Wow! - converted PAL to NTSC DVD - need other help though.

[Regrett]

I was able to successfully convert a PAL DVD to a NTSC DVD. However my process loses the Menu and subtitles. I would like to keep the subtitles though, so I need help there.

I can RIP Vobs or demux streams and convert these files to a usable DVD format but the quickest process is the following. Here is a paraphrase of my process:

PROCESS
1. 10-15 Mins Total
Rip the Movie-only in file mode with DVDdecrypter

2. 3-4 Mins Total
Rip the AC3 audio from each VOB using DVD2AVI

3. 30-45 Mins total
Convert each the 25 FPS/PAL VOB's to 29.97 FPS NTSC MPG's
using Main Concept Encoder.

4. 20-25 Mins Total
Use Tmpeg Author to remux the NTSC MPGs and AC3 audio to usable
DVD vobs and IFOs.

5. Variable Mins

These files need to be transcoded to 4.7GB and burn.

The resulting picture quality and audio sync is suprisingly really good.

However, I would like to retain the subtitles - what is a good process or product to do this with?

Tmpeg Author can not use the .SUB file basically it can use only video and audio files from the looks of it.

So subtitles looks like something I need to do before I get this far or maybe I need to use something else, entirely?

Can any one help me?

Thank you

[SurfDrifter]

It can be done with Maestro...
I have done it several times, converting PAL>NTSC and retaining the subs...
If you have DVDMaestro, i can tell you how...

[vtwin0001]

Hello!

I am doing conversion from PAL to NTSC, I think that doing this will help to keep the menus, however, still no luck finding how to convert subtitles (*.sup) from PAL to NTSC

I am doing this:

I decrypted the PAL DVD in DVD Decrypter in File Mode, after that, just went to IFO Mode -> Stream Processing; just to check what kind of files it has

Then using VobEdit I demuxed each and every vob in separate folders

Like this:
C:\DVD\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.m2v
C:\DVD\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.AC3

and so on, until I am done with the whole vob set (the reason I am doing this is because I think for VOB files as some kind of bags, from where I am taking all that stuff out, convert the video and audio to NTSC and put it back into the bag)

After that I will convert the Video and Audio in TMPeg Encoder (do you have any suggestion on which software is better to use for converting?)
....Also, concerning the .AC3 file, I have no clue in how to leave it untouched in order to convert it to NTSC, so I am doing a WAV conversion, convert it to NTSC and then back to .AC3 (how can I convert it to .ac3?????)

After converting all that, I think that by using IFOEdit authoring function will take my m2vs and my.ac3s (and my *.sup files, but I can't figure out how to convert it to NTSC) and make a .VOB back again (If I decrypt each and every vob separately from dvd decrypter, will I get a Scene Changes text file for IFOEdit for every vob file??)

Well, in my theory if I use these vob files with the OLD IFO files, and then editing these IFO Files in ifoedit just to tell it is an NTSC video instead of a PAL video (in each and every IFO file) then I think I'll have a good NTSC movie (with no subtitles, unless I find a way to convert those *.sup PAL files to *.sup NTSC files)

After doing all that I think it will be ready for Shrinking (if it is a big dvd) or burning

Please tell me if I am wrong, I am just going to try to do this, but have no time, so I am just doing this extremely slow

Thank you and I hope this quick and dirty theory works to convert PAL dvds to NTSC (as PAL dvd rules)

[SurfDrifter]

Well, forget about all those things you wrote...Well, don't forget them, but put them aside for a little...
These are the steps...

