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  1. I've got a 1-hour movie that I recorded in real time using VLC Media Player, recording to my hard drive while watching the DVD on my desktop computer. VLC created a 2.7GB MPG file that, to me, looks as good as the original. From that file I converted the video to M4V that looks just as good, although that file is only about 300 MB for the full hour. When I try to convert either of these back to a normal DVD to play in any DVD player, the quality goes to hell, and although the 16:9 aspect ratio remains intact, the picture on the screen is somewhat reduced in size with black extending to the screen edges. I tried a couple of the converters that are part of inexpensive DVD copy programs, plus a shareware 'do-all' video converter program, and the results are the same each time. Aside from not filling the screen, the video has a streaky quality with obvious pixelization and a lot of video noise. Shouldn't it be possible to convert an MP2 or MP4/M4V file to the required VIDEO_TS format without quality loss? Am I just using substandard conversion programs? Happy for any recommendations.
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    Originally Posted by Electrojim View Post
    I've got a 1-hour movie that I recorded in real time using VLC Media Player, recording to my hard drive while watching the DVD on my desktop computer. VLC created a 2.7GB MPG file that, to me, looks as good as the original. From that file I converted the video to M4V that looks just as good, although that file is only about 300 MB for the full hour. When I try to convert either of these back to a normal DVD to play in any DVD player, the quality goes to hell, and although the 16:9 aspect ratio remains intact, the picture on the screen is somewhat reduced in size with black extending to the screen edges. I tried a couple of the converters that are part of inexpensive DVD copy programs, plus a shareware 'do-all' video converter program, and the results are the same each time. Aside from not filling the screen, the video has a streaky quality with obvious pixelization and a lot of video noise. Shouldn't it be possible to convert an MP2 or MP4/M4V file to the required VIDEO_TS format without quality loss? Am I just using substandard conversion programs? Happy for any recommendations.
    Use AVStoDVD to create the new video_ts folder and use the 2.7GB mpg file as your source.
    If it's already DVD compliant, AVStoDVD will pass it on to the authoring stage as-is.
    If it need re-encoding, it will do so.

    There is always some quality loss during the re-encode, but for you to have issues with aspect ratio and/or black bars
    something fundamental has gone wrong. You can post a clip taken from your mpg file or a mediainfo report in text view
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  3. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Why not just rip the original DVD (assuming you own it)? That would maintain the highest possible quality, as it would be a clone of your source. Then you could reburn using same size disc. Aka a backup.


    Scott
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  4. To: davexnet
    Thanks for the AVStoDVD recommendation. I installed it and its peripherals, but it tells me that my 70-minute video and its one audio track are 101% of a DVD capacity, which may be why the program registers a "53 Can't Find File" error and closes itself. I could wish for more complete instructions for using the program, and will search out their Help section. Any tips are welcome.

    To: Scott
    Yes, that would have been my choice, too, but the DVD proved 'unrippable' using my go-to 'DVD Shrink' utility, so I just generated the 2.69GB .mpg file while playing the DVD in real time with VLC. Ideas?

    Thanks to you both!
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    Start over again using DVDFab (30 day free trial) to properly rip your disc to .ISO. DVDShrink (which was last updated in 2004) doesn't have the ability to remove newer copy protection schemes, which is why it was "unrippable". If it's a new release, you may have to wait until DVDFab is updated to remove the protection.
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  6. Update:

    From the AVStoDVD log, here's what I get that seems to have aborted the process:

    "<10/18/2020 11:39:51 AM>
    Process aborted during Title 1 VIDEO demuxing operations.

    Error Message: Warning! Title 1 output Video duration (00:00:00) is shorter than expected duration (01:10:58)."

    Does this mean that the .mpg file cannot be read or converted? I looked through the Help section and saw no possible explanation. Also, if the source .mpg file is 71 minutes and just 2.7GB, why does the program say it won't fit a single-layer disc? Thanks!

    To: lingyi
    Yes, I figured that was probably the cause, and have considered buying DVDFab. But the original disc is gone, so the .mpg file is all I've got to work with.
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  7. Most likely problem is VLC created a goofy non-standard file that is giving your DVD conversion software fits. Its kind of surprising that you managed to get a decent M4V conversion out of it, considering AVS2DVD is vomiting on it (AVS2DVD is pretty flexible about importing source files, so if its choking on both versions of your VLC file something is definitely fishy with the VLC encoding).

