I was wondering if TMPGENC can create an MPG file that I can burn to an SVCD. The input will be:

32kbps mono audio (many hours of me speaking)
Many stills of pictures I took (one per audio file).

I would like to make a compliant SVCD so I will need MPEG 1 layer II audio I assume. One audio file will be about 20 minutes (it is in wav format now). And during the playback of the MP2 audio file I would like to see the still. I would also like to be able to browse the stills and hear the commentary associated with each still. I have the authoring part to figure out later. Right now I need help with the encoding the stills and audio to SVCD standard.

So far I have created a MPG file with the proper audio stream I think. The video I am not sure about. Can I just use JPGs rather than video?

I also want to cram as many files onto the CD as possible. I assume the stills will only take up 200 kb. Video versions of the stills would be significantly larger and less desirable.

If anyone has any helpful suggestions please forward them and thanks.

John

You basicly want to make a Photo VCD ,I suppose in theory it might be possible useing Tmpgenc But you would be better off use a program that is specificly made for makeing Photo VCD"s..Maybe something like this would be better:
http://www.nu2.nu/photovcd/

Well the software you mentioned does not allow audio. And others only allow WAV (too large bitrate). I would like the SVCD + audio option since according to the SVCD spec I can go as low as 32kbps in the audio stream (MPEG 1 Layer II). The video stream will be a black image but the minimal video stream bitrate is not puplished anywhere. They just state "up to 2500kbps". Does that mean I can create a video stream in TMPGENC with a videobitrate of 1kbps?

I have created photoVCD's before with just stills. With this project the audio and video stream specificationss are making if not so straight forward. But I think the long way is the only way at this point.

Le me move on to another related question then? How can I easily create a blank video stream that matches (in length) the audio stream in TMPGENC?

John

You can"t do any of this with Tmpgenc...What you would need to do is basicly get a Good Video editing Program and use your Images and Place them on the Timeline and sync them up with the audio track you are useing and once the Project looks the way you like on the Timeline you would render the Project as an AVI file and then you can encode it to SVCD with Tmpgenc...There is No way to Arrange Pictures so they Play for a certain amount of time and to sync them up with the audio in Tmpgenc......

Thanks for the help. I have come to the same conclusion myself. One benefit of all this tinkering is that I have become quite good at rendering compliant SVCD's.

Cheerio,
John

>Le me move on to another related question then? How can I easily create a blank video stream that matches (in length) the audio stream in TMPGENC?

This is possible with TMPG.

Simply load your audio into the Audio field, but make sure the Video field is clear.
Select a low bitrate or even 0 kb/s will do and any another settings you require.
Select stream type - 'System (Video+Audio)' and encode.

Thanks ASHY! I am doing that as I speak. I will let the group know later. I am testing to see how low I can go before my DVD player rejects the bitrate.

John

Well it worked! Sort of. But the file ended up being 27 MB for 22 minutes of audio. I have not tried it in a stand alone player yet but WMP plays it with a 3x3 matrix of pixels fluttering around like a butterfly. Maybe that is WMP doing that since the video source was left empty.

FYI: The audio was encoded as MPEG 1 layer II, mono, 32kbps, 44100Hz. The video was set to 1 kbps. Looks like TMPGENC is overriding my video settings and using something in the order of 150kbps for the blank video. Maybe padding?

John

You shouldn't be seeing this effect in mediaplayer. This is being caused by something else not the bitrate.
Even at 0 kb/s it should play fine in media player.

Make sure before you encode that the under the 'system' tab you set the stream type to 'MPEG1 system(automatic)' or if you intend to play it on a DVD player 'MPEG 1 VCD(non standard)'.

Also depending on your DVD player it may require you to use a bitrate of at least 300kb/s or in some cases some have problems with any less than the standard bitarate.

You may have to use window movie maker or premiere to add those still pictures on desired timeline and then frame serve it to Tmpgenc to encode it into SVCD with still pictures and audios.

I was contemplating ordering the AC-3 Plug-in when I saw that it requires not just one Activation, but apparently repeated activation.

Looking at the Pegasys website it mentions things such as 'When the expiration date is near, if you haven't chosen [Update License automatically from next time], you will need to update the license validation file manually.
A period is set, while you can update your License even after the expiration. -But after that period, you will have to do the verification procedure from the start.'.

So, not only do you have to 'activate' the plug-in at install time, but you have to keep re-activating it on a periodic basis.

I don't enjoy the prospect of having to turn off my firewall periodically to allow the software to 'phone home' and commune with its server (sending who knows what information in addition to your email and Name that they already mention...).

I'm sorry, but this goes too far for me, and I am not planning on buying the AC-3 plugin as a result.

I bought TmpGenc, and DVD Author, but I think this goes too far. I resent the whole activation attitude of:

*) We all must be crooks.

