PgcEdit - Any way to work with a mounted image?

[JFerguson]

Hi all,

Was playing around with this tool and it's pretty handy for wiping titlesets. I was just wondering if there was a way to do this with a mounted .ISO / .MDS DVD image. Backups aren't needed here - just the rewritten files.

Thanks...

[r0lZ]

An ISO image is always read-only. With that in mind, you can imagine that working with any DVD reauthoring software on an image is not possible.

Of course, you can import a titleset or a menu from an image, if the image is not CSS encrypted.

Also, you can read the IFOs from the ISO in PgcEdit (ignore the read-only warning), and save them to any directory with the 'Save IFOs as' function, but you will need to copy the VOBs to burn the DVD. And don't forget to load and resave the DVD with the VOBs in the final folder to update the VTS sectors pointers. Of course, with this method, you will not be able to process the VOBs (blanking titles, modifying menu buttons...).

On Linux or Mac OSX platforms, it should be possible to create a directory with a copy of the IFOs and BUPs only, and symbolic links to the VOBs in the ISO. But, due to the lack of a correct support for links under Windows, it's not a good solution.

Q: Why do you want to use an ISO? It's easy and fast to rip in file mode. And almost all players are able to play a DVD from a VIDEO_TS folder.

[blutach]

If the image is ounted - you can, of course, copy the files straight to your hard drive (just drag and drop), make your alterations and make an image again, if you want.

Regards

[JFerguson]

An ISO image is always read-only. With that in mind, you can imagine that working with any DVD reauthoring software on an image is not possible.

Q: Why do you want to use an ISO? It's easy and fast to rip in file mode. And almost all players are able to play a DVD from a VIDEO_TS folder.

Well, every DVD reauthoring/reducing software application (DVD Shrink, DVDStripper, Big 3, DVD Rebuilder, InstantCopy) I've used thus far has either required or is compatible with ISOs. I like ISOs, because I know (because they're read-only) I can never mess them up and require re-ripping them again -- unless I delete the image itself... ;P

Anyway, I was looking for a quick way to strip titlesets. I've been using DVDStripper for a while, and it's not so fast (although I know a few shortcuts) and every once in a while when I'm not being my usual lazy self I'll just do it the old-fashioned way in Ifoedit.

Then I wandered over here into this forum and found your utility and checked it out. The strip [ALL] titlesets feature is fast (like it should be), but I couldn't understand the contraint on .ISOs -- I'm just rewriting the .VOBs and .IFO files, so who needs backups?

Well, if I think about it some more and I could be wrong here since I'm not overly familiar with PgcEdit, I guess the utility is really designed more for modification of the .IFO files (and not .VOBs), so in-place editing and backups would make more sense then...?

[r0lZ]

Well, you need backups to save your original files. Of course, when you have an ISO on your HDD, the first backup is useless. But remember PgcEdit is able to create incremental backups. So, when you are doing something complex, you should use the inctremental backups from time to time.
If you want, you can turn off the automatic backup feature of PgcEdit. Look in the options menu.

Anyway, the backup is not the problem with the ISO. If you want to modify the navigation of your DVD, it's not possible to use an ISO. The programs you cited are only used to shrink a DVD, and they copy the DVD elsewhere, on the fly. In the other hand, PgcEdit works directly on the files stored on your computer (like MenuShrink, VobBlanker, IfoEdit, etc...)

[JFerguson]

I have another question on this topic. What differences would you expect from this operation ("Blank out all Title PGCs in DVD", "Kill playback when it's safe.") between two different runs: one with the .VOB files copied over and one without? Here's what I got (DVD has 10 titlesets):

Run1: *.* (All files)
-------------------
No complaints on opening scan of DVD.
Output files for titlesets 1-2,4,6-10 equal across both runs.
No changes to PGC Command Table for titlesets 3 and 5.


Run2: *.IFO,*.BUP,VIDEO_TS.VOB,*0.VOB (IFOs, Menu VOBs only)
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Missing VOB file!" complaint for titlesets 3 and 5 on opening scan of DVD.
Output files for titlesets 1-2,4,6-10 equal across both runs.
Additional commands added to PGC Command Table for titlsets 3 and 5.


