My SVCDs always glitch like hell the first time I load it.

[GunslingerKid]

I registered yesterday but found out I had to wait one day before I could post. The good thing about that is that I spent one day searching again and again and learned alot, solving many problems. At first I couldn't even get it to load, now its fine but it always glitches/pixelates really badly whenever I put it in my DVD standalone, the sound squeaks and screeches, but get this: I stop it and start it again, then fast forward a bit and use the GoToTime feature to go to 2min or so, let it play a bit then the glitching gradually becomes better. Eventually it's all gone... I can stop/restart the whole thing and get an almost perfect playback.

I was wondering if anyone could help me single out this problem. I'm using a piece of shit SAST AEP-806 that was bought in Asia. I looked up the compatibility table on the left and noticed that you aussies reviewed the AEP-803 and confirmed it works with SVCD, CD-R, CD-RW. At first I used CD-Rs, some brandless junk and it read No-Disc. That prompted me to register an ID here yesterday, but eventually I figured out that my player does not like that junk, so I used Verbatim CD-RW's, and after a million or so different settings and trial and error i got the results above.

Perhaps this is an encoding problem. I downloaded some music videos, which i'm quite sure is legal because it's the same theory as recording MTV's off my television and keeping it for personal use (ie not selling or redistrubuting them). Each music video, is in .mpg, but some have different framerates. I encode each and every one into SVCD-->PAL template with TMPGEnc, so they SHOULD be the same, but right now I'm just testing with ONE movie clip onto a CD-RW and produced the results above.

My specs: P3 800, 256mb ram, 20gb HD, brand spanking new Samsung SW-240 (40read/40write/12rewrite, a yummy 8mb buffer, JustLink). SAST AEP-806 DVD player that is supposed to play everything.

Encoding Process:

- Use TMPGEnc to convert music video to SVCD-->PAL template, CQ 2000 bitrate max (incase my crap standalone can't handle 2300+), quality 80, sometimes use Precision Motion to Slow if clip quality is poor.

Authoring Process:

- Take the finished product and burn with Nero's SVCD standard template at 4x. Believe me I have tried LOTS of different settings... I think I tried:

- VCD header trick, burn as non-compliant VCD
- SVCD use /mpegav/ as directory
- different bitrate settings, including going as low as 1800 max but it doesn't make any difference at all

Anyways I know this post is getting too long so to summarize this up with my main questions:

1.) I know that some players cannot play SVCD at all but mine CAN load it.... but sometimes it's glitchy and unreliable. SOmetimes it can play fine. What problem causes this? Encoding problem? Probably not authoring, I am simply using Nero's SVCD template.

2.) Perhaps a media problem? I am using Verbatim CD-RW's. I don't want to buy lots of CD-R only to find out my player doesn't like that brand.

3.) NTSC/PAL cause this? Both my player and TV support both, I have set it to Automatic.

4.) Menu doesn't work... I added menu to SVCD and it comes up with No-Disc. Without menu, and using Verbatim CD-RW, it loads a long time but it DOES load... then comes up glitchy and garbbled and sound squeaky, but if i am patient it might play smoothly later.

5.) I burn 4 mtv's. #1 and 2 are NTSC, fps 29.97003 or something. #3 is a weird 24 fps. #4 is PAL 25 fps. Frame size all different. I encode them all the same with the method above, TMPGEnc SVCD-->PAL template, place them all into SVCD. Will this be fine??

6.) Can some aussie who owns/tried an AEP-803, please tell me which brand of CD-R gives best results! I don't want to buy 5 different stacks and find out none of them are compatible! (Dont need much for data, my burner came with 5 Verbatim CD-RWs) Thanks!!


I'm a bit confused right now because i tried soooooo many different things i forgot most of them. But now i think i got a feel for my player, ie i know what it can play and can not. It CAN play CD-R/RW, it CAN play SVCD... but that annoying glitch problem


P.S.- Plays fine on computer when I use region free player, like PowerDVD. Even though I only own my burner for 2 days I feel I am no longer a complete clueless newbie anymore, after extensive trial and error. Don't think it is burning problem (burning 4x speed and Finalize).

[mats.hogberg]

Probably not authoring, I am simply using Nero's SVCD template

Might very well be - I don't trust Nero for anything besides burning stuff. Author with VCDEasy, and burn the image produced by VCDEasy with Nero. (Or burn with VCDEasy directly).

/Mats

[GunslingerKid]

Thanks, I will try that. Although during my probation days and extensive searching, i read that someone said it doesn't matter which program used to author, but i guess it's worth a shot.

Yesterday I burned FOUR music videos onto one CD-RW, they all had different frame sizes and fps, some NTSC some PAL. I converted them all to the same format/template with TMPGEnc and it WORKED. So I guess I answered my own question:

5.) I burn 4 mtv's. #1 and 2 are NTSC, fps 29.97003 or something. #3 is a weird 24 fps. #4 is PAL 25 fps. Frame size all different. I encode them all the same with the method above, TMPGEnc SVCD-->PAL template, place them all into SVCD. Will this be fine??

The result, same thing. Glitch like hell, squeaky sound, looks like a coaster, but after a while the media seems to "warm up" in my SAST AEP-806 and then it plays FLAWLESS. So this is one annoying bug.

Still waiting for a friendly Australian who's had experience with the AEP-803 to tell me which brand of CD-R works best! The reviews I read on the net only says "it plays CD-R". I'm quite sure it is a problem with my media, or with my 2 yr old standalone.

[mats.hogberg]

I'm quite sure it is a problem with my media, or with my 2 yr old standalone

Might very well be the case, yes. On the whole, CD-RW usually woks better than CD-R if your player has problems reading burned CDs.

someone said it doesn't matter which program used to author

This someone doesn't know what he/she is talking about!

/Mats