VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 2
FirstFirst 1 2
Results 31 to 52 of 52
Thread
  1. Explorer Case's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by submerge
    I don't want to waste more discs.
    So use rewritables (-RW media).
    Quote Quote  
  2. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Sure, but the real point is I don't want to be doing loads of re-writes either, right? I want to get this thing down, I mean a waste of a cheap practice disc (or ten) isn't really an issue, it's the time, more valuable.

    And you didn't offer an answer to the question.
    Quote Quote  
  3. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Palo Alto, California USA
    Search Comp PM
    Well, it's not as if Case gets paid to answer questions, so it's not his obligation to do so.

    None of us can know what, if any, limitations your particular DivX player might impose on file names. So, if you don't know, how are we supposed to? Read the manual -- it's your player. And if the manual doesn't say, then you should just try the experiment. Our opinions won't matter very much, so Case's advice is in fact spot on: Try it (on rewritable media) and see what happens.

    To save time, run the experiment on small files. That way, you don't waste much time to get an answer.

    And to save even more time, study what your player's requirement are ahead of time, and then make sure that you are performing conversions that comply with those requirements.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    I don't actually have an up-to-date player myself, they're for other people's players (my students) so I have to test out on a wider variety of standard ones to make sure most people can view them. Actually trying out on smaller size files is a good suggestion. I've already burnt the avi converted mp4s but changed the name - am waiting to hear for the results.

    Referring back to the audio channels, the fact is that in recording studios in the not so distant past there weren't '0' channels, neither the home based 4 track gizmos (anyone remember Tascams?) nor the more pro 24 track recording studios for example had a mysterious track 5 or 25 that was actually zero. 4 track was 4 tracks and started on 1 not zero, hence I forgive my obtuseness.

    Oh and sorry for thinking Case was being flippant, I guess he was just being helpful as far as could. My apologies.

    Subm
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by [url=https://www.videohelp.com/tools/Submerge
    submerge[/url]]they're for other people's players (my students) so I have to test out on a wider variety of standard ones to make sure most people can view them.
    The best way to achieve maximum compatibility, is to author your .avi's as DVD.
    Quote Quote  
  6. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Palo Alto, California USA
    Search Comp PM
    If your goal is to maximize compatibility among a number of players with unknown requirements, then you should follow Levina's suggestion. DivX is not widely supported among standalone players, so there's a fundamental compatibility issue if you stay with DivX/XviD. If, as seems to be the case, you can't control what machine is ultimately going to play the file, there's really no practical way to assure compatibility. But if you convert to DVD, many of the issues you are struggling with will disappear.

    If you've targeted DivX because it allows you to fit your vids on CD media, and you'd prefer not to burn a DVD for some reason, then another option is to convert to VCD. A VCD will play in just about any DVD player, as well as on just about any computer (it's supported by players on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux/Unix). Indeed, it's the most compatible video format. However, there is a tradeoff in quality. Very roughly speaking, it's approximately VHS quality. Depending on your quality requirements, a VCD may or may not be satisfactory, but I thought I'd mention it, in the spirit of completeness.
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Update. Regarding my problem with the mp4s, and some VOBs, the easiest solution turned out to be using iDVD which was just languishing forgotton in the Dock. It works as one expects most Mac things to work, it juts does and you don't need to know any big deal (as you do in just about everything else on offer). I wish I'd fiddled about with it earlier, it's a cinch to use and what I was hoping other apps would be...I don't know why it didn't occur to me (or anybody else) earlier. So anyway now I have all those mp4s in DVD format playable on the majority of players, great. Onto the next hurdle.

    Oh, I guess the drawback with iDVD is that it takes ages (and I mean ages) to encode but once done I burned an .img so easy to run copies off. Thanks for all the help,my students will appreciate it. I guess I'll be back at some point but now most of my problems are solved. It's time to get some work done.

