Some real problems with burning avi... (audio and video)

[eastmav]

I have been all over and everywhere checking posts and websites for help with my problems and I've found a lot of advice, but no solutions...

I got my computer about 2 weeks ago and I've been trying since then to try to get my burner to work properly... I am using WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, but am just about at the end of my rope with that and about to move on to Nero now.

2 days ago everything was fine. I had found the proper encoding format so the audio would not go out of sync through the encoding process, and had burned 2 DVDs with menus and everything.

Then yesterday suddenly something was different:

Now when I try to burn an avi, the menu and preview process goes fine, but when it comes to finally encoding, the widescreen has been shrunk down... As in, the image has been doubly compressed for some reason.

Now I know, I read about Virtual Dub and all that, but I've encountered the problem of "Improper VBR Encoding" and whatnot, and since I know it worked the other day (I have the discs to prove it) there must be something I missed. There must be a codec or plug-in, or something.

I tried using TEMPGEnc, and while I thought that would have the perfect solution, when I took the new Mpeg it created, I got some kind of encoding error...

My bottom line, is that I didn't think it was supposed to be this complicated. People who are burning DVDs aren't using TEMPGEnc, Virual Dub, Virtual Dub Mod and whatever else, EVERY time they want to get something burned, are they?

Can anyone help me? Please.

[setarip]

"People who are burning DVDs aren't using TEMPGEnc, Virual Dub, Virtual Dub Mod and whatever else, EVERY time they want to get something burned, are they?"

Most probably they are, if they're going from .AVI to DVD-compliant MPEG-2...

[eastmav]

I was hoping it would be you who responded. I've read your posts to so many others, and was hoping you'd be able to point me in the right direction...

OK, if what you say is true, that I do need to use TEMPGEnc to burn an avi to DVD, I haven't had any success with that either. I have downloaded TEMPGEnc and it's companion DVD author, and fell flat on my face with that as the Mpeg the former created was unreadable by the latter. Something about the way the initial menu was encoded, I'm not sure I remember what it said exactly. I'm trying it again right now, now that I've seen that me doing a System Restore didn't put my settings back to the way I had them when I did that first .avi with WinDVD.

But see, if I hadn't seen WinDVD actually fully burn not one, but 3 DVDs from MPEG4 .avi files, I wouldn't be desperately looking for the codec combination that would let me do it again, the combination that won't shrink the aspect ratio to 2wice what it should be.

I have tried to burn .iso files with Nero a couple times and have come up zilch on that front too. Whatever has come out of Nero sits in the DVD player with it constantly saying "READ" until it finally spits it out again. (That's when I spit in disgust at how agonising this process has been).

Can you please help me out?

[setarip]

One set of procedures (other posters may/probably will suggest alternative methods) would be:

1) Use "TMPGEnc" (or "TMPGEncPlus") to convert the .AVI (DivX-compressed or otherwise) to compliant MPEG2-for-DVD format - Use "TMPGEnc's" DVD wizard/template to accomplish this

2) Use "TMPGEnc DVD Author" (a different program than "TMPGEnc") to easily create the required additional DVD files and structure (and chapters and a menu, if you wish)


**If the combined filesize of the DVD "package" written to your hard drive is greater than 4.37Gb, use DVD Shrink (or similar) to compress


If your O/S is either Win2000 or WinXP, TMPGEnc DVD Author can also burn your DVD. Otherwise, use NERO to burn in "DVD-Video" mode
(As an alternative to "TMPGEnc DVD Author", you could use "DVDLab")


Let us know of your success ;>}

[eastmav]

Hello again!

Well, what do you know: so far, so good. I managed to run the .avi through TMPGEnc (It came out a little off in its aspect ratio, but I think I can fix that the second time around by setting it to NTSC 16:9 (right?)) and it went straight through to the DVD Author software.

I made it all the way through the DVD author software, and now it tells me:

"You can make a DVD-Video by burning the exported VIDEO_TS AUDIO_TS folder to a DVD-R/RW using DVD-Video Mode in your DVD Authoring software."

Wasn't this supposed to do it for me? Isn't that what it's supposed to do if I'm using WinXP? I suppose I need to upgrade from the "Trial Version"...

Well, whatever the case, it's outputting from the DVD Author right now, and then I'll try to put it to disc. Given that Nero has let me down every step of the way, I'll try DVDLab and keep you posted on the results.

Thanks a lot for the coaching. With any luck this might be the last time you'll hear from me.... on this subject, anyway.

