How to upload a sample from DVD, MPEG-2 with DGindex [GUIDE]
 

This guide shows how to create and upload a sample video from MPG or DVD sources without re-encoding or otherwise altering the original except for selecting a few seconds of sample video. Never fear. It takes much longer to describe than to do it.

The utility used in this guide to create the sample is DGIndex, a utility in the free DGmpgDec package. DGmpgDec needs no installer. The package contains no ads or malware "extras" and is self-contained.

1. Create a new folder in your PC. Name the folder whatever you want, but two good choices are "DGindex" or "DGmpgDec".

2. Download DGMPGDec into that folder. Get it here: https://www.videohelp.com/download/dgmpgdec158.zip

3. Unzip the downloaded .zip into the folder you created for it.
The image below is a picture of the unzipped files.

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4. As shown above, Open the folder and double-click "DGindex.exe" to run it.
Below, the newly opened DGindex dialog window.
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5. In the DGindex window, upper left, Click "File" => then "Open"

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6. Some sample DGindex "File Open" dialog windows:

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For ".MPG" files on your hard drive or other location: Navigate to your MPG file, select it, and click "Open".
The background image above shows an mpg file in a windows folder.

For .VOB files on an encoded DVD disc: Load the DVD disc into your PC and navigate to its VIDEO_TS folder. DGindex will find and list the VOB files. Other files might also appear in an encoded DVD, such as .IFO and others. The video and audio are contained in files that begin with VTS_01_1.VOB, and might increment to VTS_01_2.vob, VTS_01_3.VOB, etc. Select the file you want and click "Open" it to open the DGindex File window.

7. After opening the file, you'll see a new DGindex window with the path and name of the file you selected. Click "OK" as shown by the green arrow in the image below. (NOTE: Do not click "ADD". "OK" only).

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The video will then open in the DGIndex edit window, which is explained in the following post.

When you open a video with DGindex, you'll see an edit window like the one below. The file opened here is from a home recorded DVD.

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9. The green arrow in the lower left of the image points to the rapid advance scroll tool.

10. The green arrow in the lower right points to the key frame and selection tools.

- The "[" tool is used to mark the start frame of a selection.

- The "<" tool moves the video backward, one group of key frames at a time. with most mpg's, there is a new key frame every 12 to 18 frames. To avoid any re-encode, DGindex makes selections only on key frames.

- The ">" tool moves the video forward, stopping only on key frames.

- The "]" tool is used to mark the end of the selection.

11. Move to a keyframe in the portion of the video where you want to begin your cut. "<" and ">" automatically stop only on key frames. Mark the start of your cut by clicking "[". Now click the forward ">" button until you have several seconds of video, then click "]" to mark the end of your cut.

The image below shows a selection of about 10 seconds in this DVD video. The green arrow points to the blue marker that indicates the selection. About 16 to 20 key frames would equal 8 to 10 seconds of playing time. If you change your mind about the selection, the best way to clear the edit window is to simply re-open DGindex the way you did in previous steps.
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12. When you've selected your cut, click the "File..." menu, then click "Save Project and Demux Video".
A dialog window will appear asking where to place the new sample. Navigate thru the Windows dialog and indicate where you want the sample placed. Note that you cannot save a sample to a burned DVD disc -- find an existing PC folder or make a new one for the VOB sample. If your file is an MPG that's already on your hard drive, the default location will be the folder containing your MPG.
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13. As soon as you click "Save project and demux video," you'll see the DGindex information panel showing the operation's progress. A small sample takes a few seconds, a 90-minute video would take a few minutes. Wait until the word "FINISH" appears at the bottom of the panel. The image below shows the results window after DGindex creates your sample.

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14. Close the information panel and close the DGindex window.

The next post illustrates how to upload your sample video.

The image below shows the files that DGindex created from the DVD sample in the saved folder location.

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The sample file that you want is the ".m2v" file. (in this case, it's highlighted as "VTS_01_1.demuxed.m2v"). An .m2v is a demuxed file that contains video only, no audio. In the image above, the audio has been saved separately as an .ac3 audio file, because Dolby Digital AC3 was the audio format used on the DVD. There is also a ".d2v", which is a DGmpgDec project file, really an index to the main video from which the sample was extracted. You would use this .d2v file in an app such as Avisynth.

The only file you'll need to upload is the .m2v video.

15. Log into the forum and start a new reply, or start a new thread if necessary. In the Reply window, type any notes you want, but the Reply must contain some text. Just below the Reply window, you'll see an options panel with an icon on the lower left titled "Upload Files/Manage Attachments". If you don't see that options panel, click on the "Advanced" command tool at the lower right of the Reply window.
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16. The image below shows the upload dialog panel. It contains a list of accepted formats and file sizes. To start your upload, click a "Browse" button and locate the video sample on your computer, then select it in the file dialog window.
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17. After selecting the file, Click the "Upload" button and wait for your file to upload completely. You'll see a message that the upload is in progress. A small file will take several seconds, larger ones will take a while. Wait until the dialog tells you that your upload is complete. The name of the file you've uploaded will appear in the area just above the words "Attachment key" in the list of file types.

Close the upload window, then submit your reply.

As I said, it takes much longer to describe than to do it.

I need to try this tool again. I often passed it over for other things.

Good guide. :)