Doom9's Forum - View Single Post - ***DVD2SVCD OFFICIAL Q&A (updated: 27 April 2004)***

markrb · 18th April 2002, 05:27

Q54: I used Recover and now I have problems with my SVCD.
A: If you change settings and use recover some of the new settings may never get used and/or others can confuse DVD2SVCD and you will end up with major errors. The point of Recover is to recover from crashes not to make changes and continue. Use this with common sense and caution. Things like adding a step and changing encoders are known to cause problems and other things can prove to be unreliable as well. Change settings at your own risk of wasted time.
But, if you do want to make changes, do so after you've loaded the d2s project file otherwise your changes will be lost.

Q55: What should I use to watch the completed SVCD on my computer?
A: PowerDVD XP and WinDVD play both the completed mpg files or the burned SVCD on the computer. Many people also mount the bin/cue files off the hard drive with daemon tools and then play the SVCD in the same Software DVD players. Windows Media Player can play the finished mpg files off the hard drive, but is known to have sync and other issues. It is mostly useful as only a quick checker and not to watch the whole video.

Q56: I am getting the error Unable to write to project file.d2s.
A: Make sure you shut off virus scanners before you start DVD2SVCD.

Q57: Can you explain my aspect options for encoding an anamorphic DVD in more detail?
A: I will let Nick explain it since he did it so well. The following assumes a PAL encode, but most also applies to a NTSC encode as well. Remember this is assuming 16:9 source material.

When we convert DVD to SVCD we have three options with the new build (Ignore the "Resize to " option in the Frameserver tab, we're talking conversion tab here).

Option 1: 16:9, borders added, encode as 4:3. What this does is make a disc which gives a 4:3 output by squashing the picture into the middle third and actually putting black bars on the disc, so the actual movie is contained in the middle 432 lines of the 576 available, the rest is black. When played on a 4:3 TV the result looks the same as when your DVD player added the bars when you played the original DVD. However, on a 16:9 widescreen TV the picture has to be stretched both horizontally and vertically to fill the screen. Pretty much every widescreen TV has picture zoom modes to do this but lots of stretching = poor picture quality.

Option 2: 4:3, no borders added, encode as 4:3. This is exactly like 4:3 in previous builds. This encodes a 4:3 disc with the full 576 line vertical resolution. Because the output from this disc is in 4:3 the DVD player does not know to add black lines top and bottom to output to your 4:3 TV so the "egghead" effect ensues - ie the picture is stretched vertically. Some TV's have picture modes to add black bars but the vast majority don't. However, played on a widescreen TV, you only have to stretch the image horizontally to fill the screen as it is already at full vertical resolution. Less stretching = better picture quality so if you will only be watching on a widescreen TV this option is a winner.

Option 3: Anamorphic, no borders added, encoded as 16:9. This is the new option on 1.0.8b1. What this does is encode at full vertical resolution but put a marker on the disc just like the original DVD to tell your player that it is 16:9. Therefore if you set up your DVD player saying you have a widescreen TV, the DVD player outputs at full vertical resolution but if you set it for a 4:3 TV the player does the squashing up and adding of black bars. So you get the best of both worlds - perfect playback on either TV type.

The only problem is that it appears most standalone DVD players are incompatible with this new option and picture distortion, failure to add the borders or shaking results. Either which way, there is no need to resort to uninstalling this build and reinstalling an earlier version. If the 16:9 anamorphic option doesn't work for you simply don't use it! The other two options are exactly as per previous builds

Q58: I am doing a new movie and it seems to be taking much longer then normal.
A: Look at the log tab and find the DVD2AVI lines near the beginning and see if it says:
Force Film Not Activated!
IVTC will be performed and will slow the encode down
In the case of this video Force Film was not able to be used and it turned on IVTC to reduce the framerate to 23.976. IVTC usually slows encoding down by as much as 40%.

