PMoovConveter 0.1.1 (DVD->SVCD/VCD ALL-IN-ONE!) OS X

[bilestyle]

You need to have quicktime mpeg-2 decoding component installed for this program to decode vob/mpeg-2 files.

This program fixes ALL sync issues in every source i have run through it. INCLUDING Animated works (simpsons). It also works with vob files bigger than 4 gigs. The process for a More than 4 gig dvd is longer than it needs to be (about one step could be removed or changed, which it will be in the next version) but it DOES work. I dropped a 5.6 gig vob file on it that i got from osex configured my settings press convert and it did ALL the rest. When it was done i had 3 SVCD compliant IN SYNC mpeg-2 files. This is the first public release of the program so its subject to having some bugs, thus far it has worked flawlessly for me every test i've run with it.

To get the software to work you need to install mpeg2enc (if not already installed) and you need mediapipe installed for ac3 decoding. There is a script provided that will download mpeg2enc and install it where necessary if you dont have it installed, all you need for that is the administrator password. enjoy Thanks to major and yohan lindstrom for movtoy4m

http://www.anycities.com/user/bilestyle/afropic.html

there is a download link at the bottom of the page.
d

[OSx]

Sounds like a great program but I cant get it to open. When I click on the icon of PMoovConverter it says the application unexpectedly quits? Any suggestions is this a problem with how you bundled it or am I the only one that gets this msg. Please help as i am anxious to try out your app

[bilestyle]

Im not certain why you would have trouble opening it... what version of os x are you running?

[Macnewbie]

Launches just fine for me. I'm using OS X.2.1

[squeed]

Sweet !

Hey do you have to "Demux/Remux" for the audio to sync right ?

-Squeed
VCD & SVCD Support For Mac
http://www.squeeds.com

[OSx]

I have OS X 10.1, do I need OS X 10.2? thanks for the fast reply

[bilestyle]

yeh you need at LEAST 10.1.3 i THINK... you MIGHT need the developer tools also if your os is that early... i really suggest upgrading to 10.2


the demux/remux option is to fix the timecode on vob files that open up in qt and claim to only be a fraction of the actual time of the video... if u dont demux then remux those it will only encode a few minutes of the video and all of the audio

[qshartle]

Its a Really nice program. Encodes Hellafast, But the quality isnt that good and it wont recognize the audio when in mplex. Is there a way to get it so that it utilizes FFmpeg but still has the sync fix?

Thanks

Qshartle

[bilestyle]

sorry thas cuz right now it only decodes vob files with ac3 audio.... the quality can be increased by changing 2x2 reduction and 4x4 reduction both to 1, those can both be chosen 1-4, 1 = best quality and slower, 4= fastest and lowest quality... the default is 2 - 3, so if u change them both to 1 u will notice better quality., later versions will decode mp2 not only ac3-- jus keep in mind its a early version.. i'll add more options and increase speed where i can.

[qshartle]

The audio I am encoding is ac3.
Im not sure whats wrong with it.


Qshartle

[bilestyle]

is mplex reporting errors, or did your audio just not sound right when it was multiplexed... did u deselect all but the first audio stream in osex when ripping? maybe that could be an issue... its something i do as a force of habit i dont even mention it as an instruction anymore cuz its so first nature.. anyways... if u are getting errors in mplex paste a terminal output so i can have a better idea of the problem

[qshartle]

I will in the morning
thanks


Qshartle

[qshartle]

I got it to decode my AC3, But it still looks like shit. I played it in my cpu and dvd and it looked horrible. Is there anyway that ffmpeg can utilize these features. I hate bad quality vcd's, thats why I like ffmpegx.

[OSx]

Yeah I really dont like bad quality either, maybe there is a way to put this in ffmpegX's next version! Is this possible Major? Thanks again to everybody

[bilestyle]

did ANYONE listen to what i said?.... no one said, "hey, i tried configuring it the way you said, 1 for 2x2 reduction and 1 for 4x4 reduction" or anything like that... the quality might be horrible if you dont tweak the settings at all, its much better for svcd then it is for vcd... i dont do alot of vcd, but maybe i can do some tests running this program into ffmpeg binary to encode vcds instead to see if it gives better quality...

[gatesisthedevil]

Hey Bill

One little problem I have having Can't seem to get the prog to work right I am sure it is something I am doing wrong. Here is what I am getting.....

Summary:

MPEG Packs = 125980
Private Stream 1 packets = 13846, total bytes = 27967576
AC3 Audio stream 0 packets = 13846, total bytes = 27912192
Padding Stream packets = 1008, total bytes = 1055049
Video stream 0 packets = 112134, total bytes = 226001484
## Component Manager: attempting to find symbols in a component alias of type (regR/carP/x!bt)
usage: movtoy4m -w width -h height -F a:b -a a:b movie.mov

example: movtoy4m -w 352 -h 288 -F 25:1 -a 4:3 pal_normal.mov
example: movtoy4m -w 352 -h 240 -F 30000:1001 -a 16:9 ntsc_wide.mov

**ERROR: [mpeg2enc] Could not read YUV4MPEG2 header: system error (failed read/write)!
/Users/kevink/Desktop/PMooVConverter.app/Contents/Resources/shell: /usr/local/bin/mediapipe: No such file or directory
INFO: [mplex] mplex version 2.2.1 ($Date: 2002/04/20 19:08:30 $)
**ERROR: [mplex] Unable to open file /Users/kevink/Desktop/movie for reading.

