Blanking a Special Features menu?

[Wheelie4]

Can you blanking a Special Features menu in PgcEdit? I searched for a guide but found none.

I blanked out all extras using "Utilities>Blank out all title PGC's in DVD" keeping only the main movie VTS and menus. I chose to hide the Special Features and Previews buttons on the root menu. Next I was gonna blank the Special Features menu and the Previews menu but couldn't find out the steps. I can easily blank/hide them in DVDRemekePro but I'm still a serious rookie with PgcEdit.

[lovelegend]

If your DVD doesn't have any button to access the Special Features menu, then why bother blanking it out (it's worth if that menu is several hundred MB, but it probably is one or two MB, isn't it?)?

[Wheelie4]

HeHe, yep it's small. I don't know why I blank them. Just to tinker I guess. Just now learning PgcEdit abilities. I always blank any menu that I hide a button to when I edit in DRMpro. I've already made a backup of the current movie using DRMpro. Just using the ripped files to practice with while learning PgcEdit. Heck, I just today learned how to view and hide menu buttons in PgcEdit. :)

[jeanl]

You can blank in menushrink, just for what it's worth... If you download the latest beta version here (http://www.videohelp.com/~menushrink/Betas/), (beta 2.22) and you check "preview select" in the advanced options, menushrink will pop a preview for every menu that has more than 1 I-frame. You can then press CTRL-K to kill a specific menu, if you know it's not dangerous (i.e., if you know you'll never go there), and menushrink will shrink it to 1 I-frame without audio, just as good as gone.
You can't blank a single menu in PgcEdit. YOu can skip it (if you know what you're doing) or you can blank the entire menu domain for a given VTS...
jeanl

[r0lZ]

Another trick: In PgcEdit, you can use the Kill Playback function on any menu PGC (including menus with buttons if you're sure you don't play them anymore). When requested if you want to remove the Programs and Cells, answer yes. Repeat for all PGCs you want to remove.

Then, process the domain with VobBlanker. As your removed menu PGCs are not referenced anymore in the IFOs, you don't need to mark them for blanking in VobBlanker: just select the whole domain for processing, and click the Process button. VobBlanker will drop the unreferenced menus, regaining the disk space.


Note: in the future, I will add a function to launch VobBlanker automatically with the right options to post-process the PGCs marked for blanking in PgcEdit.

[Wheelie4]

Kewl, thx jeanl and rolz. I appreciate the info and programs. Using jeanl's tip I saved 36.14MB. :D HEHE you laugh but this wasn't about saving space. It's just about being thorough, neat, orderly and learning the tools and what I can do with them. ;) rolz trick will try with a little more caution moving slowly to do it. I actually starting rolz tip yesterday but aborted due to uncertainty. ;)

[Wheelie4]

Another trick: In PgcEdit, you can use the Kill Playback function on any menu PGC (including menus with buttons if you're sure you don't play them anymore). When requested if you want to remove the Programs and Cells, answer yes. Repeat for all PGCs you want to remove.

Then, process the domain with VobBlanker. As your removed menu PGCs are not referenced anymore in the IFOs, you don't need to mark them for blanking in VobBlanker: just select the whole domain for processing, and click the Process button. VobBlanker will drop the unreferenced menus, regaining the disk space.


Note: in the future, I will add a function to launch VobBlanker automatically with the right options to post-process the PGCs marked for blanking in PgcEdit.

Let's say the menu's I wanted to blank were in VTS #3. After using the Kill playback function on the specific menu's in PgcEdit I saved and closed PgcEdit. Then opened the DVD in VobBlanker and just clicked Process without making any adjusments. Did I do it correct or should I only have processed VST #3? You said Then, process the domain with VobBlanker but I wasn't sure you ment just the VTS or the whole DVD. I figured the IFO's had to be corrected after the unrefferenced menu's were blanked by VobBlanker so doing the whole DVD was the best option.

I saw this step in a guide somewhere about 2 weeks ago but I can't find it now.

[2COOL]

After using the Kill playback function on the specific menu's in PgcEdit I saved and closed PgcEdit. Then opened the DVD in VobBlanker and just clicked Process without making any adjusments.Performing the Kill Playback function in PgcEdit does not do any blanking. If you want to blank the menu you just killed playback on in VobBlanker, you have to select that menu. Just opening and processing ,without selecting any VTS/PGC/Cell, won't do anything.

Also, VobBlanker has Kill playback functions too along with blanking.

