TMPEGnc question

[jyeh74]

When converting mpg to a dvd compliant file, it asks if you want to output
each file separately or in one file. Let's say I have 5 mpgs I wanna encode. If I do 5 separately, I can then go into TDA and create menus, by adding each dvd file (after TMPEGnc encodes them) and create menus. Easy to add each file individually in TDA to author.

If, however, I output them into one file instead, then when I go to TDA, how do I separate them into different chapters? Meaning, how do I separate the files into different sections? If I insert the dvd file, it will be one big file right? How does TDA know which file is the Mariah Carey music video, which one is the Tupac music video, etc, since they were all encoded into one big file.....?

[thegeeman]

It won't!!!! I think you've posted this topic before? Did you not get an answer then??

Encode all 5 files separately. Add ONE file to TDA; create chapters if need be for that file ONLY. Now 'Add new track' for the 2nd file/music video or whatever; add chapters again if need be. Repeat this process until all files/tracks are there. Now to create Menu. Select a menu template on the left, equal to the no.of tracks you've just added. Double click on the text and then call each track by whatever you want-Mariah Carey, 2Pac, Usher, etc etc. Now Output file and burn, if fit to disc.

[jyeh74]

ok thanks for that clarification. I wasnt sure.
Sorry if this is a stupid question. On first option under "menu settings" I have Load main menu. The second option after each file is played there is an option for "Load track menu" Whats a track menu?

I only have music videos. The main menu should have a list of all of the music videos. Whats a "track menu"?

[thegeeman]

Do Not know what else to say after this.

[jtoolman2000]

Usually what happens when I load each file as a separate track is that you will end up with a main menu with thumbnails that lead to sub-menus for each of those individual files. Each of the sub-menus will further lead you to chapter menus IF you chose to create chapter points for each of the individual files.

In other words, they will not play one after the other but rather, once the first video ends it will return you back to the main menu and so on.

If you add them all to the same track, you will have them all on the main many as well but they will play consecutively.

I do not use TDA very much as I need a bit more control over my authroing so maybe someone else can clarify this a bit more.

[jyeh74]

So I used the bitrate calculator. Thiese files are small about 5 mins. So I put in 4 min and 41 sec and the audio i left at 192. The bitrate came out to 9603...why so high? Anyways, TPEGnc only allows up to 9200 anyways. So does that mean that if I go above the number it calculates, that it will NOT do anything to increase resolution quality?

What if I go lower than the number it gives me? Then will it dramatically make it look worse?

The reason I ask is due to the following practice run I did using TMPGEnc and also DivxtoDVD...using the same 7 mpg files.

For example, I use TMPGEnc Xpress and I loaded 7 mpg files total about 350 mb. I used the bitrate calculator and put in 35 mins = 9603 average bitrate. The max it allows me to set is 9200, which outputs at 2130 mb! It's pretty high, thats almost 6.5 times the original size.

Now if I use DivxtoDVD (usuing the same 7 mpg files), it becomes about 750 mb. My question is how do I tell what bitrate DivxtoDVD uses? (i have the freeware version) Obviously, it lowered the bitrate by a LOT for it to drop from 2130 mb (when using TMPGEnc) to 750mb (using DivxtoDVD)....even though the two are different software, I was just wondering what the reasoning behind it was.

The funny thing is that the 750mb output from DivxtoDVD isnt even all that bad (at least I cant tell) So whats up with TMPGEnc?

[BobK]

ok thanks for that clarification. I wasnt sure.
Sorry if this is a stupid question. On first option under "menu settings" I have Load main menu. The second option after each file is played there is an option for "Load track menu" Whats a track menu?

You can load all the videos into one track. TDA will put a chapter point at the beginning of each file as it's loaded. If you load them all into one track then you don't need a main menu, just a track menu.

If each file is a different song, then after loading all the files you will have one chapter for each file. Then go to the track menu (with no main menu) and type in the titles for each song.

A track menu is a menu of chapter points in that track. When there's more than one track, the menu menu lets you select which track menu you want to look at, then the track menu let's you select chapters on that track. With only one track you don't need a main menu to select different tracks since there's only one to select.

If you select 'Load Main Menu' and there's only one track then the main menu is that track menu- so the menu will come up when you start playing the disk.

For the second option, if you want the disk to return to the menu at the end of each track then you'd select 'Display track menu' or 'Display Main Menu' (whichever you want to display). If you want the disk to play all the way through without returning to a menu after each track then you'd select 'Play the next track'.