XSVCD On One Disc Simple Guide

[dobber2000]

I'm writing this guide as a very simple way to make a one disc xsvcd that plays exceptionally well in my standalone dvd player.
The player is a 3 year old wharefdale dvd 750 machine, bought from Tesco .
I,m also using a 28" widescreen tv to view these svcd's and running the sound through a SONY TA VE 150 amp with built in digital decoder.
The image quality from these svcd is comparable to the dvd from across the room...many of my friends could not tell upon first viewing that they were copies of dvd's.

I'm not saying my method is perfect or conforms to all the requirements, but it works for me..and well that's all that matters, i have learnt from the invaluable sources at doom9 and vcdhelp i say a big thank you guys.

Trial and error is the order of the day it has taken me some 7 months to fully understand what i am doing.
If you wish to dicuss this guide with me please feel free to do so either through doom 9 or vcdhelp or via my e mail at blackwatch2000@aol.com.
There are some options i have missed out of here to keep it as clear as possible..i still have problems sometimes ripping the audio or multiplexing the files but i do know ways arounf these.If you need help ask it's the best way.
TOOLS NEEDED
SMART RIPPER
DVD2AVI
HEADAC3HE
TMPGEnc(uaing MPEG2 option)
BBMpeg
Chapter Xtractor
TSCV
Fireburner (Optional)

Ripping
I use Smartripper, either to rip just the movie vob's or the whole disc...it's up to you.

Open Smartripper and wait for it to read the files from the dvd, when it has choose the option, either film or backup.

If you choose backup everything on the dvd is copied to the harddrive and can be extremely large in file size.

Enter a save place (preferably one you can remember...making it easier to find in the following steps) and that you have enough room.

If Smartripper can not read the disc then try playing the disc first.

Frameserving
Open dvd2avi

click file

click open

find your vob files created with smartripper 1.if you just ripped the movie then just click on the top vob file, all the rest in that sequence will follow) 2.If you ripped the whole disc then you need to find the movie vobs , which are usually the sequence of vobs with the most numbers ie VTS_01_0.vob...VTS_01_1.vob...VTS_01_2.vob. Just a note here the first vob in this sequence VTS_01_0.vob isn't needed for frameserving so just click on the next vob in the sequence.

click add
the window will now change to a larger blank screen

press f5
the movie should begin to play (with no sound and at an increased rate)..if it does play ok and there are no odd images or unexpected problems when you press f5

press esc

click audio/track number (nearly always 1 for the main language)
channel format should be auto
dolby digiatal should be demux
mpeg audio should be demux
48-44100hz i leave off but its up to you here

click file
click save project
enter a file name
click save
dvd2avi will now frameserve the vobs..which usually takes 3-5 mins (you will see the timer counting down the remaining time...the screen will not move)
when dvd2avi has finished close it.

Audio
Open headac3he
click source file
find the ac3 file created by dvd2avi and click open
click destination format and then mp2
click destination file..enter the filename you want to give the sound and click save
click options
at the bottom click 2ch in the downmix type box
click options again for mpeg2 configuration.
There are a few things you can do here leave the setting at cbr and all other settings as they are(unless you want a lower bitrate) or you can set it to vbr and have slightly better sound, but more problems than it's worth.I leave it at cbr.
next back in the main window select resample to 44100khz. My reason for this is that my standalone player prefers it at this setting...after many bad rips using 48000hz, but you can leave the soundtrack at 48000hz if you intend using your pc as the player..this is only my personal preferences for my standalone player.
I also check the booster box.
click start and wait 30-40 mins for the audio to be converted to mp2.

