How can I turn on parental control?

[once_burned]

I extracted chapters from different discs, then used VOBEdit (join) to change the IDs and IFOEdit to assemble them on one disc.

The resulting disc autoplays when I put it in the player. I want to set the parental controls flag(s), so I can use the password-access feature of my player.

The IFOedit tutorial shows how to use its hex editor to correct the audio stream types, which suggests it is possible to change other flags if you know where to find them.

Does anyone know where in the DVD structures these flags live, what their values are, and how to change them?

[mpucoder]

This is the table that resides in VMG to define the eight level masks for each country and titleset (vts). http://www.mpucoder.com/DVD/ifo_vmg.html#mait

After that you can protect at the PGC level with this http://www.mpucoder.com/DVD/ifo_vts.html#pgci

The appropriate table (based on SPRM 12, parental management country code, set by the player's setup screen) is searched for any bits that match the value in the PGC from highest to lowest. Once a match is found, that level is required to view the PGC. If the player is set to a lower level it will prompt for a level change, which may require the password (based on SPRM 13, the lowest level requiring a password, also set in the player's setup screen)

You may also want to play with the SetTmpPtl command to change the current access level.

[once_burned]

I couldn't access the links, due to privacy concerns about registering with their payment service, but I do really appreciate your advice.

I finally got around to learning more about ifoedit (and loving it). I looked at the IFO's on a DVD that has the level I want to set, and found the masks and MAIT table you describe.

With IFOEdit I could easily change the masks, but I found no way to insert a MAIT table. Without that table translating masks to PC levels, I doubt the masks will do anything by themselves. If there's a way to add a table (especially the country code, which isn't shown in hex) I'm all ears.

Please tell me more about the SetTmpPt1 command. Does it set the level directly? I tried inserting a Pre-command into VMGM_MAT / First Play PGC but it wasn't on the drop-down command list. What's the hex for it? In which command tables is it effective?

[maa]

Looks like you don't have a VMG if you just joined VOBs together.
You can try setting the flag in VTS_PGCITI / PGC_1 and testing with a DVD-RW.
Or make a VIDEO_TS.IFO with DVDFab - that contains a VMG - set the flag in there.

[once_burned]

I did burn a dvd-rw with a mask set in pgc 1, but (as expected) it had no effect. I did indeed join a bunch of VOB clips into one title set and used IFOEdit "Create IFO's" to make the IFO's for it.