Error appending new cell to VOB file

[itchione]

As usual when backing up my disks, i 1st rip to hdd.
Started PgcEdit v8.4, then clicked on the "trace" button then "run" button.
Started to 'walk through the disk' using trace mode.
When desired, i ticked the "blank cell" box within the trace window then clicked "close" button.
All progressed as usual until i got to a copyright notice.
In this case, when clicking "blank trace" box and " and "close" button, i get the following error :(

"Error appending new cell to VOB file:
The number of sectors in the VOB files (349460 sectors) don't match the VMGM_C_ADT table (860 sectors)"

Clicking OK takes me back to the trace window and unchecking the "blank trace" box and "close" button allows me to continue.
Same happens on the next copyright notice within the flow but other later unwanted cells blank as required :)

What does this above error mean and what causes it ?

I continued to blank other unwanted cells while 'walking through the disk' and all seemed ok except for the previously mentioned copyright cells ! Oddly, when i ran fixtvs i was then able to blank these difficult cells within PgcEdit.

What was corrected by fixvts to allow me to remove these difficult cells ?

Cheers, itchione

[itchione]

:o

rOlZ has commented on this before, see post492 (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1047607#post1047607)

In my case i had blanked 2 cells (without saving the ifo/dvd) before getting the these problem cells. I am now a little confused as to when one should save the dvd ?

Cheers, itchione

[blutach]

Sounds like there was a lot of unreferenced material in the VOB. Usually, a good ripper will delete this.

Regards

[r0lZ]

Often, all copyright warnings and logos are in the same menu domain. If you try to blank out several cells in the same domain and that domain contains unreferenced material, the same error message will be issued each time.

BTW, if a domain contains exclusively some stuff you don't need, such as logos and warnings (as it's often the case in the VMGM) it is usually faster to blank out the whole domain. You can't do that with the preview in trace mode, but you can examine the suspect domains with the preview, and use Blank Out All Menu PGCs (or Blank Out All VTST Titles for a VTST domain.) With that method, you can remove totally the menu VOB file, or replace the title VOB(s) by a tiny VOB file, and PgcEdit doesn't have to take care of the unreferenced material. Therefore, you don't need to process the domain with FxiVTS to recover the disc space or to remove the unreferenced material.

When using the "blank during trace" method, the cells are blanked one at a time, so PgcEdit cannot apply this method. You don't need to save immediately, but do it as soon as possible. For example, save immediately after having traced the DVD up to the main menu or movie. You can even theoretically save only several days later ;), but you will have some problems in case of power failure, or if PgcEdit hangs due to a bug. The important thing is to save at some point, and never leave PgcEdit closes itself without saving if you have blanked some cells. And even in this case, it's not really important, as you can always recover a good DVD with FixVTS.

[itchione]

blutach, not sure what caused the unreferenced material but i use RI4M which we can all agree is a good ripper :D

r0lZ, thanks for your explanation. As i am not sure about some of the terminology though, i don't follow what you mean with referencing 'domain'. I have not touched that menu item yet :confused:

From what little i understand playing with this tool, the first play PGC normally calls a title within a VTST (e.g.showing the warner logo). This then calls a menu within a VTSM which shows the main menu video, selecting a button then jumps to the VMGM (dummy) which then jumps to another VTSM or VTST. And so it seems to continue. Not sure where domain sits in all of this so don't know what may happen if i click on a VTSM and select 'blank out all pgc in domain'.

Is it possible for you to briefly define what PGC, VMGM, VTSM & VTST means. Something simple like:
PGC = Program Chain.
A logical sequence of commands pointing to cells within a VOB file comprising menus and titles....?
VMGM = ?
??
VTSM = ?
??
VTST = ?
??
Domain = ?
?
VOB = Video Object?
A file containing cells of multiplexed audio and video data ?
IFO = ??
A file containing a bunch of PGC, VMGM, VTSM & VTST data ?

If a brief explanation of the main terms for e.g. VMGM, VTSM, VTST, PGC, domain, VOB and IFO were included within the PgcEdit help file it would make it much easier to follow many discussions and posts. If it does, i have not seen it yet and apologize in advance.

In any case PgcEdit is a fantastic tool and i am the limiting factor in exploiting its capabilities :o

Cheers, itchione

[blutach]

Check out DVD Replica for a glossary - http://www.dvd-replica.com/DVD/index.php

Regards

[r0lZ]

Well, "domain" is a term defined by the DVD-Video standard to designate a collection of several PGCs pertaining to the same "area" of the DVD. There are several domains defined officially.

The First-Play PGC alone is a domain. The VMGM (Video Manager Menu) is another domain. The FP-PGC + the VMGM are collectively referred to as the VMG (Video Manager) and they reside in VIDEO_TS.IFO and VIDEO_TS.VOB.

The optional VMGM is made of one or several LUs (Language Units), with one or several PGCs (dummies or not) in each LU.

Following the VMG are the Titlesets (or VTS: Video TitleSet) residing in VTS_XX_0.IFO and VTS_XX_X.VOB.

Each titleset must have at least one Title domain. Each title domain contains one and only one TT (Title in Titleset) with an unique TT number (TTN) in that titleset. A TT is usually made only of one PGC. In this case it's usually a "one_sequential" title (except when the cells of that TT are not played sequentially.) But it can also be made of one non-dummy PGC and one or several other PGCs (dummies or not.) In this case, the title is not-one_sequential. Each TT is also uniquely identified as a "Title" by the VMG, with a Title number unique in the whole DVD. (When I use the term Title with an upper case T, I usually mean the "global" title as it is known by the VMG.)

When there are several different titles in the same titleset, each title (or TT) is a different domain. The collection of titles of the same titleset is officially referred to as the VTS (Video TitleSet) but as this term is ambiguous (because Titleset can also designate the collection of all titles AND menus of the VTS) I have renamed it VTST (Video Titleset Titles.)

Each Titleset can also have a menu domain, made of one or several LUs (Language Units) with one or several dummy or non-dummy PGCs. All PGCs of all LUs in a specific VTS are collectively referred to as the VTSM (Video Titleset Menu.)

There is also one additional domain called the Exit domain. When the DVD is not playing, or when the Exit command is executed, the DVD enters the exit domain. In fact, that "exit" domain is totally virtual, as it designate something that is outside the current DVD.

So, in short, a DVD is comprised of:

The VMG: (This is not a doamin)
The First-Play-PGC (A domain by itself.)
An optional VMGM domain.

The titlesets with:
One or several Title domains.
An optional VMGM domain.

The Exit domain.

Although it doesn't exists officially, I consider also the ensemble of all titles of the same VTS as a domain, the VTST domain.

Note that a PGC is not just the sequence of commands. It includes also a bunch of tables, such as the cell table and the color map, necessary to define and to refer to the actual content of the PGC in the VOB file(s). A dummy PGC has no video content, and therefore no cell table, and no references to the cells in the VOB files. However, it has some tables that are not used, like the color map.

The term VOB is also ambiguous. It means Video Object and designates an ensemble of cells in the VOB file(s) tied together and having the same VOB ID. There are usually several VOBs in one VOB file. But VOB is also the extension of the file, and therefore it designates also the whole file. Take care when you use this term, and specify always if you mean the VOB file or the Video Object stricto sensu.

I don't know exactly the meaning of IFO but I suppose it means "information". In this case, the term is not ambiguous, as it designates only the IFO files. The BUP files are exact copies of the IFOs that can be used by the players if an IFO is damaged.