*) You have to do the 'Mother may I' act (repeatedly in this case) to
beg to continue to use the software you've already payed to use.

and last but not least

*) In my experience, something ALWAYS goes wrong eventually that prevents you from using your software (in a 'legal' manner of course). Whether it's dongles (had problems with those), or Activation bugs/'features' (had those), it always makes life hard for the legitimate user, and usually has negligible effect on 'real' pirates... I've got to believe they either already have a crack for this, or are working on one.

I'm certainly not trying to condone software piracy in any way, shape or form, but the rising tide of 'Activation' garbage just rubs me the wrong way.

-Greg Bohn

I have bought the AC3 plugin and I am very annoyed by this continuous verification and need to be on line (or the AC3 plugin is not active).
I have officially complained to support. I have bought TMPGEnc Plus, DVD Author and the AC3 plugin and I feel I got trapped with this AC3 plugin. I have also Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3 with the AC3 plugin and Nero with another AC3 plugin and none of them is bothering me with this relentless on line license check.

Sorry TMPG you are going too far..

Sorin (a Customer)

When I try to convert a file in MPEG2-format to MPEG1, TMPGEnc always adds noice (a constant ringing sound) to the recording that isn't there in the original file. Has anyone else experienced this problem or does anyone know how to solve it.
I've tried with noice reduction, but it doesn't help. Probably because it is the program itself that puts the noice there in the first place.

You Mean in the audio right?? Noise reduction is for the Video not the audio so it will not help..try this ,Before encodeing your files go to "Options" to "Enviromental settings" to "Audio Engine" and under "Sample Frequency Converter" choose "High Quality"...this should hopefull improove the audio Quality...Cheers

Hello all. I am trying to conver a XviD .avi file into a Video-CD (PAL). The audio and video are in 1 so thats that. I can play the file in Windows Media Player 9 perfectly fine. I use Video type: Non-interlace & aspect ratio as: 4:3 625 line (PAL). The MAX number of frames in GOP im using is 15. When i get onto the birate setting screen i get the following: http://www.suchco.co.uk/TMPGEnc.bmp <- screenshot. The video is only 43 minutes long. The .avi file is only 248 MB but why does it estimate is as 1.279 gig. When i converted some XviD's into .mpg's (VCD) a few weeks ago using TMPGEnc they were estimated at around 430 MB. Help would be much appreciated. Thanx

Looking at the image you posted it's obvious what the problem is.
TMPG thinks your file is 127min 54sec long instead of 43 mins.

This can happen sometimes with TMPG. A way round it is to enter the expert settings then in the 'source range' function set the beginning and end of the file.

Also to try and cure the root of the problem it is advisable to install FFDSHOW and raise the priority of the 'Directshow file reader' in the VFAPI plugins to 2.

I just want to know a bit more about FFDSHOW before i install it, it wont interfere with ac3 filter or my xvid codec will it? And also raising the priority of the 'Directshow Multimedia File Reader' in the VFAPI plugins fixed the root problem. Your a st*r ashy!

It won't interfere with your Ac3 filter, but it will take over the decoding of your XVID files however it won't affect encoding with XVID. You have the choice within FFDSHOW to disable or enable the AVI's you want it to decode anyway.

FFDSHOW is much better at decoding XVID files than the XVID codec itself and is more compatible with TMPG and other programs.
You will find that XVID ans all you other AVI files will play much better and smoother once FFDSHOW installed. It is especially good for playing raw uncompressed AVI which needs a lot of CPU power. Instead of playing jerky it will be smooth.

>You will find that XVID ans all you other AVI files will play much better and smoother once FFDSHOW installed

Sorry about the typo's it should read:

You will find that XVID and all your other AVI files will play much better and smoother once FFDSHOW is installed.

Hi !

I downloaded TMPGENC just an hour ago to get an idea how it works for producing a single DVD from a private video. After adjusting all settings a window popped up and told me, that "expiration time of 30 days has expired" or similiar.

Now i couldnt test, how it works, and how fine the result will be for me.

Is there anything wrong with my setup or where's the problem ?

Greetings, ACDC

Have you ever installed any version of TMPG before?

hi, I have 400 x 350 dimension avi and i want to convert it to mpg file as same size (400 x 350) in tmpgenc, how to do!

Load 'unlock.mcf' in 'Extra' folder located in the template folder and then change the output size under the 'Video' tab.

Thanks ashy, I tried unlock.mcf thing but i still can't encode 400 x 350 dimension avi file. when i try it, it display error like this...

The resolution of the video is illegal.
> The windows size needs to be set between 8x8 and 4088x4088.
> The width and height of window needs to be multiple of 8.

That's because you cannot use that resolution as it is not divisible by 8.
MPEGs are made up of 8x8 blocks, so any resolution must be a multiple of 8.
The nearsest legal resolution is 400x352.
Be aware though that the resolution you are using does not conform to any standards and thus will NOT play in any DVD/VCD players and probaly will not look right in any media player either because of it's unuusual aspect ratio.

