How to convert HDTV_avi to DVD

[nbl957]

I've searched the forums and all I can see is about capturing HDTV and converting to AVI or other formats. I do not have that problem rather the opposite. I have a couple of HDTV_avi files and while I can watch them on my PC I'd like to burn them to DVD but nothing I have works.

Any help appreciated.
Thanks

[Dimmer]

It looks like the only way around is encoding them in a standard DVD resolution 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL). In other words, you'll lose HDTV resolution.

[nbl957]

Thanks for your reply.

So far I haven't got to the output format as my usual standards, TMPC and DVD2SVCD, can't handle the input HDTV avi file.

What programs or techniques are required to get this type avi converted?

[nbl957]

Lots of people looking at this post, probably my header which was never intended to be misleading. However, it seems to show that there is an interest in knowing the answer to the problem.

So again, what progs or information do I need to convert a HDTV avi file to DVD, or even CVD or SCVD.

I'd love some help if there is anyone who knows the answer to this question please respond.

thanks

[ammck55]

Have you done any reading and searching in the HDTV/DVB/TiVo forum? I'll move this thread over there, maybe someone has some fresh info on the topic.

ammck55

[Doom9]

well.. it's quite simple actually. Check out the QuEnc guide, it deals with all the principles of what you want to do: http://www.doom9.org/mpg/quenc.htm

Basically:
create an avisynth script loading your avi (that's in the guide), resize it properly (in the guide but for AVIs smaller than DVD resolution.. yet the guide goes to great lengths to explain how resizing works so you should have no problems figuring out the proper parameters for your avi). Then you load the AVI into your favorite MPEG-2 encoder and encode.

As for audio, that's described in the AVI -> DVD-R guide: http://www.doom9.org/mpg/avi2dvdr.htm (same goes if your AVI is split). If the audio is AC3 you want to keep it, if it is MP3 you must convert it (to AC3 if you are in in the US/Canada or AC3/MP2 for most of the rest of the world) but that's all in the linked guide.

And by the way.. there's no such thing as HDTV AVI. The AVI can be from an HDTV source, but HDTV is broadcast as an MPEG-2 TS using MPEG-2 compression for video. Unless you use an i-frame only MPEG-2 codec for your AVI (which is highly unlikely as those codecs are inefficient), you just have an AVI that has a larger than DVD resolution ;)

[neuron2]

@Doom9

Since he's going to DVD, he'll want to stay interlaced. He's going to get into trouble using your guide if his source is interlaced because he will then be resizing interlaced material and unless you do that right, you're going to make a mess.

@nbl957

Is your source 1080i or 720p. That is, is it interlaced? It makes a big difference to your processing.

[Doom9]

@neuron2: he starts out with an AVI so I presume his source already was progressive, or has been deinterlaced as AVIs can't natively handle interlaced material..

[SeeMoreDigital]

If his source files are HD.avi. The 720p files might well be 60fps and 1080i will be 30fps - or thereabouts!

I have to ask but has anybody here experimented creating anamorphic Mpeg2 .vobs using an image pixel frame size of 576wide x 720high. My experiments with anamorphic XviD using this frame size looked quite good... Just an thought!

That said, we wont have to wait too long now, before DVD(Mpeg2)/Mpeg4 stand-alone players arrive with HD compatible chipsets.


Cheers

[eb]

I can suppose that all this misunderstanding with HDTV.avi is caused by my sample that I put on my small webpage on November 2003.
Having only 25MB, I decided to present HDTV quality but using for this compresed sample .avi 720x408.

Of course converting from.avi/.mp4 to .mpeg is pointless, it is better to leave the files as they are in .avi/.mp4 and wait (I think short time) for (DVD) players with hardware decoders for MP4.

But again I am sure that nbl957 was thinking about easy way to convert HDTV records to DVD.

In this place I must underline that HDTV records consuming a lot of hd space.
130MB/minute if HDTV is provided as now with bandsaving properties
ie. frames 1920x816 audio 256kb/sec
At early days of test they used 1920x1088 and 384 kb/sec and 1 minute record was ca.185MB.
And here can be seen that the best way to make home archive records is to convert them to .avi files with 720x408 frame size.
Thus keeping good quality we can compress files from180MB/HDTV to 18MB/.avi/mp4 per minute /10x/.


