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Old 19th July 2001, 00:42   #1  |  Link
DDogg
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***read this now - Q&A -DVD2SVCD Official Q&A ***

Please make a contribution to show your appreciation and to encourage further development.

NOTE: this thread was completely updated since the release of DVD2SVCD 1.0.6 Build 1. If your version is older than this (why?), you can see the old Q&A thread here. New Q&As always at the bottom of the doc.

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Q&A
This is a "Living Q & A" for DVD2SVCD. It will be updated constantly based upon your questions and other information coming in. Please ask questions as a reply to this post but change the subject line to something appropriate that indicates your question. Post questions *ONLY* after reading the Q&A from top to bottom. Those questions can/will/may be answered by one of many experienced users including the author of the program, aka "dvd2svcd". Those questions and answers will be, from time to time, moved up into the following Q&A Post.

For the record: The author of this program does not encourage or condone the use of DVD2SVCD for anything other than the legitimate backing up of DVDs that are legally purchased.

Current maintainers (as of Jul 8, 2001) of this Q&A are DVD2SVCD**, gerti67*, markrb*, Mozart* & Chainsaw135* (*) have no official affiliation with the author(**), or the program (DVD2SVCD) other than as a volunteer helpers.

If any of you see a post with a good question and answer you think would be a good addition just reply with a link to point to it and we will pick it up. Plz, occasionally take a few seconds and help out with this!

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Problem Reports
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Please respect the fact that the author likes to write code, not email

Hang Out DOOM9s DVD2SVCD Forum - Anything you need to know about ALL aspects of the video backup scene, and a huge software library and forum, can be found on the DOOM9 web-site

Minimum System Requirements - PIII or Athlon. 128 ram barely functions. 256 ram is enough. 384 is better if you want to use your computer while DVD2SVCD work. Be aware CCE 2.5 is very particular on what processors it supports. Go to the Cinema Craft Website for more information. PIIs are not supported.

Note you will need LOTS of free space on your hard disk drive(s). Ripping a DVD could take anything up to 8GB or so. The conversion process may then need anything from a further 8GB for a two-disk (S)VCD or up to 18GB for a DVD R/RW.

Software
DVD2SVCD Website and Archives
DVD2SVCD Homepage

If you don't get the bundle remember and get the additional software also found on DVD2SVCD's homepage

----------------------
From the author:
The only reason that dvd2svcd works as it does and perhaps makes your life a bit easier, is because dvd2svcd is standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Without people like Maven, Jakei, Brent Beyeler, Midas, Naoki Shibata, Hard Code, Wimpy, Hiroyuki Hori, MPEG2Dec author (?), Custom Technology, SubMux author (?), Ben Rudiak-Gould, Edwin Van Eggelen, Avery Lee, Herbert Valerio Riedel, Nautilus, Wizard, Dividee, shh, DSPguru and people like Doom9 and his loyal forum members (doom9.net), DVD2SVCD would be nothing. Thank the above programmers, they're the real brains. Special thanks to Dividee for helping find the subtitle bug.
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Doom9 DVD2SVCD Guide



Q&A:

Q1: What is DVD2SVCD? What exactly is it used for?
A: DVD2SVCD automates the complex multiple steps, and the very latest techniques, to backup DVDs to CDRs for later playing on a standalone DVD player (that supports playing VCD/SVCDs). DVD2SVCD supports all steps from extracting the video information from the DVD, to the final creation of ready to burn to CDR the popular .bin/.cue format files (CDrwin/Fireburer/Nero/others).
Difficult requirements like multiple audio tracks and multiple subtitles are all automated for the less experienced user.
DVD2SVCD even has a NTSC to PAL conversion feature.

Q2: What commercial software is required?
A: As of verion 1.0.7 no commercial tools is necessary. You can use all versions of TMPGenc (including the older versions which are freeware). However, the general opinion is that Cinema Craft Encoder delivers the best quality when converting to SVCD and is recommended to use. The recommended version is Cinema Craft Encoder version 2.50 (2.6x can be used too. Have a look at Q44) and only the English version. The reason that it is best to use the old version is that it's the latest version that supports .AVS script files. The quality of this version is equal to the latter versions. Don`t use any language patch. If there's a Cinemacraft logo in your output file you're using the demo version of CCE SP. While it is fully functional it encodes a logo into the videostream. To get rid of it you have to buy the full version.

Q3: Are all Cinema Craft encoding modes supported?
A: SVCD modes for VBR, VBR multipass and CBR are supported.

Q4: How long does the whole process take?
A: DVD2SVCD uses the latest AviSynthMMX/Mpeg2Dec YUV2 frame serving techniques. This is presently the fastest method available. The CCE step will generally run between 0.30 and 1.60 realtime depending on processor speed. The whole process time length depends of CCE/frameserving settings, number of audio tracks encoded, speed of DVD-ram while ripping and number of subtitles tracks to rip. Normally most users use 3 or 4 passes in CCE settings to get "like DVD" results. So, if using 3 pass, three times your machine's realtime capability, plus audio encoding time, plus DVD extraction plus subtitle extraction, will have you ready to burn your cdrs.
Example: A 2GHz Pentium 4 consistently shows 1.4-1.6 RT. This varies with the aspect ratio of the disk being backed up, but normally, If the movie has 2 hours of time lenght, it completes the 3 pass - which actualy is a vaf_creation+3=4 pass - process in 6 to 5 hours. CBR mode is single pass. It can provide a whole encoding faster than real-time but most agree quality will be slightly less than multipass, unless the bitrate is very high. This is a better option for slower than 800MHz machines. DVD2SVCD can work while you sleep

Q5: Will using DVD2SVCD cure my Fast Forward and seeking problems in my standalone DVD player?
A: Assuming these functions are properly implemented in your standalone player (not all are done correctly) the final CDR should play fine and all, or most, of the features you were having problems with should work correctly. VCDImager (supported in DVD2SVCD) do a good job in following the proper specifications. Many of you using Nero to directly create your SVCDs that have had problems may find your problems have vanished. Example: On DDogg's Apex-703, FForward (2,4,8X), FReverse, slow frame, seeking, repeat AB segment, and time indicator now work perfectly, with no problems, for the first time, thus preventing the aformentioned Apex-703 from being thrown against the wall and dying an untimely death. :-)

Q6: My SVCD won't play right on my PC. Is something wrong with the my encode?
A: Probably not. Always burn a copy and try on your standlone player before becoming concerned. Less experienced users may not have the correct playback filters on their PC. One indicator of the problem is when the audio seems out of sync by a large margin on NTSC backups. Try installing PowerDVD or WinDVD, and then test playback. Special filters are installed with these products that allow NTSC svcds with the pulldown flag set to play correctly using software playback on your PC.