That's because you cannot use that resolution as it is not divisible by 8.
MPEGs are made up of 8x8 blocks, so any resolution must be a multiple of 8.
The nearsest legal resolution is 400x352.
Be aware though that the resolution you are using does not conform to any standards and thus will NOT play in any DVD/VCD players and probably will not look right in any media player either because of it's unuusual aspect ratio.

Thanks again Ashy, I know that this is not vcd or svcd standerd size but I am not using it for making vcd-svcd. I am making one multimedia project in which i have to make this mpg movie, the reason to use tmpgenc is because it's encoding quality and size is good and it has very very good noise reduction filter. "mainconcept mpeg encoder" and "xing mpg encoder" is good and it supports any dimension but it's quality is horrible, that's why I liked Tmpeg encoder. thanks again.

Import Panasonic DMR-E30 created DVD-Rs (not DVD-RAM) into my PC for reauthoring(primarily creating new menus)?

I'm not familiar with the Panasonic, but yes, DVD Author will let you load a "DVD File" (the VOBs from a DVD) and reauthor. I've done this several times with DVDs created on a standalone recorder.

I'm encoding some VCD's from AVI's and when I watch the finished product on a TV screen in my DVD player the top and bottom of the video is slightly cutoff. Its not a HUGE ammount, but its enough so tha the VERY bottom of my subtitles are being cuttof sometimes, although I CAN still read them, I would like for there to be a slight gap between the bottom of the subtitles and the bottom of the screen like the AVI shows.

The AVI's are 512x384 which works out be 4.3 the same as 640x480. I thought if the source was already 4.3 and I put that in TMPenc, and then selected full screen(maintain aspect ratio) I should get full screen video with nothin being cutoff. Am I doing something wrong, or is this just something thats normal with watching a VCD on a TV screen?

>I'm encoding some VCD's from AVI's and when I watch the finished product on a TV screen in my DVD player the top and bottom of the video is slightly cutoff. Its not a HUGE ammount, but its enough so tha the VERY bottom of my subtitles are being cuttof sometimes, although I CAN still read them, I would like for there to be a slight gap between the bottom of the subtitles and the bottom of the screen like the AVI shows.

try centre (keep aspect ratio) if you dont want any cut offs

This is probably a problem with your TV set not TMPG.
It seems your TV has too much overscan. All TV's have a certain amount of overscan to account for slight picture size changes between light and dark scenes.
It seems yours is a tad agressive.

You have two options. Try the suggestion above or use the custom arrange method or have a twiddle with the presets on your TV to correct the overscan.

However if you don't have any technical knowledege of TV's then I wouldn't advise poking around in the back of the TV.

I have been encoding an Anime series from AVI to a DVD-VCD. Everything works fine on all but two of the episodes that I have. They are 512x384 resolution. Each episode is about 23 minutes, abd 240mb's when encoded. For some reason two of the episodes are 625mb after encoding(or close to that, I'm at work and can't see the exact filesizes)and they play without sound. The mpg shows that these episodes are 1h05m when they are supposed to be 23 minutes. Anytime after 23 minutes the video is just black for the remainder of the 1h5m of the video. I've tried rencoding these 2 episodes many times wit different settings, but each time I get the same results. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

use 'source range' in tmpgenc to set your start frame and end frame, meaning you tell tmpgenc exactly what to encode (the 23mins not 1hr), thus cutting out blackness at end of video

>For some reason two of the episodes are 625mb after encoding(or close to that, I'm at work and can't see the exact filesizes)'and they play without sound'

is there no sound thru out the video????

>is there no sound thru out the video????

thru out the 'Whole' video it should read

Or just take the File you allready encoded and just cut the extra Black Video off of the end of the File useing Tmpgenc"s "Merge & Cut"...this way you do Not have to re-encode the file....

>just take the File you allready encoded and just cut the extra Black Video off of the end of the File useing Tmpgenc"s "Merge & Cut"...this way you do Not have to re-encode the file....

or that

Thanks, but the video plays without sound, so cutting off the excess still won't solve the problem.

You need to extract the sound from the file and then input it under the audio setting. To do this, find a program such as avi2wav (get it through dvdrhelp.com). Simply select the file, run the program, and it will spit out a wav file you can input as the sound.

