NewsFlash: DVD has become obsolete!

[corwin1]

Obsolete on my system that is, unless I can find an answer. Here is my quandry:

I converted two NTSC movies from svcd to dvd using svcd2dvd+ . The conversion and burning (using Nero) to a Maxell 4.7GB DVD+RW went fine. Playback on my Plextor DVD writer on the PC using WinDVD is fine.

When I play the DVD+RW on my standalone Pioneer DV343, the video appears only on the top left corner of the screen and the audio skips every 3 seconds.

Anyone know if this was an encoding error or just that the Pioneer doesn't like the Maxell DVD+RW (it's supposed to be compatible)?

I've seen this question posted once, but there was no answer to the person's topic.

[bugster]

That sounds like you have SVCD on DVD-Video and it is not DVD compliant. SOme DVD players don't like this (Video at 480*480 and audio at 44.1khz)

Take one of the VOB files from the DVD and drop it into bitrate viewer to check the specs of the mpeg.

[Dragonsf]

On my DVD player's menu there is a camera aspect optionetting to 'on' gives a stretched (as wanted) picture, setting to 'off' gives the effect you described.Maybe your player has a similar option.

[corwin1]

On my DVD player's menu there is a camera aspect optionetting to 'on' gives a stretched (as wanted) picture, setting to 'off' gives the effect you described.Maybe your player has a similar option.

Nope, It isn't a camera angle issue. I've tried that. It would also not explain why the PC plays the video fine.

I guess I am looking to nail down which is the culprit here, the DVD Player, the Media or the encoded file from SVCD to DVD.

[corwin1]

That sounds like you have SVCD on DVD-Video and it is not DVD compliant. SOme DVD players don't like this (Video at 480*480 and audio at 44.1khz)

Take one of the VOB files from the DVD and drop it into bitrate viewer to check the specs of the mpeg.

It occured to me that this might make sense, but then would not explain why the movie would play fine when it was an svcd.
All I have done here is taken one of my SVCD's that I have authored myself and played fine on my DVD player, and turned it into a dvd with svcd2dvd+.
Are you saying the conversion to DVD somehow changes the size?
Although you are right about the size. Bitrate Viewer shows the VOB file as being 480x480 although I can't see why my DVD player would decide to display it only in the left hand top corner. Why not center it like it does as an svcd? The SVCD source file is also 480x480 and it plays fine.

[Gazorgan]

SVCD isn't DVD spec. Try a different player?

Does your player play raw files? If not, then it most likely won't like the conversion.

Re-encoding to 1/2D1 always works, whereas SVCD2DVD works only sometimes on some players.

[corwin1]

SVCD isn't DVD spec. Try a different player?

Does your player play raw files? If not, then it most likely won't like the conversion.

Re-encoding to 1/2D1 always works, whereas SVCD2DVD works only sometimes on some players.

I'm not sure I understand that. I have also converted AVI files to DVD and they play fine. "Re-encoding to 1/2D1 always works" what does that mean?

[bugster]

SVCD isn't DVD spec

480*480 resolution is not allowed for DVD. Your DVD player sees the DVD-Video structure and expects to see video at certain resolutions, 480*480 is not one of them. So it does the best it can.

In fact. SVCD2DVD 'patches' the mpeg file header to 720 * 480 to fool the DVD into believeing it is valid. But then it only sees data for 480*480 video, this is why it appears in one corner. Some DVD players are not happy with this fake info. You are lucky that it will play anything at all, some players (not many it seems) completley refuse to play this kind of hybrid DVD.

As Gazorgan said, try re-encodeing to 352 * 480 (known as 1/2 D1) as this is a valid DVD resolution and the closest one to SVCD spec.

[sacajaweeda]

"Re-encoding to 1/2D1 always works" what does that mean?

Half D1 is what I like to call "cheating the bit rate". Think of it like this....

Say you have ten 1 gallon buckets and five gallons of water to move. Do you do a more efficient job by filling all ten half way, or by only filling 5 of them?

Half D1 (352) is half the horizontal lines of a full resolution frame (704). It's also a DVD-legal frame size, unlike the 480x480 SVCD frame size you're working with....as others have pointed out.

