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  1. Member
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    I have two issues/questions.

    First, about a year and a half ago I was able to put 2 individual files (each one an .avi file) onto one DVD disc for watching on my DVD player (non-computer). For some reason I am unable to duplicate what I did.

    The final result of that DVD is:
    VIDEO BUP
    VIDEO IFO
    VIDEO TS BUP
    VIDEO TS IFO
    VTS_01_1.VOB = 1ST EPISODE
    VTS_01_2.VOB = 2ND EPISODE

    I've tried for the past three days to duplicate what I did. I've tried ffmpegx, toast, mtr with no luck. I'm able to change the .avi files into stand alone VIDEO_TS folders and go from there, but it will not play on my DVD player like the other does. I get an error message "playback prohibited by area limitations". Any help would be greatly appreciated. If it helps anyone, the DVD that was succesful, ended up with the first episode <name> + .mpg.DVD as the title of the DVD. Make sense?

    2nd issue is joining multiple files of same movie (mostly avi), to be one file so that I can turn around and use Toast to watch that file as 1 on my DVD player without the same error message as above. And yes, I've used ffmpegx.

    Thank you for any help!
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  2. Member
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    A quick google search turned up some probably answers.

    Although I thought this was due to region codes, it seems its related to taking a PAL video and trying to turn it into an NTSC DVD. The answer I read recommended that you alter the frame size of the AVI to match NTSC specs and then drop that re-encoded file into Toast or whatever else you are using to author this DVD. It's the mismatch of a PAL-sized frame that your DVD player can't handle. (At least that's what I read.)

    Let us know if you need assistance transcoding the source video to end up with the proper NTSC size frame.
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  3. Member
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    Oh, OK. I found where to change the coding. Since doing so, it's taking 10x as long to burn though. Am I missing something else?

    Thank you!
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  4. Member
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    Originally Posted by SPORTSGUY88
    Oh, OK. I found where to change the coding. Since doing so, it's taking 10x as long to burn though.
    "10x to burn"? Are you using Toast? Is it the burning that's taking longer or is it the transcoding step?

    "change the coding"? Change it how and in what app?
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    I think it's the transcoding as you stated. I'm confused. I thought ffmpegx already did this step? I'm using DVD-Video in Toast and not DVD-Video from Video TS folder because I have 5 of those for 1 file. I don't know how to join contents of TS folder or if I even should. What is the BEST way to take multiple (more than 2) files (.avi) and use Toast to create something playable on my DVD player? I'm not doing something right.....

    Thank you!
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    Sorry....

    I changed the coding in ffmpegx from PAL to NTSC.

    Thanks.
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    5 files using Toast to author them all into one DVD. Good. ffmpegX will transcode them and resize them to NTSC. You might also try MPEG Streamclip as it's much more user friendly and, even better, lets you stop transcoding and see what the result is so far. It's also free...and free is good.
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    OK. See if I understand this.

    Use MPEG streamclip to transcode them. Then drag files into Toast? Where in Toast? DATA or VIDEO tab and then? By the way, I have two seperate "issues". The current one you are helping me with involves a full length file that is divided into 5 separate files.

    The other is, how do I put individual eps onto the same DVD for viewing since they have their own VIDEO_TS folders and one can't combine those folders since Toast only excepts one.

    thanks....
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    MPEG Streamclip will let you convert that episode into MPEG with MP2 audio which, I believe, can then be dropped into Toast and Toast will not re-encode it; it should just author it all into one VIDEO_TS folder.

    Hopefully, others will chime in and provide confirmation of my suggestion. I have nothing on my Mac right now that will let me do this step.
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    OK, I have my 5 files transcoded into MPEG with MP2 audio sitting on my desktop. What do I do with them once I launch Toast?
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  11. Member
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    I believe all you need to do now is drop those videos into the DVD-Video section of Toast and make sure Toast's prefs are set for NTSC video. Set whatever menu options you need, set each video's title as you wish, and "save as disc image" rather than burn a disc. That will create a ".toast" image file which you may then burn to as many discs as you wish. It's always good to do this so the long process of encoding may complete and not be aborted if the actual burning gets pooched somehow.
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    I will give it a try. I think something is terribly wrong. I've wasted 25 discs with no luck. I even tried all the options with Toast. Same error message on both my DVD players. Not matter what type of file I try to "convert", avi, mpg, wmv etc etc, in the end, I am unable to watch anything on my DVD players. They say to test it with DVD Player on my Mac and if its works there, it should play on my other DVD players. NO luck with that. I'm out of ideas. I seriously need to start from the beginning, or?

