SVCD ON MAC

vcdhowto · Member Joined: 12 Dec 2002

How to make an (S)VCD on a Macintosh
By VCDHOWTO
This Guide/tutorial will show you step by step how to make an Svcd on your Mac.
Remember before you begin Svcd in my opinion is not as good as Vhs,(especially with heavy camera pans) but its great to use until you eventaully buy a DVD burner. With Svcd there is one major principal thats is "What you put in is what you get out!" This guide shows you all the tools you need and where to get them.

The guide was made specifically to convert your -NTSC- vhs, vhs-c,8mm,hi8, or any other analog source into SVCD. I made it cause its rediculous trying to find information or tools regarding Svcd production on a mac.

There is many different ways and tools to use, but from my testing, results and time spent this is the best way to go (IMO)

Important:
Before you start anything READ everything and make sure you have all the requirments or its a waste of your time

REQUIREMENTS
Hardware
DV Camcorder with Analog to DV converter

G3 500 mhz IMAC computer or higher (can be lower might have problems)

Firewire cable and Composite video cables (included with above purchases)

Software
OS X system software (free with your mac)

Imovie (free with your mac)

Quicktime PRO version (cheap price go buy it quick)
Search www.apple.com/quicktime for more information.

Quick help for "NEWBIES"
This section refers to getting your movie(source) onto a mac.

Connect your VCR or analog camcorder threw the audio/video output jacks to your DV camcorder analog input with the video(yellow/white/red ends)cable supplied with your DV camcorder. Turn on the analog-dv converter using the dv camcorder menu. Then connect your firewire from dv camcorder to your macintosh computer firewire port. Now Import footage using Imovie. Edit(if youd like) and Export(see below)

STEP 1
Export Video
From imovie export the video using IDVD setting. OR if using a different video editing application use MOTION JPEG A codec. with 720x480 size, ntsc(29.97fps)and 48khz audio, none compression.

STEP 2
Quicktime PRO (need Pro version)
File "open new movie" Exported from imovie.
Click "Movie" from menu and go to "GET MOVIE OPTIONS"
Select "video track" and "high quality". -Check- high quality enabled!
Save the video!
Now select export "sound to wave" Save the Audio.

MPEG2 ENCODING + SVCD PROCESS
Requirements
Developer tools
Go to http://developer.apple.com/tools/macosxtools.html
Click on adc membersite have to register, then log in and save the tools to your harddrive. Install the local pakage only. Its a big download hope you have CABLE.

Mediapipe with templates
Go to following websites
http://mediapipe.sourceforge.net/Applications/GUI/
Download the latest version of MEDIAPIPE and install.

http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/MediaPipe_templates.sit
It will download the templates to make it easy for you.

MMTS From RNC
http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/
Download latest version of Missing Mpeg Tools(MMTS)

MMG From RNC (this makes a menu work)
http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/
Download lastest version of Missing Menu generator(MMG)

TOAST 5 (fairly priced) http://www.roxio.com

STEP 3 (the long part)
HOW TO ENCODE VIDEO
Open up the the Mediapipe template folder Choose NTSC 36min folders and either one of those templates
"svcd_interl_480x480.mpline" for tv
"svcd_progr_480x480.mpline" for tv and mac

This will load mediapipe and all you gotto do is select file and configure. Add your movie you made in step 2.

STEP 4
HOW TO ENCODE SOUND
Open up MMTs and select mp2enc, add your wave audio file you made in step2, name the new file and where you want it saved.
Make sure you have vcd compliant checked.
(You can do a bunch of encodes at a time, useful for overnight encoding)

STEP 5
HOW TO JOIN AUDIO+VIDEO
Open up MMTs and select mplex
Choose both audio and video files you made in Steps 3 and 4
Make sure VBR and SVCD is checked. Save to output.
This makes a MPG FILE (can be played on vlc player to see if it works)

VLC player http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download.html

STEP 6 (MENU SORTIVE LIKE DVD)
TELL THE DVD PLAYER
Open up MMG and Select svcd.

FOR MENU
Hit "Add" and choose your mpg videos from step 5
Choose the first video you want as menu and click "set to menu"
Set "Loops" to 2 or 3.
Set the next->timeout options.

