I have read a couple of relevant posts that a search of this forum turned up, but I am still unclear exactly what I need to do, in order to encode a widescreen avi into a (S)VCD to view on an older, non-wide screen NTSC (American) TV. The widescreen avi's look great on my computer monitor, but after conversion, the picture is squashed vertically, and the actors all look anorexic.

Also, I read a few posts that suggest that the wrong settings could wipe out part of the picture that is on the widescreen version. I certainly don't mind the "letterbox" if that is the price of seeing all that the director meant for us to see.

I have done little more than use the project wizard to encode with TMPGEnc, so please tell me what settings I need to change, and where in the wizard I need to change them.

Thanks!

The wizard should automatically select the correct 4:3 output ratio for you, but you need to select 16:9 NTSC as the source raspect ratio.

ASHY

I have version 2.53. I can open a .avi file as 'Audio source' but when I try to open the same file as 'Video source' I just get the meassage "can not open, or unsupported" What can I do?

Go to "Options" to "Enviromental settings" to "Vfapi Plugins" and Raise the "Direct Show File Reader" to "2"...and Make sure you have the correct codecs installed...

How do you raise the priority? on mine you can't change the numbers.

I have version 2.53. I can open a .avi file as 'Audio source' but when I try to open the same file as 'Video source' I just get the meassage "can not open, or unsupported" What can I do?

sound like a codec problem.

try to open your file with virtualdub. if you do not have the right codec install, he will tell you which one .

or just d/l the latest pack divx codec . it help.


good luck

I can play VOB files in PowerDVD XP (with it's codecs) and correctly in WMP 8.0 only with Fraunhofer DVDaudio decoder and ELECARD mpg2video decoder but when I try to open the same file il TMPG it is unsupported.
I changed ELECARD mpg2video decoder with Fraunhofer DVDVideo decoder but also WMP and TMPG show in the time counter only half of the time last of the source VOB video file.
So when I try to encode the VOB at half time the enconding stops.
When I try to play the VOB in WMP at half time the time counter stops.

How can I use PowerDVD codecs with TMPG. The VFAPI box does not say anyting about PowerDVD or CyberLink...

Thanks.
Valerio.

You aren"t supposed to encode VOB files with Tmpgenc Or pretty Much any encoder, The Correct way to encode VOB file with Tmpgenc is to Use "DVD2AVI" to Frame serve the Vob files to Tmpgenc in a D2V file...Vob Files ripped from a Retail DVD"s have information in them Than Encoders Don"t know what to do with, and The Audio format in Most DVD"s is Not supported in Tmpgenc, which is Usually "AC3 Dolby Digital" and Tmpgenc in Most cases Can"t decode the AC3 and They usually Have Subtitles in them which Tmpgenc wouldn"t know what to do with them and They have Many Different Audio tracks and Video tracks which Tmpgenc Wouldn"t know what to do with...So the Established way of Makeing a VCD/SVCD/DVD from Vob files is to Use DVD2AVI to Make a D2V file and extract the audio track that you want, then Load the D2V file into Tmpgenc and encode it to the format of your Choice...It is Much faster doing it this way Cuz the Decoder that tmpgenc uses for Mpeg2 files(Usually Ligos or Cyberlink)is Not as Fast as haveing DVD2AVI decode it for you.....

Until you need only video and audio, tnpgenc handles vob's easy.
I use tmpgenc to split vob's 95% cases successfully. I split only video and audio from it. Splitted AC3 audio stream is suitable to convert with headac3he to any more common format and then to multiplex stream back to system stream.
5 % are somehow erratic vob's. Rippers have also produced somehow corrupted vobs or Chopper which I used earlier to split some vobs corrupted half of these.

Well once you "demux" the Video from the Vob file It isn"t a VOB file any more it is a Mpeg video file or a M2V file...So doing it this way isn"t encodeing VOB files it is encodeing Mpeg2 video files...

I have a file of 2,4 GB that I want to split in 3 to put on three discs. When I use mpegtools the error "stream writing error" comes up, always when the process of rewriting the svcd header is in progress. The files are ok to play in my computer, will the be ok even if I put them on disc, what is the purpose of the SVCD header? Why do I get these "stream writing error" problems?

Your are probably using verison 2.58. This has a bug when writing the SVCD header. Try using an earlier version or 2.59.

