Can't convert DV to anything except DV...

[staticpike]

I recently bought a JVC digital video camera with an iLink cable with hopes of making some movies around my home and workplace and putting them on DVD. I've captured the video to my laptop using Adobe Premiere and can play it just fine in Premiere and Media Player. When I try to encode it in Premiere to MPEG2 for DVD I get an error back saying "Unable to create video output file". I loaded a crapload of codecs hoping to fix the problem but no-go.

Next I tried using virtual dub (after getting some codecs that were accepted) but unfortunately I can't get it to convert to anything (all I get is a completely videoless/audioless black playback.) I've used G-Spot and AVIcodec to identify the video file (currently just some test video I took) and it is Sony digital video with PCM audio (according to AVICodec). G-Spot says I have 4 codecs on system that can handle it one of which is misconfigured. I had to download some yesterday to get virtual dub to identify it as well.

The end result is to have use the video with premiere and make my own movies and music videos as well as archive all of the old video in MPEG1 or 2 format on one of my HD's. But unless I convert it too something a little smaller or MPEG2 I'll never be able to write it too disk or store it at DV size.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Marco33]

So, you have an DV (AVI) file and you want to put this on DVD?

Do you need to cut the file to edit out unwanted footage?

[ImaWeTodd]

I can't comment on the Adobe error, but to put DV on a DVD, you do the following:

1) Encode the DV to MPEG2 using an MPEG encoder like CCE or TMPGEnc or MainConcept. Preimere might come with say MainConcept, but I don't know.

2) Author the DVD using something like DVDit, DVDLab, TMPG Author, etc.

https://www.videohelp.com/tmpgencdvd.htm is a guide.

PS: Virtual Dub is just an editor. No converting to MPEG2.

[staticpike]

That is correct (or at least it will be for my furture video sessions once I learn whats up with this test video). I have the AVI on my PC right now and would like to be able to convert it/edit it for use & storage but can't seem to get it to be anything other than "Unusable but viewable" DV.

Thanks!

[Marco33]

Click here & start cuttin'.

https://www.videohelp.com/virtualdubedit.htm

This link was located under the How to Guides
<--------- over here on the side bar.

Like "ImaWeTodd" said it's NOT a converter.

[mkelley]

First of all, what version of Premiere? In 6.5 there is the MainConcept encoder, which should do what you want. Assuming you have 6.5, you *may* need to apply the fix to the Premiere .INI file to allow the encoder to work properly (if this is the case post again and I'll find the fix and post it here).

[staticpike]

I'm using Premiere 6.5 but if your talking about the:

[Override]
PreferDSCodecs=1

modification to the ini file, I've already tried it and it didn't change a thing unfortunately. I put it at the end like the web page said (of course the page I was looking at was specifically for sony VAIO's, which I'm not using) so if you know something different I'm willing to give it a shot!

I'll try the TMPgenc trick (I've never used it although everyone seems too) and see if I can get some progress from it. ANyone have any premiere fixes I would be very appreciative!

[mkelley]

I'll bet you a dollar that if you journey over to the Adobe Premiere forum for MainConcept and post your problem you'll have the solution within a few hours. The MC folks frequent that forum, are very responsive, and have yet to be stumped.

I would continue this approach because MC is about 4x faster than TMPGenc at the same quality.

[ImaWeTodd]

I'd go the MainConcept way. I use their stand alone encoder. Very Fast.
Worth the effort to get that working.

[downer]

Does anyone know how the Mainconcept encoder rates in QUALITY versus - TMPGenc, CCE or Canopus' Procoder?

[mkelley]

You're opening up a can of worms -- this is almost (not quite) on a par with asking someone how XP compares to Win2K, or -R to +R.

But I'll say that I've performed tests which show ME that MainConcept is as good or better than TMPGEnc in nearly any test I can concoct. CCE has the reputation of being every bit as good as MainConcept, but I've never tried it (no need -- MC gives me quality indistinguisable from my sources so I have no desire to try anything further). I've never heard or read anything about the Canopus so I can't make any statements there.

Obviously YMMV -- but there are few demos of nearly all encoders, so you ought to be able to make your own comparisons and draw your own conclusions (in the end, that's the only thing that really matters).

[staticpike]

okay, here's the progress I've made.

After removing and reinstalling premiere, I did finally convince it to give me something other than error messages about converting things into MPEG. Usinge the mainconcept codec, I even got it converted over to MPEG2 with a little hassle (every now and then adobe would error out, after the 3rd try it finally worked) but unfortunately the resulting vide was rather distorted on a horizontal basis, especially when the video was panning left or right. Any ideas on how I can fix this issue? (I'm almost their...)

