Yet another Karaoke (S)VCDs post.

[Tokafondo]

Hello. I did it.

I created a SVCD stream with REAL karaoke subtitles.

NOT one of those burnt-in subtitles in the video track, but "overlay graphics titles" (OGT) ones, selectables, switchables and all those features.

BUT

My DVD player doesn't get it as a Karaoke SVCD, but a standard SVCD with automatic high-lighting subtitles tracks.

And that is because I-Author does NOT create Karaoke (S)VCDs, because no KARAOKE folder is found in the created CD.

I'd like to know if someone that have I-Author 1.0, the VCD ONLY authoring system, knows if the muxer include the lyrics stream directly into the MPEG track OR the lyrics stream goes into the KARAOKE folder.

Taken from http://www.icdia.org/cdprosupport/files/pc/semantics.pdf

Karaoke-compliant VCD discs

If you want to make a Karaoke-compliant VCD disc, you must also include the following file specification:

karinfo_data from pathlist
where

pathlist
is a quoted file name or pathlist specifying the karinfo_data file
generated by the texcon utility.

The karinfo_data file specification may be defined before or after you define the avseq_dat files. You can only define one karinfo_data file per volume.

- For more information about creating Karaoke-compliant VCD discs, refer to the VideoCD Toolkit manual and the Using Texcon manual.

What the hell is the "the texcon utility"?
Does anybody here has that "VideoCD Toolkit manual"?

PLEASE, PROFESSIONAL REPLIES ONLY!

[htc10825]

Hi Tokafondo, my friend from Islands:

nice to hear you again in this SVCD-authoring forum. Since our last talk(ref.: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26456) many mounthes are passed. The links in you above posts did not help much(in fact not at all) for understanding the I-Author OGT Creator. There is also no manual/help in chinese. But your posts brought back my interest in Karaoke SVCD. So I decided to create karaoke SVCD with I-Author deluxe by "learning by doing" and after long time(in August) I made a SVCD with Karaoke subs successfully: "Jenifer Lopez In Concert" which is not a dvd-rip(there is no such dvd in store/internet). I've saved the concert digitally direct via DVB-card while reception of Germany TV(DVB, digital video broadcasting). So the quality is excellent. I had to type and syncron all the lyrics manually. One of the extra title "Love Dont Cost A Thing" has two switchable subs: 1. lyrics in dvd-style(subs without hilighting colors) and 2. Karaoke subs with syncron hilighted colors. I ging into the above mentioned thread and wrote a very, very long replay(it took me at least 2 hours) to your questions. But at the moment I was clicking "SubmitReply" button the forum server crashed!!! Because I wrote it direct online I(and also this forum) losted my post. I was so annoyed that I never wanted to reoeat that message again. So sorry for that(not to reply your post). But I've mentioned the creation of karaoke svcd using I-Author in following post(both in Oct.):
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35267
and:
(http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36993

Now to your business:
I've never heard of such "VideoCD Toolkit", maybe it is a software package(including "TextCon") for a special equipment(perhaps "VCDMster" called) for the mastering(the fore stage of pressing/productiuon) of VCD/SVCD. Thus it is not for intel cpu based PC. This machine can even master the VCD v3.0 (Karaoke VCD and multi-language/multitracks VCD).Hello. I did it...I created a SVCD stream with REAL karaoke subtitles...with "overlay graphics titles"(OGT), selectables, switchables and all those features...BUT My DVD player doesn't get it as a Karaoke SVCD, but a standard SVCD with automatic high-lighting subtitles tracks. And that is because I-Author does NOT create Karaoke (S)VCDs, because no KARAOKE folder is found in the created CD. Question: how do you create the SVCD without using the "VCDMaster" and "I-Author deluxe for SVCD 1.0"? Please tell me.
For other question about I-Author: next time.

[Tokafondo]

Hello again!

I'd like to know if you created the KARAOKE folder and KARINFO.xxx file in your K(S)VCDs.

That is mandatory for a (S)VCD player to activate the built-in karaoke features.

[htc10825]

In my previors post it is very clear that I've mad Karaoke SVCDs with I-Author Deluxe 1.0 for SVCD.
In your first postAnd that is because I-Author does NOT create Karaoke (S)VCDs, because no KARAOKE folder is found in the created CD.And in your last post you asked me:
"I'd like to know if you created the KARAOKE folder and KARINFO.xxx file in your K(S)VCDs."? You have the already answer but asked me even though? It would be very fuuny if you wait for my answer till now.