Helpful
"Timeout" option tells the dvd player what to do after that track has finish playing.
choose the next track in line

"Return" option should always be linked to the menu track. Makes for a dvd kind of feel.

"Next and Previous" options refer to the next and previous tracks in line, you gotto tell it where to go.

Hit Update you will see an "M" next to the track.
(remember this menu video has to be edited in imovie with numbers on the screen telling the viewer what number to pick for what chapter.)

FOR CHAPTERS
Just make sure these tracks are set to normal. (No "M" Next to it)
After everything is set Click "Gen" and this will create svcd.xml file.

Easy to figure out just make sure menu is the first track you add then have the rest of the tracks lined up according to the way you choose to assign numbers to them.
Remember "M" counts as a zero. And all other normal tracks start at 1 going down to whatever.

Dont use "scan offsets/152" unless your dvd player doesnt play the movie correctly.
http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/MMGen.html for more info

STEP 7
MAKING IMG FILES
Open up MMTS and select Xbuild. Choose the xml script and click build.
Make sure cdrdao is checked.
This will make img files.

STEP 8
BURNING TO CD-R
Open Toast 5
Select "Other" button and choose "multitrack cd rom-XA"
Put your .IMG files in order. Example mymoviechapter1.img, mymoviechapter2.img

NOTE: Do NOT burn pre gap.img files,xml script,toc. file, mpv, mp2, mpg, wav or mov files. (thats just what it takes to make an svcd)

Just burn regular .img files

DONE!

OTHER INFO
Alot of info on anything VCD related.
http://www.vcdhelp.com

To watch SVCDS on your MAC you will need VLC Player for OSX
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download.html

To watch SVCDS on your T.V you will need a svcd compatible DVD player
http://www.vcdhelp.com/dvdplayers.php

RNC WEBSITE
http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/

Some tools and hardware can be found here APPLES WEBSITE
http://www.apple.com/imovie or http://www.apple.com/quicktime

A High End Video Editing Application
http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/main.html

To get questions answered use the following forums
http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9
http://www.squeeds.com/6/ubb.x
http://mediapipe.sourceforge.net/Forum/

I may have forgot a few things but this basically covers it. If i missed anything use the vcdhelp forum. Hope this helps all you "newbies" thinking of making an SVCD on a macintosh.

LATER

Wizeman · Member Joined: 14 Oct 2002 Location: Sweden

Please don't post here stating things like "vhs is superios to svcd". It simply isn't true, and just goes to show how little you understand of the subject matter. You may not have seen the difference with your naked eye yet (from which I can only surmise you've been unfortunate enough never seen a well-done SVCD, or shouldn't operate heavy machinery and have a license hehe), but that does not mean the difference does not exist. Working professionally with video, I tell you: it does. In fact, the difference is so striking (even on smaller screens) that I never thought I'd have to start counting pixels to justify it from a technical standpoint...

Also, while going through the DV format can be helpful for anyone wishing to convert a difficult source - you degrade the material immediately since DV compression is 5:1 straight off the bat.

But of course, this is as good a way as any to get into the jungle of video manipulation on the Mac - wish more people would post about things like that. (I wrote a manual on ffmpegx for Mac, it's online here too as a Sticky post under Mac Video Forum.)

/Wizeman a.k.a. El Rocho of the Movie Madhouse
_________________
"I have not failed. I have only learned what does not work."
-Edison

vcdhowto · Member Joined: 12 Dec 2002

Yeah, guess i shouldnt have said that, and i was thinking about it when i decided to put it in the guide. I refered that comment to using the tools and method in my guide, should have been more specific. (i did mention that it was my opinion not a fact) The reason i did is fustration. i did over 3 weeks of tests, read a bunch of stuff, used all programs including ffmpegx.

If your talking about professional quality svcds made at the studio using high quality source well this guide is not about that.

Dont want people using my guide thinking the quality will be better when in fact it isnt. This way the people who use my guide wont think they did anything wrong and saves them the fustration i went threw if the qaulity isnt so great. IF they like the quality thats even better.

About ffmpegx i used every setting related to svcd, tweaked settings and used different sources, always got blocks, when i asked are they inevitable nobody answered

Id rather be told it doesnt get any better using a particular method!