Use a program like DVD Decrypter to get the stuff of your DVD. It's at www.dvddecrypter.com. I've used it a couple times. It will extract the video/audio to a VOB file on your hard drive. Rename it to an MPG you're all set. The you can use TMPGenc (www.tmpgenc.com) to convert it to an AVI. :)

Hmm. Anyone know of a ripper that doesn't go against the US DeCSS laws?

[Sony, please read my note at the end of this post.]

Actually, for a DVD you've created yourself, you can just copy all the files to the hard disk. Just use Windows Explorer. No need for Smartripper or DVD Decrypter.

Once you get the files on your hard disk, then comes the rub. Those .VOB files are basically MPEG2 files with a whole bunch of other stuff (potentially) in there, like multiple audio files, subtitles, and navigation pointers.

You can dump the VOB file onto the Vegas timeline. Only the video will show up. Then, use DVD2AVI to extract the audio. To do this, open the VOB file in DVD2AVI and then select Audio -> Output Method -> Decode to WAV. You can turn 48->44 kHz Off. Then under the File menu, select Save Project. This will create a useless project file (which you can throw away) and also the (very useful) WAV file that matches the VOB. Put this WAV file on the Vegas timeline below the VOB file. Set the preview quality to draft if you want to get almost smooth motion (Vegas doesn't handle MPEG video very well as an input format for editing).

Sony request

Having said all that, I have a request for Sony:

PLEASE provide facilities for easily handling the importation of video from DVDs we've created. We've all bought these wonderful tools to create video and -- with DVDA -- to create DVDs. Over the coming months and years, all of our video is going to be archived on DVDs, not on tape. As the author of this post shows, EVERYONE is going to need to re-use the video on their DVDs. Not just once in awhile, but always.

While DVDs are great for viewing, as far as editing is concerned, what Vegas+DVD Arcitect has created is the perfect "Write-Only" media: You can write to it, but you can never read anything back. Am I going to have to rely on tape forever?

What good is that?

John,

Very well said. Thanks for the info, especially the info about the VOB files.

I dragged one of the VOBs from the Video_ts folder to the timeline. Got the video as you described, but the audio was there as well (??). I didn't play the entire clip, but it appears to be everything I need. Is this audio ok to use, or should I go ahead and use the DVD2AVI .WAV file process you described? (Perchance, did Vegas add a feature to extract the audio from VOB in a recent fixpack??) I'm running 4d.

2G

If you can hear the audio and see it in a track, then i would say go for it and use it as is.

If you're going to be doing any editing of this material at all, as compared to simply reencoding it to a new format, then i would strongly suggest rendering it to a DV AVI file and then using this on the timeline instead of the VOB file. You'll save yourself tons of time and headaches in the long run.

2G:

I think you got the audio because it was encoded as PCM rather than AC3 or one of the other formats that Vegas doesn't read directly. I agree with Chienworks: If you can see it and hear it, use it.

lol - John I'm sorry. Was spacing today - and just now saw the links. Thanks for your info (and persistence!)

Marc

Thanks John -

Those instructions worked perfectly, once I bothered to follow them. By your response, I take it that Mpeg is not something you want to edit in Vegas?

your response, I take it that Mpeg is not something you want to edit in Vegas?

You'll have to decide for yourself. In general, Vegas will seem sluggish because it has to look across the entire GOP (Group Of Pictures) in order to put a frame in the preview window. Most of these are many frames (5-10) in length. If you only have a few cuts, just do it with the VOB/MPEG file. If it gets too annoying, then put the MPEG and its associated WAV file on the timeline and render the combination to a new DV AVI file (use the standard NTSC or PAL AVI template). The Vegas DV codec is pretty darn good, so you won't lose much detail doing this. However, you will reduce the colorspace (4:1:1 for DV vs 4:2:2 for MPEG). If you edit the MPEG file, and then render directly back to an MPEG file so you can put it back out to a DVD, then I think you avoid this colorspace issue.

Someone who has more experience in this may want to correct what I said or offer some additional advice.

Thanks alot for the info - If I had a 10th of the knowledge you guys all had, I'd be in decent shape here...

Thanks again

I have a question about editing the VOB on the time line and then rendering the project using MPEG2, DVD render setting. Does Vegas go into a smart render mode and detect that we're already and MPEG2 DVD and just render the edited changes or is the entire project re-rendered?

Essentially my question is video quality diminished when editing/rendering VOB projects?

"Essentially my question is video quality diminished when editing/rendering VOB projects?"
Unfortunately, it seems that the answer is YES.

Trying to edit, an MPEG (a demuxed VOB file) or a VOB file itself and to render the files again as MPEG, will certainly produce banding on the video. I have experienced some banding here and still don't know why since a lot of people said it was my system and they had no problems at all editing and rendering again MPEG files that come from commercial VOB files. Just two friends seemed to have found a solution to fix this:
1.dithering (adding noise to cover up the banding) or
2.use TMPGENC option <de-interlace (even field adaptation)>
:)

-Option "1" gave a much better result for me!

You can use Womble's MPEG Video Wizard to cut the VOB without causing ANY degradation.

Has anyone tried using a stand alone DVD player either fed through an A/D converter or just pass thru thier camcorder and capture it as a DV file ?
Just wondering how badly the Mpeg footage degrades when going through that step.
I agree that a in program way to bring back our DVD file is the best.

Capturing from a DVD player may give good results, I've been forced to do it on the odd occassion. You need a good DVD player and go either component or S-Video into an A/D converter. Also now some of the STB DVD recorders will playout DVDs via firewire.

Very simple process, copy the AVI file to DVD(s). I've started doing this, just split at 20:00:05 for first DVD, start second at 0:20:00:05, I'm sure you get the idea.
Now when the client want something different it take about 15 minutes to load 60 minutes of DV back into the system and I'll never have to worry about head clogs or dropped frames. I've also taken to keeping copies of the encoded assets that went into the DVD, If they just want menu changes, piece of cake. Not only is this safer than tape it's cheaper, and I'd add DVD burners are way cheaper than a new set of heads for a VCR.
So apart from ingesting clients material I now have a tape free zone.
And DVDs are not the first 'write only' format. Every analogue tape system should be considered in the same light, whether it's VHS or Betacam SP, ingesting from clients copy meant another generational loss. What's at fault here in the marketing hype about DVDs, in the headlong rush to get the consummers to embrace them no one has educated the public about the limitations.