How to convert a PAL DVD to a NTSC DVD using TMPGEnc Plus 2.5x

[Cornucopia]

AFA the menus go, they're inside the VOB files also (usually the VIDEO_TS.VOB or VTS_##_0.VOBs). Open with VdubMod/VDubMPEG2 and export to Still Picture (BMP, PNG, TIF etc).

Then open up in a pix editor (Photoshop if poss) and resize to appropriate rez.
Now they're ready to use in an authoring app!
(Obviously, the "button mask" info won't be there. You'll have to re-create that by hand.)

Scott

[yuqiuqin]

SPAM

You are in breach of the forum rules and are being issued with a formal warning.
/ Moderator redwudz

[manono]

More Chinese spam? Don't you clowns ever learn?

[Biel]

Thanks a lot FulciLives for this great tutorial. I really liked it.

I tried it and it works fine... But I seem to be having a little trouble when it comes to import a DTS audio track to my DVD authoring tool. I use TMPG DVD author and it doesn't accept a DTS audio track.

I know you have no intention on making a DVD authoring tutorial, but I just want a suggestion on a DVD authoring tool that accepts DTS audio track. In my case, I just want a plain NTSC DVD with no menus, and I all I need is a tool that would join the NTSC video with the DTS audiotrack. Got any tips?

Thanks

[guns1inger]

DLP is one of the few that will author DTS. Encore might.

[Biel]

by DLP, you mean DVD-lab PRO ?

[manono]

Yes he does. Muxman accepts it also. No menus and dead-simple to use.

[FulciLives]

I've used DVD-Lab Pro a few times when I've needed DTS audio. I think DVD Maestro also works with DTS audio although I find DVD Maestro a bit cumbersome to use although using something like DVD Menu Studio in conjunction with it makes things a bit easier.

Also if I am not mistaken I think DVDAuthorgui and GUI for dvdauthor support DTS but I'm not 100% on that.

To be honest the only PAL DVD I ever converted to NTSC that had DTS audio (which I kept) was the Anchor Bay UK release of HELLRAISER III - HELL ON EARTH. In that instance I used DVD-Lab Pro.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Biel]

Yes he does. Muxman accepts it also. No menus and dead-simple to use.

Thanks for the tip ^^

To be honest the only PAL DVD I ever converted to NTSC that had DTS audio (which I kept) was the Anchor Bay UK release of HELLRAISER III - HELL ON EARTH. In that instance I used DVD-Lab Pro.

The DVD I'm trying to convert is Kraftwerk's Minimun Maximum and it sounds awesome on a 5.1 system. I have three stand-alone DVD players in my house and two of them are PAL and NTSC compatible (wich isn't hard to find here in Brazil, hence the fact our TV signal is PAL and every VHS or DVD you can find in videostores are NTSC). But my DVD player/hometheater unit only plays NTSC... (I mean, it does play in PAL, but it's black and white). So, it's useless for me to remove the DTS track. I wanted to keep the menus too, but oh well... ;P

Oh yeah, one more thing. Is it possible to use the .d2v file created by DGIndex in a recent version of TMPG enc? I tried on TMPG express 3.0 but it doesn't accept the d2v file. Not that it's much of a problem, but from personal use I think that the 3.0 version is much more reliable than the 2.5.

[guns1inger]

You could load the .d2v via avisynth into tmpgenc - or encode with HCEnc instead

[FulciLives]

You could load the .d2v via avisynth into tmpgenc - or encode with HCEnc instead

In the same folder as DGIndex is a file called DGDecode.dll

So open up the Windows NOTEPAD and type the following:

LoadPlugin("C:\DGIndex\DGDecode.dll")
MPEG2Source("C:\MOVIE\VIDEO_TS\movie.d2v")
ConvertToRGB24()

Please note that the last line of code is for a PROGRESSIVE PAL video. If you have INTERLACED PAL video then you would change the last line to read: ConvertToRGB24(interlaced=true)

Anyways type that up in NOTEPAD and save it with .AVS at the end so you have something like movie.avs and make sure you set FILETYPE to ALL in NOTEPAD otherwise you will end up with movie.txt.avs and you do NOT want that.

Now just open the AVS file with TMPGEnc Plus or TMPGEnc Xpress.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Make sure you put the proper DIRECTORY PATH (i.e., FOLDER PATH) and FILENAMES in your own AVS file.

[Biel]

Hey, Fulcilives

So, I tried creating the AVS file and it didn't work.