    Thanks for all your continued help.
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    Playing the disc on your Mac or a PC isn't a good test as both will go way beyond what a "dumb" DVD player will do to figure out how to play the inserted disc.

    Is the source material PAL? (25fps)
    What is the resolution of the source material?
    Can you provide a link to a short piece of the source material?
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    Not sure how to look to see if something is PAL other than to run in through a software program. Same for resolution. What's frustrating me is, I've done it before with only two programs. All of the sudden I'm having major problems.
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    Try MediaInfo Mac for many details (including PAL/NTSC, framerate, frame size/resolution) on your movie files.
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    There's also VideoSpec. In MPEG Streamclip you can hit Command-I once the video has been loaded in. I've attached a screenshot of this.

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  17. Member
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    OK, having difficulty attaching my screenshot. @@


    info-1.tiff
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  18. Member
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    Okay. 352x288 at 25fps. That's not going to play on a DVD player. However, simply dropping those files into Toast's "DVD-Video" tab will convert them when you ask Toast to make a disc image. Note that Toast will ask you if you want to re-encode the vids to NTSC. You must approve this or you'll end up with an unplayable DVD with PAL videos (which won't play on your NTSC TV). The quality won't be that good because you're upscaling the 352x288 but you probably know that already.

    edit: I did the above-mentioned tasks with some PAL video and verified what I've outlined works fine.
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    Thanks. I'll give it a try.

    Also, have any suggestions of how to put individual episodes onto a disc for viewing on my TV? They are in .avi format now. Should I create VIDEO_TS folders, or ?

    Mucho thanks for you help!
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    Toast will not allow me to save the file as NTSC. A pop-up window appears stating "The video standard has been changed to PAL".

    shrug?
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    Okay. Perhaps you're using a version of Toast that's older than 10? My copy of Toast asks the question about PAL but lets me set the DVD to NTSC. In any case, use MPEG Streamclip to export as MP4 or something with a high-enough bitrate so you don't get any decrease in quality. Set the framerate to 29.97 and turn on "frame blending". This should minimize the problems that might occur from the switch from PAL (25fps) to NTSC (29.97). Try this with one video, save as disc image, then burn that image to a DVD-RW so you don't waste any media. Test that in your set-top box.

    Let us know what happens.
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    I wonder if there's something in the AVI standard that stops Toast from doing the framerate change. I'm going to try a PAL avi I have here and see what Toast says about it. I'll advise when I have an answer.
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    Toast version 10.0.2 asks me whether I want to leave the vid as PAL or re-encode as NTSC right after I am prompted to name the disc image file I told it to create. I'm letting it to the re-encode as NTSC now.
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  24. Member
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    Sorry I should have stated that I'm using Toast 6.1 Titanium. My bad.
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    Okay. Then use MPEG Streamclip to do the framerate conversion (with frame blending checked on) to 29.97. I'll suggest MP4 with 100% quality, no bitrate limit, and audio bitrate at whatever the existing avi is.

    Then drop that into Toast and see what happens.
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    OK. Giving it a try. The same hold true for WMV files? I'm having a heck of time trying to convert them.
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  27. Member
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    With MPEG Streamclip, I don't see/have those options as you suggested above. *shrug* It's version 1.9.2.
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  28. Member
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    Use "Export to MPEG-4..."
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  29. Member
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    Sorry. This is a new app for me. Not use to it. Thanks.
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  30. Member
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    No problem! I actually had to look up a few of the answers to your Q's because I no longer burn DVDs; instead, I have an AppleTV so everything gets converted to H264 in an MP4 (or m4v) container. I stream from my Mac to the AppleTV and watch it on my wide-screen TV.

    I'm of the opinion that DVDs (and even BluRay) are so 20th century. *grin*
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