.gi to .iso file disc image -- what am I doing wrong?

[kinohead]

OK, so I have 22 .gi files that make up a Blu-ray image folder generated from Sonic DVDit Pro HD and I am trying to concatenate them into a valid blu-ray .iso file so I can mount this image in a virtual drive to play and check.

 

This workflow is a good, cheap way to verify functionality of the blu-ray image before you have to burn expensive media, so I am hoping Imgburn can do the job for me, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it will only handle single .gi files in standard definition.

 

I successfully generated a .iso file using Imgburn from these 22 .gi files using the "Create Image File from Files/Folders" button, manually chose the files and then successfully wrote the .iso image, but when I tried to mount the .iso in a virtual drive, it only brought up a directory showing the .gi files, NOT the typical BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders you see on a BD .iso file.

 

Any ideas?

 

Love this program. Best burner ever!

[mmalves]

Try creating a MDS or DVD file (look in ImgBurn's Tools menu) by adding your gi files in the correct sequence, then check if the resulting MDS/DVD file is mountable.

 

If it doesn't work that way then you may want to join the gi files manually (copy /b should do the trick) and you'll end up with the big ISO you want, at least theoretically

[kinohead]

Try creating a MDS or DVD file (look in ImgBurn's Tools menu) by adding your gi files in the correct sequence, then check if the resulting MDS/DVD file is mountable.

 

If it doesn't work that way then you may want to join the gi files manually (copy /b should do the trick) and you'll end up with the big ISO you want, at least theoretically

 

Thanks Mmalves.

 

I tried your suggestions and none worked; MDS only seems to want to generate SD DVD images (at least, that's all you can select) and while the DVD option DOES build a .dvd file, it is only 1K in size and is not recognized when I try to mount it in Virtual Clonedrive.

 

Am currently trying "ZW GI to ISO" a freeware concatenation program from Tucows, but so far no luck.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, however.

 

Frank

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Damn, I wish I'd read this thread before responding to your suggestion one.

 

You used build mode to make the ISO so of course you're just going to end up with the gi files in an ISO container, that's the whole purpose of that 'mode'.

 

Assuming all the .gi files are a multiple of the sectors size (2048 bytes) and there's no junk prepended/appended to one of the .gi files, there's no reason building + mounting the .DVD wouldn't work. Try again!

[kinohead]

Damn, I wish I'd read this thread before responding to your suggestion one.

 

You used build mode to make the ISO so of course you're just going to end up with the gi files in an ISO container, that's the whole purpose of that 'mode'.

 

Assuming all the .gi files are a multiple of the sectors size (2048 bytes) and there's no junk prepended/appended to one of the .gi files, there's no reason building + mounting the .DVD wouldn't work. Try again!

 

Tried again, Tools -> Build .DVD file, navigated to the directory, loaded all .gi files, put them in proper order and ImgBurn declared sucess, I navigated to the director and found a 2KB .DVD file that will mount but Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra says "No disc in drive".

 

I opened the .dvd file with wordpad and got:

 

MediaType=BDR

Whitney AGB Program B and F (1).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (2).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (3).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (4).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (5).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (6).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (7).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (8).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (9).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (10).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (11).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (12).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (13).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (14).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (15).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (16).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (17).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (18).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (19).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (20).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (21).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (22).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (23).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (24).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (25).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (26).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (27).gi

Whitney AGB Program B and F (28).gi

 

I see references on the Net about building BD .ISO files with ImgBurn, so I am sure its me somehow.

 

I just don't know what I am doing wrong...

[mmalves]

With that .dvd image mounted, could you take a screenshot of what Windows Explorer/My Computer shows as the contents of the virtual drive?

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Can you send over the tiny .gi file (i.e. the main one without the (x) bit at the end of the name) and the first 5MB of the (1) file so I can check (for the existence of) a file system.

 

You might also like to try opening each different part in IsoBuster. In theory it should be able to find a valid file system in one of the image part - this is of course assuming one of them is a valid first part of an image and the whole lot aren't compressed/encrypted or anything.

 

When you do your final authoring phase, isn't there just an option to output an ISO anywhere anyway?

[kinohead]

With that .dvd image mounted, could you take a screenshot of what Windows Explorer/My Computer shows as the contents of the virtual drive?

 

I can't explore the mounted image, although it did mount. The real (empty) drive properly claims no disc inserted when I attempt to explore it.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Unless you've installed the Toshiba UDF driver, you won't be able to parse the UDF 2.50+ file systems in XP.

