DVD Pal to DVD NTSC

[repdetect2]

DJRumpy,

Followed all your steps and the end product is amazing. Thanks alot for the help.

I noticed the bitrate CCE choose was alot lower than the original DVD source average was 2895 and the peak was 3800 compared to the average of 4500 and 8000 of the original yet the picture quality still looks great.

Do I need to adjust any of the bitrate settings in CCE or just leave the default with the settings you told me about?

[Nostradumbass]

I've just finished converting a PAL DVD to NTSC. Unfortunately, it won't play correctly on my Pioneer standalone. Looks and sounds great on my PC and on a friend's Sony.

I followed the guide at http://www.geocities.com/xesdeeni2001/StandardsConversion/

I used IFOEdit 0.95 to author using the 5.1 .ac3 stream created from DVD2AVI. From what I've read Pioneers have a problem with their use of the MPEG2 sequence display extensions. How do I view the MPEG stream to verify if the extensions are present? How do I fix this problem?

[BTW, I saw my previous post on June 13th was removed without comment or a message to me (I would have preferred that my posting to have been merely edited to remove the offending material so that comments and suggestions regarding the technical aspect of my question could have been fielded). However, I am pleased to see my arguments regarding the questionable applicability of this forum's AUP regarding warez to movies has been taken to heart and changed.)]

Now, could someone help here?

[DJRumpy]

Do I need to adjust any of the bitrate settings in CCE or just leave the default with the settings you told me about?

I always encourage anyone to experiment if they have the time and inclination. If your happy with your output, then stick with it. I would suggest you find a CCE manual (their usually in PDF format) for your version, and make sure your familiar with what the options can do. If you have trouble finding one, let me know.

I've just finished converting a PAL DVD to NTSC. Unfortunately, it won't play correctly on my Pioneer standalone. Looks and sounds great on my PC and on a friend's Sony.

I followed the guide at http://www.geocities.com/xesdeeni2001/StandardsConversion/

I used IFOEdit 0.95 to author using the 5.1 .ac3 stream created from DVD2AVI. From what I've read Pioneers have a problem with their use of the MPEG2 sequence display extensions. How do I view the MPEG stream to verify if the extensions are present? How do I fix this problem?

Can you be more specific about the probelm your having? 'Won't play' is somewhat vague

I'm curious about your other comment. What change are you referring to regarding wares and movies?

[Nostradumbass]

I've just finished converting a PAL DVD to NTSC. Unfortunately, it won't play correctly on my Pioneer standalone. Looks and sounds great on my PC and on a friend's Sony.

I followed the guide at http://www.geocities.com/xesdeeni2001/StandardsConversion/

I used IFOEdit 0.95 to author using the 5.1 .ac3 stream created from DVD2AVI. From what I've read Pioneers have a problem with their use of the MPEG2 sequence display extensions. How do I view the MPEG stream to verify if the extensions are present? How do I fix this problem?

Can you be more specific about the probelm your having? 'Won't play' is somewhat vague

I'm curious about your other comment. What change are you referring to regarding wares and movies?

The problem is that the picture freezes every 6 or so seconds. I can force the player to continue, with the FF button, but it freezes again seconds later.

Regarding the warez-movies change, when you now reply to a forum message (may also create a new thread, I haven't checked) the Forum Rules now indicate that pirated/bootleg movies are considered warez. This was not the case at the time of my first posting on this problem.

[rockstar70]

Great thread/guide! I have a couple of issues though:

1. I get a sense either DVD2AVI or BeSweet distorts the audio a bit. Has anybody experienced this? Maybe I'm just going crazy. I have checke dall of my hardware mixer levels and everything seems fine.

2. I couldn't load me D2V file in to Gordian Knot to analyze the PAL DVD footage as interlaced or progressive. I ended up using VirtualDub and it loaded fine. Video appeared progressive to me. It still bothers me that Gordian Knot returns an error of not a valid DVD2AVI 1.76 D2V file when VirtualDub has no problem loading it and allows me to view frame by frame.

3. (This is more experimental then 1 & 2.) I'm not having much luck with AviSynth. When I load an AVS file in to TMpegenc it doesn't seem to work. The file appears to load but the video ends up being completly black with a strange aspect ratio. The entire clip last about 10 seconds when the source video is really about 9 minutes long. My AVS file is like the examples in the guide with paths changed to point to the D2V file. I omit the smooth deinterlacing lines fromthe AVS file since my dvd footage is progressive.

