dat2mpg with vcdgear

[lizzoqops]

Ok, here's the new thing I'm trying to do.

I've had little success playing burned vcds on my computer. The only program I can get to play the dat files is Xing Mpeg Player. I'm using Click'n'Burn to burn them, maybe that's the problem? I don't know...they play fine in my DVD player.

I've also tried to turn the .dat files back into mpegs using VCDGear, but I only get a partial size file (a 500 mb .dat file turns into 183 mbs, or 77 mbs). VCDGear doesn't give me any error message, it says it's finished, but the resulting file won't play in any player, or load in Tmpg. I do get an error from Media Player saying something like "no combination of filters could be found to render the stream" or well, whatever, it won't play the file.

Anybody? Bueller?

Liz (rendering streams since 1995)

[KingJohn]

Hi, gosh I made a lot of posts today, I have a cold....

Anyway, I have used VCDGear to convert a NTSC dat file back to a Mpeg, so that I could convert it to PAL. (I made a NTSC by mistake) anyway it worked very good.

The VCD should have 1 dat file if your "Click'n'Burn" makes them like other burn software, the file is located in folder called "Mpegav" and its usually called "Avseq01.dat" the disk has several tracks, the first track has the data and the other track(s) have the mpeg stream.

If the VCD had a movie in chunks then there would be more video tracks... So......

I think your VCD is non standard, VCD's have tight specifications, and people who write software like VCDGear would probably use the right standard.

Thus if you made a VCD that was not the correct specification then maybe all the software will then not work for you. I have not tried to make a VCD that is not exactly right, maybe my player will play them, like yours ?

But there again is there any point in moving from the specification.

The specification for a PAL VCD is MPEG-1 352x288 25fps CBR 1150kbps, Layer-2 44100Hz 224kbps
or
Video-CD NTSC MPEG-1 352x240 29.97fps CBR 1150kbps, Layer-2 44100Hz 224kbps

If your data file has something different to this, your lucky its playing, but ! I would say you would get some bad results from other programs when trying to convert the data file back.

If you can check the specifications of your VCD data file, and find it different from the standard, then maybe its time to change your burning software !! I use Easy Cd creator 5, it warns you if you try to deviate from the standard.

Whew.... I do hope this helps

[lizzoqops]

No, it's a standard vcd, I use the NTSC template in tmpgenc to make them. Click 'n' Burn won't accept them if they aren't in standard format, either.

Thanks for your reply, though.

Liz

[lizzoqops]

Just unbury-ing this, one more time.

Liz (70 views and no answer? I always have the weirdest problems!)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: lizzoqops on 2001-08-23 09:20:02 ]</font>

[lizzoqops]

...sigh...
It was the Click'n'Burn. I downloaded the trial version of Nero, used it to burn, and can play the dat file on WMP now. Jeez.

Liz (it's always somethin')

[KingJohn]

"It was the Click'n'Burn"

So what was it doing then ?

[lizzoqops]

I'm not really sure. It only makes two folders, where nero makes 5 (?), I think. I don't know how that would affect the playability of the dat file, though. The VCDs would work fine in my Pioneer 535, and in a friend's Pioneer, but other people with Apex, or other DVD players had problems with them.

I guess I can't blame Bill Gates this time.

Liz

[KingJohn]

Hi

Well sometimes software will make those folders to be more compatible with other DVD players. I use easy cd creator and it also makes the other "CDI" folders, but they don't contain anything or do anything.

Maybe the Click'n'Burn only put on the relevant parts for a VCD and leaves out CDI etc.

It might be the disks your were using, I have seen some players not work with un-branded, all work with TDK etc

Anyway, if you found something that works, stick with it..

[vitualis]

VCDGear isn't perfect... and perhaps your authoring/burning proggy isn't creating the filesystem on your VCDs properly either.

There are more ways to extract the MPEG off the disc though, even if above is the case.

Use Fireburner or CDR-Win to extract and write a CUE/BIN image of your VCD onto your HDD. Then, you can try to use VCDGear to extract the MPEG directly from the CUE/BIN image. In the worse case scenario, you can use VCDGear to extract it as RAW -- this should always work.

Alternatively, once you have your CUE/BIN image, you can use VCDXRIP (one of the command line tools in VCDImager 0.7.x) to extract all the MPEGs from your disc image as well. The advantage of this is that VCDXRIP will also create an XML descriptor of your original VCD that you can rebuild later if you so wish.

Regards.

[lizzoqops]

Thanks for all the suggestions...I'd like to be able to watch the vcds I've already made (there's a lot of 'em) on the computer or the standalone.

Liz

[KingJohn]

"I'd like to be able to watch the vcds I've already made (there's a lot of 'em) on the computer or the standalone. "

No, you wont have time for that, we all spend more time converting, making disks, but never have the time to watch the films

[stu252]

hi m8, i use vcd gear sometimes for encoding have u tried burning with nero that might do the trick, ive never used click and burn, as nero has always done the buisness 4 me.
stu252

[lizzoqops]

<<"I'd like to be able to watch the vcds I've already made (there's a lot of 'em) on the computer or the standalone. "

No, you wont have time for that, we all spend more time converting, making disks, but never have the time to watch the films>>

LOL! Ain't that the truth. I have to take a day off during the week to lay around and watch movies, since I spend all weekend working through my next big idea!

Liz

[KingJohn]

Say... I did that last night, was up until 3:00am + watching "A Knights Tale" very funny.

So that's the answer then.

6:00Pm to 2:00Am Convert/make disk
2:00Am to ?? Watch Movie
6:00Am try to get up for work, if not go back to sleep and dream about the next convertion....