OGM to AVI - Easiest way?

[Rekrul]

I have a bunch of videos in OGM format. I would like to convert them to AVI format with MP3 audio so that they will play on my friend's stand-alone player. The video is already in Divx/Xvid format, so it doesn't need to be re-encoded, just the audio needs to be converted to MP3. I'd like the easiest, simplest option possible for someone who isn't experienced with video editing and conversion.

I tried VirtualDubMod, but apparently it can't convert the audio without you having to manually convert it to a separate audio file, saving the video alone, then manually re-combining the two to write out a new AVI file. This seems like a strange limitation considering that both the original VDub and VDubMod can re-encode MP3 audio on-the-fly while writing a new AVI.

Then I tried Mencoder, which can re-encode the audio and write a new AVI all in one step. The only problem is that it crashes on half the files I try to convert with it. No error message, I just get the standard Windows error message that it's performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Other programs play these files perfectly.

Is there an easier way to do this with VDubMod, or a more reliable version of Mencoder? I have the latest alvailable versions of both.

[Dark Shikari]

Is there an easier way to do this with VDubMod, or a more reliable version of Mencoder? I have the latest alvailable versions of both.There are no official builds of mencoder; what is this "latest available version"?

[Rekrul]

There are no official builds of mencoder; what is this "latest available version"?

The one that is included with MPlayer svn rev 29355. When run, it gives the following version information;

"MEncoder Sherpya-SVN-r28311-4.2.5"

I downloaded it from this page;

http://oss.netfarm.it/mplayer-win32.php

Which is the page linked from the download page on the official MPlayer site, here (third link down in the box);

http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html

To be honest, I have no idea what's official and what isn't. However, the MPlayer site mentions Mencoder, the documentation page has sections on using it, it seems to be included with every release of MPLayer I've downloaded and it's included in the archive on the third-party site that the MPlayer site links to for downloading the Windows binary, not to mention that the source code for Mencoder is included in the archive linked from the MPlayer download page, so I'm assuming that it's the latest version I'm likely to find and that it's as "official" as anything else.

I'm aware that there are about a dozen different links to other people's compiled versions of MPlayer on the Related Projects page, but I figured that the one linked from the download page would be the most "official". Was I mistaken?

[buzzqw]

ffmpeg ?

ffmpeg -i file.ogm -acodec libmp3lame -ab 128k -vcodec copy file.avi

BHH

[Rekrul]

ffmpeg ?

ffmpeg -i file.ogm -acodec libmp3lame -ab 128k -vcodec copy file.avi

BHH

Sorry I've taken so long to reply. I wanted to try your advice before replying and it kept getting put off. Anyway, I tried using ffmpeg with the command line you listed above. I used copy & paste to make sure I didn't make any typos. ffmpeg refused to process the file. Here's the output;

FFmpeg version SVN-r19159-Sherpya, Copyright (c) 2000-2009 Fabrice Bellard, et al.
libavutil 50. 3. 0 / 50. 3. 0
libavcodec 52.30. 2 / 52.30. 2
libavformat 52.34. 0 / 52.34. 0
libavdevice 52. 2. 0 / 52. 2. 0
libavfilter 0. 5. 0 / 0. 5. 0
libswscale 0. 7. 1 / 0. 7. 1
libpostproc 51. 2. 0 / 51. 2. 0
built on Jun 12 2009 04:25:02, gcc: 4.5.0 20090517 (experimental)
Input #0, ogg, from 'ce3.ogm':
Duration: 00:42:34.71, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1150 kb/s
Stream #0.0: Video: mpeg4, yuv420p, 640x480, 23.98 tbr, 23.98 tbn, 23.98 tbc
Stream #0.1: Audio: vorbis, 44100 Hz, stereo, s16, 94 kb/s
Output #0, avi, to 'ce3.avi':
Stream #0.0: Video: mpeg4, yuv420p, 640x480, q=2-31, 23.98 tbn, 23.98 tbc
Stream #0.1: Audio: libmp3lame, 44100 Hz, stereo, s16, 128 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0.0 -> #0.0
Stream #0.1 -> #0.1
Press [q] to stop encoding
[NULL @ 0x1457c90]error, non monotone timestamps 1 >= 1
av_interleaved_write_frame(): Error while opening file

[Rekrul]

Nearly a month and nobody has any other recommendations, or an explanation for why Mencoder and ffmpeg fail on so many files?

