Indexing vob files on 2.7.0

[elese]

Hi,

I have been trying to edit .vob files I have ripped from a dvd, but indexing does not seem to work. I am using Ubuntu 16.04 x86_64 (Linux Mint 18.3).

Although an index2 file is generated (see attached), the index runs only to the first 37 seconds of the video, which is an hour long.  I have had the same with other .vob files I have tried.

It seems to be the same behaviour as if there were no index at all.  For example, when you try to open a .vob file in vlc or mplayer, where the position in the video cannot be navigated after the first 10 seconds or so.

I upgraded recently from 2.5.6, which was able to index .vob files

Is there anything I have missed? Do I now need to process the .vob files before passing them to Avidemux?

I would be happy to install from git or apply any patches.

Thank you for you help.

[eumagga0x2a]

If you have upgraded from an older version, you should manually delete .idx2 files generated by that version. If this turns out to be insufficient, please test with Avidemux built from the current git master, see http://avidemux.org/smif/index.php/topic,18182.msg83108.html.

[elese]

Hi

I just found this thread, where the author reported the same problem. I meant above that v.2.7.0 does not seem to index .vob files, but v2.5.6 did.  I upgraded my system recently from Ubuntu 14.04 (which had v2.5.6) to 16.04 (which has v.2.7.0).

http://avidemux.org/smif/index.php/topic,16195.0.html

It seems that avidemux does not really do indexes for .vob files from v2.6 onwards.

It is a shame as the only alternatives really are MakeMKV (still free at the moment if you use the beta, but it is commercial) or ffmpeg on the command line. Avidemux is a good programme.

I have re-installed v2.5.6 though (using binaries from 14.04) and will just use that.

Cheers,

L

[eumagga0x2a]

It seems that avidemux does not really do indexes for .vob files from v2.6 onwards.

This is simply not true. Avidemux treats .vob like any other MPEG program stream and its MpegPS demuxer creates an index (.idx2) file for all sequentially named VOBs. Obviosly, the file system with the DVD structure must be writable for that. Avidemux was never capable of following the DVD navigation though, thus it can't replace tools like Handbrake, but for simple DVDs without bells and whistles it works fine.

I have re-installed v2.5.6 though (using binaries from 14.04) and will just use that.

Does it really run?

[elese]

It seems that avidemux does not really do indexes for .vob files from v2.6 onwards.

This is simply not true. Avidemux treats .vob like any other MPEG program stream and its MpegPS demuxer creates an index (.idx2) file for all sequentially named VOBs. Obviosly, the file system with the DVD structure must be writable for that. Avidemux was never capable of following the DVD navigation though, thus it can't replace tools like Handbrake, but for simple DVDs without bells and whistles it works fine.

Of course you're right. Sorry. I tried it on a few commercial DVDs and it works perfectly.  I think I meant that for (a few?) home-recorded DVDs 2.5.x seems to handle indexing better than 2.6/2.7. On the thread above, on reply #29, Mean (the developer?) suggested this was due to mix-ups in the recording stream, which are correted by the dvd navigation info file, which avidemux does not use, as you say?

A few workarounds were suggested as being to rip the dvd into a container, like .mkv, that avidemux can use, or carry on with v2.5.x. I am happy doing this, but it would be interesting why the older indexing in 2.5.x, but not the newer in 2.6/2.7 can handle the stream. 

I have attached the index files generated with 2.5.4 (vob.idx) and with 2.7 (vob.idx2) to show what I have had with dvds made by my dvd-recorder.

I can upload a few .iso files (legally/publically available) to a site if this would help development?

Thanks for the reply.

[elese]

Ok the version by 2.5.4 was too large to upload as an attachment so it is here:

https://www.solidfiles.com/v/BjP7WP6xR4ZzP

[elese]

If this turns out to be insufficient, please test with Avidemux built from the current git master, see http://avidemux.org/smif/index.php/topic,18182.msg83108.html.

Also I did try installing the latest version from git but unfortunately no difference really (180126_5122a864e5f) .  The .idx2 file above was generated from the git version.

As for old binaries, yes they work fine. I went to packages.ubuntu.com and download the .deb files and the dependencies and install them manually with dpkg -i. I appreciate this isn't the 'orthodox' way, but it was more convenient that compiling 2.5.6 from source.

The risk generally would be to mess up your system though having conflicting old and new libraries. It probably isn't a good idea to do it too much, and not with packages integral to the system for sure. I don't know what any serious repository maintainers would think though... there are probably threads out there about installing packages from older/newer releases or from different distros.

[Jan Gruuthuse]

one of the reasons
- up to 2.5 branch avidemux is a frame based editor
- from 2.6 onwards avidemux is a time based as newer codecs are no longer frame based. Single image information is no longer stored in one frame, but rather in segments in past and upcoming segments.

Very rudimentary user explanation.

[Jan Gruuthuse]

>8 >8 A few workarounds were suggested as being to rip the dvd into a container, like .mkv, that avidemux can use >8 >8

No, not ripping into mkv container. Re-muxing into mkv container.
You're aware that ripping can contain errors induced by the original dvd producers, (to prevent you from circumventing / as part of) the DRM on commercial dvd's.

[eumagga0x2a]

I can upload a few .iso files (legally/publically available) to a site if this would help development?

This would be indeed the best. For starters you could provide Avidemux log from the latest git (delete .idx2 for an affected set of VOBs, run avidemux3_qt5 in terminal as

Code Select Expand

avidemux3_qt5 > ~/admlog.txt

open the first VOB of the set, let it index the set, then compress and attach admlog.txt from your home directory to your reply). From the provided index files I can only see that the current version fails to read the full video, but not why it happens.

[elese]

Ok the video files and the Avidemux logs for two videos (creative commons licence) below.

I recorded them from Youtube on a Virgin media box/TV onto my DVD recorder, and then used dvd::rip to extract the .vob files. My wifi connection can sometimes vary a little but the recordings should generally be good.

I'm happy to do any patching etc.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bmlPa9mhxmFUEg4QXdvAHlQHhbXRsw41

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1l_kq6jKZnb2-1z2NrPP3Y2O0DOfHKsGi

[eumagga0x2a]

I recorded them from Youtube on a Virgin media box/TV onto my DVD recorder, and then used dvd::rip to extract the .vob files.

Thank you, likely timestamps in the .VOB are reset after ~18 seconds into the video back to zero and Avidemux can't handle this right (though there is some code which tries to manage exactly this). mpv can't play the .VOB either.

But why are you doing all this and accept an awful video quality instead of a simple

Code Select Expand

youtube-dl -f 22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFTIc5frqw8

command which would give you a HD (720p) video in excellent quality?

[elese]

The recordings I have been making have all been from live-to-air, not from Youtube.

I just used it this time for videos which would be legally re-distributable, in order to show what is happening with my DVD recorder.

Thank you, likely timestamps in the .VOB are reset after ~18 seconds into the video back to zero and Avidemux can't handle this right (though there is some code which tries to manage exactly this). mpv can't play the .VOB either.

Ok... something like below then?

ffmpeg -i in.vob -vf 'setpts=PTS-STARTPTS' -c:a copy -c:v copy out.vob

[eumagga0x2a]

Now I really tested loading VTS_01_1.VOB in Avidemux and found no issues, resulting idx2 compressed and attached.

[Jan Gruuthuse]

I recorded them from Youtube on a Virgin media box/TV onto my DVD recorder, and then used dvd::rip to extract the .vob files. My wifi connection can sometimes vary a little but the recordings should generally be good.

Somewhere in the process, going from digital to analogue (DVD recorder) could introduce these inconsistencies.