Newbie needs some advice re: VCD/SVCD and tools ...

[cmeisenzahl]

Very glad to have found this forum. I took a good look around but frankly I was overwhelmed by the amount of info on this site.

For my hardware I have:
- 12" G4 iBook with 1.2gb RAM and ComboDrive (can't burn DVDs, only CDs), 80gb HD
- JVC MiniDV Camcorder

Software:
OS X Panther on the iBook

I used some freeware I found to make a VCD out of a QT .mov on the iBook a few days ago. It looked horrible on my TV, all pixelated and the sound was about 2 seconds out of sync from the video.



1.
Which tools are freeware or open-source, which should I get? I'm not a complete newbie, I know how to burn audio and data CDs.

What are the preferred tools for this kind of work on OS X? I can see myself having source files as .mov, .wmv, and .avi, maybe even mpeg.


2.
Any tips or words of wisdom?

3.
What are the steps I should take?

4.
Is SVCD preferred over VCD?

5.
Why was the picture on my TV from the SVCD so small? Whay was the audio out of sync from the video? How can I prevent that?


All info and advice very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance and have a great day,

Chris

[tgpo]

4.
Is VCD preferred over VCD?

um.....Yes

[mrbass]

process the DVD with mactheripper to rip to hd. Use either dvd2oneX or popcorn (both about $50). Then buy an external firewire cd burner or buy a liteon 16X burner for about $60 and firewire case for about $35. Use patchburn.de to have it recognized by disk utility and iDVD, etc.

[NarenFish]

Try MPEG2works or Toast 6. I'd generally stick with SVCD but it all depends on original media size/quality and convenience.

There is also forty_two and FFmpegX, which are free of coast. I always used Firestarter FX to burn when I didn't have toast.

good luck...

[sjk]

ffmpegX is $15 shareware.

[JoachimS]

Everything you need to know:

http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/SVCD_on_a_Macintosh.html

Cheers,

Joachim