[stax76]

Maybe convert to mkv with mkvmerge and if you don't like mkv demux with mkvextract. mkvtoolnix includes mmg as GUI for mkvmerge, there is also a GUI for mkvextract, StaxRip does also use mkvextract to demux mkv but there were some bugs related mkv demuxing so I can't recommend it for this atm.

[Rekrul]

Maybe convert to mkv with mkvmerge and if you don't like mkv demux with mkvextract. mkvtoolnix includes mmg as GUI for mkvmerge, there is also a GUI for mkvextract, StaxRip does also use mkvextract to demux mkv but there were some bugs related mkv demuxing so I can't recommend it for this atm.

Thanks, but I need to convert several files from OGM (OGG audio, Xvid video) to AVI (MP3 or AC3 audio, Xvid video).

I need to do this so that I can convert some files I downloaded into a format that will play on DVD players that support Divx.

I want the easiest way to do this, preferably something that can be used in a batch file or that will batch process files so that I don't have to open and convert every and every file manually.

Every program I've tried so far has either been highly unreliable or needed multiple steps to convert each file.

[microchip8]

Thanks, but I need to convert several files from OGM (OGG audio, Xvid video) to AVI (MP3 or AC3 audio, Xvid video).

I need to do this so that I can convert some files I downloaded into a format that will play on DVD players that support Divx.

I want the easiest way to do this, preferably something that can be used in a batch file or that will batch process files so that I don't have to open and convert every and every file manually.

Every program I've tried so far has either been highly unreliable or needed multiple steps to convert each file.

RULES VIOLATION - we do not allow illegally downloaded content discussions here, nor do we help with such things. READ THE RULES!

[CWR03]

I need to do this so that I can convert some files I downloaded into a format that will play on DVD players that support Divx.
You should know better since you've had a thread closed for rule 6 before.

[Rekrul]

RULES VIOLATION - we do not allow illegally downloaded content discussions here, nor do we help with such things. READ THE RULES!

Excuse me???

Please point out the exact spot in ANY message in this thread where I mentioned or even implied that I was talking about copyrighted content.

You should know better since you've had a thread closed for rule 6 before.

So you're claiming to be psychic and able to tell exactly what the content of the files I want to convert is.

Please, using only the information I've provided and your own supernatural gifts, enlighten me as to what "ce3.ogm" is.

[nurbs]

They are refering to the newbie sticky (http://forum.doom9.org/announcement.php?f=6) which also contains the following: 2. No help will be provided in regards to downloaded files. We won't walk the extra mile to clarify the legality of your files.

[microchip8]

Excuse me???

Please point out the exact spot in ANY message in this thread where I mentioned or even implied that I was talking about copyrighted content.
.

Do you own the copyright to these "files I have downloaded from the Internet"? If not, then sorry. The rules are very clear. Since you did not state what files those are, it's better to default in thinking that they may be copyrighted than to allow the discussion, unless you prove that they have no problems wrt copyright and such

[Rekrul]

Do you own the copyright to these "files I have downloaded from the Internet"? If not, then sorry. The rules are very clear. Since you did not state what files those are, it's better to default in thinking that they may be copyrighted than to allow the discussion, unless you prove that they have no problems wrt copyright and such

There are plenty of rule 6 violations going on, like this thread;

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=124105

Do the users in this Sticky thread have the studios' permission to rip and exchange subtitle files with others who haven't bought a copy of the movie? Why wasn't this thread locked and the user warned?

Or how about this one;

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=149148

Certainly seems like they're talking about "cracking" DRM to me. Isn't that a rule 6 violation?

Tell me something; Why does video conversion software exist in the first place? If everyone here is creating their own videos from scratch, why would they ever need to convert them, rather than just re-encode the original source, which would give better results? The only reason such software exists is to convert videos obtained from other other sources. So if you're going to take the attitude that any user wishing to convert videos they've downloaded is doing so with copyrighted content, then you should delete any and all video conversion tools, as well as any posts or tutorials on how to use them.

