AVI to DVD MPEG (CCE or TMPGenc encoders)

[DJRumpy]

It still sounds like a typo in the move path. Try select START -> RUN, and paste in your movie path as it appears in your script:

D:\Program Files\DVD Projects\shrek 1\movie.avi

and see if the movie launches.

[Spiet]

thnx a lot!

btw another tricky question and perhaps a rare one.

i have a movie file which is infact 19.181 fps instead of the 23 or more that normal ntsc is.

cce gives an error that it isn't the right fps so i manually entered in the avs file , AssumeFPS(23.976, True) ....

i don't know if i have to do this tho, but i assume i will have to run the fps at 23 to get it accepted by cce, virtualdubmod says no errors.

for the audio, i have extracted the wav, then converted it to wav 16bit stereo 48hz, however i asssume it also runs at 19 fps, ... i converted it then to ac3 using besweet AND changed the audio fps to 23.976 instead of the 19.

is this correct or should i have done someting else aswell, for video and audio?

tHNX again!

spiet

[DJRumpy]

Odd frame rate

Yes, it soudns like you've done everything like your supposed to.

[Spiet]

exactly, never seen that before

however i didn't work on the fps yet of the video but i did with the audio with besweet and i must say, its horrible ... it's like fast forwarding a bit , sounds logic ,since it runs now at 23.97 instead of the 19.81.

so i guess reencoding audio to a faster framerate is not correct or ? since when i play it on my pc it runs to fast, the voices are like little children instead of adults.

any idea what to do with the audio? as i guess the video is just assumefps true in the avs and that will do it.

thnx

[DJRumpy]

There is no other way, then to speed up the audio. This isn't like pulldown, where the internal frame rate doesn't change. I would suggest you get a non-broken (standard framerate) source.

[gjnave]

Great FAQ..
However, every time i make a dvd file every authoring software i try says that it is too big for the dvd... i even tried a lower bitrate (set the calc to a longer time) and I got the same thing. I don't know what is going on.

I am encoding a 1:22;26 avi (XVID) of Star Trek - Dark Frontier and wanting to make it playable in a DVD player. It is originally in PAL and i needed to convert it to NTSC (so i added the extra line to the avs file). One thing i notice is that the FAQ says to "AssumeFPS(23.97)" (or something like that (i dont have it in front of me) ). In the TMPGenc settings it asks for the fps of the input file... i put the NTSC fps instead of the 25 fps for PAL. One last thing, i had to take out the ReSammple command in the avs, because it (severely) stuttered the sound of every video i tried it with. The sound is an uncorrupted mp3.

I've encoded with TMPGenc and tried authoring with SONIC MYDVD, as well as TMPGenc DVD .. lastly, i tried making it into an ISO file and burning it with NERO, but with the same results.

Any ideas? Thanks

[DJRumpy]

The final size of your project is all related to the Average bitrage of your encoded MPEG + the audio bitrate. Framerate, PAL/NTSC, etc. have nothing to do with the size of your output. It's all about the Average bitrage setting. Are you remembering to include the audio in your calculations? Most bitrate calculators have a section where you can either key in the audio bitrate, or the size of the audio file directly.

[gjnave]

I've put the calculations in exactly as they are shown in GSPOT (using videohelp.com/calc) . I even tried a higher audio bitrate and a longer video time.
I noticed that no matter what size the output mpeg is (i have one file that was 400 mb short of the 4.7gb disc, and another that was aprox. 40mb short of the 4.7gb) that when i try to insert it into an authoring software that the software reports the amount of space that i'm over as the same (each time saying im 107 mb over).

here is my avs file:
AVISource("Dark Frontier.avi")
LanczosResize(720,480)
AssumeFPS(23.976, True)
ConvertToYUY2()

Some of the TMPGenc settings:
video tab
Frame Rate: 23.976 (internally 29.97 fps)
Advanced Tab
Video Source Type: Non-Interlace Progressive
Source Aspect Ratio: 4:3 525 Line (NTSC, 704 X 480)

Thank you for your help

[flip82]

Nice guide dude!

I've done a couple of convertions now, and I'm pleased with the results, although I prefer more than 1 pass in CCE.

I've stumbled across a problem though: My sources have all been with MP3 audio (with error in Virtualdubmod). After joining the .avis I extract the audio to wav. But every time I convert the audio to ac3 with BeSweet the audio is missing after authering, both in powerdvd and on my dvd-player. Powerdvd shows dolby digital 2.0 but no sound...
Temporarely I've just converted to mpeg2 audio with BeSweet instead, and it runs perfectely.