    Subm
    Quote Quote  
  8. Explorer Case's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Search Comp PM
    I didn't know iDVD did subtitles?
    Quote Quote  
  9. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    It does if the subs have been previously hard burned into the image (I used Handbrake).
    Quote Quote  
  10. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    Now I'm confused. Handbrake can only hard burn subtitles from the very VIDEO_TS file that it converts; it won't let you add separate .srt files. So, don't tell me that you used Handbrake to convert a DVD-Video to an .mp4 file with hard burned subs and then used iDVD to turn that into a... DVD-Video?
    Quote Quote  
  11. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Erm...well, hard as it may be to believe that's exactly what I did. It sounds pretty dumb I have to admit. In fact I now think it was really dumb but at the time I hadn't got a clue and fiddling about with different apps led me to believe I couldn't just copy the b***er. In fact I couldn't, I had to use Handbrake (the purpose of which I had totally ignored up until then).
    I had several DVDs containing hours of (my) classes but which don't belong to me and I had to give them back. So I needed to make copies (quickly) so I can distribute to my own students. Don't ask me why I converted to mp4, it seemed the thing to do, I assumed they'd be playable on DVDs. I guess I should have 'authored' a DVD right? Yes they already had the subtitles. I do normally stumble into things like this without much more than a glance at things that say 'instructions', I just expect things to work. What an attitude.

    Anyway, Now I have the mp4s and I can't get the DVDs back easily. I still need to do more, so far I have used iDVD and got 3 files done. The copy burned directly by iDVD after (24 hours) encoding plays well on a couple of players I've already tried it on. I included a small menu with a pic and a menu soundtrack, (using an iDVD template). But then I thought I should save a 'copy' to my HD when iDVD warned me that if I didn't it'd have to encode all over again - no way! So I opted for saving an .img thingy. I burned a copy of that onto a DVD too but on the same players I had used for the other one the menu wouldn't work properly, neither forward nor backtracking - and the sound was missing.
    Tried out on an (old) Windows laptop it played the same as the original one burned directly from iDVD (which also played well on the dvd player). Could anyone tell me why there is a difference here? Why won't it play properly on a dvd player - if burned from a .img thingy? What should I do to get the .img more compatible - to work as smoothly? Should I just copy the disc iDVD burned, directly to my HD ? and then do a simple copy using the Finder?

    Think I might try this. I still have other TS_Video files I have to do the same with. I don't know whether to use iDVD or even if I can, if I do how to get the subs in if I don't use ffmpeg or similar? Still pretty confused.
    The avi files have ceased being a problem. Most of this mixed up stuff is from a TV and film hardware firm I sometimes work with but from whom it's almost impossible to get time from unless they need you. They just can't be arsked.

    I really don't know what to do next. Have dinner I think.
    Quote Quote  
  12. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by [url=https://www.videohelp.com/tools/Submerge
    submerge[/url]] I guess I should have 'authored' a DVD right? Yes they already had the subtitles.
    If you have a VIDEO_TS file then that *is* a DVD-Video and you don't have to author anything. All you do with it is burn.
    In Toast, choose Data tab, select DVD-ROM(UDF), drag the folder with the VIDEO_TS folder inside it (i.e. NOT just the VIDEO_TS folder, it has to be in another folder!), into the window and click burn.
    If your VIDEO_TS file is larger than 4,3 gb then in Toast choose the Video tab, choose VIDEO_TS folder, drag your VIDEO_TS folder into the window, make sure the 'use fit-to-DVD video compression' option is checked. Click burn.
    In both cases you will have a DVD-Video that'll play on all players.
    Quote Quote  
  13. Explorer Case's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Search Comp PM
    If you do not have Toast, you can use the it-came-with-your-Mac /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app to burn DVD-Video disk image files. Open the app, don't select anything, click the Burn button, use the dialog box to select the image file to burn.

