XML for SVCD?

[rayjr13]

Just wanted to see if anyone has successfully created a SVCD using XML. If you wouldn't mind divulging you creativity to help spark my own. I promise not to copy No seriously anyone with a working XML for VCDimager .7.7 SVCD please post... I'm trying to make my own and want to see if I'm doing right. Plus how do you input the xml in vcdxbuild? & how to "associate" -item src with a particular .mpg file?

thanks

_________________
r@yjr13

Now selling audioly and visually challenged coasters, frisbees, and vanity mirrors.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: rayjr13 on 2001-07-19 19:07:57 ]</font>

[CornelisJ]

Hello Ray,

I have succesfully used CVDImager 0.7.7 to create an SVCD from an MPEG-2 file. The MPEG-2 file was encoded with TMPGEnc using the SVCD-PAL template. Then I demultiplexed the MPEG-2 (also with TMPGEnc), and re-multiplexed it again with bbMPEG (AVI2MPG2.exe).

The XML description I used is given below. Besides the MPEG-2 movie I also included a Splash/Menu screen MENU.MPG. The Menu screen was also encoded with TMPGEnc from a BMP file.
Also a README.TXT file was added to the root of the SVCD, and the XML description itself was included in folder EXTRA:

BEGIN XML description

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE videocd PUBLIC "-//GNU//DTD VideoCD//EN" "http://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/videocd.dtd">

<!-- XML description of SVCD.
Folder EXTRA contains this XML description.
Also a text file README.TXT is included in the root of the SVCD.

The basic XML description is made with vcdxgen. The segment item and
extra playlist items are added by hand.
Then the SVCD bin/cue image was build with vcdxbuild.
These commandline tools are part of the "VCDImager" toolset

NOTE: The SVCD that is build from this XML description is only
tested with the software player WinDVD. Other players (standalone
or software) may behave different -->

<videocd xmlns="http://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/1.0/" class="svcd" version="1.0">

<info>
<album-id>SVCD</album-id>
<volume-count>1</volume-count>
<volume-number>1</volume-number>
<restriction>0</restriction>
</info>

<pvd>
<volume-id>SVCD</volume-id>
<system-id>CD-RTOS CD-BRIDGE</system-id>
<application-id>GNU VCDIMAGER 0.7.7</application-id>
<preparer-id>GNU VCDIMAGER 0.7.7 CYGWIN/I586</preparer-id>
<publisher-id>CS</publisher-id>
</pvd>

<filesystem>
<folder>
<name>EXTRA</name>
<file src="svcd.xml">
<name>SVCD.XML</name>
</file>
</folder>
<file src="readme.txt">
<name>README.TXT</name>
</file>
</filesystem>

<!-- segment item is MPEG-2 encoded still picture (704x576)
that is used as menu screen -->
<segment-items>
<segment-item src="menu.mpg" id="segment-0000"/>
</segment-items>



<sequence-items>
<sequence-item src="svcd.mpg" id="sequence-00"/>
</sequence-items>


<pbc>


<playlist id="playlist-00">
<next ref="selection-01"/>
<return ref="selection-01"/>
<wait>0</wait>
<play-item ref="segment-0000"/>
</playlist>

<!-- Menu screen, showing segment item.
Autoplay after 15 seconds -->
<selection id="selection-01">
<bsn>1</bsn>
<next ref="playlist-01"/>
<return ref="playlist-01"/>
<default ref="playlist-01"/>
<timeout ref="playlist-01"/>
<wait>15</wait>
<loop jump-timing="delayed">1</loop>
<play-item ref="segment-0000"/>
<select ref="playlist-01"/>
</selection>


<playlist id="playlist-01">
<prev ref="selection-01"/>
<next ref="selection-01"/>
<return ref="selection-01"/>
<wait>2</wait>
<autowait>0</autowait>
<play-item ref="sequence-00"/>
</playlist>

</pbc>

</videocd>

END XML description

If you don't use a menu screen, I advise you to create an empty folder SEGMENT for better compatibility. You can do this by including the following lines in the <filesystem> section:

<folder>
<name>SEGMENT</name>
</folder>

The SVCD cue/bin image is build using the following command:
vcdxbuild svcd.xml

[rayjr13]

Thanx, yea I have windvd it's the only thing I have that plays svcds. Is Album-ID or Volume-ID correspond to the name that pops up under the drive icon (i.e. E:\ , F:\) when you insert into PC DVD-ROM. I know in my head exactly how I want the XML to read but I don't know where I'm supposed to input that. The whole thing like where u started with...

<videocd xmlns="http://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/1.0/" class="svcd" version="1.0">

...I know how I want that whhhoooollleeee thing to read but can I edit an XML somewhere and then input it in vcdxgen? And my final question was how does the program know the location of the files I choose for like...

<!-- segment item is MPEG-2 encoded still picture (704x576)
that is used as menu screen -->
<segment-items>
<segment-item src="menu.mpg" id="segment-0000"/>
</segment-items>

...how does it know where "menu.mpg" would be located do I have to have then in the VCDimager 0.7.7 folder, or do I include the whole file location (i.e. C:\moviestuff\...\menu.mpg) ? I appreciate your help

The other things I got from your response or things that I want to confirm are: I do need should include "segment" folder, what about "ext" and "mpeg2" folder? Finally should I use "mpegav" or "mpeg2" to aid in making SVCD compliant?

Enough ?'s thanx for your answer

[CornelisJ]

Hello Ray,
You can generate a basic xml description with vcdxgen.exe, then edit it by hand, and then build the SVCD bin/cue image with vcdxbuild.exe. BTW, if you don't already have it I advise you to download the VCDImager manual (in PDF format) from http://www.hvrlab.org/~hvr/vcdimager/ .