If you manually add other filters each has it's own effect on speed.
Temporal Smoother (slows encoding down by about 40%)
SmartDeinterlace (slows encoding speed by about 40%)
BlendFields slows (encoding speed by about 10%)
SeparateFields/SelectEvery (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 15%)
VerticalReduceBy2 (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 20%)
Telecide (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 25%)
PAL 480x576 takes longer to encode than NTSC 480x480

Q59: I tried to use Recover, but I get a file not found error.
A: If you have erased the IFO file you will get this error if you have ripping turned on. To resolve this issue either do not delete the IFO file when deleting the VOB files or make sure you have turned off ripping.

Q60: I have CCE Issues (CRC errors, crashing and what not)
A: Here's a few pointers to check:

Don't overclock your CPU/memory.
Decrease the memory timings in your PC's BIOS or use the defaults.
Use the latest BIOS from your mainboard manufacturer.
Make sure your power supply and your PC cooling is good.
Use the latest chipset drivers from your mainboard manufacturer. (VIA 4-in-1)
Do some stability tests like Prime95 and MemTest86. (See Q53)
Use "ResampleAudio(44100)" in your Avisynth script.
Turn off the "Anti noise filter" with CCE in "Encoder" tab.
Verify that the "Max." and "Max. avg" bitrate differs with at least '120' maybe more.
Raise "Luminance Offset" in "DVD2AVI" tab to '5'.
Apply the CRC Patch from the Q&A if using CCE 2.5 (Q27).
Use the "MPEG2DEC2.DLL" instead of the "MPEG2DEC.DLL" in "Frameserver" tab.
Set "Intra DC precision" in CCE's "Advanced settings" to '8' or 'Auto'.
Turn off VirtualDub's "AVIFile Proxy mode" see the "readme.txt" in the "VirtualDub\aviproxy" for more on that.
When converting downloaded AVIs make sure with tools like "AviDefreezer" that they are not corrupted somehow.
Use the "Safe mode (frameserving)" option in "Encoder" tab - but be aware, this will decrease encoding speed by about 30%.
Try to use a newer "Avisynth" version instead of the one that comes with the bundle.
Only use "CBR" or "One pass VBR" modes only.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41329
Use TMPGEnc instead.

