How to get only 2 minutes of the credits?

[ux-3]

This is the scenario: The movie is long and it has long credits. The last chapter is the credits. The movie ends exactly at the beginning of the last chapter. The music blends dramatically into the credits. Sounds familiar? What to do? Two common options are:
a) Code entire Movie and waste bitrate on 10+ Minutes of credits.
b) Cut the Credits via Chapter selection completely and have the movie come to a very sudden and dissatisfactory conclusion.

I am using DVD2DVD-R, which selects the "to be coded" part of the movie by chapters, so if I could get an additional Chapter about 2 Minutes into the Credits, I would be perfectly happy. So far, I can do this by simply demuxing and reauthoring the movie with Ifoedit, adding one more Celltime at the right place. Then I would point DVD2DVD-R to this reauthored DVD, and deselect the last chapter. The resulting DVD will play 2 Minutes into the credits.

My simple question is: Is the a quicker way to conclude the DVD 2 minutes ito the credits? Can I somewhere in Ifoedit set another Chapterpoint, which I could use to end the coded movie?

Thanks for a shortcut or a usefull link.

[Dave82]

If it is a movie-only backup you can use DVDShrink: open your movie in reauthor mode and set start/end frames. This way you'll be able to cut the credits where you prefer (BTW, with DVDShrink you could set start/end frames with chapter points too, it's really a great tool :D )

[ux-3]

Well thanks, but I suppose that dvd-shrink will simply reduce the video stream, but not reencode. DVD2DVD-R is a tool much like DVD2SVCD, which will automate cce and ifoedit in much the same way that DVD2svcd does it. So far, stream reduction has not convinced me to be equal in quality to reencoding, especially with bitrates near 3k. So I would need another method, unless this prog allows the speedy creation of a DVD-9, which would then serve as starting base for DVD2DVD-R.

[Dave82]

In DVD Shrink you can set the compression level to "No Compression", and so you can simply use it as a cutter without modifying your video stream. Have a look also at this post (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57961#post348712) by maa about using DVd Shrink as a cutter.

[ux-3]

Thanks a lot for the info. I will take a good look at it. Perhaps it will do the trick...

[ux-3]

It was pointed out to me that DVD2DVD-R has a nice feature, which might just be what I want in effect. With the right encoders, it allows to automatically reduce the bitrate of the credits. That would allow me to dramatically cut the video bitrate, while keeping the soundtrack running. In the end, this may be as bit-efficient as cutting after 2 Minutes, white it will be far more pleasing to experience. I mean, who really reads the credits anyway? We all stay for the music, if we stay at all... I haven't tried it yet, but if the Bitrate could be forced to near zero, one would only get the music with a black screen...

[Dave82]

I swear, I'm not getting any money from the author of DVD Shrink :p , but you could import your movie, cut away the credits, import it again and keep only the credits, and you'll obtain a DVD with 2 VTS playing consequently (you'll have the credits in the 2nd VTS). Now you'll be able to apply a different compression level to the 2 parts, and so for the credits you can set it to (surprise!) still pictures: you'll see just some frames but the soundtrack will be intact.
Just to make an example, I tried it on a 48 MB clip, and it became 5 MB.
I think this is the shortest and easiest way: try with your credits and see if you are satisfied with the compression, otherwise, if you want to shrink them even more, you'll have to reencode...

[ux-3]

Well, I haven't tried an encode with it yet, but my past experience tells me that CCE-reencoding is better than skinning out the video. But I might try it when the movie is only slightly over...

Wonder how CCE would handle a so created pre-image with a still in it?

[ux-3]

Last night, my low noise PC was forced to put this reduced bitrate business to a test. This morning, I was taking a look at the encoder info screen, were I could watch the near completion of a pass. Interesting enough, before the encoder hit the credits, the average bitrate was somewhat above the designated value. The actual bitrate suddenly dropped to under 1k, which must have been the moment it hit the credits. While encoding the credits, the average bitrate slowly dropped to the designated value. At the end, it was dead on. Then I was late for work... To compensate, I returned early to check the final result. I must say, I am amazed that the credits are very legible. I might have been able to lower the bitrate even further. Is there a minimum value, that all DVD players must be able to cope with, by some standard?

I will _not_ rerun a 4-pass encode on a near 3 hour movie to find out. This result is ok, another 20+ on the bitrate won't make noticable difference in terms of quality.

@Dave82:
I think I catch your drift. Thanks for your time anyway! The way you double select parts of the movie makes me wonder what happens if at the cutting/joining point, there is a loud piece of music. Will there be a short cracking noise? If so, then I rather shut off somewhere in the credits.
My general problem with all the supplied alternatives is, that they all require extensive user intervention (so I think). It will take some time for the movie to be reauthored, even without transcoding. Lowering the bitrate takes a click and that was it. Press GO and goodnight. Otherwise, my deauthor / reauthor method using just ifoedit would have served me fine. I suppose even DVDshrink will not allow one to _fake_ that new DVD-9 as framefeeder, in the sense that it will generate the required output, like dvd2avi does it. (hope I make sense)

[Dave82]

Will there be a short cracking noise?
To be honest I don't know, I've never tried.
I suppose even DVDshrink will not allow one to _fake_ that new DVD-9 as framefeeder, in the sense that it will generate the required output, like dvd2avi does it.
Sorry, but I can't understand (it's my English's fault). I have some problems with "framefeeder": from a google search I understood it has something to do with feeding birds, but I can't catch the meaning in this context...:o

[ux-3]

To your question:
One could program an interface that would pretend that the new dvd is authored. If something on that new DVD is called for, the particular data is delivered to the calling application, without first creating a new image, but by retrieving it from the old DVD.

This is (in a sense) what DVD2AVI does. It deliveres frames (complete pictures)from the DVD without creating a GB-large interim image first. Hence it is quickly prepared. ShrinkDVD will do an image first, which takes time.