Thanks,

JJ

[DJRumpy]

1. I get a sense either DVD2AVI or BeSweet distorts the audio a bit. Has anybody experienced this? Maybe I'm just going crazy. I have checke dall of my hardware mixer levels and everything seems fine.

If you used DVD2AVI to convert your audio to WAV, or you used any of the resampling features in DVD2AVI, then it's possible. If you just DEMUXED your audio (to AC3 for example), then you shouldn't notice any change, as it simply extracts the audio from the stream. What was your process when handling the audio?

2. I couldn't load me D2V file in to Gordian Knot to analyze the PAL DVD footage as interlaced or progressive. I ended up using VirtualDub and it loaded fine. Video appeared progressive to me. It still bothers me that Gordian Knot returns an error of not a valid DVD2AVI 1.76 D2V file when VirtualDub has no problem loading it and allows me to view frame by frame.

You can use the preview function [F5] in DVD2AVI to examine the type of video. Look at the Video Type, and Frame Type. On telecined material, FRAME TYPE will flash rapidly between 'progressive' and 'interlaced'. It should report FILM in those cases, or a %FILM value if the film is hybrid (mixed progressive/interlaced). Make sure you you set VIDEO | FIELD OPERATION to NONE before previewing, as it will skew your reported Frame Rate as a result.

3. (This is more experimental then 1 & 2.) I'm not having much luck with AviSynth. When I load an AVS file in to TMpegenc it doesn't seem to work. The file appears to load but the video ends up being completly black with a strange aspect ratio. The entire clip last about 10 seconds when the source video is really about 9 minutes long. My AVS file is like the examples in the guide with paths changed to point to the D2V file. I omit the smooth deinterlacing lines fromthe AVS file since my dvd footage is progressive.

You should verify what your getting by playing your AVS script in media player (you can simply associate it with media player, and play it like an AVI). It should look pretty much as expected with the exception of aspect ratio. AVI/AVS doesn't support aspect ratio, so your display will be exactly what you've specified for the size (example 480x480 will look tall and the video will be square). You can also paste your script here so we can take a look at it.

[rockstar70]

Thanks for the quick reply!

If you used DVD2AVI to convert your audio to WAV, or you used any of the resampling features in DVD2AVI, then it's possible. If you just DEMUXED your audio (to AC3 for example), then you shouldn't notice any change, as it simply extracts the audio from the stream. What was your process when handling the audio?

I didn't resample in DVD2AVI, so the WAV file is 48.1kHz. My PAL DVD says the only audio is PCM stereo audio, no AC3, etc. Audio settings in DVD2AVI are as follows: TRACK NUMBER: Track 1, CHANNEL FORMAT: Auto Select, DOLBY DIGITAL: Decode, MPEG AUDIO: Demux, 48 > 48.1KHz: Off, NORMALIZATION: Unchecked.

You can use the preview function [F5] in DVD2AVI to examine the type of video. Look at the Video Type, and Frame Type. On telecined material, FRAME TYPE will flash rapidly between 'progressive' and 'interlaced'. It should report FILM in those cases, or a %FILM value if the film is hybrid (mixed progressive/interlaced). Make sure you you set VIDEO | FIELD OPERATION to NONE before previewing, as it will skew your reported Frame Rate as a result.

I'll try this.

You should verify what your getting by playing your AVS script in media player (you can simply associate it with media player, and play it like an AVI). It should look pretty much as expected with the exception of aspect ratio. AVI/AVS doesn't support aspect ratio, so your display will be exactly what you've specified for the size (example 480x480 will look tall and the video will be square). You can also paste your script here so we can take a look at it.

I'll try this also.
Here's my AVS script:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\Gordian Knot\MPEG2DEC.dll")
## LoadPlugin("SmoothDeinterlacer.dll")
MPEG2Source("C:\HINDU_TIMES\VIDEO_TS\HINDU_TIMES.d2v")
## SmoothDeinterlace(doublerate=true)
LanczosResize(720,480)
ChangeFPS(59.94) 
SeparateFields()
SelectEvery(4,1,2)
Weave()
ConvertToRGB()

I blocked the SmoothDeinterlace lines since I'm certain my source PAL DVD is progressive.

