You can also use DVDDecrypter to extract the MPEG stream and the audio stream separatly if you want.

This system is that I use to reuse the video footage I make with a standalone DVD recorder Philips DVDR1000 and put it on DVDArchitect to change the menues and the backgrounds without recompression. It works also to import the mpg to the timeline on Vegas.

Josaver.

"In Vegas 3.0 I was able to grab a DVD VOB file and drop it on the time line. Vegas wouldn't recognize the file via explorer, but I could minimize Vegas and drop the VOB file onto the timeline and it worked.""Is this format no longer supported (I don't believe it was documented)?"

I don't believe direct opening of vob files was ever supported - just a matter of a vob being an mpeg2 file - Vegas then searched for a compatible decoder, found one with the mainconcept stuff, and proceeded from there.

Did a bit with this when the 4 beta came out, finding that some of the vob opening flexibility I had with other software had been impaired. Never did find the exact cause, though I did stumble across a way to get VV4 to handle vob files fairly well, and the same procedure should prove useful in other, similar situations where you want Vegas to recognize whatever type of file providing it has the ability to understand & decode it.

It requires editing the registry, so take all the normal precautions such as backing up etc... There are two locations in the registry that tell Vegas "if you get a file with this extension, use this decoder". For VV4, you should see a list of keys at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Sonic Foundry\Vegas\4.0\File Format Cache\ & HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sonic Foundry\File Format Cache
These keys should look something like: AEB1C9FC-78EA-4AB1-AAE7-00AA006BA2BA

As you select these keys, one at a time, in the right side window of regedit you'll see the name of the decoder, & under the value "ExtReader", you'll see a list of file extensions to associate with that codec in Vegas. Simply add whatever file extensions to whatever codec. For example, selecting the above key I get the values: "DialogName"="MainConcept MPEG-2"
& "ExtReader"="*.mpg;*.mpeg;*.m2p;*.m2a;*.mp1;*.mp2;*.mpa"

I want to edit or modify the 2nd value so it reads "ExtReader"="*.mpg;*.mpeg;*.m2p;*.m2a;*.mp1;*.mp2;*.mpa;*.vob"

Basically that's all there is to it, and should work as long as the codec can read the files you want to feed it.

luck
mike

You are all working WAY too hard. Change the file extention on the VOB to MPG and then drop it on the timeline and it works in VV3 and V4.

Make sure you copy ito the hard drive forst or you can not change the extention.


K

how do you get the audio with the vob when you change it to mpg?

I tried this and an unusual thing happened. I was able to preview the files with Windows Media Player and had video and sound. I was also able to preview the files just fine when I selected the files within the explorer pane in V4.0b. However, the file no longer had any sound. In addition, when I then took the file and dropped it in the timeline, I was not able to preview it from the timeline at all. Actually, it would make some changes in the preview window, but it was more like 1/100th of the speed (versus 29fps when previewed from the explorer window--unusable, and it wouldn't update when I selected a new edit/preview point.

Something fishy is going on (4.0b, with a clean install to avoid the concerns expressed in the forum). Also, any idea why there is no sound?

If there is no audio the playback rate is very high, on WMP
To get audio on Vegas you must rip the audio and add it to the timeline. You can use DVDDecrypter to exrtract the ac3 audio and then decode to wav with ac32wav and add it to the timeline.

Hope this help.

Josaver

To decode AC3 audio to wav, mp3 or vorbis you can use HeadAC3he, is a free tool. You can download it from http://darkav.de.vu/

Josaver

If the audio is mpeg as the vid, then it should show up in Vegas (unless it's multichannel mpeg2 & there I'm unsure). If the audio is AC3, then not a whole lot of prog will play it as is (VV4 won't).

Several prog. can strip the audio to a separate file, but you have to be careful as many will perform a conversion from 48 to 44.1 for you - going to 44.1 from 48 costs time and quality, especially if you do it once to edit, then go back to 48 for DVD. One of the easiest methods of getting a wav file out is to use graphedit.

If you've got a 6 channel AC3, things can get a bit hairy if you want to get all 6 channels back out as wav files. Besweet seems the std., but you have to worry about the 48 to 44.1 conversion with most of the front ends should you choose to use one. If you get 6 channels out as one audio file, Vegas generally won't recognize it (very few prog will).

Most of the tools can be found at digital-digest.com , but you won't find a lot of info on the multichannel stuff.

The DVD2AVI + VFAPI route is still, IMO, the best way to go because if the VOB is multiangle you will get out of order sequences. Added to that, DVD2AVI will extract the audio track of your choice into a nice clean wav file. Given both, I think this is still the best way to go. As a side benefit, installing VFAPI and readavs.dll also will allow you to serve any video you can open in VDub to Vegas without an intermediate file. So VFAPI is well worth installing for a number of reasons. Here is a short how to on installing VFAPI and using in Vegas. Disregard the Avisynth part if you are not interested in that. http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47483

Yeah, DVD2AVI & VFAPI are cool. I *think* the difference is that route presents Vegas with a video stream, whereas opening the vob directly in Vegas the mainconcept decoder does the work. As many (most?) dvds are resized on playback from their original 720 x 480 frame size, the extra step of doing the resize in V/Dub might be worth it FWIW, as IMO V/Dub handles the resize better, faster.

Where it gets interesting is extracting 6 mono wav files at 48kHz, but it can be done, and since VV4 handles them, why not?

Chanimal.... I have no problem dropping the VOB file into media pool, and then moving the video to the timeline w/audio in tact. I just had to do this yesterday! My client had a DVD I produced for him from a DVCAM master. The original edit was done elsewhere and no longer in business. I had to revise the project from the edited master on the DVD... no problem doing this. Worked fine in Vegas 4

I have done so also...It just doesn't work anymore (I have reformatted the system since then, perhaps I had an older codec that worked (the old Lithos?)? Not sure. I've solved my problem easily by playing the DVD on a DVD player and attaching the SVHS to my ATI all-in-wonder Radeon TV--then captured in hi-res Mpeg. Looks great. Besides, this is a video for a talent show so even if it was a bit grainy (which it is not), it would acceptable.

I had to use a VOB file recently. I simply dropped it on the timeline to get the video. I decoded the audio channel I wanted from AC3 to WAV file using the "Decode" function in DVD2AVI. I dropped that WAV file below the VOB file and then went about my business. Editing is a little slow with the VOB file, but the final render is fine.