Video Manager DVD

Posted on September 1, 2009
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A DVD-compliant disc contains files necessary for playback of DVD-Video, and is made up of one Video Manager (VMG) and multiple Video Title Sets (VTS). The VMG is composed of up to three files:

1. VIDEO_TS.IFO consists of control and playback information for the entire DVD. Locations of all Video Title Sets on the disc are stored in this file. The first-play PGC is also stored in this file. VIDEO_TS.IFO is known as VMGI (The Video Manager Information file). This file is required to be present on a DVD-compliant disc.

2. VIDEO_TS.VOB contains the contents required for the title menu. The title menu is usually designed to get access to video titles present on other VTS, and is displayed when the “Title” button on the remote control is pressed. Short video clips without audio such as FBI warnings, copyright messages are usually stored in this file of the VMG. This file is not required and may or may not be present on a DVD-compliant disc.

3. VIDEO_TS.BUP is an identical copy of VIDEO_TS.IFO. If the DVD player cannot read information from the VIDEO_TS.IFO, it will attempt to get the required information from this backup file. This file is required to be present on a DVD-compliant disc.

Section 12 of the Unofficial DVD Specifications 2.2 Acrobat PDF ebook presents in details all required and optional structures in the Video Manager. If you do not have a permanent Internet connection, this ebook can save you a lot of connection time by reading it off-line and it contains more information than presented on the web pages. Each DVD instruction is organized as a bookmark so you can get to the desired page of any of the 36 DVD commands with just a click. A DVD command generator is provided so you can generate 100%-compliant DVD commands from your desktop.

All research efforts have been done for you and summarized in an easy-to-read format. This is the only ebook of its kind so save yourself a lot of time and efforts searching. You cannot get similar high-quality information anywhere else at this price.

The ebook version offers these immediate benefits:
Having more detailed information than on the web pages.
Understanding DVD terminology and architecture.
Better use of authoring products such as Sonic Scenarist, Adobe Encore, DVD-Lab, IFOEdit, etc.
Detailed knowledge of DVD virtual commands.
DVD VM Command Generator 2.75 with the same engine as seen on this site to generate 100%-compliant DVD commands.
Understand how DVD menus work with navigation commands.
Conversion of DVD color from YCrCb to RGB plus a free copy of DVD-Color 2.16.
30-day email technical support.
Acquire the technical background to write DVD applications and a lot more…

5. DVD Video Manager (VMG)
Section 12 of this document presents in details the following data structures in the Video Manager VMG domain.

Video Manager Information Management.
Video Manager Title Map.
Video Manager Program Chain and Language Units.
Parental Management Information.
Video Title Set Attribute Information.
Text Data Management Information.
Cell Address table for VIDEO_TS.VOB
VOBU Address map for VIDEO_TS.VOB

All required and optional structures in the Video Manager are listed in the Unofficial DVD Specifications 2.2 Acrobat PDF ebook.

5.1. Graphical display of VMG Data Structures

The above illustration displays major data structures in the Video Manager VMG which are stored in the file VIDEO_TS.IFO. The Video Manager Information Management points to the physical location of the First-Play PGC, each VTS on the DVD disc, and other data structures in the VMG. The Video Manager Title Map acts as an index to all video titles on the disc. The Video Manager Language Units provide information on all language units found in the Video Manager domain. The Video Manager Menu Program Chain Units point to the location of all PGCs present in the VMG, including the title menu if this menu is present. The Video Manager Cell Address Map and the Video Object Unit Map point to locations of all cells in the VMG and their associated VOB units.

DVD video discs equipped with the parental management function are rated according to their contents. The contents allowed by a parental level and the way a DVD is played back can be controlled by setting the appropriate Parental Management Level (PML).

All or part of a DVD disc can be encoded with a PML numbered from one to eight. Eight is the most restrictive level (adults only) and one is the least restrictive (all ages). The idea is to prevent children from watching adult contents without parental consent, while allowing adults to watch child-safe content.

In the United States and Canada, the levels usually map to the rating system of the MPAA (1- Kid Safe, 2- G, 3- PG, 4- PG-13, 5- Unrated, 6- R, 7- NC-17, and 8- Adult), but this is not the case in other countries or parts of the world.
Many DVD movie titles available on the market today, have an Audience Rating (see the chart below), which indicates the particular group of audience suitable for viewing the movie.

PML	Rating	Description
1		PML Level 1
2	G	Suitable for general audiences
3	PG	Parental guidance suggested
4	PG-13	Parental guidance suggested, unsuitable for children under 13
5		PML Level 5
6	R	Restricted, violence, adult language and situation unsuitable for young viewers
7	NC-17	Adult theme or content, not suitable for children under 17
8	Adult	Adult contents, hardcore sex

The DVD specifications support temporary PML (with the VM command SetTmpPML). If the DVD disc has an audience rating, scenes which are unsuitable for children are usually replaced with more suitable scenes, or the playback of the disc is completely prohibited. A DVD disc authored to support temporary PML usually provides two versions (video angles) of the same chapter in a title, each assigned a different PML.
For example, a DVD player is set up to allow PML level 4 rating (PG-13). If a DVD disc with a PML level 5 rating (R) is inserted, the following or similar screen is displayed to allow the viewer to proceed or not.

pml1

If the viewer selects NO, the disc is locked out and the following or similar screen is displayed.

pml2 If the viewer selects Yes to proceed, a DVD player with proper PML setting will prompt for a password (most DVD players use a 4-digit code which the viewer can enter through the keypad of the remote control). If the viewer enters the password correctly, the version at PML level 4 rating is shown (instead of the version at PML level 5). Otherwise, the disc is locked out again.