How To Partially Blank Out a Multi-PGC TitleSet Guide

[2COOL]

How To Partially Blank Out a Multi-PGC TitleSet
Courtesy of 2CL

Updated: September 2, 2003 My Figure 2 was showing an example with PGCs,targeted for downsizing, with last chapters holding its own VOBID. Also, they were all 15 ms blank clips. So, the obvious fix was to strip out the specific VOB-IDS in VOB Extras and IFOedit correcting the IFO afterwards. This guide was supposed to work on a TitleSet that had its PGCs without any blank last chapters so I edited them all in the examples to show they are not.

For blanking out a single PGC TitleSet, here’s the guide.
For Completely blanking out multi-PGC TitleSets, here’s the guide.

The free tools I used were IFOedit 0.95 and VOBedit 0.60. Available at http://www.ifoedit.com/.

1. At this point, we won’t rip all our files just yet. Play your movie in IFOedit and pick which Multi-PGC Titleset you want to work on. Click on its IFO. In this guide, I’m going to use a TitleSet that has 3 Multiple PGCs. Below (Figure 1) is what files I have and how it looks like in my movie’s Multi-PGC TitleSet’s VTS_02_0.IFO / VTS overview (Figure 2).

Figure 1.

VIDEO_TS.BUP .......26 KB
VIDEO_TS.IFO .......26 KB
VIDEO_TS.VOB ....1,056 KB
VTS_01_0.BUP .......32 KB
VTS_01_0.IFO .......32 KB
VTS_01_0.VOB ......236 KB
VTS_01_1.VOB ....7,984 KB
VTS_02_0.BUP .......74 KB
VTS_02_0.IFO .......74 KB
VTS_02_0.VOB ..107,878 KB
VTS_02_1.VOB 1,048,544 KB
VTS_02_2.VOB 1,048,544 KB
VTS_02_3.VOB 1,048,544 KB
VTS_02_4.VOB 1,048,544 KB
VTS_02_5.VOB ....4,603 KB

Figure 2.

VTS_02_0.IFO

VTS overview:

PGC_1 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 1] [00:22:47.05 / 30 fps] (Programs: 7) (Cells: 8)
.................................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 1,2,3,4,5,6)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 1/ 1] : time: 00:01:22.20 / 30 fps
...
..[Ch 07] [Pg 07] [Cell 08] [V/C Id: 6/ 1] : time: 00:09:00.00 / 30 fps

PGC_2 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 2] [00:22:59.05 / 30 fps] (Programs: 7) (Cells: 8)
...............................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 7,8,9,10,11,12)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 7/ 1] : time: 00:01:22.08 / 30 fps
...
..[Ch 07] [Pg 07] [Cell 08] [V/C Id: 12/ 1] : time: 00:09:00.00 / 30 fps

PGC_3 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 3] [00:23:00.05 / 30 fps] (Programs: 7) (Cells: 16)
............................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 13,14,15,16,17,18)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 13/ 1] : time: 00:01:22.03 / 30 fps
...
..[Ch 07] [Pg 07] [Cell 16] [V/C Id: 18/ 1] : time: 00:09:00.00 / 30 fps



We want it to end up as Figure 3 with PGC_2 unchanged and PGC_1 & 3 are replaced with 15ms blanks.

Figure 3.

VTS overview:

PGC_1 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 1] [00:00:00.15 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1)(Cells: 1)
.................................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 1)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 1/ 1] : time: 00:00:00.15 / 30 fps

PGC_2 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 2] [00:22:59.05 / 30 fps] (Programs: 7) (Cells: 8)
...............................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 7,8,9,10,11,12)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 7/ 1] : time: 00:01:22.08 / 30 fps
...
..[Ch 07] [Pg 07] [Cell 08] [V/C Id: 12/ 1] : time: 00:09:00.00 / 30 fps

PGC_3 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 3] [00:00:00.15 / 30 fps] (Programs: 7)(Cells: 1)
............................................................(uses VOB-IDs: 13)
..[Ch 01] [Pg 01] [Cell 01] [V/C Id: 13/ 1] : time: 00:00:00.15 / 30 fps
_______________________________________________
2. What I want you to do is write down all the starting [V/C Id: # / #] for each PGC. We are going to use this information on a later for correcting VOB ID and CELL IDs.

Using our example in Figure 2, I documented this. (Figure 4)

Figure 4.

