What is the best DVD Authuring Program for VCD to DVD?

[Rexkh]

Hi

I tried some programs but they didn't serve me well. TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 always give me an unknown error message while rendering DAT to DVD video at around 64%. Nero support lowest bit rate of 1600kb/s which I need 1150kb/s for VCD so it take space more than it actually need as well as ImToo DVD Creator which support the lowest bit rate of 2Mb/s. Any suggestion?

[hech54]

Put the DAT files back to MPEG BEFORE you load them into an authoring program?

[manono]

TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 always give me an unknown error message while rendering DAT to DVD video at around 64%. Nero support lowest bit rate of 1600kb/s which I need 1150kb/s for VCD so it take space more than it actually need as well as ImToo DVD Creator which support the lowest bit rate of 2Mb/s.

Are you reencoding or authoring or both? Those are two completely separate and distinct things. First, VCD video is already DVD compliant and doesn't need reencoding. Only the audio has to be converted for DVD. And as hech54 said, convert the DAT files to MPG before doing anything. Don't just rename them as MPG.

[yoda313]

I haven't checked but why not try avstodvd?

I imagine it should be smart enough to import dat's directly. I don't know how it handles vcd to dvd but as mentioned only the audio needs to be changed. Vcd audio is 44khz (cd quality) and needs to be converted to 48khz (dvd level).

But tda will do the conversion too as mentioned so long as they are readable files by tda - mpg as mentioned.

Doesn't vcdgear do that dat to mpg? It's been so long since i've worked with vcd but that was one of the main programs. That and tmpgenc plus.

[usually_quiet]

AVStoDVD doesn't list DAT files as one of its supported input file types, so importing DAT files directly may or may not work.

[Rexkh]

I appreciate your suggestion. However, the point I wanted is a DVD Authoring Program that support lower bitrate of 1150kb/s which DAT file is. Nero Vision is 1696kb/s is the lowest as well as ImToo DVD Creator is 2mb/s is the lowest.

[sanlyn]

I appreciate your suggestion. However, the point I wanted is a DVD Authoring Program that support lower bitrate of 1150kb/s which DAT file is. Nero Vision is 1696kb/s is the lowest as well as ImToo DVD Creator is 2mb/s is the lowest.

Might have something to do with the fact that 1152kb is below the normally acceptable bitrate for MPEG2. Why that should make a difference is a mystery to me unless you're doing something that makes the authoring program re-encode or something else (besides the miserly low-quality bitrate) is whacky about the video. Freebie apps are often more tolerant of substandard encodes and formats, so the other suggestions might work.

[jman98]

Actually, most free DVD authoring programs don't strictly follow the DVD standards and will reject valid MPEG-1 video input. I know. I've tried. I've got a demo DVD that I made with valid VCD MPEG-1 video and re-encoded the audio to 44.1 kHz. I had to use Scenarist to make it as the few other authoring programs I tried just flat out rejected the MPEG-1 video. So I'm not surprised at all that the OP is having problems and finding programs unnecessarily trying to re-encode the video.

If the OP doesn't need a menu, something like muxman might work. Or GUIforDVDAuthor if the OP wants a simple menu, which is now becoming my go to program for making DVDs.

[usually_quiet]

DVDauthorgui might be worth a look as well. The user interface is simpler than GUIforDVDAuthor's.

[manono]

However, the point I wanted is a DVD Authoring Program that support lower bitrate of 1150kb/s which DAT file is. Nero Vision is 1696kb/s is the lowest as well as ImToo DVD Creator is 2mb/s is the lowest.

Not sure I believe that as an authoring program should support any video that's DVD compliant. If you're opening the MPG, maybe they're complaining about the uncompliant audio and want to reencode everything. Anyway, Muxman will author DVD compliant VCD assets. I just tested with an M1V direct from a VCD. You'll have to demux the MPG you made. Open it in DGIndex and File->Save Project and Demux Video. It'll give you an M1V, the MP2 audio, and a D2V project file you can discard. And as already mentioned, you'll have to reencode the audio. DVDAUthorGUI accepted it as well, if you want to make menus for it. After demuxing you might also test the M1V in those other authoring programs you claim won't accept VCD video.