Q7: I don’t want to use your average bitrate calculation, how do I override it to use my own?
A: Just type in the same average bitrate you want to use in both "Max. avg. box" and "Min. avg. box" in the Bitrate Tab. This is not recommended unless you are experienced and have a special need.

Q8: The colors of the subtitles isn’t right, what can I do about that?
A: When the Subtitle preview window is shown you have a column called Palette. Press the button in that column to change the Palette.

Q9: I don’t want any Subtitles in the first stream of my SVCD but I want it to start from stream 2. How can I do that?
A: Also in the subtitle preview window. In the row where the "Subtitle Stream No." is 1 press the Dropdown button and select "Deselect". It is also in that column you can switch or add subtitle streams. It's the button to the right in the "Subtitle Stream No." column. You get this when the subtitle window (preview) pops up.

Q10: I have encoded a PAL movie but the encoded movie is filled with interlaced lines. What can be done about that?
A: Some PAL movies are Telecined (especially in Australia) and there has to be performed a 2:2 pulldown. Just select "SepareFields/SelectEvery(PAL)" in the "deinterlace" pulldown, in Conversion tab. However, mostly you don't have to worry about interlaced movies, as they usually plays perfectly using a standalone player + tv, the interlaced lines will only occur on the pc. However, there is a way to maintain the interlaced footage and get very good quality by unchecking zigzag and progressive in the Encoder Tab under CCE Advanced Settings. And most importantly use an Aspect Ratio of 4:3 (no borders) in the conversion tab.

Q11: The aspect ratio of the encoded video looks wrong. How do I fix that?
A: This should not be happening. DVD2SVCD uses the information from the VOB file to preset the Aspect Ratio, but unfortunately the VOB file is sometimes wrong. You can change to the right Aspect Ratio in the Conversion tab (4:3 or 16:9).
It is highly recommended you verify the Aspect Ratio before beginning the process by reading the specs of the DVD on the jacket or online like Amazon.com. You can also rip and encode a short vob chapter using "rip with internal routines" and choosing the chapter in "time length" dropdown in conversion tab, and openning the bbmpeg_file.mpg with windows media player to verify if it is ok.
Have a look at this thread to know a lot of things about aspect ratio of DVD, SVCD and TV.

Q12: How does your Audio Selection work?
A: In the Audio Tab you can select up to 2 audio streams. If dvd2svcd can’t find Priority Audio 1 it will look for the audio stream you’ve selected in priority 2. Besides that it also selects the AC3 stream which has the most channels to get the best surround quality.

Q13: Why should I use "autodetect azid gain (2 pass)"?
A: One complete prepass is needed to allow an accurate required gain calculation. This is a good use of time and so should always be used. If accurate gain is not important to you, deactivate auto gain and put a number between 5 and 3 in the value box. This will save you the few minutes of the prepass at the cost of dead accurate gain.

Q14: Do I have to use downsampling and convert 48 to 44.1?
A: Not at all. However, downsampling you will have a SVCD compliant audio stream, which may be mandatory if you have a SVCD standalone player.
There is a terrific increase of encoding speed when you don't use downsampling.

These are two real examples:

i) The machine is a PIII 600MHz, 128MB ram. The ratio (movie time length)/(audio encoding time)=MTL/AET=RTaudio is equal to 2.261 without downsampling, and 1.403 with downsampling on. Thus, in this slow machine, there is an increase of 61% of time. If the movie has MTL=120 minutes, it will spend AET=53 minutes without downsampling, and AET=85 minutes with downsampling, for each audio track;

ii) The machine is an Athlon XP 1600+. The movie is Fast and Furious (MTL=107 minutes) with downsampling it took 25min 16 secs (RTaudio=7.262) and without downsampling 14mins 44secs (RTaudio=4.235)...a difference of 10mins 32seconds (71%) longer.

So the recommendation is: Do not downsample, to save anywhere from 10mins to 1hour in processing time.

Q15: "VStrip gets only 4 out of 5 vobs??.."
A: VStrip does it's own cutting at 1024 kb, that means that you cannot compare it to what other rippers do. To check if it has done the job correctly, load the vobfiles into dvd2avi, and move the slider at the bottom to the end and see if it doesn't indeed have it all ripped.

Q16: I have encoded a movie with subtitles, but no subtitles are shown when I play the movie. Why?
A: The subtitles only work on Standalone DVD Players that supports SVCD and/or CVD - aka China Video Disc - Subtitles. As of now there are no Software players that supports SVCD/CVD Subtitles [Update - Media Player Classic now supports CVD and SVCD subs]. An option is to use "permanent subtitles".

Q17: I've created a SVCD with subtitles, but the subtitles do not appear to play correctly in my standalone player.
A: First, verify your standalone player supports subtitles. Download one/all of these following samples:
NTSC with CVD style subtitles. This sample has also a nice Menu, so you can test PBC features also;
PAL with CVD style subtitles;
NTSC with SVCD style subtitles.
They are known to work correctly. Burn to CDR and verify whether they play correctly. If they do play correctly but the output made with DVD2SVCD does not play correctly, please provide further feedback.

Last edited by Nick; 20th July 2004 at 19:48.
 
Old 12th October 2001, 20:10   #2  |  Link
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Continued........

Q18: Which version of DVD2AVI should I use?
A: It must be the modified version 1.76 (CLI 1.0.4) with command line support. Download it at dvd2svcd homepage. [better to use bundle only, do not change versions of software. We will put a Voodoo curse on you, your dog, and your goldfish]

Q19: When dvd2svcd is saving the subtitle timecodes it says file not found?
A: You haven't entered any destination directory for subtitles.

Q20: Wah! It doesn't work. Leap through 10,000 miles, read my mind, take over my body and fix it for me because I can't be bothered to read the basic trouble shooting skills guide and the Q&A.
A: Spend a few minutes thinking before asking questions on the board and title your post wisely. If you use exclamation marks or CAPS we will delete your post.
Try basic things like opening the project (d2v) file in DVD2AVI v 1.76 and see if it will preview by pressing F5. Play the AVS file in media player and see if you *see* video (don't worry if it is slow or jerky) or get a red error line in the top of the screen. If media player doesn`t work, re download the software bundle, or at least the huffy codec on the website. The bundle has huffy in it and will install it. This should fix your problem.
Read all semi recent posts before asking a question. Treat us with respect and you will be treated with respect.

Q21: When doing NTSC is force film selected in DVD2AVI? (might be a problem for animes, etc)
A: Most probably only if the movie comes from a film. However, if you select force film in DVD2AVI tab, it will be used, of course.

