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The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released) — Page 11

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Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
...if anyone can point me to a way where I can take the original m2v file, run a dot-crawl filter on it so it ends up in a new m2v file and NOT an avi file or anything else because I still have problems converting avi to m2v, please tell me so this would look as good on any TV.
Not possible I'm afraid - if you want to change anything within a compressed MPEG-2 stream, you will need to re-encode.

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Moth3r, that's exactly what I see.

I see much the same with PAL DVDs as well.

Your explanation makes a lot of sense to me.

And the upshot (and my original point) is that I'll never be happy with any set that's not anamorphic.
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For those who have acquired the EditDroid ESB and Jedi...

When you play the disc(s), does the movie start right away without going to the main menu first? My Star Wars starts with the menu, but ESB and Jedi start with the movie. Just wondering if it's a problem or if the DVDs were just authored that way.

Still, great transfers and presentation!
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Yes, my discs did the same thing. Did you get Rik's copies? If so, that may have something to do with it, somehow. He also forgot to copy the DVD-ROM content with Jedi

Also, I edited the post name so that this is now the EditDroid feedback thread. I'll take that last part out in a few days, after it sinks in that it's the same thread.

I used to be very active on this forum. I’m not really anymore. Sometimes, people still want to get in touch with me about something, and that is great! If that describes you, please email me at [my username]ATgmailDOTcom.

Hi everybody. You’re all awesome. Keep up the good work.

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Yeah. Got mine directly from Rikter. If anyone else got them from somewhere/ someone else, please chime in on this.
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Is there a way I can mess with the VOB files so the main menu comes up first instead of the movie? I downloaded Empire and it looks great but the menu thing annoys me. And I was expecting a rehash of the Star Wars menu just with different pictures, not a whole new design - the production values of this set are amazingly high for a fan-produced bootleg like this. Very well done. And seeing the first part of the duel with music was damn cool - I'd almost like that edited back into the movie, it's so cool. Everything is amazingly well done on this set.
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Originally posted by: RichKS
D.O, that sounds like a pretty damn cool setup to me.

Its nothing too spectacular, but I like it. HDTV is incredible to watch...sports are awesome in HD. I still don't have 5.1 set up yet with the set, budget restraints and all. I only told what my setup is so that others, like yourself, could see what I was talking about.

Just curious: What's the "full" zoom mode, as opposed to the "wide zoom"? Is this the usual thing where one is the 16:9 mode you use for anamorphic DVDs and videogames, while the other is a stretched and distorted image where the edges of the picture get squished out?

Exactly.

It's interesting that you don't have either 14:9 or what a lot of European TVs call "subtitle zoom". 14:9 is a halfway house between 4:3 and 16:9, kinda chops a bit off at the top and bottom and doesn't fill the screen all the way horizontally. We used to have a fair amount of stuff broadcast in that ratio, but that seems to have stopped now (at least, I don't see that because I have digital TV which is broadcast in 16:9). Subtitle Zoom is the same as 16:9 zoom, but the picture is moved up so that if you're watching a 2.85:1 letterbox DVD, the top of the picture is at the top of the screen and all the black is at the bottom. That way, if there are subs in the black, you get to see them. It's telling that the whole time I had a TV that did that, the only thing I ever watched on it that benefited from that was the original trilogy. Newer TVs appear to be able to mimic this by letting you move the 16:9 image up and down, which is how I watched the Phantom Edit DVD. Neither mode really gets a lot of use these days to be honest though.


I think that you just taught me something here. I don't have the 14:9, but I believe that I can actually move the image up to allow subtitles to appear. I must have brainfarted for not seeing the use in this before. Thanks!

As far as I can tell, what you're saying is that an anamorphic DVD viewed on the Widescreen mode is the same aspect ratio as a non-anamorphic DVD viewed in 16:9 zoom?

That's what I would expect.


Exactly. That why when folks ask if something is anamorphic or letterbox I have watch it on my computer. On the Sony I really can't tell the difference.

But do me a favour and try this, hopefully you'll see what I'm getting at:

1) Get any anamorphic DVD. Preferably a well mastered one (Hellboy for example)

2) With you DVD player set to 16:9 display mode, watch a couple of minutes of it in Widescreen mode, taking advantage of the anamorphic-ness (I'm assuming this is how you're usually watching anamorphic DVDs)

3) Stop the movie and set you DVD to think you only have a 4:3 display.