Thanks,

JJ

[DJRumpy]

Your script will work, but it's not the best method to convert from PAL to NTSC. You should use AssumeFPS, rather than decimating frames. AssumeFPS will not cause a loss in quality like your method will. It should look like this:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\Gordian Knot\MPEG2DEC.dll")
## LoadPlugin("SmoothDeinterlacer.dll")
MPEG2Source("C:\HINDU_TIMES\VIDEO_TS\HINDU_TIMES.d 2v")
## SmoothDeinterlace(doublerate=true)
LanczosResize(720,480)
AssumeFPS(23.976,True)
ConvertToRGB()

If your audio is being served to the encoder, and you don't require AC3, then you will need no additional changes to your audio, as the AssumeFPS will do a high quality PAL to NTSC conversion of your audio as well (the True flag handles that). If not, you can still convert it using BeSweet if you like. I would extract a seperate copy of the audio from your source file in that case.
On a side note, you should also put your plugin DLL's in your plugin directory (You'll usually find this in your AVISynth program directory). this way you do not have to manaully load them for each script (they will be loaded automatically). It's a small thing, but it makes script writing much easier.

[rockstar70]

Well, did not have much luck.

I loaded the AVS file minus the loadplugin line (since I moved the MPEG2DEC.DLL to the Avisynth plugin folder) then loaded the wav file in to TMpeg and tried to encode. The mpeg file picture was black. When I load the AVS in to media player 6.4 it loads up and I can play the video. I have a feeling I'm not using the correct version of AViSynth or something isn't set correctly in TMPEG. What version should I be using of Avisynth? Any other thoughts? What should my settings be in TMpeg?

[DJRumpy]

This is using the same D2V that you used yesterday? The only change that you made was to move your DLL's to the plugin directory?

For version, I'm assuming your using AVISynth version 2.08, since your using MPEG2DEC. Version 2.52 uses MPEG2DEC3.

Make sure the version of DVD2AVI your using is V1.76. You can find it here: www.doom9.org
Look in the Downloads section for it. Other versions of DVD2AVI seem to have problems. If all else fails, try loading the D2V file directly into TMPGenc, to see if it also gives you a black encode. I suspect you may have grabed the wrong VOB's. When you 'play' the AVS file, is it also black?

[pijetro]

Try the environmental settings in Tmpgenc. Adjust the priorities.

BTW, thanx DJRumpy...As far as grabbing pure Interlaced Pal, and converting to NTSC, this is the way that works best for me (similair to the hundred posts you've mentioned).

AviSource("F:\blabla.avi")
AssumeFPS(23.976,true)
SeparateFields()
#_2dcleanyuy2(1,3,3,4)
Weave()
FieldDeinterlace()#decomb legacy plugin
ResampleAudio(48000)
#ConverttoRGB

Run Pulldown on the Video stream.

Although it's FILM framerate, there's nothing stating that each frame can't be interlaced (which seems to go against the common conception). But it works.

I just have to verify that the FieldDeinterlace() is an adaptive deinterlacer. Perhaps another one will work better, but I like knowing that I can control the amount of comb removal....It seems impossible to perfectly match fields that have changed from a ???x576 to a ???x480 resolution.

thanx

[DJRumpy]

If I may pijetro?

I believe pijetro is referring to the DirectShow filter under OPTION | ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS | VFAPI PLUGIN Tab. Bump the priority of the DirectShow filter up, so that it is at the top of the list (usually a 2 or higher will do it), and try a small clip to see if it clears up your black video problem.

[rockstar70]

DJRumpy:

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes same D2V as yesterday. Using AVISynth 2.08 and DVD2AVI 1.76. Some changes though (see below).

I'll try the ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS tonight as well as loading the D2V straight in to TMPEGenc. I think the D2V is good though. Remember I can load my AVS file in to Windows Media Player 6.4 and it plays fine, (thought the aspect ratio is off just like you said).