1) Aquire DVDMaestro
2) Rip the DVD in IFO mode with DVD Decrypter by choosing "demux" for the .m2v and the .ac3 file and "direct copy" for the subs. Before you hit button, check in Settings>IFO mode that the file splitting is set to "NONE". Hit start
3) Import the .m2v to a transcoder to make it NTSC...I prefer Canopus Procoder, because it very easy and it has a very SMOOTH playback...You can try also AviSynth. With Procoder the duration remains the same so no other adjustments are needed to the other files
4) Open Subrip and load the ifo of the subs that you ripped...
Create a .SON file (remembering though to make the bmps 720x480, since they are going to be placed in a NTSC DVD)
5) Import the NTSC.m2v, PAL.m2v, AC3 files in DVDMaestro...
6) Pay attention know...
Place the PAL.m2v to the timeline (remember not to have other movies up to this point in your project, because maestro will be whining every time the system changes from PAL to NTSC and vice versa) and import the .SON file you created earlier...
Don't worry if the subs don't look OK...They look resize because they are designed for NTSC...
Select with your mouse the video and press DELETE on your keyboard.The movie vanishes and now place the NTSC.m2v that you have created...Place the audio's and you're ready to go...
No, it's much easier with menus, because you can rip/redesign them in PAL sizes, but since the project is NTSC, Maestro will resize them properly at compiling for NTSC system(unless they are animated videos, so you transcode to NTSC)

[vtwin0001]

okay, I'll try that, is that for every file a different project, so I just Mux every vob file? or do i do this completely?
Does the AC3 file resizes to NTSC by itself (by Maestros command)?

I am using Mainconcept Mpeg encoder now, because its much faster than TMPeg, however output is: *.mpa (Audio) *.mpv (video), is that format usable?

Is Scenearist good for this or does it have to be Maestro?

Thank you for your quick reply! :)

[vtwin0001]

Sorry, my mistake, now I understand, since the movie (NTSC) is the same size as the PAL version, I don't need to manipulate the .AC3 file!
:p

Ok, so my only doubt is then if this is done with every VOB file just to mux it, or can it be done for the whole project at once?

Thanks

-By the way, I couldn't help but notice that you are in Greece, my brother-in-law is Greek, so for the wedding we wnt to Greece: Just beautiful, the best place in Europe I must say!

[SurfDrifter]

Originally posted by vtwin0001

Ok, so my only doubt is then if this is done with every VOB file just to mux it, or can it be done for the whole project at once?

As I suggested, it's better to handle the project from scratch. That means, no IFOEdit, no IFOUpdate...Just creating a full project...
That's why is better to forget about VOB's and concentrate, as if you were the first author of the dvd, which means, that you have to collect all the assets(videos, audios, menus, subpictures, subtitles) and author this dvd again. So you need the movie in ONE file...

I don't know if Scenarist can do that, probably yes, but since Maestro automates TOO many commands in the background, i highly recommend DVDMaestro, for this use...Easier to manipulate the subs, so they are in sync


Originally posted by vtwin0001
-By the way, I couldn't help but notice that you are in Greece, my brother-in-law is Greek, so for the wedding we wnt to Greece: Just beautiful, the best place in Europe I must say!

Thanks! Which places did you visit?

[vtwin0001]

Athens, Pyreos, Hydra, (another island with macadamian nuts) and some other islands, I cant remember their names because are really complicated (for me at least) :D

I don't know very well how to use Maestro, but do I have to tell it which are menus, link them to my picture and so farth so on? or just throw the whole thing and mux?

BTW Thank you for your great help!!!

[Regrett]

I have yet to acquire any versions of any Maestros.

I do like Main Concept for the speed and quality. It has some very can nice variable or constant bit ranges to help keep the size down after conversion to *.mpg. However, the biggest drawback it cannot handle *.ac3 source files, if it did, it would be the sh*t.

I can use DVDDecrypter to demux the M2V and AC3 stream into ONE big file each. Or rip all the files with no size limit to keep the vob's one big file. I then use Main Concept to convert the M2V to 29.975 Mpg. The quality of this file is first rate and then I can use TMpeg Author to mux them back together and the results are fantastic.

I feel I should be able to use each the *.sub, the *.mpg, and the *.ac3 files and mux them all together.