4) Start playing again, with the TV set to 16:9 zoom.

Tell me you genuinely don't see a difference?


I do have Hellboy and I will try that (the wife is watching a show right now or I would have done it already). I will get back to you on this.

First off, thanks for answering. I saw lots of people debating anamorphic versus letterboxed and I didn't see the difference myself. I just figured, and correct me if I'm wrong, that letterboxing would actually take up more disc space versus anamorphic. I mean, you have to encode the black bands at top and bottom...that must take up disc space, no?

Secondly, I appreciate the trick that you showed me about moving the image up for subtitles. I completely forgot that the set is capable of that. D'oh!



D.O.

¤ The Dark One In Costume ¤

...at last we shall have revenge...
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Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
Is there a way I can mess with the VOB files so the main menu comes up first instead of the movie?

Use IFOedit on the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and change the first play pre-command. I actually find it refreshing not to have to hit a button to watch the movie. When I want extras, I hit menu.
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Originally posted by: The Dark One


Its nothing too spectacular, but I like it. HDTV is incredible to watch...sports are awesome in HD.

HDTV hasn't really caught on in the UK the same way it has in the US, mainly I suspect because digital PAL transmissions over an RGB Scart cable look damn fine. While I'm not saying that the RGB signal we get to our sets is better than HDTV, it's not enough worse to warrant changing.

100 Hz is quite common here for the last 6-7 years as well, but I didn't bother with that because I couldn't tell the difference when I saw 2 sets side by side in the store, (and also videogame light guns don't work with them, couldn't give up House Of The Dead).

Just curious: What's the "full" zoom mode, as opposed to the "wide zoom"? Is this the usual thing where one is the 16:9 mode you use for anamorphic DVDs and videogames, while the other is a stretched and distorted image where the edges of the picture get squished out?

Exactly.

I think that you just taught me something here. I don't have the 14:9, but I believe that I can actually move the image up to allow subtitles to appear. I must have brainfarted for not seeing the use in this before. Thanks!


Exactly. That why when folks ask if something is anamorphic or letterbox I have watch it on my computer. On the Sony I really can't tell the difference.


So your TV auto switches to the correct aspect ratio for a given signal without a pause? Mine's supposed to do that, but I've never got it to work reliably. Which is no great loss.

I do have Hellboy and I will try that (the wife is watching a show right now or I would have done it already). I will get back to you on this.


Hellboy's a fairly arbitrary choice. I watched it the other night because my girlfriend hadn't seen it (she loves any film with explosions, gunfights and/or chases) and I was thinking: man, this is one nice looking picture...

Glad I was helpful!

Rich
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Christ, I can't use this bb thing at work. Double post, just hit me with a fork and get it over with...
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I'm sure I've asked this before and had an answer, but will either (or both) Zion’s + MBJ Xo project releases be anamorphic?
How about Moth3r's? Obviously it's no benefit to 4:3 viewers but makes a difference to those with 16:9 sets. Subtitle zoom & 14:9 zoom do NOT give the same thing.

High Def will start trickling in at the end of the year in the uk, there are already a few sets available mainly dlp rear projection, the situation is confusing at the moment with plasmas, lcds, projectors being sold as hd compatible but not actually being HD native. They just take the HD image and scale it down. Then there are all the different resoloutions and hdcp problems etc etc.
Should be more interesting nearer the time.
We Got Death Star!
We Got Death Star!
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Originally posted by: The Dark One
[C]orrect me if I'm wrong, that letterboxing would actually take up more disc space versus anamorphic. I mean, you have to encode the black bands at top and bottom...that must take up disc space, no?


In a word, no. Letterboxing takes up less space, because it's easy to compress black. It takes more bandwidth to encode anamorphic titles, because there's more actual picture information. The black bars are still there, but they're much narrower.

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Exactly. There has to be video information throughout the 720x480 frame. An anamorphic transfer fills as much of this space as possible with actual video, whereas a letterbox format shrinks the picture and increases the size of the black spaces. Technically speaking, the letterbox transfer would actually take up less space because, as Karyudo said, the black is easier to compress (all the same color.) Many movies, like Star Wars, aren't exactly 16x9 (1.78:1), so they still have some black area, though not much.)