Q22: Can dvd2svcd do an inverse telecine on telecined (not real deinterlace) video sources?
A: There is a fuller and robust auto mode solution that attemps to deal with these type of video sources via the use of an Inverse Telecine plugin. It will not always be successful, but in general, should give good results. Be aware it *will* slow down the encode significantly (almost by 30-40%).

Q23: Which program does the 48 -> 44.1KHz downsampling?
A: SSRC.dll, under BeSweet command.

Q24: My audio and video are not synced
A: This rarely happens. The most common reason is when a DVD have been ripped with an external ripper (like Smartripper). Always us internal routines when possible. (In the new DVD2SVCD versions, you can select "Rip Only" and convert the ripped vob files later). Another reason could be that a trailer is as the first chapter on the DVD (like Swordfish).

Q25: I want to know if I can get DVD2SVCD to bypass adding borders as I have an unusual need.
A: Easy, just select the 4:3 option, then no borders will be added. Again, do *not* do this on a 16:9 encode unless you have some oddball need and know *exactly* what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Q26: DVD2SVCD stops at the CCE stage/CCE 2.5 doesn't seem to run on my machine.
A: See minimum system requirements above. PII are not supported. Also, older, slower machines seem to be problematic as well as machines with under 256 ram.

Q27: I get this strange Checksum error from CCE 2.5 when it runs...
A:There is a crc patch floating around for cce 2.5. Try google.

Q28: The process stops when DVD2AVI is supposed to run
A: Sometimes DVD2AVI has to be run *once* manually to register the vfapi module. This should not be the case if the software bundle is used but try doing this if you have a problem like this. Unless you changed it, the software bundle will have installed dvd2avi in C:\program files\dvd2svcd\dvd2avi. Run the executable manually once.

Q29: I used special characters like ( ) [ ] % 1 2 3 001 4 5 6 7 8 9 in my output folder name
A: Don't use these. These characters can be source of problems at least for bbmpeg. Due to sheer number of programs utilized in DVD2SVCD bundle it's better to just stick to your ABC's lest you like to gamble with your time.

Q30: My machine has a Via Chipset and seems slow
A: "Home Skillet" - What motherboard do you have? if you can find out that it has a kt133, kt133a, kt266, kt266a, kt333 or the kt400 chipset then you need to download the VIA 4-in-1 drivers ver. 4.37 (latest) from your motherboard manufacturer. I had a problem with my via chipset where all of my drives were not set in DMA mode. When I installed the 4-in-1 my DVD and CDRW drives used DMA modes and everything was much faster.

Q31: How can I make the background of the Permanent Subtitles Transparent?
A: Choose a number between 0-15 in the background blend column. 0=Invisible 15=Solid. 7 would be a good choice for gray transparency

Q32: Why, does DVD2SVCD not follow the size constraints in the bitrate tab? I.E. My movie is under x time. The size constraints says it should be on 2 cds but I get 3
A: Uncheck min avg. and you could try setting min. bitrate to 0.

Q33: What do I do if dvd2svcd freezes when analyzing video (after you load an ifo from a dvd) or if the Authentication fails?
A: Install the appropriate ASPI drivers for your system. Download it from here

Q34 Removed
A:

Q35: How do I find title pictures?
A: No longer works automatically since IMDB changed their database workings.
Q36: Could you please explain how dvd2svcd uses the bitrate tab in details?
A: What dvd2svcd do to calculate the avg. bitrate:

1. DVD2SVCD starts CCE and load the avs file and save the project file (ecl) and closes CCE again.
2. DVD2SVCD opens the project file, and it finds the number of frames and the framerate in that project file.
3. Using the frames and the framerate dvd2svcd calculates the number of minutes the movie is.
4. Using the minutes, dvd2svcd goes through each line in the bitrate tab. When it finds the line where the minutes are between X and XX minutes dvd2svcd get's the number of cd's and the cd size it should use.
5. DVD2SVCD then uses minutes, number of cds and the cd size to calculate the highest bitrate to fill the number of cd's to the limit.
6. DVD2SVCD calculates the avg. bitrate, modifies the Project file, runs CCE loads the Project file into CCE and starts encoding.

Example PAL movie:

After loading the Project file dvd2svcd determines that the number of frames are 155547 and a framerate of 25 fps.

Minutes = 155547 / 25 = 6221,88 seconds = Rounded to 104 minutes

Line used in the DEFAULT bitrate tab will be line 4 since the number of minutes is between 100 and 120 minutes. So the number of cds to be used are 2 and the size of the cd's are 800 each.

As you can see from the above I now have all the figures needed to calculate the bitrate to be used to fill 2 cd's of 800 mb.

------

The Max. and Min. down below of the bitrate tab are fixed values used as is in CCE. Those values are used by CCE to do the VBR calculation of each frame. Hence using many bits on complex frames and vice versa.

The Max. Avg. and Min. Avg. are boundary values. If the Min. Avg. is checked the calculated bitrate will never go below the entered number. And the calculated bitrate will never go above the Max. Avg. bitrate. That means has the side effect that if you have a movie of eg. 77 minutes it will not fill 2 * 740 completely because the calculated bitrate will be above the Max. Avg. bitrate and you will only get one filled CD and one 3/4 filled (or so).

Q37: Can I use my computer at all during the SVCD creation process?
A:Yes. You can also, in winXP, to "switch users".

Q38: What is a CCE RT of 0.7 or 1.2, etc.?
A:These numbers means "real time". I.e.: if the movie has 100min of time length, and CCE shows "speed: 0.500 RT", this means that each pass will use 100/0.500=200 min from the begin to the end of CCE work. If you are using multipass, CCE will use (1+number_of_passes) times 200 to end its work. To increase the speed, you can try 1passVBR with Qfactor=1 plus temporalsmooter (TS)turned on. You can use CBR with TS also.

A real example: 83min movie with CCE RT of 1.62 (AMD 1600+) video took 4hrs 16mins video encoding portion doing 4 pass vbr. 83min / 1.62 RT = 51.2 mins
51.2 x 5 (4 pass + .vaf) = 256min (4 hrs 16mins)

Q39: Can I overburn on 90 min CD-R discs?
A:http://www.disc4you.com/news/99min.html
http://www.vcdhelp.com/cdrewriterscomparison.htm
Just put in 900 in the bitrate tab for 90min cd if your cd-burner supports it.

