DvdPatcher & Tmpgenc DVD Author

[magnus]

I am trying to to patch a movie with resolution of 528x480 into TDA. After patching the file TDA accepts and authors it. After authoring, I repatch the vobs to original, but the motion menu and scene selections have green bars and are all messed up. What am I doing wrong?

[borax]

Patch the file, load it into TDA and patch back immediately while TDA is still running (before authoring!). Create the menus and author.

[johns0]

Whats wrong is you are using non compliant resolution which dont work on your dvd player,best to re-encode at 352x480 which is dvd compliant..

[mats.hogberg]

Don't know, but keep in mind, that this is a trick, to A: Cheat the authoring app to accept what it shouldn't accept, and B: Cheat the player. I'd suggest NOT patching the VOB back, or at least patch it to some recognized disc based resolution (DVD/SVCD/VCD). A width of 528 isn't valid as anything a DVD player is supposed to handle...

/Mats

[magnus]

My player will play accept the resolution. I'm just trying to figure out how to use TDA to author it. I know I can uses dvdlab to author it, but TDA is so much easier to use.

[Viper10000]

magnus,

You should try what borax has suggested. I never done 528x480 resolution, but I did it with SVCD's 480x480 resolution, and it worked. Similar to what borax has said, here are the steps I did with my mpeg with 480x480 resolution:

1. Patch to 352x480
2. Drop into TDA, it will accept it.
3. Get out of TDA
4. Patch back to 480x480
5. Back to TDA & Author it.

Step 3 is a little bit different than borax, but I do believe what borax has suggested should work also.

Cheers,

[magnus]

I tried what borax suggested but when I go to create chapters or menus an error message comes up about read error.

[blakbrt]

can anyone inform me why after i use dvd patcher tda won't accept the file? it tells me "could not initialize decoder".

[cd090580]

If you patch back your vob filess, DON'T patch the VTS_0x_0.VOB (it contains the menu)

[blakbrt]

can anyone inform me why after i use dvd patcher tda won't accept the file? it tells me "could not initialize decoder".

this also happens when i use svcd2dvd. any suggestions?

[johns0]

In dvd2svcd go to the frameserver tab and choose resize to cvd(352x480/576) before you start encoding,makes it dvd compliant so you dont have to patch it.

[Garibaldi]

A width of 528 isn't valid as anything a DVD player is supposed to handle...

I agree, your just playing with fire if you don't use a compliant resolution.

[TBoneit]

On the other hand many DVD Players seem to be able to handle standard DVB resolutions. 528 by 480 is a standard DVD resolution.

I do what he wants to do many times.

I take 544 by 480 DVB patch the first header only to 720 by 480, add to DVD Author, reptach back to 544 by 480, do my edits and author. Everything looks fine on my two different model Sony changers, Two Different Apex models.

The trick is patch the first header, add, repatch back, then edit and author.

I've even had good luck mixing 544 by 480 and VCD res. on the same disk. Maybe I'm just lucky.

CHeers

[blakbrt]

none of this seems to work for me and tmpgenc won't even let me add these mpeg2 files to reencode. seriously what could be the prolem i'm facing?

[steptoe]

I have used DVD Patcher to patch weird resolutions that TMPGenc DVD Author refuses to accept or doesn't let you mix different resolutions on the same DVD, like PAL and NTSC

Patch before letting TMPGenc DVD Author do all the work of creating the files for a DVD, then once finished patch back to the original resolutions that TMPGenc DVD Author refused to accept

It would be better just to warn you about creating a non-standard DVD instead of flatly refusing to let you create it, but there you go, maybe something else they can 'eventually' get around to changing


Example :

To mix NTSC and PAL on a single DVD choose which one to match the others header, so say convert the NTSC to max a PAL movie/episode, let the VOB files be created, then patch back to the original NTSC values

NOTES
Make sure you also patch the original bitrate of the patched movie/episode
, and also say the patched movie/episode is the first source, then patch the first VOB, so you patch VTS_01_1.vob, if its the thirds movie/episode then patch VTS_03_1.vob, and so on

You don't need to patch the entire movie/episode either, just the header will do to fool the software into thining the resolutions are correct




I'll get around to creating a guide to show you just this method that works, its on my list !!