18th April 2002, 05:27	#4 \| Link
markrb Old fart Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,589	Q54: I used Recover and now I have problems with my SVCD. A: If you change settings and use recover some of the new settings may never get used and/or others can confuse DVD2SVCD and you will end up with major errors. The point of Recover is to recover from crashes not to make changes and continue. Use this with common sense and caution. Things like adding a step and changing encoders are known to cause problems and other things can prove to be unreliable as well. Change settings at your own risk of wasted time. But, if you do want to make changes, do so after you've loaded the d2s project file otherwise your changes will be lost. Q55: What should I use to watch the completed SVCD on my computer? A: PowerDVD XP and WinDVD play both the completed mpg files or the burned SVCD on the computer. Many people also mount the bin/cue files off the hard drive with daemon tools and then play the SVCD in the same Software DVD players. Windows Media Player can play the finished mpg files off the hard drive, but is known to have sync and other issues. It is mostly useful as only a quick checker and not to watch the whole video. Q56: I am getting the error Unable to write to project file.d2s. A: Make sure you shut off virus scanners before you start DVD2SVCD. Q57: Can you explain my aspect options for encoding an anamorphic DVD in more detail? A: I will let Nick explain it since he did it so well. The following assumes a PAL encode, but most also applies to a NTSC encode as well. Remember this is assuming 16:9 source material. When we convert DVD to SVCD we have three options with the new build (Ignore the "Resize to " option in the Frameserver tab, we're talking conversion tab here). Option 1: 16:9, borders added, encode as 4:3. What this does is make a disc which gives a 4:3 output by squashing the picture into the middle third and actually putting black bars on the disc, so the actual movie is contained in the middle 432 lines of the 576 available, the rest is black. When played on a 4:3 TV the result looks the same as when your DVD player added the bars when you played the original DVD. However, on a 16:9 widescreen TV the picture has to be stretched both horizontally and vertically to fill the screen. Pretty much every widescreen TV has picture zoom modes to do this but lots of stretching = poor picture quality. Option 2: 4:3, no borders added, encode as 4:3. This is exactly like 4:3 in previous builds. This encodes a 4:3 disc with the full 576 line vertical resolution. Because the output from this disc is in 4:3 the DVD player does not know to add black lines top and bottom to output to your 4:3 TV so the "egghead" effect ensues - ie the picture is stretched vertically. Some TV's have picture modes to add black bars but the vast majority don't. However, played on a widescreen TV, you only have to stretch the image horizontally to fill the screen as it is already at full vertical resolution. Less stretching = better picture quality so if you will only be watching on a widescreen TV this option is a winner. Option 3: Anamorphic, no borders added, encoded as 16:9. This is the new option on 1.0.8b1. What this does is encode at full vertical resolution but put a marker on the disc just like the original DVD to tell your player that it is 16:9. Therefore if you set up your DVD player saying you have a widescreen TV, the DVD player outputs at full vertical resolution but if you set it for a 4:3 TV the player does the squashing up and adding of black bars. So you get the best of both worlds - perfect playback on either TV type. The only problem is that it appears most standalone DVD players are incompatible with this new option and picture distortion, failure to add the borders or shaking results. Either which way, there is no need to resort to uninstalling this build and reinstalling an earlier version. If the 16:9 anamorphic option doesn't work for you simply don't use it! The other two options are exactly as per previous builds Q58: I am doing a new movie and it seems to be taking much longer then normal. A: Look at the log tab and find the DVD2AVI lines near the beginning and see if it says: Force Film Not Activated! IVTC will be performed and will slow the encode down In the case of this video Force Film was not able to be used and it turned on IVTC to reduce the framerate to 23.976. IVTC usually slows encoding down by as much as 40%. If you manually add other filters each has it's own effect on speed. Temporal Smoother (slows encoding down by about 40%) SmartDeinterlace (slows encoding speed by about 40%) BlendFields slows (encoding speed by about 10%) SeparateFields/SelectEvery (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 15%) VerticalReduceBy2 (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 20%) Telecide (PAL) (slows encoding speed by about 25%) PAL 480x576 takes longer to encode than NTSC 480x480 Q59: I tried to use Recover, but I get a file not found error. A: If you have erased the IFO file you will get this error if you have ripping turned on. To resolve this issue either do not delete the IFO file when deleting the VOB files or make sure you have turned off ripping. Q60: I have CCE Issues (CRC errors, crashing and what not) A: Here's a few pointers to check: Don't overclock your CPU/memory. Decrease the memory timings in your PC's BIOS or use the defaults. Use the latest BIOS from your mainboard manufacturer. Make sure your power supply and your PC cooling is good. Use the latest chipset drivers from your mainboard manufacturer. (VIA 4-in-1) Do some stability tests like Prime95 and MemTest86. (See Q53) Use "ResampleAudio(44100)" in your Avisynth script. Turn off the "Anti noise filter" with CCE in "Encoder" tab. Verify that the "Max." and "Max. avg" bitrate differs with at least '120' maybe more. Raise "Luminance Offset" in "DVD2AVI" tab to '5'. Apply the CRC Patch from the Q&A if using CCE 2.5 (Q27). Use the "MPEG2DEC2.DLL" instead of the "MPEG2DEC.DLL" in "Frameserver" tab. Set "Intra DC precision" in CCE's "Advanced settings" to '8' or 'Auto'. Turn off VirtualDub's "AVIFile Proxy mode" see the "readme.txt" in the "VirtualDub\aviproxy" for more on that. When converting downloaded AVIs make sure with tools like "AviDefreezer" that they are not corrupted somehow. Use the "Safe mode (frameserving)" option in "Encoder" tab - but be aware, this will decrease encoding speed by about 30%. Try to use a newer "Avisynth" version instead of the one that comes with the bundle. Only use "CBR" or "One pass VBR" modes only. http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41329 Use TMPGEnc instead. __________________ Oh no Mr. Bill! Last edited by Nick; 5th April 2004 at 18:58.