How to Author an SVCD with menus and stills Under GNU/Linux

[khey]

How to Author an SVCD with menus and stills Under GNU/Linux


The SVCD produced in this guide will be of NTSC format with still and motion menus, 3 videos, 2 audio items and a slideshow of 5 still images.

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Tools used (version numbers are merely for reference)
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VCDImager (0.7.23)
cdrdao (1.2.3)
FFMPEG
mjpegtools (1.9.0-r1)
MPlayer/MEncoder
The GIMP
ImageMagick



Prepare the media. Note: Media (not including MPEG stills) must be at least 4 seconds in length.

Encode media to SVCD-compliant format:

Video:

ffmpeg -i video.avi -target ntsc-svcd video.mpg

Audio-only content:

ffmpeg -i in.mp3 -ar 44100 -acodec mp2 out.mp2

The mp2 must then be multiplexed into an mpg stream:

mplex -f4 -v2 -o audio.mpg audio.mp2

To extract audio from a video and encode it to SVCD-compliant mp2 of acceptable quality:

ffmpeg -i infile.avi -ar 44100 -acodec mp2 -ab 128k outfile.mp2

To make a still image/menu, do the following:

1. Create a JPEG image of the appropriate resolution for SVCD stills in your region (704x480 for high-quality stills in NTSC format) with 72 dpi.
For the menu(s): Add selection items (thumbnails of video clips, etc.) and number them so the viewer of your SVCD knows what number(s) to press on the remote in order to select the desired content.

2a. Convert the JPEG to an MPEG still stream:

jpeg2yuv -f FRAMERATE -I p -v2 -j image.jpg | mpeg2enc -f7 -v2 -a2 -o stillimage.m2v

Substitute FRAMERATE with the intended framerate. I used 29.97 (for NTSC). Non-NTSC readers: Have a look at the BUGS section of jpeg2yuv's man page.

2b.

mplex -f7 -v2 -o still.mpg stillimage.m2v

Or if you want to merge audio (of the proper format; mp2) with your still:

mplex -f7 -v2 -o still.mpg stillimage.m2v audio.mp2

Don't be alarmed if the stills don't play in mplayer.



For an animated/motion menu, do the following:

1. Ready the desired frames.

I will use a 17-second video snippet as my animated menu. In order to have my selectable content/"buttons" displayed on the menu, I must export the frames from the video:

mplayer -vo png:outdir=frames/ -ss 16 -endpos 17 videofile.mpg

2. Open one of the frames in the GIMP; add a new, transparent layer and put the menu items (and their selection numbers) on it. Hide the menu/background layer and save the transparent layer as png. For this guide, the file is named menuitems.png

3. Merge the menu-items image to all frames:

for i in frames/*.png; do composite menuitems.png $i $i.png; done

4. Merge the now-overlaid frames [back] into a video sequence:

mencoder mf://png/*.png.png -mf type=png -ofps 30000/1001 -o animenu.avi -vf harddup -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mjpeg

-ofps is to be the appropriate value (framerate) for the television system in your region (NTSC, PAL...)

If audio is desired with the animated menu, run the resultant video through mencoder like so:

mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -audiofile youraudiofile -o animenuwithsound.avi animenu.avi

5. Encode the video with the ffmpeg command in section 'Encode media...'.



If only stills and/or audio is desired on your SVCD, you're out of luck. There must be at least one sequence item (video) on the SVCD. (The VCDImager documentation states it obscurely so it is easy to overlook. See the third entry in section 'XML file tips' below.) If you have an animated/motion (video) menu, you may be able to get by with putting it in the <sequence-items> section of the XML file that will be created later.

Instead of putting a random video onto my SVCD, I opted for creating a video of credits. It's simply a few images (frames) encoded into video sequences and merged into one. Here is how to do it:

1. Create PNG (or JPEG) images of resolution proper for SVCD video in your region (480x480 for NTSC), add text and save the images.

2. Convert the PNGs to videos:

mencoder mf://credits01.png -mf type=png -fps 1/11 -ofps 30000/1001 -o cred01.avi -vf harddup -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mjpeg

Tip: Encode the images/frames individually if you want them to be of differing lengths. "-fps 1/11" translates to "1 frame per/for 11 seconds"; the resulting video created from this frame will be approximately 11 seconds in length.

