DVD-->DV-->iDVD interlace artifact

[KMJvet]

I am trying to reauthor some DVDs I made a number of years ago from VHS tapes of old TV eps. I didn't tape all the eps so when I made the DVDS the eps weren't in order. But I've got the rest now and wanted to reauthor the DVDs to get the eps into order and have a nice set with nice menus using iDVD. I did DVD to DV using DVDxDV and NTSCPro coded. The process works okay, except the new DVDs seem to play with lots of jagged borders between colors especially during motion.
I think this is interlacing artifact?? But I was playing them via a DVD player to a plasma TV, not a computer.
So, I changed the settings in DVDxDV to deinterlace in its preferences and then in "expert" used progressive, but that created all sort of bad digital artifacts in the finished DVD. So, that was a wrong guess.
I'm hoping someone else has done this before and knows what the optimal setting may be?
thanks,

-KMJvet

[Frobozz]

That's a lot of work. If I was in your place I'd look for a solution that didn't require converting to DV.

You say you want nice menus so that eliminates using Toast to do this from the source MPEGs. Instead you can use CaptyDVD 2. It has customizable motion menus for titles and chapters while accepting muxed MPEG video as content.

Let me know if you are interested in going this way and I can explain some steps.

[KMJvet]

Thanks, I'll gladly try a method that's less work. I'll look at that. I'm definitely interested so please do post anything you think would help right as I start.

[KMJvet]

So, I bought the software. I made mpegs in MPEG Streamclip from my ripped VOBs. And when I try to drag the mpegs (muxed mpeg2) into CaptyDVD it says they're incompatible.

Also, because the help files from the softward company are close to useless, I can't really figure out how to move anything around, text or buttons or whatever.
I saw the little realplayer video, but is there any tutorial anywhere written by a native English speaker.

thanks

[tomlee59]

Hi Kathy,

There was an earlier discussion here about CaptyDVD1/2. You can read it here: https://forum.videohelp.com/topic291225.html

I'm not sure why it is rejecting your mpg files. The OEM version that shipped with my ADS capture box behaves like yours does (it will only accept the modified mpegs created by the capture app), but the full commercial version should not have a problem with Streamclip output (I'm assuming that you have the MPEG2 component from Apple installed). Are you sure that the version you bought was the "real" thing, as opposed to the OEM version?

[KMJvet]

Yes, thanks for those ideas...... it's a full, regular version purchased at their own web site. I do have mpeg2 component from Apple and also Toast thought those same mpeg files were fine and burned them no trouble at all.

[tomlee59]

Here's something to try, if you haven't already done so (or otherwise solved your problem): Demux, then remux your mpeg (use, eg, the tools in ffmpegx). This sometimes fixes minor problems that might be tripping up captydvd. Files created from VHS often have some anomalies due to source errors. Depending on how the software tries to deal with those inevitabilities, the resulting file may or may not be troublesome. Demuxing/remuxing can help.

So, too, by the way, can using the "fix timecode breaks" option in Streamclip prior to exporting. I'd give that a try as well. If nothing else, it will tell you whether or not you had timecode errors in the suspect mpeg.

[KMJvet]

Thanks for more ideas. I had already initially fixed timecode breaks with MPEG Streamclip. I tried demuxing to m2v and ac3 with MPEG Streamclip which appeared to work fine. But in ffmpegx when I tried to mux them I got a failed notice, right quickly. Any ideas where to look and what to change in MPEG Streamclip preference or in ffmpegx to try to track down what it doesn't like?

[tomlee59]

That's often a symptom of a data break (caused by an error of some kind). I would try demuxing with ffmpegx, rather than streamclip, just to see if that produces elementary streams that ffmpegx will then successfully remux.

I'm sure others will chime in shortly with a raft of additional ideas. We'll fix this!

[KMJvet]

I'll do that this evening but can you clarify for me the steps. Can ffmpegx demux the vobs directly the way MPEG Streamclip does, or do I take the mpeg files that MPEG Streamclip created from the VOBs (with the fix timecode breaks as I have done) and the demux and remux those in ffmegx?

[tomlee59]

I believe that ffmpegx can demux vobs directly, but you probably don't want to do that if your titles span more than one vob. So I recommend first trying to demux the mpegs that you have already generated from streamclip (and even the ones that you initially fed into streamclip), and then remuxing the streams created from the demuxing operation. This little ritual can fix a fair number of problems. Hopefully, you'll get lucky and it'll work for you.

[KMJvet]

I think I may have a lead....when I tried to demux in ffmpegx, it didn't like the file. But above where you load the file in the gui, it says mpg or vob. So, since MPEG Streamclip labeled the files mpeg I tried just changing the suffix to mpg which CaptyDVD seems to like. Toast didn't care, but CaptyDVD seems to. So....I'm off to play around some more with using the program but I'm hopeful the importing issue is at least figured out.
Thanks again...(likely to be back).

[tomlee59]

That's some great sleuthing, Kathy. I should've mentioned that to you; I use streamclip so often that I just change the suffix without even thinking about it anymore. I'm glad that you figured it out so quickly on your own.