Simple .mov -> .mpg1

[gojera]

Hi, sorry for the newbie question. I'm sure this has been answered before, but I didn't pull up anything obvious while searching the forums.

I just got a MyTV/fm, and wanted to use Toast to convert the QuickTime movies to VCD. But there's a problem: QuickTime 6.0.2 refuses to export the files, giving several different errors, saying some of the image data is corrupt, even though it plays fine. Obviously I need to get in touch with Eskpae Labs, but I'm hoping to use what captures I have. I was using Sparkle 2.4.5 in Classic to rip out the video stream as a .m1v file, reexport it to Quicktime, and then convert to VCD, but this is too much processing time for my needs.

SO, I'm trying to use ffmpeg instead, under Mac OS X 10.1.5. Numerous Problems. I created a 4-second test .MOV that Quicktime could export. But when I opened FfmpegX and pressed the open button, it gave the error "NSReceiverEvaluationScriptError:3(1)". OK. I manually typed in the pathname "~/Desktop/clip.mov" in the "Open" field and "~/Desktop/clip.mpg" in the "Save As.." field. I hit MOV > VCD (NTSC) Quick Preset and hit "Encode". Terminal opened and the script failed; it looks like one of the mpg streams wasn't properly extracted, and no file is written to my desktop. This is better, though; the first few times I ran FfmpegX, the script hung and the ffmpeg process cycled endlessly, even with only 4 sec of video.

What am I doing wrong?

[major]

SO, I'm trying to use ffmpeg instead, under Mac OS X 10.1.5. Numerous Problems.

- OSX 10.2 is needed.
- The mpeg2enc component from http://mjpeg.sourceforge.net/MacOS must be installed first following the instructions given inside the Changelog file.

[gojera]

Ack! I was afraid of that!

Is it possible to use an older version?

Thanks.

[AntnyMD]

I'm successfully using ffmpegX 0.0.4g on 10.1.5, so clearly 10.2 is not needed. You do need to install an AppleScript update (search within this forum only for "applescript update" and you'll find it in no time). Once you do that, plus put the mpeg2enc component in your root directory, you can try to re-encode your .mov files. I can't speak to success with VCDs with ffmpegX as I am only making DVDs with it at the moment.

[pmcd]

I can't speak to success with VCDs with ffmpegX as I am only making DVDs with it at the moment.

Using the Mac for VCD creation is just a real pain unless QuickTime recognizes that you have a video file and you can export to the Toast VCD option. The methods seem to all have sync problems or whatever. Always some catch! Going to svcd seems easier but not all DVD players in NA support SVCD . ffmpegX , Mediapipe, etc...area all really nice but the chances of a non-expert succeeding with them in producing a VCD are not high (: The PC is still far easier when it comes to converting for the masses.

philip

[AntnyMD]

There are a good deal of imported DVD players flooding the North American market that play SVCD. I bought a Daewoo 5700 (or something like that) for just that purpose, on Amazon, for $99, no tax, no shipping charge.

[pmcd]

There are a good deal of imported DVD players flooding the North American market that play SVCD. I bought a Daewoo 5700 (or something like that) for just that purpose, on Amazon, for $99, no tax, no shipping charge.

True. There's an Apex on sale this week where I live for even less than that ($60US+tax) . But I already have a DVD player (in addition to the computers that play DVD) which works really well for all the movies we buy/rent. $60US doesn't sound like a lot but there's the issue of where to put it, etc...I guess mortgages and kids tend to restrict one in ways that seem unbelievable!

philip

[gojera]

OK! With the Applescript 1.8.3 update, and mpeg2enc installed, everything seemed to work correctly to make good mpeg1 files. Toast seems to accept them and burn CDs, but I need to test the disks more, I think. </p>


Yea, I would have preferred to use Toast, but QuickTime wouldn't export my video files without an error. Besides, ffmpegX rocks! Using QuickTime to export the files ties up that application and hogs the screen, while the unix tools run in the background, and several files can be processed at once. It's better that way. Thanks!</p>


I'd prefer something with better compression, but I'm using a 320 by 340 px video source, and SVCDs sacrifice playtime for resolution, rather than the other way round. </p>


Yea, VCDs aren't the greatest standard on the Mac, but it IS a standard. I just wish Apple would provide some filesystem support for the format, though.</p>

[gojera]

No audio sync problems that I can see--Yay! Just some problems with Toast now, but I think that's Toast problems.
I just wish that Mac had some better players. Mac VCD X is OK, but quite slow. I like VideoLAN, but it seems like it only plays the first track of my VCDs. Is that just me?

[iandeb]

Hi. I was following this thread because my copy of ffmeg (v0.4.6) crashes when I try to reencode MPEG1 at a lower bitrate. Here's the error:

/Applications/MultiMedia/ffmpeg/ffmpegX.app//Contents/Resources/ffmpeg undefined reference to ___nan expected to be defined in /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib

I'm on a G4 running 10.1.5. The source is MPEG1 muxed A/V. Any thoughts? Would this actually related to the AppleScript update you mentioned? It seemed more like it had to do with having OS 10.1.5 instead of 10.2.

OK! With the Applescript 1.8.3 update, and mpeg2enc installed...</p>

[gojera]

I think the Applescript update mostly fixes a problem with the "open" and "save as" buttons. The more important thing was correctly installing mpeg2enc, I think... Previously, it would just run through the script, but encode only the audio track. Your error code looks very strange to me!

[major]

- OSX 10.2 is needed.

[iandeb]

- OSX 10.2 is needed.

Yes, Friend, but why? What juice in your code requires 10.2, and is there something I can provide or hack that will make the code build and run under 10.1.5? Thanks for your help.

Ian

[major]

It is because the ffmpeg sources and libs have been compiled under 10.2. If you can get them compile in 10.1 then you just replace the ffmpeg binary inside the ffmpegX package.

[wolfwood87]

As a note to gojera, VLC can play all of your tracks on your vcd. All you have to do, if you are doing the "Open Disc" command, is to use the Title and Chapter menus from the "Controls" tab on the pull-down menu. There you can select which track to play.

Also, anyone who doesn't like quicktime to "hog the screen" and to "tie up the application" should look at this program, http://www.channld.com/dwnldpg.html. It is the QuicktimeBatchExporter, which is for both Classic and Mac OS X. It will not bring up the quicktime program, give an accurate estimation of time for the batch exporting, and let you export all of your files you needing to intervene except at the very beginning. While you are using it, you can be using quicktime for doing other things. I highly reccomend this program, although there is a 3 file in one batch exporting limit until you pay the $24 shareware fee.

Wolfwood87

[Macnewbie]

As a note to gojera, VLC can play all of your tracks on your vcd. All you have to do, if you are doing the "Open Disc" command, is to use the Title and Chapter menus from the "Controls" tab on the pull-down menu. There you can select which track to play.

Also, anyone who doesn't like quicktime to "hog the screen" and to "tie up the application" should look at this program, http://www.channld.com/dwnldpg.html. It is the QuicktimeBatchExporter, which is for both Classic and Mac OS X. It will not bring up the quicktime program, give an accurate estimation of time for the batch exporting, and let you export all of your files you needing to intervene except at the very beginning. While you are using it, you can be using quicktime for doing other things. I highly reccomend this program, although there is a 3 file in one batch exporting limit until you pay the $24 shareware fee.

Wolfwood87

linky no workie.

[wolfwood87]

Sorry about the faulty link. Here is another: http://www.monmouth.com/~rsr2/software/download/qtbefaq.html. If you visit this page, you can scroll down to the bottom and hit the "Download" link and hopefully get to the download page.

Wolfwood87