Guide for Blu-Ray Re-Authoring using multiAVCHD

[crl2007]

Guide for re-authoring a Blu-Ray Disc keeping the original menu and its functions using multiAVCHD

This guide is solely based on multiAVCHD, an excellent application that now does everything a user can dream to do with a blu-ray disc. Kudos, deank.

Necessary software and codecs:

Codecs:

Before installing these codecs, uninstall all codecs that you may have installed on your computer.

ffdshow (http://www.xvidvideo.ru/ffdshow-tryouts-project-x86-x64/) + haali (http://multiAVCHD.deanBG.com/haali_MatroskaSplitter_11-01-2009.exe)

For Windows 7 users: Preferred Filter Tweaker for Windows 7 (http://www.codecguide.com/windows7_preferred_filter_tweaker.htm) - it's free and straight forward

FOR HAALI: TAKE ONLY THE VERSION LISTED HERE.

Always take the latest version.

Software:

1. multiAVCHD (http://multiavchd.deanbg.com/) - free
2. ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 3 Platinum (http://www.arcsoft.com/public/software_title.asp?ProductID=362) or PowerDVD 9 (http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdvd/overview_en_US.html) - not free
3. BDEdit (http://pel.hu/bdedit/) - free
4. ImgBurn (http://www.imgburn.com/) - free

Let's begin. DON'T SKIP ANY STEP. READ CAREFULLY AND DON'T RUSH IT.

Choose a partition with at least 100 GB free. Create a folder called "Workspace". In this folder, create one folder, called "multiAVCHD". In the folder called "multiAVCHD" create another two folders, called "Original" and "Temp". In the "Original" folder copy the original disc, the BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders. The "Temp" folder is for the temporary files.

1. Open multiAVCHD and load ( drag and drop ) the BDMV folder from the "Original" one. The program will ask you if you want to switch to Blu-Ray Re-Author mode. Press "Yes".

http://thumbnails24.imagebam.com/6275/00ab8f62745873.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/00ab8f62745873)

Then you wait for the program to import your disc.

2. Do the following settings:

http://thumbnails22.imagebam.com/6275/e7849f62747069.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e7849f62747069) http://thumbnails27.imagebam.com/6292/6cc91762915819.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/6cc91762915819) http://thumbnails27.imagebam.com/6292/3b784062916754.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3b784062916754)


3. Now, go to "Media" Tab and press the first title.

http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/6275/a98d3a62747494.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/a98d3a62747494)

A new window will appear where you can do all the necessary modifications ( blanking intros, trailers, extras, removing / adding audio / subtitle streams, transcode movie / menus / extras ).

http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/6292/68907262910535.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/68907262910535)

All next operations will be done in this window.

ADDING / REMOVING / REPLACING A SUBTITLE AND / OR AN AUDIO STREAM + AUDIO BLANKING

KEEP IN MIND: EVERY OPERATION YOU WANT TO DO, PGS ORDER SHOULD BE USED LAST, NEVER BEFORE OTHER OPERATIONS OR IN BETWEEN OPERATIONS. PGS ORDER IS ONLY USED FOR ADD / REMOVE / UP / DOWN INTERNAL / EXTERNAL SUBTITLES.

1. We select the movie playlist ( first one in our case ). A list of streams appears in the "Audio" and "Subtitles" tabs. For replacing / adding / removing / blanking an audio stream is extremely easy. Just select the "Audio" tab and press "Remove" to remove an unwanted audio, press "Add" to add an audio.

To replace one audio stream, press "Add" to add your stream, press "Remove" to remove the one you want replacing and then press the UP / DOWN buttons to put the new stream instead of the old one.

To blank an audio stream, choose the audio stream you want to blank and press the "Blank" button. If you made a mistake, just press the "Revert" button.

For HD audio streams with a DTS or AC-3 core, you can keep only the core by checking the "Core Only" box situated under the audio streams.

2. For subtitles it is a little bit different. Press the "External subtitles" tab and choose your subtitle stream ( it is indicated that you already have a sup ready with easySUP ). You can use text SRT/SUB subtitles too... or DVD IDX+SUB.

easySUP settings:

http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/6903/f095ad69028656.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/f095ad69028656)

Select the subtitle you just added and at "Language" write your language code ( http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm ) and click "Change". Now, the external subtitle will be recognized as your language. Now, in "Subtitles", remove the stream you want to replace with the "Remove" button and from "PGS Order" ( again, do not use "PGS Order" before other operations or in between operations, it always must be used last ), using the UP / DOWN buttons, put your external subtitle instead of the removed one.

