Would this approach allow playback of other file types, such as xvid / mkv, though DVD Library?

Would this work with MyMovies, or only within the DVD Library?

If you want to use MM for the meta-data with this approach you can see the following posts for information on how you would do it.

How to use My Movies with DVD Gallery or Niveus Movies Library. - http://unmitigatedrisk.com/archive/2008/04/04/186.aspx
How to enable folder monitoring in My Movies for extenders. - http://unmitigatedrisk.com/archive/2008/04/04/185.aspx

I also wrote a better script for creating ASX files back in 2004, email me if you want it, it you would want to modify it to make a WSX (another file extension for an ASX, just a string change) but I suspect my logic is more robust and acurate for identifing the main movie.

I have not used this specific approach, however there are a few things folks should probably know:
1. Extenders DO NOT support the PREBUFFER tag in ASX files, as such if this is relying on the extenders ability to handle and stream the files in the ASX there will be a gap in playback between each of the vobs linked in a ASX.
2. While VOBs are MPEGS they have extra data that is DVD specific in them that the extenders do not grock, and if this is relying on the extender playing the vob as a MPEG you WILL have problems see: How are DVD VOBs different than plain MPEG 2s? - http://www.unmitigatedrisk.com/archive/2007/03/23/58.aspx

3. If this is doing what I beleive it is doing using this approach has the potential to make cause problems on the host side, in DVD Gallery; I cant say more but someone should play with this to confirm.

If the constraints I call out above are fine by you then this is a good model, DVD Gallery on the extender performs nicely UI wise, its very basic and no My Movies but the performance and look and feel is great for us VMC users.

The largest issue is file format support, there is just a ton of content that won't play right if you tell a extender a vob is a mpeg and unless this is doing a transcode (it might but I suspect it is not) its not going to work reliably.

Ther are other limitations too, no audio track selection, no menus, no subtitles, etc.

My thought when I read this

"Hallelujah" to the chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Awesome!!!!

The big limitation is no WHS support, IMHO.

The problem with using symbolic links on WHS is because the drive extender technology uses Virtual directories. So you are creating a symbolic hardlink to a virtual directory. Because of this WHS can't tell the difference between the files, since they are both virtual . . .

There may be a workaround for this. I don't have the time to try it out, but, if you have a Vista MC, and a WHS, you can create a share on the Vista box and create the symbolic links there. So, it would look something like //vista/movies/movie1/video_ts/vts_0_1.mpeg <<-->> //WHS/Movies/movie1/video_ts/vts_0_1.vob

If someone wants to give this a shot and see. Be warned, I don't know if this will work and may bork your WHS.

--Pete
pstagman !at! htpcug.org

I just tried this on WHS and works, I copied the DVD "Ice Age" to WHS, but the symbolic links have to be on another PC, my links are on a XP PC.
Do not use the script if you have DVDs on WHS, you will have to make the symbolic links manually if have DVDs on WHS.

Edit too add put the playlist (*.wvx) on WHS in the same place you would put the folder.jpeg, only the symbolic links stay on the other PC.

Richard Miller MVP