    If all you have is a VIDEO_TS folder, you can create a .img disk image file first, and then burn it using the above procedure. You may use ffmpegX's Img tool to make a valid DVD-Video disk image with the required UDF 1.02 file system, or any other imaging tool that does the same thing.
    Unfortunately, the Finder or Disk Utility can't make UDF disk images (if you would try those, then most set top players won't play the DVD, as they don't understand the HSF+ or ISO 9660 file system). So, you'll have to create the disk image with a third party tool. The image file may be burned with just about any burning program (as the format is standardized).
    Quote Quote  
  14. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    I'm mighty curious about how iDVD burned to Disk after it had encoded and made a DVD that just worked as one expects a DVD to and how when saving the same encoding to do later burns the result ended up skewed (for set tops).

    Anyway, OK, no I don't have Toast but I do have one TS Video file which is over 4,3 GB, it's about 6, 3 or something.Worse yet, each VOB file contains over one segment (or chapter) so I have no idea as yet how to do this as first I still have to do the subs. It's going to be difficult to do the subs in the present format, I mean I can't set any anchors in chapters as they run into each other, the first anchor would be at the beginning of chapter 1 and the last at the end of chapter 5. I'm going to put that aside for the moment despite some of the best work being on that particular file.
    I have other TS Video files the same or lower than 4,3 which I'll practice on first though.
    About disk image files, (that's the .img thingies right?), a question: I have this square file on my desktop with the image of a HD on it. Yesterday I clicked on it and got the other image icon thing which looks like a burner right? This is what I burned to disk, should I have burned the first image / icon on my desktop and not this second one? It's confusing because they both have .img file extensions. I'm going to try Case's procedure with DU right now just to see what happens.
    Case, so is that why the copy I burned from a disk image didn't turn out well on the set tops? Because it couldn't read the HSF thing? But how did iDVD manage to burn a playable disk then? Well anyhow....
    So if I've got this right, I need to get a UDF format image file first and then I can use disk utility to burn it to disc making a pretty compatible DVD?

    That'll be the next thing to do. Right now I need to know whether the .img file created by iDVD is a UDF or HSF one. From what I gather from what Case says it's going to be an HSF right? So if I use that it's going to fail yes? Hmmm...I need to think. I keep asking myself how iDVD burned one great copy and nuked the one made from the saved image file. If Macs use HSF how did iDVD manage a good one? You know I find all this language esoteric...my sight's glazing over...
    anyway ... thanks for further clues, I think it's valuable input. I'm going to have another look at ffmpegx...
    Quote Quote  
  15. Explorer Case's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by submerge
    About disk image files, (that's the .img thingies right?), a question: I have this square file on my desktop with the image of a HD on it. Yesterday I clicked on it and got the other image icon thing which looks like a burner right? This is what I burned to disk, should I have burned the first image / icon on my desktop and not this second one? It's confusing because they both have .img file extensions.
    Yeah, confusing. I would expect iDVD to have an option to open/load a self-generated disk image into the program, and use that as a burn source. But I'm not an iDVD user, so I might be off. For that same reason I'm also not sure if this iDVD disk image is comparable to DVD-Video disk images generated by other tools, and if these can be burned outside of iDVD.

    Originally Posted by submerge
    Right now I need to know whether the .img file created by iDVD is a UDF or HSF one.
    Despite iDVD's shortcomings (in my opinion), it does respect the DVD specification and it burns fine using UDF. I'm not sure what went wrong on later burns that made them unreadable, because it should work as advertised. (I suppose the app has a Help menu which could tell you more on how to work with iDVD-generated disk images?)

    Originally Posted by submerge
    So if I've got this right, I need to get a UDF format image file first and then I can use disk utility to burn it to disc making a pretty compatible DVD?
    Yes. DVD folder with VIDEO_TS folder in it > UDF disk image > Burn with DU.
    Quote Quote  
  16. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Mmmm, thanks. Update. I followed your instructions to the letter, just guessing that the square file was the right one to burn. I did open it first and the other icon (not a file icon which as what inclined me to choose the other one) showed in the info it was UDF. I think I guessed right. I also opened the application 'burn' and was tempted to give that a go. I also did a quick read on UDF at Wiki and it said that it was just OS 10.4 something which was wonky, 10,5 is supposed to be respectful. So anyway, on re-introducing the Disk Utility burnt disk, DVD player launched and it played well (and in order - but that's another story). I'll test it tomorrow and see if a couple of set tops will play it OK. Now...bed.