+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|......PGC_1.....|......PGC_2.....|......PGC_3.....|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|................|................|................|
| START V/C Id:..| START V/C Id:..| START V/C Id:..|
|......1 / 1.....|......7 / 1.....|......13 / 1....|
|................|................|................|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+

_______________________________________________
3. Now, we need to create our custom VOB which will replace our combined VTS_02_1.VOB to VTS_02_5.VOB in Figure 1. Using DVD Decrypter, we need to be in IFO Mode so select that.
___________________________________________________
4. In left window, you will have a Input tab. Browse to your TitleSet we will be working on and click on the PGC # we need to keep. We want to keep PGC_2.
___________________________________________________
5. Select your Destination Folder and start ripping. In this guide, I used a Destination Folder name “PGC”
___________________________________________________
6. Go to our “PGC” folder and delete any files that are not VOBs. We should have these files in our folder. (Figure 5.)

Figure 5.

+-----------------------------+
|............PGC_2............|
+--------------+--------------+
| VTS_02_1.VOB | VTS_02_2.VOB |
+--------------+--------------+
| 1,048,574 KB |...185,980 KB |
+--------------+--------------+
|.........VIDEO CLIP..........|
|.............................|
|.........(RETAINED)..........|
|.............................|
+--------------+--------------+
|.....START V/C Id: 7 / 1.....|
+-----------------------------+

___________________________________________________
7. Ideally, it would be convenient to have a single PGC VOB but it’s okay if you have more than 1. Anyways, rename the VOBs as Figure 6.

Figure 6.

+---------------------------------+
|..............PGC_2..............|
+----------------+----------------+
|...VTS_02_1.VOB |...VTS_02_2.VOB | OLD
+----------------+----------------+
| VTS_02_001.VOB | VTS_02_002.VOB | NEW
+----------------+----------------+

The logical in this is that I want to two renamed blank VOBs to replace my other PGCs. Where can I get a blank you ask? A lot of DVDs have them lying around in a Titleset with only a single PGC. All you would do is just copy its VTS_XX_1.VOB. This VOB will already have a VOB-ID: 1 and Cell ID: 1. If you can’t find one, MackemX has a downloadable zip file with a blank VTS_0x_1.VOB inside.

When you have acquired your two blank VOB copies, rename them as follows. Keep in mind that 002 and 003, combined, represents our PGC_2. With that said, here’s what we would have now in my folder. (Figure 7)

Figure 7.

+----------------+---------------------------------+----------------+
|......PGC_1.....|..............PGC_2..............|......PGC_3.....|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
| VTS_02_001.VOB | VTS_02_002.VOB | VTS_02_003.VOB | VTS_02_004.VOB |
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|......10 KB.....|..1,048,574 KB..|....185,980 KB..|......10 KB.....|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|................|................|................|................|
|...BLANK CLIP...|...VIDEO CLIP...|...VIDEO CLIP...|...BLANK CLIP...|
|................|................|................|................|
|......{NEW).....|...(RETAINED)...|...(RETAINED)...|.....{NEW)......|
|................|................|................|................|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|................|.................................|................|
| START V/C Id:..|.........START V/C Id:...........| START V/C Id:..|
|.....1 / 1......|..............7 / 1..............|......1 / 1.....|
|................|.................................|................|
+----------------+---------------------------------+----------------+

We need the files named this way so that we can process them in VOBedit in Step 9.
___________________________________________________
8. If you have another PGC to keep and rip, you’ll have to start at Step 3 again with IFO ripping.

[2COOL]

9. Verifying/Changing VOB IDs and CELL IDs on Blank VOBs

Here’s where we need to change our VOB IDs and CELL IDs in our files we have now. We don’t want to mess with the ones that we had just ripped. So, starting with VTS_02_001.VOB, open this VOB, in question in VOBedit 0.60. In the left window , under LBA column, click on…

000000 [Navigation Pack] [VOB: #] [CELL…

Your right window will now have data showing. Ensure that check boxes below are not checked. By default, they shouldn’t be. Under LBA Contents Data column, you will have a VOB ID and Cell ID data in your [DSI Stream] section.

Remember this from Step 2?

+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|......PGC_1.....|......PGC_2.....|......PGC_3.....|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+
|................|................|................|
| START V/C Id:..| START V/C Id:..| START V/C Id:..|
|......1 / 1.....|......7 / 1.....|......13 / 1....|
|................|................|................|
+----------------+----------------+----------------+


This is where we check to see that all VTS_02_001.VOB is correct as above. It should be the same. Skipping the next two VOBs, VTS_02_004.VOB is showing VOB ID: 1 and CELL ID: 1. Since 004.VOB represents our PGC_3, it should be 13 and 1. So to change the ID values, double click on line and input the required number and press OK to set. VOBedit is gets confusing here so I need to have you know that pressing OK not only sets, it also saves the VOB. There will be no "Do you want to save this?" message box popping up. Now, VOBedit does not automatically refresh the screen for your to see your changes but if you click on 000000, under LBA column again, it will now.
___________________________________________________
10. Joining CellVobs files

Our files are now prepared for joining. Open up the first VOB, VTS_02_001.VOB, in VOBedit 0.60. Go top left and click Edit / Join CellVobs. Don’t select Join Clips because this would renumber VOB IDs. We don’t want that.
_____________________________________________________
11. In your Save As window, save this file according to the PGC # you rip. In our case, our save filename will be “VTS_02_1.VOB”.
Here’s what I have now after joining.

