGCs should be modified to point to the new PGCs numbers!
And imagine what is happening if the user delete the last PGC of the titleset...

You may try to use the 'New DVD' feature of PgcEdit, and then append the titles and menus you want to keep. This may require a little manual work, but it is possible.
NOTE: there is a big bug in the 'New DVD' function in v0.3.1 (standalone executable only). If you want to try the 'New DVD' function, use this beta instead.

And you may also blank out the titleset you want to remove. There are many utilities to do that, including PgcEdit...

And the subsidiary question: why don't you regenerate your DVD from a final, clean DVDMaestro project?

[Zenak]

Hi there.

First let me say this program is wonderful. I find myself using IFO Edit less because of the power inside of it.

My question is this: I had been adding DVD text via the following method: http://posunplugged.com/How_To_Guide...data_sec1.html

I have tried on two separate DVD's with PGCedit to add DVD text and failed. The part that is strange to me is that the VIDEO_TS.IFO and BUP files look correct, and IFOEdit does display the DVD Text. However, my Kenwood DVD changer will not pick up on PGC Edit modified or added text. It does pick up text I add manually using the method in the link.

Is there something more I should be doing?

[SurfDrifter]

Originally posted by r0lZ
And the subsidiary question: why don't you regenerate your DVD from a final, clean DVDMaestro project?

OK, I'll explain why... I asked the question about deleting a PGC from the IFO, because in this way, it will save me a lot of manual work.

I have a lot of DVD's that I rip and only keep the video, the audio, the chapter file and english subs, if exist.
I create new menus from scratch, add greek subtitles and then author on DVDMaestro. So, it's a clean DVDMaestro project. Now, here's the catch for me. Most of the times, i want to strip the first 5-6 seconds of the MPEG video. There are numerous ways to do this, even in DVDMaestro's trimming function, which is the fastest, it will require to move all the chapters, cut the beginning of the audio and move the subtitles to reflect the changes done.

Now, instead of doing this and every time make calculations of how much should I move an asset, i author in this way: I place the original the video and audio in the timeline and load the chapter file and subtitles file and everything is synchronized without any need in checking this. Now i strip the 5-6 seconds of the beginning and/or the end by this way, WITHOUT having to mess with chapters, subtitles, audio, etc.

I create a chapter at the point were i actually want to have my movie to start. Now a create a playlist/PGC that contains all the chapters from the one that I created and after, thus leaving 5-6 seconds out.

If you compile the project in this way you'll have in your VTS, 2 pgcs.

The first PGC will have the full movie including the things i want to strip out (which the user never has access to it) and
The second PGC will be the one that i actually want and even the starting time will be at 00:00:00:00.

So, it's very easy in this way, to "edit" a film, without even creating a new file.

The only drawback in this way, is that the first PGC can be accessed if someone goes with his/her remote and choose a specific title to play and not navigate through menus.

Anyway, I'll try to blank out the first PGC to see what happens.

Oh, and also i was refering as "deleting the PGC", to delete it from the IFO and actually remove the video, audio assets from the VOB.

Thank you for the quick reply!

[r0lZ]

@SurfDrifter
OK. I understand.

You may find usefull too the ability to remap a VOB/Cell ID in PgcEdit's PGC editor window.

If you have a VOB/Cell ID with only a black frame in your video, then you may actually use it instead of your first chapter (the one you want to strip).
If you don't have such a short black frame chapter, you may add one with AddChapter.
Then, go to the PGC editor, note the VOB/Cell ID of this short chapter, and click on the VOB/Cell ID button of the chapter you want to strip. In the dialog, set the VOB ID and Cell ID to be the same as the added black frame.
You will still have a dummy chapter one, though...

[r0lZ]

@Zenak
DVD-Text is working for me (on my Sony player).
But I must admit that it may be not verry standard compliant, because I can't find a complete documentation on DVD-Text around.

I will try to find out what are the differences between my implantation and the guide one. Maybe I will learn how to do that correctly...

