AVI to DVD conversion (was: Extremley New)

[Dirty Dick]

Apologies up front - I'm completely new to this ripping lark. I've read and read but still can't understand what to do. I've got several files in , I think it's avi format. But if I try to put them onto a DVD, they copy ok, BUT then I try to play the DVD disc on my stand alone DVD player. It dos not work. Can any body point me in the righgt direction. Thanks, and again sorry !!

[echooff]

They first must be re-encoded to mpeg-2 format with the correct audio and then use a dvd authoring program to place it in the dvd container files (ifo,vob) then and only then burn to dvd. Under the guides section there is a step by step avi-->dvd guide. I also recommend you look at the documents under the basics section. A lot of this encoding stuff is explained in basic language. You will need this knowledge to understand common term and deffinitions. This simple step will save you hours of frustration and keep your hair attached to you head.

[jggimi]

A small minority of standalone DVD players -- a very special few -- can play some .avi files. It is unlikely yours is one of those. As Echooff described, you must "encode" and then "author" a DVD. Most PCs allow Data DVDs, and it appears from your post that you created one of these.

You can learn about all of the features and restrictions of your particular standalone player from the database at www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.

[Dirty Dick]

I've read all the details in the Basics Dept & the AVI to DVD dept but I still can't grasp what I have to do. I've downloaded all the programs that are recommended in the AVI to DVD but am still floundering. In the programme GSpot, are there any instructions anywhere? The programmes there but I don't know how to use it. Sorry but what do I do now?

[jggimi]

Unfortunately, there are no explicit GSpot instructions. Not in the step-by-step guides, not included with the software, and not at the GSpot website.

Sorry you've had trouble opening a file. There are 2 ways to do so: Using File...Open

or

Clicking on the "..." box.

[echooff]

Lets us know which of the avi-->dvd guides and software selections you and we can give you a little more guidance.

[Dirty Dick]

I've managed to get a file into the GSpot programme bu using File>open. But what do I do now? I can't find any other way of doing anything with it. Is GSpot an "Encoding" programme? Will it change it from avi formay to MPeg? Thanks for all your help. I'm sorry to be a pain.

[jggimi]

GSpot only tells you what is inside an AVI container -- video information and audio information. Both are needed.

As Echooff asks: WHICH GUIDE ARE YOU USING? They may be step by step guides, but if you are having trouble with one of them, we can't help you unless you provide that minimal information. For example, GSpot is used for different purposes, in different steps, in each guide.

We'll hold your hand across the street. We just need to know which street you're standing next to.

[Dirty Dick]

The avi --> dvd guides that I have read are the ones posted on this website. As for the software selection, I'm not sure what you mean. I'm going to guess so please bear with me if I'm wromg!! I'm running Windows XP Pro. The software I have downloaded are all the programmes recommended on this site. I've got AC3, BeSlice, BeSweet, GSpot, TMPGEnc, VirtualDub, VobSub. If only I knew what to do with them.

[Dirty Dick]

Can anybody point me in the right direction. I'm getting rather confused. Having read the guides, where is so much variation on programmes to use, can anybody either tell me in layman's terms,step by step,from getting an avi file and finally being able to put it onto a dvd to play on my standalone dvd player. Can somebody suggest only ONE programme for each part of the process. Thanks

[jggimi]

There are multiple AVI->DVD guides here. If this AVI->DVD guide using CCE (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/avi2dvdr.htm) is the one you are using ...

Step 1 is to join multiple .avi files into a single .avi, which is only needed if you have multiple .avi files that make up the same film. Apparently, you have skipped this step. Congratulations, you understood that much!

Step 2 is used to a) determine what kind of audio is used in your .avi file, and b) convert it to one of the valid DVD audio formats if necessary. If, as you've said, you've read about DVD, ou know that there are only 3 or 4 valid formats for audio on a DVD. In the example in the step by step guide, GSpot is used to determine the audio format, and the graphic shows .ac3, which is Dolby Digital, a valid format for use in a DVD. So you'll be using GSpot to do the same thing: determine the type of audio in your .avi. I've just run GSpot against an .avi file I have, and it says:0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3. As described in the step by step guide, I'd convert this MP3 audio track to WAV format, also known as Linear PCM. That may be good enough, since every DVD must have either one AC3 or one Linear PCM track. I could, I suppose, convert it to AC3 to save space if I desired, but it isn't necessary.