What is subrip?
You have to convert the subtitles too to NTSC? With what?
What other authoring program (thats available) is better?

Thanks

[vtwin0001]

SurfDrifter:

Still no luck trying to import subtitles to DVD Maestro; it says: "No corresponding subtitles found! The video asset timecode may not correspond to the timecode specified for the subtitles in the import file"

I opened subrip, loaded the .VOB containing the subtitles, checked Save subtitles as BMP and selected the output format to Maestros

Then changed the Position to "Adjust to 480"; afterwards I just saved as the file to "subbies.son"

What is the right way to do that?

BTW, I also noted that my PAL stream is 1:29:15:12, my NTSC stream (done in Canopus Pro Coder) is 1:31:14:02...that's not all.... my AC3 (taken from the directly from the dvd) is 1:29:10:03

Regrett

Subrip is an app to rip out the subtitles from a dvd, you dont need to transform them to NTSC, like frame by frame, but just the size; you see, PAL is 720 x 576 whilst NTSC is 720 x 480, that's what is all about... :)

[SurfDrifter]

Originally posted by vtwin0001
SurfDrifter:

Still no luck trying to import subtitles to DVD Maestro; it says: "No corresponding subtitles found! The video asset timecode may not correspond to the timecode specified for the subtitles in the import file"

I opened subrip, loaded the .VOB containing the subtitles, checked Save subtitles as BMP and selected the output format to Maestros

Then changed the Position to "Adjust to 480"; afterwards I just saved as the file to "subbies.son"

What is the right way to do that?

BTW, I also noted that my PAL stream is 1:29:15:12, my NTSC stream (done in Canopus Pro Coder) is 1:31:14:02...that's not all.... my AC3 (taken from the directly from the dvd) is 1:29:10:03



The timecode of the video is different of the subtitles script... You cannot import them, because Subrip assumes the timecode of the video as 00:00:00:00. so that's why you have this message...
You can go to the timeline of Maestro and click at the timecode of the video (at the left of the video). Your PAL would say sth like i.e "00:59:58:00"... Click that number and a window will pop-up...Just make the number 00:00:00:00

Now import your .son file.

Place now the NTSC video...

BTW, this shouldn't be happening with video..Procoder always creates a video stream with the same duration...Which version do you have?

[vtwin0001]

My version is
1.01.35.0

Maybe it has to be with the settings......
I used for the video DVD NTSC setting......

Strange thing... the Source file in the Procoder says its duration is 1:31:19,14
I say strange thing, because when I put it on Maestro it says its 1:29...

is there something wrong Im doing then with Maestro?

now I got really mixed up :S

BTW There is this Stitch button I didn't notice the first time I encoded the video, it was unchecked, but, what is it for?

[Regrett]

Can procoder accept ac3 streams or a VOB source?

[vtwin0001]

I just checked that out.....

Neither the .VOB nor the .AC3 were accepted by the app

It only accepts:

.avi
.mov
.dv
.moe
.mpg
.mpeg
.mp2
.m2p
.m2v
.m1p
.m1v

[danyulc]

The reason the ac3 audio is shorter is because PAL movies play 4% faster. That is also why you are going to have to re-encode the audio.... which is why this is a pain.

I praise your efforts.... and good luck.

[SurfDrifter]

Just try to author and see what happens...
As for the timecode, did you change it in Maestro? Your subs, did import?
Just TRY to compile and see what happens....Maybe the timecode of your NTSC is non drop-frame, that's why it shows longer...


Stitch is a button to merge video...So you encode two files and end up as one...

[vtwin0001]

Nope, no luck whatsoever

However I tried the method I discribed and it actually works, the only thing there is is that the menus won't appear when they should...... there is a problem with the frame changes, so I think I should IFOedit it so it can be linked correctly, but I don't know how, also..... do you know how can I change the subs from PAL to NTSC (480) and SAVE the file in .SUP ??