best dvd - svcd solution

[cicada]

i want to know what is the best method you know for the full process of creating a svcd from a dvd, with the best quality possible.
currently i am using smartripper -> flaskmpeg -> bbmpeg.
thanx

[. cafe80s .]

i use...

smart ripper [doing all the file spliting there at the closest chapter stop]

dvd2avi [for decoding the audio and creating the d2v file]

tmpgenc [for mpeg encoding and resizing 1.78:1 anamorphic to 1.33:1 letterbox]

nero [for proper (s)vcd files and recording]

...and it all works great!

[kriskim]

if you're interested, there's a neat little program called dvd2svcd which does everything for you, using the best apps available.

vstrip for dvdripping, dvd2avi for processing, avisynth (with mpeg2dec.dll) for VERY FAST frameserving, azid and toolame for audio extraction and encoding, cce2.5 (for fast and amazing quality video), bbmpeg for muxing and cutting, and iauthor or vcdimager to create the images.

if all you're doing is ripping a dvd straight up, dvd2svcd has never failed giving me very high quality rips. you will however need a copy of cce2.5

if you want to go the tmpgenc route, cafe80's is pretty good, but i would recommend using dvd2avi only for the video, and using vob2audio to extract the ac3->wav, and then encoding with toolame. as well, muxing with bbmpeg (tmpgenc has problems muxing mpg2 svcds).

as well, a neat program called TSCV can author fantastic svcds with advanced menus and chapters....

[Vejita-sama]

For best you really need to use your DVD players max bitrate. I almost never do this, normally I encode 1400~2200kbit/s video and 128kbit/s audio (from a DVD rip this sounds the same to me on my poor audio system as 224).

For VCD I think 2pass VBR w/ TMPGenc is the best. For SVCD CCE's multipass VBR is clearly better (and MUCH faster). For DVD rips I've found multipass=3 (ie. 4 passes) yeilds DVD quaility SVCDs.
My Tbird 1.2Ghz aveages about 1.1x the source runtime per pass. But I've seen as low as 0.9x the source runtime (and if I run a lot of filters and IVTC ~2x the source runtime). But with TMPGenc I get ~3.5x the source run time.

That means I can do 4pass in CCE just a litter faster than 2pass in TMPGenc

I mostly just use DVD2SVCD these days. I've found for stright up rips it's an EXCELLENT program (newest software bundle at http://dvd2svcd.doom9.net). However, I've had LOTS of problems with it and subtitles (haven't tested the newest ver).

When I want subs:

smartripper -> DVD2AVI -> tooLame -> VFAPI -> VDub w/ VobSub -> CCE.

[Truman]

Vejita-sama, you are using DVD2SVCD. I ask me, why do you use the VFAPI way, if you convert in single steps?
The method, that DVD2SVCD use, is DVD2AVI>Avisynth/MPEG2DEC >CCE. And you can use vobsub, when you frameserve with Avisynth.

[Jeomite]

I personally use this method...
SmartRipper -> DVD2AVI (to save D2V only) -> vob2audio (to save WAV only) -> VirtualDub (frameserving) -> CCE (video encode only) -> TMPGEnc (audio encode only - TooLame!) -> bbMPEG (Multiplexing)

It may look extensive, but it's quite easy for me now, since I'm used to the procedure and am greatly satisified with the results.

[Truman]

Jeomite, this is almost exactly the method, that I use, but I use Avisynth to frameserve instead of VirtualDub. Encoding Avisynth (MPEG2DEC plugin) frameserved files is almost twice as fast.

[taco]

Jeomite, your method is the same as mine except I use Avisynth(like Truman)instead od Vdub for framservering.