Additionally, I find it incredibly hard to believe that all the people who come here asking for advice about how to rip copy protected DVDs, and encode the results to Divx/Xvid, are doing it for "backup" purposes, esepcially considering that you can copy the entire DVD to two blanks in less than 20 minutes without losing any of the extras, dealing with encoding settings or having audio sync issues. But yet, all the members here will happily help them break US laws by circumventing the CCS and region coding on DVDs, as long as it's for "backup" purposes. While they might have the right to make a backup of movies they've bought (and US law isn't entirely clear on that point), the tools to do so are illegal under the DMCA because they circumvent DRM. Those are all rule 6 violations.

Then there's the whole issue of DVD players that handle Divx. Do you really believe that WalMart sells Divx players because Joe Average is re-encoding his family movies to AVI format? In the first place, Joe Average is lucky if he can check his email without needing a cheat-sheet, forget making AVI files. Second, Divx players are still a niche product and anyone wishing to put their work on disc to share with others would use standard DVD Video so that everyone could play it. All the questions about which players are the most compatible or which chipset is best are also highly suspect. Why would someone who is encoding their own videos need a player with a wide degree of compatibility? They would simply encode with the settings that work best on their player. Are they giving it to friends? Then they'd use the most compatible encoding method. The only reason someone would be worried about how how compatible a player is, is if they were planning to use it to play videos downloaded off the net from an unlnown source. That basically makes the whole hardware players section a violation of rule 6.

[nurbs]

There are plenty of rule 6 violations going on, like this thread;

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=124105I haven't looked through the whole thread, but it seems people are only posting subtitle samples in order to help others fix bugs in their software and help document the subtitle formats which is generally OK on this forum.

Or how about this one;

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=149148

Certainly seems like they're talking about "cracking" DRM to me. Isn't that a rule 6 violation?No, since the processing keys are completely worthless to you if you don't have the disk. On the other hand if you do own the disks there is nothing morally wrong with ripping them so you can play them on your iPod or whatever as long as you don't distribute the rips. Threads aren't closed if there is talk about breaking DRM in general, but they are in special cases such as breaking DRM on rental movies.


You talk about the DMCA and such, but I guess Swedish law is more important than US law when it comes to doom9 since that's where the server is AFAIK. Also while the rules here are in place to protect this community from legal threats they don't necesarily follow the letter of the law of a specific country. I think they are more meant to generally limit liability.

I don't get your point about hardware players. It's true that I can encode to whatever format I want, but there are certain goals I have when I'm encoding, like small file size and good quality, so knowing what different devices can do is very important to me. While there are loads of divx players around I'm not interested in the format at all. When I buy a player it's because it can play what I want to encode and not the other way round. It's just that players generally support a wide variety of formats these days and so you end up with more playback capabilities than you need. I need AVC and AAC in MKV. For somebody else these might be completely useless. Furthermore there are people who used to encode ASP and MP3 in avi and have now switched to another format so what's useless for me may be usefull for them. I'm certain that lots of people buy this players to play downloaded files, but I don't see what this has to do with this forum or the people here.


Furthermore you don't decide what a rule violation is. Neither do I, or froggy1 or CWR03. The moderators here do. And since this thread hasn't been closed yet you are probably not violating the rules.

Still I think you are overreacting to people bringing the rules up. I have been asked about the source of my files as well, I answered and everything was okay. In my opinion it's more productive to work with people than to feel offended by a little comment and then lash out at people who have nothing to to with this thread at all, like the people in the subtitle, decrypting and hardware player subforums. I can understand that the rules may seem inconsistent, but the reality of the situation is that the forum owner can set and enforce any rules he wants and people just have to live with that. Since there is a lot of activity around here it seems that most people are content and the rules and their application is not seen as unjust or over the top. People would leave if it was like that.

[microchip8]

You still haven't answered my question. DO YOU OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO THESE FILES YOU "DOWNLOADED FROM THE NET"? if not, then help and discussion is not allowed. You can write a whole essay if you want or preach until the cows start singing, it won't take the fact away that such things are not allowed to be discussed here for VERY good reasons. The mods do their best to close such threads ASAP. If everyone here came discussing questionable downloaded content or ask help for such, how long do you think this forum will hold on before it gets closed by some entities? Yup, you guessed it right. Not long. So please stop starting threads for help on questionable downloaded content. If you do not agree with the rules, you may leave to another forum which allows discussion/help of such content. You already violated the rules and your other thread got closed because of this, yet you still come here and insist on arguing without answering simple questions, nor did you prove in any way that these "files I downloaded from the Net" belong to you and you're the righteous copyright owner...

