So many encoders! What do they all do ?.

[ABAB]

Only been playing with encoding for a week or two with varying degrees of success.
My problem is this.........I've got loads of bits of software and I'm not sure what it all does..Doh!,a combination of bad house keeping and getting a bit carried away. Can anyone simplify them for me.

avi2mpg2
TMPGEnc.....I know this is my basic encoder, I think I can use this OK.
Virtual dub........can't get this sucker to work without error messages
Scmpx
Divfix
MPEG Corrector
VCD Easy

Cheers all

[SatStorm]

avi2mpg2: Don't use it

TMPGEnc: Buy the plus version. It costs 48$ and yes, it is the encoder. Needs tons of reading to fully understand how it works.

Virtual dub: It is the best program for analogue capture and one of the best programs made ever in general for free on the Internet. Need much reading to learn it. Also dislikes some things. Best use it with Win98SE and win2K.

Scmpx: audio encoder. TMPGenc use is as external audio encoder and sample converter. Best use when you up/down sample: 44100 to 48000 and vice versa

MPEG Corrector: fix mpeg files. I don't like it, it gives me more problems when I use it, but maybe I am unlucky with it....

VCD Easy: Authoring program for the creation of advance VCD/SVCDs. Also eliminates some compatibility problems with certain DVD standalones

You also need:
mpeg2vcd: A good mpeg 2 editor
TooLAME: Audio Encoder to mp2.
BitCalculator: Download the bitrate calculator of this site
DVD2AVI: Amazing Tool. Most it is used as frameserver
DVD2SVCD: A fronter to program many other programs all in once so to encode a DVD to SVCD/VCD

Finally, keep reading the guides in this forum. In 6 months you gonna be an expert!

[ABAB]

SatStorm.
Many thx, you the man.
Like you say, keep reading, asking and playing around and I'll get there.

[KingJohn]

Only been playing with encoding for a week or two with varying degrees of success.
My problem is this.........I've got loads of bits of software and I'm not sure what it all does..Doh!,a combination of bad house keeping and getting a bit carried away. Can anyone simplify them for me.

avi2mpg2
TMPGEnc.....I know this is my basic encoder, I think I can use this OK.
Virtual dub........can't get this sucker to work without error messages
Scmpx
Divfix
MPEG Corrector
VCD Easy

Cheers all

Best to get rid of them all try and use the main 2 programs for everything, Vdub and TMPGEnc may be the only tools you will ever need for encoding, oh and a lot of codec's

Vdub is very good, are you getting error messages each time you load it, or when you try to load a movie into it ?. Missing codec's will not let you edit anything...

Vdib will fix bad frames, fix audio, join/split AVI and finally its ready to be converted by TMPGEnc...

[mr2damn]

i fully agree with King.... i too when starting out... like you read a bunch of guides and downloaded the tools they said to download... Now i find i only use a couple of them. Vdub and TMP are mainstays.... for faster encoding with equal or slightly better quality... i use CCE-SP 2.6, Bitrate Viewer 1.5, and a good program to find out the codec used in a file, AVIcodec by P. Duby Productions... NOT P. Diddy.

[ABAB]

'V Dub has detected an improper VBR blah blah and will attempt......'

That's the(or part of) error message I get when I try to load a file.

How do I use the codecs I've got with power DVD 4 to help me with encoding?. Or how do I install the Mpeg2 plug in to TMPGEnc?.

Bear with me guys

[mr2damn]

is this a mpg file or avi file? to me...it sounds like a combination of both or your avi file has varible bitrate audio. what version of vdub are u using? tmpge is fine the way it is...no plug-ins needed. Once u have your file prep'd with vdub...then tmpge is used to properly encode it to mpeg1or 2. the new version of tmpge has nice vcd and dvd compliant profiles built-in... just click LOAD and open the right .mcf template. piece and good luck. oh back to your error message... me personally would first demux the error-causing file and then import the resulting video stream into vdub. holla

[ABAB]

I'm using 1.4.10.
'VBR audio stream detected' is the error heading. I'm trying to load a .avi.

Would I get away with just using TMPGEnc for splitting and converting my files??
I don't get along with V Dub at all.

[mr2damn]

i think your in need for virtualdub 1.2 or 1.3 like i needed a couple weeks ago... this in not readily availble with the release of 1.4. so u have to ..like i always say...search the net for it. HINT type "download virtualdub 1.2" in google search and work your way thru the links to find site that has this verision on there download server. if u cant find it...bug me and i'll put it in my kazaa shared folder. You DO use kazaa , dont u? lol tmpge splitting[demux] and joining [mux] only works with mpeg files, bro. piece n good luck. btw..i think your file used to be an .asf or wmv file in a past life!

