Tmgenc DVD Author

[powerkoala]

Like this, hate the name. Anyway when adding DVD video files from a magicISO mounted dvd, I got an error. Would like to work from better quality source than AVI. What is the correct way to import a DVD main title. I'm using v.3.something. Thanks.

[Alex_ander]

What is the correct way to import a DVD main title. I'm using v.3.something. Thanks.

First select PAL or NTSC project matching your DVD. Next drag VIDEO_TS.IFO file to SOURCE window, you'll be offered to select a title from the full list for importing to the current track.

[powerkoala]

Can I import a PAL DVD, and then a NTSC DVD, and have each "track" at a different frame rate?

[Alex_ander]

No, not legal on the same DVD, but some free apps support it.

[powerkoala]

Ok Thanks. One last thing. I have a couple of avis, and their aspect ratio is close (by width/height) to 2.3. I selected this, then abandoned the idea changed it to widescreen. Question : what would this look like on TV, as most TVs are 4:3 or 16:9 yes? (2.3 that is). And can 2.3 be forced to widescreen and look OK.

Of course I could just try this but it takes an age obviously.

[Alex_ander]

This kind of video needs letterboxing (addition of horizontal black borders) for complementing to one of the 2 standard AR's (4:3 or 16:9). In most cases it is better to complement to 16:9, then it will look OK on both types of display. The details of doing this and pixel number calculations depend on the type of encoder you use.
Another (not as good) way to keep correct proportions is cropping avi to 16:9 before encoding (that is sacrificing part of image).

[powerkoala]

One question : when I convert NTSC to PAL it looks a liitle jerky. Is there a better way to do this other than DVD Author? Also is PAL to NTSC better?

[Midzuki]

One question : when I convert NTSC to PAL it looks a liitle jerky. Is there a better way to do this other than DVD Author? Also is PAL to NTSC better?

According to the Avisynth docs:

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ConvertFPS

ConvertFPS (clip, float new_rate, int "zone", int "vbi")
ConvertFPS (clip, int numerator [, int denominator], int "zone", int "vbi")
ConvertFPS (clip1, clip2, int "zone", int "vbi")
ConvertFPS (clip, string preset, int "zone", int "vbi")

The filter attempts to convert the frame rate of clip to new_rate without dropping or inserting frames, providing a smooth conversion with results similar to those of standalone converter boxes. The output will have (almost) the same duration as clip, but the number of frames will change proportional to the ratio of target and source frame rates.

In v2.56, if clip2 is present, the framerate of clip1 will be adjusted to match that of clip2.

In v2.57, the behaviour with respect to the framerate is a bit changed. See AssumeFPS.

The filter has two operating modes. If the optional argument zone is not present, it will blend adjacent video frames, weighted by a blend factor proportional to the frames' relative timing ("Blend Mode"). If zone is present, it will switch from one video frame to the next ("Switch Mode") whenever a new source frame begins, that is, usually somewhere in the middle of a target frame. Switch Mode assumes that the output will be shown on a TV where each frame is scanned from top to bottom. The parameter zone specifies the height of the transition region in which the current frame will be blended into the next.

Blend Mode will cause visible, although slight, blurring of motion. This is a typical artifact of frame rate conversion and can be seen on commercial video tapes and TV programs as well. When working with interlaced video, it is important to let the filter operate on individual fields, not on the interlaced frames. (See examples below.)

Switch Mode is an attempt to avoid motion blurring, but comes at the expense of slight flicker and motion artifacts. Horizontal and vertical pans may show a slight wobble. Still frames from this conversion show "broken" or "bent" vertical lines in moving scenes. Scene transitions may occur in the middle of a frame. Nevertheless, the results do look less blurry than in "Blend Mode".

Neither mode is perfect. Which one to choose depends on personal preference and on the footage to be converted. Switch Mode is probably only suitable if the output will be shown on a TV, not on a computer screen.

Frame rate conversion is inherently difficult. This filter implements two common methods used by commercial Prosumer-level converter systems. The results are typically quite good. More sophisticated systems employ motion interpolation algorithms, which are difficult to get right, but, if done right, do yield superior results.

Footage converted with this filter should not be converted again. Blurriness builds up quickly in subsequent generations.

The audio data are not touched by this filter. Audio will remain synchronized, although the length of the audio data may slightly differ from that of the video data after the conversion. This is because the output can only contain an integer number of frames. This effect will be more pronounced for shorter clips. The difference in length should be ignored.

Example NTSC->PAL conversion:

AVISource("NTSC_clip.avi") # Get clip
Bob(height=576) # Separate fields and interpolate them to full height.
BicubicResize(768,576) # Resize to PAL square-pixel frame size. (Use 720,576 for CCIR.)
ConvertFPS(50) # Convert field rate to PAL, using Blend Mode.
SeparateFields.SelectEvery(4,0,3) # Undo Bob, even field first. Use SelectEvery(4,1,2) for
# odd field first.
Weave # Finish undoing Bob.

This example will also work with frame-based NTSC material, even with telecined film (movies). For film material, however, you will get better results by using an inverse-telecine filter and speeding up the frame rate from 23.976 to 25fps.

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[powerkoala]

AVISource("NTSC_clip.avi") # Get clip
Bob(height=576) # Separate fields and interpolate them to full height.
BicubicResize(768,576) # Resize to PAL square-pixel frame size. (Use 720,576 for CCIR.)
ConvertFPS(50) # Convert field rate to PAL, using Blend Mode.
SeparateFields.SelectEvery(4,0,3) # Undo Bob, even field first. Use SelectEvery(4,1,2) for
# odd field first.
Weave # Finish undoing Bob.

I can follow this a little, if I don't have to change much. Is CCIR widescreen? In fact what will I do if source is widescreen? (I only do DVD-video source, not usually .avi files.)

[powerkoala]

I have read that Canapus Procoder does a better job than the above. If I use this program, is there anyway to pop it into DVD Author, and avoid a recode?

[powerkoala]

Hello, I'm trying to run my NTSC DVD through Canopus to convert to from NTSC to PAL.

Using DVD Decrypter, I understand I have to demux the main movie to .m2v then load into Canapus. Is this correct? So far I've chose "Demux" on main movie in IFO mode in DVD Decrypter, and have a bunch of files labelled .m2v and .vob, one for each chapter.

What now? I'm stuck. What do load into Canopus Procoder? Thanks in advance.