Oh and btw if you would like I can host your programs on my site under the links section... let me know

Kevin

[qshartle]

I think I knoiw how to fix the problem. We need to reencode the audio at the desired framerate. If we encode a video at 29.97 or 23.976 then the video is OK. But when the companies sync trhe audio with the video, they either slow it down or speed it up.Kinda like variable framerate. Im not sure if they have time to do this, but was wondering if Major, bilestyle, or RNC to create a program that reencodes audio.

[gatesisthedevil]

Correct me if I am wrong but everthing I have read says you should never mess with the audio.. If you slow it done or speed it up you are going to change the pitch of the audio.

Just my 2 cents

[qshartle]

I think if you just change the framerate of the audio, it wont distort it. I tried it on my friends pc. It actually worked. The sync was perfect. no audi distortion at all.

[bilestyle]

um i've been workin w/ a/v for a LONGGGG time, and from the best of my knowledge i don't believe audio HAS a framerate-- and i have already tested 45 DVDs with my program not a single one has given me a problem w/ sync issues, VCD OR SVCD, if you tweak the settings right with a VCD the quality isnt aweful at all, you are probably mixing up interlacing artifacts w/ bad quality.

[skingjack]

Bilestyle,

Much kudos for the writing of the GUI interface and a hopefully a 1 stop solution to my dvd-vcd woes (without having to resort to Virtual PC). The program(s) almost completely ran until I encountered the following error:

INFO: [mplex] mplex version 2.2.1 ($Date: 2002/04/20 19:08:30 $)
**ERROR: [mplex] Unable to open file Call for reading.

As a newbie, no idea what this refers to (file named call??). An ideas on how to get process to complete?

TIA.

Skingjack

[erzimeriah]

i extracted the files from a blade 2 dvd and got 8 vob files.each one is a chapter of the movie. can this program join them and reencode the bitrate so it will fit on a dvd-r?

[bilestyle]

skingjack - im not certain what that error would mean... generally when mplex gives me errors it says an actual file name cant be open.. nothing like call b4 tho...could you give me more background info on what you are doing?

erzimeriah-
you want to rip your dvd as title not chapter... this wont join multiple vobs together.. if you dont want to re-rip the movie to run it through then just join the vob's together in the program called extractor..

http://denisx.dyndns.org/extractor/

[skingjack]

Bilestyle,

Attempting to convert dvd to plain vcd using your supplied gui interface.
Items checked in the "options" menu of Afropic are"
moveto4ym:
ntsc vcd & all other standard defaults
mpe2genc:
mode =vcd
reduction values set to 1 for higher quality- per recommendations
all other default values
yuvscalar options; all default settings
mplex options:
force segment set to 600mb, multiplex checked
audio: default settings
input file size:
4gb or less setting
demux than remux

Audio mp2 file plays in q/t (& itunes also!); video VOB file is also present (doesn't play in q/t-file missing?)
HTH

ian

Ian

[bilestyle]

well if you dont have quicktime mpeg-2 component installed you'll have a problem... if you are talkin about the vob playin in qt w/o audio then there is nothin u can do about that.... quicktime cannot decode ac3 audio (who knows why??) but if you are sayin that you cant get the file to convert, or when u try to open the vob in qt it wont open then u are missing the quicktime mpeg-2 component.. i dont care what anyone says using that component with either movtoy4m or quicktime to export to any other format is the quickest and most consistent way to sync dvd video... its worth the 30$ or whatever it costs... i've succesfully (either using my program or qt itself) synced every single dvd i've test w/o fail (reachin 50 in number now... test more daily)

[skingjack]

Bilestyle,

To clarify, QT will not currently open the VOB file. The quicktime component you are referring to that is currently mia... is it part of the qt pro package or something else? I just recently upgraded v5 to pro days prior to the intro of qt6 so reluctant to spend the $50 (cdn funds) to do this with version 6 if I can help it.


Ian

[bilestyle]

well its a shame that u just upgraded to qt 5 and then 6 came out shortly thereafter.. maybe u can contact apple about that and see if u can get some kind of a discount for 6 (probably not likely, but couldnt hurt to try) cuz not only do u NEED quicktime 6... quicktime 6 still isnt enough, u need the mpeg-2 component that comes seperate from it as well.

[skingjack]

Bilestyle,

Thanks for your assistance... will have to think this through further. Rather not but may have to try a virtual pc solution first (ugh) unless the funds can be found... can say this, myself (and plenty others I'm sure) thank you for your contributions to this forum and the creating of the gui interface. Will likely revisit your solution depending on my success with the dark side.

Skingjack

[bilestyle]

let me ask you a question... are you doing PAL encodes or NTSC? ... i assume you are doing NTSC since you have most likely read all my diatribes in this thread and havent gone to use one of the solutions for PAL (since PAL is soooo much easier) but i figure ill ask just to be sure-

[skingjack]

Bilestyle,

Using NTSC as you suspected. Fyi, an article on the net (http://www.creativemac.com/2002/11_nov/tutorials/burnttoast.htm) says that once you have the video_ts/audio_ts file, you can just burn away in toast Well, I ripped the dvd and have the video_ts file... do I need to add the audio_ts file manually in Toast and then burn. Sounds way too easy.. am I overlooking something? (other than the file they are dealing with is less than 4 gb- need to find software to split the dvd somehow for >4gb dvds)

Again, thanks for your time.

skingjack