Cheers

[eastmav]

Well, that's a no go on that one.

After it finished burning on the TMPGEnc DVD Writing Tool (guess I jumped the gun on that one) I took it to the DVD player and slapped 'er on in.

It didn't read the disc on the first try (said NO DISC after a lot of spinning), then on the second try it skipped right over the menu and started playing EXCEPT: All choppy, pixelated, skippy, sound coming in and out.

Everything looked great on the preview, I even made sure the sound was in sync when I was setting up chapters in the Authoring tool. What's going on? WinDVD did the same kind of thing to me: pixelated, skippy, choppy, boxy - and all those other "technical" terms for a disc that isn't reading right.

As I've said before, I have created 3 working DVDs with this system, so I'm fairly certain the hardware is fine. But am I wrong?

Any ideas?

[TRI0N]

You can download the Trial of Nero 6 Suite and use NeroVision Express 3.. Make sure you upate it also. Give it a shot and making a DVD out of your AVI's.

http://www.nero.com

Let us know if you have sucess using it.

[eastmav]

Thanks TRION, I'm on the hunt, but I can't seem to find any NeroVision Express 3's lying around anywhere... I'll keep scouring.

On another note, one more wrinkle here... sorry to be posting so much, but I figure the more problems posted, the more problems solved, the more answers there are for everyone...

I just found that I can take the files that TMPGEnc made and lay them into WinDVD... you have to sort of lay them on top of eachother... however, they play out of sync - the sound coming after people say anything. It's not that out of whack, and it does get worse the farther in you go. (Like, the MGM lion roaring is pretty much in sync, but the people talking at end is way off).

I'm sure there's been a posting about this... so again I'm sorry to be asking something someone else asked, but, well, any thoughts?

[eastmav]

K, little case of looking before I leap again... found the software and such... So does this update/download make up for incompatibility with XP or something? 'Cause if the only thing that's wrong is my OS, then that's great! Well, good, not great.

Will post. Thanks again Trion.

[TRI0N]

Nope it will work fine with XP.. I'm making a basic tutoral as we speak on how to make a DVD Movie out of Video Clips with NeroVision Express 3.

[eastmav]

OK, here's the strangest thing of all.... It worked. And it was defintiely not supposed to (I know the computer gods are probably listening and will smite me for saying that).

I took the files from TMPGEnc and plugged them into WinDVD - like I mentioned before - they were out of sync when I previewed it (you know, going through the chapter/edit stage) but when it came out of the burner - PRESTO! In sync and everything. I'm not sure why... which is troublesome, since I don't know where it went right but...

This is great news! I mean, those NERO updates are still downloading (the FTP server is REALLY slow) and I've got a working disc here...

So first off: Thank you. Thanks to the both of you.

Secondly: Was I right about formatting the abnormal stretch of the widescreen by setting it at the start of TMPGEnc to 16:9 instead of regular NTSC? Cause that's the only thing I think I need to change.

[crware9]

Could it be that you have a latency problem with your sound card?

If your sound card cannot keep up the sound will lag behind the video when previewing it, but will be OK in the file you burn to DVD.

[eastmav]

Thanks crware9, that's something else to look into. It's always good to have both barrels loaded with information and ideas when you go talk to your reseller. But the sound sync has been fine all other times, this seems to be some kind of wav decompression/recompression thing or something.

As far as widescreen fixing, I followed the instructions that had been given out to countless other people about restting 16:9, and centre (retain aspect ratio) and whatnot, and it didn't work at all for me. I had to resort to manually creeping through and resetting the aspect ratio numbers to 640x480, because otherwise I was getting bars on the left and right sides, instead of the bars I want on the top and bottom.

Is it just me, or are things not behaving properly?

[setarip]

"WinDVD did the same kind of thing to me: pixelated, skippy, choppy, boxy - and all those other "technical" terms for a disc that isn't reading right."

Sounds very much like the typical problem when using low quality burnable media...

[eastmav]

Fair enough. I'm using Memorex DVD+R 8x. A spindle of 25 for like $30.

Could it be the bitrate? Someone was saying that DVD players have a hard time reading anything less that 6000... The one I successfully burned in the wee hours of last night was at 8000 I believe. The movie I am converting in tmpgenc now was originally set at around 1800, so I changed it to 6000, I'm wondering if it will have trouble fitting on the DVD. Does the same principle apply to DVDs as CDs, time is more of a factor than bitrate?