How to make a custom DVD

[geno888]

I'm not sure that this was already answered, but I'd like to make a custom DVD using pieces of video files taken from other DVDs.

I can easily extract videos with DVD Shrink in re-author mode, but I'd like to join these videos to make a custom DVD with some simple menu.

What kind of software (preferably freeware) can I use to do this? Is DVDFlick good for this purpose?

If possible, I'd like to use DVD Shrink to extract videos, because it allow me to do some things that no other software apparently are not able to do, like remove any unwanted language and/or subtitles, set the preferred language/subtitles to be played, and also to extract a single chapter from a video.

Once I get all these pieces (i.e. videos extracted with DVD Shrink and saved each in a separate directory as VOB-IFO-BUP files), I need a way to join them all in a single DVD. This is already possible in re-author mode, but I'd like also to make a simple menu, because playing these custom discs on a standalone is rather uncomfortable when trying to find a specific title.

I already tried to use DVD Styler, but it is definitely not easy to use (not intuitive at all, and even after reading the user manual I wasn't able to understand how it works :doh:). So, DVD Styler is definitely not an option for me :disagree:

TIA

[Whappo]

Dvdflick is pretty easy. To add vob files to a project select “all files” instead of “all supported types” when you add title. In the project settings under Video select “Advanced” and then select “copy mpeg-2 streams” to avoid re-encoding. The actual making of a menu with titles is pretty straightforward.

[Kerry56]

I don’t use Flick very often, so I have a few questions for Whappo. Will the vob files show up as individual titles, or do they merge to one in Flick? Is it better to use Vob2Mpeg or VobMerge when importing them?

Geno has some specific preferences he wants saved in the videos…which language first, and subtitles. Will Flick keep these preferences without the IFO files? I’m pretty sure it will keep more than one audio stream in each title, but don’t know about order of play.

Personally, I’d do this all with DVDLab Pro, but that isn’t an option for him unless he just wants to use the trial.

AVStoDVD can do this, but will index the dvd videos with DGIndex, and I’ve found it to be inconsistent in producing the d2v file. Subtitles can be a problem too.

[geno888]

Thanks for answers

I’ll run a test in DVDFlick

I never tried DVDLab Pro, but if it works good I may consider to purchase a license

I also found DVDAuthorgui and multiAVCHD, but I have no idea what is their purpose

I’d like to find a tool to add menus to my custom DVDs created with DVD Shrink in Re-Author mode, but currently I never found something really working

[Kerry56]

You won’t like the price of DVDLab Pro if you only use it on rare occasions. Its gone up a great deal since I got it.

DVDAuthorgui is a free authoring program, but will require your videos be demuxed into elementary streams before importing them.

[geno888]

oops

I noticed that DVD Styler is way beyond the version I tried some time ago. I’ll give it a try again to see if it was improves enough. I also find that is available as portable software, so I can test it safely

[Whappo]

[QUOTE=Kerry56;2585090]I don’t use Flick very often, so I have a few questions for Whappo. Will the vob files show up as individual titles, or do they merge to one in Flick? Is it better to use Vob2Mpeg or VobMerge when importing them?

Geno has some specific preferences he wants saved in the videos…which language first, and subtitles. Will Flick keep these preferences without the IFO files? I’m pretty sure it will keep more than one audio stream in each title, but don’t know about order of play.

Personally, I’d do this all with DVDLab Pro, but that isn’t an option for him unless he just wants to use the trial.

AVStoDVD can do this, but will index the dvd videos with DGIndex, and I’ve found it to be inconsistent in producing the d2v file. Subtitles can be a problem too.[/QUOTE]

Each vob you add will be a seperate title. As for languages, you have to select edit title and then audio, then select the tracks and move them up or down… As for subtitles, I’ve never used this option, I think it’s just for adding a subtitle track.

Strange about using Vob as input instead of mpeg2, when I tested a commercial movie, Star Trek, I got an encoding error when processing the second vob, but when doing a movie I had made myself, there were no errors encoding three vob files.

[geno888]

Whappo, Is it possible to retain dual audio? Some time ago I tried to use TMPGEnc DVD Author, but it only support a single audio track

[cholla]

[QUOTE=Whappo;2585086] In the project settings under Video select “Advanced” and then select “copy mpeg-2 streams” to avoid re-encoding. [/QUOTE]
Sometimes it works better if you let it rencode . If you can make the setting above it is a lot faster.

