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Old 26th December 2003, 03:32   #1  |  Link
foznikjj
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DIVX to DVD ?

I have spent quite amount of time trying to get a 700 MB DIVX movie with MP3 VBR audio, to a format I can author to VOB for burning to DVD. Per advice on forum I used Virtualdub to encode VBR MP3 audio to wav. I then used TMPGEnc Plus to encode DIVX video to what I thought would be MPEG 2, using this guide http://dvd-hq.info/Compression.html and followed it exactly as written. I now have a M2V file 8.48 GB (4.2 GB on disk) and a 1.0 GB PCM wav file, neither will open in TMPGEnc DVD Author, or NeroVision Express. What do I need to do now? Thanks Foz, and Merry Christmas

Edited, I found a post in this forum that said in video arrange method of TMPGE, to select Full Screen, I think I selected Full Screen (keep aspect ratio) could this selection over-ride some of my other selections that were changed from what I originally selected. Example: size selected 720x480 changed to 544x400 same as original file. Next: aspect ratio set at 4:3, changed to 1:1,Frame rate set at 29.97, changed to 23.976, padding set at disable, changed to enable,encode mode set at interlace, changed to noninterlace, motion search precision set at highest quality, changed to high quality slow, video source type set at interlace,changed to non-interlace progressive, etc. Do I need to delete my files and start over?
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Last edited by foznikjj; 26th December 2003 at 03:54.
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Old 2nd March 2004, 12:43   #2  |  Link
WhipHubley
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this is exactly what I have just been learning to do. that is, converting an Xvid or DivX movie with MP3 audio to DVD using TMPGEnc.

I therefore think (although this is an old post) that it is worth going over, as I'm sure others will find a reply to be very useful.

OK. you did the right thing initially by splitting the .avi file into its video and audio streams. I use nandub for this.

just load up the .avi, make sure audio is on "avi", "direct stream copy" and then choose "file", "save wav". I do not save the audio as PCM (as some people suggest), because I cannot get it to work - it just produces a file of 0KB in size.

now for the video stream. still in nandub, set audio to "no audio" and video to "direct stream copy" then choose "file", "save as avi".

so you now have the audio stream on its own, and the video stream on its own. TMPGEnc will behave much better now :-)

for some further pre-processing (it seems the more load you can take off TMPGEnc with regards to the conversion process the happier it is) you can also convert that MP3 wav file (for it will still be MP3) into MP2 - which is one of the audio options in TMPGEnc. this way TMPGEnc can concentrate on the video, and doesn't need to convert the audio from MP3 to MP2. if you decide that you want PCM audio (apparently NTSC DVD's should be PCM, is that right? I'm in europe, so I use PAL) then I'm afraid I can't help you. I'd advise you just let TMPGEnc do it.

you can convert the MP3 stream to MP2 using BeSweet. make sure you also download the BeSweet GUI too, as it makes it way easier - especially if you use the wizard. just fire up the GUI, load in the audio, set the ouput to MP2 and click "go". it really is very easy.

as a final bit of pre-processing, you can change the frame rates if you wish. for example, if I have an avi of 23.976 FPS then I like to convert to 25FPS as I choose to make PAL DVD's. again, TMPGEnc can do this, but if you do it beforehand then you're taking the load off it. without this pre-processing prior to handing the files to TMPGEnc, I've often had problems with audio / video sync. this is why I do it, and why I recommend you do too.

to convert the FPS of the video, just go into nandub again, load in the file, and choose video "direct stream copy" and "framerate" change to 25FPS (or whatever you choose). then save as avi. of course, you can do this earlier when you strip the audio from the video (as outlined above).

to change the audio, you'll see an option in BeSweet that allows you to convert from NTSC to PAL and PAL to NTSC. just choose the framerates that you want and run it. I assume going from 23.976 to 29.970 will require you to run through twice - firstly from NTSC (23.976) to PAL (25) and then from PAL (25) to NTSC (29.970).

OK - so we now have our audio and video streams in the right format and the right FPS for converting to a DVD with TMPGEnc.

I strongly suggest if you are new to this, to use the TMPGEnc wizard and keep the default settings it provides for you. a DVD needs to be in a certain resolution, and a certain format, and a certain FPS.

foznikjj, you said you changed a number of the options - including resolution. you must keep the resolution to the setting that TMPGEnc provides for you, otherwise you will not be able to create a DVD. that's why TMPGEnc DVD Author (a brilliant tool) wasn't happy with the file. for example, I stick with 720x576 which TMPGEnc sets for a PAL DVD.

the only point you need to intervene during the wizard steps is at step 3/5. check "source range" and click "move to start frame", "set start frame", "move to end frame" and "set end frame". then click "OK".