BTW, have you used lower-case characters? Or a too long string for your player? Some have limitations: my Sony allow upto 20 upper-case characters to be entered with the remote (remembered by the player), but can display 30 mixed-case characters from the IFO.

[r0lZ]

@Zenak

Well, I have analysed the file of POSUNPLUGGED.COM.
It seems it is setting the Volume Movie Name and the Title Movie Name.
In PgcEdit, I set the Volume General Name.
Your player understand apparently only the Volume Movie Name.
I will try to change the function to set also the Volume and Title Movie Names...


Note: There is a big bug in the "text_donor.txt" file provided by POSUNPLUGGED.COM: the byte 15 (at address 0x0000000f) must be the number of Language Units in the TEXT-DATA sector. However, this byte is overwritted by the last character of his company name (POSUNPLUGGED.COM), giving an incredibly high number of LUs! This is why IfoEdit crash if you try to expand the VMG_TXTDT_MG section.
You may correct this problem with hexedit: change the last four hex bytes of the first line to be:

00000000 | 50 4F 53 55 4E 50 4C 55 47 47 45 44 00 00 00 01 | POSUNPLUGGED....
                                               ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^

instead of

00000000 | 50 4F 53 55 4E 50 4C 55 47 47 45 44 2E 43 4F 4D | POSUNPLUGGED.COM

[Zenak]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm glad that it isn't something I have done wrong at least.

I made the change you suggested to the hex file, and will continue to use that method.

In partial response to your other question my player doesn't care if it gets upper or lower case using the manual way, but I will try all upper case inside PGC edit. Also, if I type in the name manually I only get 16 spaces, but if it pulls the name from the DVD it will pull many more. Some of my storebought DVD's have almost 30 characters and they all display fine.

[r0lZ]

Yes, I don't know what is the exact limit on the number of characters allowed in DVD-TEXT data. My player is able to display 30 characters.

Note that trying to type only upper case characters in PgcEdit will not help. The problem is that your player needs the DVD Movie Name, not the DVD General Name.

I have just finished the modification of the "Set DVD-TEXT General Name" routine of PgcEdit. Now, the DVD General Name and the DVD Movie Name are both set (or changed, if they already exists). And the routine is able to recognize the DVD-TEXT sector made by POSUNPLUGGED, and hopefully all other situations.

This should be what you wanted

The new version is almost ready. I will post it soon (maybe today, around midnight)...

[r0lZ]

PgcEdit v 0.3.2 released.

This is mainly a bugfix release, but there are some new functions and improvements, too. See the version history.

Download PgcEdit v 0.3.2.

[Zenak]

talk about fast response!

It works like a dream, thanks again!

[burnout]

as always just saying thanx for the time, keep up the good work

[2COOL]

@r0lZ

It seems you left us with the option to enter values of 256 and over on still times for each cell. I'm referring to the bottom section. The working range should be 0 to 255, with 255 as referred to as infinite play.

Why can't use my Ctrl button when selecting commands? My Shift button works.

Just wanted to point some stuff out during my playing with your wonderful program. Keep up the great work!

[2COOL]

*removed

[r0lZ]

@2COOL

It seems you left us with the option to enter values of 256 and over on still times for each cell. I'm referring to the bottom section. The working range should be 0 to 255, with 255 as referred to as infinite play.

Oops! It's a bug...
Furthermore, this field let you enter any text, which generate an error if you then press OK.
Same is true for the Cell Command field.
I have fixed thoses bugs. I will not release a new version just for that, though...

Why can't use my Ctrl button when selecting commands? My Shift button works.

Because PgcEdit doesn't support to select multiple lines with unselected lines inside of them... this is too difficult to do in an efficient way. Sorry.


BTW, thanks to you for your verry usefull guides. Without them, I probably never decided to write PgcEdit...

[2COOL]

Originally posted by r0lZ
Oops! It's a bug...
Furthermore, this field let you enter any text, which generate an error if you then press OK.
Same is true for the Cell Command field.
I have fixed thoses bugs. I will not release a new version just for that, though...

