How to remove region coding and add subtitles to DVD (drm-free)?

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How to remove region coding and add subtitles to DVD (drm-free)?

Hi. I want to copy and share my daughter's wedding video with her family in America (we live in Japan). I need to do two things:

1) I need to change the region code. It's set at 2. I'd prefer to have the copies be region-free.

2) I want to add subtitles or at least text explanations of what's going on. The DVD is 100% in Japanese, even the parts where I'm speaking, so I want my American family to be able to understand what's happening.

The DVD has no DRM, and I have already ripped it to my Macbook Pro's hard drive as a .cdr file using Disk Utility. I've also converted it to an .m4v file using Handbrake. However, iMovie 08 doesn't seem to be able to read either of those formats. Before I start re-encoding to yet another format, I thought I'd better ask the community--is iMovie even the right software for this? (I've never used iMovie before.) And if so, which format should I put it in, and what should I use to do so?

Of course I've googled this for days, and every site I go to gives me useless answers, because it seems like iMovie keeps changing which files are acceptable, or because other apps they recommend are no longer available. So what's the CURRENT answer?

Thank you!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.1)

Posted on Sep 17, 2011 8:12 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 17, 2011 10:18 PM in response to Azzageddi

Hi

The DVD has no DRM, and I have already ripped it to my Macbook Pro's hard drive as a .cdr file using Disk Utility.

This doesn't mean that it doesn't go under Copy-Write law. Most probably this is not made by You as it's Region = 2 and that needs at least DVD-Studio Pro to be set. iDVD can only do Region = 0 (region free)

So I would go back to the Video maker and ask for a region free copy.

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 2

Azzageddi Author

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Sep 18, 2011 12:03 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

Thanks, Bengt, but your reply really doesn't answer any of my questions. Copyright law is not an issue. The video was made for us by a profesional studio; inasmuch as an informal copyright exists, our family holds it.

And I've already talked to the guys at the studio. Unfortunately they seem to know nothing about region coding--I asked them to set it for Region 0 and they didn't understand what I was talking about.

Maybe weeks of arguing and explaining back and forth might result in those guys at the studio producing me a Region 0 DVD, but somehow I think there is a simpler software solution.

So...can anyone answer my original questions?

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Answer 3

Sep 18, 2011 2:55 AM in response to Azzageddi

Try the free program MPEG Streamclip available from the developer here:

http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html

Insert the original DVD into your Mac's optical drive. Open MPEG Streamclip. From the Desktop, drag the DVD icon onto Streamclip's window. Convert the file to Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC). If Streamclip offers to fix time-code breaks, say Yes. If the conversion works, you can now import that AIC file into iMovie. However, I'm not sure if the Region Code is stripped out when converted by Streamclip.

It will be a good idea to upgrade to iMovie '11, available from the App Store (US$14.99). It is way more advanced than iMovie '08 and is more likely to recognize the .m4v file converted by Handbrake. This file will be in H.264 format which should normally import to iMovie. You may wish to go down this path (using iMovie '11) before trying MPEG Streamclip.

After editing in iMovie, export the project using the menu item Share>Media Browser (choose the highest export setting available). Open iDVD (if you have it) and locate your movie by clicking on the Media button then on Movies. It's probably best that you avoid using a Theme. To do this, firstly go to Map View in iDVD (click on the first icon centred under the viewer). Now drag your movie from the Movies panel onto the first drop zone in Map View. Also, select Advanced>Loop Movie from the menu. When your DVD is played in a DVD player (or on a computer) it will automatically start without a Theme appearing. When it finishes playing it will start again from the beginning - again without a Theme appearing.

If you manage to get this far, be sure to select an appropriate encoding setting in iDVD. For single layer discs, Best Performance restricts you to 1 hour. High Quality and Professional Quality will give you a total of 2 hours. If using a Theme, inclusive of menus, these times include the Theme running time (usually several minutes). Double layer discs will provide slightly less than double these times.

Note that, when editing in iMovie, it may be difficult to fit in all the text you want as sub-titles. iMovie does have some nice lower thirds Titles that may be suitable, but it's not really designed for the type of sub-titling (captioning) you often see in foreign films. Google "subtitling software mac" for some links to possible alternatives or methods that can be used.

John

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Answer 4

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

Sep 18, 2011 10:18 AM in response to Azzageddi

1) I need to change the region code. It's set at 2. I'd prefer to have the copies be region-free.

Doing this is probably unnecessary.

Most better DVD players are now region free and will play NTSC or PAL DVDs, from any region.

Trying to set Region codes is a wast of time in my opinion. Most of the better DVD players ignore region codes anyway.

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Answer 5

Azzageddi Author

Level 1

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Sep 18, 2011 1:59 PM in response to John Cogdell

Thank you very much, John! Upgrading to iMovie 11 did allow me to import the m4v version, and now I'm figuring out how to add titles. It looks like this is going to work!

Ziatron, I don't know where you do your shopping, but the majority of DVD players sold today still have region coding, and many of the people I want to send this DVD to are still using players they bought 5 or 10 years ago. I was surprised on a recent visit that most of them don't have players that can handle divx or mpeg videos. So...not a very helpful answer there.

Luckily, since I'm doing this from an m4v, the region coding has been removed. We'll see what happens when I turn it back into DVD format.

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Answer 6

Sep 18, 2011 10:50 PM in response to Azzageddi

Azzageddi wrote:

Thank you very much, John! Upgrading to iMovie 11 did allow me to import the m4v version, and now I'm figuring out how to add titles. It looks like this is going to work!

My pleasure! Glad to hear that iMovie '11 did the trick!

Here is a link to Apple's Help tutorial on adding Titles. As well as text, check out the video under the heading "Watch the movie".

http://help.apple.com/imovie/index.html?lang=en#mova719f373

Good luck with all the work ahead of you Azzageddi.

John

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Answer 7

Azzageddi Author

Level 1

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Sep 19, 2011 4:10 AM in response to John Cogdell

Thanks again, John! I regard this project as much as a way to get to know my iLife software (which I've barely used since I bought my first Mac 3 years ago) as to produce the finished DVD, so you've been very helpful. I really appreciate it.

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