Hi there,
I'm wondering if there is a definitive way to determine the correct title for Lionsgate (non-Blu-ray) DVD movies? Recently the vast majority of the movies that I've gotten have been by Lionsgate, and I've continually struggled in my attempt to determine which is the correct Title. I generally play a few minutes of a movie in Apple's DVD Player and VLC, and note the movie title and duration. However, when I then check MakeMKV for the title that I noted, the title doesn't come close to anything shown, and neither does the duration. The title is generally off by 5~10.
Hopefully there's a better, more accurate way to determine the correct title than guessing.
Cheers!
Determine correct Lionsgate Title (non-Blu-ray)
Re: Determine correct Lionsgate Title (non-Blu-ray)
It is has been my experience that the first title in the list is the one you want to select.
You can also tell by the size of the file.
The tricky part comes in when you have a movie that has a commentary track. It usually
doesn't add to the size of the file itself, but will show up as a second file.
Usually the non-commentary file is the first one in the list.
File size and number of chapters here is key. Take a quick look through the list of files before you begin
and that will usually tell you what you want to know.
You can also tell by the size of the file.
The tricky part comes in when you have a movie that has a commentary track. It usually
doesn't add to the size of the file itself, but will show up as a second file.
Usually the non-commentary file is the first one in the list.
File size and number of chapters here is key. Take a quick look through the list of files before you begin
and that will usually tell you what you want to know.
Re: Determine correct Lionsgate Title (non-Blu-ray)
This methodology has failed for quite some time. I feel as though the devs are not really looking at much of the DVD side of things. My experience is the rip fails as it hits a bad sector or invalid region of the disc. If you look at the movie's length and try to match it, you still get a dozen possibilities.
I did notice if you start Redfox's AnyDVD on these problem titles it shows you it working its magic, including removing fake playlists/bad sector protections and the likes.
Re: Determine correct Lionsgate Title (non-Blu-ray)
The only sure-fire way to know is to view the disc from the java menu and track the file handles via an application such as OpenedFilesView from Nirsoft. As good as MakeMKV and other applications are, they're not perfect. I can't praise Mike's work enough, but I have seen MakeMKV infrequently identify the main title incorrectly. I'm sure AnyDVD suffers from similar imperfection. Here is the definitive methodology that has worked for me every time.
1. Ensure you have the latest version of MakeMKV, VLC Player, as well as java installed. This will allow BD/UHD playback from within VLC. Prior to this fantastic feature you needed a fickle app like PowerDVD for playback, but the principle is the same.
2. Install OpenedFilesView from Nirsoft.
3. Open VLC and wait for the java BD menu, but wait to start playback.
3. Open a notepad or Notepad++ document.
4. Launch OpenedFilesView and drag the "target" icon onto VLC Player. You should see the icons for the file handles all change to VLC icons.
5. Select the appropriate version of the movie from the BD menu. Pause the movie once it begins the main title (intro/fanfare/etc.).
6. Take note of the following in your notepad document. A) The length of the title in hrs:min:sec, and B) the number of chapters under Playback > Chapters
7. Press play and begin to note the m2ts file that is in use during playback in OpenedFilesView. The % Position column is especially useful as it will give you some indication as to how far to skip ahead to reach the next segment.
8. Once all segments are noted in order, open MakeMkV.
9. First, eliminate any titles you can based on number of chapters and/or run time. Next, begin the tedious task of comparing the sequences. One will match the sequence captured from OpenedFilesView.
Though this isn't the most fun way to spend a Friday evening, it ensures you have the correct title every time. Additionally, this method is also useful if you wish to identify a theatrical vs. special edition, specific bonus feature, THX demo, or when TV episodes are presented out of order (more common than you may think).
1. Ensure you have the latest version of MakeMKV, VLC Player, as well as java installed. This will allow BD/UHD playback from within VLC. Prior to this fantastic feature you needed a fickle app like PowerDVD for playback, but the principle is the same.
2. Install OpenedFilesView from Nirsoft.
3. Open VLC and wait for the java BD menu, but wait to start playback.
3. Open a notepad or Notepad++ document.
4. Launch OpenedFilesView and drag the "target" icon onto VLC Player. You should see the icons for the file handles all change to VLC icons.
5. Select the appropriate version of the movie from the BD menu. Pause the movie once it begins the main title (intro/fanfare/etc.).
6. Take note of the following in your notepad document. A) The length of the title in hrs:min:sec, and B) the number of chapters under Playback > Chapters
7. Press play and begin to note the m2ts file that is in use during playback in OpenedFilesView. The % Position column is especially useful as it will give you some indication as to how far to skip ahead to reach the next segment.
8. Once all segments are noted in order, open MakeMkV.
9. First, eliminate any titles you can based on number of chapters and/or run time. Next, begin the tedious task of comparing the sequences. One will match the sequence captured from OpenedFilesView.
Though this isn't the most fun way to spend a Friday evening, it ensures you have the correct title every time. Additionally, this method is also useful if you wish to identify a theatrical vs. special edition, specific bonus feature, THX demo, or when TV episodes are presented out of order (more common than you may think).
Re: Determine correct Lionsgate Title (non-Blu-ray)
This sounds great, but alas I'm on Apple Macs, and OpenedFilesView is Windows only. I don't currently have any Windows VMs, so this solution won't work for me. Thanks for the information!