3. Merge the videos:
mencoder -ovc copy -o mergedavis.avi cred01.avi cred02.avi cred03.avi

If audio is desired in the video, run the resultant video through mencoder:

mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -audiofile youraudiofile -o withsound.avi mergedavis.avi

4. Encode it to SVCD-compliancy (see 'Encode media...' above).



Now that the files are ready, it's time to create the XML file. You may want to have the VCDImager documentation handy; access it by running:

info VCDImager

Tip: For convenience, put all SVCD-ready files into the same location with the XML file.

The layout of the SVCD produced in this guide will have a main menu with 4 items to choose from (3 of them lead to other menus). The menus' type and desired functions are in parentheses:

Main Menu (a still with audio; audio does not loop)
|-->1. Audio
| |-->Audio Menu (animated; no sound, does not loop)
| |-->2 Audio items
|-->2. Video
| |-->Video Menu (animated; no sound, loops infinitely)
| |-->2 Video items
|-->3. Stills
| |-->Stills Menu (animated; sound, loops infinitely)
| |-->5 Still items
|-->4. Credits (video)


This is the XML file that activates the layout:

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

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


<info>
<album-id>VOCALOID_SVCD</album-id>
<volume-count>1</volume-count>
</info>

<pvd>
<volume-id>VOCALOID_EXPERIMENT_SVCD</volume-id>
<publisher-id>KHEY</publisher-id>
</pvd>

<segment-items>
<segment-item id="mmenu" src="mainmenu.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="amenu" src="audiomenu.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="nebu" src="nebula.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="innc" src="Innocence.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="vmenu" src="vidmenu.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="smenu" src="stillmenu.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="st1" src="still01.jpg.jpg.m2v.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="st2" src="still02.jpg.jpg.m2v.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="st3" src="still03.jpg.jpg.m2v.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="st4" src="still04.jpg.jpg.m2v.mpg"/>
<segment-item id="st5" src="still05.jpg.jpg.m2v.mpg"/>
</segment-items>

<sequence-items>
<sequence-item id="popi" src="popipo.mpg"/>
<sequence-item id="ievp" src="ievanpolkka.mpg"/>
<sequence-item id="creds" src="credits.mpg"/>
</sequence-items>

<pbc>
<selection id="main">
<bsn>1</bsn>
<wait>-1</wait>
<loop jump-timing="immediate">1</loop>
<play-item ref="mmenu"/>
<select ref="aumenu"/>
<select ref="vidmenu"/>
<select ref="stillmenu"/>
<select ref="credits"/>
</selection>

<selection id="aumenu">
<bsn>1</bsn>
<prev ref="main"/>
<return ref="main"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="amenu"/>
<select ref="nebula"/>
<select ref="innocence"/>
<select ref="main"/>
</selection>

<selection id="vidmenu">
<bsn>1</bsn>
<prev ref="main"/>
<return ref="main"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<loop jump-timing="immediate">0</loop>
<play-item ref="vmenu"/>
<select ref="popipo"/>
<select ref="ievpol"/>
<select ref="main"/>
</selection>

<selection id="stillmenu">
<bsn>1</bsn>
<prev ref="main"/>
<return ref="main"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<loop jump-timing="immediate">0</loop>
<play-item ref="smenu"/>
<select ref="st_1"/>
<select ref="st_2"/>
<select ref="st_3"/>
<select ref="st_4"/>
<select ref="st_5"/>
<select ref="main"/>
</selection>

<playlist id="nebula">
<prev ref="aumenu"/>
<next ref="aumenu"/>
<return ref="aumenu"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<play-item ref="nebu"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="innocence">
<prev ref="aumenu"/>
<next ref="aumenu"/>
<return ref="aumenu"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<play-item ref="innc"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="popipo">
<prev ref="vidmenu"/>
<next ref="vidmenu"/>
<return ref="vidmenu"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<play-item ref="popi"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="ievpol">
<prev ref="vidmenu"/>
<next ref="vidmenu"/>
<return ref="vidmenu"/>
<wait>3</wait>
<play-item ref="ievp"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="st_1">
<prev ref="stillmenu"/>
<next ref="st_2"/>
<return ref="stillmenu"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="st1"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="st_2">
<prev ref="st_1"/>
<next ref="st_3"/>
<return ref="stillmenu"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="st2"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="st_3">
<prev ref="st_2"/>
<next ref="st_4"/>
<return ref="stillmenu"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="st3"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="st_4">
<prev ref="st_3"/>
<next ref="st_5"/>
<return ref="stillmenu"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="st4"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="st_5">
<prev ref="st_4"/>
<next ref="stillmenu"/>
<return ref="stillmenu"/>
<wait>-1</wait>
<play-item ref="st5"/>
</playlist>