    It isn't uncommon for DVD authoring tools to reject or crash on some source files. PC software players like VLC will play almost anything, but DVD authoring import can get bogged down or crash over picayune little oddities in a file. More often than I'd like, I have to do some tedious reworking of source files before AVS2DVD or DVDflick will author them properly without stalling interminably or crashing. Usually this involves stripping out and re-encoding the original mistimed audio track with something like AvantiGUI, then importing it to the DVD authoring tool to replace the file's original audio track. Sometimes I also have to fool with the DVD utility aspect ratio settings to get that sorted (some files that play properly as standalone get their AR mangled when imported to a DVD tool).

    EDIT: From the error log, it seems likely this VLC MPEG has some sort of internal timing error that might be difficult or impossible to repair and import to a dvd utility. Re-encoding with Handbrake or MKVToolnix might be worth a try, being sure to select the total re-encode options (both video and audio). You'll lose quality but may end up with a file AVS2DVD can work with.
    Last edited by orsetto; 18th Oct 2020 at 15:12.
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    Regarding the AVStoDVD problem - post the complete log
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  9. Remux the mpg to a mkv:
    ffmpeg.exe - i "yourfile.mpg" - c copy output.mkv
    and use this new mkv for further elaborations.
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  10. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    As much as dvdshrink can be a good utility for shrinking dvds, while it does have some basic ripping capability, it has very limited and out of date decrypting features. It's even more rudimentary than dvddecrypter.
    So it is not surprising that it had difficulty ripping. Iiwy, I would use anydvd or dvdfab, etc to rip. Then if you need the rip to be smaller yet still dvd compliant, THEN use dvdshrink.

    Scott
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  11. Thanks, guys,

    Here's the complete log from AVStoDVD. In the absence of info on this from the Help files, it would be great to have an annotated explanation of what each major function says in the log:

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    START PROCESS
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    PROJECT SETTINGS

    DVD Video Standard: NTSC
    DVD Titles number: 1
    DVD Size: 4503/5000 MB (90%)
    DVD Output Setup: DVD Folder
    DVD Label: DVD
    DVD Menu: No Menu
    Output Folder: C:\Users\Lab\Desktop
    Delete Temp Assets Files: Yes
    Delete Temp Working Files: Yes
    Edit Command Parameters: No
    Post Process Task: Show Progress Status window

    PREFERENCES

    MultiThread: 1
    AVS Video Source Filter: A2DSource
    AVS Audio Source Filter: A2DSource
    AVS UpSize/DownSize Filter: Lanczos4Resize/Spline16Resize
    Frame Adjust Strategy: 0
    FPS Hard Conversion: 0
    PAL SpeedUp: 0
    NTSC SlowDown: 0
    Video Resolution: 0
    Video Encoder: 0
    Video BitRate Min: 2500
    Video BitRate Max: 8500
    Keep DVD Compliant Video: 1
    AC3 Audio Encoder: 0
    Force FFmpeg for Long Audio: 1
    DVD Audio Format: 0
    DVD Audio BitRate: 192
    Keep DVD Compliant Audio: 1
    Normalize Audio: 0
    Auto Delay Audio: 1
    DVD Audio Language (Primary): EN - English
    DVD Audio Language (Secondary): EN - English
    DVD Subs Language (Primary): EN - English
    DVD Subs Language (Secondary): EN - English
    DVD Subs Font: Tahoma 16pt (240,240,240)
    Chapters Interval: 5
    Use Source Chapters: 1
    DVD Burning Drive: E:\
    DVD Burning Speed: 4x
    Auto Erase DVD RW: 1
    Unload ActiveMovie Library: 1
    Adjust DirectShow Filters at runtime: 1
    Save General Settings: 0

    SYSTEM INFO

    Processor Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz
    Operating System: Windows 10 (10.0.18362) 64 bit
    User has Admin Rights: YES
    Running with Elevated Privileges: NO (3)
    Available Output Disc Space: 1632 GB
    AviSynth Version: AviSynth 2.60, build:Mar 31 2015 [16:38:54] (release 2.60)
    LAV Filters is installed: YES (release 0.74.1)
    ffdshow is installed: NO