+-----------------------------+
|....PGC_1, PGC_2, & PGC_3....|
+--------------+--------------+
| VTS_02_1.VOB | VTS_02_2.VOB |
+--------------+--------------+
|.........VIDEO CLIP..........|
|.............................|
|...........(JOINED)..........|
|.............................|
+-----------------------------+


VTS_02_1.VOB..1,048,508 KB
VTS_02_2.VOB....186,106 KB


That’s it! You just created your custom VOB or VOBs.
_____________________________________________________
12. Now that we have our custom multi-PGC blank VOB, we can rip all the files off your DVD except your original VTS_02_1.VOB to VTS_02_05.VOBs (Figure 1). Rip to our “PGC” Folder where our custom VTS_02_#.VOB are.
_____________________________________________________
13. Copy our custom VOBsinto our movie folder.


VIDEO_TS.BUP .........26 KB
VIDEO_TS.IFO .........26 KB
VIDEO_TS.VOB ......1,056 KB
VTS_01_0.BUP .........32 KB
VTS_01_0.IFO .........32 KB
VTS_01_0.VOB ........236 KB
VTS_01_1.VOB ......7,984 KB
VTS_02_0.BUP .........74 KB
VTS_02_0.IFO .........74 KB
VTS_02_0.VOB ....107,878 KB
VTS_02_1.VOB ..1,048,508 KB
VTS_02_2.VOB ....186,106 KB

_____________________________________________________
14. The DVD Structure is pretty much messed up at this point as the data in VTS_02_0.IFO doesn’t work to well with our new VTS_02_1.VOB. So, to correct that, we are going to do some stream stripping. Before we do that, let’s create a target folder named “NEW”. button.
_____________________________________________________
15. Open up VTS_02_0.IFO in IFOedit and press your “VOB Extras”. Have these settings checked. Click OK when done.

Options
X Strip Streams’
X Correct Vob-Unit (Navigation Pack) pointers in VOB-files
X Correct original IFO files

VOB Expert Options
X Remove P-UOps
X Remove Macrovision
X Adjust Vob-Unit pointers
X Adjust Audio/Subp point.

File/Directory Paths
Destination directory: (browse to our “NEW” folder)
X AutoCopy Menu-files to destination
_____________________________________________________
16. Check the streams you want kept and “Correct IFO tables” should be checked by default. Click “Strip it” button to start process.
_____________________________________________________
17. When done, you’ll have a message box saying “Finishing correcting VOBU pointers!”. Click OK and your Menu VOBs will be copied over.
_____________________________________________________
18. In our “New” folder, we have these files now.

VIDEO_TS.BUP
VIDEO_TS.IFO
VIDEO_TS.VOB
VTS_02_0.BUP
VTS_02_0.IFO
VTS_02_0.VOB
VTS_02_1.VOB
VTS_02_2.VOB

Drag all your files, in “PGC” folder, that are missing in our “NEW” folder. In this case, only our VTS_01 files. So now, we have our files back together again!

VIDEO_TS.BUP
VIDEO_TS.IFO
VIDEO_TS.VOB
VTS_01_0.BUP
VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_0.VOB
VTS_01_1.VOB
VTS_02_0.BUP
VTS_02_0.IFO
VTS_02_0.VOB
VTS_02_1.VOB
VTS_02_2.VOB

_____________________________________________________
19. Now, open up VTS_02_0.IFO in our “NEW” folder and press your “Get VTS sectors” button. Click Yes and OK.
_____________________________________________________
20. Press your DVD Play button to test out our new product.

[voo_doo99]

A @2COOL lord-of-the guides production!
An awesome, awesome guide series. Thank you for your tireless dedication. Tried it last night, work beautifully. Lift my editing skill to a new level. Simply fabulous!

Imagine a DVD backup with the intact DVD structure.
Imagine a DVD backup without the dreaded 'illegal navigation'
Imagine a DVD backup without need for buttons deletion or heavy code hacking.
Imagine a DVD backup smooth as silk and cool as cucumber just the way you wanted.