But in my last post I've a question on you and I am waiting for the answer till now! I repeat:
Question: how do you create the SVCD without using the "VCDMaster" and "I-Author"? Please tell me.

[Tokafondo]

OK. Sorry.

I used OGT creator to create the high-lighting subtitles and I-Author's muxer to put them into a SVCD stream.

I already knew for at least 6 months how to make highlighting subtitles BUT I never tried to create, mux and play them to see how theiy looked.

Now it was the time to do it so I tried it and it worked.

I have a SVCD with selectable subtitles and one of them is Karaoke style: highlight whith the lyrics -- the same you have.

BUT even the subtitles are "karaoke style" the SVCD isn't. My DVD player has 2 mic inputs and the setup menu includes karaoke features. When I play that SVCD the karaoke doesn't work and the mics do nothing.

So I know that there is something missing in the svcd disks, because the DVD player waits for something to be there that it isn't, and I think it's the KARAOKE folder and KARINFO.xxx file(s).

I've made quite a research about this topic and found even in Philips docs that in some sectors of the header of a (S)VCD disk there are bits that activated tells if that disk is or isn't a KARAOKE disk. I think that bits requires the KARAOKE folder and KARINFO.xxx file to be there just to identify the K(S)VCD.

I am more interested in creating KVCDs that KSVCDs, because I'd like to reach something nobody has done before (at least in the way "internet" teachs us how to do it).

I have an open thread with Philips on this topic and see what they say:

=BEGIN==============================================================


----------------------------------------------------------
Tokafondo->Philips
----------------------------------------------------------
Hello.


I've seen that there are widely available in the internet some official
Philips tools to author VCD and SVCD disks.


Those tools allow to create professional like titles, but that is out
of scope of my request.


I'd like to create compliant karaoke VCD for my children, and that
is the only thing about SVCD and VCD that is NOT covered in the internet.


Commercial KaraokeVCD titles cost from 45? to up, and many times they
don't have the songs any one liked to buy.


I'd like to know if Philips has any manual where you can find the specs
of a compliant Karaoke VCD title, or any software app that helps you
to create that.


Thank you.
*END*

----------------------------------------------------------
Philips->Tokafondo
----------------------------------------------------------
To make karaoke titles is a lot of work.

you can try NERO. I believe their download gives a 30 day free of use


Philips Intellectual Property & Standards
E-mail: info.licensing@philips.com Web:http://www.licensing.philips.com
*END*

----------------------------------------------------------
Tokafondo->Philips
----------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your answer.

Yes, it seems to be a lot of work because nobody knows how to do it (well, it's sure many people knows, but there is no available info about it) and current VCD karaoke titles are expensive, as I wrote. Nero only creates standard VCD 2.0 titles and even very basic ones. The VideoCD Toolkit freely available on the net is a very powerful tool to use instead of Nero. But even that toolkit does not create karaoke compliant vcds.

I found in http://www.licensing.philips.com info about the IMG ubtitle
format, but it seems to be applied only for SVCD titles.

The main question for this is:

"How to create the KARAOKE folder and KARINFO.xxx files for a REAL K-VCD?"

Thank you again for your answers.
*END*

----------------------------------------------------------
Philips->Tokafondo
----------------------------------------------------------
With Video CD and Karaoke CD (basically the same) In general the text is superimposed into the video.

Other subtitling ways are not so well supported
We used with our testdisc back in 1984 Win-on CD

I suggest Super Video CD is the way to go or superimpose text onto the video

gerard



Philips Intellectual Property & Standards
E-mail: info.licensing@philips.com Web:http://www.licensing.philips.com
*END*

=END================================================================


As you may see, it seems that OGT subtitling in KVCDs is not possible. Subtitles are burnt in the video. I made this before, but the KARAOKE and KARINFO.xxx folder and file aren't there, yet.

So my DVD player doesn't get it as a compliant KVCD.





On another hand:

The official Philips VideoCD Toolkit is available to download in the following link:

http://www.icdia.org/sw_pc/vcdtools.html

This is a fully functional and working copy that seems to be free to download that will create full compliand VCDs with chaptering, menus and features, only surpassed maybe by VideoPack 4.0. The advantage of the Philips tool is that you can create a 90 minutes movie and with an external tool (included in the download) you can create a CUE/BIN image ready to be burnt with Nero, and VideoPack relies in its own CD-R/RW drivers, and use the WinOnCD engine to directly burn the image.

I used it to rip "L_i_l_o & S_t_i_c_h" with menus and chapters for my children and it works.