As to the X0 transfer - it might come in a variety, but specifics haven't been nailed down yet. Different transfers work better for different displays, but some people want certain transfers regardless (i.e. a person with a 4x3 television set should not get the anamorphic version. It's a double-whammy on the video.)

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
Is there a way I can mess with the VOB files so the main menu comes up first instead of the movie? I downloaded Empire and it looks great but the menu thing annoys me. And I was expecting a rehash of the Star Wars menu just with different pictures, not a whole new design - the production values of this set are amazingly high for a fan-produced bootleg like this. Very well done. And seeing the first part of the duel with music was damn cool - I'd almost like that edited back into the movie, it's so cool. Everything is amazingly well done on this set.


The best prog I have found for post-editing a DVD is DVDremake pro. You can PM for instructions, or if you want me to sent it to you, as it is quite hard to find a working copy.
And now, for your feature presentation:
The Classic Re-re-re-release of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back.
In this version the word "WOOKIE" has been changed to "HAIR CHALLENGED ANIMAL" and the entire cast has been digitally replaced by Ewoks.
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Originally posted by: ApolloOne
Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
Is there a way I can mess with the VOB files so the main menu comes up first instead of the movie?

Use IFOedit on the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and change the first play pre-command. I actually find it refreshing not to have to hit a button to watch the movie. When I want extras, I hit menu.


How do I do this exactly? I have IFOEdit, but no experience with it at all...
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Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
How do I do this exactly? I have IFOEdit, but no experience with it at all...

Make sure you have IFOedit version 0.95 or later (better command editing interface). Make a backup of the VIDEO_TS.IFO file (in case you mess up), and open the file in IFOedit. You'll see a hierarchical list of information stored in the ifo file. Click on VMGM_MAT and a plus sign will appear next to it. Click the plus to expand and you'll see First Play PGC. Click on it, then scroll down in the bottom window until you see the Pre Command(s). You'll see a command saying "(JumpTT) Jump to Title: 1." Right-click on that command and choose "Edit Command." Change the command to "(JumpSS_VTSM) Jump to Titleset Menu." Set the Title number to 1, Titleset number to 1, and Menu to "Root."

That should do it. Just save the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and try it out.
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So far SW and TESB are AWESOME, looks and sounds great. Just finished watching them in my friends theater set-up. 10x12 ft screen and 7.1 surround

“Good… Bad… I’m the guy with the gun.”

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Originally posted by: ApolloOne
Originally posted by: ChainsawAsh
How do I do this exactly? I have IFOEdit, but no experience with it at all...

Make sure you have IFOedit version 0.95 or later...


SOOOOOO easy! Thanks for the instructions! This worked perfectly.
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seeing as we are talking fiddling here, what is the best way to move the subs into the frame as per the original theatrical versions? I have vobedit and ifoedit can it be done with these?
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I just saw the editdroid ESB disc, and there are some strange things I noticed:
First of all, the menus are not of the same aesthetics of those in the ANH disc, formerly known as the Mysterious mysteries.
Second, there is this issue of the menu not playing first (which I fixed BTW), as did the menu in ANH disc.
Third, there is no crawl selection in this one. As I was not even born when ESB was in theatres, I don't know how the original crawl was on that film. was it "Episode V" like?
And another thing: There is an easter egg in the ESB disc (In the bonus features screen, go to "main menu" button and then press right). That easter egg provides nothing extra to the spactator, it just mocks him (you'll understand when you see it). So I'm thinking.... Why would someone who made a disc only for himself, as the creator of this set claims he did, put an easter egg like this in his creation?
Bottomline, after seing the second disc of the set, I don't get the impression that these two discs belong to the same set.
Any comments?
And now, for your feature presentation:
The Classic Re-re-re-release of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back.
In this version the word "WOOKIE" has been changed to "HAIR CHALLENGED ANIMAL" and the entire cast has been digitally replaced by Ewoks.
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Originally posted by: eros
seeing as we are talking fiddling here, what is the best way to move the subs into the frame as per the original theatrical versions? I have vobedit and ifoedit can it be done with these?
Subpictures are an encoded stream. The only way to move them up is the rip and reauthor, during which you would open the subpics in photoshop and move the text to where you want (or some similar process). Kind of a pain.

