PAL XVID to NTSC DVD?

[alex schroeder]

I have a 25fps XVID that I'm trying to convert into an NTSC DVD. I've already converted the XVID to an mpeg2 with TMPGEnc (PAL template; still 25fps).

What's the best way to convert it to NTSC? I'd prefer not to use the "patch" method, nor use one of those all-in-one programs in the sticky thread.

I've seen this guide, http://www.johnisme.com/avi1.shtml (TMPGEnc/DGPulldown) but I'm wondering if it'll cause the playback to be jerky.

[guns1inger]

A number of people swear by the DGPulldown method, however you would have to reencode your Avid to NTSC resolution at 25 fps, then apply the pulldown.

[GreyDeath]

As guns1inger said, convert the PAL resolution to the NTSC 720x480 resolution 25fps, then DGPulldown to convert the flags to 29.97. Flawless... works with every DVD player I've tried, and no jerkiness.

Just make sure that the PAL Xvid is Progressive. Interlace, there are problems.

[alex schroeder]

In TMPGEnc, do I use the NTSC template and change the framerate to 25fps? Or do I use the PAL template and change the resolution to 720x480?

And I'm just curious, won't it cause aspect ratio problems if I change the resolution?

Thanks for all your help

[GreyDeath]

It really wouldn't matter which template it is, since you're tweaking either one. But just on the safe side, I suppose it'd be the NTSC template, changing the frame rate to 25fps.

If your AVI is letterboxed then you'll have to fiddle with the Video Arrange setting whether you want it 3:4 or Anamorphic.

[FulciLives]

You might find this thread helpfull:

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=261056

Good Luck

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Just about all XviD downloads are PROGRESSIVE ... to make a "simple" AviSynth script and to determine the correct resize try FitCD.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[alex schroeder]

Thanks for the support, it works great!

[doggyofone]

This post is timely.
I tried the method per http://www.johnisme.com/avi1.shtml, except that I produced elementary streams vs an MPG. I then encoded the wav with Soft Encode to 5.1.
I took the finished m2v and used Dbpulldown to convert from 25 to 29.97. It created the m2v with the pulldown extension. I then created the dvd files with DVDLab.
Result, the audio was out of synch. I checked the finished M2V in virtualmod and it showed it as an Mpeg 1.
I tried to do this with CCE, but could not change the resolution. If you set framerate to 25, CCE auto chooses the reolution 720 x 576.
Question, when I choose the TMPG template NTSC DVD, I choose 25 fps. Should I change anything else - ie: interlace to non-interlace?
Any thoughts as to why the audio would be out of synch?

[manono]

You can do it in CCE. Just uncheck the DVD Compliant box or whatever it's called in your version. I use CCE for this all the time.

The link you gave isn't working, so I don't know exactly how he's doing it. How are you feeding your encoder? An AviSynth script file is best. Did you get a 720x480 25fps MPV out the other end?

And how did you produce this WAV file? You didn't somehow alter its length, did you? Compare the original audio length with that of the WAV file to make sure they're the same.

[doggyofone]

Thanks, sorry for the long note...

CCE - I unchecked the for DVD under the mode section and this opened up the resolution.. I'm using 2.7.2.04. I'll try CCE later.

I used TMPG for this encoding. Created the M2V and followed the simple instructions for DBpulldown. It ran and produced the pulldown. I muxed in DVDlab and checked the output - out of synch.

I checked the pulldown M2V in Gspot and it shows 29.97, 720 x 480, but no time.
Original encode - I opened up the original AVI with TMPG and used settings that I've found in guides on this site and instruction from the guide.

I haven't tried avisynth yet, but have it and FitCD and AVSEdit which I will gather up the courage to try.

The wav was produced with TMPG, using SSRC for sampling and TMPG's wav which creates a temporal wav which runs ssrc when completed?? I took the output and used Soft encode to produce the ac3 5.1. The wav and ac3 are the same length. This has worked before without synch issues, but this is the first pulldown I've done.

I can't check the length of the M2V pulldown as DVDlab shows 0 GOP (TMPG author shows a video sequence header error) as time. VDub errored after opening and parsing and Gspot shows no length.

The guide was How to convert to PAL or NTSC using DG Pulldown. Basically set the frame rate at 25, but use NTSC for the rest of the settings. I have a PDF of the guide if you want it emailed.

[FulciLives]

It is not unheard of that DVD-Lab will produce out-of-sync errors when no real such errors exist.

The first time I tried to use DVD-Lab I ran into this error using a 23.976fps file that had pulldown applied (all using TMPGEnc and nothing else).

Authored with DVD-Lab and the audio was out-of-sync. I authored it with two other different authoring programs and both had dead-on sync.

I never used DVD-Lab again.

My point of course is that the problem might just be DVD-Lab and nothing more than that.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[GreyDeath]

Doggyofone,

You haven't said with what, or how you encoded the audio. I think the problem may lie in there instead of the pulldown.

For audio on my PAL Xvids I did, I had to convert them to WAV, then used Vegas to encode in 25fps, if that makes a difference, which I'm not sure if it does.

Does it get progressively out of sync or is it constant?

To Manono, the link works fine if you delete the comma after the extension.

[manono]

You're right. Thanks, GreyDeath.

[doggyofone]

I'm starting to get the details mixed up here. A blur of encoding.

I used TMP 2.5 with NTSC DVD and changed framerate to 25. Encoded.Used PGPulldown on the M2V to create an NTSC framerate 29.97.
The Wav was created with the TMPG elementary stream. I used soft encode to convert it to AC3 5.1. When I put the two together in TMPG author I get an error:
"A video sequence heder is necessary for every GOP in a standard DVD"Would not run.
Then tried DVDLAB - two errors"
"This is a Low quality Mpeg1
And Open GOPS detected in file..
When I added to the project there was no time shown, just "0-GOP". I couldn't tell if they would synch. They didn't.

So I downloaded DVD2SVCD and created a PAL M2V (CCE encoded). Loaded that into DVDLab along with the AC3 file and they have the exact same time. Usually the audio and video are out by a few seconds. I muxed these in DVDLAB and tested. Synch was OK.

I'm probably doing something wrong here, but I don't know what. TMPG Settings:720 480, 16:9 display,25fps and CQ at 7000 kbits, video format NTSC, DC 9 bits, motion estimate search fast. I left the setting as Interlace!

I'm running this again and will do the pulldown at the end. Any advice as to mistakes?

[doggyofone]

Guys, thanks for the help and I apologize.

This was my own fault. I didn't look at the file extension for the original pulldown or M2V (Windows hides extensions and I've never made this mistake before). The Pulldown was encoded as an M1V and this was the problem. I encoded a second time as an M2V, did the pulldown and had no problems authoring it with DVDLAB. The AC3 and video match times and are in sync.

It works and that's a good thing.

[jagabo]

Windows hides extensions...

Turn off: My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> Hide extensions for know file types.

This will save you lots of headaches in the future.

[GreyDeath]

Glad it all worked out for you, doggyofone.

Funny, I thought DGPulldown always encoded the file with whatever extension the source has since you can't even rename the file, it does it automaticly.