[Rexkh]

To Manono

I've just tried your method. I got some but not everything.
1st, I don't know what to do with Muxman. I opened it but do not understand what it is for. Interface was very complicated.
2nd, DGIndex is used to get M1V and MP2 for DVDAuthorGUI but I have to add mpg files one by one. Otherwise, they will mix into a single file. Note: I have 100 DAT files. It would hurt to add one by one.
3nd, DVDAuthorGUI did create DVD Video. It's not 4:3 Aspect Radio but very wide screen(short height and long width). I can't find how to change.

Any suggestion?

[manono]

Muxman is very easy to use. Open it and hit the button to the right of 'Video' to add an M1V. Once inside the video place, you can continue to add M1Vs by hitting the 'Add' button. Same procedure with the audio. However, if several of the M1Vs are from a single movie, you might join them all by opening them all at once in DGIndex. That way you'll get both a joined M1V and joined MP2 audio from it.

And adding a bunch of M1Vs and MP2s together could cause audio desynch, but you won't know until you try. It'll happen in any other authoring program as well, unless you make separate chapters from them all.

So, any you want joined, do it in DGIndex. If you want to make separate chapters from the different DAT files, you can make a 'dummy' DVD using DVDAuthorGUI, with the number of chapters you want (using a very short video and audio as a source for that), and then later in VobBlanker, substitute the separate DVDs you made of the DAT files for the 'dummy' chapters. I do that all the time when making music video compilation DVDs. Author each song as a little DVD, make a dummy DVD with the correct total number of chapters, and then replace the dummy chapters with the real chapters.

Note: I have 100 DAT files. It would hurt to add one by one.

Don't you have to add them one-by-one in whichever authoring program you use? I frequently make 25-song music compilation DVDs and each song is authored individually.

[Rexkh]

As much as I can understand. Muxman is used to create Video DVD just like DVDAuthorGUI, right? As the result, they need M1V and MP2 from DGIndex. The problem is DGIndex. I have to add an mpg file and wait for it finishing conversion, then add another one and wait again. If I add more than one mpg file, it would mix them into one M1V and MP2. That's the problem.

For the answer to "Do I have to add them one-by-one in whichever authoring program I use?" NO. Just press Ctr + A to select all files and add to list.

[manono]

Well, have you tried using your M1Vs and 48kHZ MP2 audios in those other authoring programs yet? You came here complaining about them, so make up your mind. Did demuxing solve your problem about them not liking VCD bitrates? You haven't been real clear about what you're tring to accomplish.

That's the problem.

You're breaking my heart. Go back to your old way of doing it then. Yes, Muxman requires elementary streams. DVDAuthorGUI doesn't, I don't think. It'll demux it internally. One way or another the MPG has to be demuxed.

As much as I can understand. Muxman is used to create Video DVD just like DVDAuthorGUI, right?

They both author DVDs, but they use different muxing engines.

[usually_quiet]

Note: I have 100 DAT files. It would hurt to add one by one.
3nd, DVDAuthorGUI did create DVD Video. It's not 4:3 Aspect Radio but very wide screen(short height and long width). I can't find how to change.

Any suggestion?

I think DVDauthorgui must obtain the aspect ratio to use from the aspect ratio it finds in the source video itself. I can find no means to alter it from within DVDauthorgui. What does MediaInfo say about the aspect ratio for the m1V file produced by DGIndex?

I hope you are not literally trying to put more than 99 DAT files on one DVD. You will probably run into a problem. If I recall corectly each title added to DVDauthorGUI is assigned its own VTS. The DVD standard alows 99 chapters per PGC, 999 PGCs per VTS and 99 VTSs per DVD, and not all authoring programs allow as many of these things as the DVD standard supports.