Any clues?

Thanks again
flip82

Edit: I just found out that the ac3 that besweet produces is'nt 100% compatible...thereunder with my pioneer player.
Dont know why powerdvd did'nt get it right though.... anyway, I did get another program to decode the ac3, and there was nothing wrong with it.

I know...read first, ask later...
Sorry for the unnecessary post

[codecpage]

In response to several postings in this thread:

1)I came across an XVID encoded source that would play jerky in any converting app that I tried (VirtualDub, TMPG, CCE etc.) although it played well in Media Player. The effect did not even change when I patched the FourCC to play it back with DivX5. Decoding in VD etc. always played only every 2nd or 3rd frame.
Must be the encoding, cure unknown.

2) I have seen encoding settings for movies originally DivX/Xvid, even reduced picture size, to MPEG2 with bitrates of 5000 or so. I think this is overkill. These sources are so much prefiltered that a CCE encoding will not need more than 2500 kbps average for the same quality, even if resized to full frame and sharpened. In many cases, 1500 or even lower should be OK without quality loss.


Another issue:
Moonlight MPEG2 decoder comes with a filter called "Niecepheratu" that thinks it is best for DivX and Xvid decoding and f...s up playback even if you give it lowest merit value. If you need Moonlight for the MPEG2 filters or demuxer, remove that nicepheratu filter completely by unregistering it, for example with Radlight filter manager.

Cheers

[DJRumpy]

gjnave, are you using the same authoring software every time? Try posting your question specific to the authoring software in the main forum. Also, what is the exact length of your video, and the bitrate of the audio, and what avg bitrage did you come up with?

codecpage, just patching the playback codec doesn't always fix your problem. You should be able to play it back using the encoding codec, rather than trying to force it to play back with another. If you can't, then suspect some DirectShow compatability problems. You shouldn't need directshow to play back a DivX or XviD avi, but a few of the codecs installed by these 'package' deals (like Nemo Codec Pak), will cause all sorts of issues. I always suggest you simply install the codecs you need, and only when you need them. In addition, although most settings between xvid, and divx are compatible, there are some settings that are not, which will cause problems when you patch them to a different decoder.

As for the bitrate, the minimum bitrate for a DVD is 2 Mb/second. The bitrates your talking about are sufficient for CVD/SVCD (considering and AVG of 1500). Saying that those bitrates are also sufficient for DVD (full D1 720x480) isn't a good idea. For starters, DivX, and XviD are miles above MPEG-2 when it comes to bitrate requirements. They can do more with far less bitrate, and less quality loss. The fact that you can encode a 640x272 XviD using the same bitate as a 352x240 VCD, and get far superior quality from the XviD, even though it has a far larger frame size, and better quality should show you that. Just run an encode through CCE, using CQ mode. The encoder will basically supply all of the bitrate required by the frame to encode properly with no quality loss (quantization =1). You'll find bitrates on average exceed 5-6 Mb/second. Now assuming you don't mind a bit of quality loss, even halving that, would still be in the 2Mb+ range. I would never encode a DVD with less than a 3 MB AVG settings for full D1, and then only if I was desperate to squeeze something onto one DVD. I would instead drop to Half D1, and use a lower bitrate that would give acceptable quality at the lower bitrates your talking about. Finally, the point here is to use the maximum amount of bitrate, considering the length of your movie, and the audio bitrate, to completely fill the DVD. If you use less, then your just wasting bitrate, and giving up quality.

[gjnave]

are you using the same authoring software every time?

I am using only 2 authoring softwares... Sonic MYDVD (which i would like to author this DVD in) and TMPGenc DVD Author. Both of them say that the mpeg file i created is too big for a 4.7 dvd.

At one point, i did get a message that the GOP was too big, or something like that. I then attempted to make a DVD folder in spite of this error in hopes it would work when i later burned it to dvd. No such luck.

again, i have created 2 different mpegs in an attemp to make them work. One came out to 4.4 gb's and the other 4.6. Both were "too big".

[DJRumpy]

What about the specs for the video? Video length, and audio bitrate?