OK, so much for the pitch . Now some nit-picking as my unofficial proof-reading duty
Step 16: For the partially blank-out, you dont really want to uncheck all streams as the non-blank video would lose audio. Leave the audio stream as is in this case.
Some green highlighting are out of place, and may be Fig.6 and Fig.7 can be combined for a clearer picture on the renumbering process. Love them Figures, btw, a picture means a thousand words. Just fabulous!

Yoh the man, mister @2COOL!

[2COOL]

@voo_doo99

I've made some minor corrections due to your comments. Thanks!

"...smooth as silk and cool as cucumber..."

It's always been my goal to help others the best I can. So hopefully, in turn, you/they will be able to rise to a next level and help me out with the newbies running around.

I've been so busy of late doing guides and testing that I haven't done a backup for over a week. Finally got one to work on, Stitch The Movie. It's all a love and hate relationship. I hate problematic DVDs! but I love to find out how to fix them.

[Ollie W. Holmes]

Cool, I'm trying to figure out which guide is applicable to the following problem. Say you have a dvd with widescreen and full frame movies in two different titlesets. The chapter menu can be in either the individual VTS_xx_0.VOB file or in VIDEO_TS.VOB. How do we crunch the foolscreen titleset into oblivion in each case?

[2COOL]

@ Ollie W. Holmes

Originally posted by Ollie W. Holmes
Say you have a dvd with widescreen and full frame movies in two different titlesets. The chapter menu can be in either the individual VTS_xx_0.VOB file or in VIDEO_TS.VOB. How do we crunch the foolscreen titleset into oblivion in each case?

Ahhh, a dual aspect ratio DVD. Well, most of the time, only one menu exists for both versions but on rare cases, there might be a menu residing in both of your Titlesets. Anyway, I'll assume that you have only one main menu and it doesn't matter if it's in VIDEO_TS.IFO or not.

So you want to get rid of your fullscreen? You just mentioned it's in a different Titleset. Well, examine your full screen's IFO / VTS Overview. Does it have one PGC (program chain)? more than one?

It's easy to work on your single PGC. Read this guide.

If you have more than one PGC, you need to check out what's in the other PGCs and is it something you want to keep? So, if you decided that every PGC in your Fullscreen Titleset can go, then read this guide.

Now, you are here at this guide because you have a multi-PGC Titleset with your Fullscreen version and another PGC that you want to keep. That's what I meant by partially blank out a Multi-PGC Titleset. You've come to the right guide. Read on.

[MackemX]

lol , I've never read this guide properly if at all and I've just been playing with Menuedit trying to come up with ways to swap VOB ID's with blanks and created 10 blanks numbered 1 to 10 in the VOB ID's. That's what you emailed me before wasn't it?. Me and my crap memory

so I stripped the VOB into 5 VOB's with different ID's, used a blank VOB to replace 2 out of the 5 VOB's which already had the right ID's and joined it all back up again

came here to look at your guides and compare and here it is, nearly the same just I didn't use Vobedit to change ID's as I already have them ready

so I guess I was just bored and rediscovered the wheel. Even so I can use Menuedit to do it anyway, just a shame you can't replace the VOB ID in one go with Menuedit , though I have mentioned it to Dimad

I guess you could do the same with the Cell's manually if you wanted to go down another level but that's just going too far

next time I get bored I'll check your guides and see what you haven't done yet , so leave something for me please

[2COOL]

Originally posted by MackemX
next time I get bored I'll check your guides and see what you haven't done yet , so leave something for me please

The last time you were bored, you came up with a flash guide for one of my methods. You could work on another one again if you have alot of spare time. Anyways, I was going to say the same for you on saving some for me too!

[^Smoochie]

In Figure 6 you have PGC 2 named vts_02_001.vob and vts_02_002.vob, but then in Figure 7 PGC 2 is named vts_02_002.vob and vts_02_003.vob. This confused me a little, so i thought i'd better ask to make sure i wasn't just missing something. Is this correct?

Thanks for the great guides.

[2COOL]

Originally posted by ^Smoochie
In Figure 6 you have PGC 2 named vts_02_001.vob and vts_02_002.vob, but then in Figure 7 PGC 2 is named vts_02_002.vob and vts_02_003.vob. This confused me a little, so i thought i'd better ask to make sure i wasn't just missing something. Is this correct?

Yes, it can be revised a little more but in figure 6, I didn't introduce the blank VOBs yet so I had it named those. In figure 7, I had it renamed so that it was in the correct order with added blank VOBs. Smoke cleared?

