public domain cliffhanger serial movies to vcds for non computer players

[migaluchi]

hi folks...obviously i dont have a clue here...so pls be patient.

for an example...i want to go to archive.org and download the 'Captain America' cliffhanger serial.

1. this happens not to fit on (1) DVD...and i have a bunch of CD-Rs. but i can and will buy dvds if i have to.
2. i picked up a sony dvd player and it does play VCDs.
3. i am looking at CH 1: this file (and most of the others like it) give this information:
MPEG4 (260MB) , Ogg video (121MB), and 512Kb MPEG4 (99MB)...size of files vary.
4. these will play on my pc and this is a big, new system....windows 7, 1 terabyte disk, 2.6GZ and a DVD burner.
5. this has 15 chapters. it may probably fit on (1) or (2) DVDs or (2) or (3) CDs.
6. i could play the entire serial in sequence....straight thru...no problems.
7. i would LIKE to be able to play either the entire 15 chapters OR start, say, at a different chapter and continue playing the entire movie....like start at chapter 5 or something.
8. i just want to know:
a. what freeware (if possible) or commerical software (at a reasonable price) can i use to do any or all of this?
b. do i need to convert the MPEG4, Ogg Video, or 512Kb MPEG4 into some format the DVD player can recognize with the menu- or even non-menu system i described above?
c. and if so...what do i have to convert these formats into? i hear things like AVI, XML, EP1_files.meta.xml, MPEG1, MPEG2 etc. and have no idea what anyone is talking about.

can anyone PLEASE help a lost soul like me? i happen to love these old serials....but i cant afford to buy many.

thanks for your kindness and patience.....

migaluchi

[lordsmurf]

You're asking for a lot of stuff there.

• Convert video to MPEG-1 for VCD with TMPGEnc. TMPGEnc is low cost, only $37 to buy. Guide at http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/convert-tmpg.htm
• Author and burn VCD with VCD Easy. A free version is available. Guide at http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/burn-vcd-easy.htm

It takes several steps, and you'll need to do some reading. It won't be drag-and-drop easy work with one program. (NOTE: If that's what you're after, then just give up now and watch on the computer. I don't want to seem mean, but there's been too many people lately that want some non-existent "simple" program because they're too lazy.)

[migaluchi]

hi....no...im not lazy and i would LOVE to understand what im doing...i HATE 'auto-magic' anything.

if i could find a real live text book to explain all of this...i will order it and read and re-read until i assimilate the knowledge.

nothing worthwhile is easy...and i usually make lots of mistakes as i go...i use the LAYGO system...learn as you go.

im still trying to figure out just how to download chapter one....then i will add the other 14 chapters.

i found something called oxelon media converter...and this may or may not be able to go to the right mpeg format...if it does, i have part two.

then i can make up a 'playlist' and burn the chapters to fit on either multiple CD-Rs or DVD-Rs to fit. without overflowing the disk(s).

the last step is making a menu to run...if possible. even if the 15 chapters run without stopping or without fancy menus...(altho this would be nice.

chapter one takes over an hour to download....so this is a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long process....but i am retired and disabled....so time or patience is not a major issue.

thank you so very much for your suggestions....i will give them a try.

migaluchi

[johns0]

You dont have to buy tmpgenc 2.5 for converting files to mepg1,its free for that purpose,you only have to buy the mpeg2 encoding part and dont use oxelon media converter,tmpgenc is better.

[migaluchi]

thanks....but now im a bit confused....the movie downloads in mpeg4....do i buy the software to convert to mpeg2? or can this task be completed in another software? the techie part is what gets me hung in hyperspace...lol.

i have no scottie to beam me up...wink...thanks again....

migaluchi

[johns0]

You can download tmpgenc 2.5 and use the mpeg2 encoder for 30 day trial,after that period you have to buy the mpeg2 license,you can also use freeware software to encode to mpeg2 but those programs take a bit of learning and reading guides.

You can use programs such as dvdflick to encode to dvd files.Look in the how to section on converting and check out the software you can use.

You can also download the public domain movies in mpeg2,they are bigger(around 3gb)compared to mp4(around 500mb)but they are of better quality and do not require any encoding.

[migaluchi]

thank you johnsO....no problem with the tmpgenc 2.5 if it works...i will just buy it.......but now i have an even more perplexing problem...

im still trying to download chapter 1 of captain america just to my pc....i tried the player mentioned here, windows, real player, nero and a few oddballs and nothing seems to work...i plug in the url for the specific chapter and it PLAYS fine....

i cant seem to download anything

i have tried for hours...with no results...from archive.org....what am i missing? besides the piece of my brain that should tell me the answer?

migaluchi

[lowellriggsiam]

If you have the oem version of Nero, it can convert many formats to vcd with menus. At least when I last used it (version 6). Back then you had to press "1" not play for the first title "2" for the second etc for watch VCDs on your dvd player.

[LJB]

As per the DVD Flick homepage:
http://www.dvdflick.net/features.php
Try this:
Step 1 Download the mpeg4 (MP40 files) for each chapter.
Step 2 Using DVDFlick, put 4~5 chapters per dvd, with/without a menu. You can download this from videohelp.com or the DVD Flick homepage.
Author to a folder (VIDEO_TS) , see what is a DVD https://www.videohelp.com/dvd
Step 3 Use imgburn to burn the dvds using good quality media like Ty or verbatim. you can download imgburn from videohelp.com or the imgburn homepage (a link is available on the imgburn tool page at videohlp.com)

This should do the trick for you.

[lordsmurf]

You're not going to find a textbook on this.