ASHY

Hi,

I ripped the harry potter DVD and try to open the video stream in TMPGEnc to no avail; i've tried demuxing the DVD to m2v files as well as using DVD2AVI to create a .d2v file, both gives me "Cannot open, or unsupported." I have WinDVD 4 and Media Player 7 on my system. I've tried playing with the VFAPI plug-in settings to no avail.

Thanks for any help!

Create a d2v file with DVD2AVI again then copy from the DVD2AVI directory a file called 'DVD2AVI.VFP'
Place this file into your TMPG directory then run TMPG. Your d2v file should then load.

ASHY

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. however, it still does not work. by the way, I have also tried demuxing the stream I got into a m2v file, but that file will not get read by TMPG either. Weird.

Well you Don"t have DVD2AVI installed Properly..Make sure that you have "DVD2AVI.vfp" Listed in the "VFAPI Plugins" in Tmpgenc...and if you don"t have it listed then this is your Problem...To get it listed you do as ASHY explained Earlier By copying and Pasteing the "DVD2AVI.vfp" File from the "DVD2AVI" Folder into the "Tmpgenc" Folder..Then restart Tmpgenc and go to the "VFAPI Plugins" and see if it is Listed ,It should be, and you can try raiseing the Priority of the DVD2AVI Plugin...And in DVD2AVI under "Help" make sure "VFAPI" has a Check Mark next to it...and you have to remember that you can"t move or rename any of the VOB files or D2V file from were they are till you have finnshed your encodeing...You can also download a Program called "VAPI Converter" that will turn the D2V file into an Psudo avi file that you can use in Tmpgenc..the avi file will only take about 2 seconds to make..and if the VFAPI Converter" gives you an error then you probably just need to make a New D2V file.Or you can try AVISYNTH to frame serve the D2V file to Tmpgenc..Well these are Pretty much all the Fixes I know for Problems with D2V files..I hope one of them will work....

Strange that you cannaot open the d2v file after putting the 'DVD2AVI.VFP' in the TMPG directory. Are you sure you put it in the right place? It must be located in the same place as the TMPGenc.exe
Check your VFAPI plugins to see if it's listed.

Also as minion says you cannot move,delete or rename either the VOBs or the d2v file or any of the folders associated with them until you have finished encoding.

Also what program did you use to rip the VOBs to your hard drive?

ASHY

Hi,

Yes, the plug-in is found under the VFAPI plugins list. No, I did not remove any VOB files after I ripped the CD. Ripper used was DVD Decrypter; I did "select main movie file" and ripped it with file mode, since that didn't work, I tried stream processing and just ripped the movie stream, and it didn't work either. Finally I tried to demux the movie portion to m2v file, and it didn't work either.

When i try to load the d2v file, tmpgenc pauses for quite some time (about 30 seconds) before coming back to tell me the file is unsupported. I think it's actually having truoble with the actual movie stream and not the d2v file.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the same settings work fine for a different d2v file that was created for another movie that I ripped. Only the harry potter movie gave me trouble.

You would be better using Smartripper for ripping VOBs. This is by far the best ripper there is and probably the most reliable only second to Vstrip.

After you have re-ripped with Smartripper you should find that Smartripper has already created a d2v file in the same directory as the ripped VOBS.

Raise the priority of the DVD2AVI file reader in the VFAPI plugins to '2' and the rest to '0' then try and load your d2v file.

ASHY

I´ve cut a *.mpg file with MPEG tools > Merge & Cut, but there´s no sound, when the cut file was created.

This happens From Tite to time Whith no real reason for it..You can try to Cut it at a different Part, But if that doesn"t work then you should maybe consider getting a Real Mpeg editor or encodeing your movies in Parts instead of a Whole movie so you don"t have to edit it Cuz Mpeg files aren"t really meant to be edited...

try vcdcutter , i like it very much .

Accept it does not work with Mpeg2 files which makes it useless you you are makeing SVCD"s or DVD"s...Try "Womble Mpeg2VCR" it will Cut Mpeg1 and Mpeg2 files...

If the sound disappears during the cut, more than likely, there is a corruption at some point in the file. Usually this corruption is at that particular place where there is no sound anymore.
Check the original. This kind of corruption can be easily recognized by slight 1-2 second sound crackle and video noise.
The only way to fix it is to convert the entire file and then cut it.

Actually if it's only the audio at fault the you only have to re-encode the audio part and then multiplex it back with the video.