[^Smoochie]

Gotcha!

Thanks

[mikewillnot]

I've found myself struggling several times this past week with backups that present the same problem, even using this very 2COOL guide. I have a movie (e.g. Wizard of Oz) with a single VTS fileset with main movie and a substantial number of different extras in it. I want to produce an "extras only" disc, with all menus. There are multiple PGC's in the VTS set. PGC 2 is the main movie. 1 & 3 are warnings. 4-36 are the extras. The method in this thread seems unwieldy when I want to keep 32 PGC's. The Decrypter step doesn't offer any easy way to strip out the first 3 only, or to put it another way, to keep multiples. I'm not clear if the other guides will work or not. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[2COOL]

Originally posted by mikewillnot
I've found myself struggling several times this past week with backups that present the same problem, even using this very 2COOL guide. I have a movie (e.g. Wizard of Oz) with a single VTS fileset with main movie and a substantial number of different extras in it. I want to produce an "extras only" disc, with all menus. There are multiple PGC's in the VTS set. PGC 2 is the main movie. 1 & 3 are warnings. 4-36 are the extras.

My Region 1 Wizard of OZ has

PGC_1: Main Movie
PGC_2: Warner Home Video logo
PGC_3: FBI warnings
PGC_4 to PGC_36: Extras


PGC_1 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 1] [01:41:42.16 / 30 fps] (Programs: 55) (Cells: 55) (uses VOB-IDs: 2)
PGC_2 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 2] [00:00:12.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 1)
PGC_3 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 3] [00:00:32.01 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 3)
PGC_4 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 4] [00:50:52.01 / 30 fps] (Programs: 24) (Cells: 24) (uses VOB-IDs: 4)
PGC_5 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 5] [00:00:36.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 5)
PGC_6 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 6] [00:02:38.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 6)
PGC_7 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 7] [00:02:21.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 7)
PGC_8 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 8] [00:01:16.22 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 8)
PGC_9 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 9] [00:01:42.27 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 9)
PGC_10 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 10] [00:04:43.13 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 10)
PGC_11 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 11] [00:01:21.06 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 11)
PGC_12 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 12] [00:02:03.03 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 12)
PGC_13 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 13] [00:01:55.26 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 13)
PGC_14 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 14] [00:03:42.03 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 14)
PGC_15 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 15] [00:03:48.08 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 15)
PGC_16 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 16] [00:01:35.02 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 16)
PGC_17 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 17] [00:04:00.02 / 30 fps] (Programs: 2) (Cells: 2) (uses VOB-IDs: 17,18)
PGC_18 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 18] [00:03:35.11 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 19)
PGC_19 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 19] [00:02:21.03 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 20)
PGC_20 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 20] [00:00:48.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 21)
PGC_21 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 21] [00:00:33.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 22)
PGC_22 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 22] [00:00:35.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 23)
PGC_23 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 23] [00:00:37.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 24)
PGC_24 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 24] [00:00:20.13 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 25)
PGC_25 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 25] [00:00:21.19 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 26)
PGC_26 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 26] [00:00:21.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 27)
PGC_27 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 27] [00:00:25.16 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 28)
PGC_28 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 28] [00:00:53.13 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 29)
PGC_29 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 29] [00:01:08.23 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 30)
PGC_30 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 30] [00:01:49.21 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 31)
PGC_31 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 31] [00:00:44.27 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 32)
PGC_32 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 32] [00:01:20.26 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 33)
PGC_33 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 33] [00:02:33.00 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 34)
PGC_34 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 34] [00:01:05.11 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 35)
PGC_35 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 35] [00:02:18.24 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 36)
PGC_36 (program chain): [Title(TTN): 36] [00:01:40.15 / 30 fps] (Programs: 1) (Cells: 1) (uses VOB-IDs: 37)

I'll see if I run into problems with replacing the first three PGCs with single blank cells.

[mikewillnot]

I tried a couple of more times and got it to work. I used the basic VOBextras technique, and stripped out ID's 1,2,and 3. After that, the FirstPlay needed to be repointed, but then everything worked out OK. This isn't one of those "speedy" methods like in these guides, but it worked.

The problem I had the first couple of times was stupid. I left "strip streams" checked, and then accepted the default stream selection from the previous time I used the tool. The result was a strip with missing audio streams. I fixed that this time through, and it seems to have worked.

The last technique I need to master for this kind of backup has to do with the missing movie. There's a "play movie" button on a number of different menus. I could go through each with menuedit and disable. I think there's probably an easier global way to disable those buttons, and direct any such button click back to the root menu. I'll have to work on that.