[gjnave]

according to GSPOT
video
codec: xvid
Runtime: 01:22:26 (123,658 fr)
Bitrate: 1054 kb/s
FPS: 25.000
X:Y: 576x432 (1.33:1) [=4:3]
Qf: 0.169 bits/pixel

Audio:
Name: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Bitrate: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR

[Spiet]

It sounds like a typo. That error usually indicates that the filepath specified doesn't exist. Make sure you typed the first line correctly, and that you have quotation marks around it. Example:

AVISource("c:\temp\myvideo.avi")

i looked to it, to the avs file and everything is just fine , no errors in patch or filename , .

i open up the ogm file (even renamed it too avi) in virtualdubmod , then loaded the avs file

and it says, avifilesource error: couldn't open file at line1

any ideas? cOZ everythings seems ok

btw IT IS an OGM file!! this error does not happen with true avi files. however when loading the ogm file (and also extension ogm in the avs file) or renaming it to avi (in both) the error still happens.

thnx
spiet

[codecpage]

DJRumpy wrote:

codecpage, just patching the playback codec doesn't always fix your problem. You should be able to play it back using the encoding codec, rather than trying to force it to play back with another. If you can't, then suspect some DirectShow compatability problems. You shouldn't need directshow to play back a DivX or XviD avi, but a few of the codecs installed by these 'package' deals (like Nemo Codec Pak), will cause all sorts of issues. I always suggest you simply install the codecs you need, and only when you need them. In addition, although most settings between xvid, and divx are compatible, there are some settings that are not, which will cause problems when you patch them to a different decoder.

I know that. I only tried that to see if it was the playback, because some Xvid versions came with bugs. It was the file, beyond any doubt.
The Moonlight stuff is a completely different issue, and I have that only on one machine because my digital satellite soft works better with the demux, and many people use the MPEG2 engine. They don't tell that they're tinkering with DivX, so I think it's useful to post that.

As for the bitrate, the minimum bitrate for a DVD is 2 Mb/second.

Rumor has it that some vintage DVD players could choke below 1000. It's not a real world issue. Most guides, even here, go with a minimum bitrate of 0. I use 500 for safety.

Just run an encode through CCE, using CQ mode. The encoder will basically supply all of the bitrate required by the frame to encode properly with no quality loss (quantization =1). You'll find bitrates on average exceed 5-6 Mb/second.

I did exactly check that many times, and I get these bitrates with full size interlaced crisp high quality footage, but never with material that is discussed here: resized, 16:9 or less, non interlaced, DivX movies. There I get about 1/3 of that bitrate, even if the DivX itself looks very good, and there is no loss even in a frame by frame comparison.

For starters, DivX, and XviD are miles above MPEG-2 when it comes to bitrate requirements.

Both MPEG2 and MPEG4 use Discrete Cosine Transform, and the decoders all do little more than that and some block and edge cosmetics. The difference lies in encoding, and DivX largely reduces bits by filtering noise and eliminating physiologically irrelevant detail. Once encoded with these reduced coefficients, an MPEG2 encoder will also find much less of them and will inevitably profit from the preprocessing, producing a lower bitrate. There's no use trying to encode something that is simply not there.
If I wanted to squeeze a movie to the max, I would simply encode to DivX and then convert to MPEG2.

Cheers

[DJRumpy]

gjnave, no idea. Your AVG setting is the only thing that will effect output size. Min and Max have no effect. Perhaps you should post your problem in the main forum to see if anyone else has the same issue.


Spiet, does AVICodec, or GSpot report that both the audio and video are supported? Maybe a codec issue?

[Spiet]

they are supported, gspot and avicodec says that.

it still gives me that error

avisynth open failure:
avisource autodetect: couldn't open file
error code 2
c:\movie.avs, line 1

is there something wrong in the avs file ?

AVISource("Input.avi,false")
LanczosResize(640,340)
AddBorders(50,70,30,70)
ConvertToYUY2()


I think not tho, so i have absolutely no idea why it is giving me that error.

[DJRumpy]

I think I see the problem

AVISource("Input.avi,false")
LanczosResize(640,340)
AddBorders(50,70,30,70)
ConvertToYUY2()

Your AVISource line has the quote in the wrong spot. It should look like this:

AVISource("Input.avi",false)

not like this:

AVISource("Input.avi,false")

[Spiet]

oops my mistake here in the forum tho,

coz i have fixed it in the avs file

AVISource("Input.avi", False)
LanczosResize(640,340)
AddBorders(50,70,30,70)
ConvertToYUY2()

seems ok now but still, when loading the ogm file (or even when renaming the ogm to avi) it stills give me the same error

i dont know now.

btw, when i loading the ogm/avil file directly in virtualdubmod, it says first : parsing ogg media file . then after loading that i see the file in virtualdubmod.

spiet

[DJRumpy]

I would have to guess that it has something to do with the OGG audio stream. Try the ogg homepage to see if they have any suggestions. I avoid OGG audio like the plague. It reminds me of Windows Media Format. Easy to convert TO, hard to convert FROM.