BLANKING INTROS / TRAILERS / EXTRAS / WARNINGS

http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/6292/68907262910535.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/68907262910535)

WE NEVER BLANK THE MENU PLAYLISTS.

This part is extremely easy. We have a preview window, so we can see what we're removing. We select the paylist that we want to remove and click "Blank". Easy as pie. If we screw up and blank something that we want to keep, we select that playlist and press "Revert".

TRANSCODING EXTRAS OR MAIN VIDEO

If we want to change the movie or extra bitrate, resolution ( so that it will be smaller ), we select the playlist that contains the movie or that extra feature and we press "Transcode". A new window will appear and we will set our options. After we set the transcode options, we press "Apply".

All the operations described in this guide can all be done in the same time, but be careful to use "PGS Order" last.

After finishing all of our operations, we press "OK" and then "START". We choose our output preferences ( for PS3, AVCHD or all BD players ) and after that just sit back and relax, the program will do everything. At the end, you will have a BDRA folder ready to be burned for playing in your favourite player, PC, or played directly from your player's HDD.

USEFUL TIPS:

1. When resizing a movie ( with subtitles ) subtitles are not resized... at least not at the moment. User may need to demux and resize, then import as external subtitles.

2. Some discs will have a structure like in the picture below. Two playlists are reffering to the same main movie, each one of them controlling different things.

http://thumbnails24.imagebam.com/6383/5bb4bf63829542.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/5bb4bf63829542)

With these discs, edit all as usual. Do all the operations from the guide ( DO NOT EDIT BOTH PLAYLISTS ). After multiAVCHD finishes you will have to manually edit one ( or the rest, if they are more than one ) of the main movie playlists, because multiAVCHD edits only the one you choosed. For that you need to open the BDRA \ BDMV folder in BDEdit and do the following:

a) Go to PLAYLIST Tab and find the playlist that needs to be edited. Once you find it ( you can see playlists number in multiAVCHD ) do the following:

http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/7820/8c4aec78193602.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8c4aec78193602)

In most cases, multiAVCHD will edit the IN_OUT Time for all movie playlists and the example above is no longer available. You need to open the BDRA \ BDMV folder in BDEdit and do the following:

a) Go to PLAYLIST Tab and find the playlist that you edited. Save the chapters from that playlist.

http://thumbnails33.imagebam.com/8302/8c70f783012729.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8c70f783012729)

b) Now find the rest of the playlists that reffer to the main movie and load the chapters saved in the step above.

http://thumbnails8.imagebam.com/8302/9aea7683013119.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/9aea7683013119)

c) Press Save.

ADDING SUBTITLE TO A SERIES BLU-RAY KEEPING THE ORIGINAL MENU WITH MULTIAVCHD

1. Do all the above operations for every playlist, except the one containing all episodes. Some discs have 2 playlists for every episode and a big one containing them all. In this cases edit only 1 playlist for each episode, not all 2 of them. NEVER EDIT BOTH OR THE ONE CONTAINING ALL EPISODES.

2. After multiAVCHD finishes we will edit in BDEdit the IN time for the big mpls and for the individual mpls files that were not edited. For that you need to open the BDRA \ BDMV folder in BDEdit and do the following:

a)Go to PLAYLIST Tab and find the playlists that need to be edited ( you can see playlists number in multiAVCHD ) and do the following for every episode mpls, including the big mpls ( the one containing all episodes ):

http://thumbnails26.imagebam.com/7820/8c4aec78193602.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8c4aec78193602)

Some discs will have in the big mpls some extra credits, like this:

http://thumbnails20.imagebam.com/7820/978ce578195541.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/978ce578195541) They are depicted with blue. For those DO NOT edit the IN time. Edit the IN time only for the episodes.

The same method applies for discs containing both Theatrical and Extended versions. The same steps, only that you'll repeat them for 20+ m2ts files.

That's all. For reports and bugs, please post here.

