Heartland

A question for the technically minded among us.

I made a DVD compilation a while back but now I want to add some extra videos into it. Can I do this using the files that are on the DVD or will I have to go back to the original avis and encode the whole lot from scratch?

I know that I can't just insert the new ones because of menus and file structuring and so on but can I use the files on the DVD to add into the new compilation? I've tried copying the vobs into the folder but they won't play. However, when I made the original compilation I included a short DVD file that I'd got from Dime so it must be possible. Unfortunately, I can't remember how I did it!

Thanks for any advice.

might be an idea to give us a clue of what program you're using, sorry I can't be of help but I take it you're talking about a 'project folder' of files rather than a 'finalised' disc?

You could make a new compilation using Nero Recode. All the files must all be in DVD format however.
You just import "video_ts" folders from the different sources and Nero will do the rest.

James Blast wrote:might be an idea to give us a clue of what program you're using, sorry I can't be of help but I take it you're talking about a 'project folder' of files rather than a 'finalised' disc?

None yet. I'm just trying to organise everything into a project folder before starting on the new DVD. So I have an existing DVD and some additional avi files. I'll be making the new DVD with DVDStyler but am open to suggestions for alternatives. (However, I don't do this often enough to justify buying new software.) So my question is whether I can combine files from the existing DVD and the additional ones into a new compilation or will I need to start from scratch?

Dr Poo wrote:You could make a new compilation using Nero Recode. All the files must all be in DVD format however.
You just import "video_ts" folders from the different sources and Nero will do the rest.

I'm not sure if my Recode is functional (came with a bundle and the trial period has expired) but I'll give it a go. Thanks.

stufarq wrote:I'm not sure if my Recode is functional (came with a bundle and the trial period has expired) but I'll give it a go. Thanks.

You can always try to change the date on your pc like 2/3 week before expiration and nero might work again

re-encoding does usually sucks in terms of quality. You can try to rip the DVD content with "vob2mpeg" and add the additional stuff (must be prepared to mpeg2) with "cuttermaran" (all freeware). It's not a very handy solution though...

I`m sure i have done similar in the dark and distant past using vobedit and ifoedit.

The quality isn't great to begin with! Mostly ripped from YouTube.

I'd be inclined just to take the AVI files and bodge them together using something freeware-ish like Format Factory or similar.

Alternatively leave everything as an AVI and burn as a simple data disk. Assuming you have a modernish DVD player it should be happy to play DivX files. Just fiddle the various files names to get them in the order you want, and bish bosh.

My original problem was that I didn't keep the original avi files, just a data copy of the DVD, and I was having trouble tracking down new avis. As it happens, I've managed to locate them all now so I'll just work from them instead.