[lenti_75]

99% is the dvd player....pioneer do not support + media, unless it's really new. not even all the new dvd's support it....
try different player, one which is for sure compatible with + especially cause it might work with +R but it's different story with +RW, and that should work...

[smearbrick1]

I have a Pioneer 434 and it supports +r fine. Even plays +rw fine. Same with the 333 and 343. These are not "new" models.

[corwin1]

99% is the dvd player....pioneer do not support + media, unless it's really new. not even all the new dvd's support it....
try different player, one which is for sure compatible with + especially cause it might work with +R but it's different story with +RW, and that should work...

Do you own a Pioneer? I'll be the first to admit I haven't fully tested +R media yet , but according to several compatibility websites, some Pioneer, like the DV343, will play +R.
Besides, if it wouldn't play +R media then I would not have even seen the video in the left hand side of the screen at all. The player simply would not have recognized the format or worse.
I take it you are guessing.

[corwin1]

SVCD isn't DVD spec

480*480 resolution is not allowed for DVD. Your DVD player sees the DVD-Video structure and expects to see video at certain resolutions, 480*480 is not one of them. So it does the best it can.

In fact. SVCD2DVD 'patches' the mpeg file header to 720 * 480 to fool the DVD into believeing it is valid. But then it only sees data for 480*480 video, this is why it appears in one corner. Some DVD players are not happy with this fake info. You are lucky that it will play anything at all, some players (not many it seems) completley refuse to play this kind of hybrid DVD.

As Gazorgan said, try re-encodeing to 352 * 480 (known as 1/2 D1) as this is a valid DVD resolution and the closest one to SVCD spec.

So what you are saying is simply that if the source file is 480x480 then svcd2dvd+ is a piece of crap software and everyone should know this before having to pay for the program by donation. I also noted when using this program, the "Horizontal res patch value" area is greyed out but indicates the patch is set to 352/none and not 780.

I'm confused that my player would recognize 480x480 as an SVCD(dat) but not as a DVD(vob).

[sacajaweeda]

I'm confused that my player would recognize 480x480 as an SVCD(dat) but not as a DVD(vob).

When you play a disc, depending on the stream info provided in your title set, your DVD player expects to receive an audio stream with a certain sampling rate and a video stream with certain standardized specifications like frame size, rate, bitrate, etc. 480x480 is not a frame size that lands anywhere in the DVD specification. That's why your player doesn't play it properly, or like most players, at all.

Here's a link to some info (re: mpeg specifications):

http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/Book_B/Video.html

HTH

[Dragonsf]

On my DVD player's menu there is a camera aspect optionetting to 'on' gives a stretched (as wanted) picture, setting to 'off' gives the effect you described.Maybe your player has a similar option.

Nope, It isn't a camera angle issue. I've tried that. It would also not explain why the PC plays the video fine.

I guess I am looking to nail down which is the culprit here, the DVD Player, the Media or the encoded file from SVCD to DVD.

This is not the angle but aspect.Different issues.

[bugster]

SVCD isn't DVD spec

480*480 resolution is not allowed for DVD. Your DVD player sees the DVD-Video structure and expects to see video at certain resolutions, 480*480 is not one of them. So it does the best it can.

In fact. SVCD2DVD 'patches' the mpeg file header to 720 * 480 to fool the DVD into believeing it is valid. But then it only sees data for 480*480 video, this is why it appears in one corner. Some DVD players are not happy with this fake info. You are lucky that it will play anything at all, some players (not many it seems) completley refuse to play this kind of hybrid DVD.

As Gazorgan said, try re-encodeing to 352 * 480 (known as 1/2 D1) as this is a valid DVD resolution and the closest one to SVCD spec.

So what you are saying is simply that if the source file is 480x480 then svcd2dvd+ is a piece of crap software and everyone should know this before having to pay for the program by donation. I also noted when using this program, the "Horizontal res patch value" area is greyed out but indicates the patch is set to 352/none and not 780.

I'm confused that my player would recognize 480x480 as an SVCD(dat) but not as a DVD(vob).

I never said Svcd2dvd+ was crap. What I did say is that it produces DVD's that are not standards compliant and so may not play correctly on some players. I have produced DVD's with SVCD source material that play fine on my own players. (I did it the old fashioned 'manual' way). It seems you are unfortunate that your player does not support this none-standard format.