Authoring with VOB files

Question

Level 2

357 points

Authoring with VOB files

People,
I have a client that walked in with a DVD of stuff recorded off TV. He's a TV analyst. The vob files aren't copy protected. However, there are a ton of vob files. I've looked at them individually with VLC player but I would love to be able to just drag them to a program and burn a dvd of one or two of the files, no menu. Toast re-encodes them. Not what I want plus time is important here. He's gonna be coming in with more stuff everyweek. My experience with demuxxing the files is that it takes time and isn't always possible to keep sync in DVDSP. Just want a simple DVD authoring program. I used to have one but I forget what it was. I checked Versiontracker and wasn't successful. Any ideas?

Posted on Oct 23, 2005 5:07 PM

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Answer 1

David S.

Level 7

20,636 points

Oct 23, 2005 8:00 PM in response to glitchNE

You are asking how to reuse copyrighted files. Anything "recorded off TV" is copyrighted.

Hard to advise on these issues. Do you have rights to the material?

Let us know.

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Answer 2

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 23, 2005 8:06 PM in response to glitchNE

My client is hired by television networks to give opinions that they ask for. It's not even for entertainment use. He has their permission to make these recordings. Lets get past this. My question concerns a workflow for my client. He wants me to organize these recordings into a more useful form.

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Answer 3

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 23, 2005 8:08 PM in response to glitchNE

FYI,
I'm a film editor. I work with copyrighted material everyday.

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Answer 4

David S.

Level 7

20,636 points

Oct 23, 2005 8:17 PM in response to glitchNE

My client is hired by television networks to give opinions that they ask for. It's not even for entertainment use. He has their permission to make these recordings. Lets get past this. My question concerns a workflow for my client. He wants me to organize these recordings into a more useful form.

Quite obviously, your client should request a format that is easily editable.

However, exactly how does your client procure a DVD with every network's permission for you to edit for that client's purposes.

And why do you need to edit that information in order to provide the opinion.

I'm not being difficult; but you have to admit that this is a little unusual.

Help us out, please, but remember that it's against board rules to advise on these types of issues involving copyright and licensing issues.

Best regards

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Answer 5

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 23, 2005 9:57 PM in response to glitchNE

"Quite obviously, your client should request a format that is easily editable"
Have you ever waited for a copy of a show from a Network? Editable? He doesn't want to edit it. He wants to watch it. Time is important here. He very often watches the clips on his laptop as he travels.

"And why do you need to edit that information in order to provide the opinion"
He bought 4 or 5 pc's with mpeg capture cards (or external boxes or something) The software is not what I would call the best. He will record everything from say 7pm to 11pm on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox whatever. At the end of the week he wants all the say reality shows on one (or two) DVD, Sitcoms on another. Then after he and his staff reviews these shows they put together a newsletter that his clients pay money for. Once every two weeks and once a week during sweeps. His clients are executives, ad firms, advertisers etc...
The quality of the recordings are poor. Probably 2.5 to 3 bits. I suppose so they can fit everything on a 4.7GB DVD-R. VHS tapes are so cumbersome.
The reason he wants this is his how he sort the information and presents the information to his clients. He has to be able to cross reference the information. Now just time-slot but genre....anyway I don't want to be giving away trade secrets here.

Anyway....here's my company's site:
http://galenfilms.com/html/MasterFrameset.html

Look at our portfolio....

You have been a pain but hey.....I've known worst.

I think it would have been easier to search harder at versiontracker. Maybe it's because though I'm on the mac but I edit on a Avid. I use everthing else in FCP Studio except FCP.

Peace

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Answer 6

Oct 23, 2005 10:08 PM in response to glitchNE

If you do have permission to use the material go here:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools?s=15#15

use any tool to demux the Mpeg and audio streams from the VOB file and reauthor with DVDSP

MPEG Stream Clip is good

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Answer 7

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 23, 2005 10:21 PM in response to glitchNE

I don't think you understand. I don't want to demux the streams. Just move vob files around. Arrange them and then burn a DVD. Read my first post!

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Answer 8

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 23, 2005 10:24 PM in response to glitchNE

"Sizzle" that's it!

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Answer 9

Oct 23, 2005 11:12 PM in response to glitchNE

I understand what you said! You cant reauthor a DVD with the VOB files. We only wish we rearrange VOB files:)!! then burn a dvd

You need to demux to get the original streams then re-author

Its not rocket science and only takes a minute

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Answer 10

Houghts

Level 4

1,749 points

Oct 23, 2005 11:21 PM in response to Eric Pautsch1

You can edit the build using DVDAfterEdit http://www.dvdafteredit.com/
but it requires an insight into DVD spec and its quite expensive. You may be able to somthing with MyDVDedit, I've not tried it but at least its free http://www.editorsbin.com/mydvdedit/downloads/myDVDEdit_95.zip

Hope that helps - and kids, lets play nice : )
Cheers
B

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Answer 11

Oct 23, 2005 11:29 PM in response to Houghts

OK im backtracking now 🙂 Yes..thats true. Afteredit is a great app. MyDVDedit is cool too but both require good knowledge of the spec.

Much easier to demux and reauthor.

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Answer 12

Houghts

Level 4

1,749 points

Oct 23, 2005 11:36 PM in response to Eric Pautsch1

I'm with you Eric, I've got MpegStreamClip in my dock I use it so much!
Cheers
B

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Answer 13

glitchNE Author

Level 2

357 points

Oct 24, 2005 7:25 AM in response to glitchNE

I have another client. The fellow runs wedding, corporate bands for events etc...
Anyway, we did a 3 camera shoot of his artists last year. I edited about 25 short 30-40 second pieces of each arttist. I muxxed each person's video in DVDSP. I then dragged the muxxed file (vob) out of the video_ts folder and put them all into another folder. Now when they want to show potential clients a singer or sax player they just drag that artist's vob file to toast and burn it. It works great and that's what I thought I could do here.

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Answer 14

David S.

Level 7

20,636 points

Oct 24, 2005 9:11 AM in response to glitchNE

You have been a pain but hey.....I've known worst

I don't know why you make that observation. I'm only trying to observe the board rules, not be a pain.

Wish I can help, but you request for a methodology is a little unusual.

Best regards

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Answer 15

Oct 24, 2005 10:40 AM in response to glitchNE

If you have a PC around the studio, look at these two applications and see if they do what you need.

1. Mediachance: DVDLap Pro. It can author DVDs directly from existing VOB files.

2. Look into a free application called DVDShrink. It has a re-authoring element to it, which I have not used to do what you are asking, but it might just work. It might allow you to add VOBs to a list, pick the elements you want, and then make a basic DVD which has no menu, no nothing. Just plays, and does nothing else. You'll have to figure it out on your own, as I rarely used it. But it my actually solve your problem.

-Alex Alexzander

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