Trouble converting mpg file - Unknown type?

[lerxst]

I have an mpg file which does not play with Windows Media Player but does play with VLC Media Player. I tried loading it into TMPGEnc, into Mainconcept MPEG Encoder, into AVIdemux and into Canopus Procoder, but none of these would read the file or gave me error messages.

What I am trying to do is convert into a standard 720x480, 29fps file so that I can author it onto a DVD. Again, the strange thing is that the only appcication that reads it is VLC Player, which prooves that this file is somehow "readable".

Gspot diagnoses an "Unknown" file type and AVIcodec does not even load the file to be analyzed. VLC Player shows: Video Codec: mp4v and Audio Codec: mpga

What can I do? Is there another application that I can use to try to convert this?

Thanks in advance for any guidance provided.

[Ai Haibara]

Which version of GSpot are you using? The 2.52 beta should provide more information about MPEG files, I think.

VLC also may be able to tell you more about the file. Check "Stream and Media Info" under the View menu.

[lerxst]

Thanks for the reply.

I am using GSpot 2.5 beta and all I get under the "container" section is: File Type: Unknown, Mime Type: Unknown

"Stream and Media Info", with VLC Media Player gives me:

Stream 0:
- Codec: mp4v
- Language:
- Type: Video

Stream 1:
- Codec: mpga
- Language:
- Type: Audio

Any other alternatives? thanks.

[Ai Haibara]

Is the file extension .mpg? I think it may actually be an .mp4 file. Media Player Classic should be able to play it as well, but you might need an MP4 splitter to get WMP to play it.

Being a misnamed mp4 would probably explain why the editors won't touch it - they're expecting MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 data, and not finding it.

(makes mental note to start paying attention when I reply to posts... )

[lerxst]

Thanks again for the reply-

The file extension is mpg. Is this a matter of just changing the extension to mp4? What is an mp4 splitter and where can I get one?

thanks.

[celtic_druid]

Not common but mp4v streams can be stored in mpg ps/ts streams. Would have thought that AVIDemux would handle that no problems though. You are using a 2.2 build right?

[Bjs]

I'd be guessing , from that info it's an mp4 with mpeg audio , either layer 1 or layer 2 type ... normally the first .

Coped one of those the other day from a friend ... use mp4cam2avi to convert it to avi containing xvid + mp3 ...

Depending on it's size ... scaling it up is never really good on pc's ... but

Load it into movie maker , make sure the "make clip's" function is enabled .
Save project .
Build 3 minute's on timeline .
Save to pc as dv avi .

Convert exported dv avi (type 1) to dv2 (converter in tool's section)
Delete dv1 avi .

Do next clip ... add 2 on "untitled" name , so you know the order .
Repeat above step's .

Next clip out "untitled" 3 ...
Repeat above step's .

Delete project before closing movie maker .

-------------------------

Open untitled (first clip) in vdub .
File , append , load second part .
File , append , load third part .
Continue till all have been added in correct order under "append method"

-------------------------

What was original frame rate ?

Hold ctrl , press r ... second edit box , enter original frame rate here .

Next

Video compression , choose xvid ... 2400 or higher
Audio , set to full processing ... next is audio compression ... mpeg layer 3 (48kbit/s 24,000 hz , 6 kb/s) .

Save as avi .

=============

Framerate conversion .

Super , drag and drop this new avi into video list window down below .
Set video out to mp2 , 48hz (no lower than 96kbit/s)

If video is not near full dvd res , consider option's .

Pal :

352x576
352x288

Ntsc

352x480
352x240

Choose type from this list .

Framerate conversion ... choose required value .

Let super convert file to mpeg2 and given parameter's .

--------------------------------------

Use batchdemux to pull video and audio stream from mpeg

Audio may have extension as mpa , rename extension to mp2 .

-------------------------------------

Convert mp2 to ac3 using besweet .

-------------------------------------

Use rejig to author m2v and ac3 into dvd title .

=====================

Should you need to mix different resolution vob title's :

Use dvdauthorgui to create a basic dvd with menu's and enough button's for all navigational requirement's .
Add one FULL d1 resolution clip (can be ripped logo from dvd ... demuxed into m2v and audio stream ... convert audio to ac3)

Connect menu's to menu's (main to chapter ... ect)
All button's related to title's commect to title one for now .

Author dvd to folder .

Save project for later (backup incase you forgot to add some button's , ect)

=====================

Open authored title in pgcedit .

From here , take a look at some of my guide's :

Slide show's

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=296748

Commercial removal

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=291744

Dvd compilations made easy

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=270121

Make your own subtitle's

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=291971

Reposition subtitle's

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=291741

Button's for dvdauthorgui

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=285839

Frameserving in vdub ... just incase

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=270071

Music video dvd's

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=270620

Mpeg to dvd easy

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=269499

Should just about cover most thing's ...

[lerxst]

celtic_druid: Yes, I am using AviDemux 2.2 and when I try to open the file, the application just crashes giving me a message:

Microsof Visual C++ Runtime Library
- Assertion Failed! -
Program: C:\Program Files\Avidemux\avidemux2.exe
File: dmx_video.cpp
Line: 106
Expression: 0

Bjs: I tried loading the file into Mp4Cam2AVI but since it has a mpg extension, it would not even let me see it in the source section so I changed the extension to mp4. I was then able to see it as a source, I selected the file and pressed "Preview Playlist" and got a message: ERROR: moov atom not found. I then pressed Start and the application just froze.


This one seems like quite a challenge, doesn't it? If there are any other alternatives that you can think of, I would greatly appreciate it if you could please let me know.
Thanks.

[lerxst]

Ok, as ridiculous as this may seem and given that none of the kind suggestions provided worked, is there a tool out there that can capture the video and audio as played on the VLC Media Player? I am thinking of a tool that might allow to select certain section of the screen and "record" whatever happens on that section. Is there such thing?

Thanks.

[celtic_druid]

VLC can re-encode or dump the streams directly.

[lerxst]

Amazing! It was that simple! VLC did it all!

What I could not convert with any of those other tools I tried, I was able to convert with VLC. I had no idea that VLC Media Player also encoded. What a powerful little tool that one is!

Thanks celtic_druid! Great discovery!

Thank you all for your advice.