Burning DL DVD video from an NRG image

[Chris123]

What's the best way to burn a DL DVD video image which is in NRG format? Should I copy the files to the hard disk and burn from there using ImgBurn, and set the layer break manually, or simply burn the NRG image as is using ImgBurn, because the original layer break info is already there?

 

One more thing - if I create an image using ImgBurn of a DL DVD video, can I see the affect of the layer break before burning to a physical disc and trying it in a regular player?

[mmalves]

I recommend using Daemon Tools (maybe Ner0 ImageDrive :& ) for mounting that NRG disc image to a virtual drive, then follow this guide using the virtual drive's VIDEO_TS folder as the source. You can then choose an appropriate layerbreak, where a small pause is less noticeable (fade-in/fade-out/scene change/etc) through the use of the Preview feature

The original layerbreak will probably be one of the available options

 

As for your second question, if you use ImgBurn's Read mode to create an exact copy of the source disc, the original layerbreak of the source disc will be preserved on your burnt copies. If you use the Build mode, you'll be able to choose which layerbreak to use from a list of the ones available, and you'll also be able to preview where they happen (oops I think I already said that above)

[Chris123]

Ok, so you're basically telling me NOT to use the NRG image itself for burning, but instead to take the files out of the image and build the DVD manually, layer break and all. So I understand NRG does not preserve layer break info?

[mmalves]

Support for the NRG format in ImgBurn is quite limited since the developers of the NRG format, in all their wisdom, decided to not publish the format's specifications

 

The only program that can reliably burn any type of NRG image is the very program that created it :&

[LOCOENG]

The only program that can reliably burn any type of NRG image is the very program that created it

 

Use the term reliably loosely

[Chris123]

Ok, I read the guides and I still have a few questions.

 

1. When I first reach the layer break choosing screen, it looks like this:

 

 

I used the preview feature, and the cell highlighted in this screenshot is the only one that's actually in between scenes, that's assuming that when I press on Preview what I see is the immediate beginning of the second layer, is that correct? Or is it still better to choose a cell that says SPLIP=No?

 

And another question about this screen - what would be the affect of pressing Ignore Layer Break Options?

 

2. As the process progresses, I get another layer break choosing screen, which is a little different:

 

 

Here I have to choose the same cell again (or change my decision I guess), and I also have two new options - Don't update IFO/BUP files and Seamless.

I tried making an image with and without the "Don't update" option, and in both cases the resulted files on the image were the same! (I used MD5 hash to compare) So what does this option do? Whether I checked it or not, ImgBurn changed all of the BUP/IFO files on this DVD (the original NRG image contains non-identicle BUP/IFO sets, so it's obvious that ImgBurn had to change THOSE, but it changed all of them for some reason).

 

What effect will checking Seamless have? If there are no downsides to using it, then I don't understand why bother with such a complicated layer break choosing system, with preview and all... there must be some downsides.

 

3. I read in one of the guides that a certain IFO file might contain the label of the original DVD ("DVD-TEXT"), how do I find it?

 

4. What's better - first creating an ISO+MDS image with ImgBurn from the files, and then burning it to the disc, or just burn the files from the harddrive directly to the disc? Verbatim discs are very expensive, so I can't experiment too much

 

Thanks!!

Edited September 12, 2008 by Chris123

[LIGHTNING UK!]

1. You've probably checked the 'Auto' (as in 'Auto Calculate') checkbox. That's why the first one comes up, it wouldn't do normally.

 

Looking at the values I'd pick the 1991520 one (2nd gold star down) - that's even better if it happens to be at a scene change.

 

Ignoring the LB options just splits the data exactly into 2 sections (layers worth) of the same size without any thought towards aligning cells like you're supposed to.

 

2. Seamless sets the SPLIP flag in the IFO to 'yes' (if it was 'no' in the first place)

 

Seamless layer breaks aren't part of the DVD Video standard, some players will just stop/die/freeze if they hit one.

 

3. Look for it using IfoEdit or PgcEdit - you can Google for instructions.

 

4. It makes no odds really.

[Chris123]

1. You've probably checked the 'Auto' (as in 'Auto Calculate') checkbox. That's why the first one comes up, it wouldn't do normally.

