DVD to WMV - easy way

[olecg]

Hi all,

I've spent many hours searching for methods converting a DVD to WMV som I can have some friends to watch some movies from a web-server, but has difficulties in getting there. Here is the scenario:

I have several DVD's burned with a DVD-recorder. The movies are homemade taken with a DV-cam and showing different sport events.
The goal is to convert them to a single file I can click on a website and it starts buffering / playing in Media Player.
On a typical DVD there is several VOB files. For example I have a two hours event and on the DVD there is four VOB-files in addition to some other (IFO etc.).
I have been using DVD-Ripper and converted them to a single file (approx. 4GB). The filename still have the VOB extension, and I just renamed it to MPG. When I launch the file with Power DVD, the file plays with good quality. The problem is when I launch it which Windows Media Pplayer, the first 30 seconds plays fine, then it starts jumping to different chapters (or wahetever) showing just stills for about another 10 seconds. Then it stops. The final step was to use the Windows MEdia 9 Encoder to make the WMV file with the different parameters for bandwith etc. When encoding I can see what's going on, and it is exatcly the same as when playing the movie the Media player. The encoding takes some time, but the result is a WMV file that plays the first 30 seconds ok, and then starts to jump around and showing just some stills.

Having in mind that the DVD's are not protected, but only split into several VOB's, the first goal is to convert them to a single file in a format I can import in WIndows Media 9 Encoder, is the DVD Ripper the right tool?

After making one single file, why is Power DVD playing it perfect but Windows Media Player just jumps around?

If there is a easier way to do this process, I would be very happy. I can see around different websites and homepages that people have placed some video and clips and I beleive this couldn't be THAT complex to do? Maybe I am doing it way more complex that it should be?

If someone could point me in the right direction I will be very happy.

rgs.
olecg

[jimmalenko]

I don't know if it will help, but this guide will step you through properly converting back to an MPEG file:
https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=638&howtoselect=3;6#638

[p_l]

TMPGEnc Xpress allows you to insert a DVD and encode all or parts straight to WMV. Use the Source Wizard to access your DVD.






Choose Cut-Edit to select segments of the DVD you want to use.




For Output, choose the last one down - Windows Media Video Output, whose parameters are tweakable.

[Baldrick]

p_l: added it to the toools list, https://www.videohelp.com/tools?convert=DVD+to+WMV , thanks.

any other dvd to wmv tools?

[Safesurfer]

any other dvd to wmv tools?

More VOB to WMV than DVD to WMV, but Windows Media Encoder!

I just tried a test and loaded a 2 minute VOB and converted it to WMV and it worked. If you use two pass encoding, it appears to be hanging at "Encoder starting", but it's just running through the first pass. You'll see your hard drive light blinking as it works through it. Once it gets to the second pass, you'll see the progress in the preview window.

The one caveat is that it depends on what your default MPEG2 decoder is. My system was using Nero's as default, and this would crash Media Encoder. I lowered the Nero MPEG filter merit using Radlight Filter Manager, and raised the merit for Intervideo's decoder so that it became my default decoder. The Intervideo decoder works fine with Media Encoder.

I haven't tried a large VOB, so not sure if it would still work as it takes a lot of system resources to decode and encode.

[olecg]

Thanks for replying and I gave the TMPGenc Express a try. (and will def. buy it if I can fix the issue mentioned here).

The program is very easy to use for me as I'm pretty new to this. I have tried different settings with bitrates etc. and it gives me waht I want. There only one "small" problem: There is NO audio. The TMPGenc says: there is no audio data, and the result if of course: a wmv-file without any audio.

I believe the problem is more likely my lack of "Knowledge", and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.
Any help is highly appreciated as I'm very close to the "goal" now.

Thanks in advance.
olecg

[John Doe]

If you can play DVD's in Windows Media Player 9 then you should be able to load the .VOB files right off the DVD disk into Windows Media Encoder 9. It will even bob deinterlace for you, because of directshow or something like that but it will encode just like it was played. To load the .VOB file you have to select show all files when your picking one to convert, or it will only show the common extentions, i.e. .MPG .AVI type of thing. It is what I do when I want a quick conversion, load the .VOB, pick a profile and encode.

[p_l]

Yup, it seems TMPGEnc Xpress only recognizes LPCM and MPG audio, not AC3, unless there's a plug-in or something available I'm unaware of. So, if your DVD has AC3 audio, you can try ripping it to your HD first with DVD Decrypter (in File mode) or Smart Ripper, extracting the audio to wav in VirtualDubMod, then using that wav as your audio source in TMPGEnc Xpress.

