[thorfun]

hi all,

i'm running MP and using PowerDVD as the external player. currently, i'm transfering my TV Series DVDs to the HDD and using MP-TVSeries to add them to MP.

i'm not worried about disk space so i'm using DVD Decrypter to place each episode into it's own directory as .VOB files. during this process the .IFO file is also created.

my basic curiosity question is, are these .IFO files really needed? i have tested and have removed them from the directory where the .VOB file lives and the episode plays. so, what's the point in keeping the .IFO files?

i know that they're small and the disk space isn't an issue but i was just thinking that if i was to move all the .VOBs into one directory instead of having each episode in it's own directory then all the .IFO files would have the same name etc. and if i rename each .IFO file to match the corresponding .VOB file then MP-TV Series picks it up and parses it and i get double entries in MP.

so again, what's the point of the .IFO files?

[Stephen Neal]

Originally Posted by thorfun

hi all,

i'm running MP and using PowerDVD as the external player. currently, i'm transfering my TV Series DVDs to the HDD and using MP-TVSeries to add them to MP.

i'm not worried about disk space so i'm using DVD Decrypter to place each episode into it's own directory as .VOB files. during this process the .IFO file is also created.

my basic curiosity question is, are these .IFO files really needed? i have tested and have removed them from the directory where the .VOB file lives and the episode plays. so, what's the point in keeping the .IFO files?

i know that they're small and the disk space isn't an issue but i was just thinking that if i was to move all the .VOBs into one directory instead of having each episode in it's own directory then all the .IFO files would have the same name etc. and if i rename each .IFO file to match the corresponding .VOB file then MP-TV Series picks it up and parses it and i get double entries in MP.

so again, what's the point of the .IFO files?

AIUI the IFO files are used for full DVD replay - with menus etc. If you are just playing the VOBs as video files they are probably redundant?

[thorfun]

Originally Posted by Stephen Neal

AIUI the IFO files are used for full DVD replay - with menus etc. If you are just playing the VOBs as video files they are probably redundant?

that's what i was thinking.

but, am i to assume that as you ended the sentence with a question you're not 100% sure on this? if not, can anyone else let me know for certain if they're needed before i tidy up my directory structure and delete the .IFO files?

[MikeK]

The IFO files are for DVD navigation - if you ever want to burn the VOB files to a disc and have it play on a DVD player, then you'll need them - if not, then you won't! They can be recreated with DVD authoring programs anyway!

They contain stuff like the video types and aspect ratios, the audio options, subtitle options, chapter settings etc etc - remember commercial DVDs can have lots of stuff on them apart from just the main movie and soundtrack, and these files contain the "disc map" of it all!

[thorfun]

brilliant! i'm not going to put them back onto DVDs as I have the originals which can be used so it's bye bye to my complicated directory structure and .IFO files and hello to simplicity.

thanks for the replies.