Also reported

[stax76]

I wonder why the thread is still open, whenever somebody writes something incredible smart like 'I downloaded the file' the thread is usually closed in no time, for good reasons.

[Rekrul]

You still haven't answered my question. DO YOU OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO THESE FILES YOU "DOWNLOADED FROM THE NET"?

What's the point? It's obvious that you wouldn't believe me anyway. I could state that the files are public domain and you'd still demand proof.


if not, then help and discussion is not allowed. You can write a whole essay if you want or preach until the cows start singing, it won't take the fact away that such things are not allowed to be discussed here for VERY good reasons. The mods do their best to close such threads ASAP. If everyone here came discussing questionable downloaded content or ask help for such, how long do you think this forum will hold on before it gets closed by some entities?

I understand that, which is why this thread contained absolutely no mention of anything copyrighted. However even that doesn't seem enough when some people are dead-set on going out of their way to come up with reasons why I'm up to no good.


Yup, you guessed it right. Not long. So please stop starting threads for help on questionable downloaded content.

Oh please...

You expect me to believe that the authorities are perfectly fine with half this forum being dedicated to helping people circumvent the encryption on commercial DVDs and Blu-Ray discs and then encode the movies to AVI and MKV format, but someone helping me to convert unnamed OGM files I downloaded, which you suspect might, possibly, be copyrighted by someone, somewhere, to AVI format, is suddenly going to bring down the rath of the copyright industry and blast this site into oblivion?

Even IF these files are copyrighted, only the copyright owner can make a claim against this site for a violation of copyright. However, since I haven't stated where the files came from or what they are, nobody can make such a claim. So even if these files were copyrighted by some big and powerful company (which they aren't), we could discuss them for months and absolutely nothing would happen to this site.


If you do not agree with the rules, you may leave to another forum which allows discussion/help of such content. You already violated the rules and your other thread got closed because of this, yet you still come here and insist on arguing without answering simple questions, nor did you prove in any way that these "files I downloaded from the Net" belong to you and you're the righteous copyright owner...

Yes, I made ONE mistake, which I made doubly-sure not to repeat. All I posted in this thread was that I download some videos in one format and want to convert them to another. That in itself isn't illegal. It's only illegal if the files are unauthorized copyrighted files, however I never stated a single thing that would imply that they were. So I'm really not sure why it bothers you so much that I want to convert a bunch of files that I got from somewhere, which nobody can identify and which pretty much nobody except me even cares about.

Nobody was even paying attention to this thread until you started yelling about illegal content. Which is kind of funny coming from an author of Linux scripts that facilitate pirating DVDs. Or do you personally verify that each and every person who downloads your scripts is only using them to "back up" DVDs that they actually own?


Also reported

Why don't you go the extra step and report me to the authorities? Oh right, because you have no idea what the files are and no proof that I'm doing anything illegal...

I wonder why the thread is still open, whenever somebody writes something incredible smart like 'I downloaded the file' the thread is usually closed in no time, for good reasons.

Maybe because downloading videos off the net isn't, in itself, illegal?

Maybe because I haven't said anything in this thread that implied I was doing anything illegal?

However, to clarify things, I'd really like to hear from a moderator;

Is asking for help on converting files I downloaded from one format to another, a violation of the rules, even though nobody here has any idea what the files are?

[microchip8]

The point is that you still haven't answered my question and only try to evade it, which suspects you are up to something. Downloading files from the net itself isn't illegal but there are more people who download illegally copyrighted content and then come here asking for help for it than people who download something legally. The fact that 1) you already had a thread closed for copyrighted concerns, 2) you refuse to prove in this thread that you're the copyright owner of these files you want help on and only try to evade the question and 3) try to justify and break rules is IMHO more than enough to report you to the mods. This forum has a policy to not allowing discussion on questionable content and when someone writes "I got those off the Net" but does not state at all from where nor does he say if he owns them and constantly evades the questions asked to prove if the files belong to him, is again more than enough to be suspicious and close the thread. I do not make up the rules but it is proper netiquette for normal users to report such threads like this one. Also, most people here are very happy with the rules so you're again preaching to the walls

[Guest]

Closed for rule 6 violation.