Encoding
Open TMPGenc
in the video source click the browse button
find your d2v file created by dvd2avi earlier
dont bother with the audio you have already encoded and we will mux the two together later

now click on the load button
then the template button (if you cant find the template folder browse to your tmpgenc root folder and you will find it there)
open the extra folder
click the unlock.mcf file
now click setting (the panel will now be unlocked from what it was previously so we can enter our own settings
choose mpeg2 video
now a break from standard compliancy
I encode my svcd at a size of 352x288 (which is vcd compliant) my reason for this is that again this resolution plays well in my standalone dvd player.. and that is my only reason for choosing it...if you wish to use the compliant sizes then please do so and enter them here.
aspect ratio i have a widescreen tv so i use the 16:9 option..again the choice is up to you here
framerate depends on pal(europe) ntsc(usa) usually
rate control mode i get just as good reults using cbr as i do using 2 pass vbr
to set the correct bitrate i use bearsons bitrate calculator which gives me a fairly accurate bitrate every time....remember to set the cd size to 800mb and not 700mb this is important.
so enter the given bitrate in the box
change motion search precicion to highest quality
in the mpeg settings window
click the advanced tab
in the video arrange method scroll to full screen (keep aspect ratio 2)
click ok to close the window
select an output file location
then if everything is set up ok click the start button
the movie should begin encoding and will tell you how long it is going to take to do it-mine usually take 4 hours to do 100minute movie.


Muxing
when the encoding is done you will have an m2v file and an earlier mp2 sound file..we are now going to bring them together.

open bbmpeg
click start encoding button
click settings button
click input/output files tab
click the open ps button and enter the filename of the movie that is about to be created
click on the open vs button and load in the m2v file created by tmpg enc
click on the open as button and load in the mp2 file created by headac3he
click the program stream settings tab
check the svcd option
click ok
then click start
wiat for the multiplexing to take place.
when its finished you will have an mpeg 2 movie
test it by loading it into your pc's dvd player if it's ok your'e readyto either burn it or add your chapters and then burn it.

Chapters/Burning
open chapter xtractor
click on the open ifo button
then load in the ifo file from the files created when you ripped the dvd (make sure it's the .ifo file for the vobs you have used
click the raw data tab
press ctrl a (select all)
press ctrl c (copy)
then close chapter xtractor
Open tscv
check the svcd1 option
click the menu tab
click the cd icon
then click on add mpeg at the bottom...load in your mpeg movie
double click the mpeg file in the window and it will take you to the chapters screen
click on plugins on the menu
and then chapter xtractor chapter import
right click in the large white screen and press ctrl v (paste)
press the convert button and then the send to tscv button
your chapters are now loaded in the small screen
in the bottom right corner ofthe window click on create cuebin...and if your burner supports it direct burn option should be checked as well.
I use fireburner myself to burn the images created by tscv..but its up to you.

[Truman]

Thank you dobber2000. But please change the subject to
"XSVCD On One Disc Simple Guide"

[tonypro2]

Nice job! One question - since you are using TMPGenc anyway, why not use it to mux the m2v and mp2 files together instead of bbmpeg? It would be one less program to use...

[Tr0janMan]

My question to dobber2000 is.
What are the specs to you pc, because im trying to do this just as you said and TMPGenc is telling me that its going to take about 15 hours to encode the m2v file to mpeg2 format.
I have a PIII 700 (I know its not mush but still) with 256 megs of ram, 80 gig WD HD 7200 rpm.
Could the PIII 700 be what is taking it so long?
I would realy like to get movies on 1 cd but if its going to take me 15 hour for one movie, I'm having second thoughts.
By the way the movie i'm doing is 132 mins long, will it even fit on 1 cd after i get done with it?

Thank yoiu much 8)

[WildParadise]

won't work on non-xsvcd player, only real thinh is that you change bitrate, but it's a good all around guides to make a nice xsvcd

[dobber2000]

TONYPRO 2

Use BBmpeg because sometimes when muxing the two files and i load it into VCDEasy i have trouble with the chapters sometimes and i believe that i get a better synched movie using BBmpeg, but again it's entirely up to you.

