Creating XVCD-DVD using DVD workshop

[Craig Tucker]

I would like to fit the entire first season of friends onto 1 DVD. To do this I have calculated that I need a video bitrate of 950kbps and audio bitrate of 160kbps, this should get the 533 minutes to fit with a bit to spare.

DVD workshop has no problem with an mpeg file created with TMPGEnc with this bitrate if I use CBR encoding.

However to try and maximise the quality and still get it to fit, I would like to use VBR encoding, min 500, avg 950, max 2500. However, DVD workshop reencodes mpeg files with these settings.

Does anyone know the reason why DVD workshop will accept the CBR encodes but not the VBR.

I have noticed 1 anomaly which is probrably related, if you right click on the mpeg files in DVD workshop you can view the file properties. The CBR file bitrate shows as being 950kbps, but the VBR file bitrate shows as being 104857kbps.

Has anyone tried to do anything similar and got it to work with a different authoring application.

[Craig Tucker]

Solved my own problem, it works if I encode to mpeg2 VBR, mpeg1 VBR doesn't work.

[EricB]

Craig,

How do you get Workshop to create an XVCD? I have them encoded CBR and it still re-encodes. I also have the "Do not convert compliant file" checked.

[Craig Tucker]

Is the audio 48Khz and does the format of the video you want to use match the format you are using in workshop ntsc-pal

[Craig Tucker]

In the end I decided to use mpeg1 cbr, I was having audio sync problems creating the mpeg2 vbr files in tmpgen, by this time it was 3am and I just couldn't be bothered to fiddle about with it any more. To be honest the source isn't that great and I couln't tell the difference between the vbr and cbr encodes anyway.

[Craig Tucker]

Craig,

How do you get Workshop to create an XVCD? I have them encoded CBR and it still re-encodes. I also have the "Do not convert compliant file" checked.

Just to clarify things as I thing we may be trying to do different things here. I am creating XVCD-DVD, not XVCD. So I am authoring as DVD not VCD. If you use workshop to author as VCD anything other than 1150kbps will be non compliant, and it will reencode it. I havn't actually tried using worksop for making XVCD authored as VCD, so I am not certain on this, but I am making the assumption that this is the case.

[Craig Tucker]

Just to keep you all informed, managed to get the entire first season of friends to fit on 1 disc using mpeg1 cbr 950kbps and audio 48Khz 160kbps. Bit of a close call though final disc image was 4,668,915,712 bytes :P

[Darth-Mike]

Hello. This might not be the right thread but It is related.

I'm trying to make a VCD with DVD workshop but I chose to use 160 instead of 224 for the audio bitrate. Workshop wants to reencode It but I dont want to. I tried to make a VCD disc template but It is impossible to do It since It doesn't let me change any parameters. All the options are grayed out. I read about checking the "Do not convert compliant file" option but I can't find It.

Could anyone help me? Thanks for your time.

[Craig Tucker]

Workshop will only allow you to author standard compliant VCD's. Any change from the VCD spec such as changing bitrates means you would be creating an XVCD which you cant do with workshop. What I did was create an XVCD-DVD, so I was authoring for DVD not VCD. If you want to create XVCD you will need to use another authoring application which allows this.

[Darth-Mike]

Thanks Craig, I was aware you were authoring for DVD and not CD-R. This is a mayor flaw since Ulead's DVD movie Factory allows you to do that but doesn't offer the convenience of custom menus other than templates that Workshop offers.

I guess I'll have to reencode. Thanks for your time!