DVD Protection/Audio Channel switching with "The Curse of the Jade Scorpian"

[LorDHadeS]

Hey guys, I just rented "The Curse of the Jade Scorpian", funny movie, any wyas, its really new (came out liek a week ago) and i think they are trying to make it harder for us rippers. The reason: i ripped the DVD with smartripper once and then another time with DVDDecrypter to make sure, but the pronlem is that the first two files are in english and the next 3 are in French. Watching the movie that way is kinda funny, cause they are talking in english one minute then boom it switches to french, funny, but annoying since i know no french. I'm thinking they switched the audio tracks/channels in between the VOB to try to prevent ripping (when will they ever learn that they wont beat us?), but thats just a guess. Ne help would be very appreciated (the faster the better, the late fees started adding on my account at Blockbuster this afternoon :( )

Hades:devil:

[manono]

Hi-

I'm thinking they switched the audio tracks/channels in between the VOB to try to prevent ripping

Nonsense. You're saying that the vobs play in different languages? That's common-I'm surprised you didn't get any Director's Commentary. Just go ahead and get the audio and encode normally, and it'll turn out OK.

[Kedirekin]

Actually, I think what you are seeing may be the result of a multi-angle dvd. Try ripping using Smart Ripper in movie mode and see if the problem goes away.

Oh, by the way, I don't think what you are describing is possible. I believe an ifo files define the 'layout' (for lack of a better term) for all the vobs in the set. I don't think there'd be any way for a DVD player to deal with the vobs changing the 'layout' of the audio channels.

[LorDHadeS]

Kedirekin: true, could be, but i dont know much about that stuff which was why i was asking. But if you think about it, wouldn't that be a great way to "fuck" us over? chaning the audio stream location in between vob's or even inside the vob would really mess us rippers up. Although, why the hell am i saying this and giving them ideas? I dont know. Will try once again in SmartRipper and see what happens...

Hades:devil:

[Kedirekin]

True, it would be a wonderful way to screw with us.

On the other hand, it'd also make the DVD unwatchable on a DVD player, and they wouldn't sell many DVDs that way :D .

[manono]

Hi-The way I took it was that he was playing the individual vobs in file mode.

I don't think what you are describing is possible.

If I'm right, it's not only possible, but likely.

[LorDHadeS]

Kedirekin: nope, I've ripped this movie 10 times now its its becoming quite an annoyance, i only persist (not that its THAT great) but for the problem to get solved. I've used SmartRipper like 7 times and DVDDecrypter 3. In SmartRipper: tried movie mode, file mode, moive mode and englsih stream processing, file mode and english stream proccessing... In DVDDecrypter: once normally, once with only one file and multiangle on and then once with all file and multiangle on.

Nothing is working. Lightning (if you read this) or anybody, would you please tell me what is going on? Or, even better, would you go rent the movie yourselves and see what it does when you rip it? ANy and all help is appreciated.

Hades:devil:

[LIGHTNING UK!]

How are you playing the movie dude? from the vob files, or via the IFO file?
You need to load up the IFO file, or point PowerDVD XP or alike at the folder on your hdd and tell it to play in hdd mode.
You could always rip it in ISO mode in DVD Decrypter and mount the image in Daemon Tools.
That way it will be exactly like playing it from your actual DVD Drive.

[Kedirekin]

Could be you're right. I guess I really don't understand what you guys are talking about.

I assumed the 'fucking us over' that LorDHadeS was describing was that the audio associated with hex stream 0x80 in one PGC was changing between one vob and another in the same set, which I'm pretty sure is not allowed (or at least, if some studio attempted it, the DVD would have rather irritating playback characteristics on a stand-alone DVD player).

[manono]

Kidirekin-

You know how after you decrypt the vobs to your hard drive, you double click on one of them and it plays in English (as an example). Then you double click on a different one, and it plays in French. You do it again and you get the Director's commentary. That's what I believe he was doing (but I could be wrong).

I briefly considered that he had ripped without the multi-angle enabled or perhaps in File mode, and was getting that switching back and forth that you would get at the beginning and the end of Disney movies. But I decided that wasn't the case (but, again, I could be wrong).

So I still believe that if he ripped in Movie Mode in Smart Ripper, and got the sound via Streams Processing in Smart Ripper, or perhaps later in DVD2AVI, then there's nothing wrong, and he should go on with the encode.

assumed the 'fucking us over' that LorDHadeS was describing ....

Yes, I understand what you're saying, but as we all know that's just not possible.