Q40: Where can I see what is being developed in the next version/build?
A:Here: http://212.88.77.140/Readme.txt

Q41: HOWTO combine/encode 2 disc DVD set as one movie. 1.08.1 or above only. See Note

IMPORTANT Note!: There is the possibility of A/V sync issues due to a bug in in DVD2AVI. Adding extras or doing seperate episodes are most likely to have this issue, but regular movies can have this problem as well. If you are having A/V sync problems check the chapters of the DVD and make sure there are no chapters that do not have any length to them. If so and they are the first or last chapters re-rip the DVD without these chapters. If this does not fix the problem or this does not apply to your DVD then the only way to encode this will be to treat each side as a different DVD.

A:1. Start DVD2SVCD as normal on the first side/disc by selecting the normal IFO file.
2. Make sure ripping is checked
3. Select Rip only on the GO button drop down and rip each side\disc to serperate directories.
4. Rename the second set of VOB files so that their file names are the same as the first set of vobs, but numbered sequentially one number higher then the first set of VOB's...(EX. VTS_01_03.VOB(highest first set), VTS_01_04.VOB(new lowest second set)
5. Move the second set of VOB files to where the first set is and you can now delete the second directory.
6. Start DVD2SVCD and uncheck ripping.
7. Select the IFO file off the HD from the first directory and continue as normal.

Alternate method
1. Get DVDDecryptor from Doom9.org
2. Rip disc one into a temp1 directory.
3. Rip disc 2 into temp2 directory
4. Find the highest number VOB file in temp1 (ex.. VTS_01_6.VOB)
5. Rename all VOB files in temp2 1 number higher then highest in temp1. If your last Vob in temp 1 is named VTS_01_4.vob make sure the first vob from temp 2 is renamed to VTS_01_5.vob and the rest up one number from that.
6. Move all VOB's from temp2 into temp1.
7. erase temp2.
The following is to try and avoid a potential out of sync issue with SmartRipper
8. Start DVD2SVCD and make sure DVD ripping is checked.
9. Select IFO file from temp1
10. Make sure output directory is NOT temp1
11. Procede as normal remembering time listed is NOT correct, but this will not make a difference to DVD2SVCD.
12. After DVD2SVCD has finished ripping you may delete temp1 directory.

DVD Chapters will not work on the video from the second side/disc using this method. To avoid not having chapters use fixed chapters instead.

Q42: I'm trying to use subtitles, but I cannot see any buttons in the subtitles window pop-up. Why?
A:
some buttons are not displayed if you have "Large Font" instead of "Small Font" or "normal font". Go to 'Control Panel'/'Display Properties'/'Parameters'/'Advanced'/'General'/'Font Size' to fix it.

Q43: I sometime notice a Matrix tab in DVD2SVCD 1.0.6 B2 and higher. Sometimes it is not there. What gives?
A:
DVD2SVCD 1.0.6 B2 and higher automatically sense the version of CCE selected in the file path in the CCE tab. If D2S determines that CCE 2.62 or CCE 2.64 (not recommended)is selected it will add the matrix tab for your convenience (the label to the left of path line will continue to say "Cinema Craft Encoder 2.5"). If it determines CCE 2.5 is selected the matrix tab will not be present.
Note: To use version CCE 2.62 or CCE 2.64 of CCE you must check the "safe mode VFAPI" checkbox in the CCE tab.

Q44: So, does Q43 mean I can't use a selectable matrix if I am using CCE 2.50 SP?
A:
No. Actualy, you can. To select a matrix to be used by CCE 2.50SP you must use a version of the TSUNAMI patch utility (see Google) to patch the matrix into CCE 2.50SP. While D2S will not outwardly give any indication of this matrix patch, rest assured it will be used for the encoding and multiplexing phase of the D2S process.

Last edited by Nick; 27th January 2005 at 20:08.
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Old 26th February 2002, 21:41   #3  |  Link
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Q45: How fast should I burn the .bin/.cue files?
A:"A recorder capable of a maximum speed of 24x is optimized for recording at this speed. Recording at lower speeds means that the recording process lasts longer, thus generating more heat, which lowers the quality of the final cd and stresses the drive.
On the other hand, a drive of lower quality may not perform well at its maximum speed due to a number of reasons. Bad design resulting in mechanical instability when the blank cd rotates at 24x may be one.
To summarize, a quality drive will not have any problem operating at its highest speed, using a media which allows such speed. On the contrary, its maximum speed is also the optimal one. However, a drive of lower quality may show an erratic behaviour, obliging its user to select a lower speed, especially for audio cds, VCDs and SVCDs."(quoted from this place. Here and here you can find some more technical examples, showing that using a certified media the average number of C1 decrease while using higher speed).
Thus, if you have burned faster and have any problems please try again at a slower speed. If you are new to DVD2SVCD always make your first SVCD's burnning at 4X. Next time, try 8X, and then 12X, and then... until you are certain that you have reached the highest speed allowed by your drive/media/computer with no problems with the SVCD's.
Be sure that you have been warned that burning at any higher than 4X can and does cause playback problems for some people.

Q46: How can I encode just one (some) chapter(s) - for testing purposes for example?
A: That's pretty easy if you're using the internal routines from DVD2SVCD for the ripping step.
1. Start DVD2SVCD and go to "DVD Rip" tab.
2. Make sure "Activate DVD ripping" is enabled and "Use Internal routines" is ticked also.
3. If you re-rip previously ripped *.vob files (e.g. ripped with Smartripper or DVD Decrypter) from your harddrive then make sure to specify a directory for the "Rip to folder" path that is different from the one that holds your already ripped *.vob files.
4. Go to "Conversion" tab and load the appropriate *.ifo file from harddisk or from the DVD by hitting the button with the folder symbol or the one with the CD symbol on it.
5. After the *.ifo file is loaded and parsed by DVD2SVCD the "Movie length" pulldown will show the total time of the selected movie.
6. Click on the "Movie length" pulldown and a little window titled "Select chapters" will appear.
7. Now mark only those chapters you want to convert with DVD2SVCD - you should hit the "None" button first to unmark all chapters - just makes it easier.
8. Now close the "Select chapters" window by hitting the "X" button and the cumulated time of all marked chapters should appear in the "Movie length" pulldown.
9. Hit the "Go!" button to start the encode of only the selected chapter(s).

Some hint: You can use this method to do a "ripping-by-chapters" encode of your DVDs. Just select about the first half of the chapters if going for two CDs and follow the above instructions. So you can convert a DVD in two steps after doing the same with the second half of the chapters. Another advantage is you will have a split point that is at the end/beginning of a chapter like it is on the DVD and not during a conversation or an action scene.

Some remark: The correctly re-ripping of the *.vob files in order to encode only some chapter(s) might fail if you have used any other ripper than the built in routines or vStrip support for ripping the *.vob files to your hard disk.