[jeanl]

Performing the Kill Playback function in PgcEdit does not do any blanking. If you want to blank the menu you just killed playback on in VobBlanker, you have to select that menu. Just opening and processing ,without selecting any VTS/PGC/Cell, won't do anything.

Also, VobBlanker has Kill playback functions too along with blanking.
2COOL, the trick that r0lZ indicates is that because the cell is now unreferenced (in the original PGC), vobblanker will simply drop it with a simple opening and processing. No need to select anything/blank anything. PgcEdit removed the reference from the PGC, so assuming the cell isn't shared, it'll be dropped by vobblanker automatically. That's what's nice about the trick.
You only need to process the VTS in question, the corresponding IFO will be updated.
As a side note, however, because vobblanker processes both menus and titles, it will take a little while (the title vobs might be large).

jeanl

[2COOL]

2COOL, the trick that r0lZ indicates is that because the cell is now unreferenced (in the original PGC), vobblanker will simply drop it with a simple opening and processing. No need to select anything/blank anything. PgcEdit removed the reference from the PGC, so assuming the cell isn't shared, it'll be dropped by vobblanker automatically. That's what's nice about the trick.Thanks for the tip, jeanl. I'll try it out when I do another project.

[r0lZ]

That's right, jeanl.

So, Wheelie4, if you have killed the playback of one or several PGCs in the VTS 3 menu domain only, you should use these settings:

Use Input Folder: ON (it's faster)
Process Titles: OFF (This trick don't work with title PGCs anyway)
Process Menus: ON (You killed some menus)

All other options should be OFF, including in the "More settings" window, except Use blank cells in unrefer. "middle" ones (because this option ensures that there will be no gap in the VOB/Cell IDs.) But you may want to leave some options ON, if you need them (for example, Remove PUOps in VOBs.)

Then, select your VTS 3, and click on the "Skip All" button, and then on the "Process" button so that only VTS 3 is marked for processing.

Finally, click on "PROCESS!!".

Of course, the trick works also if you process all domains, but it takes a lot longer.

[blutach]

What I do in unwanted/unused menus is to pick a command I want to be executed from a particular menu button in this PGC and make that the last precommand of the PGC. Kill PB won't work if there are no post commands - only menu button commands - but this always does. Then make the menu a dummy (as r0lZ explained) and blank it with VobBlanker.

Example of such a command would be to return to the main menu. So, if by some accident you entered this menu, which leads nowhere, you can be sure to find your way back home.

Regards

[Wheelie4]

Ok thx alot. The way I first tried yesterday was:

1. Killed playback of certain menu's in PgcEdit.
2. Saved and exited PgcEdit
3. Opened DVD in VobBlanker
4. Chose a new output folder
5. Clicked Process (without changing any default settings)

Few minutes later (yep it only took a few minutes ~5) I had a finished DVD in another folder. I could see in the log were VobBlanker blanked out the unreferenced cells of the menu's I killed playback on in PgcEdit.

--------------MENU VOB WRITING PHASE STARTED-

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 01/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 02/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 03/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 04/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 05/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 06/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 07/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 08/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 09/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 10/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 11/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 12/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 13/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 14/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 15/01

VTS 03: Blanking unref Cell VID/CID: 16/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 17/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 18/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 19/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 20/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 21/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 22/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 23/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 24/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 25/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 26/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 27/01

VTS 03: Keeping Cell VID/CID: 28/01

--------------MENU VOB WRITING FINISHED-

I'll try again today using rolz steps in his last post. Geeeez it's fun learning/trying these things. :D

blutach,

I'll have to study your tip awhile. I'm not any good with commands. :)

[blutach]

Use process in input folder - that way your DVD is always together. VobBlanker makes backup folders under the input folder (configure it for multiple backups).

As for the commands, in PgcEdit's menu editor, find the button you want, the command will be evident, then use clipboard copy. Go to the precommands and paste it as the last one.

Regards

[Wheelie4]

Thx for the tip blutach. I'll tinker with that info. Much appreciated.

[zacoz]

What I do in unwanted/unused menus is to pick a command I want to be executed from a particular menu button in this PGC and make that the last precommand of the PGC. Kill PB won't work if there are no post commands - only menu button commands - but this always does. Then make the menu a dummy (as r0lZ explained) and blank it with VobBlanker.Great tip Blu....

I normally remove all buttons leading to the said menu, but that still leaves it possible to get to some of these menu's via root, angle, etc buttons on remote control - normally screwing up the flow. Your tip covers this possibility and will now be part of my regular processing.

PS. Notice the 'Pies seem to have lifted themselves out of wooden spoon contention. ;) Not that the Lions are doing much better !