successful menu fix DVD9 -> 2x DVD5

[krusada]

Hi all,

Hope this is threadworthy. I got a DVD9 -> 2 x DVD5 split working, and fixed the 'chapter menus now point to wrong / invalid chapters' problem in R2 Sphere DVD. Each menu button gets one virtual machine command, this method will only work on 'simple chapter menus' DVD's, where each menu button command is simply a JUMPVTS_PTT command, rather than a link to a more complicated program.

This is done by following instructions on doom9's website to split dvd. Make sure you pick a split point such that the two parts fall over different chapter menu screens (ie sphere has 6 chapters per screen, so I split 1 -24 and 25 - 43.)

Then you must process the main movie menu vob (VTS_01_0.VOB) to change the chapter links associated with each button. You need to modify the menu vob differently for each disk. Sphere is easier as it has non animated menus (less data to trawl through)

I wrote simple code to search for the hex string 30, 05, 00 in the menu vob (VTS_01_00.vob) and change corresponding chapter link, ie

vob contains button pointing to end credits, chapter 43. Change this to point to last chapter (24) on 1st disk, and last chapter (19) 2nd disk ie:

(hex) 30 05 00 2b 00 01 00 00 ->

(hex) 30 05 00 18 00 01 00 00 (1st disk)
(hex) 30 05 00 13 00 01 00 00 (2nd disk)

by changing all the button links in a sensible way, I now have a valid (non DVD player crashing) set of menus, with the chapter menus correct, pressing chapter 1 - 24 on disk 2 now just jumps to chapter 25 , pressing chapter 25 - 43 on disk 1 just jumps to chapter 24.

take note its possible that searching for 30,05,00 will also probably return some garbage. You need to look at the list of possible commands in the vob and look for a sequence like:

(hex) 30 05 00 01 00 01 00 00
(hex) 30 05 00 02 00 01 00 00
(hex) 30 05 00 03 00 01 00 00
(hex) 30 05 00 04 00 01 00 00
(hex) 30 05 00 05 00 01 00 00
(hex) 30 05 00 06 00 01 00 00

...is a dead giveaway, given 6 chapters per menu screen!

I hope that this is useful, and perhaps one day Vob Edit might be able to automate a similar function. I havent burnt to disk yet, but works flawlessly on IFO edit test DVD function.

Thanks Derrow and Doom9 for your invaluable help.

[Derrow]

Wow, very interesting!

But very un-handy to edit it manualy.
I will implement a helpful function in VobEdit or IfoEdit for sure, to simplify life.

[krusada]

...one thing I forgot to mention is that then, by editing the chapter menu PGC program map you can change the sub menu screen pointed to by the '1-4', '5-8', '9-12' buttons, essentially removing chapter screens which are no longer relevant. I've done this in sphere and it works a treat. An alternative method would be to change the machine instruction contained in those buttons, but that looks more complicated than the unconditional chapter jump instruction.

I tried the same technique on Dune R2 and again was able to correct bad chapter references, but was unable to remove chapter menus due to different disk organisation.

A function in IFO or Vob edit would be great. With proper vob parsing code, I hope it should be fairly easy to remove / re-target buttons, at least those which contain simple chapter references. Only minor complication is as button info is 'per-subframe', there can be lots of identical buttons defined throughout the menu vob if it contains animated menus. hope this all sounds sensible.

[Cyber]

Krusada,

I am very interested in this topic. Could you please tell me the details about the steps to adjust the button link in the menu vob file? I cannot follow your posted steps :confused:.

Thanks a lot.

[krusada]

Hi,

This wasnt really meant to be a 'guide' as such, more of a 'its possible'. Are you attempting to do the same on Sphere, or a different DVD? Does it have animated menus etc?

I'm not sure if I can describe it more clearly than above. If you like, I can email the c source of the code I used (rough and ready, but it works) - you'll have to compile it though. Essentially, you'll need to write a bit of code to brute force search through the menu vob and correct the chapter jump commands as described above. Derrow has suggested this might be incorporated into a future release of one of his programs if he has time (Please, please Derrow?). If you DVD uses chapter buttons without direct chapter jump commands programmed into the buttons in the menu vob then you'll have to do something else.

Please note (sorry if this is obvious) this wont remove the picture of the buttons from the menu - those are encoded into the MPEG video stream / stills pictures and would require ripping out of the vob, editing out with a paint / animation package, then reencoding back into a vob. You'll need something like scenarist for that. Its for correcting bad chapter links in menus in split disks.

If your unsure of the structure of the menu vobs etc a good place to start might be the book 'DVD Demystified' - note I have nothing to do with the author publisher etc, I just found it very helpful.

K

[Cyber]

Krusada,

I have recently spilted a dual layer disc by using IfoEdit into 2 DVD+R. I found that 1st disc is working perfectly but the chapter selection menu (not animated) is mismatch with the original chapter of the movie :mad:. For example, chapters 1-17 belongs to 1st disc and 18-26 belongs to 2nd disc. In the 2nd disc, chapter 1 of the menu pointed to chapter 18 of the movie.

Could you teach me how to correct the button links so that chapter 18 points to chapter 18 and disable the chapter buttons 1-17 of the menu of the 2nd disc?

[Cyber]

Krusada,

I have found the button links in the menu vob file by using VobEdit which you have mentioned in the previous message:D.

The button links are belongs to the "Navigation Pack" section of the LBA column. Select the "Navigation Pack" with the Vob ID correspond to the chapter selection menu, then check the "Button" check box. Afterwards, the button information (included the links) shows to you. At the "command: JUMPVTS_PTT" of the button information showing the current link status of that button. Double click the "JUMPVTS_PTT" of the button information and use HEX Editor to correct the HEX value as you mentioned. Is that right!

But after I have changed the values, then select the next "Navigation Pack" and back to the previous "Navigation Pack", the JUMPVTS_PTT resume to original. Also I can't save the menu vob file (vob_01_0.vob). The VobEdit only manipulate the main movie vob files. After the manipulation, the playback of the movie is not smooth. Is that any way to save the menu vob file?

[krusada]

Hi Cyber,

Yes - it sounds like you are doing the right thing, although bear in mind with animated menus there may be multiple navigation packs per 'chapter screen animation'. Im not sure if vobedit support saving out those changes yet.. I have had the same problem as you, which is why I wrote my own code to do it. perhaps best to ask Derrow? I have no idea why the playback of your film would not be smooth now... certainly changing the menu vob should not alter play back of the main movie.

Regards,

Krusada

[Cyber]

krusada,

Are you a programmer? Is your program a GUI program? Can your program run under Windows 2K or DOS? Is your program write by C language? If yes, I have a C compiler, so that I can compile it by myself. Could you e-mail your program to me at "m1067184@sinaman.com". I extremely need your program.

Thanks a lot for your help.