? Trying to learn TyTools ...

[wejones]

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to learn the process with TyTools. I have used TyStudio with partial success, and wanted to see whether TyTools would solve some of the problems I've run into.
Rather that install the tytools server on the TIVO, I just loaded in a .ty file that I had previously downloaded with TyStudio. I assume that the .ty files are the same whether downloaded with tytools or tystudio?????
Anyway, I was able to Make Key files on one of my ty files, then, I ran the gop editor on the key files generated. This seemed to work. I managed to generate a cut file.
At this point, I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I ran the vob-mux files option. This seemed to work too, but I'm not positive. I did end up with .vob files on my PC.
I then ran the create IFO Files option. I'm not sure if this worked or not. I selected the VOB file, entered some titles into the boxes for the menu. When I hit "prevue, I only get a prevue of the menu. I hit the make ISO button, and I ended up with a bunch of files in the directory I chose, however they all seem to be just for the menu. There were audio_ts and video_ts directories created, but they are empty.
It seems like I did everything except get my VOB into the thing. I haven't tried playing with WIN/DVD yet, since that is on another computer, but I wanted to find out if there was some step that I left out, because it doesn't look like my VOB file was processed yet. Ie I don't think that DVDAUTHOR executed yet, or if it did it didn't seem to process my vob file.
What did I do wrong.

thanks.

[osetivo]

It's ok if the Audio_TS is empty but it's NOT ok if Video_TS is empty.

I would test the resulting VOBs from the VOB-MUX process in WinDVD to see if they're OK. If they are, then you are probably doing the IFO part wrong.

Are you LINKING the Menu elements (show names that appear in the preview window) with the actual VOBs via the drop down box? You have to "set" them with a button button at the bottom. If you don't set them, I imagine you might get an empty VIDEO_TS folder. (Sorry, just checking in from work, so I don't have the software in front of me for actual field names)

[wejones]

OK, THANKS, I think.
You were right, I wasn't hitting the "set" button. When I hit "set", it gave me some files in the video_ts directory, still nothing in the audio.
I'm still confused as to what to do next. I assume that the dvdauthor.exe that came with tytools now needs to be run? Or did it already run to create what I'm already seeing? I tried running dvdauthor without parameters to see the help file, but they scroll off the screen, and I can't seem to re-direct them to a file using ">" in DOS, which is strange. So I don't know how to use dvdauthor.
I had assumed that I would get an iso image file or something that could be burned to a DVD via Nero. Or can Nero handle the files in the structure I'm seeing at this point? Only time I used Nero sucessfully, I burned a single image file, but it has been a few weeks, so I'm not positive I remember what I did.
Anyway, thanks for getting me one more step along the way.

[osetivo]

Burn those two folders to a DVD disc, and give it a try

It's OK that the Audio folder is empy. Some dvd players get confused if they don't see it.

[captain_video]

The AUDIO_TS folder is only occupied if the disc is a DVD-Audio DVD.

[wejones]

Thanks for all the help. Yesterday, I was working with a small test file that I didn't want to burn, but today I went through the process on a REAL ty file that I was un-sucessful with when using TyStudio.
I went through the whole process. Got to where it generated the video_ts and audio_ts directories, and the suggestion above was to go ahead and burn it.
I wasn't sure exactly what needed to be burned, but I transferred the video_ts directory, ie not the contents, because I looked at the structure of a DVD I sucessfully burned from TyStudio, and it had just the video_ts directory.
Anyway, before burning, I verified that the files on the PC played with WinDVD, they did.
I then burned the DVD using Nero-Express. This was sucessful.

HOWEVER, when I put the DVD in my brand new DVD player, it said "CANNOT PLAY" ??????
When we put the DVD in the DVD player on the PC, it played fine.
Does anyone have any idea about what was done wrong here??? The DVD player is a Sony DVP-NS325 .
As I said, it is a brand new player, and it plays a TIVO download that I burned using TyStudio, which was converted to an MPG file, processed with Nero-Vision, and then burned as an iso-file with Nero-Express.
What could possibly be wrong with this DVD? The program was taken from a DTV channel recorded on TIVO, then extracted via TyStudio, then the .ty file was processed with TyTools.
Did I do something wrong, or is my player somehow not capable of playing files created with TyTools, but is capable of playing files created from mpg files processed with Nero-Vision???
Help. :-)

thanks.

[osetivo]

I'll refrain from "you may have an unlucky DVD player" for now.

What kind of TiVo do you have?

What kind of Media +/- R/RW are you using? I have successfuly tested my Ty "DVD+R" on 2 different Sony DVD players. I don't have the model numbers. (1 is reasonably new <9 months and the other is maybe 1999 or 2000. IIRC, both players say "DVD/Video CD/yada yada" How about yours?

As far as burning, Yes, burn the Video_TS Folder and it's contents. (not the "BAT" files and other stuff) I would also suggest burning the empty Audio_TS folder as well. I have heard that some dvd players want it to be there, EVEN IF EMPTY. (I dunno for sure, but better safe than sorry)

What version of TyTools are you using? I haven't yet tried 7R4, but a quick read through the thread looks like some issues may have been introduced. You might want to stick with TyTool 7r3 for now for your testing purposes.

