Extracting menu video from a DVD

[zen]

I'm a tad stuck here.

I've got a set of DVDs I made using DVD Studio Pro 3 and 4 over the last year, which I need to reauthor as part of a new project.

I've got all the original DV files of main features, so no problem there. What is a problem is the video used for the menus. This was specially shot material, and the original DVs have been lost. All I've got left is the DVDs.

So, how can I extract the video used for the menus? I don't know how the DVD structure works - none of the VOB files on the discs appear to be the menu background video, so I assume it is embedded in some other file?

Some help here would be appreciated, if anyone can!

Cheers,

Zen

 

[Bakey]

So, how can I extract the video used for the menus? I don't know how the DVD structure works - none of the VOB files on the discs appear to be the menu background video, so I assume it is embedded in some other file?

Zen,

I was in a similar situation as you a few months ago, whereby I had to re-author an existing DVD-Video and had no access to any of the footage what-so-ever other than what had already been authored.

During this process I found that the VTS_01_0.VOB file was a compilation of all the menus used within the DVD-V.

To get to it I used MPEG StreamClip rinky dink (you'll need the QuickTime MPEG-2 component to be installed - which I'm guessing you have as a result of DVDSP).

It [StreamClip] will no doubt warn you of there being timecode breaks within the VOB; this is (I'm assuming) as a result of there being timecode markers within it for each of the menus.

So, fix the timecode breaks found under the "Edit" menu and then output the VOB as a DV file; hey presto one working DV file where you'll be able to gain access to the footage through Final Cut, etc.

Hope this helps in someway!

 

[zen]

Thanks for the tip!

However, the VTS_01_0.VOB file doesn't appear to be the menus - on the first disc it is only 12k in size, and on the second it is 20k. If I play either of them in VLC all I get is about 1 second of blackness.

 

[Bakey]

Thanks for the tip!

However, the VTS_01_0.VOB file doesn't appear to be the menus - on the first disc it is only 12k in size, and on the second it is 20k. If I play either of them in VLC all I get is about 1 second of blackness.

I'll have a look into that later on today... I'll just update this post to keep things cleaner and simpler!

 

[Bakey]

Yikes! I've surprised myself on this one!!

I took a total of seven random commercial DVD-V's [Blade, Chocolat, Dark Water, Hero, Sexy Beast, Tron, Usual Suspects] and out of them all only Hero didn't adhere to my aforementioned assumption.

In the other six cases the VTS_01_0.VOB file was indeed a compilation of all the menus within the DVD-V; but as I said Hero didn't adhere to this. In fact there's that many VOB files that make-up Hero it would take me a fair amount of time to locate said menus!

The only thing I can suggest at this stage is to go through each of the VOB's until you strike it rich. Problem is that depending upon the size, ie., the amount of VOB's, it could take you sometime...

Keep us updated as to your progress.