conversion problem in Tmpgenc

[ryan_n_waggoner]

I'm posting this in newbie conversion hoping it's a simple solution, but I've been converting off and on for a few years now, so I'm fairly familiar with how it all works. Here's my problem:

I'm converting some .avi files to .mpg for burning to a VCD (just a basic, simple VCD - one file per disc, no menus...just something simple that a toddler can pick her movie based on the colorful label, and get it started without wading through menus that she can't read, or previews/warning that she doesn't care about). I'm converting in Tmpgenc Plus 2.5, and am using an unlocked template so I can vary video bitrate to change file size.

There's two particular files that, it seems no matter how I set it up, or what bitrate I use, always come out at the same size, over 800MB (one 862MB, the other 807MB). This last time when I tried once again to convert them, I set the disc-size at 75%, which put my bitrate in the 700-750 range, and estimated file size around 550MBs, yet when conversion finished, I had the same size files I always wind up with. Can anyone figure out what in the world's going on here?

[Baldrick]

just those two files? what is the source file information? video and audio codec, identify with avi2clipboard.

have you checked the encoded files so they are same length as the source? tmgpgenc can encode too much if it reads the audio length incorrect.

[ZippyP.]

There was an older version of TMPGEnc that would always encode VCD's at the standard 1150 bitrate no matter the setting.

Barring that you should set it to Video CD (non-standard) under the system tab.

[deckard8]

Use 2-pass vbr (non-standard) with the built-in wizard and don't go above 700mb in the bitrate calc to fit on one cdr perfectly and finished file size will be spot on.

[jagabo]

It was finally settled a while back, by someone around here who had the Philips White Book documents, that VCD requires a bitrate of 1150 kbps for the video stream. The video itself can be encode with a lower bitrate, but the file should be padded so that it continues to have 1150 kbps overall. All you will be doing is reducing the video quality without reducing the file size or getting a longer running time on CD. So TMPGEnc is behaving properly.

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1531769#1531769
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1535027#1535027

If you want to use a lower bitrate and get smaller files (and hence more running time on a CD) you have to use the "MPEG-1 Video CD (non standard)" setting that ZippyP pointed out. Be aware that some old VCD players will not play those properly.

[ryan_n_waggoner]

thanks, guys -- i'll try again when i get back to my computer; i never thought to look and make sure it was set for "non-standard"....should've been a clue when Nero didn't bug me about the file being non-compliant and did I want to re-encode.