I used to read all the specific instructions for DVD burning with Nero, so I I thought my "barebones" HP Veritas RecordNow wachamacallit software "would never work in a million years" But it did, go figure.

Don't give up yet.

[wejones]

Thanks for replying.

> What kind of TiVo do you have?

2 Phillips 212 SAs . I think the one that this recording came from is running ver 3.001 software.

> What kind of Media +/- R/RW are you using?

I'm using DVD+R media.

> I have successfuly tested my Ty "DVD+R" on 2
> different Sony DVD players. .......
> .... both players say "DVD/Video CD/yada yada"
> How about yours?

Mine is new (old one just died). It says that it plays "DVD video", "Video VD", and "Music CD". That's as much detail as it goes into. It played a DVD I burned from a TyStudio mpg processed with NeroVision, but TyStudio/NeroVision wouldn't even process this particular show for some reason. TyTools processed it fine, but I couldn't play it.

> What version of TyTools are you using?
> I haven't yet tried 7R4

I thought I had downloaded the newest version, but it is the 7R3 version.


BTW, I did NOT include the audio_ts folder, mainly because it was not present on the one successful DVD I burned using TyStudio/NeroVision.
Perhaps I should try using the 7R4 version.

I am really curious whether there might somehow be some kind of copy protection encorporated into the video. I have put other DVDs that didn't work into DVD players, and if the player didn't understand the format, it would "read" for a period of time before giving up. This DVD caused the player to instantly give the cannot play message, leading me to think that it understood what it encountered, but was somehow locked out.
I've compared the file structure of a DVD that worked vs this DVD that didn't work, in the PC, and they seem identical. So I'm confused.
I read about people changing the resolution of the TIVO and/or of the files produced away from the 480x480. I have assumed that this is not necessary with TyTools?

Thanks for the help.

[wejones]

While waiting for more ideas, I decided to read the TyTools doc file again, and I noticed that it said to burn the DVD using the - DVD-ROM (UDF/ISO) option. I had previously used burned using DVD-ROM(ISO). So I burned using DVD-ROM(UDF/ISO), and I selected the XBOX compatability, like the instructions said.
I also dragged over the empty audio_ts directory this time.

Burned the DVD. Put it in Player.

This time it PLAYED. HOWEVER, and this is a HUGE HOWEVER, the audio sounded like it was under the influence of Helium! Ie everything was higher frequency, up an octave or two, and yet in perfect sync!!!!! This is extremely weird. This video is a woman singing with a voice that sounds like the Chipmunks Christmas album!!!!
I think the DVD is pretty neat, but my wife is growing impatient with me, as I'm now generating expensive drink coasters.
Any ideas on this symptom, and what could have caused it?
BTW, we've looked up reviews on the Sony DVD player, and everyone who has posted says that this model plays every DVD they have tried in it.
help...

[osetivo]

Originally posted by wejones
2 Phillips 212 SAs . I think the one that this recording came from is running ver 3.001 software.
....
I read about people changing the resolution of the TIVO and/or of the files produced away from the 480x480. I have assumed that this is not necessary with TyTools? The 480x480 resolution issue is only for DirecTV/TiVo combo boxes like mine which ONLY record at 480x480. It's not an issue for SA TiVo, which have a variety of possible recording qualities. (Don't know anymore than that about SAs)

I would end this thread, download 7R4 and retest and if you still have problems, post it in the main TyTools sticky thread, since Josh is now working on SA sound issues.

Good Luck.

P.S. Wives can be reasoned with (sometimes). Try having the TiVo reboot while a 3 year old is watching a show. Not pretty

[jmhenry5150]

I have a SONY DVD player too...

The problem I am running into is that it will only play audio that is Dolby Digital - NOT MPEG II....ug!

jdiner is working on a new release that will convert it...

another thing - use DVD-RW discs to make burns until you get it right - I was making coasters too, until and figured this out...

-Mike

[lmurray]

wejones - get the new release of tytools (7r4) and upsample the auido from 33->48. This will solve your audio problem.

enjoy,
-lloyd-

[wejones]

Thanks.... I think the last 2 suggestions helped.

As Mike suggested, I did switch to RWs to avoid wasting disks.
And, as Lloyd suggested, I switched to the 7r4 version of the TyTools, and went to the "options" tab and selected the 48k 192 audio option. (I just guessed which one to use there).
I was not sure whether to go through the whole process from the .ty file or use the key/cut files I generated with ver 7r3. I decided to only repeat the vob-mux process and generate ifo files steps.
I burned the rw disc, and it worked, both in the PC and in my Sony DVD player! Only thing that didn't work was that the fast forward on the DVD remote didn't seem to function, but I think I read somewhere that this was expected, so I think I'm going to read some more.
Then, I decided that since this worked, while I still have the files there, I'd risk another DVD+R disk, so I burned it again to a regular DVD.
Repeated the burn process, and it worked on the +R disc too.
I still have a LOT of questions, mainly to understand what is going on, but at least I have documented a process that has given me a sucessful burn using a TyStudio ty file using TyTools to process it. And now I can delete approximately 18 GB of temporary files that were failures, and I can erase a program from my TIVO that has been taking up space since last December. Great.

Thanks.