ASHY

Hi,

Does the TMPGenc correctly recognize "Field order" setting from input material or does one have to set it manually?

I'm getting DivX AVIs (Ripped from DVD with DVDx) into TMPGenc 2.59 and in 99% TMPGe is setting itself to Top field. I'm allways reverting that to "bottom field" based on my experience. Should i leave this setting on default for creating VCDs?

Also, as I'm ripping widescreen DVDs, I'm using the following settings:
Video/aspect ratio - 16:9
Advanced/video source type - Non-interlace
Advanced/source aspect ratio - 16:9
Advanced/video arrange method - Full screen (keep aspect ratio)
Am I doing something wrong because my player doesn't switch to widescreen when I'm playing the VCD.

Best regards,
Goran

>I'm getting DivX AVIs (Ripped from DVD with DVDx) into TMPGenc 2.59 and in 99% TMPGe is setting itself to Top field.
If you are converting DVD with TMPG then you are wasting time and quality creating an intermediate AVI. You should be using DVD2AVI to create a d2v project file for TMPG (This basically allows you to encode with TMPG directly from the DVD files).

>Advanced/video source type - Non-interlace
If you are ripping DVD then the source should be set to 'Interlace' unless you have used the 'ForcedFilm' option in DVD2AVI.

>Advanced/source aspect ratio - 16:9
Secondly the input aspect ratio should be 16:9 display.

>Video/aspect ratio - 16:9
Lastly if your TV is a standard 4:3 TV then your output aspect ratio should also be 4:3 not 16:9]


ASHY

Tmpgenc Only analizes the "Field Order" and adjusts it acordingly if you load the File into Tmpgenc useing the "Wizard"....

>>I'm getting DivX AVIs (Ripped from DVD with DVDx) into TMPGenc 2.59 and in >>99% TMPGe is setting itself to Top field.
>If you are converting DVD with TMPG then you are wasting time and quality >creating an intermediate AVI. You should be using DVD2AVI to create a d2v >project file for TMPG (This basically allows you to encode with TMPG directly >from the DVD files).

I didn't find any way to use subtitles with DVD2AVI and I need subtitles.

>>Advanced/video source type - Non-interlace
>If you are ripping DVD then the source should be set to 'Interlace' unless you >have used the 'ForcedFilm' option in DVD2AVI.

And if I allready ripped the DVD into AVI and importing that AVI into TMPGe? Progressive then?

>>Advanced/source aspect ratio - 16:9
>Secondly the input aspect ratio should be 16:9 display.
>
>>Video/aspect ratio - 16:9
>Lastly if your TV is a standard 4:3 TV then your output aspect ratio should >also be 4:3 not 16:9]

It's 16:9.

Thanks for reply and best regards,
Goran

>Tmpgenc Only analizes the "Field Order" and adjusts it acordingly if you load >the File into Tmpgenc useing the "Wizard"....

Yep, I've created my VBR template, and loading files with the wizard. So, You think that i should leave this setting as TMPGe sets it? I'm changing it to Bottom and having no problems. Maybe it's irrelevant when input is non-interlaced AVI?

Best regards,
Goran

To use subtitles with DVD2AVI you need to frameserve from Virtualdub.
You are losing a lot of quality and time by creating this intermediate AVI.
The way to do it is as follows:

DVD2AVI(d2v file) > VFAPI converter > Virtualdub > TMPG

Load the d2v project file from DVD2AVI into the VFAPI converter (without audio), this creates a dummy AVI which can then be loaded into Virtualdub. Using the subs filter add your subs then frameserve the whole thing from Virtualdub to TMPG and encode.

It seems complicated but is really quite simple and it will save you bags of time messing about with AVI's.

Another alternative is to use DVD2SVCD which can do it all for you using some of the above programs.


Yes you're correct the field order will have no effect on a progressive AVI. If you are sure your AVI is indeed progressive.

By 'Interlace' I meant when using DVD2AVI.

ASHY

>To use subtitles with DVD2AVI you need to frameserve from Virtualdub.
>You are losing a lot of quality and time by creating this intermediate AVI.

How much quality am I loosing if my intermediate AVI is DivX encoded with bitrates 5000-8000? And with DVDx, ripping into AVI with subtitles and dolby surround sound lasts as long as a movie.

