'Main movie' rips not playing the whole movie

[Novaned]

Hi to all. This is my first post and I have not yet been able to find a solution on this forum to my problem so I'm hoping someone here can give me some clues as to what I'm overlooking or where I'm going wrong.

Like most of you have already been through, I am in the middle of ripping my dvd collection. I always rip a dvd choosing the 'main movie' option, set at dvd9, 100%, i.e. not the entire dvd disc, ripped to my local drive. This, as expected, results in the usual multiple .vob files in the title's folder within the 'Main movie' folder. I then move my ripped movies, still within their respective movie title folders, into one folder labelled 'video' on a WHS system on my home network.

I play them via a 'WDTV Live' media streamer connected to the same network. The WDTV allows you to browse for movies, then play, through two avenues - selecting a media server or selecting a network share.

To my problem - since the outset of my project, for some reason if I play any movie selected via the media server(s) (running on the WHS pc), the movie always stops playing at the end of the first vob file- it never progresses onto the next one. Yet if I select that same movie (or any other) via the 'network share' it plays perfectly from start to finish. I would prefer the media server route as this offers, in my oppinion, better browsing and selection detail.

I have reviewed and experimented with various network settings as well as options in the wdtv and the whs box but no luck (I am relatively pc and network savvy). I have also researched those other forums. It then occured to me that maybe I'm ripping my dvds wrongly, for the method I want to choose to play them.

So, I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions anyone might have, whether it be within the DvdFab process itself or to do with my system configuration.

Many thanks in advance.
'Ned'

[IPopov50]

Ned,
actually, explanation is quite simple. Because of DVD standards, vob files have to be around 1 Gb in size, that's why you have a few of them. Also, there's ifo file, which carries the information what and how have to be connected during playback.
So, if you open ifo file in your player, this file will guide your player through the maze of vob(s) and streams. And if you open vob file itself, it will play, but will stop at the end.
Is this sounds familiar?
So, the answer to you question is when you playing through your media server, you player selects not the ifo file, but first vob and stops at the end. And when you playing through network share, your player plays ifo file, and everything goes smoothly. I'm not sure where, but somewhere in settings you should select ifo file as default file to play.

However, I thing I have better solution for you - scrap DVD standard altogether and switch to MKV container. In your network environment you will find a peace and relief. It so much easier to deal with, flexible and simple.

[CBR929]

Hi Novaned
I am not sure if space will be a problem for you, but you may want to consider converting to another format and then storing them on your network.
If this is an option give this thread a read through by my friend GregiBoy he is the expert on this subject.

Have you also tried clicking on the VideoTS folder for the movie.

If space is not a concern, then you will want to choose to make an ISO image of the movie, to do this your source will be you drive with the disc, Target will be the destination of your choice but, you will click what looks like a piece of paper with a folded corner and little blue disc symbol to the right of the target drop down box to create the ISO.
Hope this helps
CBR929

Hey IPopov50 my friend did not see you.

[IPopov50]

If space is not a concern, then you will want to choose to make an ISO image of the movie,

CBR929
His player WD TV doesn't plays ISO

[CBR929]

CBR929
His player WD TV doesn't plays ISO

Gottcha!!! You have the WD TV, right?
CBR929

[IPopov50]

Yep.

[GregiBoy]

The way I understand it is:-

WD TV Players will play DVD ISO's with menus, etc
WD TV Players WILL NOT play BD ISO's with menus, etc because of lack of support for Java and this will never be fixed. A "Main Movie" BD ISO should work.

You are far better looking at the MKV container in all cases. It is then only a matter of choice of what quality is acceptable to you.

IPopov was certainly correct in his comments in that the IFO's control the playback of DVD's whereas the VOB files are just contents.

WDTV Live plays iso files from my understanding guess when I get back from Philippines I will test it out but could have sworn it plays iso

[GregiBoy]

A comment from someone that has been down this track many times !!!

Forget IFO's, VOB's, IFO's and all that and concentrate your efforts on MKV's. If the media player will not play them correctly, buy another one that wil.

I am sure IPopov will agree.

Yes you understand correctly as Blu-ray support at moment sucks from the little info I have read lately. Once I play around with it I should have pretty good idea on what it capable of playing.

Then I will purchase a better media player like argosy

[Complication]

To my problem - since the outset of my project, for some reason if I play any movie selected via the media server(s) (running on the WHS pc), the movie always stops playing at the end of the first vob file- it never progresses onto the next one. Yet if I select that same movie (or any other) via the 'network share' it plays perfectly from start to finish. I would prefer the media server route as this offers, in my oppinion, better browsing and selection detail.

This looks like a problem in your media server being able to appropriately identify and work with the DVD specification. When you access via the network share then the WDTV is interpreting the folder as a DVD and playing everything correctly (chapters, subtitles, multi-audio, etc). When it is presented from the media server side then the media server interprets the DVD structure and presents it as a simple video to the WDTV. Your best bet is to consult forums for the specific media server you are using (I don't think WHS supports DVD structure or VOB by default). If the WDTV can play the folder on the network share then DVDFab is creating the DVD structure correctly.

If you are not really interested in the chapters, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks then you could simply use DVDFab Ripper VOB passthrough to create a single file for each movie with no loss of quality that will likely work on the network share and the media server. However, you would have to go back to the DVDs again should you want to create something else.

Another workaround would be to post-process the main movie rips with the old DVDshrink application (try videohelp.com). It has a setting that will allow you to make a non-standard DVD folder with a single large VOB file.