TROJANMAN

Probably is the P111 and maybe more memory might help. I'm using Thunderbird 1400 AMD and 458 MB Memory. Also i'm using no filters or any other tool that may slow the encoding down. The movie at 132 mins long will fit, but the bitrate will probably round the 500kbps which is very low, and the resulting image will be blocky and of less quality. I just did a 120 min rip of Enigma which is full screen (4:3) ratio and the quality on the tv is comparable to say a rental videocasette. I should have said in the guide that the quality after about 100 mins does deteriorate, but you could even this out by encoding the audio at a lower bitrate and reducing the quality setting as well if audio isnt that important to you.

WILDPARADISE

Dont know where in the world you are from but here in the UK you can now buy dvd standalone players for as little as £70.00 ( about $100.00) that play everything you can throw at them so they seem to be coming more common place, but i understand what you are saying. And yes getting the bitrate right is the key to a good movie, at the end of the day it's what works best for you guys.


Cheers

[WildParadise]

Dont know where in the world you are from but here in the UK you can now buy dvd standalone players for as little as £70.00 ( about $100.00) that play everything you can throw at them so they seem to be coming more common place, but i understand what you are saying. And yes getting the bitrate right is the key to a good movie, at the end of the day it's what works best for you guys.

sorry too made you think I was flaming you, I advised people that it won't work on non xsvcd player which you should have told before doing that long process and then the guy realize, oh crap my palyer ain't xsvcd, then, as you lower bitrate you lower quality.
I live in canada, and here, the dvd players aren't based on ompatibility, it's based on quality, you can have cheaped price players that play any format with mediocre quality, here, great player only play dvd and vcd. my parents bought dvd twice the price I've paid mine, their's play in better quality, but it only play dvd and vcd though mine play alls, I had the chance to have an mpeg2 xsvcd ready to test it on the player but some don't and this process is long, it may have apperead rude but people reading post fly on them generally so they had to catch at first sight

[dobber2000]

I didn't think you were being rude... I just don't know how dvd players work worldwide hence the reason for the I don't know where in the world you arer from..your point was a valid one that has only been made aware to me now.
As all my conversions have been done to play on my dvd player...i should have made this clearer as you stated. Thanks.
all feedback is welcomed...we live to learn.
Have fun and no offence taken.

[sherman]

Just a note to the guy who asked about encoding time on a P3.

I have a P3 866 and an average 45 minite video clip takes about 5 hours to encode on my computer so for this reason I don't bother to try and fit more then 45 to 50 min on a CD (XVCD 480x480 MPEG1 ave bitrate 1800)

I do my encoding overnight so if I was to do a longer standard VCD I would have to split it and encode over two nights.

Sherman

[gafferino]

kudos. I accidentally made a 1 CD XSVCD last year and was amazed that it looked pretty great. It was The Dish which I think was about 100min and had very little fast motion. Unfortunatley I switched from using my computer and TV out to a Sony DVD player and it doesn't like (x)SVCD so I only do VCDs now.

Still I think for those that have SVCD players this method is great for sub 2 hour videos that you just want a watchable copy of. Besides if you really like the movie buy the DVD. If you might just want to watch it again in a year or two this will produce better than VHS results in most cases.

[prkay]

Hello all, I;m a newbe on this forum and i have a couple of questions that maybe you could help me with . I have a sony dvd player that say's it will play DVD,VCD and Music CD's. Now if it plays VCD's would that cover XSVCD's also. Next i'm burning 870mb with 99min CD's useing Nero burning software. Now my question is this, in TMPGEnc can you extend your'e output file size to 870mb manually and if so how. Or would it be easer since your not adding the sound till later, just say for instance 800mb for video and 70mb for audio useing this as an example. I've never used your'e Muxing tool,can you specify your'e output file size or is it preset where you can't change it. And last but not least how long would it take to make a 2hr movie on PIII.1000Hz,40gb 7200HD with 448.0mb Ram? I Thank You For Your'e Reply