 

Examine stuff using IsoBuster as suggested in my previous reply.

[kinohead]

Unless you've installed the Toshiba UDF driver, you won't be able to parse the UDF 2.50+ file systems in XP.

 

Examine stuff using IsoBuster as suggested in my previous reply.

 

Thanks for all the help; I'm going slower than I like, doing this between renders and such.

 

Not having much luck copying the first 5MB of the #1 .gi file; my command line skills have atrophied over the years... Will keep trying.

 

Be back, have patience!

[kinohead]

When you do your final authoring phase, isn't there just an option to output an ISO anywhere anyway?

 

Unfortunately, the ability to author to a .iso file was removed in Roxio DVDit Pro HD in one of the most recent version "updates". While Roxio won't comment publicly as to why it was removed and writing to .gi and folders was retained, I can speculate that it probably had to do with pressure from the Entertainment Industry.

 

Seems that the ability to mount and view Blu-ray folders has also been removed from many commercial software players, so I'm thinking they are trying to make it very inconvenient to rip and store Blu-ray images to drive when it is not possible to play them back with mainstream software. Probably, for 95% of all casual computer users, that will be enough to discourage them from doing it.

 

Roxio says that their Creator 2010 Pro software CAN generate an .iso from the .gi files DVDit Pro HD generates, but why buy yet another package to clutter my production machine for only one function?

 

This and the fact that it still takes considerable time to burn a BD-R directly from the .gi files through DVDit Pro HD, makes me wonder if the .gi files are standard format or proprietary. I mean, it has already gone through a 2 to 3 hour encoding process (doesn't like Encore Adobe Media Encoder files), so should it just be a quick image burn function?

 

So many variables...

 

I'm still trying to copy that portion of the file. Thanks for your help.

[kinohead]

Unless you've installed the Toshiba UDF driver, you won't be able to parse the UDF 2.50+ file systems in XP.

 

Examine stuff using IsoBuster as suggested in my previous reply.

 

ISObuster shows it as a "blank CD".

[LIGHTNING UK!]

open each of the gi files directly in IsoBuster. (see the little yellow folder/green arrow browse button?)

 

If none of them work then they simply aren't image file parts. (or at least not ones you can use)

[kinohead]

open each of the gi files directly in IsoBuster. (see the little yellow folder/green arrow browse button?)

 

If none of them work then they simply aren't image file parts. (or at least not ones you can use)

 

IsoBuster complained that only a session/track layout could be found (see cap). I hit the "make it so" button and it seems to be finding the missing files...

[kinohead]

open each of the gi files directly in IsoBuster. (see the little yellow folder/green arrow browse button?)

 

If none of them work then they simply aren't image file parts. (or at least not ones you can use)

 

IsoBuster complained that only a session/track layout could be found (see cap). I hit the "make it so" button and it seems to be finding the missing files...

 

Here is the result of the IsoBuster session:

 

What's your verdict?

Edited December 12, 2009 by kinohead

[LIGHTNING UK!]

My verdict is that those parts do not combine (an any way) to make an image file.

 

You mentioned something about it (Roxio) still taking a couple of hours to do something (burn a disc?) when using those files as the source... I guess that would explain it.

 

If you can't get Roxio to just output a proper 'final' ISO file or a BDMV folder (i.e. after all the relevant encoding has been performed), you'll have to burn to BD-RE and read that disc back off again to get your ISO.

 

There are programs that will give you a virtual burner, that could be another route to getting what you want.

[kinohead]

My verdict is that those parts do not combine (an any way) to make an image file.

 

You mentioned something about it (Roxio) still taking a couple of hours to do something (burn a disc?) when using those files as the source... I guess that would explain it.

 

If you can't get Roxio to just output a proper 'final' ISO file or a BDMV folder (i.e. after all the relevant encoding has been performed), you'll have to burn to BD-RE and read that disc back off again to get your ISO.

 

There are programs that will give you a virtual burner, that could be another route to getting what you want.

 

Thank you, Lightening. I think that's the rub with this program when you encode video streams that don't simply "pass through".

 

Can you recommend a program that functions as a virtual burner?

 

Thanks again.

[Cynthia]

Can you recommend a program that functions as a virtual burner?

I use Phantom Drive.

 

http://www.phantom-drive.com/en/default.htm