Req help with NeroVision Express for MPG to DVD

[Netbugger]

Hey.

I've been trying to convert a divx file to a DVD for over a week now. I've managed to convert the audio from ogg and recombine them.

The problem I'm having is when I try to burn the DVD using NeroVision Express.

I set it up and leave it to do it's thing. It estimates about 3 hours. Whenever I come back to it, it's genereated an error code (that a search in google does not return any hits for), something along the lines of "Video Transcoding Failed"

The error is being generated due to insufficient hard drive space. As soon as I check the disks after a failure, whichever drive has the temp files set is down to like 50 megs.

ok. So you're saying free up more hard disk space, well I've got 50 gigs free on the temp drive. After the failure, I have to go into a temp file (specified in the setup of NeroVision) and delete about 450 temp files ranging in size from 50 to 150 megs.

I've got to be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what.

Any help?

Drew

[CrustyCurmudgeon]

Ok.. first use NeroVision to convert your DivX movie to an mpeg2 DVD movie file using 'Make a new Movie' and Export. Don't try to go straight to DVD. This is a sure way to frustration.
Once you have your mpeg2 file you can then use Nerovision to 'author' your DVD. You want it to make an image output of the DVD onto a harddrive folder, not to actually burn the DVD. Nero is a pain in the behind to setup for making a playable DVD. Again, don't try to go straight to burning a DVD. You'll just make a coaster.

Once you have your DVD image files in a hard drive folder, use the ImgTools program from http://www.coujo.de/ib/index.php?act=html_include&incl_name=download on here to burn your DVD. It uses Nero in a much more intelligent way to make a DVD that plays in most modern DVD players. I've had best luck using only UDF setting in the filesystem flags selection, turning on the Reallocate Video_TS structure and Enable DVD high compliance settings.

[reboot]

I disagree with part of that, yet agree with other parts.
First, I would never use NVE to encode a video.
Use TMPGEnc, Mainconcept, CCE, or Canopus to produce a dvd compliant mpeg first.
Load resulting mpeg into NVE, author and burn.
Even though you seem to have plenty of free space, NVE may be attempting to create a file larger than 4gb. If you are using Win9x, it won't work. You must be using NTFS filesystem on the working drive.

[Netbugger]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I'm still fairly new at the digital video world.

The problem is not file size. None of the individual files are larger than 200 megs, it's the combination of hundereds of these temp files that are running the disk space down.

I'm running NTFS on both drives with the system drive being a 60 gig and the data being 2 x 160 in a RAID 0 configuration. The OS is XP.

The MPEG file I have (I BELIEVE) is DVD compliant (I've already converted from AVI (ogm actually) to MPEG 2 using a tutorial (I'm sorry, I cannot recall the address, but it was linked from vcdhelp.com).

I'll try using NeroVision to convert it. Can it handle the OGG file or will I have to play around with the audio?

Drew

[Netbugger]

ok. This is driving me bananas.

It can't possibly be as complex as my puny brain is making it.

I've got a OGM file with subtitles that I want to turn into a DVD. I don't care about menus or anything else at this point, and the subtitles I can learn when I get the thing working the first time.

I started out by pulling the audio out of the OGG file and resyncing the file, so now I have a AVI file at and resolution of of 640 x 272 (2.353 : 1). Then I used TMPGEnc to encode the file as an MPG2 (which I now see as being too large... 4.81 Gigs).

So... I'm assuming that I have to go back to my AVI file, use TMPGEnc to recode it at a lower bitrate to around 4 gigs. Then from that resulting MPG file (It will be an MPG file, right?) use NeroVision Express to create a DVD image and THEN use Nero to burn said image.

Is my logic flawed?

Any suggestions for a tutorial on setting bitrate?

Drew

[reboot]

OK, seems you have plenty of room.
You are correct with your re-encoding.
You will have to create the mpeg in tmpgenc (or other encoder) at a lower bitrate to have it all fit.
No need for a tutorial, just use the Bitrate Calculator to figure out how low you must go to get the resulting mpeg to fit.
Being a downloaded file, you can probably cut the credits off in virtualdub first, then drop the audio bitrate to 128. This should leave plenty of room for you to encode and author at a decent video bitrate.
Using NVE to author it, you will also have to leave a bit of room for the menus/chapter points, especially if you use motion menus.
NVE will also burn your dvd, using your Nero Burning Rom engine (it's integrated), so there's no need to mess with .vob and stuff, or save an image to burn later.
Generally, I try to get an mpeg no larger than 3.97gig, 4 at the absolute max. This leaves plenty of room for a ton of motion menus/chapter points, and NVE's transcoding.
BTW, NVE is now up to version 2.1.2.0 (free upgrade) on Nero's site.

[Netbugger]

okie-dokie

It's encoding now for a test (fastest encoding).

We'll see what happens in about 2.25 hours.