[Safesurfer]

Yup, it seems TMPGEnc Xpress only recognizes LPCM and MPG audio, not AC3, unless there's a plug-in or something available I'm unaware of.

Well there is the TMPGEnc Sound Plug-in AC-3 (Dolby Digital 2ch audio) and it is supported in TMPGEnc Xpress. See

http://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tsp_ac3.html

[p_l]

Good tip. I'm not going to buy it just to try it for this, so if someone already has it, could they confirm it works?

As you say it's for Dolby Digital 2ch audio, and as it says on the TMPGEnc site,

*But Dolby Digital (AC-3) with 5.1 channels or other multi-channel sources cannot be re-encoded.

[olecg]

Agree,

I've actually sent them an email asking to try to the AC3 plug-in before I buy, so I better wait for an answer first. I will also try to extract the audio in a separate audio-file and see how it goes.
When it comes to the Windows Media 9 Encoder, it should work you say. The strange thing is that when I for example use the DVD Decrypter in both IFO and File mode to make ONE mpeg file, it plays fine with Power DVD and Windows Mediaplayer ver. 9. But when I use the WM9 Encoder, the result is only approx. 40 seconds with video. I wondered if it had to do something with the source, so I swapped to another DVD and did the procedure all over again. The result is exactly the same.
So what is the missing part? I agree that if it plays fine in Media Player, it should be ok to use the WM9 encoder also, but this is not true.

Maybe this has something to do with the basic parameters / properties / plug-ins in WM9encoder? If so, this posting maybe should be moved to the newbie section because I admit that I'm really new to this and hardly know what a plug-in is. (Well, in theory I know, but I have no or little practical experience doing this).

If the encoder had worked directly, it would do the job for me, but I really liked the cut-edit part in TMPGenc Express.

rgs.
olecg

[olecg]

Tried the option p_I mentioned: (I have verified that the audio IS AC3 audio)

1: Used DVD Decrypter to make one large VOB / MPG file.
2: Opened the file in VirtuelDub-MPEG2 and saved the AC3 audio as WAV (approx. 225MB's)
3: Used the WAV-file in the TMPGenc Express as the source for audio.

When starting the encoding, the PC reads the audio-file for a while (can see the harddrive led is blinking), but after a minute or so, it says it cannot use the WAV-file for audio.

Back to the starting-point again.....

olecg

[p_l]

Here's what I did and it worked:

1. Rip DVD with AC3 audio to ISO in DVD Shrink, using Reauthor.

2. Mount ISO with virtual drive.

3. In VirtualDubMod, open VOB inside VIDEO_TS folder of mounted ISO and save AC3 audio as WAV.

4. In TMPGenc Express, use the Source Wizard to open mounted ISO's VIDEO_TS folder, and select my WAV file as Audio Source. Encode to WMV, tweaking the settings down to make a file under the 2MB limit for this site.


Audio plays fine, but I should caution you, this clip contains that cloying Elmo song. You have been warned!

elmomenu.wmv

[olecg]

P-I, I will give this a try.

But is it really necessary to use DVD Shrink ta make an ISO file of the DVD? The DVD is unprotected and I can just copy the structure to a folder on the harddrive and play it from there.
Or do I have to use a mounted ISO-file as a virtual drive for the source?

rgs.
olecg

[p_l]

Try it both ways. In theory, I believe you're right. You should be able to access the VOB right off the disc or just copy it to your hard drive. I used DVD Shrink in Reauthor mode to make sure I got just the video I wanted.

[olecg]

Thank you all for your help!

A couple of weeks ago I didn't know much about these things. Now I know a lot more and have tried a great number of things to convert unprotected VOB's to WMV's.

I really gave up. I tried so separate the audio from the video, but wasn't able to mux them together in the end. The sound is verified to be AC3 2 ch.
So instead of installing the 20th application on my PC, I just uninstalled everything, logged into the TMpGenc site and bought the TMPGenc Express with the AC3 module. The total was $79. This program really works perfect and I also have a cut-edit option so I can get rid of unwanted sections.
The output is great and really recommend this program for everyone in the same situation.
Anyway I have learned a lot, thanks again to you all, but I think I'll stick to TMPGenc Express now for a while because it is so easy and powerfull.

rgs.
olecg

[p_l]

TMPGenc Express with the AC3 module. Yup, that sounds like the easiest way, which was your goal in the first place. Glad it's working for you.