Sytem changes: I noticed I had AViSynth version 2.08 and 2.5 on my computer so I uninstalled 2.08 & 2.5 and then reinstalled 2.08, I then moved the MPEG2DEC.DLL to the AVISynth plugin directory. Other changes: I noticed I had Gordian Knot version .28.5 so I uninstalled it and then installed .27 and that solved my D2V/Gordian Knot loading problem. Maybe this software uninstall/install is causing problems with Avisynth? I made sure not to reinstall AVISynth as part of the Gordian Knot rip pack.

What about the priority of READAVS.DLL in TMPEGEnc?

On another note, I tried the preview function in DVD2AVI and it said my source video FRAME TYPE was intelaced but I don' think it is. I read in this thread that this is often the case was DVD2AVI. Any thoughts?

Thanks for hanging in w/me.

JJ

[sendohtheman]

To all,

I am trying to convert a West Wing TV season disc but the problem is after I rip the disc, the video shows the menu as well with all the submenus before the episodes. Is there some way that I can just convert the menus and the episodes separately? Thank you all for your help.

Sendoh

[DJRumpy]

sendohtheman, you shouldn't hijack a thread like that. It's rude. Post your question in your own thread. You'll get more answers.

rockstar70, if you installed AVISynth as part of a package, you may have multiple copies of MPEG2DEC.DLL on your system. Use the START | FIND tool to search your entire computer. They are often found in your SYSTEM, or SYSTEM32 directory. You should have only the copy in your PLUGIN directory. You can use either version 2.08, or 2.5 of AVISynth. I finally switched to 2.5 in full, since it seems to be stable now. You will need to upgrade to MPEG2DEC3 if you want to go that route though.

Don't worry about the .AVS plugin. You can always up the priority, see if it helps, and if not, just bump it back down again. Encode a small piece of your clip using the Source Range filter on the Advanced tab.

In regards to the 'Interlaced' frame type in DVD2AVI. I've heard this happens alot for PAL video sources. I don't know why. I would manually verify with VirtualDub (just drop your .AVS file into VDUB and examine a few frames to see what type it is), because it could actually be interlaced.

If your .AVS file plays alright in Media Player, then your D2V file is fine. The problem lies somewhere with TMPGenc. I would bet the Environmental setting for the DirectShow filter (or who knows, maybe even the .AVS filter) will help.

In the future, I would avoid packages like Gordian Knot. Your better served just downloading the codecs you need individually. That way you better control versions, and conflicts by installing only what you need.

[rockstar70]

DJRumpy,

You were right. It was the DirectShow filter priority!

But now I have audio sync problems. (It's never easy is it?)

I'm loading the AVS script in to TMPEGEnc for the VIDEO and the 48.1Khz WAV file for AUDIO and then creating a *.MPG. Is this wrong? Since I'm serving up 23.97 frames through the AVS script do I then do 3:2 pulldown to get it to 29.97 fps internal or do I go straight to 29.97 frames? ANy settings in TMPEG I should be concerned with?

Thanks Again!

JJ

[sendohtheman]

my bad, i will post it in my own thread.

sorry for the hijack. :P

[DJRumpy]

You need to convert your audio from PAL to FILM (25 to 23.976 fps). Use BeSweet and BeSweet GUI to convert your WAV, and then put it into TMPGenc.

[rockstar70]

DJRumpy,

We're getting closer.

I thought you stated earlier if I served the original audio to TMPEGEnc (assuming I didn't need AC3) and used the TRUE flag w/AssumeFPS in my AVS script then the audio would convert to 23.97 as well? No? Does it get out of sync because of the 3:2 pulldown? I do notice my NTSC video is about 24 seconds longer then my original PAL video

Thanks,

JJ

[DJRumpy]

Sorry rockstar, your correct. I'm getting this thread confused with the other PAL - NTSC dvd. Using the AssumeFPS piece in your script with the TRUE parameter will convert your audio to. This assumes you fed it through via the AVS script (example, you let DVD2AVI create a WAV file, and then used:

vid=MPEG2Source("c:\folder\dvd2avi.d2v")
aud=WAVSource("c:\folder\wavfile.wav")
AudioDub(vid,aud)
AssumeFPS(23.976,True)

Then your audio would be converted automatically from PAL to FILM. The audio sync is not lost by the 3:2 pulldown process. The length of the video stays the same. Only the framecount increases, so audio sync is not lost.

[rockstar70]

DJRumpy:

It worked!! Thanks so much for all your help. Video/audio look & sound great, synced up and everything.