[setarip_old]

@crl2007

Hi!

Since I am very much opposed to codec packs, I'd like to ask you why you list the "K-lite" codec pack as being necessary for this project?

Surely not everything in it is required.

Please advise which specific codecs/items contained in are required for this project.

[crl2007]

It is mostly useful for people with windows 7. It bypasses some MediaFoundation problems that are crippling preview in multiAVCHD. I will make some other ( standalone ) codec configurations tests for people that are opposed to codec packs and will modify the guide accordingly. But for people with xp / vista ffdshow + haali will suffice.

le: @setarip_old Modified the guide to accomodate the k-lite pack for codec pack opposers, such as myself.

[Mtz]

deank, first I want to thank you for this new option and then to ctrl+2007 for the guide, testings and idea. I think somebody here is a vobblanker fan (another amazin tool). ;)

Regarding to: 3. Now, go to "Media" Tab and press the first title
I have XP, and after pressing the first "title name" I was waiting forever to have the preview in the new window. Before going to sleep (waited too much) I saw some mx264.exe running. In the morning, the preview is OK, no mx264. But when I want to skip for example for 1 second, mx264.exe launched again and again a long wait. Also if I want to go from chapter to chapter more mx264.exe instances are launched.
Can you make something to have some speed in actions? If is not possible, think about some option for user to choose if he want the small preview or not, because if he only want to add some subtitle and remove some stuff he will not need the movie preview.
Also, sometimes I have this error when clicking in preview window:
multiavchd.exe - No Disk
There is no disk in the drive. Please insert a disk into drive M:.
I think this is alsi related to mx264.exe.

I have ffdshow and haali properly installed (even them are not used in this stage).

And maybe another name for AVCHD folder because it sounds so scary and maybe user will think that he didn't made a Blu-Ray.

enjoy,
Mtz

[deank]

Such delay is caused by missing/broken/messed-up filters/codecs. For preview to work you need to have functioning avisynth+splitters+filters...etc.
Uninstall HAALI splitter and reinstall it with MPEG-TS and MPEG-PS options enabled.

You can disable the preview in SETTINGS tab:

[x] Disable preview in Title properties

You can kill mx264.exe with task manager when it takes more than 2-3 seconds (what it usually takes in a good and fast system).

When you load a disc in re-author mode output folder is changed to "...\BDRA\"... You'll need to update to the latest build.

[claymic]

Thnks for the guide Dean, i will try this later.
Clayton

[deank]

The guide is from crl2007, I just wrote multiAVCHD :cool:

[claymic]

Ooops, my bad.
thanks for the guide crl2007
Clayton

[crl2007]

Update: I've sorted out the filters problem. Changed the guide accordingly.

[krosswindz]

Is there any possibility that in the near future multiAVCHD might support replacing video stream without re-encoding it something similar to vob blanker :P

[deank]

Yes, tomorrow... if you tell me what you want to replace a playlist with. Another m2ts file?

[krosswindz]

Yes, tomorrow... if you tell me what you want to replace a playlist with. Another m2ts file?

Yeah, I deal would like to replace it with another m2ts file. Something similar to vobblanker so that we can replace the original m2ts with a new m2ts created.

[deank]

The way I see it at the moment, as it is already implemented in multiAVCHD - you can replace a playlist with a file of your choice:

* m2ts/mts
* ts
* trp
* vob
* mpeg/mpg (mpeg-2)
* m2v
* vc1
* 264
* evo
* (probably with a DVD title ifo... but need to test it first)

Now knowing that blanking works as it should, I'll add this in some of the next builds.

[Mtz]

Testing the blanking feature:
- some option to see the size also in the Compilation window from Preview window? This is good if many files showed and we can choose to not blank the very small ones with under 10MB size for example.
- when I blank some audio files, I know I blanked them looking if the Revert button exists. Maybe will be nice if the blanked stuff to be showed in some grey color?
- it is possible to show the whole disc size (and correct size) and when we blanking some stuff to calculate the actual output? This is nice if we want to blank for example to reach 25GB final size, and once reached, to leave some stuff.
General: I can't se all description of the streams. If the window is not possible to make it bigger, can be implemented some "baloon tip" to show the whole description/name?
Later edit:
- can you add something like "Convert to still" ?