Q47: I just have x number of DVDs and I just want to rip them. I want to process the ripped vob files later?
A: Just start DVD2SVCD as normal. Activate internal ripping. When DVD2SVCD starts ripping the first vob file, press the X upper right corner (close) and answer YES, to close DVD2SVCD. DVD2SVCD will finish the ripping and when it's done it'll close the program. When you're ready to process the ripped vob files, disable the ripping.

Q48: I have been having sync and other problems with VOB files I have ripped with another ripper, like SmartRipper?
A: Always use the internal routines or the built in Vstrip unless you have no other choice. SmartRipper and other rippers are known to cause issues occasionally with DVD2SVCD.

Q49: Does DVD2SVCD support dual processors?
A: DVD2SVCD is a frontend to multiple steps. Most of these steps don't support multiple processors, in fact only CCE and TMPG do. The good thing about this is that the most time consuming process, video encoding, is performed by one of these two programs. On the downside, these programs rely on the frame serving by avisynth. Avisynth, sadly, does NOT support dual processors.
Practically, this means that:
1) when encoding with CCE, speed is mostly limited by avisynth. Avisynth is using 50% of your cpu resources, CCE only needs about 10-15%. Speed will be faster compared to a single processor pc, but not that much.
2) when encoding with the not so fast program TMPG, speed is limited by both avisynth and TMPG. Most of the time 100% of your cpu resources will be used. Speed will be a lot faster compared to a single processor pc, but it will still be slower than encoding with CCE.
3) This does aid in your ability to use your computer for other tasks while DVD2SVCD is running.
4) Of course, your OS must support dual processors, NT, 2000, XP only.
- thanks to da franksta

Q50: I'm using Iauthor, which creates cif image files. However, I would like to use bin/cue image files instead of cif. What should I do?
A:
Dowload the latest BETA version of cdmage (1.02.1 beta 5). Extract it and open DVD2SVCD. Go to "finalize" tab, enable "use cdmage", and put its path. Now DVD2SVCD will make cif to bin/cue convertion automatically. Note: to use CDmage manually remember to choose mode2/2352

Q51: I have installed DVD2SVCD, but I keep getting errors that programs cannot be found.
A: Make sure you have installed a full bundled version and not just an upgrade to a full version. Full versions usually are greater then 5mb in size. Upgrades are much smaller. Sometimes only upgrades to a build are released. In this case download the latest full bundle and the latest upgrade, install the full bundle and then install the upgrade over the bundle without uninstalling the full bundle first. Upgrades are cumulative, meaning that there is no need to download every upgrade to get to the level you want, just get the latest one.

Q52: My audio and video are out of sync from a DVD I ripped is there something to try right away?
A: Check to see if this applies to you first. Select internal routines to rip, click on the time shown on the conversion tab and see if the first chapter has a 0 value. If it does uncheck it and start over.

Q53: My computer seems to crash at random when using dvd2svcd?
A: DVD2SVCD is using some pretty system intensive programs like BeSweet and CCE. Usually these crashes is hardware related, mostly it's the memory that fails, but also Overclocking is known to be an issue. Try any of the many tools for memory testing or Downclock your computer.
Memtest 86
Prime 95

Last edited by Nick; 12th June 2004 at 12:09.
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Old 18th April 2002, 05:27   #4  |  Link
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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.
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Old 16th May 2002, 09:56   #5  |  Link
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Q61: What is the best/safest way to burn a SVCD?
A: For those of you that have this down pat please disregard. This post is targeted at the zillion people that seem to have constant problems burning an SVCD disk. It is designed to provide a foolproof way to burn a SVCD to a disk that even the newest person can understand.

OK, all of you have a disk copy program, right?. By that I am referring to any of the simple disk to disk programs available like Nero, cdrwin, clonecd, etc. They are tried and true when it comes to copying one disk to another, however, sometimes they, or the user, might have problems when attempting the direct burn of a cue/bin to disk. So we will use the straight disk copy portion of one of these programs, along with Daemon tools to do a straight copy of the disk.

Get this and install it:
http://www.daemon-tools.cc/dtcc/down...tegory&catid=5

This basic tool, along with WinDvd or PowerDVD, is a MUST have for ANYBODY that does SVCDs.

Daemon Tools creates a "virtual" cdrom on your PC. This new drive is available to Windows just as if it were a physical disk drive.

It, and windvd or powerdvd, should always be used to preview your disk image before you attempt to burn a disk.

In a nutshell, right click on the icon Daemon tools installs in your tray. Select Virtual CD/DVD-ROM > Device > mount image and choose your CUE file from the file selector (see notes below if you have any problem doing this). At this stage it is as if you had inserted a properly burned SVCD in a physical drive. You can use WinDvd or, most of the time, the latest PowerDVD (old ones won't work), to preview the disk.

Now just run Nero, or whatever, and select a standard disk copy with the virtual drive as your source and the burner as your destination. Burn the damn disk. You should be able to use "on the fly" with no problems as the read speed from the virual drive is mega fast.

If this does not work you have other problems you need to deal with like your aspi layer.

Notes:
  1. Mounting a disk in Daemon tools is normally foolproof unless you have a an incorrect path header in your cue file. If so, open the cue file in notepad and fix it. For Cue/bins created with later versions of DVD2SVCD this should never be a problem, even if you have moved the cue/bins to another directory. If you have changed the name of the cue/bin you will have to change the header in the cue file to the new name. Don't worry, it is easy and it is obvious where to change it.
  2. You will need to select "unmount all drives" before you attempt to delete the cue/bin after a successful burn (or mount something else)as the bin/cue will be locked from deletion.
  3. Although not free as is Daemon Tools, Fantom CD might be of interest to you also. I believe it has a copy program built in?
    http://fantomcd.copystar.com.tw/enu/
  4. So, you have .cif files to burn? See Mozarts Q&A #50: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.ph...1355#post91355

Last edited by Nick; 31st January 2008 at 22:56.
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Old 18th May 2002, 02:06   #6  |  Link
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Q62: My converted DivX/AVI files show up wrong (stretched/squeezed) on TV. What's wrong with the AVI2SVCD feature?
A:
The resizing with the AVI2SVCD feature may sometimes be not correct when converting DivX/AVI files due to the huge amount of AVI codecs around. Here is a way to correctly resize those AVIs manually in case DVD2SVCD fails in doing so.

A common DivX/AVI display size for example is 640x272 pixels. To resize this DivX/AVI correctly to SVCD you have to resize it to 480 x 576 pixels for PAL and 480 x 480 pixels for NTSC but you have to take into consideration the different pixel aspect ratios of a PC monitor and a PAL/NTSC TV. Monitor pixels have a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1 (y:x) but TV pixels are not square! The TV pixel aspect ratio for PAL is 54:59 and 11:10 for NTSC.