Step 3 is to convert the video to MPEG-2. That's more complicated, as described in the guide. Let's get you past Step 2 first.

[jggimi]

In addition, you might find the AVI -> DVD using DVD2SVCD Guide (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/dvd2svcd-avi.htm) a somewhat simpler process. There, GSpot is used as well, but for determing the appropriate aspect ratio (rectangular shape) for the DVD, rather than for audio analysis.

[Dirty Dick]

When I use Dvd2svcd, I click on the "Misc" tab and put "avi" as the input file but shouls i put "DVD" as the output file or, as the name of the programme suggests, put "SVCD" as the output file? Thanks for all bearing with me.

[smiller667]

You select whichever output you desire - either DVD, SVCD or VCD.

[Dirty Dick]

But will they all play on my stand alone DVD player, and if so which one would you recommend?

[jggimi]

SVCD and VCD are Video CDs, they are burned on CD-R or CD-RW, not on DVD....But will they all play on my stand alone DVD player...We don't know. Every player is different.

In my very first post in this thread, I provided you with a link to a database of standalone DVD players. You can look up your DVD player there by make and model, and see what types of Video discs it can play, as well as what types of media it supports. You'll see comments from others about their experience with your player as well.

[Dirty Dick]

Thanks for a prompt reply. My DVD Player is a Sony DVP-NS430 and from your link I can see that it should play almost everything except DivX and i think Jpg. Am i correct in that assumption?

[Dirty Dick]

Just tried converting and burning a file. Used DvD2scvd programme. Went to MISC Tab and selected Avi as input file and Svcd as output file. Then went to CONVERSION tab and selected the file off my hard drive. Then went to ENCODER tab and selected CCE as the encoder.Back to encoder & pressed GO button. Log started to show and things started to happen. Could see that BeSweet was being used at some point. After it had finished I found my converted file where I asked it to be saved. Had a quick look using Windows Media Player and all seemed OK (including audio!) The used roxio to burn the file onto a cd. Again all was well. Went to play it on DVD player and it would not play, came up saying "No Audio data". HHEELLPP!!! What am I doing wrong???
PS CD flew like a flying saucer down the garden, I am now chilled !!!

[jggimi]

You used Roxio, rather than any of the 4 different burning tools described in the step by step guide.

I also do not know if you're aware of how to burn a disc image with Roxio, or if you merely burned a data-DVD, or even if Roxio supports cue/bin images. The type of image files produced by DVD2SVCD are known as cue/bin files. Each disc image (CD or DVD) is made up of two files. There is a small text file describing the image layout with a filetype of .cue, and then there is a large binary file that contains the bits to go on the CD or DVD.

We don't know if you created a DVD, an SVCD, or a VCD, as you haven't said. Different types of problems can occur depending on what you're doing. You'd like to be spoon fed, but you need to open your mouth for us to stick the spoon in. :-)

If you rescue your disc from the garden, insert it in your PC, and look at the file structure and see only a .cue and a .bin file on the disc, then you burned a data disc rather than a DVD image. If you see a VIDEO_TS folder and and AUDIO_TS folder, than yes, you burned a DVD image. That DVD image must be on DVD media, not on CD media, to be played in most standalones.

You mentioned that you played the "file" with WMP -- but we don't know exactly what that means. Did you burn a disc image in DVD/SVCD/VCD format, then play from disc, or did you find an .mpg file on hard drive and play that?

[Dirty Dick]

Sorry, but already had Roxio on my PC. I thought I was creating a SVCD as I clicked the button for that format on the output file. Sorry about being spoon fed, but a lot of this is "broken biscuit" to me. I've retreived the CD, and looked to see what type of files are on it, There appears to only one. When I look in the properties the following is shown:-

IMAGE
Width 640 pixels
Height 272 pixels

AUDIO
Duration 1-31
Bitrate 142 Kbps
Audio Format MPEG layer 3

VIDEO
Frame Rate 23 frames/second
Data Rate 129 Kbps
Video Sample Size 24 bit
Video Compression Rate DivX@codec

There is no Audio_TS or Video_TS.
The disc I copied onto was a CD not a DVD as iI understood that this would be OK.

The file that I played WAS the file off the CD

[jggimi]

I don't know WHAT file you put on the CD, since you didn't provide the name, but if there is only a single file there, then you burned a Data CD, not a Video CD.

