extracting audio files from a vcd

[tab75-13]

i've been told to use bbdemux the mpeg files of a vcd in order to extract the audio files. (i would like to use extraction rather than recording the sound as the vcs plays). once i can demux i can convert the output files of Ac3 format to aiff.

the problem is i have .vcd files and .dat files on the vcd. i don't see the mpeg files. there is a folder with mpegav label. all it has in it are the .dat files which the graphic convertor software program is unable to open.

please help with this mystery.

[mhar4]

The .dat file is the one you want. Drop it onto bbdemux.

The audio will most likely be an m1a file. You can try converting it to aiff with iTunes. I have found, though, that m1as can be a bit troublesome. Try renaming it mp2 if iTunes won't accept it. Once I had an m1a that I converted to ac3 with ffmpegX and then to aac with mac3dec, because I couldn't seem to get any single step transcodes to work.

[galactica]

that should work. or you can rename the .dat to .mpeg and it should also work that way


good luck

[tab75-13]

Thank you both. my response, followed by a bit of a tangent---

it seems to me that the m1a's were accepted by iTunes. They played. I have also been told to try converting to .aiff these files by using SoundApp, an older mac application for OS9 i think. i converted one of the m1a's off one track to .aiff but haven't played it yet: would the quality of the file be better for iTunes purposes if it has been converted to .aiff, or does it matter, as long as iTunes seems to be playing the m1a files?
Does it matter for cd burning and replay purposes which format the file is
in as long as iTunes seems to be accepting the m1a files?

Also- to Galactica (or anyone)- if i could borrow your ear for an extra sec., i was hoping to convert the vcd to a dvd. the first step to doing so according to the tutorial is to make a disc image via Toast. Summer is a tight period for me and i am out of luck with regards to that application for now, and i've already tried using disc utility to do so, (the entire vcd), but failed. Is there any way to make a disc image of the vcd in order to rename the .dmg files as .bin (for the purposes of vcd tools) by an application much less economically taxing than Toast? Maybe i should have used disc uility but only tried to form a disc image of the .dat files, i.e., the mpeg files. is that possible? The vcd in question is a commercially made one. Its video is of marginal quality, but has historic value. i am trying to salvage this by transferring to a dvd, if that's feasible.

thanks a lot again

[mhar4]

it seems to me that the m1a's were accepted by iTunes. They played. I have also been told to try converting to .aiff these files by using SoundApp, an older mac application for OS9 i think. i converted one of the m1a's off one track to .aiff but haven't played it yet: would the quality of the file be better for iTunes purposes if it has been converted to .aiff, or does it matter, as long as iTunes seems to be playing the m1a files?

If just playing in iTunes is your goal, then don't convert at all. AIFFs are lossless, of course, so you won't lose anything converting an m1a, but you won't gain anything, either, except file size. Going from m1a to aac will cost quality, but unless you're going for really low bit rates, or have a very nice stereo system, most of these codecs sound perfectly fine for casual listening, I think, even with one or two transcodes.

[galactica]

to be honest i dont know if disk utility can work... ill test it when i get some time

what i would do is make the image directly from the disk
rename it to .bin and then attempt to extract with VCDToolsX

give it a try and i will also and let ya know if it works for me or not

[tab75-13]

hey G., thanks for the reply. I couldn't make a disc image of the vcd using disc utility, so i copied the aforementioned .dat files-- there were four in each of the two vcds belonging to the set i am attempting to author into a dvd-- into a folder and changed the names of each of the .dat to .mpeg.
i can play the four AVSEQ01.MPEG, AVSEQ02.MPEG, etc. indiviudally in Quicktime player, but can't drop the folder containing the four files into player so that they play in sequence automatically from beginning of the vcd to its end (though right now the vcd is in a folder and not a disc).

On making a disc image.
Since the four files .dat were in a folder labeled mpegav in the vcd, i had tried to make a disc image of the folder as it seemed to be the heart of the vcd , to no success. Once i had copied the .DAT's into a folder and renamed them with an.MPEG extension, though, i was able to make a disc image of the folder. I forgot however to save the disc image as movie1.toast, or in my case maybe it should have been movie1.discutility?
(i will make another disc image with such an extension, however, so i guess i can change the .discutility extension (in my case) to a .bin one.

That's the step where i am right now. I also have some questions about ffmpegx, like is it possible to use extractor as opposed to ffmpeg? or is it possible to avoid having to use the part of ffmpeg that comes without registration to do the ffmpegx part? I apologize but i guess i ma needing a lot of hand holding here. The project i am attempting to work on is a vcd of a musician who was involved in the sound track of Dead Man Walking and natural born killers. The guy died in '98 and i have vcd of one of his concerts which i am trying to convert to dvd. don't know if it will go anywhere though i guess. taking baby steps.

thanks.

tab