Here is how my file came out:

LoadPlugin("D:\Biel\Programas\DGIndex\DGDecode.dll")
MPEG2Source("D:\MINIMUM-MAXIMUM_DVD2\Coisas_Index\VTS_01_1.d2v")
ConvertToRGB24(interlaced=true)

I know the paths for the files don't mean anything to you, but I checked them and they are correct.
The AVS file has a correct .avs extension (not a .avs.txt as you mentioned).

I tried opening the .avs file into TMPG Enc Xpress 3.0 and it didn't work. I noticed that .avs files aren't allowed in TMPG Xpress 3.0 (avs files aren't listed on the supported files list I can see on the "open file" window). I tried opening by typing "*.*" on the window and then selecting the .avs file. But TMPG 3.0 can't open it.

Trying to save the problem by myself, I tried importing the .avs file in TMPGEnc Plus 2.5 (since .avs files are listed as a supported format). And the 2.5 doesn't open the file either.

So, I believe my .avs file has some sort of problem.

Oh yes, please don't break your head trying to solve my problem. I can still convert my videos with your tutorial using the 2.5 version and it works fine to me.

Thanks

[manono]

So, I believe my .avs file has some sort of problem.

Open it in VDub(Mod). If there's something wrong with it, it'll give you an error message that may help to pinpoint the problem. If you don't understand the message, post it here. The most likely source of a problem, given that very basic script, is a DGIndex/DGDecode.dll mismatch. That is, the DGIndex version you use to create the D2V must come from the same package as the DGDecode.dll you're using.

Always test your scripts first, before sending them to your encoder.

[Cornucopia]

You can always comment everything out, and then slowly add lines back in, line-by-line. To preview your scripts, you can also try avsFilmCutter.

Scott

[ssalim]

>Now just click on OK and we are back at the MAIN SCREEN of TMPGEnc. Now we are ready to go ... just click on START in the upper left hand corner and the encoding will begin.


This takes 4 and a half hours for me... normal?
Thanks for great tutorial.

[FulciLives]

>Now just click on OK and we are back at the MAIN SCREEN of TMPGEnc. Now we are ready to go ... just click on START in the upper left hand corner and the encoding will begin.

This takes 4 and a half hours for me... normal?
Thanks for great tutorial.

Well TMPGEnc Plus is known to create excellent MPEG-2 encodes but it is also known to be perhaps the slowest encoder out there with perhaps only ProCoder in "master quality" being slower. So yes ... 4 hours sounds very reasonable.

TMPGEnc Plus is very popular because it is relatively easy-to-use so despite being slow it is popular ... hence the reason for this guide using TMPGEnc Plus instead of another encoder.

To be honest with you I do PAL to NTSC using AviSynth along with either CCE or HCenc. However that is not as easy-to-do for the newbie as using just TMPGEnc Plus as per this guide.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ssalim]

Hi John,

At the end (finally), I get movie.m2v.pulldown.m2v (no audio)... and also two .ac3 files:

VTS_01_1 T01 3_2ch 384Kbps.ac3
movie T01 3_2ch 384Kbps DELAY -8ms.ac3

Which one should I use?

Also, can I mux them also using TMPGEnc MPEG Tools?

Thanks!

[FulciLives]

Hi John,

At the end (finally), I get movie.m2v.pulldown.m2v (no audio)... and also two .ac3 files:

VTS_01_1 T01 3_2ch 384Kbps.ac3
movie T01 3_2ch 384Kbps DELAY -8ms.ac3

Which one should I use?

Also, can I mux them also using TMPGEnc MPEG Tools?

Thanks!

You want the one that DGIndex gave you which is probably the second one as that looks like the DGIndex "format" for audio files.

Where did the first one come from?

As for muxing ... most DVD authoring programs do not need you to mux first ... you just import the video and audio files separately.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ssalim]

Hi John,

I don't know where I got the first one but they have the same size and date. Anyway, I tried either and the resulting DVD have audio out-of-sync problem... I use DVD Lab. The audio is about half seconds too early. What softwares do I need to fix this?

Thanks.
(The original DVD (in PAL) does not have this out of sync problem)

Note:
When I use DVD Lab's audio delay function, it gives me error about corrupted file or something. Though the .ac3 file plays fine in WMP or VLC.

[manono]

What softwares do I need to fix this?

If you can't fix it in DVDLab, then use Delay Cut.

[ssalim]

Yea I used Delaycut and it found 3 CRC errors somehow... and fixed it. Now DVD Lab doesn't complain any more. I tried adding 50ms (didn't work)... adding 250ms after that (so 300ms total, didn't work)... so now I'm doing 1500ms (so 1800ms total), see if it works.

Any easier way to test? I have to compile the DVD (using DVD Lab) to test it and each compile takes 20 minutes.

