DVD player problem

[Eusebius]

Before I ask my question, please allow me to mention that I know next to nothing about the technical side of video.

I have a DVD with a video_TS folder. Inside the folder are four .VOB files, in addition to which are a few files that appear to handle subtitles. When I shove the DVD into the iMac, the Apple DVD player plays the first .VOB file just fine, but then stops dead. It won't continue on to the next .VOB segments. Does it not perceive that they're there? On the other hand, VLC player has no trouble with the segue from one .VOB segment to the next. So why can the third-party app handle the DVD playback with no problem, but Apple's own DVD player can't?

 

[angelwatt]

Well you shouldn't have to tell the DVD player to play a certain file. When I put a DVD in and start up the DVD player is starts on its own without me needing to open anything.

 

[mkrishnan]

How was the DVD created? It sounds like it's not properly set up to automatically advance. If the different segments were filed as different titles (as opposed to chapters of the same title) then it wouldn't normally play the whole thing.

 

[Eusebius]

As the DVD was given to me, I don't know how it was made.

The DVD has four .vob files, each with the same title, like this:
vts_01_1.vob vts_01_2. vob
etc.
In addition there are vts_01_0_bup and vts_01_0-ifo, both of which I assume are responsible for subtitles and chapters.
Finally, there are VIDEO_TS.ifo and video_ts.bup whose purpose I can't guess.

Anyway, when I put the DVD in, the DVD player starts automatically, yes, but plays only the first of those .vob files, then stops. The VLC player plays all four consecutively. I'm curious as to what prevents the Apple player from playing the whole film.

 

[Nermal]

video_ts.ifo contains information about the "titles" on the DVD.
vts_01_0.ifo contains information about the chapers in title 1.
vts_01_1.vob etc contain the actual data for title 1 (video, sound, subtitles)
The .bup files are simply backups of the .ifo files (in case the DVD gets scratched).

It sounds like the IFO files haven't been authored correctly. Apple's player is honouring the files, VLC is guessing.

NB: This might not be 100% accurate but it's certainly the gist of it.