I don't know if you know the vobblanker program, but maybe testing it one day will give you some ideas.

enjoy,
Mtz

[Capsbackup]

Just to report, I have successfully backed up another Blu-Ray title with the re-author feature, this time reducing an original title that was 25.2GB to 22.9GB by blanking three audio tracks and transcoding 4 trailers, blanking all warnings and leaving the main feature and it's DTS HD Master audio intact.
Plays perfectly on TMT3, PowerDVD 7.3 via ISO and the burned BD-RE on my Sony S360. :)

[deank]

Thank you, Caps :)

[crl2007]

I've added a method for series discs with multiavchd until deank finishes the big multiavchd update and will add new features to re-author mode. Feedback will be extremely useful if you use it for a series disc.

[mamaki]

Thanks for the great tutorial. Just one question, what changes in the transcode options should i use to turn a full bd disc 50gb into a 25gb one?

[crl2007]

You can blank all extra features, you can blank all audio tracks except english. And in transcode you can re-encode to 720p and put a lower bitrate or you can put a lower bitrate only keeping 1080p, from 30 mb/s to 15 for example. But if you resize to 720p you'll have to resize the subtitles too.

[cwh060]

@crl2007 I've added a method for series discs with multiavchd until deank finishes the big multiavchd update and will add new features to re-author mode. Feedback will be extremely useful if you use it for a series disc.

I have successfully used your method on a disc to fix the mpls playlists (4 in total on this disc). Worked flawlessly, replaced the 4 MPLS's, used BDRebuilder and burned the resulting folders to a 25G BDRE.

Playback was perfect, although I managed to miss blanking one of the "extra's"! I'll proces it again when I have time.

thanks..cwh

[crl2007]

Thanks for your feedback.

[cwh060]

Forgot to mention in my last post. You can actually take the MPLS and drag/drop it onto fixmpls.exe and it comes up right away looking for the TimeIN, saves having to type in the commands.

cwh

[crl2007]

Good tip. Thx.

[alimao]

I tried to add subtitles and audio in bluray caroline 2d and 3d. only movie 3d works , 2d does not reproduce black screen. what am I doing wrong?

[crl2007]

You can't keep both versions. Unless you apply the series discs method to every individual m2ts file.

[alimao]

You can't keep both versions. Unless you apply the series discs method to every individual m2ts file.

bluray original is dual layer, and has two versions on one disc.
how would this method? any tutorial?

[crl2007]

Read the last part of the guide.

[midgetcoach]

Following these instructions I can't get the trancode screen to come up. The load the BDMV file an asked "The program will ask you if you want to switch to Blu-Ray Re-Author mode. Press "Yes"." The multiAVCHD transcode will not highlite. If I load the same folder and choose "No" at the prompt the Transcode now is highlited.
Hummm...........

[crl2007]

You first need to go to the preview window and do the transcode from there, not from the Media Tab.

[raul124]

what's the method to copy the original to the full copy to Verbatim dual layer. Would this program shrink the full copy to BD9? just asking.

[crl2007]

No, for shrinking you must use BDRebuilder.

[deank]

Well, if you transcode the movie it can be used for shrinking, too.

[raul124]

So you saying try to shrink it to BD9 full backup using BD-RE first and then use MULTI AVCHD so it could play it on any BLU-RAY player yes!

[deank]

No - just use BD-RB (BD-Rebuilder (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=143716))

[deank]

I was wondering if this simple workaround for branched playlists (different movie versions, not series) would work for you..

1) Load your original BDMV
2) Re-author it
3) Close multiAVCHD and start it again
4) Load the re-authored BDMV folder
5) Set [x] Move transitional files [x] all
6) Blank the unwanted playlist
7) Re-author...

It should take just few minutes for step 7 and you'll get one of the movie versions.

Dean

[Tripledrop]

Thanks very much for all your hard work!!

I do have a question though... I have a 37Gb movie, that I want on a BD25. I have blanked the extras and got rid of the audio I don't want, but it still need transcoding. I still want it at 1080, so I reduced the bitrate.

I went for 2-pass VHQ.

Now it's been nearly 3 hours, and it's not even at 1%.

I have used BD-Rebuilder on the same disc, and at the Highest (very slow) option, and although it wasn't fast, it took about 24 hours, which is much less than the expected 300 hours for multiAVCHD.