Here's a small snippet from titleset 3 (VTS_03_0.VTS_PGCITI -- VTS_PGC_1) illustrating an example of the additional commands inserted for the partial DVD run:

Original DVD:
PGC Command Table:
[000000ec] Number of Pre Commands 15 [000f]
[000000ee] Number of Post Commands 4 [0004]
[000000f0] Number of Cell Commands 1 [0001]
[000000f2] Size of Command table in bytes 167 [00a7]
[000000f4] 1.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 ]
[000000fc] 2.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> and (set-val)<255> [79 00 00 00 00 ff 00 00 ]
[00000104] 3.Pre Command Set GPreg<1> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 01 00 01 00 00 ]
[0000010c] 4.Pre Command If GPreg<0> != GPreg<1> then (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 12 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 38 00 0c 01 c0 00 01 ]
[00000114] 5.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov SPreg<parental level (PLT)> [61 00 00 00 00 8d 00 00 ]
[0000011c] 6.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> and (set-val)<15> [79 00 00 00 00 0f 00 00 ]
[00000124] 7.Pre Command Set GPreg<1> mov (set-val)<4> [71 00 00 01 00 04 00 00 ]
[0000012c] 8.Pre Command If GPreg<0> < GPreg<1> then (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 16 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 78 00 10 01 c0 00 01 ]
[00000134] 9.Pre Command If GPreg<8> != (cmp-val)<1><' then Goto line# 14 [00 b1 00 08 00 01 00 0e ]
[0000013c] 10.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov GPreg<13> [61 00 00 00 00 0d 00 00 ]
[00000144] 11.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> or (set-val)<64> [7a 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 ]
[0000014c] 12.Pre Command (SetSTN) Set Subpicture Stream: GPreg<0> [41 00 00 00 80 00 00 00 ]
[00000154] 13.Pre Command (SetSTN) Set Audio Stream: GPreg<12> Subpicture Stream: GPreg<13> [41 00 00 8c 8d 00 00 00 ]
[0000015c] 14.Pre Command Set GPreg<8> mov (set-val)<0> [71 00 00 08 00 00 00 00 ]
[00000164] 15.Pre Command Set GPreg<15> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 0f 00 01 00 00 ]
[0000016c] 1.Post Command Set GPreg<12> mov SPreg<audio stream number (ASTN)> [61 00 00 0c 00 81 00 00 ]
[00000174] 2.Post Command Set GPreg<13> mov SPreg<sub-picture stream number (SPSTN)> [61 00 00 0d 00 82 00 00 ]
[0000017c] 3.Post Command Set GPreg<15> mov (set-val)<499> [71 00 00 0f 01 f3 00 00 ]
[00000184] 4.Post Command (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 22 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 08 00 16 01 c0 00 00 ]
[0000018c] 1.Cell Command NOP [00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ]


Run1 (full copy of DVD files):
Same as above.

