Hi... I'm new.

I have a foreign movie DVD that I'd like to copy.

I have been using DVD-Fab, Decrypter, ImgBurn and NeroRecode+DVD43 for DAYS now. I can easily rip the DVD then burn a movie that will play in Nero, but I can't ever get the audio. Nor have I yet had a disk that will launch/open in a home player.

My Nero is a Demo version of vs. 7 that came with my burner. It installed a variety of Nero functions/features. A message box that says "You need Dolby" keeps popping up and I click the "Download Trial" but nothing happens and, offhand, it seems that Nero INCLUDES Dolby. I see a sound bar sometimes and slide it to loudest. (Right now I'm downloading the Demo of vs. 8.)

I have used ISO and IFO and VIDEO/TS directory methods.

I have been googling this subject for hours. These forums have been amazing, but I'm still STUCK! So I thought, Heck, I might as well ASK.

Yes, I am nearly going nuts.

I'm using WinXP and I seem to have plenty of RAM/memory/hard-space, etc.

Help?

Thanks! --JP

For audio you might need AC3 filter installed.
check your Control Panel (add/remove programs) to see if it is installed.

http://ac3filter.net/

If that is no help, download VLC, it does not rely on external codecs and can play most anything.
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_...players/vlc.cfm

The thing about your foreign movie DVD, is that it may be in a different video format from what your player expects.
North America is NTSC, the rest of the world is mostly PAL.
If the files are PAL and you are NTSC, it will have to be converted.
Nero Vision will do it, but you must ensure that your preferences in Nero are set for NTSC - else you end up with the wrong video format on the disk - it would still play on the PC no matter what video format it is, but an NTSC standalone player will reject it..

If the movie to large to shrink to SL disc it will leave out the sound and just burn the video try a DL disc and burn a full copy ( this happen to me and after I made a bunch of SL coasters ) I had success ! I hope you have made backups before if not this will not help you. also download AnyDVD and burn with Nero Recode or DVD Shrink and ImgBurn these programs will burn the sound for you I think you are not ripping and burning the right way. 99% of the movies can be put on a single disc

I think attar is more right than me

also dvdr's used may be a problem... player not liking them.

Thanks for the ideas! I'll follow them out...

First, I've downloaded AC3 Filter but there's no info on how to use it with the software or in the Guide here. (All this stuff is SO frustrating.) I installed it so I'm just GUESSING that it is now working. (Just insane, really.) Does it work on an existing set of VIDEO/TS files? Who knows! (Who CAN know?)

Also: I'm curious as to how one determines this PAL (or other) status of a video. I see it nowhere on the disk or case. ?

Well, I played the VIDEO/TS again after installing AC3Filter and still no sound.

Actually, I don't think it's a problem of disk or PAL because I'm doing all the testing on my PC and the original disk plays sound fine. I'm just testing my rips (I guess that's what they're called).

(Lastly, I've been using Macs and PCs for years and they still make my eyes bulge out so often... I can't post to this forum on my PC, only on my Mac. When I try to post I get a message about cookies. I check my Internet settings and see a way to delete cookies but no way to give them, what, more freedom. Other sites work fine on the PC. So now here we have a case of even the most BASIC thing stopping me once again in my tracks. Argh.)

I'll now try the VLC player idea...

OK, VLC won't play any sound either.

I'll try to rip a different English-language DVD...

PS: OK, I just tried ripping an English/US movie and...no audio. I used DVD43+NeroRecode. Again, video played fine on Nero. When I did the import I saw that there were English audio tracks selected (same as with the foreign DVD). What could I be doing wrong?

I note that Nero asks me if I want to save a Log and I say Yes but I add the movie title to the end of the log name---guessing to avoid overwriting the previous log. I have no idea of the usefulness of the log. Hmmm, maybe I'll try to open it and see!

yeah post the log

also install k-lite mega codec pack

vlc wont play sound? something must be bad...

must be the ripping part

ok get the trial of ANYDVD keep that running in background and rip main movie with dvd shrink.

Make sure you use Good blank disc (VERBATIM) and try an old USA movie until you get right and please check the guides to set up your burning setup

Yeah, I'm thinking it's in the rip, too.