if you don't do this then TMPGEnc seems to totally overestimate the size of the output file at the next stage. this way, it seems to get it right. just a little tip.

that's pretty much it. carry on through the wizard and let it do its thing. you'll end up with an MPEG2 movie that you can then pass to a DVD authoring tool (I strongly recommend TMPGEnc DVD Author) for the final step - turning it into VOB files (and IFO and BUP ones too). then burn it to a blank DVD. I use CopyToDVD for that, by the way.

please note that I am a newbie, and I'm sure there are many other ways of doing this (for example, AVI2DVD seems to handle it all for you, with very good results) but the above method works for me, gives you a bit more insight into what's going on, and I'm sure will work for you too.

however, if you are experiencing problems, then do take a look at AVI2DVD. you will still need a video encoder, and you can choose that to be TMPGEnc. take a look in the guides for how to use it. do note that AVI2DVD can only take a single AVI file for input - you can't pull in a separate audio and video file. therefore you need to mux together the separate audio and video files that you have into a single AVI. DON'T USE NANDUB FOR THIS - ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AC3 AUDIO. the result will be a jerky movie. use AVImux GUI instead. I find VirtualDubMod no better than nandub when muxing AC3 into AVI. it produces an output file just as jerky as nandub.

have fun!

Last edited by WhipHubley; 2nd March 2004 at 18:23.
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Old 2nd March 2004, 16:46   #3  |  Link
sarahjh69
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why not just load the .avi file into
(u only need nandub to split off ac3 sound tracks)
Tmpg encoder and let it create the .m2v and .mp2 files on its own
(tick the box saying create seperate audio/video)
Its a lot easier!

full screen keep aspect ratio is the correct setting to choose.
then load the resulting .m2v file into dvd author, it finds the audio
file on its own.
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Old 2nd March 2004, 17:57   #4  |  Link
echooff
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Just open Tmpgenc. If the wizard pops up close it. Add your video file. The middle button on the bottom right is where you select the proper profile for what you need (i.e. dvd pal, dvd ntsc, svcd ntsc ect). Double click the one you want. Open settings and check for the setting - full screen(keep aspect ratio). If you are only doing video (no audio) push start and encode the file. You will have a file ready for the profile you selected.

Tmpgenc has a crappy audio encoder. That is why most people tell you to do audio seperately. It is not a good idea to transcode from a compressed audio file (especially vbr audio) to another compressed audio file. It is asking for trouble. If you have already extracted the file as a wav use, BeSweet to transcode to mp2 or ac3. Ideally ac3,because ac3 is the standard everywhere(ntsc and pal) and mp2 is not(pal only, though most dvd players in ntsc land will play it.) If you insist on using Tmpgenc to encode the audio download a copy of toolame from the doom9 site and change the audio encoder under the environmental tab (top of the screen beside file and next to help.)

A lot of people like nandub but I have found VirtualDubMod to be much more versatile and is still being upgraded.

The help file that comes with Tmpgenc is very good but you need background knowledge on terms and meanings to fully understand what you are reading and how to best make use of it. I recommend you spend a little time aquiring this necessary knowledge on the Doom9 main site guides section. A little reading time now will save you tons of time and aggravation in the future.

Let us know how you make out.
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Last edited by echooff; 2nd March 2004 at 17:59.
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Old 2nd March 2004, 18:45   #5  |  Link
WhipHubley
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Quote:
Originally posted by sarahjh69
why not just load the .avi file into
(u only need nandub to split off ac3 sound tracks)
Tmpg encoder and let it create the .m2v and .mp2 files on its own
(tick the box saying create seperate audio/video)
Its a lot easier!

full screen keep aspect ratio is the correct setting to choose.
then load the resulting .m2v file into dvd author, it finds the audio
file on its own.
so full screen keep aspect ratio will handle 2.35:1 avi movies? I didn't realise that TMPGEnc could handle them. that's why I started using AVI2DVD.

and I'd def want to convert AC3 to MP2 with BeSweet first.

I'll try this out, thanks. I'm having a nightmare muxing an XviD video and AC3 audio track together into a single AVI for AVI2DVD, so TMPGEnc on its own might be the only option for me now.

do you mean change the video arrange method to full screen keep aspect ratio?

what about source and video aspect ratio? what should I set them at?

thanks.
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Old 2nd March 2004, 18:50   #6  |  Link
WhipHubley
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Quote:
Originally posted by echooff
Just open Tmpgenc. If the wizard pops up close it. Add your video file. The middle button on the bottom right is where you select the proper profile for what you need (i.e. dvd pal, dvd ntsc, svcd ntsc ect). Double click the one you want. Open settings and check for the setting - full screen(keep aspect ratio). If you are only doing video (no audio) push start and encode the file. You will have a file ready for the profile you selected.