Glad to help out.

Because PgcEdit doesn't support to select multiple lines with unselected lines inside of them... this is too difficult to do in an efficient way. Sorry.

No problem.

BTW, thanks to you for your verry usefull guides. Without them, I probably never decided to write PgcEdit...

Really? It was intention to inspire people who know how to program to hopefully automate some guides. I can see PgcEdit progress into higher levels. Nice work!

*UPDATE: I thought I was using v0.3.2 but was on v0.3.1. This "bug" described below was fixed in the newer version.

By the way, I did find another bug. I was working on Star Wars The Phantom Menace Ep 1 (region 1). When I single clicked on pre command 1 in VMGM / LU 1 (en)/18, it just flashes RED.

• (JumpTT) Jump to Title 16

It doesn't highlight my VTST 1 / TTN2 (Title 16) in PGC Selector window.

With further testing, if I also single clicked on Pre Command 2 in VMGM / LU 1 (en)/27...

• if gprm(12) == gprm(0) then { (JumpTT) Jump to Title 17 }

... it wrongly highlights VTST 6 / TTN 1 (Title 1) in PGC Selector window instead of my true target, VTST 7 / TTN 1 (Title 17).

Commands with Titles from 1 to 15 seem to work fine in highlighting their associated targets in the PGC Selector window but Titles 16 and up start messing up.

BTW, I really love this targeting feature!

[SurfDrifter]

Originally posted by r0lZ
@SurfDrifter
OK. I understand.

You may find usefull too the ability to remap a VOB/Cell ID in PgcEdit's PGC editor window.

If you have a VOB/Cell ID with only a black frame in your video, then you may actually use it instead of your first chapter (the one you want to strip).
If you don't have such a short black frame chapter, you may add one with AddChapter.
Then, go to the PGC editor, note the VOB/Cell ID of this short chapter, and click on the VOB/Cell ID button of the chapter you want to strip. In the dialog, set the VOB ID and Cell ID to be the same as the added black frame.
You will still have a dummy chapter one, though...

I did it and it seemed to work. The only problem was that the project was DVD-9 and i had to deliver to DLT's so I created an image file through DVDMaestro, which uses a .LAY file which of course was created BEFORE any changes made with PGC Edit. Anyway, i "shrinked" the image file and played fine on PC and standalone. Now, I'll wait the output from the factory of the actual DVD-9 (I cross my fingers!).

Oh, and by the way, if you create a cell and NOT a chapter with DVDMaestro, you won't have any dummy chapters! That's even better!!

One question, though. I used and adjacent cell(12frm long) to replace the cell that i wanted to omit and the playback was seamless.
If I had used, lets say a cell that was at the end of the movie, to replace a cell in the beginning, would the playback still be seamless?

Thanks again!

[r0lZ]

One question, though. I used and adjacent cell(12frm long) to replace the cell that i wanted to omit and the playback was seamless.
If I had used, lets say a cell that was at the end of the movie, to replace a cell in the beginning, would the playback still be seamless?

When you remap a Cell ID with a non adjacent one, PgcEdit sets the SCR Discontinuity flag, but don't change the Seamless Playback flag. So, It should be seamless. But I admit I don't have extensively tested this... in particular, the playback will probably not be seamless if the new ID is on the other layer of a DVD-9. Try it yourself

[ffroms]

Hi!
I have a little request (again). Is it possible, in some next release, to have option to change VOB/Cell ID's greater then they are in original IFO and add chapter to PGC?
To give example. I've remake DVD with some new subs, but original IFO have 2 VOB ID's and my new project have only 1 VOB ID. I want to change original IFO with only 1 VOB ID and change Cell ID's as they are in new VOB's. And adding new chapter at end of IFO I can skip to the end of video using chapters. I know that there is tool for adding blank chapter but I prefer to use 1 tool for all editing.
Making changes to VOB I can do manualy.

FFS