>The way to do it is as follows:
>
>DVD2AVI(d2v file) > VFAPI converter > Virtualdub > TMPG
>
>Load the d2v project file from DVD2AVI into the VFAPI converter (without >audio), this creates a dummy AVI which can then be loaded into Virtualdub. >Using the subs filter add your subs then frameserve the whole thing from >Virtualdub to TMPG and encode.
>
>It seems complicated but is really quite simple and it will save you bags of >time messing about with AVI's.

I tried it but cannot find subs filter. I searched vcdhelp tools page and virtualdub filters page with no luck.

>Another alternative is to use DVD2SVCD which can do it all for you using some >of the above programs.

I'm trying it right now. It got to TMPGenc part and i stopped it because avg bitrate was set to 1970, too much for one CD movie. Trying again...

>Yes you're correct the field order will have no effect on a progressive AVI. >If you are sure your AVI is indeed progressive.

I suppose that DivX AVI is progressive?

Best regards,
Goran

>How much quality am I loosing if my intermediate AVI is DivX encoded with bitrates 5000-8000? And with DVDx, ripping into AVI with subtitles and dolby surround sound lasts as long as a movie.

You will always lose some quality no matter what the bitrate. This is an artifact of compression technology.

>I tried it but cannot find subs filter. I searched vcdhelp tools page and virtualdub filters page with no luck.

You need VOBSUB. http://download.vobsub.edensrising.com/VobSub_2.23.exe

>I'm trying it right now. It got to TMPGenc part and i stopped it because avg bitrate was set to 1970, too much for one CD movie. Trying again...

That bitrate shouldn't be problem as long as your DVD player supports it and most do. If it's a regular size movie it should easily fit on 2 disks. I often use bitrates this high and higher for movies, this will increase the quality of the image.

ASHY

There were several posts previously, about corrupt MPG files out of TMPGEnc. Files that would hang on import or load into Ulead DVD products as well as SpruceUp DVD authoring. I think I isolated (in my case) the source of the problem:

I was capturing in iuVCR to segments, and using Avisynth to frameserve segments to TMPGEnc. One of these applications were to blame for most of the corrupt MPG problems.

I stopped using iuVCR to capture and switched to VirtualDub. I stopped capturing to segments, and captured direct to single .AVI files. Then I did not frameserve using anything, simply opened the complete AVI in TMPGEnc. The corrupt MPG problem went away for the most part. I still get a bad MPG every 15 or so encodes, but nothing near the previous 95% corrupt rate I had before.

Avisynth/iuVCR one is to blame for corrupt MPG. I'm just not sure which (or could it even be both).

I had the same problems and I was only using AVIsynth 2.06.
So I think that is the one to blame!

Hello,

I haven't used any of above applications except tmpgenc, still experienced crashes with named DVD authoring software. Contrary, some files have been "repaired" by remuxing with tmpgenc.
But worst is DVDWS ver. 1.3 itself - it crashes with files what aren't a problem to version 1.2.

I use DVD Workshop 1.3 with allmost every file I author and Have never had it crash ever, and it accepts every single file that I put into it...

The Ulead has announced the problem with DVDWS 1.3. I have both version in different computers 1.2 and 1.3) and 1.3 fails with most of projects, while one reason is mpg size over 500 Mb. But sometimes smaller files crash 1.3 too.
Then the final solution is send all stuff to other PC to author it with version 1.2 ... while I tried to downgrade 1.3 to 1.2 but result was disaster, couldn't works with 1.3 to 1.2 version at all, even when I cleaned registry and whatever between insatllation ...
Failure or crashes are mostly due to the material what i push in there ... your material is different or some other reason ...

It Could be because I don"t Use tmpgenc to encode Very often Cuz I get much better results with CCE so Most of the Files I author with DVD workshop 1.3 are encoded with CCE But they are Muxed as Mpeg2 files with Tmpgenc..So it sounds Like it might be a Compatibility issue with the Structure of Tmpgenc files and DVD Workshop....

hi,

after i'm enconding a *.avi to *.mpg, i'd notiecd a problem with the sound.
the sound is a little beat delay. i mean that in the movie the sound dont match the characters lips.
how can i fix this? (if it's impossible)
Thank you

it seems that you try to encode a divx just by using tmpgenc !!

that it's not possible. you got to open the video with virtualdub then frameserver it with tmpgenc . then you will not have a delay of the sound.

or decompress the sound in .wav (with virtualdub) then with tmpgenc open the video source of your avi and the audio source from the .wav and start.




good luck

My computer isnt running on XP Pro. So doesn't support 2.59. Is their any other applications I could use and how do I retrieve?