[Spiet]

exactly you are right.

and after thinking on it seriously i managed to get it worked.

for anybody who have the same problems here is what i have done :

1) load the avi/ogm file in virtualdubmod
2) disable all audio and text streams
3) direct stream copy your video stream (no compression)
4) save as new avi file

load up your avs file in virtualdubmod with this new saved avi file.

your avs settings will work.

of course you'll have to extract the audio and subs as well from your original file.

hope this works

spiet

[DJRumpy]

You might search google to see if there are any filters for AVISynth to allow it to read OGG audio streams. You can also check www.avisynth.com

I'd be curoius to know if you find anything.

[scribbler1382]

It's probably redundant by this point, but "great guide"!

Of course, I have a question. I've followed the guide a couple of times and after replacing my 3-year-old DVD player (stuff gets old fast now, huh?) I can play everything using the 1-pass technique. Very nice.

But, what if I have several AVIs of different movies or episodes that I want on the same DVD? Do I just use the Bitrate Calculator and select DVD1, DVD2 or DVD3 to reduce the size of the individual encoded file and then, say using DVD-Lab, just add each encoded file as a separate Movie when authoring?

If this is the case, is there a limit at which point quality will start to suffer...say using custom and setting the custom size to 500MB per AVI? (I'm exaggerating for effect here, of course.)

Cheers,

[swerve2]

Got a question for ya man. I'm experiencing Black color like boxes or som during dark scenes.. Pixilation or somethin maby, only during dark scenes. Making Dark movies of course look like arse.. I tryed to research it through some forums but I lack the proper terminology for my problem so I came up with no results.. I'm sure ya'l prol know what I'm talking about. Is there a way to fix this or help it out lil?? Or what is it called exactly the problem I'm refering to? Thx for the tips..

[DJRumpy]

Your probably seeing a compressed lumanance scale. A television can only display lumanance values between 16 and 235, while a PC monitor can display 0-255. When you convert a movie to MPEG, if the scale gets compressed, so that all of the values between 0 and 16 are shifted upwards, your dark areas will begin to 'sparkle'.

What encoder are you using, what source, and what basic process to covert the video?

[swerve2]

Yeah that sounds about right..

I'm using tmpgenc to convert. My source is always xvid ntsc. Basic process, I have followed this guide to a T.
I have tryed using other methods before I found this one and it's still there blocky through dark scenes. Like u where saying I have read that a computers black as black can be differ from a televisions. Is there a setting in tmpgenc that can adjust it, if ya know? Thx.

[DJRumpy]

There is. It's under the settings, on the Quantization Matrix tab. The setting is labled "Output YUV data as basic YCbCr not CCIR601. If your setting is checked, try unchecking it or the reverse if it is not checked. Try encoding a small sample of the problem area to see if that resolves your issue.

If your source video (divx/xvid) already has the problem, then you can simply darken you movie by 16 using the Advanced tab, and the 'Simple Color Correction filter'. This isn'[t a perfect fix, but it will remove the sparkles.

Last but not least, there is a 'custom color correction' filter that will also resolve the issue, and attempt to repair the chroma compression, but I've never used it. Perhaps a post in the main forum would yield a few answers on that filter.

I'm out of town for the next 5 days, so any responses to questions may be a bit delayed.

[Spiet]

if you have 3 seperate m2v files and also 3 seperate ac3 files, what is the best program really to join them all together?

so all the ac3 files to one big file and all the m2v files to one big file without any loss?

I tried to look but haven't found any , even the dos command copy a + b /b newfilename doesn't always work.

any idea?

[DJRumpy]

You should join the MPG files together using TMPGenc's MPEG TOOLS or any MPEG file merge software (check the tools section). Then demux the AC3 audio and M2V video. If you've already split them out, then you can mux them back, join them MPEG's, then demux to one m2v and one ac3 file.

Optionally, I believe there are a few AC3 joiner tools. Search in the tools section, and on google. That leaves you with the M2V files, which AVISynth can join on the fly by using a '++' notation like so:

mpeg2source("yourfile.m2v") ++ mpeg2source("yourfile2.m2v")