[LorDHadeS]

AH HA! I think i foudn it guys.. although it stil confuses me. I downloaded DVD2SVCD and wanted to try it to see hwo well it worked, even though i thought the svcd would turn out in mixed languages like the vob files had. i invested the 6 hours to encode and do the whole program. when i woke up, i tried the new vobs that it ripped and the same problem was still there. i was really pissed, and i was about to delete the whole thing i had just made, when i thought what the hell, might try the mpg just to see. AND THEY WORKED. i watched the whole movie and there were no language changes, so now i know it must be the vobs. i at least figured the problem and it'll be fine now since i dont plan on keeping the vobs ne ways, but i figure it stil needs to be resolved for other users. So, here's the deal:

I've used DVDDecrypter, SmartRipper, and DVD2SVCD (internal routines) to ripp the vob's and the language switches to French between vobs 2 & 3. I've only tried to play them in WinDVD (PowerDVD4 sucks cause there is no sound, even with the demo). Ne clues? Lightning: no why ur decrypter (or smart's) would do this? Ne body know why? It needs to be resolved... Thnx

Hades:devil:

[manono]

I told you in the original response that there was nothing wrong with the vobs and to go ahead with the encode. After wasting our time and yours over this you eventually went ahead with the encode and it turned out fine as I said it would. And yet you still insist there's something wrong with the vobs? Are you retarded or something?

[LorDHadeS]

whoa man. dont be so mean dude. there IS something wrong with the vob's or WinDVD (the second most popular dvd player is messed up). i play the encoded mpg fine yes, so encoding works. but when i try to play the vobs, its fucked up and the error as stated above persists. sure i mgiht be dumb compared to other people, but unless you can prove it, dont call me dumb dude. forums are a place of help, i'm sure dell/microsoft/other companies wouldn't be where they are now if their tech support people called every one that calls a dumb ass. OK? ok. thnx. so ne OTHER people know the answer to my problem (other as in people that wont call me a dumb ass). thnx.

Hades:devil:

[Kedirekin]

On one hand, manono is correct in stating there is nothing wrong with the vobs, and that you really don't need to worry about it - the tools take care of it.

On the other hand, I do agree though that it was rude to ask if you were retarded. Ignorant, sure (like me ;) ), but not retarded.

I think the reason you are seeing this strange behavior in WinDVD is because you are using it to play one vob at a time. I don't think it was ever designed to do that (despite the fact that it does have a file mode).

I can only guess (not being privvy to the internal programming of WinDVD) that it starts playing the first audio stream it finds. Since there is nothing sacred about where one vob ends and the next begins (except I think it needs to be on a 2KB boundary), there are no guaranties about the beginning structure of the second vob (and the third, and so on). Therefore, it's completely unpredicatble what audio will play from one vob to the next. In fact, there are probably no guaranties about the first vob either, but the 0x80 audio stream probably occurs first more often than not.

If you were to rip the DVD into one huge vob (provided your file system allows it), I bet the WinDVD problem would go away.

Of course, I could be completely wrong on all counts. I am, after all, ignorant.

[manono]

OK-lets try again. You have a vob file, and it has all the sound streams (languages and maybe Director's commentary) in it, right (unless you stripped one of them out when you decrypted)? Then you play it in WinDVD. Did you choose one of the languages? No, you didn't because you can't. So it picks one (I have no idea how), and different vobs will play in different languages.

You want the vob to play in English? So strip out the other languages when you decrypt (streams processing in Smart Ripper is one way). Then all the vobs will play in English (don't know why you'd want to, though).

You either strip out the language you want when you decrypt, or have something like DVD2AVI do it for you later, or you pick your language with something like DVD2SVCD or GKnot, and that way you get the language you want in the final SVCD or DivX .avi. Again, the fact that the different vobs may play with different languages means absolutely nothing at all. There's nothing wrong with the vobs or WinDVD.

Edit: I was doing something else before I posted-Kedirekin beat me to it. His solution might work as well (making one huge vob), but you might run up against the 4 GB limit depending on your OS.

[LorDHadeS]

LOl, thank you. Both posts did help. Well in all my experience with dvds this has never happened before (and i know some of you have way more experience than me but just saying...). I use Win2k, so i think it should handle the 4GB file right? I used to also use power dvd, so maybe windvd just isn't up to snuff, cause i've ripped loads of movie before and played back all the vbos and never had that problem (75+ dvds). weird. well thnx for the help. maybe i'll switch back to power dvd if i can ever find that damned install disc. l8tr.

Hades:devil: