How can I add new chapter entries to an existing DVD (in a newbie-friendly way)?

[karlheinz]

First, as my first post to doom9, let me say I hope I chose the right forum. My problem is: To an existing DVD, I want to add new chapters, i.e. select frames that I can directly jump to by pressing the players "Skip" or "Next" button so I don't have to look at the entire movie if I only want to watch certain scenes. Is there a software available (preferably freeware :) ) that can do the the job in a newbie-friendly way (I've thought of a way like scanning the movie with a player like the one that comes along with IFOEDIT, and when I've reached the right frame, I simply press a button or do something like that and voila, a new entry point that I can access directly is added; all in all the way that PowerDVD adds "bookmarks" but in way that I can burn the results to a new DVD). If no such software is available, are there other ways of adding chapters to an existing DVD without having to convert the entire movie to an mpeg stream and then cut it etc.. Any hints are welcome. Thanx in advance!

Greetz


KH

[Dimmer]

No, I don't believe you can do this without re-authoring a DVD. Chapter breaks correspond to the beginning of a new VOB cell on a DVD. If it's not there originally, the only way to create new cells is to rip the VOBs apart into streams and re-create the DVD.

Anyways, welcome to the forums.

[Arky]

I'd just like to add my welcome to dimmer's, Karl. I hope you enjoy our little (well, quite large, actually!) community.


I do have a solution to your problem, but unfortunately, it will probably not be a practical one for you :(

I know of only one program which is capable of addressing individual cells, and adding/removing/editing their associated commands after the DVD project has been compiled - i.e. it can open a VIDEO_TS folder (irrespective of the authoring program used initially), but it's high-end, and it's currently MAC-based only.

If you would nevertheless like to learn about the program then let me know and I'll give you more info (I try to respect Doom9's forum by generally shying away from publicly mentioning this commercial program because I am now involved with it. I hope you understand. I have the utmost respect for the forums here and try(!) to lead by example :) )

To be completely honest with you, I think the most practical solution for you would be to follow Dimmer's advice and demux (demultiplex) your VOBs and then re-author your project from scratch, setting chapter markers as you go.

Sorry I couldn't provide you with a simple, cheap, solution. It's just that what you asked for is quite a demanding operation.


Arky ;o)

[karlheinz]

Thanx dimmer and Arky for taking care of my problem and for the warm welcome! Its always hard to take first steps on unknown ground, and good to get some help. Unfortunately I don't owe a Mac, and cannot make use of the mentioned high-end software so my next question is which software I should use to avoid experiencing a quality loss when converting the DVD files to an mpg stream which I would then process with Ulead Video Studio, for example. Also, it would be nice if the existing structure of the DVD could be kept (this means that I would not have to define existing chapters and titles anew, but just add the new ones I want).
Thanx again and greetz

KH

[Dimmer]

You wouldn't experience any quality loss when you convert (demultiplex) DVD to MPEG streams. Keeping the existing DVD structure intact is quite a difficult task, especially if you want to preserve the menus. If you want to do it properly, you might want to read about this method (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/ra-guide.htm) referred to as Big 3, but it requires the use of professional authoring software Scenarist.

Another approach you could take, especially if your DVD is a home movie, is re-authoring the disc in a simpler program with some loss of functionality. One newbie-friendly but relatively powerful software I could recommend is TMPGEnc DVD Author. You can import the titles and assign the chapters as you wish, but then you'll have to create new menus. There are also other limitations, such as you can keep only one sound track, and you lose subtitles and angles. DVD Lab is another software that can re-author existing DVD material, but also not without losses.

By the way, even though Ulead makes some decent software for DVD and Video authoring, I'd say VideoStudio is a low-end product, which I wouldn't recommend wasting time on.

[karlheinz]

Hi Dimmer

guess you're right concerning ULead Video Studio. Gave it a try today and the result was crap. Well perhaps I could keep on with the method I used till now: simply copy those DVDs >4.7 GB with Alcohol and split/reauthor the larger ones using DVDShrink with no compression and don't bother 'bout chapters etc. Only what I would like to get rid of is certain logos (much like logos of cable TV stations) that appear in the right corner of the screen when a new chapter starts. Turning playback to higher speed removes those logos temporarily, until a new chapter starts or I make use of the "Next" button. Wonder where they do come from and where the information about them is stored (in the VOBs or the Ifos?). Funny thing about them: those logos use to be transparent. After ripping the movie with IFOEdit they had turned to green (opaque now). But would it be worth buying scenarist for a home user?

Questions 'bout questions for a newbie... :)

KH

[Dimmer]

@karlheinz:

You can easily remove the logo since it's obviously stored as a subpicture (subtitles). Open each VTS_xx_0.IFO in IfoEdit, go to VTS_PGCITI - VTS_PGC_1, then in the bottom panel find Subpicture stream 1 status and set it to 0. If any other stream has a status other than zero, reset it too. It'll turn off any subpictures/subtitles permanently. Repeat this for every PGC.

By the way, the green color isn't a random occurrence. Subpicture colors are stored in IFO file right under the Subpicture stream section. When you rip in a movie-only mode, sometimes you lose the original IFO file along with the colors. That's why IfoEdit has Subtitle Color menu that allows you to copy the colors from the original IFO file into the new one.

Just in case you're thinking about cutting movie in pieces when re-authoring in DVD Shrink in order to create chapters, it would lead to some unwanted side effects discussed in this thread (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71346).

Scenarist is a great program, but it starts from about US$5000 for a stripped down version and comes to $35000 for a professional one, so it might be out of reach for an average home user. However, if you're working in the area where you have to deal with DVD authoring, it's a good investment for you or your company.

[karlheinz]

Hi Dimmer,

thanxalot for all your help. Doom9 is really a rich source of information for those who have questions concerning DVD editing. I'll now start and find out where all your tips and hints lead to. Perhaps one day, I'll be the one who has answers for other newbies. Concerning Scenarist, 5000 bucks would really be a lot of money for me. Think I'll rather find the interesting parts of my movies with the FastForward button than add chapters for 5000$ :) Concerning shrink, I just use it for splitting the movie, leaving its structure untouched (i.e. not for adding new chapters). Seems to work fine so far.

Thanx again and greetz

KH