Convert PAL to NTSC

[ILoveEDM]

Basically I'm trying to convert PAL to NTSC but with no luck. Below is some stuff I wrote in the audio forum because at first I tried Avidemux to switch the audio to NTSC so I can mux it with the PAL video that I converted to NTSC but that didn't work. Then I tried Format Factory and thought I was close but no because even with one video when I put it in DVDStyler the Do not remultiplex/transcode is greyed out. I know it's not the bitrate because I've been using the bitrate calculator and even lowering it even more and still it won't work. I want to convert some PAL video files to NTSC and either which way I do it it has been giving me trouble and I've been trying for hours. I decided to move this over here because it makes more sense. In the end I want an NTSC .mpg video. Sorry if this is too long. I just can't seem to find a way even though I keep trying. :/ I even tried 500 bitrate! ;_;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
General
Complete name : converting.mpg
Format : MPEG-PS
File size : 331 MiB
Duration : 47mn 42s
Overall bit rate : 969 Kbps

Video
ID : 224 (0xE0)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, BVOP : No
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=15
Duration : 47mn 42s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 502 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 9 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.061
Stream size : 171 MiB (52%)

Audio
ID : 189 (0xBD)-128 (0x80)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Muxing mode : DVD-Video
Duration : 47mn 42s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 448 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 153 MiB (46%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
General
Complete name : original.avi
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 351 MiB
Duration : 45mn 45s
Overall bit rate : 1 071 Kbps
Writing application : transcode-1.0.3

Video
ID : 0
Format : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile : Advanced Simple@L5
Format settings, BVOP : 2
Format settings, QPel : No
Format settings, GMC : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix : Default (H.263)
Codec ID : XVID
Codec ID/Hint : XviD
Duration : 45mn 45s
Bit rate : 924 Kbps
Width : 624 pixels
Height : 352 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.168
Stream size : 303 MiB (86%)
Writing library : XviD 1.2.0SMP (UTC 2006-01-08)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 3
Mode : Joint stereo
Codec ID : 55
Codec ID/Hint : MP3
Duration : 45mn 45s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 134 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : 8ms
Stream size : 43.9 MiB (13%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 24 ms (0.60 video frame)
Writing library : LAME3.96.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Fomat Factory works (or so I thought) well to convert PAL to NTSC for DVD in .mpg that is which I'm doing anyways but this is a huge shortcut. Instead of having to convert audio, then video, and mux like this guide (I wrote but I forgot my password and everything so I had to make a new account) I can do it all at once. The only weird thing about Format Factory, at least to me, is it doesn't let you choose two pass in this case but when I played the video the overscan is fixed and the audio is synced so this is awesome. Anyways now to how I did it...

AviSynth
FitCD
Format Factory

1. Open FitCD>Open Source Video
2. Copy Settings> Then under MPEG Resizing on both sides PAL is checked. Uncheck the one on the right side and Save script.
(In my case overscan 2 was slightly too much so I just put it to overscan 1. It all depends on your tv though so you maybe have to test that out when you play the DVD.)
3. Open Format Factory. Under video go all the way down to All to MPG.
4. Click Add File and add your .avs files that you saved using FitCD.
5. Click Output Settings. Make sure the current profile is DVD NTSC Large.
6. Video Bitrate: Add up all of the duration of all the videos you will be burning. Put that number in the Bitrate Calculator, Audio: 448, and ISO 200 MB. Enter the Calculated Bitrate.
7. FPS: 23.976 (NTSC)
8. Click Ok. Below where it says Output Folder click Browse to choose where you want the videos to be saved and then click Ok.
Now all your files will convert and done.

*Only problem is now is I have to adjust the bitrate to make it a little bit smaller for the video because when you convert to NTSC the durations change a little. So now to fix that. Since there's less fps, the NTSC version has a longer duration.(Wrong...None of this worked and now I'm here. )]

[manono]

If you don't know how to do it yourself manually, use AVSToDVD for your PAL to NTSC conversions.

[ILoveEDM]

If you don't know how to do it yourself manually, use AVSToDVD for your PAL to NTSC conversions.

I used that in the past for something else and it didn't work that's why I do things manually now. I forget why since it was a long time ago but I'll try it again. :/ Hopefully I'll be lucky this time.

[manono]

I used that in the past for something else and it didn't work

There's a thread here specifically devoted to AVSToDVD and the developer is here all the time. If it doesn't work post a log in the thread and he and others will offer advice. Using it to make your DVD would have prevented your mistakes

that's why I do things manually now.