    Cheers...
    Quote Quote  
  17. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by [url=https://www.videohelp.com/tools/Submerge
    submerge[/url]]
    I do have one TS Video file which is over 4,3 GB, it's about 6, 3 or something.Worse yet, each VOB file contains over one segment (or chapter) so I have no idea as yet how to do this as first I still have to do the subs.
    What do you mean, you 'still have to do the subs'? Why? What's there to do? You have a DVD-Video with subs. Burn it as-is and you will have a DVD with subs. All you need to do with your file is find a way to shrink it to 4,3 gb (or burn it on a DL disc). There are several ways of doing this, but I would advice: get Toast and all these problems will go away.
    Also, read up on the DVD-Video directory. You can do that right here, on this page where it says - in the upper left corner - What is 'DVD'.
    Quote Quote  
  18. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Levina, maybe it wasn't clear but I have a whole bunch of video files in different formats that all need to be playable on set tops. The Mp4s are already hard-burned with subs so all that needs to be done is follow one of the procedures outlined - Case's suggestion sems to have worked, I'll test later on a set top. Other files include Video TS files with and without subs.
    Quote Quote  
  19. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    I know you have different files, but in this particular case you were talking about VIDEO_TS files and VOB's and saying that you 'still have to do the subs' and how you'll first practice on a smaller than 4,3 gb VIDEO_TS file. So, I really had the impression, not to mention the fear that you were going to process your VIDEO_TS files somehow again. Which you shouldn't. Not unless you have a VIDEO_TS file without subs that you want to add subs to, or, not having Toast, you need to compress a too large VIDEO_TS file with ffmpegX e.g. (in which case you need a Single File Extraction > VOB). Otherwise I would advice to leave the VIDEO_TS files as is.
    Quote Quote  
  20. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Oh right, don't worry I don't even understand myself sometimes Levina and I suspect I am none too clear in my explanations. How would you recommend I do subs on a Video_TS file with no subs? It's tricky knowing how to proceed on that one. I had tried converting to avi but I just got one very long file with no distinctions between chapters (no separations I mean) and I'm not keen on doing the subs that way. If you know a clear 'simple' way of doing it please let me know. I wonder if Sears and Jubler could do them?

    Update on the 'Case mp4 burn method', it works. I tried them out on 3 DVD players. It didn't work very well on the oldest player but very well on the other 2 (an LG and a Philips). The only disappointment was the fact that neither fast forward nor rewind worked, pause didn't work and stopping took you back to the title menu. Is there some (straightforward) way I can fix that? A slightly more complicated task I presume? It is almost necessary as students often need to pause and go back and forth between bits. I edit subs a lot to highlight specific things that need attention so the subs get analysed a lot in conjunction with the spoken dialogue but I'm getting off track here....

    ..actually I have some sub work to do right now so I'm off...I'll have a shot at some of those VTS file tomorrow afternoon.

    thanx 4 continuing support people, I really appreciate the time you put in.
    Quote Quote  
  21. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Netherlands
    Search Comp PM
    This is what you do to add subtitles to a VIDEO_TS file:

    1. use MacTheRipper to extract a single file VOB
    or
    1. use MPEGStreamclip to do the same
    2. change the .vob extension manually to .mpg
    3. in ffmpegX, in the Tools tab, in the Author tab, load this .mpg file, load an .srt file, and author as DVD.

    Then you will have a VIDEO_TS file with selectable subtitles, and, since the video and audio are untouched there's no loss of quality.

    Applications such as Sears and Jubler are for the creation and editing of subtitle files, and that's all they do.
    Quote Quote  
  22. Explorer Case's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by submerge
    Update on the 'Case mp4 burn method', it works.
    Please note that what I said doesn't deal with mp4/MPEG-4 (although that's what you started with), but deals with MPEG-2 DVD video (VIDEO_TS folder).
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!