Rebuilding a DVD from elementary streams

[Inventive Software]

When I rip the DVDs for re-encoding to a smaller backup, I traditionally demux from VOBs with DVD Decrypter, just because I find elementary movie streams like M2V and AC3 easier to manipulate. Nowadays, I'm getting into the habit of making the backup to DVD-5 or DVD-9 of the main movie, so I'm using that instead of the original disc. (I live in uni accomodation, and we borrow DVDs within the flat regularly, however they don't always come back in the best condition! ;))

Is there a free program out there that can author DVDs from the M2V and AC3 and possibly DTS streams, with a chapter file?

[manono]

Muxman.

[j7n]

Is there a tool that would take the elementary streams and put them on as many (correctly authored) DVDs as necessary? I have backuped my dual layer DVDs as one MPEG file per title and would like to put each one of them on 2 standard DVDs for playback on standalone hardware. It is very tedious to cut the MPEG keeping all the streams in sync.

[manono]

Hi-

There are probably other ways to do the job, but I would first author it as a DVD9, and then use VobBlanker to split it:

http://dvdguides.netgeekhosting.com/guides/splitdvd9/

[j7n]

From that guide I understand that there must be cells in the DVD project. How do I define those? During the authoring process of DVD9?

[manono]

Somewhere your authoring app will allow you to import the cells/chapters. In Muxman it's File->Import Chapter. It needs them in 29.97fps (or 25fps for PAL) frame number form. You can get them from PGCEdit after opening the DVD in it. You can get them in other formats from DVD Decrypter when decrypting, or from Chapter Xtractor.

Edit: Or go back to your original retail DVD9 and split that. Then you won't have to worrry about authoring first, or cells, or anything else like that.

[Inventive Software]

For the record manono, Muxman recreates the VOB files perfectly, but chokes on the IFO file for some reason. Any other suggestions are welcome. :)

[manono]

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Other than Muxman? They don't come any better than Muxman. What was the error message? Why did it "choke" on the IFO? If you don't know, check the muxman.log in the root of the C drive.

Otherwise, free includes DVDPlanner, IFOEdit, ReJig, DVDStyler, DVDAuthorGUI, and GUIForDVDAuthor.

[Inventive Software]

The program doesn't seem to create the IFO. The file entry is there, but it's empty, so to speak. There is no error, but the program keeps "locking up", and I can't do anything else on it except keep Muxman open and not touch any buttons, else it crashes. I'll give it another go later and report back.

[manono]

It is a little screwy in the sense that it seems to quit/freeze if you do just about anything with the computer while it's working. But it's still chugging away. If it's a full length movie, depending on your computer specs, give it at least 15 minutes to do its thing. When done, it puts a box on the screen with a message.

[Inventive Software]

Right, I did let the progress bar do it's thing, then I assumed it was done, so I clicked to see what happened, and it still didn't create the IFOs. I'll let it do it's thing for longer this time to see what happens.

EDIT: Actually waiting for it meant it built the IFOs correctly, and I have a full DVD structure. Thanks manono. ;)

[wincent]

Hello,
I am trying to author my DVD from elementary streams and I use muxman as the muxer for Gui for dvdauthor (because using default muxer, I lose a/v sync).

I got the following error message :
MuxMan version 0.15Q
Opened script file C:\Documents and Settings\naessens_vincent.NX9110-EL\Mes documents\GFDOutDir\Temp\muxman.mxp
Accepted video C:\temp\Oasis G-Mex 1997\Temp\GMEX1997(GOPfixed).mpv size = 1056037552
Accepted audio C:\temp\Oasis G-Mex 1997\Temp\GMEX1997(256kbs,ok).ac3
Accepted video C:\temp\Oasis G-Mex 1997\Temp\EarlsCourt97(GOPfixed).mpv size = 253464338
Accepted audio C:\temp\Oasis G-Mex 1997\Temp\Earls Court 1997(256kbs,ok).ac3
Accepted image C:\Documents and Settings\naessens_vincent.NX9110-EL\Mes documents\GFDOutDir\Temp\MMBackg.bmp
Accepted image C:\Documents and Settings\naessens_vincent.NX9110-EL\Mes documents\GFDOutDir\Temp\TS1Backg.bmp
Accepted image C:\Documents and Settings\naessens_vincent.NX9110-EL\Mes documents\GFDOutDir\Temp\TS2Backg.bmp
expanded database to 300 entries.
expanded database to 400 entries.
No useable audio found for PGC "MainMenu"
No useable audio found for PGC "TitleSet1Menu"
No useable audio found for PGC "TitleSet2Menu"

20:58:42 Begin multiplex VTS01.
Menu Segment List
Segment_TitleSet1Menu
Encoded stream 20 is script stream 1.
Maximum audio duration 0 fields.
new graphics buffer size 414720.
SPU buffer size 8192.
SPU buffer size 12288.
graphics buffer size 1244160.
Starting scene TitleSet1Menu_scn1 at 00:00:00:00
SeqEnd at 28B36.
Bytes remaining in buffer = 0.
Bitrate - avg: 3037866, min: 3037866 (lba 0), max: 3037866 (lba 0).
Shortest GOP has 2 fields, longest GOP has 2 fields.
Fields: 24, Still fields: 22, VOBU: 1, Sectors: 89.
Title Segment List
Segment_1
Maximum audio duration 326860 fields.
Starting scene Segment_1_scn1 at 00:00:00:00
P-STD buffer underflow by 3723 bytes at 28892, sector 183.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 28892, sector 184.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 28892, sector 185.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 28892, sector 186.
P-STD buffer underflow by 20491 bytes at 28892, sector 206.
P-STD buffer underflow by 2319 bytes at 36092, sector 210.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 211.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 212.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 213.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 214.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 215.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 216.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 217.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 218.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 219.
P-STD buffer underflow by 15817 bytes at 36092, sector 220.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 221.
P-STD buffer underflow by 21849 bytes at 36092, sector 222.
P-STD buffer underflow by 2319 bytes at 36092, sector 226.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 227.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 228.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 229.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 230.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 231.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3725 bytes at 36092, sector 232.
P-STD buffer underflow by 19303 bytes at 36092, sector 233.
P-STD buffer underflow by 14495 bytes at 36092, sector 234.
P-STD buffer underflow by 3275 bytes at 36092, sector 235.
P-STD buffer underflow by 5870 bytes at 36092, sector 237.
P-STD buffer underflow by 5835 bytes at 36092, sector 240.
P-STD buffer underflow by 5126 bytes at 36092, sector 243.
P-STD buffer underflow by 20532 bytes at 36092, sector 245.
P-STD buffer underflow by 17676 bytes at 36092, sector 247.
P-STD buffer underflow by 2961 bytes at 36092, sector 250.
P-STD buffer underflow by 10024 bytes at 36092, sector 253.
P-STD buffer underflow by 1463 bytes at 36092, sector 254.
P-STD buffer underflow by 428 bytes at 36092, sector 255.
Multiplex operation failed, probably caused by excessive bitrate.
But, audio bitrate is 256 kb/s and video was taken from a VCD.

So, why did multiplex operation fail ?