Using PGCEdit for a replication job?

[Eric69]

Recently I've become quite fond of this app. I've been using DVDAfterEdit on the mac to swap out FBI warnings and logos then sending them off to replication.

Was wondering if anyone here has been able to run an Eclipse and/or MEI report on any discs reauthored with PGCEdit? My client replicates about 10,000 units per disc and I don't want to be worried about issue that might come up.

I've been very happy with AfterEdit and use it for all my pre-mastering. Should I proceed at my own risk here with PGCEdit? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't completley understand the process once and disc as been ammended and PGCEdit or AfterEdit save my new changes. Are these changes written to the IFO files?

Eric

[r0lZ]

Honestly, I don't know if PgcEdit has already been used in a big commercial production chain, although I know it is used successfully by some small production companies.

Normally, PgcEdit changes only things you have explicitly requested, except the VTS sector pointers in the IFOs, which are recalculated any way when you save the DVD.

PgcEdit might also fix some authoring errors the first time a DVD is opened, but they are not saved on disc without the user consent.

Most of the functions in PgcEdit are applied only on the IFOs, but there are some exceptions. The VOBs are modified if you use the menu editor (but, again, a confirmation dialog appear before saving them.) A new tiny (10KB) black cell is also appended at the end of the VOBs if you create one explicitly or if you blank a domain, a PGC or a cell.

I have tried to use only legit methods in the high-level functions of PgcEdit, but perhaps there are some exceptions. For example, Enable All Operations sets the Prev and NextPGCN links to point to the same PGC (to enable the Prev and Next button of the remote when the first or last program of the PGC is playing), but it is still unconfirmed if the presence of those links are compatible with one_sequential Titles.

Also, PgcEdit lets you do some things that are not standard-compliant, such as using commands incompatible with a specific domain. So, you have to take care at what you do.

Of course, it is never impossible that there are still some bugs in the code.

I suggest you test the output of PgcEdit with the Philips DVD-Video verifier, or a similar tool. But take care: verify also the original DVD. I have never seen a commercial DVD without at least some minor errors, and some of them (especially ARccOS/RipGuard protected DVDs) are even pure crap!

BTW, running PgcEdit on the later ones is probably not a good idea if you want to conserve the protection, as PgcEdit has to remove some intentional authoring errors to be able to process the DVD successfully. Anyway, I suppose (I hope!) you don't need to modify the authoring at this stage of the production.