Now I much prefer your program, as I can shrink the main movie less, because of blanking the extras etc (and keep menu!), but that's far too long (cancelled it now). I have a quad-core machine.

Is your VHQ much better quality than the highest one on BRR? Would I notice any difference if I reduced the quality? What would you recommend?

Thanks a lot :)

[crl2007]

I recommend using BD Rebuilder for shrinking and then multiAVCHD for re-author. Or use BD-Rebuilder after you used multiAVCHD to re-author your disc.

[Tripledrop]

That's a good idea, thanks :)

The second way would be better I think, otherwise you have to guess the size first of all

[Tripledrop]

Now I must be doing something wrong, as it's finished already, and it's 970Mb! The only thing I blanked was a 37 minutes extra, and 1 of the audio tracks (2.5gb)

EDIT: Scratch that, seems to have worked now :)

[crl2007]

Maybe you blanked by mistake the whole movie playlist.

[Tripledrop]

Possibly :)

[laserfan]

Playback was perfect, although I managed to miss blanking one of the "extra's"! I'll proces it again when I have time.
I'm trying my hand at this, and it seems there are some "intro" types that are impossible to preview for some reason, for example "PG-13 Parents are Strongly Cautioned" on bright blue screen and "The following Interviews and Commentary are for entertainment purposes only..." both of which appear for about 12secs after selecting Play but before the main title starts.

But as I say when I Preview every Title and/or every item in PLAYLIST I can't seem to find these, I find mostly black screens.

Does anyone have any tips/magic for how you find these particular types of Intros? It seems the only way is to play each/every STREAM with MPC and then find the mpls that references it?

[Capsbackup]

@laserfan;
I believe you need Avisynth 2.8 installed and:
For preview to work you need to have functioning avisynth+splitters+filters...etc.
Uninstall HAALI splitter and reinstall it with MPEG-TS and MPEG-PS options enabled.

[deank]

Have in mind that the preview defaults to the middle of a clip. Sometimes you need to move the preview slider to the left or to the right to see the actual content if you see 'black' frame.

[laserfan]

Have in mind that the preview defaults to the middle of a clip. Sometimes you need to move the preview slider to the left or to the right to see the actual content if you see 'black' frame.Yeah I know that and have tried it, but even when I know what the offending title is I don't see the frame in Preview (I can however see them in MPC btw). I might've expected that if what I'm having trouble with is screens that are single images that are "played" for x secs that I'd see them at the very beginning (slider all the way left) but I do not.

[Capsbackup]

Yeah I know that and have tried it, but even when I know what the offending title is I don't see the frame in Preview (I can however see them in MPC btw). I might've expected that if what I'm having trouble with is screens that are single images that are "played" for x secs that I'd see them at the very beginning (slider all the way left) but I do not.

I have noticed this too, so I will use BDInfo along with MPC to find which .mpls/.m2ts are what I want to blank, then perform the blanking with MultiAVCHD. Much more tedious and time consuming, but results are more accurate than guessing at a short black preview. :cool:

[laserfan]

The disc I had trouble with has literally hundreds of these single-frame (otherwise blank) m2ts, and corresponding mpls, so it was a huge PIA to find the ones I wanted to blank. I have another idea I'm gonna try today...

[Capsbackup]

The disc I had trouble with has literally hundreds of these single-frame (otherwise blank) m2ts, and corresponding mpls, so it was a huge PIA to find the ones I wanted to blank. I have another idea I'm gonna try today...

I have run across a few discs that have many small .m2ts files too, so if you find something good, please share...:p

[laserfan]

Well, my thought was that on import mAVCHD says "There are 600 images--do you want to make a slideshow" and I was hoping this would let me see these uglies, but no dice.

deank, if you know what we are talking about (these "PG-13" and "Commentary is that of the commenters" screens that precede movies after Play) can you think of anything to help us out. Those "FBI" and "Interpol" warnings tend to be videos thus make them easy to spot in Preview, but the others don't appear at all and thus are very, very difficult to find and eradicate.

[deank]

If the disk is BD-J it is possible that these images are java resources.

When you click the preview frame mplayer should try to play the current m2ts. Does it show anything?