PgcEdit Alternatives: When to Use Other DVD Editing Tools

PgcEdit Alternatives: When to Use Other DVD Editing ToolsPgcEdit is a powerful, free tool for inspecting and editing the program chain (PGC) structure, navigation commands, and playback behaviour of DVDs. It’s exceptionally useful when you need to fix broken navigation, remove malicious or problematic commands, or make low-level edits to how a disc behaves. However, PgcEdit is not always the best choice for every DVD-related task. This article examines why you might choose other tools, compares alternatives across common use cases, and gives practical recommendations so you can pick the right tool for the job.

What PgcEdit does well

PgcEdit specializes in low-level DVD structure and navigation editing:

• Direct editing of PGCs, VTSs, and VMG structures and commands.
• Inspection and modification of DVD navigation commands (e.g., pre/post commands, cell commands, jump and link commands).
• Repair of navigation problems caused by bad authoring, corrupted menus, or malicious commands.
• Patch application to remove forced subtitles, forced delays, or to bypass malicious loops.
• Scripting and advanced operations for power users who need precise control.

Because PgcEdit edits the DVD at the PGC/VMG level, it’s ideal for technical repairs or tweaks where structural control is essential. But that same low-level focus means it’s not always convenient for tasks that are more visual, batch-oriented, or format-conversion centric.

When you should consider alternatives

Use other tools instead of PgcEdit when any of the following apply:

• You want a GUI-first, user-friendly visual editor for menus and chapters (authoring, menu redesign).
• You need to re-encode video/audio, transcode formats, or convert DVDs to modern container formats (MP4, MKV).
• You’re doing bulk ripping, decryption, or batch processing across many discs.
• You want an integrated DVD authoring workflow: import video, design menus, create subtitles, and output a new ISO or disc image.
• You prefer active commercial support, polished UX, or one-click presets rather than manual low-level fixes.

Common alternative tools and their strengths

Below are alternatives grouped by primary task. Pick the tool whose strengths match your goal.

• HandBrake — Best for ripping and transcoding

  • Strong for converting DVD content to MP4/MKV with modern codecs (H.264/H.265).
  • Easy presets, chapter support, subtitle passthrough, batch queue.
  • Does not edit DVD navigation or menus; focuses on main titles.

• MakeMKV — Best for quick, lossless ripping

  • Extracts full titles to MKV with all audio/subtitle tracks intact.
  • Minimal transcoding, fast and simple.
  • Not an editor for menus/navigation; use alongside PgcEdit if needed.

• DVD Decrypter / AnyDVD HD / DVDFab — Best for ripping and decrypting protected discs

  • Remove copy protections so other tools can access content.
  • AnyDVD HD runs in background to allow other apps to read discs directly.
  • Not for low-level PGC editing, though DVDFab includes some authoring features.

• DVD ReAuthor / DVD Shrink / Reauthoring tools — Best for recomposing the disc

  • Allow reauthoring: select titles, create new menus, remove unwanted extras.
  • Reencode or compress video to fit new disc sizes (e.g., DVD Shrink).
  • Less control than PgcEdit on navigation commands; more user-friendly.

• MultiAVCHD / tsMuxeR / eac3to — Best for Blu-ray/AVCHD or muxing/demuxing

  • Create AVCHD/Blu-ray structures, mux audio/subtitles, or remux streams without re-encoding.
  • Useful when moving content between DVD and Blu-ray formats.
  • Not focused on PGC/VMG editing.

• DVD Styler / Adobe Encore / Wondershare DVD Creator — Best for authoring with custom menus

  • WYSIWYG menu design, drag-and-drop, template libraries.
  • Produce new ISO/DVD images with customized navigation.
  • For deep, low-level navigation fixes, these can’t replace PgcEdit.

• Zoom Player / VLC / IfoEdit — Inspection and playback testing

  • VLC is essential for playing ripped titles and quickly checking streams.
  • IfoEdit (older) offers some PGC/IFO editing capabilities similar to PgcEdit but with an older interface.
  • Zoom Player helps test authored discs’ behavior in a robust player.

Comparison table: When to choose each tool

Practical workflows combining tools

• Fix navigation then rip:

  1. Use PgcEdit to repair or remove malicious navigation commands or forced subtitles.
  2. Use MakeMKV to extract cleaned titles, then HandBrake to transcode if needed.

• Quick archive of a disc:

  1. Use MakeMKV to rip titles losslessly.
  2. Store as MKV or remux with tsMuxeR for different containers.

• Create a new authored disc with custom menus:

  1. Reencode or prepare video with HandBrake.
  2. Author menus and layout with DVD Styler or Adobe Encore.
  3. Test resulting ISO with VLC or Zoom Player.

• Convert DVD to Blu-ray/AVCHD:

  1. Rip with MakeMKV.
  2. Remux and author with MultiAVCHD or tsMuxeR.
  3. Test on target device.

Tips for choosing the right tool

• If you need to change how a DVD’s navigation behaves (jump commands, forced delays, menu loops), use PgcEdit.
• If you just want to convert or compress video for devices, choose HandBrake.
• If you want a quick, lossless archive, choose MakeMKV.
• If the disc is copy-protected, use a decryption tool (AnyDVD/DVDFab) before other steps.
• For new menu design and full authoring, use a WYSIWYG authoring tool (DVD Styler, Adobe Encore).

Caveats and legal considerations

• Decrypting or circumventing copy protection may be illegal in your jurisdiction. Ensure you have the right to copy or modify the disc (backup of media you own is legal in some places, illegal in others).
• Some older tools (IfoEdit, DVD Shrink) are no longer actively maintained and may have compatibility or security limitations.

Final recommendation

For low-level navigation fixes and deep troubleshooting, PgcEdit remains the go-to tool. For everything else—ripping, encoding, authoring, batch work—use tools designed for those tasks and combine them with PgcEdit when both structure-level fixes and media conversion are needed.