MINI VCDIMAGER SVCD TUTORIAL:
Say you have an SVCD compliant MPEG-2 file called video.mpg.
To generate a basic xml description type:

vcdxgen video.mpg -t SVCD

This will generate an XML description videocd.xml with the following content:

BEGIN XML DESCRIPTION

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE videocd PUBLIC "-//GNU//DTD VideoCD//EN" "http://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/videocd.dtd">

<videocd xmlns="http://www.gnu.org/software/vcdimager/1.0/" class="svcd" version="1.0">
<info>
<album-id></album-id>
<volume-count>1</volume-count>
<volume-number>1</volume-number>
<restriction>0</restriction>
</info>
<pvd>
<volume-id>VIDEOCD</volume-id>
<system-id>CD-RTOS CD-BRIDGE</system-id>
<application-id></application-id>
<preparer-id/>
<publisher-id/>
</pvd>
<sequence-items>
<sequence-item src="video.mpg" id="sequence-00"/>
</sequence-items>
<pbc>
<playlist id="lid-000">
<next ref="lid-end"/>
<return ref="lid-end"/>
<wait>5</wait>
<autowait>0</autowait>
<play-item ref="sequence-00"/>
</playlist>
<endlist id="lid-end" rejected="true"/>
</pbc>
</videocd>

END XML DESCRIPTION

To be sure that WinDVD and other players will recognize your CD as SVCD, you have to add the following lines between </pvd> and <sequence-items>:

<filesystem>
<folder>
<name>SEGMENT</name>
</folder>
</filesystem>

The other folders like MPEG2, EXT are generated automatically by vcdxbuild. You can also edit the Volume ID, etc. If you are finished with editing the XML file, you can build the SVCD image with the following command:

vcdxbuild videocd.xml

The MPG files, the XML file and other files that you want to include on your SVCD should be located in the folder where you start the executables from the MSDOS prompt. The bin/cue files will be generated in the same folder. This could be the VCDImager folder. In my case I have put the VCDImager executables in a folder called C:\VIDEO\TOOLS, that I have included in the PATH section of my autoexec.bat file (Windows 98). In this way I can call the executables from any folder on my system.

Last TIP: to test the SVCD bin/cue image before burning, you can use a program called "Daemon Tools" ( http://www.daemon-tools.com ). This program allows you to load the bin/cue image as "Virtual CDROM".

I hope this answers your questions. Success.

[rayjr13]

YO thanx 4 all the tips... you gave me all the tips I needed, CJ. I got all those programs am pretty familiar will all of them, expert in most of em but I just don't have the experience with VCDimager that I needed for a few last suggestions. I'm all set. I love this website. I might have to make it my homepage...

[hvr]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
Thanx, yea I have windvd it's the only thing I have that plays svcds. Is Album-ID or Volume-ID correspond to the name that pops up under the drive icon (i.e. E:\ , F:\) when you insert into PC DVD-ROM. I know in my
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

volume-id is the label of the ISO9660 fs, thus the one that you see under the drive icon I guess


<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
XML somewhere and then input it in vcdxgen? And my final question was how does the program know the location of the files I choose for like...

<!-- segment item is MPEG-2 encoded still picture (704x576)
that is used as menu screen -->
<segment-items>
<segment-item src="menu.mpg" id="segment-0000"/>
</segment-items>

...how does it know where "menu.mpg" would be located do I have to have then in the VCDimager 0.7.7 folder, or do I include the whole file location (i.e. C:\moviestuff\...\menu.mpg) ? I appreciate your help
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

vcdimager just works like any other command would... i.e. if you don't specify a full path, it's assumed those files are in the current directory;
you can always specify fully qualified file locations,

btw, I don't remember whether C:\moviestuff\menu.mpg is accepted, but //c/moviestuff/menu.mpg is for sure... just in case

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
The other things I got from your response or things that I want to confirm are: I do need should include "segment" folder, what about "ext" and "mpeg2" folder? Finally should I use "mpegav" or "mpeg2" to aid in making SVCD compliant?
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

if you are concerned with software player compatibility and you haven't got any segment play items, which would cause the SEGMENT dir to be created automatically... just add it manually... that's just a workaroung for some a bit buggy players... that directory is not supposed to exist empty according to the specs...
(as for the EXT and MPEG2 folders, those are created anyway, since they ain't empty)

since when people say SVCD-compliant, they refer to being compliant to the IEC/philips SVCD specs (as opposed to the chinese SVCD specs)
the answer is: stick to using the MPEG2 folder...

(sadly btw, being compliant sometimes does not mean to be compatible!)

[rayjr13]

Good Lookin hvr,

Appreciate your input...I just can't wait to get off work and try all these ideas I've been coming ^ with

C'mon 4 o'clock...

[vitualis]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-20 10:32:54, hvr wrote:
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>...how does it know where "menu.mpg" would be located do I have to have then in the VCDimager 0.7.7 folder, or do I include the whole file location (i.e. C:\moviestuff\...\menu.mpg) ? I appreciate your help
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

vcdimager just works like any other command would... i.e. if you don't specify a full path, it's assumed those files are in the current directory;
you can always specify fully qualified file locations,

btw, I don't remember whether C:\moviestuff\menu.mpg is accepted, but //c/moviestuff/menu.mpg is for sure... just in case

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, "C:\moviestuff\menu.mpg" will work just fine.

Regards.

_________________
Michael Tam

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: vitualis on 2001-07-20 20:43:37 ]</font>