If you're using Format Factory (not that it's not a good program), you're not doing it manually. I mean opening your AviSynth script in an encoder directly, followed by authoring it.

Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=15

That's very wrong. Did you choose those settings? For a 23.976fps encode it's usually M=3, N=12. Maybe that's why DVDStyler didn't allow just a remux and insisted on reencoding. Or maybe because you also never applied any pulldown to output interlaced 29.97fps and it's not NTSC DVD compliant.

[ILoveEDM]

I used that in the past for something else and it didn't work

There's a thread here specifically devoted to AVSToDVD and the developer is here all the time. If it doesn't work post a log in the thread and he and others will offer advice. Using it to make your DVD would have prevented your mistakes

that's why I do things manually now.

If you're using Format Factory (not that it's not a good program), you're not doing it manually. I mean opening your AviSynth script in an encoder directly, followed by authoring it.

Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=15

That's very wrong. Did you choose those settings? For a 23.976fps encode it's usually M=3, N=12. Maybe that's why DVDStyler didn't allow just a remux and insisted on reencoding. Or maybe because you also never applied any pulldown to output interlaced 29.97fps and it's not NTSC DVD compliant.

That's got to be my problem then. It ended up converting it that way with no option as far as I can see in Format Factory to change that. MeGui converts the audio (Slow-down 25 to 23.976 for PAL-> NTSC) and HCenc converts the video. Then I muxed it with ImagoMPEG-Muxer and added it in DVDStyler and now I can check the do not transcode/remultiplex so now that's good. Now I have a different problem because I want to convert these subtitles from PAL to NTSC. Once I do that then I can just add them to DVDStyler and burn the dvd with switchable subtitles. (Anyone who gets the "Error, large source mismatch found in pass 2 starting at frame:0, count :1 frames" during the 2nd pass go to Settings 3>Check use lossless file and that's fixed.) I used HCenc because I also had to fix overscan and I don't know how to add AviSynth script to AVStoDVD. Now to try this and then I'll come back again. DVDStyler doesn't like .sub so I converted it back to .srt by doing this. You may want to unistall IE if you try that because it doesn't let SubResync open. Also to make sure everything's correct I opened it in Microsoft Word. Anyways, awesome. Now I know how to convert PAL -> NTSC completely with overscan fix and softsubs for DVD. Thank you all.

Audio (.ac3)
1. Open MeGUi
2. Browse for Audio Input. Select the video/audio file you want to convert audio from.
3. Config. NicAudio, Keep Original Channels, Slow-down (25 to 23.976) (This is PAL to NTSC), Bitrate 448. Ok.
4. Extension AC3. Queue.
That's all for audio.

Video (.m2v)
1. Go to the Bitrate Calculator.
2. Add all your new NTSC audio times together. This is your new Video length.
3. Audio Bitrate 448
5. Advanced Mode>ISO 200
6. The Calculated Bitrate is your video bitrate. You will need this number later.
7. Open FitCD for overscan fix.
8. Copy Settings. Under MPEG Resizing it has both PAL checked. To convert it to NTSC video uncheck the PAL on the right.
9. Open HCgui.
10. Input AVISynth script .avs
11. Output YourFileName.m2v
12. Log YourFileName.log
13. Average bitrate. Enter your video bitrate from the Bitrate Calculator here.
Maximum bitrate 9000.
14. Profile. Best.
15. Aspect Ratio. Pick the one your original video was in. Either 4:3 or 16:9.
16. Make DVD compliant.
17. Encode.

Mux (.mpg)
1. Open Imago-MPEG Muxer.
2. Browse for audio and video.
3. Mux.

Subtitles (.srt)
1. http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/how_to_sync_subtitles.cfm
2. http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/convert_subtitles_from_sub-idx_to_srt.cfm

DVDStyler (Custom DVD Menu) + Softsubs
Tahoma is a great, clear subtitle font.

[manono]

I used HCenc because I also had to fix overscan and I don't know how to add AviSynth script to AVStoDVD.

AVS2DVD sets up its own scripts. I believe it also has an overscan option. And if it doesn't, I believe you can edit the script it creates to add in black bars all around (a bad idea, if you ask me, unless maybe you have poorly placed hardsubs getting cut off). I don't use the program myself, and since you've already got working scripts, I don't know why you don't do the whole thing yourself. Create the scripts, do the encoding and pulldown, and author.

You can ask in the AVS2DVD thread about accounting for overscan.

[jman98]

Unless you are one of those idiots who places no value at all on their spare time as long as they don't have to spend any money, my rule applies - if you have to do an NTSC<->PAL conversion more than twice, you're better off buying a converting DVD player and getting on with your life.