2.59 isn't only supported on XP Pro. Where did u get that info?
2.59 runs on all windows platforms except ofcourse 3.1.

ASHY

I'm trying to open SVCD (MPEG-2) movie file with TMPGEnc Plus 2.58.44.152, but get a "can not open, or unsupported" error. I have raised the priority for the DirectShow VFAPI plug-in to 2, but this has not helped.
When I try to open the file with the Merge & Cut MPEG tool in TMPGEnc, I also get an error - "Can not open this file with DirectShow (0x80040218), Detail:[]03¼]" (The detail: part appears as square-Esquare on screen).

I also tried opening the file with VirtualDub and there too get an error - "MPEG Import Filter: pack synchronization error".

I can play the movie with PowerDVD but not with Windows Media Player 8. WMP is suggesting that the movie may have been encoded with a codec that it does not support.

Can anybody please help me with my problem? How do I find out what codec was used?

same prob. with me . don't know what happen ??

please answered. :-(

TMPG can encode to MPEG2, but cannot decode MPEG2 nor can Mediaplayer.
For this you will need a third party MPEG2 codec.

It is strange though that you have PowerDVD installed and are having problems as TMPG and mediaplayer should be using this codec to decode MPEG2 unless your are using an earlier version of TMPG than TMPG v2.58 to open these files.

Have a look in your VFAPI plugins for the Cyberlink codec and then raise it's priority.

ASHY

for me the svcd that i got , is in pal(europe dvd). so im in north america (ntsc). could this make my ati media player just to play the sound but not the video. tmpgenc unsupported . virtualdub unsupported, wmp unsupported , elecard mpeg-2 player unsupported .....??????????


latest version of tmpgenc doesn't seems to work . do i got to make something more for this....??????


help help help help help please please please.....

Whether the SVCD is PAL or NTSC wont make any difference.

Do you have the Cyberlink codec listed in your VFAPI plugins in TMPG.

If you do there may be a problem with the SVCD file.
If this is the case you can use TMPG de-multiplexer to seperate the Video and audio streams in the SVCD.
This will seperate the video to a file called *.m2v and the audio to *.mp2
Try and load this into TMPG.

ASHY

If the m2v file still doesn't load into TMPG then load the m2v into DVD2VI and create a d2v project file and load that into TMPG.

ASHY

thanks a lot for your time ASHI,

have tried the de-multiplexer , but can't open .m2v in tmpgenc.

about dvd2vi , don't have it and can't find it on web , any links ???


thanks a lot for your patience , never got some problem with videeo file since

If you want to download DVD2AVI which is the Best way to encode Mpeg2 files with Tmpgenc it is easy to find ,You just didn"t try very hard..You just put DVD2AVI into a Search engine like "Google" ,I just did it and the very first thing that came up was this: http://arbor.ee.ntu.edu.tw/~jackei/dvd2avi/ which it were you can download it....

Thanks for the various suggestions below.

I found a good web site for help with TMPGEnc. It is [S]VCD Help http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgenc.htm. It also covers my very problem. It too was suggesting increasing the VFAPI priority for Cyberlink as well as using other MPEG2 codecs. The Cyberlink (PowerDVD) VFAPI somehow does not work. The pop-up info shown about this VFAPI plugin states that it is a TMPGEnc built-in plugin; ie. it is not linked to my PowerDVD installation. How do I change this? There is no *.vfp file in the PowerDVD directory.

From the web site I downloaded another MPEG2 codec (m2v.vfp), which is working a little better. I now can open a SVCD as video source, but still can't use the Merge&Cut MPEG tool in TMPGEnc.

I used the suggested DVD2AVI method to frameserve the SVCD to TMPGEnc. This worked okay and with the "Source Range" option I'm able to cut the SVCD as desired. The problem now is that the new MPEG file is 230mb bigger than the source. Has the audio been decompressed or why is this the case? How can I fix this?

BTW, when I look at the original MPEG with a hex viewer it shows that the file starts with a RIFF header "RIFFt1w.CDXAfmt ..." ahead of the TMPGEnc header. The new MPEG I created above only has the TMPGEnc header. What is this RIFF header?