To keep it simple use the following formulas to calculate the correct resizing parameters for your DivX/AVI to show up correctly on your TV and to keep the correct aspect ratio.

For example your DivX/AVI has a display size of 640 x 272 pixels (Pixels_X x Pixels_Y).

1) For NTSC TV sets:

Calculated height = ((720 / Pixels_X) x Pixels_Y) / (11 / 10)
e.g. ((720 / 640) x 272) / (11 / 10) = 278,18
So the correct "Resize" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,278)
...

If you want to make a anamorphic SVCD instead of a letterboxed SVCD then you have to correct your calculated height with the factor of (4 / 3) = 1.33
e.g. 278,18 x (4 / 3) = 370,66
So the correct "Resize" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,370)
...

Note: You should always round up/down to even numbers - this might not be absolutely correct but this little aspect ratio error is usually not visible. And it is better if they can be divided by 4 or even better by 16 to let some CPU MMX optimizations kick in.

Then you have to add borders on top and bottom to fill up to 480 pixels.

Correct borders = (480 - Calculated height) / 2
e.g. (480 - 278) / 2 = 101 when doing a letterboxed SVCD
So the correct "AddBorders" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,278)
AddBorders(0,101,0,101)
...

2) For PAL TV sets:

Calculated height = ((720 / Pixels_X) x Pixels_Y) / (54 / 59)
e.g. ((720 / 640) x 272) / (54 / 59) = 334,33
So the correct "Resize" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,334)
...

If you want to make a anamorphic SVCD instead of a letterboxed SVCD then you have to correct your calculated height with the factor of (4 / 3) = 1.33
e.g. 334,33 x (4 / 3) = 445,77
So the correct "Resize" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,446)
...

Note: You should always round up/down to even numbers - this might not be absolutely correct but this little aspect ratio error is usually not visible. And it is better if they can be divided by 4 or even better by 16 to let some MMX optimizations kick in.

Then you have to add borders on top and bottom to fill up to 576 pixels.

Correct borders = (576 - Calculated height) / 2
e.g. (576 - 334) / 2 = 121 when doing a letterboxed SVCD
So the correct "AddBorders" statement in the AviSynth script would be for example:
...
SimpleResize(480,334)
AddBorders(0,121,0,121)
...

So all you have to do is:
- to know the exact display size of your source DivX/AVI file (Mediaplayer/Properties/Details)
- calculate the correct height values for your destination TV standard
- tick the "Edit as part of Video encoding" option in "Frameserver" tab
- start the conversion and wait for the AviSynth script window to show up
- manually edit the AviSynth script like described above
- continue the conversion by hitting the "OK" button

This procedure does not apply to DV AVI sources - they will show up correctly with the AVI2SVCD option.

Q63: I don't like the (big) black borders. How can I make my 2.35:1 (1.85:1) movie look like a 1.85:1 (4:3) movie?
A:
You can actually do that in DVD2SVCD by editing the AviSynth script manually. Start your conversion with DVD2SVCD as usual but make sure you have ticked the "Edit when dvd2avi is done" option in "Frameserver" tab before you hit the "Go!" button.

When the DVD2AVI processing is done a little window with the AviSynth script will appear. Edit and change it like this:

1) To convert a PAL 2.35:1 (1.85:1) anamorphic DVD to a SVCD that looks like a 1.85:1 (4:3) DVD, make your script look like this:
...
Crop(90,0,540,576) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(480,576) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(0,72,0,72) <= delete this line if present
...

2) To convert a NTSC 2.35:1 (1.85:1) anamorphic DVD to a SVCD that looks like a 1.85:1 (4:3) DVD, make your script look like this:
...
Crop(90,0,540,480) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(480,480) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(0,60,0,60) <= delete this line if present
...

3) To convert a PAL 2.35:1 (1.85:1) letterboxed DVD to a SVCD that looks like a 1.85:1 (4:3) DVD, make your script look like this:
...
Crop(90,72,540,432) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(480,576) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(0,72,0,72) <= delete this line if present
...

4) To convert a NTSC 2.35:1 (1.85:1) letterboxed DVD to a SVCD that looks like a 1.85:1 (4:3) DVD, make your script look like this:
...
Crop(90,60,540,360) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(480,480) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(0,60,0,60) <= delete this line if present
...

Then hit the "OK" button of the AviSynth script window and the conversion process will continue as usual but you will end up with a 2.35:1 (1.85:1) movie converted to 1.85:1 (4:3) looking movie.

But be aware, with method 3) and 4) the source gets stretched vertically too (from 432/360 pixels height to 576/480 pixels height) so it is recommended to use the BicubicResize method because the SimpleResize method is not really good in stretching up and the BilinearResize also but still better than the SimpleResize. All in all you also loose some picture information from the sides of the original source and because of the upscaling the picture quality will slightly suffer.

If you want to create a anamorphic SVCD instead of a letterboxed SVCD from your anamorphic DVD sources then use method 3) and 4) instead of method 1) and 2) with your sources. But be aware picture quality will dramatically decrease in this case.

Q64: How can I avoid encoding the TV overscan area and therefore save some bitrate that would be wasted because my TV is not able to show this area?
A:
Nearly all TV sets are not capable of showing all the encoded information of a DVD/SVCD. In fact they usually can't show a 16 pixels edge around the whole movie so it is not necessary to encode this information so the bitrate is better be used on other parts.

1) For anamorphic (16:9) PAL DVD source change your AviSynth script to look like this:
...
Crop(24,0,672,576) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(448,432) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(16,72,16,72) <= add this line if not present
...

2) For anamorphic (16:9) NTSC DVD source change your AviSynth script to look like this:
...
Crop(24,0,672,480) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(448,360) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(16,60,16,60) <= add this line if not present
...

3) For 4:3 (letterboxed) PAL DVD source change your AviSynth script to look like this:
...
Crop(24,16,672,544) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(448,544) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(16,16,16,16) <= add this line if not present
...

4) For 4:3 (letterboxed) NTSC DVD source change your AviSynth script to look like this:
...
Crop(24,16,672,448) <= insert this line
SimpleResize(448,448) <= this line depends on the resize method used
AddBorders(16,16,16,16) <= add this line if not present
...

Note: With anamorphic (16:9) DVD sources it is not necessary to crop 16 pixels from the top and the bottom because usually there's already some black borders with a 2.35:1 movie and with a 1.85:1 movie it is not good either because due to the anamorphic format you will loose some picture information if you have a 4:3 TV set and your standalone DVD player does the letterboxing.

Also, be aware that you will have some black borders on the left and the right when using a software DVD player - so this method should only be used if you just watch your SVCDs on your TV set.

