Merge the result avi files

[molngab]

Hello!

My problem: I have a desktop DVD recorder. I use it to digitize my old vhs tapes to dvd format video. I preferred XP (excellent quality) mode. But, with this mode, I can record only 1 hour on a 4,7 GB DVD. So, if the play time in vhs tapes is longer, than 1 hour=I need two dvd disc.
Later, I would like convert the recorded dvd disc to xvid avi format, with autogk.
I can convert the two disc only separately with Autogk. So, the result is: two avi files.
My question: how can I merge these avi files? I have an avi split and join program, but, I can't use it in this situation (error message: different bitrate, different fps).
Please help me!

Thanks!

[den78]

join the source.
but if vbr is the problem, read this:
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/join_avi_files_with_vbr_mp3_audio_using_virtualdubmod.cfm

cheers

[yetanotherid]

Personally, I'd be converting to DVD and AVI directly from tape for each one, rather than converting to AVI from a DVD conversation, at least if I was able to.
But what about this...

I assume the 2 DVDs are made up of regular vob files etc?
AutoGK has a feature (or maybe it's a bug) that causes it to treat sequentially numbered vob files as a single video. As a result, you could copy all the vob files from the first DVD to your PC, making sure they're named in a way similar to
VTS_01_1.VOB,
VTS_01_2.VOB
...
VTS_01_5.VOB
etc.

Next copy your vob files from the second DVD to your PC and rename them with the numbering sequence beginning where the first lot left off. In this case it'd be VTS_01_6.VOB. Once that's done, put all the vob files in the same folder, and tell AutoGK to convert VTS_01_1.VOB only. It will, however, include all the rest of those VOB files in the same conversion.
The advantage of this, if you're converting with a target file size in mind, is that AutoGK will run the compression test on the whole video and produce a single AVI, rather than do it in two halves.

Depending on how your DVD recorder sets up it's menus etc, you might find that the vob files on the DVD aren't in a "logical" order for renaming and converting in the way described above. If that's the case, open your newly made DVDs with DVD Shrink and use the re-authoring feature to resave the DVD movie only (no menus or extra stuff) and make sure in it's options that "split vob files into 1GB size chunks" is enabled (also check it's not going to compress the DVD at all when it backs it up this way). Enabling that option should, when you re-author the disk saving the "movie only", give you nice sequential vob files to work with.
It's probably even possible to load both DVDs into DVD shrink together while in re-authoring mode, and have it backup the result for you as a single DVD (once again watch that it's not going to compress the video before you do the backup). I know you can add parts from various DVDs to make a single new DVD this way using DVD Shrink, but haven't messed around with doing so much myself. In the long run, it might be easier to simply re-author the DVDs individually and manually re-number the vob files as I mentioned above.

[emoyeni]

yetanotherid :goodpost:

interesting advice re placing all vob files in one loaction prior to conversion - i wouldn't have thought of that - but then being a newbie i suppose i would not expect to have thought of that :D

however - i have recently converted a lot of my old classic long movies that were on 2 discs and have ended up with files of different aspect ratios and bit rates and now can't join them. is there a feature in AutoGK to ensure files will have the same output properties.

My usual output criteria is a file size of 1.075Gb. but in some cases 2/3 of the total movie lenght would have been on one disc so i would have selected the output file sizes (for split movies) in the same 2/3 to 1/3 ratio - e.g - Lawrence of Arabia - my 2 output files were 2Gb and 1Gb - but then produced different properties.

I also processed Titanic as an example but set both discs to the same output size and both had the same properties

so have i just answered my own question

if you follow me !?:eek:

Thanks,
Emoyeni.

[yetanotherid]

I think the only way to ensure the same bitrate would be to do single pass encoding with both discs being done at the same quality level, rather than do two pass encoding and aim for a certain file size. You'd probably want to also go into advanced options and set the video width manually to ensure they're the same too. Similarly you'd want to set the audio conversion to the same format and (constant) bitrate.

Maybe the two Titanic discs converting with the same bitrate was just fortunate co-incidence? Or luck?

[emoyeni]

I'll try as you suggested -

Thanks.