VOB to DV

[sedders]

Hi, this is my first post so go easy on me.

I want to copy a dvd on to my DV camera via firewire. I have copied the vob files to my pc and can open and play them with power dvd. I can convert them to avi's using flaskmpeg. However I cant "Export to tape" these files in premier like other DV files. I have the right frame size and frame rate, but i guess its just the wrong codec.

So, how do I convert from VOB files to DV AVI files? what codec should I be using (dvsd?)? what sound codec too?

Also, is there a better program to send the file to firewire? Premier seems to want to hog my pc, but i'm sure this isn't necessarry.

Thanks.

[sedders]

Also, forgot to ask if there is a batch converter for vobs, ie how can I set it up to convert all 8 vobs overnight, preferably into one big dv avi.

cheers

[Xesdeeni]

I'm not sure what your exact problem is, but here's a simple method:

Tools

• DGMPGDec
• Panasonic DV codec
• TMPGEnc

0. Install the Panasonic codec and decompress DGMPGDec and TMGPEnc into directories (maybe Program Files\DGMPGEnc and Program Files\TMPGEnc).
1. Run DGIndex.
2. Load your VOB(s) into DGIndex.
3. Setup DGIndex:
_a. If the source is film (NTSC only), Video|Field Operation|Forced Film, otherwise Video|Field Operation|None
_b. Audio|Output Method|Decode To WAV
_c. Audio|Track Number|<your choice, probably 1>
_d. Audio|48->44.1KHz|Off
4. Save a project (D2V) file. You will also be saving a WAV file in the same directory, so make sure there is plenty of space.
5. Run TMPGEnc.
6. Cancel Project Wizard
7. Click Video Source: Browse and select the D2V file created above.
8. Click Audio Source: Browse and select the WAV file created above.
9. Click Setting
10. On the Video tab:
_a. Ensure Size: is 720 x 480
_b. Set aspect ratio appropriately (for the destination)
11. On the Advanced tab:
_a. If the source is film (NTSC or PAL), set Video source type: to Non-interlace (progressive), otherwise set it to Interlace.
_b. Set Field order: to Top field first (field A) [I'm pretty sure of this for DVD source, but if things don't look right, try changing this setting]
_c. Set the Source aspect ratio: appropriately.
_d. Set the Video arrange method: to Full screen (keep aspect ratio).
_e. If the source is film (NTSC only), check 3:2 pulldown (all others not checked).
12. Close the Settings dialog.
13. Select File|Output to file|AVI file
14. Click Video: Setting
15. Choose your DV codec (the Panasonic)
16. Set the frame for interleave width to 15 [I think this is right for DV, but if the sound is wrong, you may need to try another setting]
17. Choose a name for your DV AVI and click Save

Hopefully the resulting DV AVI will export to your camcorder. Then you need to check that I got the field polarity right.

Let me know how this works out!

Xesdeeni

[AtariWarrior]

VOB to DV Revisited

Xesdeeni,

I also need to convert from VOB to DV. I tried your previously posted procedure up to step #15. When I click on Video Setting and look through the compression/codec list I cannot find the Panasonic DV Codec. I installed this codec and confirmed its installation in Windows Control Panel and within the video compression list of VirtualDub-MPEG2. Is there something that I should do to set up TMPGenc so that is codec is available for me to use in TMPGenc?

[Xesdeeni]

I also need to convert from VOB to DV. I tried your previously posted procedure up to step #15. When I click on Video Setting and look through the compression/codec list I cannot find the Panasonic DV Codec. I installed this codec and confirmed its installation in Windows Control Panel and within the video compression list of VirtualDub-MPEG2. Is there something that I should do to set up TMPGenc so that is codec is available for me to use in TMPGenc?

Not that I know of. If it shows up in VirtualDub, it should show up in TMPGEnc as well.

You could also save out an intermediate file using a lossless codec, like HuffYUV. It'll be huge, so make sure you have plenty of space. Then you can use VirtualDub to convert it to DV, if the Panasonic codec is showing up there. I'd recommend the original instead of VirtualDub-MPEG2, to avoid bugs in the latter. Also, be careful not to use VDM2 for the VOB, because it doesn't recoginize the flags correctly, and the video is likely to have major audio sync issues.

Also, there are a variety of other methods to use if you can't work around the problem with TMPGEnc. I posted the above process because it's pretty simple and GUI-based. But my preferred method would use AVISynth and VirtualDub with DGMPGDec instead of TMPGEnc. The AVISynth script would look something like this (I haven't tested this, so it's just a suggestion):

v = MPEG2Source("VOB.d2v")
a = WAVSource("VOB.wav")
AudioDub(v, a)

You follow the above to step 4, and then load the above script into VirtualDub. Again, be sure to check the field polarity on a regular TV.

Xesdeeni

[AtariWarrior]

VOB to DV Revisited

I followed your steps up to step 4. The resulting D2V file is suspiciously small (only 97 kB).

I downloaded avisynth and avsedit. I also download and installed the mpeg2 plugin for avisynth.

I created the script as you instructed using avsedit. When I preview the script, I get the following error message:

"MPEG2Source:couldn't open source file, or obsolete D2V file"

What am I doing wrong?

-AtariWarrior

[Xesdeeni]

The D2V file is a text file with some info on the MPEG itself. When you "load" the D2V, you really are just loading the MPEG (which means you need to leave the MPEG in place). The D2V marries the DGIndex that created it to the DGDecode.dll that came with it. Don't use MPEG2Dec.dll (that was for an older version with a different name). Use DGDecode.dll.

Xesdeeni

[AtariWarrior]

In your setup procedure for DGIndex on step 3a Video|Field Operation there are only the following options Honor Pulldown Flags, Ignore Pulldown Flags, and Forced Film. There is no "None" option. I've been using Honor Pulldown Flags for my NTSC VOB file. Is this correct?

I'm making some progress. I used the correct version of dgdecode.dll and I confirmed the script through avsedit.

Now, when I click on the video compression list and select the DV codec and run the script, I get this error message: "Cannot start video compression. The source image format is not acceptable. (error code -2)."

The VOB source file is 704 x 480 in resolution. It's from a Sony DVD cam. Could this be the reason for the error?

When I select "(Uncomressed RGB/YCbCr)" I get no such error. Is this option a good alternative to the DV codec? My ultimate goal was to edit the DV file with Pinnacle Studio. My project contains video from miniDV sources and VOBs from a Sony DVD cam. Editing the mpeg files from the VOBs resulted in out of sync audio. This is the reason I originally wanted to convert the VOB to DV.



-AtariWarrior

[AtariWarrior]

VOB to DV Revisited

I encoded with the uncompresseed codec and was able to successfully edit the converted files with Pinnacle Studio 9.4 Plus. There was no noticeable out of sync audio in the final DVD.

Thanks for your help.

-AtariWarrior