Free tool to convert DVD to std MPEG2 (with bitrate < 3mb

[zdvdrhelp]

Hello,
Do we have any free and easy tool to convert DVD to standard MPEG2 files and in process reduce the bitrate < 3mbps and bring the subtitles.
I am novice and if some can provide exact steps in detail, it would be great. I want few movies to be playable through my networked dvd player. It only accepts standard MPEG2 (with bitrate < 3Mbps).
I can use dvdshrink/dvddecrypter to make vobs usable by other tools.
I tried tmpgenc and it appears to be working but is just a trial version and actual version is very costly.

Thanks,
jaz.

[eas]

Hello,
I tried tmpgenc and it appears to be working but is just a trial version and actual version is very costly.

Thanks,
jaz.

To get the bitrate down, your only real choice is to reencode (and probably downsample). MPEG-2 is encumbered by licensing fees, so I think, technically, there shouldn't be any free encoders. In reality, it looks like windows builds of mencoder and ffmpeg do mpeg2, but they are still in development and from my limited experience, they are still hit-or-miss.

Back to TMPEG. It runs like $60 bucks. That works out to be "very costly?"

[zdvdrhelp]

Do you have a step for ffmpeg? That will help!

[macleod]

http://www.dvdripnburn.com/

[eas]

Do you have a step for ffmpeg? That will help!

A step?

[zdvdrhelp]

yeah..i mean steps to convert using ffmpeg from vob to standard mpeg and reducing the bit rate to < 3Mbps. I visited that ffmpeg site, but couldn't find easily binaries for windows (appears that it needs compilation). If you can provide the link for binary download for windows, it would be great. Thanks for your help.

[eas]

For the ffmpeg binary, I think someone posted a package in the tools section of a GUI front end for using ffmeg to do some audio conversion that included the binary.

As for a step-by-step guide, I know of none. I think the difficulty in finding a binary or a guide re-inforces what I said earlier. ffmpeg is a hit or miss proposition on windows, if only because, at this point, there is not a community of users.

I still don't understand the resistance to TMPGenc. If you only have a few movies to convert, then just use the 14 day trial. If you can't do what you want to do in 14 days, then it would seem that the ~$60 for TMPGenc would be a diminishingly small fraction of the price of the DVDs and the network media player. It's your money and your time though.

Good luck.

[lordsmurf]

actual version is very costly.

You're in the wrong hobby. That's cheap.

[eas]

Someone just mentioned ReJig in another forum. It might do the trick.