A few queries on manipulation of computer files.
I have bought an LG DR4810 DVD Recorder which can record DVD-Video or
DVD VR mode onto either DVD-R or DVD-RW discs. You can edit DVD VR.
On my Medion home computer which reads DVD +R / -R / +RW / -RW, I can
playback these formats.  It is a double drive and only the Pioneer DVD
RW DVR-106D (not the Sony DVD ROM DDU1612) can read the VR files.
Interestingly Explorer does not recognise these DVD-RW VR files and
thinks there is only a blank CD there but Power DVD plays them fine.
The DVD-Video files are called things like VTS_01_1.VOB. I don?t know
anything about these files but they obviously contain audio as well as
video so the audio folder is empty. When I try to manipulate the DVD
Video files in Medion?s Power Director, it does not ?see? the audio
and everything is silent. So I do not know how to edit these files on
the computer. My option is to edit them in VR format on the DVD
recorder but how can I then upload them to my hard drive (where
explorer does not seem to see them) and them burn in DVD-Video on a
DVD-R format so it can be read on my old laptop.

You will have to convert the files recorded on the DVD disk  to a
video format that can be manipulated on your computer before you can
edit them.  The files will be written to your hard disk. Itīs not
possible to edit the VOB video data files on the DVD.
Thereīs an excellent freeware called DVDx that can be used to do the
conversion job:

"DVDx allows you to convert DVD to VCD2.0 or SCVD1.0 or DivX in one
step (Including multiplexing, splitting). It produces good quality
movies in MPEG1/2 format and you don't need to have 5GB or more free
on your hard disk. DVDx has been designed especialy for unexperimented
users, it is a simple and intuitive program."

I use the software very often and must say itīs by far the best
conversion tool I tested so far.
One things you will need is patience and time: converting a 2 hour
movie to the mpeg 1 or mpeg 2 format (the format depends on the
quality you want to reach)  may take as long as 6 -8 hours (depending
on the power of your machine).
After the conversion you can edit the video files with any video
software that can edit mpeg formats and then re-author (this is the
reverse procedure to the one described before) the new DVD.

DVDx is available at:
( http://www.labdv.com/dvdx/ )
For the re-authoring of the DVD I strongly recommend TMPGDVD Author:
( http://www.tmpgenc.com/ )
Again, as with DVDx this one is an excellent soluion, especially when
youīre new to video and DVD creation.


I hope this helps to solve your problem. If anyting should still be
unclear please post a clarification request.

till-ga


No search done, I got a lot of personal experience in editing video /
DVD files on computers.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by drydoc-ga on 22 Jul 2004 14:56 PDT

Thanks for that. Before I pay the $12 for the "freeware", i stronlgy
suspect that this will not be clever enough to allow me to manipulate
VR files that I produce from my recorder (I am sure it will do
DVD-Video but I am not going to be using that much as it is not
editable). There must be a way as the computer will play them (though
not recognise them from Explorer). I would like to be able to do this
as this is the way I hope to use the machine . FOr a full answer, is
there a way?

---

Clarification of Answer by till-ga on 23 Jul 2004 00:25 PDT

The format generated by your DVD recorder is exactly the same format
that commercially produced DVDīs have. The only difference is that
most commercially produced DVDs contain copy protections that try to
prevent such extraction procedures.

DVDx does extract the VOB files generated by your recorder in the
Video_TS directory and convert them to the computer read- and editable
mpeg format. There is no way to simply copy the VOB files from the
Video_TS directory and view them using windows explorer.
Youīll  have to do the following steps to edit the VR files:

1. use DVDx to extract the VR files you want to edit from your
recorded DVD and generate mpeg 2 files  (for DVD quality) on your
harddisk
2. edit the mpeg files using a video editing software (I prefer
pinnacle studio as a good solution)
3. Re-Author the mpeg files to the DVD format, this will generate two
folders Audio_TS and Video_TS on your harddisk, the latter will then
contain the VOB files generated by your authoring software.
4. Burn all the files from the Video_TS directory to a new DVD using
burning software capable of creating DVDīs (I use nero express for
this last step)

---> Done

I donīt know why your DVD ROM drive does not read the format. Maybe
thereīs a configuration problem. Your DVD writer however recognizes
the format so you can use it for the extraction procedure.

Maybe other answers I gave about video and PC can be helpful for you:
( http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=338191 )
( http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=329955 )


I hope this finally helps you to solve your problem.

till-ga