The easiest way to convert HDTV records to DVD/VCD,SVCD is to use programs Nero6 or Power Producer2 /Cyberlink in totaly automated mode (manual settings also possible) and all is done in one step mode.
/that was tested by me/

To convert HDTV to .avi my best way is as follows:
1. DVD2AVIT3 to .mpv and .mpa /my prefered codec 3IVX/
2. VirtualDubMod muxing to .avi files


eb

PS @nbl957 sorry, I look again to your ppost and my advice use Nero or Power Producer2

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by eb
I can suppose that all this misunderstanding with HDTV.avi is caused by my sample that I put on my small webpage on November 2003.
Having only 25MB, I decided to present HDTV quality but using for this compresed sample .avi 720x408. Hmmm. I think it might be useful to obtain an official confirmation as to what qualifies as being high-def?

For instance. Does HD begin with 'true 16:9 frames' starting with NTSC's 853x480 or PAL's 1024x576 image pixel frame size? Or does HD start with 1280x720 (or above) image pixel frame sizes?


Cheers

[nbl957]

Well I'm glad to see that my thread, in it's new home, is getting some action. Even tho' lots of it is above my head.

I'm trying to avoid breaking any rules but you need to know "where I'm coming from"

In the normal course of cruising the web I was increasingly seeing video files described as filename_hdtv.avi

I had no particular interest in this until my wife missed her favorite TV show. I quickly searched for the missing episode and it turned out I got a filename_hdtv.avi version. I loaded it into avicodec to see what it was and it reported:-

Avicodec 1.1.0.4
Opening error. Cannot play back the file. The format is not supported for filename_hdtv.avi

Next I tried GSpot

GSpot 2.21
Not a valid AVI file
This appears to be an unsupported filetype. GSpot provides full support for AVI and OGG media streams. Based on it's composition GSpot believes the filetype to ne "Non-AVI File - type Unknown"

This is the start of my thread as I assumed something new was afoot. I looked high and low on this site for information and found nothing so I posted to the Newbie forum as I certainly qualify for that designation.

When I got no response I tried another file also described as filename_hdtv.avi and found that it was resognized by avicodec as

312 MB, 995 Kbps, 23.976 fps, 624*352 (16:9), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4, Supported

BTW, this looks beautiful on my monitor running in VLC media player.

Perhaps what is happening here is what has already been hinted at that there in no definition for these files so each person capturing video on their computers can name as they see fit?

So my concern was simply to change an avi file in my possession to DVD for my standalone which file was described as filename_hdtv.avi

Don't know if this adds anything to the debate.

[Doom9]

@nbl957: looks like I was right after all.. what you finally described was what I assumed... so the solution I described works just fine.

Of course you can name your files any way you like... I can even "invent" my own format if I like.

[neuron2]

Originally posted by Doom9
AVIs can't natively handle interlaced material.. Huh? Guess I didn't need to write Decomb. :)

[Doom9]

mah, throw salt in my wounds, would you? AVI is a container so what I said is plain bs.. it's all about the codec. But back to the problem trust me, his source is as progressive as it can get and my indstructions are just what he needs. However, we ought to stop here as the source is highly problematic.

[scharfis_brain]

if someone wants to know the possible conversion methods:

720 lines 60p HDTV to 60i DVD:

last.lanczosresize(704,480) #for anamorphic DVD
separatefields()
selectevery(4,0,3) # for other fieldorder use 4,1,2
weave()
#info() # to show fieldorder of created 60i.


1080 lines 60i HDTV to 60i DVD:

last.dgbob(order=1) # if you get bad movement, use order=0
lanczosresize(704,480) #for anamorphic DVD
separatefields()
selectevery(4,0,3) # for other fieldorder use 4,1,2
weave()
#info() # to show fieldorder of created 60i.

[Doom9]

guy's he's talking about a downloaded htdv rip.. those are progressive 23.976fps XviD. Here's one file that matches that description: las.vegas.s01e21.hdtv-lol.avi

But now is the point where I have to close it down.