[QUOTE=Kerry56;2585090] Will the vob files show up as individual titles, or do they merge to one in Flick? [/QUOTE]
It can do both.
If you add each .vob individually. Each .vob will show in the main window cue. Each will have its’ own title.
If you want the .vob files appended to the first .vob
"add title " the first .vob then “edit title” & add the rest of the .vobs you want to only use one title.
Also to add .vob files when the window opens to do this it will have “all supported files” as the option . .Vob will not be one of those.
You need to select “all files”.

[QUOTE=Kerry56;2585090] Geno has some specific preferences he wants saved in the videos…which language first, and subtitles. Will Flick keep these preferences without the IFO files? I’m pretty sure it will keep more than one audio stream in each title, but don’t know about order of play. [/QUOTE]
I don’t know I’ve only ever used one audio track & one language.

You might want to give title writer a try:
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/TitleWriter

DVDStyler takes a lot of patience & learning . I would only use it as a last resort.

[Whappo]

[QUOTE=geno888;2585132]Whappo, Is it possible to retain dual audio? Some time ago I tried to use TMPGEnc DVD Author, but it only support a single audio track :([/QUOTE]

I looks like a bug with the program, when I try to add another audio track the program just closes, no crash screen, no log file. Curious.

[geno888]

TitleWriter seems the tool of choice, but from the screenshot seems not very intuitive

I’ll give it a try however: it is very easy to make a custom DVD with DVD Shrink

[cholla]

I probably should start a new topic on this but thought I would post here first .
I was doing some testing with DVDFlick . Using the add to the first .vob method.
When I try to add another .vob like the second vob in a vobset I get an error that says it has a different frame rate. This is incorrect. Media info reads the rate as what it is & should be 29.97 fps . DVDFlick reads it as 60fps but the first as 29.97.
I think this is part of the ffmpeg problems DVDFlick has had lately.
Any input would be appreciated.
@ geno888 , Tittlewriter might not seem too intuitive but as you get deeper into it I think you will find it can do quite a bit. What I’ve found useful is it can create a pretty simple small size menu.
This is the error:

Again according to media info the framerate of both .vobs is 29.970fps so DVDFlick is reading this incorrectly.

[geno888]

Thanks again for help

[cholla]

[QUOTE=Whappo;2585136]I looks like a bug with the program, when I try to add another audio track the program just closes, no crash screen, no log file. Curious.[/QUOTE]
I’ve had the same results. I even demuxed the audio to a .ac3 file from one .vob & tried to add it. Thinking DVDFlick couldn’t accept the .vob for the audio track. It did the same as soon as I checked the .ac3 DVDFlick just closed .
Even if it is supposed to have multiple language tracks at least the menu has this option . It doesn’t work.

[Kerry56]

Apparently authoring isn’t Flick’s strong point.

AVStoDVD should be able to do this, with a maximum of three audio stream per title, though if the compilation doesn’t need to be compressed it might be better to use a program dedicated to authoring chores. Many of those require elementary streams though and that is an extra step to get there.

[cholla]

@ geno888 , Did you get your project finished ?
Maybe Title Writer did all you wanted .
I’m not sure if you need some more information on using DVDFlick if you did you might read this topic I started . I did a short guide on using DVDFlick for a whole movie .

DVDFlick problem

I think one thing it didn’t work at all with was subtitles contained in standard DVD compliant format. DVDFlick doesn’t see these subtitles . So they are just lost when it encodes the video.

[geno888]

Sorry I had not enough time to run a test :o

In these days I was in BBQ mode

I’ll try asap and report here results

[cholla]

[QUOTE=geno888;2585862] In these days I was in BBQ mode [/QUOTE]
Was frying chicken myself .
I did a test with TitleWriter on a whole movie without a menu.
I created a menu for this movie.
It had 3 Audio tracks . From the setup menu I was able to select the subtitle language & the Audio track language .
I hope it was able to do this with your DVDShrink compilation.
Neither DVDFlick or AVStoDVD was able to save the subtitles .

[geno888]

Thanks you very much for running the test

I’ll try too asap with a compilation made by me. I’ll try to add 3-4 separate titles: something I’d like to do is a music video compilation

[cholla]

[QUOTE=geno888;2585992]Thanks you very much for running the test

something I’d like to do is a music video compilation [/QUOTE]

Your welcome. It had been a while since I had used TitleWriter so I needed to practice a bit.

I guess the music video compilation might have different languages & subtitles. If they were from a movie soundtrack that would be more likely.
Most of the music videos I’ve worked with were from YouTube .So they were single audio track with no subtitles.
I thought you might like to see the menu I made for the movie. Most of my backup rips are movie only without a menu. I used one of those & made this menu for it.
Root menu:

Title menu:

Setup or Audio menu: