PLEASE HELP! M2TS to DVD Video files, without change in aspect ratio???

[Adam2]

I am making a concert movie. I have M2TS files from an HD camcorder [1920x1080], and have to down convert to DVD Video [720x480] to edit and eventually burn.

My problem: the raw footage from the M2TS files is nice 16:9, but when I convert it to .VOB files for DVD Video (iSkysoft Media Converter deluxe), the aspect ratio changes. This can be seen just playing the files on my computer, or on a DVD on a TV. There is a "Adjust" panel to change the aspect ratio when burning, but it doesn't seem to work at just preserving the exact original aspect ratio.

The original is wide 16:9 with thin black bars on the top and bottom. Whenever it's converted and/or burned to DVD, the bars on the top are gone and they are now at the left and right.

[Kerry56]

I'm not familiar with your software. Are you using a Windows computer, and if so, have you tried converting with AVStoDVD? It is free to use and is very well respected around here. Use the HC encoder that is included and make a two pass encode.

If you need a menu, AVStoDVD can make a simple one for you if click on DVD Menu, then run the Menu Editor. Each individual file that is imported into AVStoDVD will be made into a separate title, so if you are using several, you should have a menu to select them.

[theewizard]

I would use video redo to edit footage, and save the wanted footage as exported files
Then combine them
Then author the DVD using avstodvd
Always work with the best material you have
Better to do your edits with copies of the source, scale down when finished during the authoring process
You don't make vobs then edit
You edit then author the DVD, which will contain a Vob structure along with the other Needed necessary files

[Adam2]

I would use video redo to edit footage, and save the wanted footage as exported files
Then combine them
Then author the DVD using avstodvd
Always work with the best material you have
Better to do your edits with copies of the source, scale down when finished during the authoring process
You don't make vobs then edit
You edit then author the DVD, which will contain a Vob structure along with the other Needed necessary files

Ok, so I'm trying out the trial version of Video Redo. So I make my cuts, then I export it as a "MPEG 2 m2ts" file? That will be lossless? And then I can combine them with the same program, and finally burn with AVStoDVD?

Thank you both so much

[Adam2]

I want this to be as simple as possible.

I have footage from 2 camera angles, and I simply want to make my preferred cuts, alternating scenes between them.

I also want to make one camera angle's footage black and white. How can I do that?

[theewizard]

you will need to change the cuts to black and white before combining them
you are going to need another program for that, video redo, does not do that

authoring the DVD will be the last step
at that point the resolution will be changed to 720*480 DVD format

[Adam2]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!!!

I'm finally getting a grip on this project. So really, I just need to use "Video Redo".


LINEAGE:

01] HD camera > M2TS files
Video: AVC = 21.3 mbps, 1920x1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps
Audio: AC3 = 256 kbps, 48 khz, 16 bits

02] "Video Redo" program

a) cut each segment of footage (rehearsal/concert) individually
b) combine all segments together
c) author to DVD Video files

Video Encoding:
Source (H264) to DVD (MPEG2)

Resolution:
Source (1920x1080) to DVD (720x480)

NTSC, 16:9 ratio, 29.97 frame rate, AC3/256kbps audio = UNCHANGED



Does this look correct? Anything else I should know? And can someone please tell me a high quality program to convert footage to black & white?

[Adam2]

Also, what program can I use to add text to parts of the video, and do a simple fade in/fade out of the footage?

[Adam2]

I successfully took M2TS files, trimmed them down, and saved them again as new M2TS files per your suggestion. The audio and everything else stayed exactly the same, but the "Mbps" changed. The original M2TS files were 21.3 Mbps, and the new trimmed ones are 18.6 Mbps.

Why? I'm taking the originals, trimming them, and saving again as "H.264 M2TS" files.

I didn't change the "Single Pass" encoding setting to "Double Pass"... should I have?

[theewizard]

im not sure i can list ONE reason,
things like the number of ref frames etc, will change the over all bit rate
it will make little difference in the final resulting DVD
because the DVD will not come close to that bit rate
most likely be close to 8000kbps which is more than enough for 720*480 video of the end result of all this work

[smrpix]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELP!!!

I'm finally getting a grip on this project. So really, I just need to use "Video Redo".


LINEAGE:

01] HD camera > M2TS files
Video: AVC = 21.3 mbps, 1920x1080, 16:9, 29.97 fps
Audio: AC3 = 256 kbps, 48 khz, 16 bits

02] "Video Redo" program

a) cut each segment of footage (rehearsal/concert) individually
b) combine all segments together
c) author to DVD Video files

Video Encoding:
Source (H264) to DVD (MPEG2)

Resolution:
Source (1920x1080) to DVD (720x480)

NTSC, 16:9 ratio, 29.97 frame rate, AC3/256kbps audio = UNCHANGED



Does this look correct? Anything else I should know? And can someone please tell me a high quality program to convert footage to black & white?

Combining footage from two cameras, making some of the footage black and white, adding titles.... And you're outputting to DVD quality so you can't avoid recompression if you wanted to.

You don't want a simple cut and snip program, you want a real NLE. Vegas Movie studio is inexpensive and good. Look at Premiere as well. They have free trials which, if this job is as simple as you describe it, ought to be more than enough time to complete this project.

[Adam2]

Thank you again, guys.

So I did footage from one camera using "single pass" encoding. Should I redo that chunk of footage using "double pass"? Will the quality be improved?

[Adam2]

The footage I did already in "single pass" will be the footage I want black & white, if that matters

[theewizard]

is this single pass to DVD
or just single pass recode

i mainly use single pass when converting down to DVD

i do my edits (no fancy color changes) in video redo, or avidemux depending on the files
i maintain HD resolution, usually outputing the files in mp4 ,
the files i give avstodvd are HD mp4
i let avstodvd recode during the authoring process

on occasion with a finicky file having sync issues
i will go back and output that section as dvd compatible mpeg2 and import that section to avstodvd
but the encoders in avstodvd do a good job, and the fewer steps and conversions that can be used the better the final quality

2 pass is useful when you have 'low bitrate' input, low def input, or video noise, and you need the extra effort and maybe applied filters to in sure best quality

to paraphrase 'quality is in the eye of the beholder'

[Adam2]

Single pass editing an MT2S and re saving as one

[Adam2]

I recut that chunk of footage with 2 Pass enabled. It was bugging me... I want this thing to be the best quality it can be. As you know I'm not technically inclined with film or computer editing. I didn't want to shoot it in HD and then lower it to DVD, but I don't even have a Blu Ray player or capabilities to edit it...

[Adam2]

I'm having one more problem with this:

I have converted my select tracks to black & white with Adobe Premiere Pro. I used the "Noir 1965" setting. When I view the resulting M2TS files, the black and white looks good though some grain movement is more evident.

When I convert these files to DVD Video folders via Video Redo, two things happen. the resulting DVD I burn has 1) light greenish grain/flashing marks in the b&w at times, and 2) a slightly cropped aspect ratio. Little things that made the frame in the original files are just cut off.

Please help once again...

[theewizard]

i use video redo to edit and cut files

but to create AKA 'author' a dvd i use avstodvd

no tool is BEST at Everything

use one tool for edit, another to create the dvd

as for the 'cut off' cropping, a dvd frame is NOT 16:9
yes it gets horizontally spread to that aspect
but if your frame is 800*400, itis going to get cropped, unless it is resized 'for storage in the dvd frame' then padded top and bottom

try avstodvd
and before authoring set preferences for padding NOT cropping

can't help with the green flickers, i don't convert color to B&W

[Adam2]

Ok, how do I set pref. for padding and not cropping? Found so such controls in "Preferences"

[theewizard]

preferences
avisynth
adjust frame strategy
set to ..... add left right borders ( this will prevent cropping the edges off )

[Adam2]

Ok, so that setting was already selected. What other steps do I do to make these to DVD with "AVStoDVD"? A box came up saying check up to 3 audio files, but it did nothing whether or not I selected it. I just clicked the "x" of the window and now its doing it to "m2tv"...

[pepegot1]

Try Video to Video. It's free and configurable.

[Adam2]

Ok, so I figured out how to do the AVStoDVD program. But in the final stages of authorization, it aborts and says to check "AVStoDVD log file <C:\Users\Betley\Videos\DVD_1.log> , BatchMux log file <C:\Users\Betley\Videos\DVD_1_BatchMux.log>".

[Adam2]

Ok, this damn project is really pissing me off now.

I just abandoned "AVStoDVD", and tried "Video to Video". In "Video", I could only export files to DVD folders of that one file. So instead of chapters on the DVD, one scene (one m2ts file) would be VIDEO_TS #1. The next scene would be VIDEO_TS #2, etc. In addition, the picture was still cropped even after changing settings and there was no audio at all in the resulting files.

HEEEEEEEEEEELP!

[Adam2]

This whole thing is just pissing me off now. I have the whole movie cut into M2TS files. I made a select few black & white in Adobe Premiere Pro, which looks like shit when it's burned to DVD.

I need to burn 17 M2TS files in a row, so they are chapter by chapter on the DVD.
I need the black & white to not look horrible with green lighting marks.
I need the resulting DVD to show the FULL 16:9 ratio which has little things in the frame that are cut out in every single test DVD I made. but not in the actual M2TS files...

[Skiller]

which has little things in the frame that are cut out in every single test DVD I made. but not in the actual M2TS files...

It's Overscan. It's normal for the edges of a video frame to get cut off on a TV but not when playing a file on a computer monitor.

The mistake is any important elements are ought to be placed within so called Title and Action Safe Areas (in other words, not close to the borders). If you don't respect that this is what you get.


If it's too late to redo that you can shrink the entire image somewhat to compensate for Overscan but it'll never be perfect this way.

[manono]

I need the resulting DVD to show the FULL 16:9 ratio which has little things in the frame that are cut out in every single test DVD I made. but not in the actual M2TS files...

When played on your television? If so, look up 'overscan'.

I need to burn 17 M2TS files in a row, so they are chapter by chapter on the DVD.

Can you join them, and then create the chapters in your program? If you're not able to do all this manually, then I'd suggest trying to find out what happened with AVSToDVD, since it's far and away the best such program. There's a dedicated thread for it. You can post the log of the failed attempt and you should get some expert help.

I need the black & white to not look horrible with green lighting marks.

Greyscale it. When using AVSToDVD, you can add a line to the AviSynth scripts it uses, lines such as 'Greyscale' or 'Tweak(Sat=0,Coring=False)', to get rid of the green.

[Adam2]

I tried combining ALL my m2ts files together, and then making a DVD of the one resulting m2ts, but then it became more and more out of sync because the file was big?

Can you tell me what exactly I do to "greyscale" in AVS?

[Adam2]

or could I grayscale it in Premiere Pro?

[Adam2]

I think I can accept the whole "over scan" thing. The frame is very slightly cropped in on DVD. It doesn't ruin the image, but I wanted to know why it did that. So outside of shrinking the image, this is normal on PC monitor vs. DVD?