help on converting a .DAT file to an .MPG?????

[wookstar]

This maybe a dumb question but since switching to OS X Jaguar I can't convert any dat files from a vcd CD-R to mpeg on my G4. I either forgot, or i am having a brain fart. I have tried using VCD Gear, but it doesn't work. Anyone know the solution to this problem??
Any help would be great.
Thanks.

[pmcd]

This maybe a dumb question but since switching to OS X Jaguar I can't convert any dat files from a vcd CD-R to mpeg on my G4. I either forgot, or i am having a brain fart. I have tried using VCD Gear, but it doesn't work. Anyone know the solution to this problem??
Any help would be great.
Thanks.

Hmm...once you get the .dat file onto the hard drive you can just rename the extension to .mpg . That works for me . Am I missing something?

philip

[wookstar]

thats right.
My brain was sleeping, thanks for the reminder.

[havema-1]

> Hmm...once you get the .dat file onto the hard drive you can just rename the extension to .mpg

AFAIK .dat contains some additional navigation information the SVCD needs. The original .mpg doesn't have this extra info but I guess it doesn't matter?

FWIW, I have retrieved MPEG2s form SVCDs with MissingMediaBurner:

a) MissingMediaBurner has to compete with the Finder for access to the CDR(W) so put a blank CDR(W) to the CD-burner but leave the drive tray still open. In MissingMediaBurner choose Device: CD-R/RW, Driver: generic-mmc-raw (you may have to experiment with your setup). Choose the Output Folder in the RIP DISK panel, check Raw mode, press the Rip-button and immediately close the CD-burner's tray.

You get something like mycd.bin as an output file. Launch GNU vcdtoolsX and use its vcdXrip to open mycd.bin and generate *.mpg files that you can author and re-burn as SVCDs with VCD Builder and Toast.

<http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/.Public/MissingMediaBurner.sit>
<http://www.sbpr.a.se/systemjammers/index.html>

b) Alternatively you can use VCD Copy X (donationware) to rip the tracks off of a VCD or SVCD as *.dat files, which can AFAIK just be renamed as *.mpg and re-burned as SVCDs.

<http://www.cs.ucla.edu/~nathanst/software/vcdcopyx/>

If necessary, you can demultiplex the *.dat or *.mpg files with MoreMissingTools' MPG demux or FFmpeg X, remultiplex and reuse them as *.mpg files.

<http://homepage.mac.com/rnc/.Public/MoreMissingTools.sit>

MissingMediaBurner seems to be faster than VCD Copy X but is there a better/easier way?