DVD burn question -

[vwcrusher]

After surfing around the site for a while, I found my home DVD player (Sony S530D). I noticed that it does not play MPEG DVDs nor does it play VCDs.

Ok, so when I burn a slide show or video I need to burn it in what format?

I am lost.

Allen

[Craig Tucker]

DVD's are mpeg2 so it must play them or it would not be a DVD player. And according to the compatability list here it will play VCD's just not on a CDR. It will however play CDRW. So try burning your VCD's to CDRW.

[Solarjetman]

DVD's are mpeg2 so it must play them or it would not be a DVD player.

He may mean a data DVD with .mpg files
If that is the case, vwcrusher, not all DVD players recognize data discs. I see from the DVD players section that your DVD player does not play mp3's. This leads me to believe it may not recognize the .mpg files either. You will need to author a standard format DVD (VOB files and the such)

[vwcrusher]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies....but I am so new to this, that even your responses are confusing. I think I heard that I can create a VCD (slide show) and it will play (I have no idea what format, or even if it applies).
I also can create DVDs, but I also am not sure what format......MPEG2? or AVI? or ????

What I am attempting to try and figure out how to do is to create either a slide show or video and play it on the Sony DVD player. I purchased a SOny Vaio desktop with a DVD+/-RW burner.

That is about as far as I have gotten...........

Allen

[Solarjetman]

The best way is to read some of the fantastic guides available on this site. You can find them on the left under the "how to" section.

The process is not something you can really teach in a single post. Do not get in the mindset that mpeg2 files are all labeled as .mpg, or that .avi is a type of video encoding (it really is just a wrapper to hold the encoded file such as Divx or Huffyuv). As Tucker said, DVD are mpeg2's, but they are not just a disk that has .mpg files on it. Try putting a store bought DVD in your computer and looking at the files on it, you will see what I mean. They follow a certian structure and naming convention that allows DVD player to know exactly what to play.

The process is basically as follows...

Capture:This is where you digitize the video from TV, VHS, whatever. Normally this will produce an .avi file. Example program: DVIO
Filter:This is where you "touch up" the video by removing noise, color correction, etc. This stage is optional, and if you have a high quality source, you may not even want to filter it. It will either create another .avi file, or you can preform what is called a "frameserve" to the next step. Example program: VirtualDub
Encode:Here is where the file is compressed and encoded as an mpeg file. This will either be mpeg1 (for VCDs) or mpeg2 (for SVCDs and DVDs). It will usually either produce a .mpg file, or a .m2v (video) and a .mp2 (audio) file. Example program: TMPGEnc Plus
Author:Here is where you take the mpeg files created from the encode process and arrange them how you like. Make menus, and other things that you find on DVDs and the like. This will create .bup, .vob, .ifo, .iso files depending on the software. Example program: TMPGEnc DVD Author
Burn:This is using the drive to actually create the physical disc. Example program: Nero

Some programs will combined some of these steps together. And don't feel overwhelmed. Just look through the guides. There are several written for many different programs. Find one you like, and try it out. I would try making a VCD on a CD-RW first (like Craig Tucker said). Those are a little easier than DVDs, and take alot less time to make. Plus you can re-use the same disk if you don't like the results.

[vwcrusher]

Solarjetman,

Thanks for the advice....can you suggest a good beginner application to create a VCD and for that matter a DVD with?

A couple were suggested earlier......

Allen

[Solarjetman]

I really like Pinnacle Studio 8 myself. It will do all the steps, but some it does not do so well. However, it is not free (at $100 without capture hardware).

But, it is not nessicary to buy anything. If you only want to make VCDs, you can complete the entire process with freeware. Lots of people here like VCDeasy. In fact it has its own area on the forums. I cannot say anything about that though. I have never used it.

I don't think you can make DVDs for free though. I have yet to see a free program that encodes mpeg2 files.

For me I use the following programs...

Pinnacle Studio 8 for capture and edit.
VirtualDub for filtering and frameserving
TMPGEnc for encoding
Nero for authoring and burning VCDs
DVD Complete for authoring and burning DVDs <-- yeah, I use a Dazzle product

You will find very few Dazzle lovers on this site

[vwcrusher]

Thanks, I will try VCDeasy....one question: after I complete it do I have to run it thru TMPGEnc Plus?

I understand that I must burn it on CD-RW media.

Yes?

Allen

[Solarjetman]

Thanks, I will try VCDeasy....one question: after I complete it do I have to run it thru TMPGEnc Plus?

You will need to run the video through TMPGEnc before you using VCDeasy. Like I said, I have never used VCDeasy, but I think it will only author and burn, not encode. You will need TMPGEnc to encode.
Here is a guide for it
https://www.videohelp.com/vcdeasyhowto.htm

I understand that I must burn it on CD-RW media.

No, most people use CD-R media. But according to the compatibility area (you can find it to the left), your DVD player does not read CD-R media, only CD-RW media.

[vwcrusher]

Solarjetman,

I am confused. How can I run a video thru TMPGEnc Plus when I am creating the slide show using VCDeasy from a bunch of JPEGs?

Regarding the media I must use; I understand that most people use CD-R, but I cannot because my DVD player doesn't play them, so I must use CD-RW. Yes?

Thanks,
Allen

[Solarjetman]

Well it looks like you don't have to. I was wrong, VCDeasy can use still pictures. Like I said, I never used it before. Sorry for confusing you So it looks like unless you want sound in the background, you won't need anything but VCDeasy.

I found this guide for you
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/92056.php

and this one
http://www.vcdeasy.org/modules.php?name=_Guides&id=SimpleStills

And here is the list off all guides on this site that use VCDeasy.
https://www.videohelp.com/guides?tools=39&madeby=&formatconversionselect=&osselect=&howt...or+List+Guides

As for what type of disk you need, try both and see what works. CDs are cheep. There is no garentee one format will work over the other. And even if it works in one DVD player, does not mean it will work in others. You will find that video CD and DVD creation comes with a lot of trial and error.

[vwcrusher]

Solarjetman,

I really appreciate your help....and patience.

So, if I understand you if I want to add audio to the slide show I will need to convert the VCDeasy file to MPEG?

Just curious, is there an application that can do all that is required?

thanks again,
Allen

[Solarjetman]

So, if I understand you if I want to add audio to the slide show I will need to convert the VCDeasy file to MPEG?

I can't answer that. I do not use VCDeasy so I don't know what files it is creating. I can say that if you have an mpeg file, that is really all you need for burning a VCD.

There is a guide in the guide section that will give you step by step instructions better than I ever could. It says all you need is TMPGEnc and VCDeasy for making a slideshow with sound. I suggest you read that guide and follow it. I have found the guides here are fantastic. I will gladly try an help you with any problems you may come across while following it.

Just curious, is there an application that can do all that is required?

Yes, there are tons, but none of the all-in-one programs are free. They are all commerical products. But nearly all of them have demos you can try before buying. That way you can make sure you like it before buying. You can find a list of several good programs with a short discription in the tools section of this site. Just click "tools" on the left.