My guess is you burned the original .avi file onto a data CD.

You asked DVD2SVCD to create a Super Video CD (SVCD). The output from DVD2SVCD will be two files, a small .cue file and a much large .bin file. Using a burning tool properly to burn an image from cue/bin files, you will end up with a Super Video CD that has the following folders (some optional), each with files: SVCD MPEG2 CDDA SEGMENT KARAOKE EXT CDIThe MPEG2 folder contains the main movie, which will be 480x480 for NTSC discs, and 480x576 for PAL discs.

You can either read your Roxio documentation regarding bin/cue files, or you can follow the step by step guide using one of the other tools.

[EDIT: DVD Decrypter supports bin/cue, and it's freeware.]

[Dirty Dick]

I can't remember what the 4 differenr burning tools that you mention. Can you tell me where to find them please. Sorry for being such a nuisance, but I feel the challenge is on, And I must complete this project. Thanks

[manono]

Hi-

And just why did you burn the original .avi, instead of the bin/cue that DVD2SVCD made for you? Because when you went to burn with Easy CD Creator, that's what it showed you? Many people around here (including me) won't have anything to do with Roxio software. And I don't know if it can burn image files, either. Maybe someone else does, and can chime in with instructions.

First, check to make sure that AVI2SVCD made the bin/cue files for you. Second, at the bottom of this page (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/dvd2svcd-avi.htm) (which you should have seen already) are four different programs that will burn it for you. I find Nero to be the easiest. Depending on the version, you go either File->Burn Image, or Recorder->Burn Image. But if you don't have any of the 3 commercial programs listed, and Easy CD Creator can't burn bin/cues, then, as jggimi suggests, use DVD Decrypter.

Hang in there. You're almost there.

[jggimi]

Step 3: Burning (Each and every one of these mentioned in the guides is a link to the software, Dirty Dick): When making an (S)VCD you can choose between the following options:

Fireburner (note: some people are having problems with this program, however, I've never had the slightest problem so I won't go as far as discouraging its use).
CDRWin
Nero
DVD Decrypter

For DVD output, use DVD Decrypter.I have a recommendation: Slow down, read, and think before doing things. Please.

These are step by step guides. In order to make them work properly, follow them. You've managed to put your DivX .avi on a data CD-R(W) because you are not following the guide.

[jggimi]

I see manono jumped in while I was typing. He's a little more circumspect than I am, but then, he hasn't been trying to lead a horse to water and make him think.... er... drink.

[killingspree]

@Dirty Dick: i know it's not your primary concern right now, but using a descriptive title is actually a forum rule! I edited this one for you, please try to find a better one yourself next time!
also doing a lot of reading is essential to get into this topic! so please read the guides, search the forum, a lot of your questions have been asked many times before!!

steVe

[Dirty Dick]

Steve

Not sure where your coming from with the "descritive title"?

Also reading is my middle name! I've read & read & read, wife is now getting on to me. Read lots but having difficulty understanding all the jargon. I'm not very "IT" based. Have had problems searching the site, is the search function working? It seems to come back with nil hits.

Thanks for all the help
DD

[jggimi]

...Not sure where your coming from with the "descritive title"?Steve was referring to Forum rule #9) "Use a title that describes the content of your post..." There's a link to the rules on every forum web page. There's one right at the top of this one, for example. For more on why that rule exists, click on Rule 9 Alert (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43066), a sticky thread here in the Newbie forum that you must have missed....Read lots but having difficulty understanding all the jargon. ... You are not the only one. That's why Doom9's website has a Glossary (http://www.doom9.org/glossary.htm) as one of the main links. Its not an I.T. glossary, though, it's all about on digital video and digital audio.... Have had problems searching the site...Yes, that happens. What kind of keywords have you been using to get no hits? Usually, people get too many hits because their keywords are not specific enough. Also, please note that there are two different searches: There's a Search (http://www.doom9.org/search.htm) on Doom9's website. there's a http://forum.doom9.org/images/top_search.gif button for Doom9's forum.

[Dirty Dick]

Thanks jggimi

I now understand that I was a bit vague with the description of the thread, but I didn't (note the past tense!!) understand all the tech. jargon.

Well, seems as though something is happening with the avi file that I'm converting, I'll keep you posted as to what happens.

In the meantime I'm still reading

Thanks everyone.
DD