[ABAB]

Kazaa lite and WinMx my friend.
TMPGenc.....split and cut Mpgs'
V Dub. ........split and cut everything else.....right?

I'm gonna do a quick search for a newer version.

BTW my learned friend, one error msg I had was re:an asf file and should be converted.

I'll be back

[mr2damn]

bro! not newer! lol :P ... older! u got the newest... which is NOT asf supported...u need an outdated version... 1.2 or 1.3...which is asf ok. win mx is still working? i used to use that... didnt have multiple source downloads then. oh well...that outside of this forum and dont get fustrated with Vdub...i too was there. it can do soo much...it gets to be confusing... just work on using the basics... then u can graduate to using all the video filters built-in or ones peeps have made for it. Im still learning. and yes your right about vdub[avi] and tmpge[mpeg]

[ABAB]

Got 1.3 installed.

I can now load my film but I can't save my audio as WAV. Talk me through it please please please please.

TA

[SatStorm]

There always a need for some programs in this hobby:

- A grabber/ripper
- A frameserver
- A Bitrate calculator
- An Encoder
- An Editor
- An authoring program
- A Burning sofware

So, I stay with my statement and also strongly suggest anyone reading the guides

[mr2damn]

i am assuming you want to end up with a VideoCD compliant file to burn to disc right? if thats the case... do this: under the top menus, VIDEO select Direct Stream Copy. AUDIO select Full Processing. AUDIO select Conversion and make sure u have 44.1, 16bit, stereo. [advice: if u change one of these in this window... change the rest of them to the correct one also. meaning dont change one and leave the rest on No Change] then AUDIO select Compression and choose PCM 44.1, 16bit, stereo. now go to FILE and Save Avi... Name it and Save it!... now you should have an avi u can plug into tmpge. Select a VideoCD compliant template and encode! i burn my videoCD's with Nero newest version... cuz it will analyze the mpeg1 file to make sure it is fully compatible. piece n good luck... anywayz, this will give u an avi with a wav audio stream, bro. holla

[ABAB]

When I go to audio I have no PCM 44.1 16 bit stereo. Up to then all is OK

[mr2damn]

under which menu are u talking about... Conversion or Compression?

[ABAB]

Compression

[mr2damn]

strange...but if thats the case compress in PCM as close to them as possible... do u have any pcm options? just make sure when u mpeg it u have 44.1 16bit 224bitrate audio in tmpge

[ABAB]

There's loads of options starting from
No compression
ACELP.net

Down to

Windows media audio V2

[ABAB]

When I try to save the WAV the error msg is......
ACM failed to suggest decompression format...............or something close.

[ABAB]

Gotta hit the sack, I'll check back tomorrow for your pearls of wisdom.

Thx for help so far.

(Leeds Utd 1-0 Dodgy Russians.........1st step on the road to glory)

[mr2damn]

click FILE and then File Information... this should tell you what the audio and video properties are...

[KingJohn]

'V Dub has detected an improper VBR blah blah and will attempt......'

That's the(or part of) error message I get when I try to load a file.

How do I use the codecs I've got with power DVD 4 to help me with encoding?. Or how do I install the Mpeg2 plug in to TMPGEnc?.

Bear with me guys

This warning is given when the audio is a Variable Bit Rate (VBR). VDub also says that it will add a skew to the audio video, if this is not acceptable.....

So if you make no changes to this AVI, you need not worry just load it as normal into TMPGEnc for conversion, The problem arises when there are junk frames, these will cause a lip sync, so its necessary to save out the audio to prevent this.

If there is no problems found in the AVI, then there is no reason to save out the audio

Audio > full processing mode
Audio > conversion > 44.1Khz
SAVE WAV

Or

Audio > Direct stream copy
SAVE WAV
Now process the WAV further with something like www.goldwave.com

Any decompression problems in Vdub are usually associated with a missing codec.

Power DVD 4, only provided a Mpeg 2 codec, this is not used or supported in Vdub (It wont load Mpeg 2)

[ABAB]

Audio > Direct stream copy
SAVE WAV


That worked, I could save WAV by doing it that way. The other option you mentioned didn't work.
I'm going to check that link out now.

Cheers

I'll be back very soon no doubt.

[KingJohn]

What codecs do you have installed, do you have any missing ?

Vdub > File > file info
Do you have those installed ?