Tmpgenc has a crappy audio encoder. That is why most people tell you to do audio seperately. It is not a good idea to transcode from a compressed audio file (especially vbr audio) to another compressed audio file. It is asking for trouble. If you have already extracted the file as a wav use, BeSweet to transcode to mp2 or ac3. Ideally ac3,because ac3 is the standard everywhere(ntsc and pal) and mp2 is not(pal only, though most dvd players in ntsc land will play it.) If you insist on using Tmpgenc to encode the audio download a copy of toolame from the doom9 site and change the audio encoder under the environmental tab (top of the screen beside file and next to help.)

A lot of people like nandub but I have found VirtualDubMod to be much more versatile and is still being upgraded.

The help file that comes with Tmpgenc is very good but you need background knowledge on terms and meanings to fully understand what you are reading and how to best make use of it. I recommend you spend a little time aquiring this necessary knowledge on the Doom9 main site guides section. A little reading time now will save you tons of time and aggravation in the future.

Let us know how you make out.
the PAL DVD profile chooses constant quality (CQ) as opposed to 2-pass VBR.

how do I assure the filesize of my output file so it fits onto a DVD with that setting?

I can't see where you can choose it.

could you please let me know? thanks!
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Old 2nd March 2004, 22:04   #7  |  Link
echooff
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Try encoding the movie with the default settings of the profile. If you don't like the output, then you can change the settings. In a lot of cases the xvid file has already passed thru vbr when it was encoded. When you were looking at the profiles to select there was a subfolder there. Go into that subfolder and there is a profile to unlock the grayed out areas in settings. Once you double click on it you can go back into settings and change thinks to suit yourself. For myself, I have found the standard profile to be best in "almost" every case. But then again, the only one I have to please is myself.

Why would you want to encode a ac3 file to mp2. Ac3 is much better quality. Since you are encoding for dvd keep it. The only thing you might have to do is use BeSliced on it to fix the header. IMO you would be much happier. I like ac3 so much better, I bought the ac3 plugin from Tmpgenc Dvdauthor for $29.00. It does a outstanding job for 2 channel audio, and is extremely easy to work with. Just some food for thought.

Edit: Beware unlocking the profile. Noobies who don't understand what they are doing can really screw things up without meaning to. Again understanding what things mean and can do prior to unlocking and changing will keep gray hair growth to a minimum and prevent bald spots from excessive hair pulling.

Let me know how this works out for you.
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Last edited by echooff; 2nd March 2004 at 22:12.
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Old 3rd March 2004, 17:00   #8  |  Link
WhipHubley
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Quote:
Originally posted by echooff
Why would you want to encode a ac3 file to mp2. Ac3 is much better quality. Since you are encoding for dvd keep it. The only thing you might have to do is use BeSliced on it to fix the header. IMO you would be much happier. I like ac3 so much better, I bought the ac3 plugin from Tmpgenc Dvdauthor for $29.00. It does a outstanding job for 2 channel audio, and is extremely easy to work with. Just some food for thought.
OK - so I've got the ac3 stream. how do I feed it into TMPGEnc and hold onto it? it doesn't support that format.

or do I just convert the video with TMPGEnc, and then feed both the MPEG2 file and the ac3 file into TMPGEnc DVD Author?

(after getting the ac3 plugin, of course)

Last edited by WhipHubley; 3rd March 2004 at 17:05.
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Old 3rd March 2004, 17:31   #9  |  Link
echooff
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Quote:
or do I just convert the video with TMPGEnc, and then feed both the MPEG2 file and the ac3 file into TMPGEnc DVD Author?
Yes. Feed your encoded m2v and your ac3 to DvDAuthor. You don't need the ac3 plugin for this. The plugin is used to encode a 2 channel audio file to ac3 format. If DvdAuthor tells you it is a illegal audio stream, download BeSliced from the BeSweet home page and fix the header.
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Old 3rd March 2004, 21:16   #10  |  Link
WhipHubley
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Quote:
Originally posted by echooff
Yes. Feed your encoded m2v and your ac3 to DvDAuthor. You don't need the ac3 plugin for this. The plugin is used to encode a 2 channel audio file to ac3 format. If DvdAuthor tells you it is a illegal audio stream, download BeSliced from the BeSweet home page and fix the header.
that's brilliant - thanks.
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Old 3rd March 2004, 21:23   #11  |  Link
sarahjh69
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thanks echoff
I have never worked out how to add .ac3 files
to dvd author before.....it always said illegal file
(so i always downmixed to wav when faced with ac3)
besplit works a treat....fix the file and .ac3 now loads up
thanks a lot

whiphubley
yes, I always leave the movie in is native format
(pal or ntsc) then video arrange, full screen keep aspect ratio
te movie always ends up the right shape then!
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