Thanks

[mkelley]

Are you using the default settings in MainConcept?

I'd use the settings for High and if those still cause problems then, once again, I'd advise you to visit the Adobe forum where the experts abound. They ought to get you on the straight and narrow very quickly.

[staticpike]

Okay, how do I change the settings in the mainconcept codec? I don't a control panel for it (at least that I can find?)?

Thanks!

[mkelley]

I'm not near my home computer so this is from memory -- you bring up the MainConcept screen by choosing MPEG from the list of export options. This is where you type in the name for your exported MPEG. Right in front of your face (to be blunt) will be both the canned settings as well as what you've got chosen (your chosen settings will be on the right -- the canned settings are listed on the left). You chose "High" from the list on the left and you're good to go.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure how you *can't* see this -- um, are you encoding to elemental streams? I am, so perhaps that makes some kind of difference, but I kind of doubt it (as I remember the same screen comes up even if you are muxing your streams).

Once again, I will recommend the Adobe board since the MainConcept folks frequent there and are very responsive. Try it -- it won't hurt <g>.

[RayS]

This may or may not work but you might want to give it a try.
I recently bought an Analog to DV capture box that contained no bundled software. So in order to capture the DV files to my computer, I needed to use second party software that has DV capture. - Sounds like you're already this far.
I found that some of the capture software would create DV files tagged as AVI that would not work with other authoring software. (I think Microsoft DV incompatibility is somewhere in the root cause).
The company that makes my conversion box, CANOPUS offers a very small piece of free software on their web site called Canopus DV File Converter. I find that by converting these incompatible AVI files with this software set to the Canopus Reference AVI file CODEC, that the resulting output files become compatible.
Worth a shot and its free. [/u]

[Michelle]

unfortunately the resulting vide was rather distorted on a horizontal basis, especially when the video was panning left or right. Any ideas on how I can fix this issue? (I'm almost their...)
Thanks

Was it distorted on the computer or on the TV? The computer will display problems with interlaced material (which is what you have), but that won't be a problem when displayed on a tv. So if you plan on watching the output on the tv then you should judge the results on the tv and not the computer.

[ImaWeTodd]

unfortunately the resulting vide was rather distorted on a horizontal basis, especially when the video was panning left or right. Any ideas on how I can fix this issue? (I'm almost their...)
Thanks

Was it distorted on the computer or on the TV? The computer will display problems with interlaced material (which is what you have), but that won't be a problem when displayed on a tv. So if you plan on watching the output on the tv then you should judge the results on the tv and not the computer.

especially when panning ... left or right

[staticpike]

Roger that, I'm going to give it a shot this weekend and see what happens (the source DV AVI was showing up fine on the pc though???) I've been busy backing up my DVD's lately but I'll grab a DVD+RW and burn and MPEG2 copy onto one and view it to see what happens. I'll be back with the results on Sunday...

Thanks for everyones help!

[staticpike]

This has got to be the hardest conversion evolution I have undertaken EVER... and I'm not sure why.

After having adobe error out in the middle of all mpeg 2 encoding efforts I went the TMPGenc + route; and the resulting video was good on my PC. I sitll a slight horizontal drag when panning but much better than my only successful premiere conversion. So I finally have a decent MPEG 2 and everything is supposedly wonderful and ready to put on a dvd to test on my tv.

Unfortunately though, Making a DVD is not as easy as it is to make a VCD and now I'm straining. I tried some of the guides, but I'm having a problem getting my MPEG 2 turned into a movie (and I've already ruined 1 disc using DVD decrypter...). I've got the original mpep 2 video, the demultiplexed version, and a copy of the iso that was created from that using IFOedit. If I use nero (like I have been making backups of all my DVD's) for some strange reason it will only let me burn at 16x for cd, and not on any form of DVD media... If I use DVD decrypter, it locks up at 99% (unless it takes over 18 minutes to burn 15 min/350 megs of of video...

This whole process shouldn't be this hard should it?

Thanks again...<sigh>

[staticpike]

Okay it works... (after all that it better).

Final solution was:
1: Cature Video and record to PC via iLink & Premiere
2: Edit video as I see fit and save as DV
3: Use TMPGenc + to convert to MPEG2 and demultiplex audio & video
4: Use IFOEdit to turn .mpv & .mpv into VOB's for burning to DVD
5: Use Nero to burn VOB's (never mind disk imaging) to usabe DVD+R
6: Watch my homemade videos on my DVD player...

Premiere and the MPEG2 encoder were still giving me problems that I'll work out later, but TMPGenc does an incredible job so I can't complain. For all those that lended me some advice I do appreciate it!

Thanks All!