Need help converting H.264 MP4 to AVI for DVD creation

[pcapone]

I have an MP4 from a movie that I am wanting to convert to AVI so I can create a custom DVD with menus etc. The problem is it wont convert right. I dont have my settings correct. I am still trying to learn about the different containers / codecs. Can someone here lend me a hand? I will paste the details below for the MP4 file using MediaInfo (alot of the info I dont understand yet). I need to know what settings on the Conversion app to set so it works correctly and of course will work fine in a DVD player.

As for apps I went with the ones that take care of everything so I dont have to do each process individually. I will get to that point though im sure. I see a lot of guys here use separate apps for each process for the best results.

The apps I have installed are - MP4Cam2AVI_v2.99, Format Factory, HandBrake (the 0.9.3 version that still allows .avi) and I also downloaded Avidemux 2.6 to toy with when I get to that point ill need it. Its a bit more in depth though and im not that experienced yet.

For creating DVD I use DIKO ver 247 and DVD Lab Pro (latest). DIKO works great for me but has some bugs. I would like to find another All In One DVD Converter that is easy to use and outputs the same files that I can use in DVD Lab Pro and other software similar.

MediaInfo Details:

General
Complete name : D:\videos\Sci-Fi Mystery Eng Subs 720p [H264-mp4]\Sci-Fi Mystery Eng Subs 720p [H264-mp4].mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42/isom/avc1)
File size : 1.30 GiB
Duration : 1h 42mn
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 817 Kbps
Movie name : Sci-Fi Mystery Eng Subs 720p [H264-mp4]
Genre : Mystery
Recorded date : 2005
Encoded date : UTC 2015-02-17 00:36:35
Tagged date : UTC 2015-02-17 09:55:55
Encoded by : TBox
Languages : English
Subtitles : English

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1h 42mn
Bit rate : 1 700 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 512 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.500
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 23.976 (23976/1000) fps
Minimum frame rate : 23.810 fps
Maximum frame rate : 24.390 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.108
Stream size : 1.22 GiB (94%)
Writing library : x264 core 130 r2273 b3065e6
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:-1:-1 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=6 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1700 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=62500 / vbv_bufsize=78125 / nal_hrd=none / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : UTC 2015-02-17 00:36:35
Tagged date : UTC 2015-02-17 02:08:49
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709
Menus : 4

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 1h 42mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 112 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 219 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Frame rate : 46.875 fps (1024 spf)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 82.3 MiB (6%)
Title : Stereo
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2015-02-17 00:36:35
Tagged date : UTC 2015-02-17 02:08:48

Text
ID : 3
Format : Timed Text
Muxing mode : sbtl
Codec ID : tx3g
Duration : 1h 35mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 55 bps
Stream size : 38.2 KiB (0%)
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Alternate group : 2
Encoded date : UTC 2015-02-17 00:36:35
Tagged date : UTC 2015-02-17 02:04:57

Menu
ID : 4
Codec ID : text
Duration : 1h 42mn
Encoded date : UTC 2015-02-17 00:36:35
Tagged date : UTC 2015-02-17 02:08:49
Menu For : 1
00:00:00.000 : First Time I Died


Any help is much appreciated!

[videobruger]

You need to convert your MP4 to a DVD compliant MPG file - not AVI. And you need to pad the video to get 16:9 aspect.

Perhaps try AVStoDVD.

[pcapone]

You need to convert your MP4 to a DVD compliant MPG file - not AVI. And you need to pad the video to get 16:9 aspect.

Perhaps try AVStoDVD.

Im not going directly to DVD. The dvd creation app I use is DIKO and it wont let me import mp4 files. It just allows AVI and D2V. After its done I take the MPA and MPV files and put them in DVD Lab to create menus etc. What should I do? How can I properly convert the mp4? I want to keep as much quality from the MP4 as possible.

What do you mean by padding the video?

Thanks for your reply

[Baldrick]

You can use avstodvd to convert your mp4 to a mpg that you can import in dvd-lab as videobruger mentions.

In AvstoDVD just select Output->Muxed MPG2 Stream. Or as separate video and audio streams, Output->Elementary MPEG2 Streams.

[pcapone]

Thanks videobruger and Baldrick I will give that a try tonight. I just got so use to using DIKO I wanted to find a way for AVI.

[pcapone]

I just tried to start AVStoDVD and when it opened at the bottom it said something about taking a look at my codecs. When i clicked it said i had Microsofts enabled which shouldnt be right. I installed ffdshow then installed LAV (which I already had installed) and restarted AVStoDVD. Got the same error again. I pulled up the settings box like it suggested and tried to select LAV and it gave me an error which i posted screenshot of below. I thought when you installed those they took ownership. I downloaded this http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=146910 which allows me to change settings but I dont want to do that yet incase its just something simple. After loading into the program it said I dont have AVISynth installed and I do. I reinstalled it too, reloaded AVStoDVD and still the same error. When installing AVISynth the first time and it got to the window asking for install folder location it had C:\Program Files (x86)\DIKO\AVISynth which is odd. So I went ahead and changed it to C:\Program Files (x86)\AVISynth and continued installing.