[blakbrt]

ok here are the steps i take

1) load movie into tda which is 480X576 but i'm not able to author because this isn't a valid dvd resolution

2) patch the headers of a 480X576 pal to 352X576 using dvdpatcher

3) attempt to load the patched file into tda and get the error message" could not initialize decoder".

i've tried to patch the entire movie but after doing that even when i try to repatch it before authoring the movie remains patched. the resolution is then all messed up but this is the only way i've been able to get around the "could not initialize decoder" issue.

[mats.hogberg]

Does TDA work with compliant mpegs at all on your setup?

/Mats

[TBoneit]

ok here are the steps i take

1) load movie into tda which is 480X576 but i'm not able to author because this isn't a valid dvd resolution

2) patch the headers of a 480X576 pal to 352X576 using dvdpatcher

3) attempt to load the patched file into tda and get the error message" could not initialize decoder".

i've tried to patch the entire movie but after doing that even when i try to repatch it before authoring the movie remains patched. the resolution is then all messed up but this is the only way i've been able to get around the "could not initialize decoder" issue.

Ok, I may have the answer, try using Womble mpeg-vcr or latest VideoReDo to scan and fix errors in the mpeg stream... or

Sometimes DVD Author can be funny, sometimes it complains about muxed files and sometimes video & audio streams,

So if I have a mpg I try de-muxing it and if I have separate audio/video streams I mux em. Don't know why but that seems to help. and sometimes the scan for error helps as above.

The could not initialize decoder is sayin g something is dodgy about you files. could be even as easy as demuxing and trying
https://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=MPEG_Sequence_Maker
usually that is needed if dvd author complains a video sequence is needed. Sometimes that works too. but it will only work on the video stream. But it may work for your problem, whereas Womble and VideoReDo are trial and payware.

Or in other words your SVCDs werer not properly encoded and now you have to fix the problem. Another way with a performance hit (how much depends on settings) is to re-encode them to 1/2 D1 resolution such a NTSC 352 by 480 or PAL 352 by 576. I use TMPGenc Plus when I go this route.

Or it could be your audio is strange, try demuxing and only adding the video as a test. many things to try and it may not be worth it except as a learning exercise.

Good Luck
Cheers

[blakbrt]

Does TDA work with compliant mpegs at all on your setup?

/Mats

yes

and thanks tboneit i'll try some of those things and post my results hopefully one of them work out for me

[mats.hogberg]

Another way with a performance hit (how much depends on settings) is to re-encode them to 1/2 D1 resolution such a NTSC 352 by 480 or PAL 352 by 576. I use TMPGenc Plus when I go this route.

This thread could have been completely avoided, had the mpeg been properly encoded to a valid DVD resolution in the first place...

/Mats

[TBoneit]

Another way with a performance hit (how much depends on settings) is to re-encode them to 1/2 D1 resolution such a NTSC 352 by 480 or PAL 352 by 576. I use TMPGenc Plus when I go this route.

This thread could have been completely avoided, had the mpeg been properly encoded to a valid DVD resolution in the first place...

/Mats

Depends on the source, his resolution is a Standard res for DVB, as is 544 by 480, I use 544 by 480 video extracted directly from the Drive in my DVR Satellite receiver. I also get 640 by 480 from the same source... I've heard they also use 480 by 480 but i've never seen that one. The 544 by 480 play in all my two brands with 4 models of DVD player (Sony & Apex). They come that res from the drive as that it what they are encoded at by the uplink center and the drive at my end just holds the stream unchanged, some with MP2 and AC3 or only mP2 audio, fortunately the audio is standard enough to not need twiddling with. The 640 by 480 leave either a gap on one side or one side is off the screen, depends on the player. Thnos I re-code to 1/2 D1.

So maybe he can't control the resolution

Cheers

[mats.hogberg]

544 by 480 play in all my two brands with 4 models of DVD player (Sony & Apex).

Which doesn't alter the fact that it's not a DVD resolution. What works on your player today might well not work with the one you buy tomorrow. If reencoding can be avoided, I completely understand why you'd try to create off standard DVDs, but in the long run, there's only trouble up that road...

