Can you use frame serving for video conversions?

[johnharlin]

I have tried several different programs to convert an mpeg4 video to DVD and each time they stop short. I give up. I thought I once read about a way to make conversions through frame serving. Can it be done? How would I do it?

The mpeg4 video I have had no luck converting is a H264 mpeg-4 AVC with 23.97 frame rate and audio mpeg AAC (mp4a) stereo 4800 hz

[guns1inger]

Yes, you can. The most common method would be avisynth, although you can also frameserve from virtualdub.

However frameserving is not a panacea for broken source files.

If multiple converters fail to convert the same file, you are either using very crap programs, doing something very wrong, or there is something wrong with your source file. You haven't listed what programs you have tried, or what methods you have used, so it is difficult to say what the problem might be.

I would start with mediainfo to check your file contents, and Xvid4PSP (version 5.xxx) to try to do the conversion. I recommend this because it uses Avisynth in the background to load and process the file, although I also like XmediaRecode.

[AlanHK]

Using Avisynth, I've done:

DirectShowSource("Gretel.mp4",fps=23.976, convertfps=true)
LanczosResize(720,480)

If you install FFMPEG2Source, you can do

FFmpegSource2("Gretel.mp4",atrack=-1,fpsnum=24000,fpsden=1001)
LanczosResize(720,480)

This generally gives a more reliable result, especially as far as delivering exactly the same frames each time.
"atrack=-1" chooses the first available audio track.


The "fps" settings in both cases may not be necessary for your files, but they won't hurt and ensure that the frame rate output is correct and constant.