One question... I seem to have separated the audio and the video... how do I recombine them?

drew

[reboot]

Unfortunately NVE cannot combine audio and video
There's a couple of ways you can do it.
Open TMPGEnc, cancel the wizard, click File, MPEG tools, and on the Simple Multiplex tab, load your audio and video.
Give it an output name, select MPEG 2 Program from the dropdown menu, and hit the Run button.
The resulting mpeg you can then load into NVE.
Just one of the reasons I prefer to use Mainconcept Encoder for making my mpegs. It produces a very nice finished, dvd compliant, mpeg.
Your other option is to use TMPGEnc DVD Author instead of NVE.
It works almost the same, and will accept your separated audio and video to author.
FYI I have spent the last 9 hours trying out all sorts of different authoring apps, from the most basic to the totally confusing, and NVE and TMPGEnc DVD Author are probably the two easiest to use. Sonic's MyDVD is easier, but has no chaptering. Ulead 3 does work almost identical to NVE, but produces a very crappy burn, probably something to do with their transcoding engine/process.
I have had best results with TMPGEnc and/or NVE, providing you start with a good mpeg to begin with, or in your case, the m2v and mpa files.

[Netbugger]

ok.

This is REALLY starting to frustrate me.

The MPEG that results from the conversion from avi to mpg is terrible and the ratio is brutal.

I'm obviously calculating something wrong in the ratio area.

I'm getting black bars surrounding the image. The original is a ratio of 640 x 272 (2.353 : 1).

So if my original is in that ratio... what do I need to set the settings too in TMPGEnc?

This would be so bad if testing each one didn't take hours.

grrrrr...

But thanks for all the support thus far. I'll keep at it.

d.

[CrustyCurmudgeon]

DVD mpeg files should be 720x480 for best results. There are complicated ways to get 480x480 mpegs to work on DVD, but the results are iffy on older players.

And yes, making a DVD is this complicated. I was just as shocked and dismayed as you when I first started. I have a friend who does profesional video work and he tried to warn me, but in my optimistic way I thought it would be easy. The DVD, MPEG and MPAA people have absolutely no interest in making DVD creation easy. As far as they're concerned private citizens making their own compilations is just more competition for them and they'd rather have the market all to themselves.

But stick with it and after a few dozen hours you'll probably get it licked.

[Netbugger]

Well at least you're optomistic.

Now if I could just figure out why the preview in TMPGEnc doesn't look like what comes out... I'd be golden.

ARGH!!! Why does the preview look perfect?!!!!

ok. Render again overnight... see what it looks like tomorrow.

d.

[reboot]

Instead of waiting for a full render, just do a minute or two, stop the process, and see what it looks like in any good viewer? No need to encode the whole thing.
Generally, tmpgenc will take the input video of any size, and produce the compliant mpeg, with correct proportions, however...in the case of a non-standard size input, you are going to have to manually set the output.
By that, I mean on the Advanced tab, set your source aspect ratio as 1:1 vga, and output Video Arrange Method to Full Screen (keep aspect ratio).
This will (should) fill the screen horizontally, and only put the black bars (letterbox) top and bottom to fill a 4:3 TV screen.
I'm with Crusty on this. Nobody want's the average home user to be able to create/author a really nice dvd. Once you're over the first hurdle (learning tmpgenc), then things go smoother from there, with a few little bumps, like getting transition menu links working properly in DVDLab

[Netbugger]

You are correct, sir.

I've figured out the rendering of just few minute and so that takes a large chunk of time off.

In a perfect world I'd be able to figure out how to run this through as a 16:9 enhanced progressive scan output for my widescreen, but hey... I'd just like some decent quality.

Bring on the stand alone Divx players with flahable codecs.

I've set the input and output to 1:1 (VGA) and Full Screen (Keep Aspect Ratio) in the Advanced tab. I've left the video tab as 1:1 (VGA).

ok. Back to further testing and stress ball.

d.

[Netbugger]

hmmmm... when I leave it as 1:1 for both the advanced and the video tab... it black bars all four sides.

Let's try 4:3 in the video tab and 1:1 in the advanced tab.

Can somebody tell me... using little words ... why the quality of the divx is so much crisper than the resulting mpg? I mean, compression aside, if I output the file at full quality and like 6000 kbps, shouldn't the image quality be comparable?

Well at least I'm learning.

You guys are great btw. Hats off to you.

d.

[reboot]

First, thankyou
Second, the avi you are watching on your computer, is probalby a far smaller screen than your TV. It is also far more pixels per inch.
Even if you managed to encode your avi to mpeg at double current bitrate, and spread it over two dvdr's, it's only a downloaded avi
Take a look at it in gspot. I bet it's video bitrate is less than 1000, and audio at 128 or lower. Now you take that questionable quality and attempt to increase it's video bitrate to 6000, audio to 256 (or more), and it really can't do much but put more "fill" into the mpeg.
If the original quality isn't there, the output is going to be...aka GIGO, garbage in, garbage out.
There ARE certain things you can do with the original avi, in VirtualDub for example, to clean it up.
I always use the "Sharpen" filter, set to about 20, and encode using DivX 4 low motion at 6000.
This does help the video a bit. Enough maybe to make it worth authoring a dvdr.
If you have a lot of these sorts of videos, it may be worth your time to read this: http://dvdlab.net/dvdlab/tutorial/svcd.html
Grab 4 or 5, encode to (S)VCD and burn to a dvdr with menus.
There are 4 or 5 other tutorials on that sort of thing on this site.
Third, congratualtions on getting this far. You'll have your finished dvd in no time, and the second one will go 5 times faster.