Any Ideas whats going on?

Screenshot:

[pcapone]

Also which should I stick with FFDshow or LAV? Which is better and more compatible?

[pcapone]

Ok I think I fixed the issue..

Now when I load it the log shows:

'20:33:06' AVStoDVD Release 2.8.3 loaded!
'20:33:06' AviSynth 2.6.0 is installed ("C:\Windows\system32\avisynth.dll").
'20:33:06' ffdshow 1.3.4532 32bit is installed ("C:\Program Files (x86)\ffdshow\ffdshow.ax").
'20:33:06' LAV Filters 0.68.0 is installed ("C:\Program Files (x86)\LAV Filters\x86\LAVVideo.ax").
'20:33:06' Warning! Having both ffdshow and LAV Filters installed may cause media decoding instability! Please consider removing one of them.
'20:33:06' ImgBurn 2.5.8 is installed ("C:\Program Files (x86)\ImgBurn\ImgBurn.exe").
'20:33:06' New AVStoDVD Project started!

So it seems its recognizing LAV, FFDshow, and AVISynth. Problem is when i load up that WinDSFilterTweaker application (the one in the link i posted) it still shows everything as Microsoft.

[Baldrick]

And did avstodvd create any video files?

[pcapone]

It created video and audio file. The quality is good, not quite as sharp as the original but you cant really tell unless you look carefully.

Is it ok to leave both ffdshow and LAV on my machine or should I remove one? If I remove one which is the best to keep?

and should i change the settings in the box for each to ffdshow or LAV? Which would be the ones i should change?

[Baldrick]

I would use default settings.

[pcapone]

AVStoDVD said I should keep one or the other (LAV, ffdshow) because having both installed could possibly cause issues when encoding. I have both installed now. I figured when installing them they would take control and my system would have them set as the default. That app shows otherwise.

[pcapone]

My new problem now is AVStoDVD made the files to large. I go over the limit when importing the video and audio file into DVD Lab Pro. I assume i need to compress more somehow?

[videobruger]

AVStoDVD automatically uses the bitrate to fully use it's target - as long as the bitrate don't exceed the max allowed.

DVD-lab Pro probably reserve space for menues. If you got elementary streams you could re-encode the audio at a lower bitrate.

Or in AVStoDVD right click -> Edit title and turn off "Auto video setup" and "Auto BitRate Calculation" and set a lower bitrate.

[pcapone]

Ok ill give that a try and see if it drops it down a bit in size.

What about setting a custom DVD size? Will that work?

[davexnet]

Ok ill give that a try and see if it drops it down a bit in size.

What about setting a custom DVD size? Will that work?

That's just confusing things. If you're using a regular dvd use dvd-5, if it's dual layer, use dvd-9.


Take the rate that AVStoDVD calculates for the video and try reducing it by about 5% and see if that works.

[pcapone]

Ok ill give that a try and see if it drops it down a bit in size.

What about setting a custom DVD size? Will that work?

That's just confusing things. If you're using a regular dvd use dvd-5, if it's dual layer, use dvd-9.

Would it work though? Changing the Disc size? Or what if I were to do something like compress it a bit when its done converting?

Take the rate that AVStoDVD calculates for the video and try reducing it by about 5% and see if that works.

Where do I find that?

[videobruger]

Would it work though? Changing the Disc size?

Yes

Or what if I were to do something like compress it a bit when its done converting?

You don't want to that. Every compression is a drop in quality.

Where do I find that?

(But I don't understand the need for DVD-lab Pro and a custom menu since you only have one title. Making a DVD from AVStoDVD (using the output will not re-compress) and not entering the Menu Editor will give you a menuless DVD that will start playing when inserted in a DVD player)

[pcapone]

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the help. I am still learning everything.

The reason I want Menu's is because im learning about them still and it makes for a more professional look. You can sit there with your friends and be like "hey i made this".

I selected elementary streams to use so i've audio and video and when I factor in the 5% decrease it is still too big. Can i drop it more without hurting anything?

To me it just seems easier to change the size of the DVD by 1000mb or bit more. I just dont want it to change anything with the quality.

[videobruger]

To me it just seems easier to change the size of the DVD by 1000mb or bit more

That's quit a lot. If it's question of space for menu the menu file can't exceed 1 GB which for a menu with motion would be 15+ min.

The reason I want Menu's is because im learning about them still and it makes for a more professional look

While DVD-lab is powerfull I consider it rather complicated for a novice and requiring good knowledge about DVD-video.

I made a short video on how it could be done in DVDStyler which could be a way to start. The menu here is 13 MB.

[pcapone]

Perhaps I should set the Disc size higher then. So far I am catching onto DVD-Lab pretty well. Still a novice but I am falling for it. It does all I need and now that I know its true potential its hard wanting to switch gears and go with something else.

