logo Sign In

Adding chapter stops to a DVD / anamorphizing ?

Author
Date
Author
Time
Post link

I have two questions, coming from somebody not experienced with DVD editing. There's a movie I'm wishing to edit, which unfortunately has a few handicaps from the get go, no chapter stops and it's non-anamorphic, which leads to my questions:

FIRST:

I have the files to a DVD (BUP, IFO, VOB), but the movie itself is lacking ANY chapter stops (meaning you have to fast forward through it, no breaks at all).

 

What's the easiest/most efficient way to add those? I am not going to bother designing a menu for the chapter stops, just a way to skip ahead, say at 5 or 10 minute intervals like other movies.

 

SECOND:

This particular movie is non-anamorphic (meaning the black bars top and bottom are part of the image). If I wanted to make it into an "anamorphic" DVD, how would I chop off those bars, or is it that simple (without killing the image quality of course)?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

Author
Time
Post link

Hi.

Does anyone have an answer to these questions? I have the same queries myself.

Author
Time
Post link

The "easiest/most efficient" way around both of these issues is to use the hardware you already have. Many DVD players have an feature where, instead of selecting a chapter, you key in a time and playback jumps to that point. Needless to say this is very useful when there are no chapter stops.

Also, nearly all widescreen TVs have a feature to "zoom" a non-anamorphic image to fit the screen in correct proportions. Look for a mode called "zoom" or "cinema".

If want a new DVD with added chapter stops, this can be accomplished fairly easily. Use PGCDemux to extract the separate video, audio and subtitle streams from the original DVD. Use DVDAuthorGUI to re-author these streams to a new DVD - the program has an option to auto generate chapter stops at defined intervals (e.g. every 5 minutes).

Converting 4:3 letterboxed widescreen to 16:9 anamorphic is not so simple, as the video needs to be re-encoded. You could try using DVD Rebuilder (you will also need an MPEG-2 encoder, e.g. HC Encoder) which has a 4:3 to 16:9 option.

Guidelines for post content and general behaviour: read announcement here

Max. allowable image sizes in signatures: reminder here

Author
Time
Post link

If, by chance, you are editing with Final Cut Pro, you can actually add chapter stops by using the "marker" feature.  Then, convert your video in Compressor, and make sure under the 'Extras' tab that you have either "Add DVD Studio Pro meta-data" or "Include Chapter Markers only" selected, and your designated chapter stops will be embedded into your final compressed video.  Obviously, you need DVD Studio Pro to really be certain this will work.

For anamorphic video, first you have to make sure that you're editing in the proper 16x9 aspect ratio (which is 853x480 in standard definition).  Most any NLE software should have such a preset.  Then, when you goto burn your disc, it's merely a matter of selecting "Anamorphic," "Letterboxed," or "16x9 Widescreen," depending on how your software phrases it.  When all else fails, consult the "Help" menu or user's manual.

-NJM

Author
Time
Post link

Moth3r said:

Converting 4:3 letterboxed widescreen to 16:9 anamorphic is not so simple, as the video needs to be re-encoded. You could try using DVD Rebuilder (you will also need an MPEG-2 encoder, e.g. HC Encoder) which has a 4:3 to 16:9 option.

Tell me about it... it's not as simple as clicking a button, since "16x9"ing a 4:3 image will stretch the black bars with the rest of the image.

Is there a program out there that will allow you to manually set the video frame (not just to crop out the black bars in a 4:3 letterboxed video, but say create a 2.35:1 video image out of a 1.85:1 video)?

         

 “You people must realize that the public owns you for life, and when you’re dead, you’ll all be in commercials dancing with vacuum cleaners.”

– Homer Simpson