/Mats

[TBoneit]

544 by 480 play in all my two brands with 4 models of DVD player (Sony & Apex).

Which doesn't alter the fact that it's not a DVD resolution. What works on your player today might well not work with the one you buy tomorrow. If reencoding can be avoided, I completely understand why you'd try to create off standard DVDs, but in the long run, there's only trouble up that road...

/Mats

I'm trying to avoid reencoding, for reasons of time and quality.. To keep a decent quality the re-encoding process makes the file nuch larger, Consumer S/w vs Business H/w encoding I Guess. Many of them are running at approx 1 gig an hour +/-... Premiums and PPV run higher res and size. The way I look at it I'm better off than if I were going to Divx, a moving target if I ever saw one. My way I can get more of I want to watch these one day on a DVD, and recover my Disk Space in my PVR/DVR for things I want to watch and delete for sure. At the cost of disks I figure if I don't watch them, no big loss of money or time. And of course being MPEG2/MP2 I figure if I have to I can always at some future date encode with a much higher chance of the format being supported in newer Operating systems and software.

And of course as time passes the time to re-encode becomes shorter and shorter. So I guess that yes you are right I'm gambling they;ll work on a newer machine, but the downside as I see it isn't that bad, and a lot of them I may never watch a second time, I only DVD'd them til I have free time to view.

Cheers

[nick101181]

I've tried this method on my apex 660a and I'm having problem the dvd loads fine and goes to the menu but after selecting play and skipping chapters a few times no buttons respond on the remote. I can't ff rw pause,stop, power off, goto menu, nothing. Is this due to the dvb files having a diff GOP than a normal dvd? thanks

[TBoneit]

Could be, the DVB files use a non-std gop size.

Try mpeg2vcr or videoredo to rezies the gop size and see I believe the videoredo at least has a free trial. On my system the only benifit I see of rezizing the gops is better FF/Frev funtionality on the Apex, The Sony(s) seem to handle it ok.

I seem to recall the models of Apex I use are 1100 and 5130 (3 disc changer).

Maybe worth trying a different player( I've seen em as low as 20-30 dollars on sale. Or Walmarts got a good return policy.


Cheers

[nick101181]

Thanks I'll try that. I tried the same dvd-rw on my wife's nova d311 player and it played fine and showed the menu and I could change chapters and ff and rw but after testing the menu and resuming play after the third time it froze at the menu but still acted like the video was showing. I could skip and fast forward and rewind but the menu was showing and when I pressed menu it said invalid key.

[jimmalenko]

I was patching a SVCD to put it onto DVD last night and ran into a few of the issues mentioned above. I patched the MPEGs so TDA would accept them but forgot to patch the VOBs back. Resultant playback had pixelation to one side almost all the way through the movie. I patched the VOBs back and reburnt and problem solved.

I was getting that cannot intialise decoder error when I was patching the headers only. I patched the entire file and it loaded fine, so maybe that's something to try.

I think what's happening here is you are patching the menu VOB (either VIDEO_TS.VOB and/or VTS_XX_0.VOB) after authoring, which you don't need to do.

The other thing to remember is that patching is not a guaranteed solution, so you may ahve to bite the bullet and re-encode. After all, how long has it taken you now to try to get patching working ?

[blakbrt]

tboneit i tried the things you mentioned and most worked but before i purchase videoredo i wanna try mpegvcr. so how would i scan the files in mpegvcr?

[TBoneit]

Start MpegVCR, then Tools menu, then choose Mpeg Gop Fixer, choose input file and scan, if it finds GOP size errors you'll have to set an output file and fix, It'll fix GOP time code errors and Audio PTS errors in a read/write mode to the original file it only needs to output when fixing the third setting fix GOP size errors.

VideoReDo is cheaper and I understand from over on a Yahoo group where I also hangout that the VideoReDo people are very responsive to user input. As well as being cheaper.

Glad they helped, I'll be curious how you finally make out and what your choice is, Both will do frame accurate cutting for editing as I understand it.

Cheers