Question: Retaining Chapters when Compiling Movies?

kleb wrote on 8/21/2003, 10:43 PM
I want to make a DVD compilation that will include all the video I've burned in the last few weeks. However the rendered mpgs have been cleared for drive space. I don't want to have to spend all that time rerendering!

1. How do I insert the media back into DVDA and ALSO retain my chapters?

2. Also, the DVD's file system include VIDEO_TS\VOBs, BUPs, IFOs, BUPs, etc. How do I manage these files for multiple movies?

Comments

kleb wrote on 8/22/2003, 10:48 AM
It looks like I'll have to rerender all these movies again if I want my chapters from the Vegas projects! Or I'll have to add chapter markers again in DVDA, which is senseless if I've spent time doing it in Vegas! Are there any other solutions???

kleb
kleb wrote on 8/22/2003, 1:33 PM
HELP, Is this correct? Do I have to spend all those hours rendering again to get what I want?
nolonemo wrote on 8/22/2003, 4:07 PM
If there is any chance of your doing what I understand you want to do (put authored video on several DVDs into a single DVD) the best place for you to ask for help is probably www.dvdhelp.com My guess is that it will involve usind ifoedit and renaming VOBs - but I'm still not sure if you will be able to retain chapters. As I understand, once you burn, the chapters are no longer in the video data but are references in the menu structure file to various offsets in the video. I'm just making an educated guess, though.
kleb wrote on 8/22/2003, 5:38 PM
nolonemo, I think you may be right about chapters no longer being in the video data!

I ran a test by copying and renaming a *.VOB to *.MPG. Of course, my chapter information is gone. I think the Vegas *.SPL file contained the chapter information. Whether saving that file and reusing it in this case would work, remains to be tested. (Anyone tried it?) Also larger movies are written as mulitple VOBs, so I don't know yet how that would work.

Overall, it looks like I'll need a few days (many many hours) to re-render everything again. Gee, I'll know better next time! But this makes me wonder how many files I need to store as backups for this procedure, next time!

-kleb
kleb wrote on 8/23/2003, 9:40 AM
...I had one instance where I had a backup of the rendered MPG but had deleted the associated SFL file. The rest of the movies I wanted to use were rendered and burned to dvd as VOBs.

First I Created a new *.MPG.SFL file by rendering a project in Vegas. I rendered both a full project and also a project with only Chapter Markers (minus any media to speed things up) and got the same results.

1. Copied *.MPG file from the previous backup. Made sure name matched the new *.MPG.SFL. Opened in DVDA. Chapter markers are applied and IN SYNC. (This only helped with the one MPG I had backed up!)

2. Copied *.VOB file from master dvd and renamed *.MPG to match the *.MPG.SFL. Opened in DVDA. Chapter markers are applied but OUT OF SYNC. (The chapter marker offset was approx. 22 seconds late!)

Also note the file *.MPG.SFL includes an embedded matching *.MPG filename. This can be changed in a Hex editor if necessary.

The bottom line: Using Sonic Foundry tools, I was NOT able to duplicate chapter markers from master dvd's, where I wanted to make a compilation disc of my work. I would have to save backups of all rendered MPGs and their associated SFL files. Of course, also save backups of the final VEGs, AVIs, trimmed media, etc.

Anybody wanting to do this, please make note.

Hopefully Sonic Foundry will add a solution for this in a future release.

-kleb
kleb wrote on 8/23/2003, 2:07 PM
In Addition...

For DVDA...

Copy *.VOB file from master dvd and rename to *.MPG. Insert the media into DVD Architect Project. Examine the media properties. Note missing audio. Try to set Audio to new *.MPG file and get "File Error, The selected file is not of the required type"

-kleb