Last edited by gerti67; 21st July 2002 at 16:14.
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Old 9th June 2002, 08:02   #7  |  Link
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Q65: DVD2SVCD fails witk IO Error 87 when extracting the Audio (or subtitles), how can I avoid this?
A:
The error happens because you've ripped to one big vob file. Don't do that. Use dvd2svcd to rip the movie with instead.

Q66: What are the good and bad points of CBR and VBR encoding?
A:
In short CBR has two advantages.

1. It's quicker
2. It guarantee's consistent quality throughout.

CBR has disadvantages:

1. Wastes bits on scenes that don't need them.
2. Can force you to use a lower bitrate in complex scenes for the same amount of space as VBR.

VBR has the following advantages:

1. Space is better used.
2. Uses more bits in complex scenes where needed.

VBR has the following disadvantages:

1. Slow
2. Can make mistakes and not use enough bits in complex scenes. (The amount of errors decrease with each pass until around 4 where it no longer has much to do.)

In short there is no reason to use VBR if your Avg bitrate of a CBR encode will be around the same as your MAX bitrate of a VBR encode for the same number of cd's and video length. The more these start to seperate the more reason there is to use VBR.

Q67: How Do I convert PAL to NTSC?
A: There is no simple one click easy way to do this, but Bach has come up with a couple of methods to try that seem to work more then they do not. Be aware that this solution must be used for Progressive_PAL->NTSC conversions. If the source is PAL_interlaced, it is necessary to deinterlace at first.

there are two ways to use DVD2SVCD to do pal->ntsc conversions. A dirty (and VERY easy) way and a elegant way.

a) dirty way:
a.1) checkmark "edit as part of video encoding", in order to edit the avs file;
a.2) edit the avs including the following two lines bellow of every other line:

Code:
bilinearresize(480,480)
convertfps(29.97)
PS: there is another dirty way which is used by professional converters which works for PRIVATE (that producer of porno movies). The playback is more smooth and have less blending. You MUST encode as interlaced. You just need to edit adding the following lines:

Code:
bilinearresize(480,480)
convertfps(29.97*2)
assumeframebased()
separatefields()
selectevery(4,0,3)
weave()

b) elegant way:
b.1) repeat a.1;
b.2) include these lines
Code:
bilinearresize(480,480)
assumefps(23.976)
b.3)ok;
b.4)perform pulldown.exe after CCE's work. Stop DVD2SVCD;
b.5)correct the time length of the audio file using WLA;
b.6)rename the pulldowned file and restart DVD2SVCD from muxing and cutting.

Q68: How do I do a VCD with DVD2SVCD?
A: The easiest way would be to load the VCD-Settings.ini file that you can find in the DVD2SVCD directory. To do this simply go to the Misc Tab and click on load settings. Then select the VCD-Settings.ini file and the most common VCD settings will be there for you.

Q69: I am trying to make a XVCD and the final mpg or VCD will not play correctly or work at all. How can I avoid this?
A: When you make a XVCD and raise or lower the bitrates you will need to find the correct mux setting of BBmpeg on your own. Automatic doesn't seem to work well with VCD mpeg video. The easiest way I have found is to use the setting DVD2SVCD uses as a starting point and if your bitrate is higher then the 1150 CBR rate that a standard VCD uses then you will need to raise the force mux rate and if the bitrate is lower then you need to lower it. It may take a few tries to get it right. Watch BBmpeg and see if there are any overflow errors. If there are stop the muxing, close both DVD2SVCD and Bbmpeg, start DVD2SVCD, load the d2s file, raise the forced mux rate of BBmpeg and continue. Keep doing this until you get no errors while watching the muxing. Try and use as low a mux rate as possible while not getting any errors. Once you have found a succesful rate you can continue to use that rate as long as your future encodes use the same bitrates. As an example I have found that by using a CBR video bitrate of 1500Kbit and an audio bitrate of 224 I use a force mux rate of 4420.

Last edited by dvd2svcd; 26th February 2003 at 10:45.
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Old 26th February 2003, 10:45   #8  |  Link
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Q70: DVD2SVCD can't convert my AVI file. (sync issues, audio extraction problems, CCE/TMPGEnc crashes...) Why?
A:
I do _not_ know why. But I know how to fix the majority of problems.[list=1][*]Download and extract VirtualDUB from http://www.virtualdub.org[*]Start VirtualDUB and load the problematic AVI file.[*]In the VIDEO menu select "Direct Stream Copy"[*]Save the AVI under a new name. In the FILE menu select "Save as AVI"[*]Load the newly saved AVI into dvd2svcd and start your conversion. Usually this will fix the problem with the AVI file.[/list=1]If the method above doesn't help, try this one:[list=1][*] Open avi in VDub and verify plays in sync.[*] In Video select Direct Stream Copy[*] In Audio:
--a> Select Full Processing Mode
--b> Select Compression><No compression (PCM)>
--c> Select Conversion and make sure 48k/16bit, Check High Quality
--d> Boost volume if you need to[*] Save new Avi off to HD (PCM audio will make it much bigger so make sure you have the HD space).[*] Load saved avi back into VDub and play. Check if audio is in sync. If so goto next (6), if not stop and go to interleaving tab in audio and try to make adjustments in the delay section until in sync and then re-save as in (4)[*] Encode this new Avi as normal in Avi2SVCD.[/list=1]Q71: How do I personalize my AviSynth script without having to edit the avs file each time?

A: There are several ini files present in the dvd2svcd folder and when you customize these files you can add plugins and other options to your AviSynth script (for example a smoother). Each of these three ini files are specific to the type of videos you want to create. The DVD2SVCD.ini file is the default ini. The SVCD.ini is almost the same as the DVD2SVCD.ini and the VCD-settings.ini has specific settings for making a VCD. Any of these can be modified, but always use a COPY and not the original. How it works is explained in the readme.txt file. To quote the most important:

The special chars (^ ! § ?) is used to define what type of parameter you want, and remember each paramter must have a unique name (don't use ^threshold in two commands):
^ = Numeric Field
! = File field
§ = String Field
? = Boolean field (true / false)

This looks complicated but if you open dvd2svcd.ini in notepad you will see the following at the end:

[AVISYNTH_BicubicResize]
0=BicubicResize(^TargetWidth,^TargetHeight,^b_value,^c_value)
1=AddBorders(0,^BorderTop,0,^BorderBottom)
^b_value=0.0
^c_value=0.6

You don’t need to define the values for ^TargetWidth, ^TargetHeight, ^BorderTop and ^BorderBottom, which is done for you by DVD2SVCD.