What I do is with exery File I am about to encode I run it through a Little Program Called "Decompress.exe" which turns any AVI with compressed audio into an AVI with Uncompressed audio which solves the Problems Tmpgenc has with some audio formats...Cheers

I have been converting DVDs to VCD, but the completed VCD hesitates at major scene changes, though there is no loss in audio/video synch... I have tried many different configurations for rendering the MPEG-1 file, checked the framerates, GOP settings, etc..., and I've tried different programs for ripping the DVDs and creating the VCDs, so I'm sure the problem is with the TMPGENC, but I can't figure out how to get rid of the hesitation. I use SmartRipper and DVD-Decrypter for ripping, DVD2AVI for frameserving, TMPGENC for creating the MPEG-1 file and VCDEasy or ULead for creating the VCD... Also, I use this on different computers, so I don't think there is a problem there.
Any suggestions would

Could be a field ordering problem. Check whether it should be bottom-field first or top-field first.

No, it's not the field order... that would cause problems throughout the video and alot more problems than I'm experiencing now, thanks though for answering my post!

I have run into this occasionally, and in many of those cases, I had enabled Scene Change Detection. The interruption of normal MPEG GOP stream this seems to cause is just too much for some source video. Re-encoding again without Scene Change Detection enabled eliminated the "jerk" after a scene change.

Also, and this is just a theory of mine, but I wonder sometimes some folks are being too "dogmatic" about forcing FILM mode (ie, with DVD2AVI, for example) when folks create AVI's from NTSC MPEG2 video streams, resulting in "progressive 23.976fps" video that is jerky when encoded with 3:2 pulldown turned on, when encoding that AVI with TMPGEnc. it's not really TMPGEnc's fault.

That might not even apply here, it sounds more like the first thing to me. But that's just a guess.

I am trying to make a VCD out of an AVI movie.

The AVI has got the siza 640x352. When I make the MPEG the size is set to 352x288. BUT when i burn the finished mpeg the movie looses an inch on each side.

I burn the movie with Nero and the settings is also set to 352x288

What to do?

try a different aspect ratio

if you dont want any cut use centre (keep aspect ratio)

Which settings did you use?

Your source is 16:9, so you should use 16:9 display as the source ratio and set the arrange method to 'Fullscreen (keep aspect ratio)'

I have been converting DVDs to VCD, but the completed VCD hesitates at major scene changes, though there is no loss in audio/video synch... I have tried many different configurations for rendering the MPEG-1 file, checked the framerates, GOP settings, etc..., and I've tried different programs for ripping the DVDs and creating the VCDs, so I'm sure the problem is with the TMPGENC, but I can't figure out how to get rid of the hesitation. I use SmartRipper and DVD-Decrypter for ripping, DVD2AVI for frameserving, TMPGENC for creating the MPEG-1 file and VCDEasy or ULead for creating the VCD... Also, I use this on different computers, so I don't think there is a problem there.
Any suggestions would

This Sounds a Lot Like Bitrate Spikes which Tmpgenc is Notorius for...What happens is the Bitrate will Spike when there are any High Actions scenes or any Change in the Complexity of the Image, and when this Happens your DVD Player has to suddenly Spin the VCD Disk Really fast so it can read the Increased Data rate and when it can"t spin it fast enough then Video will Seem to Slow Down for a second while the DVD player Tries to Catch up to the Data rate...I had this Happen at some Point in a Movie with Probably 75% of all of the VCD"s and SVCD"s I made useing Tmpgenc...There are ways to Try to lessen this effect, Like Don"t use a Higher than Standard VCD Bitrate, and don"t use a VBR Encodeing Method ,I eventually Just switched to another encoder because I could not solve this Problem...Cheers

Are you using the standard VCD template or are you using your own settings?
It would help is post some info I.E. frame rate of the source file which format you are encoding to NTSC or PAL, the bitrate settings and any others you have changed you have used to accomplish the encoding.

Also at what speed do you burn your disks and with which program?

Thanks guys, what Minion says makes sense, I'd be interested to know what other encoding software you use.

As to Ashy's questions; I've tried both the standard NTSC VCD template and also with tweaks to the bitrate. GOP, and other settings. Most of the sources are NTSC and NTSCFilm (29.7 and 23 fps) and I didn't start changing settings and straying from the VCD NTSC Templates until I found this problem occurring... I've tried switching the bitrate up to 1250 CBR, using 1100-1350 VBR, with GOP edit selected and not, and even without any changes to template settings... I've tried with several different configurations of Filters as well, to see if it had any effect, but nada... I did notice that the hestiation was not as pronounced when I used the AutoVBR setting at 1150-1350 bitrate and a buffer of 40... which is contrary to what Minion suggested, so adds some confusion....

Anyway, I use VCDEasy, ULead, and even Roxio's ECDC to burn the VCDs, and I try to use the slowest speed possible, usually 4x...

Any further help woulsd be and is appreciated!!

You say it hesitates at major scene changes.
Does this happen on your DVD player, PC software player or both?
Have you split the MPEG to 2 disks?

Hi,

Yes, it does it on the DVD player, and sometimes when I play them on my computer's DVD-Rom, and I only splt MPGs from Movies, I have a few series that one episode fits on one CD, so that isn't split....