One last question, can I use the same process and AVS script for an Interlaced PAL DVD source? I would add the SmoothDeinterlace(doublerate=true) line in my AVS script. Is that correct? Anything else I need to add?

Thanks,

JJ

[DJRumpy]

Yes, it will work for any kind of PAL source.

As for the deinterlacer, I wouldn't bother unless you intend to watch your video on the PC. You television has no problem displaying interlaced video. It will be invisible on a TV.

If you do want to watch it on the PC, then the SmoothDeinterlace settings should be fine. I don't use that Deinterlace filter. Just be sure they are correct for your project type. From what I saw on the web, they look right.

[Dennis1968]

Try this trick. I have successfully ripped and converted sereval UK issued DVDs to play on many different US only/ non firmware upgradable DVD players. after ripping the contents to the HD using Smartripper 2.41, i used IfoEdit .95 to remove the region code restriction and replaced the PAL header with NTSC headers. Them Burn them onto a 4.7gb DVD+R. So far have not ran across a DVD player that will not play them.

[rockstar70]

Dennis1968,

Interesting. Does the aspect ratio, frame rate & audio sync all look/sound perfect? Seems with this technique you can preserve the menu's and extra material too!? How do you modify the header info with IfoEdit? Can you give me a list of steps to follow? I've never played with IfoEdit .95.

Thanks,

JJ

[DJRumpy]

rockstar70, this thread mirrors the discussion here. It should have some of the answers your looking for.

As for IFOEdit, that part that you need to know is simple. Just launch it, click the OPEN button in the bottom left corner, and browse to each IFO from your DVD image. The word PAL will be listed in the lower pane (there are two panes, an upper and lower). Just double click each line with the word PAL, and you will be presented with various options. Just change thet setting to NTSC, and 'Automatic Letterbox' for each instance.

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=166720

[wesman]

Hey…

This is truly informative and it seems like my best shoot at convert PAL to NTSC but I seem to be having some problems… when I start TMPGEnc-2.520.54.163 and go to load PAL.AVS it gives me the following error.

EVALUATE: unrecognized exception!
(C:\pj2\Lowenzahn.d2v, line 3)




here is my AVS file

LoadPlugin("MPEG2DEC.dll")
LoadPlugin("SmoothDeinterlacer.dll")
MPEG2Source("C:\pj2\Lowenzahn.d2v")
SmoothDeinterlace(doublerate=true)
LanczosResize(720,480)
ChangeFPS(59.94) # or ConvertFPS(59.94)
SeparateFields()
SelectEvery(4,1,2)
Weave()
ConvertToRGB()


I have noticed in my environment settings that AviSynth doesn’t show up like it does in the above pictures... is this my problem or something else?



Thanks

[rockstar70]

wesman,

Definetly a problem that AviSynth doesn't show up in your environmental settings. Did you ever install ReadAVS.dll (READAVS VFAPI plug-in)? If you didn't install it and need the file, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. I had a hard time finding it on the net. The links to ReadAVS.dll on this site and doom's site are bad. I finally found it on a Spanish site.

Go to Luke's Video web site for install instructions. www.lukesvideo.com Under Contents choose Software. On the Software page it explains ReadAVS installation near the bottom.

Good luck!

JJ

[DJRumpy]

This is probably due to your version of DVD2AVI. Make sure your using version 1.76. You can find it on the doom9 site ( http://www.doom9.org ). I think the version here is newer. The newer versions cause problems with AVISynth. Just visit the downloads section at doom9, download version 1.76, and recreate your D2V file.

[wesman]

i have used DVD2AVI 176 and 177 and get the same error... i havent manually installed ReadAVS.dll but i dont remember seeing that one on instructions... where does it go??? windows/system32 or in the TMPGE folder?

and where can i get it?

thanks

[rockstar70]

wesman,

What's your e-mail? If you don't feel comfortable posting it here send me an e-mail at rockstar70@socal.rr.com and I'll send you the necessary ReadAVS zip file.

You can put ReadAVS.dll in any folder on your system. Unzip the folder I'll send you. Then you open the *.reg folder in notepad, then enter the path to ReadAVS.dll. Save the new file and then click on the file to update the registry with the location of ReadAVS.dll. It's simple.

JJ