A friend of mine converted some 8mm home videos I lend him into a single DVD.

The problem is, when I play this DVD, it doesnt starts automatically the first video, but instead, it shows a strange menu with a image icon. I have to "click" this icon, or highlight this icon on this very basic menu and play start or select. Also, he didnt put the correct chapters on the videos!

So, my question is: given the fact that I have a very BASIC knowledge of video editing (restricted to DVDShrink and VoBlanker), how can I edit these VOBs so to remove this start menu and make the movie start as soon as you insert the DVD on the player, and also reedit the chapters and adjust them to the start of the small movies inside the dvd??

Any help, please??

You basically have two choices.
1. Have your friend redo them correctly.
2. Use a good mpeg2 editing software and fix them yourself, but the re-encoding process, will result in some quality loss. It may be a small enough loss that you won't really notice, but you won't find out, until after you do all of the work.

Here's what I might try. No guarantees. First I'd try to rip just the main movie on the dvd using DVDShrink or DVDDecrypter in IFO mode. That should get rid of the menu, and give you all the videos.

Assuming that worked as planned, I'd import the vobs to DVDLab Pro, let it combine the vobs and demux to elementary streams. When you first open the program it will ask if you want to make a dvd with or without a menu, so don't have to make a new menu if you don't want it. Once you have the video in the program, you can set new chapter points wherever you want them.

DVDLab Pro is about $250 these days, but if you just want to use it for this one project, the trial is fully functional and good for 30 days I believe. And the help file included is one of the best I've seen.

Doing it this way, you'll get minimal reencoding, just where it needs it for navigation, and you won't notice any quality loss.

Thanks, Kerry56 and Harley!

Harley, Im kind of surprised that there is no workaround to this just editing the VOBs or IFOS!! I remember reading some tutorials, many years ago, about how to remove language menus on a DVD just editing the IFOs with IFOEdit.... maybe there is a way to remove the menu with a tool like IFOedit.

Kerry, your solutions seems much more reasonable, and Ill probably do that. Only problem is I didnt wanted to use something like another program, like DVDLab. Ill require some learning, which i would rather not do. I still find it strange, because I though a DVD structure would be inside the IFO files and not the vobs, so if you wanted to change chapters or remove menus, it would be a simple task like editing those IFO files and changing parameters....

Maybe im completely wrong about this assumption!!

Thanks, folks!!!

Anyone has any comment regarding my ideas???

You are probably right about using IfoEdit. I'm just too lazy to learn it and VobBlanker to any great extent. I did find a rather annoying guide to customize your dvd using those two tools if you want to look at it.
http://members.cox.net/wcommerc/dvd/dvd.shtml

DvdShrink and VobBlanker are enough for what you want to do. IfoEdit is not the right tool for this. DvdLab is not necessary in your case. To get rid of the menu, use DvdShrink's Reauthor mode. Then use VobBlanker to split the cells and add chapter points to them the way you want them to be. Guide HERE

Good guide Toaddub, and solves mabhz's problem nicely. Hope he looks back in to see it.

Sure reminds me why I don't use VobBlanker much though. I'd be reading for a week trying to figure out all the functions

You get used to the tools you use the most, and sometimes adapt them to situations they may not be the best choice. I do it in woodworking all the time, and apparently also in my video hobby. Hey, long as something works.