Finally got Darim MG100 MPEG1 Encoder!!!

[VCDLOVER2]

Just got this $450 realtime Mpeg encoder. It has Excelent quality, but there is a problem I can't solve. When I encode using this card and take the resulting Mpeg file and burn it to (x)VCD using Nero burner, the disk won't play on my (x)VCD DVD player. It plays on my computer fine, but it won'y play at all on my player, although my DVD player recognizes it as a VCD. I did an experiment where I took the my encoded MPEGs and used TMPGE's simple multiplex. When I burned these to VCD the player finally played them, but there was terrible motion artifacts and blockyness. Does anybody know what might be going on here? There must be something wrong with the MPEG that the MG100 makes. Does anybody know of any other dedicated VCD burner?

[Anonymous65]

I assume when you make a file using the VCD template it will burn and play correctly? It's only a non-standard VCD record that will not play correctly?

The MG100 is basically the same card as the PV231 ( http://steve.kittelsen.com/pv231 ) using the Windbond compression chip. As with the PV231, any non-standard VCD capture neeeds to be remuxed in TMPGEnc. However, I have not seen any motion problems with these XVCD's. The capture software that comes with the MG100 have most of the settings available in the capture software, and you don't have to do it in the registry as with the PV231. Either there is something with your player that will not do XVCD, or there are some wrong settings you use to make the XVCD file.

[VCDLOVER2]

I've tried the preset compliant white book VCD template, it played on my DVD player without MPEG motification via TMPGE but again, with terrible motion artifacts and blockyness. What is strange is that both VCD and XVCD look and play great on my computer, once I burn it to VCD format something happens to it. I played one of the compliant VCD's that I made on the computer to make sure it was not my DVD player and found that the quality of the MPEG file on it was awfull or non readable. Could there be some software conflict going on here that changes the MPEG data when I burn a VCD through Nero? I have two software encoders installed on my computer Cinema Craft encoder SP and TMPGE could any of these or other programs in WinME be getting its hands on my MPEGs and somehow modifying them when I burn them to VCD, perhaps NERO? Do any of you know of any other VCD dedicated buner software aprt from the ones listed in this site?

[Anonymous65]

Nero will make perfectly fine VCD's. It sounds like the problem is your DVD player. It might not be VCD compatible.

Download a VCD file from the web and burn a VCD. If it doesn't play on your DVD player, you know the problem is your DVD player, and not the VCD file. Unless Nero is corrupt on your PC, you can assume Nero is not making bad VCD's, it's eighter your mpeg files or your DVD player. I would guess it's your DVD player.

You can also send me a VCD clip and I'll burn and test in on my system.

[VCDLOVER2]

Again, I don't think its my player because I checked the MPEG on the VCD's and Noticed that they were corupt also. Beside that, I've never had problems palyinf VCD's or XVCD's on my player. I'd be happy to send you a few seconds clip right now, where should I send the clip?

[Anonymous65]

You can send a short clip, like 10 sec. to skittelsen@yahoo.com

[patrickm]

this might be obvious, but you're just dragging and dropping into nero to burn, not letting it re-encode, right? some versions will try to re-encode your files to be compliant...

[VCDLOVER2]

Had to cut file alittle its about 800K and 5 sec. Check your email.

[Anonymous65]

If your mpeg file is compliant, Nero will NOT reencode the file. It will only try to re-encode the file if it's NOT compliant. So, if Nero wants to re-encode the file, it's NOT a VCD compliant mpeg-1 file.

[Anonymous65]

Remember that many mpeg cutters will destroy the VCD compliancy unless you specify that the file needs to be VCD compliant. It might be that the file is fine captured from the MG100, but the editor messes up the file.

[VCDLOVER2]

Yes I am draging and droping Mpeg file into Nero. If VCD is compliant Nero won't ask nothing. When i make XVCD's with 2000 birat, Nero asks if you want to re-encode (bad idea), I just click turn OFF compliant feature and VCD plays fine on my player. Used to use TMPEG with no problems but since i switched to this Darim MG100 card, I don't knoiw what's happening.

[Anonymous65]

What editor do you use? Try to burn and play an unedited file and see how it goes.

It might also be that we have to look in the registry for the Winbond chip to find the wrong settings. All the settings are found in the registry, and can easilly be changed there. You can also download the registry settings data from my web page, http://steve.kittelsen.com/pv231

[VCDLOVER2]

I just made a VCD compliant VCD that played on my DVD player but the quality looks like it was encoded in a lower birate. What is very strange is that the original MPEG looks great, but when I played the MPEG within VCD file it looked exactly as it looked on my DVD player, TERRIBLE. I don't know whats happening but I'm about to give up on the card, but then again why should I think its the card the MPEGs look great, its just when I convert them to VCD that they look terrible. I don't know what to do.

[Anonymous65]

Not sure what's happening, but a VCD has a bit rate of 1150Kb/sec, not more, and not less. Any other bit rates are not a VCD. Remember not to compare a XVCD with a VCD. If you want to make compliant VCD's, you have to use the settings that makes a VCD, and then compare the image quality to other files made with the same settings. A 2000kb/sec "VCD" cannot be compared to a real VCD. All VCD's are made with a bit rate of 1150kb/sec. Otherwise, it will be like comparing apples and oranges.

Non-standard mpeg-1 files (XVCD) needs to be remuxed to have a "false" system stream header so to fool the VCD burning software and DVD player.

[VCDLOVER2]

Thanks for the the info about Remuxing MPEG for XVCD, I didn't know you had to fool the DVD player into think that its supoosed to be a VCD. However what does REMUX do exactly and why is it called REMUX.

[Anonymous65]

A mpeg file contains 3 different data streams, the audio, the video and the data (sync, timing, and other information about the audio and video). Demuxing splits the data into their seperate data files. Remuxing combines the data into a new combined stream. With TMPGEnc you can demux and remux the mpeg file. Normally, you can use simple remux, select the non-standard VCD system format, and select your captured mpeg file as the audio and video source. TMPGEnc will split and then recombine the audio and video data in a one step process. The file will now look like a VCD compliant file to Nero, and many DVD players will play the XVCD disk as if it was a VCD disk.