Menu creation problem with TMPGEnc ... please help

[qball75227]

Ok...here is the situation. I am trying to make a compilation of extreme sport footages/chapters from various dvds that is to start out with a simple chapter selection menu. I am using the program TMPGEnc DVD Author to try to do this. At this moment, I am able to create the compilation without the menu (the dvd would just automatically plays the
first scene that was burned first to the disc). I use DVD Shrink (to create VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders) and TMPGEnc (to burn). Now I want to add a simple menu.

This is how I proceed. So I open the program and select "create new project". Then I go to "source setup". Here I would select the 'add DVD video file' and when I open the 'extreme_sport' folder(it has video_ts and audio_ts sub-folders)...it gives me the option of selecting the various scenes.

For one of the scene, this is one of the error I've encountered: GOP too long. So my question to you guys is: what is a
GOP and why does it give me this error on this particular chapter and not on other? Is there anything I can do about
this? For this error, I choose to simply 'ignore' and was able to add the scene to my menu.

After adding a few more chapters, I chose a chapter that TMPGEnc simply will not allow. This is the error message:
audio existence differs from the present track. I simply cannot add this chapter to my menu. What does this mean?
And what can I do to get around this?

I am kind of perplex by all this since I was able to burn these chapters(w/o menu) on one dvd without any problem
whatsover. It plays perfectly....but now I can't add these chapter to make a simple menu. Have anyone encountered such
error when trying to create a menu using this program. Please, anyone with suggestion is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

qball75227

[setarip]

"audio existence differs from the present track. I simply cannot add this chapter to my menu. What does this mean?
And what can I do to get around this?"

It means the audio format is different. Simply load this as a separate "Track" (TITLE)...


By the way, the program is named "TMPGEnc DVD Author" - which is a different program than "TMPGenc"...

[qball75227]

Almost there

Thanks setarip...i loaded as a separate track and i was able to add it to my menu. I then outputted this to another folder and burned it...and it was perfect. That is, except for one thing. Some of the chapters are without audio. Ouch!

I wonder why this is...so I checked the chapters that is being added and this is what I notice.

Ok..so I highlight one of the track from the menu interface, then select the button 'add dvd video'. I choose one of the title/chapter to be added, hit 'next' and go to a screen where I have the option of checking 1)Reading Chapter Info or 2)Copy video clip to HDD. I select option 1, then hit 'OK'.

Here is where I think the problem lies. This next screen is the clip infomation screen. On the 'audio setting' part, there is no audio input file name or audio input format for this particular chapter. Why is there no audio?? I don't understand this. What happen to the audio?? When I made the compilation (w/o menu) there is sound for each chapter and it seems there is no audio 'attached' to it.

Can anyone give me some suggestion or some insight about this. What can I do to get my original audio back? Any help or feedback will most certainly be appreciated. Thanks!

[ormonde]

"What can I do to get my original audio back?"

What type of audio stream is contained in the original DVD? (i.e. Ac3; LPCM; mp2)

[qball75227]

What type of audio stream is contained in the original DVD? (i.e. Ac3; LPCM; mp2)d

I ran a 'full-disc' analysis using DVD Shrink, and found that most of the chapters have AC3 2-ch Unspecified audio stream while a few contains AC3 2-ch English audio stream. When I click on a particular chapter, it plays perfectly with the original audio.

[setarip]

"TMPGEnc", "TMPGEnc DVD Author", and "DVDLab" are apparently very "picky" about .AC3 headers. Use a program named "AC3Fix" to make the audio headers compliant.

[qball75227]

what to do next

Ok so i downloaded AC3fix, but I am not sure what to do next. I know I am suppose to put the program in the same directory as the files to be fix, but all my dvd structure folders(Video_TS) contain only .vob, .bup, and .ifo files...there are no .ac3 files to be fix here. Any suggestion?

Also, is there a way to re-author chapters using DVD Shrink so that this won't occur in the future...is there something I can do to prevent this?

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Qball75227

[ormonde]

"but all my dvd structure folders(Video_TS) contain only .vob, .bup, and .ifo files...there are no .ac3 files to be fix here. Any suggestion?"

First you have to "De-multiplex" (separate) the audio from the video so you have the individual audio stream to work with. This can be accomplished with "TMPGEnc" (different than TMPGEnc DVD Author). Use the "Mpeg Tools" feature ("File" > "Mpeg Tools"). Then use "AC3Fix" as setarip stated in order to make the Ac3 audio compliant. Then you can use TMPGEnc DVD Author to "Multiplex" the video and the "Corrected" Ac3 audio track into a DVD-related file structure.

[qball75227]

Hmm...that's interesting..I might give that a shot. Thanks ormonde.

By the way, does anyone know of a program that is not so "picky" about AC3 headers in this situation? If so, let me know.

[ormonde]

"Thanks ormonde."

Glad to be of help

[qball75227]

update

well...i try to use the "mpeg tools" and de-mulitplex the file, but I don't have any supported files (the various mpegs). Remember that my files are in a dvd structure created by dvd shrink(so i got .vob,.ifo, and such). So i can't use this tool. any suggestion please.

Also, is there a way i can "re-author" a particular chapter so that it will be AC3-compliant all the time? what program can I use to achieve this? any feedback will be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[ormonde]

"So i can't use this tool"

You should be able to use it. A "VOB" file is just an "Interleaved" mpeg-2 file (video and audio combined). Are you sure you are using "De-multiplex" (4th tab over to the right) NOT "Simple De-multiplex". Browse and load an individual VOB file, and in the window at the bottom, you should see "Video_Stream 0x00" and "Audio_Stream 0x00". Double click on "Audio_Stream 0x00" and a dialog box will come up asking you to save the audio stream. Save with a new filename. Afterward, you can use “Ac3Fix” to fix the header of the file if needed.