Suppose you want to add the smoother Convolution3d (it is a Spatio-Temporal Smoother to be more precise), make sure that you download this plugin (links to this and other plugins are located in the AviSynth Q&A). The Convolution3d plugin (as can be seen in the documentation of that plugin) has one argument which must be a string, implying that we must use the section sign “§” for that (which I can’t find on my keyboard ?). Returning to your dvd2svcd.ini file: make a new section below the BicubicResize section (with the tag “Movie” or which name you prefer). First all the plugin must be loaded (the plugins can be given arbitrary names but they must begin with a “!” and will be defined later) and numbered (starting with zero) before they are used:

[AVISYNTH_Movie]
0=LoadPlugin(!Convolution3d)

Then the plugins are called in the right order (best is to smooth before any resizing):

[AVISYNTH_Movie]
0=LoadPlugin(!Convolution3d)
1=Convolution3d(§preset)
2=BicubicResize(^TargetWidth,^TargetHeight,^b_value,^c_value)
3=AddBorders(0,^BorderTop,0,^BorderBottom)

Then the paths of the plugins are defined:

[AVISYNTH_Movie]
0=LoadPlugin(!Convolution3d)
1=Convolution3d(§preset)
2=BicubicResize(^TargetWidth,^TargetHeight,^b_value,^c_value)
3=AddBorders(0,^BorderTop,0,^BorderBottom)
!Convolution3d=E:\Corrs\Convolution3D.dll

Finally the fields must be given they values (in order order how they are used):

[AVISYNTH_Movie]
0=LoadPlugin(!Convolution3d)
1=Convolution3d(§preset)
2=BicubicResize(^TargetWidth,^TargetHeight,^b_value,^c_value)
3=AddBorders(0,^BorderTop,0,^BorderBottom)
!Convolution3d=E:\Corrs\Convolution3D.dll
§preset=movieHQ
^b_value=0.0
^c_value=0.6

Save this file and keep a copy somewhere. When using DVD2SVCD you should load this file in the Misc. tab. Other examples can be found in this thread.

If you have done this right, you will be able to select this profile (which I called “Movie” here) in the Framerserver tab.

For making a DVD file often no filtering or resizing is wanted for this use the very simple blank. Put nothing in the options. The Brackets "[]" identify each section as new. So you can have other scripts after the blank one.
[Avisynth_DVD]

Q72: How do I resize to CVD?
A:
Misc. tab:
Select “Advanced (D)” in the DVD2SVCD level box.
Framesever tab:
Select “CVD (352 x 480/576) in the “Resize to” box. If you didn’t select “Advanced” in the Misc. tab you won’t see this box.


Q73: How do I make a batch file to do multiple conversions from AVI sources?

A: Thanks to ChickenMan for this superbly concise explanation over in the advanced forum:

Load in your AVI in the Conversion tab of DVD2SVCD. Set it up the way you want. Start the encode. With an AVI, the first thing it does is extract the Audio track. Wait until this is finished and shut DVD2SVCD down. Reopen it and load the next AVI in, set to a different output folder, set it up and start it also. Then shut DVD2SVCD down just after the audio is extracted.

Then make a Batch file ( I call mine BATCH.BAT ) in Notepad to read something like :

@ECHO OFF
REM DVD2SVCD Batch Control

"C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\DVD2SVCD.exe" -d2s:"C:\TEMP1\dvd2svcd project file.d2s" -run -exit
"C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\DVD2SVCD.exe" -d2s:"C:\TEMP2\dvd2svcd project file.d2s" -run -exit
"C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\DVD2SVCD.exe" -d2s:"C:\TEMP3\dvd2svcd project file.d2s" -run -shutdown

Naturally, if you installed DVD2SVCD elsewhere, change the C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\DVD2SVCD.exe to wherever you installed DVD2SVCD and the C:\TEMP1, etc to the folders you used where DVD2SVCD saved the files for each AVI. Dont forget to include the quotes "". -Shutdown on the last line instead of -Exit will shut the PC down when all is done.

NB. Please note that this only works with internal resizing up to and including version 1.2.2 Build 3. So you may not use resizing plugins such as AutoFitCD or FACAR.

It does, however, work with D2SRoBa, but instead of setting the path ion the batch file to DVD2SVCD.exe, set it to D2SRoBa.exe.
ie for a typical installation,
"C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\DVD2SVCD.exe" becomes
"C:\Program Files\DVD2SVCD\Tylo\D2SRoBa.exe" on each line.

Q74: If I have an AVI file with AC3 audio, can I retain it in AVI2DVD?

Yes, as of DVD2SVCD 1.2.2.B3 you can select "use source audio" in the Audio tab. If you choose to do this you are on your own and support will not be forthcoming in the event of problems. It is therefore up to you to determine that for each AVI you convert, the audio is compliant with DVD-video specifications. If it is not (eg MP3 audio) you may encounter problems with playback.

As this is a new feature in DVD2SVCD, I shall leave the old workaround method here until reports come in as to the success of the "use source audio" feature.

Clearly this will only work for DVD output since (S)VCD does not support AC3 audio.

For this guide you will need BeSliced

1. Launch DVD2SVCD, uncheck "use source audio" in the audio tab and otherwise configure as normal, ie load up your avi file, select any subs streams etc etc. Hit Go and allow audio extraction to take place.

2. When BeSweet launches, right click it on the taskbar and shut it down. Let your chosen video encoder launch, then immediately close this down and close DVD2SVCD.

3. Launch BeSliced. A small window opens with a face in it. Drag and drop the file "Extracted_Audio_1.ac3" from your movie folder onto the face. Select "Fix" from the menu which appears. This creates a fixed AC3 file in your movie output folder.

4. Open the file "dvd2svcd project file.d2s" using Notepad. Very near the top (hit your cursor down button 5 times ) you will see the variable "MP2FileName0=". Change the filename from "Encoded_Audio_1.mp2" to "Extracted_audio_1_Fixed.ac3".
NOTE: It is critically important that you get this filename exactly correct.

About the 60th line of the project file, you will find a variable "AudioBitrate0=". Change the number after this to the bitrate of the AC3 file. If you do not know this you can check it in VDubMod - open the AVI file and select "File Information" from the file menu. Alternatively it can be calculated by right-clicking the Fixed AC3 file and selecting Properties. Find the size in bytes.

(size in bytes*8) / (movie length in seconds*1000) = bitrate

Note this is formula is engineered to slightly overestimate, preventing oversizing of the video. If using a figure from VDubMod you way wish to up it a little (say 2%) for the same reason.

Now quit Notepad, saving the changes to file.

5. Relaunch DVD2SVCD. Go to the Misc tab and crash recover from video encoding. It should work from there.

Last edited by Nick; 11th September 2004 at 11:38.
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