Originally posted by: Metallaxis
Why would someone who made a disc only for himself, as the creator of this set claims he did, put an easter egg like this in his creation?

I don't think the creator of the set ever said he made them for himself. As I recall, they were made for a handful of friends and associates.
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Originally posted by: Metallaxis
I just saw the editdroid ESB disc, and there are some strange things I noticed:
First of all, the menus are not of the same aesthetics of those in the ANH disc, formerly known as the Mysterious mysteries.
Second, there is this issue of the menu not playing first (which I fixed BTW), as did the menu in ANH disc.
Third, there is no crawl selection in this one. As I was not even born when ESB was in theatres, I don't know how the original crawl was on that film. was it "Episode V" like?
And another thing: There is an easter egg in the ESB disc (In the bonus features screen, go to "main menu" button and then press right). That easter egg provides nothing extra to the spactator, it just mocks him (you'll understand when you see it). So I'm thinking.... Why would someone who made a disc only for himself, as the creator of this set claims he did, put an easter egg like this in his creation?
Bottomline, after seing the second disc of the set, I don't get the impression that these two discs belong to the same set.
Any comments?


ESB was always Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. STAR WARS was the only one that ever had a crawl change. I like the different menus - I was worried they'd just be a rehash of the ANH menus, just with different pictures. I can't wait to see the ROTJ menus.

Apollo - Thanks for the directions, it works flawlessly.
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Originally posted by: Metallaxis

...So I'm thinking.... Why would someone who made a disc only for himself, as the creator of this set claims he did, put an easter egg like this in his creation?
Bottomline, after seing the second disc of the set, I don't get the impression that these two discs belong to the same set.
Any comments?


Back when I was making VCDs with menus, I often put little extra bits as easter eggs on them. It's just a fun thing to do. I enjoyed getting phone calls from friends when they discovered them.

As far as the EditDroid menus, I think they're all from the same creator(s). The graphics may not be the same, but the layouts are pretty similiar. Maybe they were just trying out new things after the SW DVD.

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...the people who DID create this set HAVE said it's okay if these versions DO get out now...


THANK THE MAKER(S)!!!
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Originally posted by: RichKS

HDTV hasn't really caught on in the UK the same way it has in the US, mainly I suspect because digital PAL transmissions over an RGB Scart cable look damn fine. While I'm not saying that the RGB signal we get to our sets is better than HDTV, it's not enough worse to warrant changing.

Glad I was helpful!

Rich


The TV usually (and I stress usually) will auto-adjust itself to fit each video source. It actually only works perfect 100% of the time for HDTV but it's a nice feature.

I read on BBC news last month that HDTV is indeed going to begin rolling out in the UK later this year. I imagine that digital PAL is similar to EDTV (enhance definition) which is quite fine, but it does pale in comparison to HDTV. A good HD broadcast in the 1080(?) format is almost three-dimensional...it will blow you away. I can't even go to the cinema anymore (except for one night this May) because the video quality is so disappointing. HDTV does have the tendency to make one become spoiled.

I recorded Hellboy in HDTV on my DVR (probably the best HD transfer yet IMO) and compared it will the retail dual-layer DVD of Hellboy and the HDTV broadcast has so much more resolution it was almost shocking. I did one better, I compared the look of the film between my 4:3 and my 16:9 (running back and forth was a drag though) and I honestly didn't see a difference in aspect. It's hard to tell because you can actually see the 'lines' in the 4:3 TV whereas you really can't on the 16:9. The one fault may have been I have the retail DVD on the 4:3 and the HDTV broadcast on the 16:9.

This leads me to wonder, what does Lucas have in store for the saga when the next-gen of DVDs (blu-ray or HD-DVD) come out? Will he release a legacy set with both the newest incarnations of the films along with the original renditions or will we have to wait until his kids inherit the business?

One more thing, I did try to notice the difference between anamorphic and letterboxed and to tell you the truth I cannot see much of a difference on the TV at 16:9 zoom. Letterboxed have a slightly lighter black at top and bottom, but that's all that I can see with my untrained eyes.

Anyways, thanks for the info and advice Rich!


D.O.


¤ The Dark One In Costume ¤

...at last we shall have revenge...