OK, I tried ripping a 1980's English/US movie ("One from the Heart") with DVD Shrink---and I got a TINY BIT of the musical soundtrack! But no talking. Weird, but a tiny shred of hope there, I guess.

Then I tried my foreign flick ("Mon Oncle" The Criterion Collection) again with DVD Shrink---no audio at all, as usual.

OK...here's the text of a log of an attempt with Nero-Recode/DVD43 on the HEART movie:

From: martha@outyourbackdoor.com
Subject: log text
Date: May 18, 2008 5:58:59 PM EDT (CA)
To: jeff@outyourbackdoor.com

********** Nero Recode Essentials **********

Version: 2.5.6.0

Jan Bishop

4C87-2018-2045-477K-055X-403E-9539-C16X

Project type: Main Movie to DVD
Compilation name: ONE_FROM_THE_HE
Target size: DVD5 (2282925)

10:55:33 File LangStreamPatcher.cpp, Line 56
Command table patching started...

10:55:33 File LangStreamPatcher.cpp, Line 135
All tables successfully patched!

Burn settings:
Target: Hard disk folder
Number of copies: 1
Target folder: C:\Documents and Settings\Jan\My Documents\VIDEO_TS
(12372803584 bytes free)
Shutdown when finished: false
Advanced Analysis: false
Compress Adaptive: false

10:57:40 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 238
Compile DVD: init

VTS_01 Title Vobs [3172 vobus] 1641.38MB -> 1641.38MB [R 1.00]
Video: 1420.41MB, extra: 220.98MB
Audio: 3 streams
0. 0. Dolby Digital 5.1-ch English 87.99MB [enabled]
1. 1. Dolby Digital 2-ch English 37.47MB [enabled]
2. 2. Dolby Digital 5.1-ch English 87.99MB [enabled]
Subpicture: 2 streams
0. 0. English 0.92MB [enabled]
1. 1. English 0.41MB [enabled]

10:57:40 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 1244
Compile DVD: begin copy 1

10:57:40 File NeroRecorder.cpp, Line 129
Writing to harddrive folder started

10:57:40 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 548
Compile DVD: burning 2282925 sectors (840420 required)

10:57:40 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 744
Compile DVD: adjust target size to 4458.84MB (1641.45MB obtained)

10:57:40 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 594
Compiling DVD Volume started

11:01:07 File NeroRecorder.cpp, Line 629
Added extra file VTS_01_2.VOB

11:02:16 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 1150
Compile DVD: finished VTS_01 Title Vobs

VTS_01 Title Vobs:
Original 1641.38MB -> Expected 1641.38MB -> Output 1641.38MB
Finished error -0.00MB
Ratio encoded = 37
Original encoded = 3135
Slide encoded = 0
StillImage encoded = 0
Output extra size = 221.06MB
Source video size = 1420.32MB
Pictures Modified [I 35] [P 175] [B 210]

11:02:22 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 617
Compile DVD: completed successfuly (1641.44MB)

11:02:22 File burn_dvdfiles.cpp, Line 308
Compile DVD: exit

It looks like you have 'INCD' installed, that may be the problem with Nero failing to burn.

But setting Nero aside for the moment, you are ripping the movie to the hard disk with 'DVD FAB HD decrypter'?

Can you open and play the folder ok with VLC?.

If it plays ok, instead of using Nero Recode to shrink the files, load the folder into 'DVD Shrink' and backup the output to another folder and test the files again.

"It looks like you have 'INCD' installed, that may be the problem with Nero failing to burn."

I suspect that the demo disk autoinstalled INCD, but Nero DOES burn---it just doesn't include audio.

"But setting Nero aside for the moment, you are ripping the movie to the hard disk with 'DVD FAB HD decrypter'?"

Yeah, I tried that.

"Can you open and play the folder ok with VLC?."

Sure---but no audio.

"If it plays ok, instead of using Nero Recode to shrink the files, load the folder into 'DVD Shrink' and backup the output to another folder and test the files again."

I'm presently trying Shrink with AnyDVD and K Mega Codec running.