<playlist id="credits">
<prev ref="main"/>
<next ref="main"/>
<return ref="main"/>
<wait>5</wait>
<play-item ref="creds"/>
</playlist>

</pbc>
</videocd>



XML file tips:

* If you want to be returned to a menu after a video or audio clip plays, refer to it in the <next> portion of the audio/video's playlist item.

* It seems the items/tags in the XML file are to be specified in the order that they appear in the VCDImager documentation (example: <prev> must be before <next>).

* To see which items are required in the XML file, see section 3.2 of the VCDImager documentation titled "DTD Notation Reference" by issuing:

info VCDImager 'Video CD XML Description' 'Common Rules'.  Also see the tags and their options in chapter 3.4.

* If there are no segment items on your SVCD, VCDImager won't create the SEGMENT folder. Add the folder to maintain optimum compatibility. Source: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/2187-Tip-VCDImager-and-SVCD-compatibility and the VCDImager documentation:

info VCDImager 'Tips and Hints' 'SVCD Player Compatibility'

* If selecting menu items with the click of a mouse is desired, have a look at the 'Buttons' section of this page: http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20091026221728/http://geocities.com/mikk999/VCDStills.htm and this part of the VCDImager documentation:

info VCDImager 'Video CD Concepts' 'Playback Control' 'PBC Lists' 'Selection List'

(section titled 'Hot-spots')



When the XML file is finished, it's time to build the SVCD's image:

vcdxbuild yourvcdxml.xml

vcdxbuild tips:
* vcdxbuild can complain about many errors resulting from a single typo (or unnecessary '/>') within the XML file, so don't worry too much when searching for the source(s) of errors if vcdxbuild tells you there are a ton of things wrong.

* If you see the message "++WARN: mpeg stream contained no scan information (user) data" and you have any mpeg stills and/or short audio/video clips, I don't think you need to worry. According to the VCDImager documentation ( --- info VCDImager 'Video CD Concepts' 'Constraints on MPEG streams' 'Super Video CD' 'Scan Information Data'), the message pertains to the fast-forward and rewind functions. vcdxbuild may be reporting the warning on the stills and short media clips. Such content is too short to need those functions.



Once the SVCD's image is built, burn it to disc. (I recommend burning to CD-RW for testing.)

cdrdao write --device /dev/cdrom videocd.cue

Tip: If the message "Error: Expecting only one toc-file" occurs, check the command; there may be a typo or misused option.


SVCD Playback tips:

* If some of the endings of the audio and/or video clips are cut off during playback of the SVCD, try adding a <wait> tag and value to the item in the XML file (instead of adding length to the media files).

* I tested my SVCDs with Cyberlink PowerDVD (version 5.5.1423, under Windows) which works fine. I've found playback with MPlayer, VLC and xine to be very inadequate.

* If you want to try mounting your .cue/.bin files, have a look at cdemu and bchunk.


Many thanks to the writers of the software and documentation used to make this possible!

Some resources:
https://www.videohelp.com/svcd
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/82078-High-Resolution-VCD-SVCD-Stills-on-the-UNIX-Command-Line
http://download.videohelp.com/vitualis/multimenu_vcd.html
http://download.videohelp.com/vitualis/general_xml_structure.html
http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/39960
http://www.mir.com/DMG/stills.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SVCD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCD
http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20091026221730/http://geocities.com/mikk999/StillsWithAudio.htm
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/articles/vcd_audio.pdf
http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/svcd/authoring/designer/
https://www.ip.philips.com/view_attachment/2450/sl00812.pdf - "A Technical Explanation, Super Video Compact Disc"

Most (if not all) of the info needed regarding (S)VCD is in the VCDImager documentation; access it by running:

info VCDImager

khey

[Noahtuck]

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