I will check out your guide and DVDStyler. Thanks for your help

[pcapone]

To me it just seems easier to change the size of the DVD by 1000mb or bit more

That's quit a lot. If it's question of space for menu the menu file can't exceed 1 GB which for a menu with motion would be 15+ min.

The reason I want Menu's is because im learning about them still and it makes for a more professional look

While DVD-lab is powerfull I consider it rather complicated for a novice and requiring good knowledge about DVD-video.

I made a short video on how it could be done in DVDStyler which could be a way to start. The menu here is 13 MB.

Great tutorial videobruger. DVDStyler looks pretty easy to use and that menu didnt take up very much space. I now have motion menu's figured out for thumbnails on DVD-Lab. I wonder if there is a way to set it where when you hover over a chapter thumbnail it plays the video clip instead of all thumbnails playing at once. Does DVDStyler do anything similar to this?

[_Al_]

I wonder if there is a way to set it where when you hover over a chapter thumbnail it plays the video clip instead of all thumbnails playing at once.

DVD specifications does not have pop up feature, DVD specifications understand only video and audio playing at once and if user hovers over button, defined by its highlight (that defined rectangle) only subpicture with max 3 colors could pop up. Just like you saw those flags poping up in that menu tutorial you saw. Btw. There is no difference between that (menu subpicture) and subtitles in title, same principle, subtitles are subpicture also. You can draw those 3 color subpictures during movie playback (title) or if user hovers over it etc. It is called button over video. Subtitles are basically special case for button over video, meaning no user interaction is expected, they are just shown on screen. Once you realize those things get easier also.

So if you'd want to have that effect, you'd need basically jump into other PGC (menu or title) to play completely new video on screen, you can jump if user just hovers over button, there is function for that, for every thumbnail (button), you'd need to generate those videos in advance as new menus. It is possible, but cumbersome, lots and lots of menus and each jump would take some time, DVD makes a noise, etc., not much practical at all.

[videobruger]

Does DVDStyler do anything similar to this?

Kind of.

As action for a button DVDStyler has a function called "Autoexecute command by select".

Consider this case. You have a menu with 3 buttons to choose between 3 titles. You start with a menu having button 1 animated and stills for the other 2. The action for button 1 would be playing a title and the action for the other 2 would be to invoke a new menu with that button animated.

However you can't "hover" over a button. A DVD player is not a computor and can not hover. You need to navigate to the button.

But as _Al_ I would consider this impractical. (But perhaps not that cumbersom with few buttons as you can copy menus and then edit them accordingly)

[pcapone]

Thanks guys I understand. If I ever do give it a try I will consult you 2. For now having all thumbnails play video is good enough.

Ok back to the original problem here. Converting the mp4 over to AVI / mpg. I have tried AVStoDVD, HandBrake and Xmedia Recode converting it to AVI then loading up in DIKO to process and also AVStoDVD converting it to mpg loading to DVD-LAB. The problem now is I can get everything to output the files fine but when I play them the audio has issues. One time the audio just stopped playing after 15mins and just made a ticking noise. Another time the audio played up to about 1 hour through the video then I had no audio at all anymore. Yet another time it played up to a certain point in the movie then everything became out of sync. The audio and video werent matching up so i had audio or video playing faster than the other.

The original mp4 doesnt do this and a converted AVI i have doesnt do this either. I was thinking of trying one more time converting the good AVI to mpg with xmedia recode then just loading that directly to DVD-LAB and seeing if it will come out alright.

Ideas why I am getting the audio problems?

[pcapone]

The original video is 1280x512 should i change the output to 720x480 and change it to 16:9 ?

[videobruger]

Ideas why I am getting the audio problems?

Not really. Your source has Variable Frame Rate which sometimes gives problem - but I would be surprised if that's the case for AVStoDVD.

I was thinking of trying one more time converting the good AVI to mpg

You really should avoid re-encoding more than once since ever (loosy) re-encode means a loss in quality.

You could try re-muxing the original source with AviDemux. Use "Copy" for Video-/Audio-output and Avi-muxer for "Output format" and try that in DIKO (which I know nothing about)

[Cornucopia]

The original video is 1280x512 should i change the output to 720x480 and change it to 16:9 ?

If you want the image aspect ratios to all remain the same, you'll have to pad with black the 512 with 104 pixels above and 104 pixels below, to give you 1280x720 (now 16:9, even though the image is still 2.5:1).
Then convert to 720x480 with a 16:9 DAR and it'll look proper upon playback (though a bit softer, obviously). This all assumes your 1280x512 is all just image (with no letterboxing already) and is 1:1 PAR (expected for most HD sources).

Yes, that's a lot of padding. No, there's no other way around it if you want that wide of an image AR.

Scott

[_MrC_]

@pcapone

Go back to Preferred DirectShow Filters tool and select LAV Filters (or ffdshow) insted of Microsoft. Very likely the audio issues will disappear.



Bye

[_MrC_]

If you still have problems, post here the full AVStoDVD project log file



Bye