Oh, here's another funny one---every time I run Shrink it wants a DVDR in the writer---then its burn fails. So I suppose that's wrecking a DVDR. (Can you rewrite to DVDs? Remember, I haven't gotten ANYWHERE yet with this technology---when I tried to make a simple data disk with Nero it burned an "image" of a Word file for me---even though I used all of Nero's *data* settings---and obviously I had no luck finding that image again or opening it with Word. So doing simple data backups are also way beyond me still. Though I have now spent days on this stuff. Doing everything exactly as instructed. Ugh.)

OK, I now have AnyDVD running and K-lite Mega Pack Codecs and used Shrink. It DID burn the CD, no problem this time. (When I installed AnyDVD it made me uninstall DVD43 and when I instaled K-lite it made me uninstall AC3Filter. Whew!) But once again, all I have from the English/US/old DVD is the music background soundtrack---no talking. So it's like one layer of audio is coming thru but not all of them. Ugh. why aren't ALL selected unless I deselect them? Oh well...maybe it's a case of speed? I think I'm burning at 18x. I'm using TDK SL disks...the Shrink is shrinking to fit a 4.5gb disk. I have some Memorex DL disks...but I've been using them up quickly, too, on all these goofy tests. Whew! Any ideas? Thanks! --JP

Download 'mediaInfo'.
Drag/drop the first VOB file from the folder containing the ripped files (probably 'VTS_01_1.VOB')

You should see the available audio tracks.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mediainfo&btnG=Google+Search

Here's an example of a movie that has stereo and six channel sound.

Playing it with VLC, I can select 'Audio' 'Audio Track' then track 1 or 2.

when dvd shrink has your film loaded, check the audio is ticked you want (ONE AUDIO ONLY !!!! not 2), all other audio you dont need un-tick it. then rip to HD.

un tick DTS too unless you need it

when you click backup set options to make it go to HD not dvdr burner to get the folder/files on hard drive.
-----------

tell me are you looking to keep 2 audios? and make it switchable via remote control? or by pc software?
-----------

are you ripping main movie only (no menus or extras?)

Rotary:

"when dvd shrink has your film loaded, check the audio is ticked you want (ONE AUDIO ONLY !!!! not 2), all other audio you dont need un-tick it. then rip to HD.

un tick DTS too unless you need it

when you click backup set options to make it go to HD not dvdr burner to get the folder/files on hard drive."

Shrink automatically burned a disk even though I had the target set to my HD. But, no problem, that was fine anyway.

Anyway, it looks like my problems are now all solved! What a crazy trip it's been! Circuitous, but in the end it looks like I had to take all the turns to get to the finish line...

So, it turns out that one problem was that my PC mini-speakers were loose or something. Actually, they weren't loose, but by fiddling with them I got the sound to play. Now, I'm embarrassed by this but really I had to go thru this whole fiasco to get to this place. At one point the burns really weren't loading on my home player, NOW THEY DO! So AnyDVD+Shrink is working GREAT for me. My speaker wires were ALWAYS all fully plugged in, but some disks were playing sound and others were not and others were only playing one track. By using MEDIAINFO prog I could finally verify that there was in FACT sound on my disks (sometimes there were 2 tracks and I don't know what it all means) but SOMETHING provoked me to further fiddle with my speaker wires and suddenly ALL THE SOUND WAS THERE! (Then I'd move a speaker and it would disappear, then come back. Ugh!) (I've also gone back and rechecked my old burns---and found that only one would play sound on the PC but it wouldn't boot on the home player, so the AnyDVD+Shrink combo really was essential for me to find. Along with "adjusting" my speaker wire mystery--which I was led to by MediaInfo. Whew!)

Now, someday I'll learn how to burn a useable data file onto a DVD...

And someday I'll learn how to post to AfterDawn via my PC instead of just this Mac. (IE on my PC says that cookies/firewall isn't letting AfterDawn update the cookies properly. However, as a test I set IE to lowest security, "Allow All Cookies" and I disabled my firewall and I still got that error and could not reply to this AfterDawn thread. Ugh! I've reset my security again.)

Say, once you burn a DVDR or DVD-DL are they "done"? Can I add further data/images to the SL and DL disks? (Especially the ones that I botched earlier? I was using DL until I started using Shrink.)

WELL, THANK YOU EVERYONE!

once you burn a movie or try and fail its done

unless you use multisession or dvdrw which is done but eraseable for another use

BUT NOT RECOMMENDED BY ME>.