Multiple xvid files to a single dvd; also audio synch issues

[dunn]

Hi, I'm pretty new to the whole DVD burning thing, I hope you can help me out.

Until now I've had no problem transferring .avi files to DVD using the software that came with my DVD burner, Sonic MyDVD. I've recently come across xvid files, which are not supported by MyDVD. I've seen some programs that can turn an xvid file into a DVD file, but I haven't seen any that can put them on a DVD the way MyDVD can, that is, with each file being a separate video I can choose from a menu when I play it on a DVD player.

Another problem is that the audio on these files is not synched with the video, I have no idea how to correct this.

So, I have a number of xvid files I've downloaded and I want to correct the audio, then put them on a single DVD without merging them into a single video, and I want to be able to play it on any DVD player (not just players that support xvid etc), preferably using only free programs that don't leave watermarks. Phew!

Are there free programs out there that can do what I want? Links and/or detailed instructions would be much appreciated. I realize I'm actually asking a few different questions in a single thread, but it will make it easier for me to get all my answers in one place.

[guns1inger]

You do it the easy way, or you can do it the right way. The easy way can give you success at the cost of some of the quality, but often also gives you problems with audio sync etc. The easy way encompasses all the one-click-wonder software such as WinAVI Converter, DVD Santa etc. These programs have their fans, but they are also responsible for a lot of posts here because they don't work very well much of the time. If you do want to go down this route, I would suggest you look at DivtoDVD, which seems to be the most reliable of the lot. But it is not foolproof.

The right way is to use the best software you can afford for each step of the process. Thankfully, many of the best tools are free. There are also many guides on how to use the tools and the processes to follow. One such guide is this one http://members.dodo.com.au/~jimmalenko/AVI2DVD.htm which takes you through the basics.


So Start here, try a few things out, get stuck, and come back and ask some specific questions. Very quickly you will get the hang of it and start having fun.

[dunn]

Thanks for your help, guns1inger. One of the problems is that the video files I'm starting with already have audio sync problems. Should I try to fix the audio first (and what program can I do that with?) or should I try to convert the files first? In the meantime I'm playing around with WinAVI

[kschang]

The question here is... is it really the files you got that have the audio desync, or is it just the player?

I'd advise you to VLC and BSPlayer, and Media Player Classic (i.e. MPC) in addition to whatever player you currently use. If those don't really desync, then your actual files are fine (and usually they are)

[dunn]

The player I use is Media Player Classic, I'll try those other two also, thanks

[guns1inger]

Stop playing with WinAVI. It is monkey crap.

The audio sync problems will most likely be coming from VBR MP3 audio. G-spot or virtualdubmod will tell if you this is the case. There are hundreds of posts outlining the process for correcting this.

[dunn]

OK, I ditched WinAVI, I've been trying TMPG Enc Plus to convert one of the videos to mpeg2. I must have done something wrong, after the part where the video is supposed to end, it continues for another hour of just showing the last frame.

Edit: TMPG Enc is still giving me problems, I'm feeding it a 50 minute video and it wants to output a 2 hour video

Edit 2: Okay I think I may have fixed it by "setting end frame" ... seems odd that I would have to do that though...we'll see how it comes out this time

[guns1inger]

Again, VBR MP3 audio. Load the avi into virtualdubmod. If it throws up an error about the audio and asks to re-write the header, say yes. Go to Streams, right-click on the audio stream and select full processing mode. Right-click again, and set the compression to Uncompressed PCM. Now click on save wav and create a new wav file. Will be several hundred MBs at least.

Now load you video into tmpgenc, but replace the audio with the wav you created.

The problem is that tmpgenc can't guage the size of the audio track because it is VBR. Setting an end frame might help, or it migh chop the audio off because temp has things out of sync.

[dunn]

Thanks for your help, guns1inger, the quality is great, and the audio is right on track. The only problem now is that the video is a bit "squished"...people are skinnier than they're supposed to be. There must be some simple setting I'm overlooking that will fix it.

[dunn]

Bump

Still having trouble getting the aspect ratio right. I'm starting with a 16:9 ratio, and I want to end with 16:9. The first time I "squished" the video, and everyone was too skinny. I read the stickied TMPG Enc FAQ, and it said if you want to keep the same aspect ratio, choose "Full Frame (Keep aspect)" in Advanced/Video Arrange Method. I tried that, and now I have just the opposite, a "stretched" video that's wider than 16:9 and everyone is too fat. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

[dunn]

OK, what seems to be working best is output "16:9" and Arrange Method "No margin"

[guns1inger]

It sounds like you have the aspect ratio correct, but aren't setting the 16:9 flag

What do you play back with to test ?

[dunn]

I've been testing with Dell CyberLink PowerDVD, Media Player Classic, and by actually burning to DVD and playing on my DVD player. Anyway, the "no margin" setting seems to be giving me the ratio I want.

However, now I've got a different problem! One of my .avi(xvid) files is giving me trouble when I try to create a .wav with VirtualDub. I get the following error:

Error initializing audio stream decompression;
The requested conversion is not possible.

Check to make sure you have the required codec.

When I look at this video in GSpot, it appears to be identical to the other videos VirtualDub had no problem with. It says I have 3 compatible codecs installed. Any ideas?

[guns1inger]

try AC3 ACM Decompressor. This resolved a problem in a similar post not long ago.

Before doing that, what does file information in Vdub tell you about it ?

[dunn]

Sampling Rate: 48000Hz
Channels: 2 (Stereo)
Sample Precision: N/A
Audio Tag: Tag: 0x0055, Decodable MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3)
Compression: Unknown (tag 0055)
Layout: 181 chunks (0|0.00s preload)
Length: 48767544 samples (49:57.02)
Min/avg/max/total frame size: 96/398/672 (71K)
Data rate: 128 kbps (5.68% overhead)

Edit: AC3 ACM Decompressor didn't seem to help.