Run2 (partial copy of DVD files):
[000000ec] Number of Pre Commands 20 [0014]
[000000ee] Number of Post Commands 4 [0004]
[000000f0] Number of Cell Commands 1 [0001]
[000000f2] Size of Command table in bytes 207 [00cf]
[000000f4] 1.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 ]
[000000fc] 2.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> and (set-val)<255> [79 00 00 00 00 ff 00 00 ]
[00000104] 3.Pre Command Set GPreg<1> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 01 00 01 00 00 ]
[0000010c] 4.Pre Command If GPreg<0> != GPreg<1> then (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 12 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 38 00 0c 01 c0 00 01 ]
[00000114] 5.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov SPreg<parental level (PLT)> [61 00 00 00 00 8d 00 00 ]
[0000011c] 6.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> and (set-val)<15> [79 00 00 00 00 0f 00 00 ]
[00000124] 7.Pre Command Set GPreg<1> mov (set-val)<4> [71 00 00 01 00 04 00 00 ]
[0000012c] 8.Pre Command If GPreg<0> < GPreg<1> then (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 16 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 78 00 10 01 c0 00 01 ]
[00000134] 9.Pre Command If GPreg<8> != (cmp-val)<1><' then Goto line# 14 [00 b1 00 08 00 01 00 0e ]
[0000013c] 10.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> mov GPreg<13> [61 00 00 00 00 0d 00 00 ]
[00000144] 11.Pre Command Set GPreg<0> or (set-val)<64> [7a 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 ]
[0000014c] 12.Pre Command (SetSTN) Set Subpicture Stream: GPreg<0> [41 00 00 00 80 00 00 00 ]
[00000154] 13.Pre Command (SetSTN) Set Audio Stream: GPreg<12> Subpicture Stream: GPreg<13> [41 00 00 8c 8d 00 00 00 ]
[0000015c] 14.Pre Command Set GPreg<8> mov (set-val)<0> [71 00 00 08 00 00 00 00 ]
[00000164] 15.Pre Command Set GPreg<15> mov (set-val)<1> [71 00 00 0f 00 01 00 00 ]
[0000016c] 16.Pre Command NOP [00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ]
[00000174] 17.Pre Command Set GPreg<12> mov SPreg<audio stream number (ASTN)> [61 00 00 0c 00 81 00 00 ]
[0000017c] 18.Pre Command Set GPreg<13> mov SPreg<sub-picture stream number (SPSTN)> [61 00 00 0d 00 82 00 00 ]
[00000184] 19.Pre Command Set GPreg<15> mov (set-val)<499> [71 00 00 0f 01 f3 00 00 ]
[0000018c] 20.Pre Command (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 22 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 08 00 16 01 c0 00 00 ]
[00000194] 1.Post Command Set GPreg<12> mov SPreg<audio stream number (ASTN)> [61 00 00 0c 00 81 00 00 ]
[0000019c] 2.Post Command Set GPreg<13> mov SPreg<sub-picture stream number (SPSTN)> [61 00 00 0d 00 82 00 00 ]
[000001a4] 3.Post Command Set GPreg<15> mov (set-val)<499> [71 00 00 0f 01 f3 00 00 ]
[000001ac] 4.Post Command (CallSS VMGM) Call VMG PGC: 22 [Resume Cell: 1] [30 08 00 16 01 c0 00 00 ]
[000001b4] 1.Cell Command NOP [00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ]


In this example, 5 additional commands (16-20) were inserted for the run where PgcEdit was given only a partial set of the DVD's files to work with. I'm not sure if this amounts to anything, but was curious on your thoughts. Thanks...

[r0lZ]

The Blank Out function should work equally in both cases.
The presence of the VOB files doesn't really matter. A warning is issued if the VOB file(s) of the blanked domain is (are) not present, because obviously, PgcEdit cannot backup it (them). But the commands of the PGCs should be modified in both cases. A NOP command is added at the end of the pre-commands, and the post-commands are copied after that NOP.
I guess you forgot to save the DVD.

BTW, why did you use IfoEdit to dump the commands? You can use the Info -> PGC function to dump any PGC from within PgcEdit.

[JFerguson]

I'm positive I saved the DVD, but I'll run this again to verify.

I didn't know you could dump from PgcEdit; I had written a macro sometime back for IfoEdit to completely dump all tables for a DVD, so I was just used to using that.

[DMagic1]

I have a question on this subject.
Is it possible to kill playback on part of the mounted iso and save the altered ifo somewhere else? Would there be a way around updating the VTS sectors pointers in this case?

[r0lZ]

You can use the "Save IFOs as" function of PgcEdit. But the VTS Sectors pointers will be calculated with the files currently stored in the target folder. Therefore, if the VOB files are not present in that folder, they will be wrong.

But I think that IfoEdit can work on the IFOs from a folder, and the VOBs from a DVD in a drive. So, if the image is mounted and you have only that DVD currently available in your drives, it should be possible to Get VTS Sectors. Take care: I have not verified if it works!

[JFerguson]

I don't think IfoEdit can effectively work from two sources. If he's going to kill playback on part of a mounted .ISO, then he should copy the unaltered portions to his working directory where he's doing the reauthoring (i.e., where he's doing the "Save IFOs as"). Then, he can bring VIDEO_TS.IFO into IfoEdit and do a "Get VTS Sectors".

Actually, I don't even bother with that. Once have I have my reauthored pieces assembled, I just bring them into DVD Shrink and back it up at No Compression. Shrink will correct everything as well...


Oh, and I tried that Blank Out function again. Yes, the IFOs were identical from the two runs. Cool!

[r0lZ]

I don't think IfoEdit can effectively work from two sources.IfoEdit can, at least, play a DVD, taking the IFOs from where you loaded them, and the VOBs from a DVD in a drive (or from a mounted image.) This is why IfoEdit issues a warning when launching the playback if it cannot locate a DVD in any drive.

Oh, and I tried that Blank Out function again. Yes, the IFOs were identical from the two runs. Cool!OK, I prefer that. Thanks.