Newbie query - creating a DVD from a single large VOB file..

[djdust]

Hi all

Complete newbie here so apologies if I'm asking stupid questions..

I've got a giant VOB file that I want to convert into a DVD. At this point, I'm not fussed about chapters or having a menu, I just want to get it onto a disc and play it back. Is it posible to do this easily with Videostudio? I've searched through these forums and have seen that it's difficult to actually work with VOB files but I can demux it down into its component M2V and WAV files...

Hope someone can help.

Cheers

Daz

[harchh]

Greetings, I have a similar problem. I'm using VideoStudio 11's trial pack and like what I see EXCEPT that I can't find a way to take a DVD image that I've created on my hard drive and burn it off to a disk. This function exists in WCreator 2 and 3, of course, but I can't find it in VS now.

I found a Load function in VS in that last tab (can't remember its label here at work today), and VS spent a long while reading through the DVD image. It then looked like it wanted to do a full render operation on the image, which was already sized, formatted, and ready to go. So I aborted that operation to avoid risking my ready-to-go DVD files.

Thanks for the help,
HArchH

[harchh]

To DJDust: If all you have is a VOB file, your DVD player is going to want a .IFO file and a containing directory, video_ts (I think). You might want to drop the VOB file into the VS as a video source file and put it on the timeline, then turn off menu creation and advance to the authoring step and let VS go through the process of creating the image and burn it.

I'm not to VS (but not video handling) so there's likely to be a better way than this brute force approach. But if you have processing time to burn, why not?

[djdust]

Hi harchh

Thanks for the replies - please bear in mind you're talking to a complete thickie here!!

You might want to drop the VOB file into the VS as a video source file and put it on the timeline, then turn off menu creation and advance to the authoring step and let VS go through the process of creating the image and burn it.

Can you talk me through this step by step?

[harchh]

DJDust: Well, I'm at work, not in front of my video machine at home. So I'm sure I'll get the proper nouns wrong if I try from here with no guides. So I'll try and remember to give it a shot tonight. Essentially:

Start VS.
Create a new project.
Add your VOB file as a video source.
Drag it from the thumbnail area to the timeline below.
Then click on the tab at the top that has to do with menus and chapters. Uncheck the "Make me a menu" box if it's checked.
Then click on the last tab about sharing.
Put a blank DVD in your burner
Uncheck all the output options except for the burn to do.
Click on the burn button.
QED (not counting the hours it might take to re-render your rendered image.)

[djdust]

Start VS.
Create a new project.
Add your VOB file as a video source.

..and this is where I come to a screeching halt as it won't let me "add in" the file. It doesn't seem to recognise VOB files...

QED (not counting the hours it might take to re-render your rendered image.)

Should it re-render anything? Surely if the VOB file is already perfectly created, why would it spend hours doing it again..?

[Ron P.]

VS11+ does not allow inserting VOB files. You need to use the Insert DVD/DVD-VR. Then in the next window choose Import DVD Folder. Then navigate to the location on your system where this VOB file is located.

However VS will be looking for the Video_TS folder, which contains more than just a VOB file. You can try the above to see if it works. If not try renaming it to an MPEG file. VS may allow it then.

[harchh]

OK. If it won't like you add a .VOB file (which I find surprising), try going right to the Sharing tab and see if you can use the "Load" function there to have it read your file. It might require .IFO files...not sure.

The "why does it re-render" is my question. No fair asking me my own questions.

[Ron P.]

VS would re-render if it finds that it is not DVD Compliant, and you do not have Smart Render enabled.

[harchh]

Thanks. So if VS creates a CD file set on disk, when I want to burn it later, I go to the Share menu, wait for it to read it all in via the Load command, I make sure "Smart Render" is on, and then it will just write it out without a multi-hour rendering operation?

[djdust]

Ok, I tried renaming the VOB to MPG and now it can "see" it.

Start VS.
Create a new project.
Add your VOB file as a video source.
Drag it from the thumbnail area to the timeline below.

ok, I've got this far..

Then click on the tab at the top that has to do with menus and chapters. Uncheck the "Make me a menu" box if it's checked

..and again I'm lost. Can't see these options at all..?

[harchh]

Dear vidoman: In you opinion, what's better and why...VS Plus or MyDVD in the Roxio Creator 10 suite? Do you know if MyDVD does Blu Ray generation?

[Ron P.]

Come on now, you're asking a question like that on a forum owned by Corel, which produces VS???

I"ve never used MyDVD or Roxio, so I can't comment on them..

If this thread strays onto this path of which other product is better, I'll have to lock it.. Sorry...

[djdust]

just to steer this back to the original topic (which was "how do I convert a single VOB into a working DVD?"), I'm getting absolutely nowhere here and am beginning to think that maybe VideoStudio isn't any use for my needs. I mean, why on earth won't it read in VOB files?

[Ron P.]

It does read VOB files, when they are in the structure they're supposed to be in, ie; contained inside the Video_TS folder, either on your hard drive or on a DVD.

What have you tried? Did you try using the Insert VCD/DVD-VR command? Did you try renaming the extension from VOB to MPEG, and then inserting that into VS?

VS10+ was the only version that allowed directly inserting VOB file format. Using that in VS10+ was the same as using the Insert VCD/DVD-VR command. VS just grabs the MPEG file that is inside the VOB file.

Where did you get this VOB file, or do you know what was used to create it? If you have the DVD that the VOB file came off of, just place the DVD into your tray and use the Insert VCD/DVD command.