    CODECS REPORT

    H.264/AVC: LAV Video Decoder
    Xvid: LAV Video Decoder
    DivX 4/5/6: LAV Video Decoder
    Other MPG4: LAV Video Decoder
    DV: LAV Video Decoder
    MPEG1: LAV Video Decoder
    MPEG2: LAV Video Decoder
    AAC: LAV Audio Decoder
    MP3: LAV Audio Decoder
    MP2: LAV Audio Decoder
    AC3: LAV Audio Decoder
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    TITLE 1 SOURCE FILES
    Video: C:\Users\Lab\Documents\DVD Fab Files\THE_PARTY\vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.mpg
    Info: MPEG-2 Video - 0 kbps - 720x480 - DAR 16:9 - 23.976 fps - 8 bit - Progressive (2:3 Pulldown) - 1:10:58 hours - 102088 frames
    Audio 1: C:\Users\Lab\Documents\DVD Fab Files\THE_PARTY\vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.mpg
    Info: AC3 - 0 kbps - CBR - 0 ch - Hz - 1:10:58 hours (0 ms delay)
    [MediaInfoLib - v18.05]
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    AVISYNTH SCRIPT
    Import("C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Lib\A2DSource.avsi")

    # Video is frameserved by AviSynth just for Preview and Edit purposes.
    Video = A2DVideoSource("C:\Users\Lab\Documents\DVD Fab Files\THE_PARTY\vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.mpg", CacheFolder="C:\Users\Lab\AppData\Local\Temp", FrameRate=23.976)
    Audio = A2DAudioSource("C:\Users\Lab\Documents\DVD Fab Files\THE_PARTY\vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.mpg", CacheFolder="C:\Users\Lab\AppData\Local\Temp")

    Video = Video.ConvertToYV12()
    #PullDown: using DGPulldown/HCenc to upsize FPS

    Audio = Audio.SSRC(48000)

    AudioDub(Video, Audio)
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    DIRECTSHOW AUDIO MIXER OPERATIONS:
    No LAV Filters mixer ON/OFF adjustment required at runtime
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:29 AM>
    START VIDEO DEMUXING OPERATIONS
    Video Encoding Profile: Direct Copy (FFmpeg Demux)
    Target Video FileSize: 4314.5 MB
    Demuxing Parameters: -i "C:\Users\Lab\Documents\DVD Fab Files\THE_PARTY\vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.mpg" -c:v copy -an -sn -y "C:\Users\Lab\Videos\DVD_vlc-record-2020-10-11-11h57m42s-dvd____G__-.m2v"
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:51 AM>
    Process aborted during Title 1 VIDEO demuxing operations.

    Error Message: Warning! Title 1 output Video duration (00:00:00) is shorter than expected duration (01:10:58).

    For Video issues troubleshooting see Help/FAQ/Video section.
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:51 AM>
    Warning! AVStoDVD Project ended with errors.
    <>

    <10/18/2020 11:39:51 AM>
    Log file created by AVStoDVD Release 2.8.9
    <>
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  12. Member
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    There's something about the source file, in the log you posted, mediainfo is unable to report any bitrate for the
    video or audio. The audio also has no channels detected. This is why the Demux step failed.

    You could try setting A2D to re-encode and see if it gets around this. On the Edit title video tab deselect
    "auto video setup" and "video direct stream copy"
    On the audio tab, deselect the audio equivalents to those.
    Now try it again
    To be honest, I don't know if it will work or not - I don't have a similar source test file to try it myself
    Image Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

Name:	a2db.jpg
Views:	15
Size:	46.8 KB
ID:	55563  

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  13. Thanks, davexnet. I tried resetting as you suggested and still get this when I hit Start:
    Name:  Snap2.jpg
Views: 1245
Size:  30.0 KB
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  14. Member
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    Originally Posted by Electrojim View Post
    Thanks, davexnet. I tried resetting as you suggested and still get this when I hit Start:
    Image
    [Attachment 55569 - Click to enlarge]
    Uninstall Avisynth, LAV filters and any other codec pack, uninstall AVStoDVD

    Delete the registry setting related to A2D:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AVStoDVD (left pane)

    Reinstall A2D.

    Does it mention the name of the missing file?

    If not, You may be able to get this info from the system - recreate the problem,
    open the Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc from the RUN box) and check application and system
    messages ( newest messages usually at the top)
    Last edited by davexnet; 20th Oct 2020 at 02:35.
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