[FulciLives]

1000ms is 1 second. 500ms is 1/2 of a second. 250ms is 1/4 of a second. And so forth.

If you use a positive 1000ms delay then that pushes the audio ahead (do this if the original audio is behind of what is happening in the video).

If you use a negative 1000ms delay then that pushes the audio back (do this if the original audio is ahead of what is happening in the video).

Of course often times the exact delay value is not exactly 1000ms but can be 100ms or 500ms or whatever. I will say that I have read that most people cannot detect audio sync if you get within 100ms of where it should be.

I know Media Player Classic allows you to adjust the audio delay "on the fly". This way you can adjust the audio (over and over again if need be) until you get it "just right". Do this using the original audio file so you know exactly how to adjust it with Delay Cut. Only problem is I'm not sure if this works with MPEG playback as I've only done it with AVI files ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
You might want to run the original audio file through AC3Fix first as this should correct any errors while doing no delay adjustment.

[FulciLives]

I just wanted to clarify the above post I made.

1.) Run the AC-3 audio file through AC3Fix to "fix" the file and get rid of any errors.
2.) Use MUXMAN to create a simple DVD (will have no menu nor chapters but will be DVD Video format).
3.) Play back the DVD Video via the folder using Media Player Classic.
4.) Adjust the "real time" audio delay in MPC.

Basically step 4 is "hit or miss" meaning you just have to guess and keep adjusting it until you think you have the sync "dead on". Note what delay value you used. Then load the audio file into Delay Cut and apply that dealy value.

Now when you author with DVD-Lab or whatever the video and audio should be in-sync.

As for the "hit or miss" style of finding sync ... find a moment (or moments) in the film where something hits something else. Like a door being slammed shut or someone swinging a bat that hits a ball or something like that where you can easily tell if the audio and video match.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ssalim]

Ok thanks John, it's fixed.

Now, what would you do if the source files are not VOB... it's MPG converted from VOB using VOB2MPG.

(sorry for stupid questions)

Edit:
Actually I could use DVDLab to make it back to VOBs and stuff.
I didn't think of that, but is there another way?

[FulciLives]

Ok thanks John, it's fixed.

Now, what would you do if the source files are not VOB... it's MPG converted from VOB using VOB2MPG.

(sorry for stupid questions)

Edit:
Actually I could use DVDLab to make it back to VOBs and stuff.
I didn't think of that, but is there another way?

I don't understand exactly what it is you are asking here ???

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[zoid]

FulciLives,

What a wonderful guide! Thanks so much for taking the time to post it. I have a Pioneer DV-563A which will play PAL disks on a NTSC TV, but the motion is not smooth at all. I guess it must be adding 4 frames/second. The method you posted works like a charm. I also followed other parts of the thread, created an IFO file, extracted the Subs with PgcDemux, authored the new VOBs with MuxMan, and tweaked the sub position (too low) with DVDSubEdit. And it all worked flawlessly, no sync errors, no jerking, the first time. Wow.

Zoid

[FulciLives]

FulciLives,

What a wonderful guide! Thanks so much for taking the time to post it. I have a Pioneer DV-563A which will play PAL disks on a NTSC TV, but the motion is not smooth at all. I guess it must be adding 4 frames/second. The method you posted works like a charm. I also followed other parts of the thread, created an IFO file, extracted the Subs with PgcDemux, authored the new VOBs with MuxMan, and tweaked the sub position (too low) with DVDSubEdit. And it all worked flawlessly, no sync errors, no jerking, the first time. Wow.

Zoid

Thank you for the kind words.

I just hope this isn't some April Fool's joke :P

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[zoid]

No, no joke!

From what I read, PAL uses 625 lines and NTSC uses 525 lines. When a full screen PAL DVD (recorded TV show) is rendered as NTSC with TMPGEnc, do those extra 100 lines of information get lost, off the top and bottom of the screen? I wondered if that was why the subtitles needed to be nudged up.

Zoid

[manono]

When a full screen PAL DVD (recorded TV show) is rendered as NTSC with TMPGEnc, do those extra 100 lines of information get lost, off the top and bottom of the screen?

PAL DVD is 720x576 and NTSC DVD is 720x480. During the conversion the 576 gets resized to 480. Nothing is lost. It's just "compressed" or "shrunk".

[zoid]

>> PAL DVD is 720x576 and NTSC DVD is 720x480.

720x576 is a 1.25:1 ratio.
Am I correct that this translates to an aspect ratio on the screen?

720x480 is a 1.5 ratio. When you compress the PAL to NTSC and we don't lose information, then would guess that the aspect ratio gets distorted?

Zoid