I don't remember doing that (I assume you mean the Auto checkbox near the calculator image), and I looked at it now and it's not checked, but I'll make sure to take note of that when I do the actual burning. In any case I guess it shouldn't matter, because I still get to choose everything manually.

 

Looking at the values I'd pick the 1991520 one (2nd gold star down) - that's even better if it happens to be at a scene change.

Great, that is the one I thought of picking (you can see it marked in the screenshots). However, I read in a post that a cell with SPLIP=No is better to pick for layer break, and if I pick one with SPLIP=Yes, it might act similar to choosing seamless. I may have got it wrong, but I must make sure since I have an old player so I don't think it'll handle any type of layer break other than the most standard one...

 

2. Seamless sets the SPLIP flag in the IFO to 'yes' (if it was 'no' in the first place)

That's kind of seems to support what I said above... choosing a cell with SPLIP=Yes is closer to using the Seamless option!?

 

One more thing I need to be sure about - the very first frame I see when I press Preview Selected Cell, is the very first frame that will appear after the layer change, is that correct?

 

And the last thing - should I even bother with the "Don't update IFO/BUP files" function? Like I said, when I tested by making ISO+MDS images, it didn't seem to make any difference, and in both cases ImgBurn changed the MD5 of the BUP and IFO files in exactly the same way...

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I don't remember doing that...

 

Ok then, you must have clicked the calculate button accidently then. It's the only way to get that initial screen up!

 

Great, that is the one I thought of picking...

 

If you don't select the 'seamless' option it'll mark whichever cell you select as 'non seamless' anyway (so SPLIP will be changed to 'no' for that 1991520 one).

 

And the last thing - should I even bother with...

 

Well if you do that ImgBurn won't change the cells to seamless / non seamless.

 

What the 'Don't update IFO/BUP files' does not prevent is ImgBurn running a 'Get VTS Sectors' type function whereby it corrects all the pointers in the IFO files (if they're wrong). If that's not done, the disc won't play properly.

[Chris123]

I don't remember doing that...

 

Ok then, you must have clicked the calculate button accidently then. It's the only way to get that initial screen up!

 

Right, I did, I thought I'm supposed to before starting the image creation

 

 

Ok, thanks for all the help. I think I'm ready to burn the movie and test it.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It's an optional step, but if you're going to calculate the final size of the project the program obviously needs to know where you want the layer break - as its position will change the final size.

 

As things could then change before you hit the 'Write' button ImgBurn has to ask you to select/confirm your LB choice when you hit the Write button.

[Chris123]

Well, I finally burned the movie, and the layer break looks great on my old DVD player, thanks for all the support

 

 

I did notice two weird phenomena with this disc, on both copies that I've made:

 

1) Starting with chapter 11 (which is two chapters into the second layer), Fast Forward and Rewind functions stop working properly. If I try to rewind, when I press play the movie jumps back to the beginning of the chapter, and the same happens when I fast forward, only with one difference - I can safely fast forward at 2x speed, anything faster will cause the exact same problem that rewinding causes. I've never encountered this problem before.

I tried the disc on a newer player, and it didn't happen at all, which made me suspect that it's indeed my player, I just don't understand why it starts at chapter 11. Is it a known phenomenon? Could it be due to some errors in the BUP/IFO files? I didn't think these files have anything to do with rewind/fast forward.

 

2) The second phenomenon actually happens on computers - if I use Scene Selection to start from chapter 12, the movie freezes. If I start from an earlier point though, and just let it play, it doesn't freeze on this spot. It happens only with this chapter, and only on computer media players, it DOESN'T happen on my old player.

It should also be noted that it happens even if I play the files from the harddrive, so it doesn't have anything to do with physical media. Can this be an error in a BUP/IFO?

 

 

By the way, ImgBurn burned the movie at 4x on a 2.4x Verbatim DVD+R DL! Didn't know it's possible...

[cornholio7]

it can burn them at 8x if the drive supports it (wouldn't recommend it though)