Help A Newbie Out!!??!!

[visionsof]

I'm new to all this, so be kind if this is a really retarded question or just an outlandishly impossible task.

I've got a movie in divx format spanned across two cds... I'd like to convert them over to mpeg and make a vcd out of them. Of course the obvious problem I'm having is that once converted to mpeg the files are almost three gigs in size.

I figure I have to compress the AVI files down, losing quality I'm sure. Can anyone suggest a program or a route to go with this?

-J

[abdul]

I'm amazed and puzzled

I've done quite a few divx ---> mpg ---> vcd conversions and NEVER saw that the amount of MB's doubled

(that is 2 divx cd's max 1,4GMb and a mpeg of 3Gb by my calculation)

Sounds to me that this is only possible with uncompressed audio - i am assuming you are talking about DivX movies (which are already compressed)

The best way to convert divx to mpg is with TMPGEnc and that is so simple that you really don't need a tutorial for that

If you really want ot there are some good ones on the pages of vcdhelper and Doom9

And don't worry .......... there are no studpid questions (just some i don't know the answer to )

[visionsof]

TMPEGnc was the program I was using... I guess I have to play around with my settings.

The AVI file was 699megs and around 2.5gigs after I converted it to mpeg...

My computer isn't as fast as I'd like it to be so it's quite a task to get a large file converted over.

Like I said I'll look through my setting in TMPEGnc and see if I'm missing something.

[setarip]

"I've got a movie in divx format spanned across two cds"
"The AVI file was 699megs"

I'm just curious - Are you certain about BOTH of these statements? Why would 699 megs require two CDs?

I ask primarily because a 700Mg .AVI file should convert to somewhere around 1,400Mg (1.4Gigs) in MPEG1 format...

[abdul]

to setarip

Originally posted by setarip
I ask primarily because a 700Mg .AVI file should convert to somewhere around 1,400Mg (1.4Gigs) in MPEG1 format...

You know ............... i'm still puzzled

If YOU make this statement, i'm willing to believe it without a shadow of doubt, but when i normally convert to mpg the amount after conversion is only slightly higher (around 100 to 200 -depending on the "motions search precision setting" )

I just use a standard template -VideoCd[PAL]- and there is NO way the amount of Mb's doubles .......... never .......ever.

So i guess basicly the question is: "Why is it that one 700MB file converts to 750Mb mpg and another 700Mb file into 1.4Gb ?"

[visionsof]

the movie itself is in two parts on two different disks. both parts of the movie are around 699megs. I'm only attempting to convert the first part so far.

Like I said, it's probably something that I'm missing. Even when I go through the wizard step by step it tells me the the estimated file size with be around 2500megs. I guess I'll try another conversion program.

[setarip]

Try this, to create a VCD:

1) Load .AVI file into TMPGEnc
2) Set to "System Video and Audio" (lower right side)
3) Click on "Setting" radio button
4) Click on "System" tab, change mode to "MPEG1-VideoCD" (from default of "MPEG1")
5) Click on "Advanced" tab, change "Video arrange method" to "Center (Custom Size"), change dimensions to 352x288 or 352x240
6) Change "Source aspect ratio" to either "4:3 525 line (NTSC 704x480)", "4:3 525 line (NTSC)", or "16:9 525 line (NTSC)" - If you're in the PAL world choose either of the two similar PAL settings instead
7) Under the "Video" tab, change the dimensions to 352x288 or 352x240 (Note: "Video" tab mode of "MPEG1" is okay) - for highest quality set "Motion Search Precision" to "Highest Quality". Change the "Aspect Ratio" to match, as closely as possible, the "Source Aspect Ratio" you set under the "Advanced" tab.
8) Change "Rate Control Mode" to "Automatic VBR (CQ_VBR)
9) Under the "Audio" tab, set to 44,100 224Kbps
10) Press "Start"

Note that if your video runs longer than 60 minutes, you'll have to subsequently split your VCD-MPG file in two. This too can be easily and precisely accomplished using TMPGEnc. Under the "Files" dropdown menu, click on "MPEG Tools" and select the "Merge & Cut" tab. Once again, make sure to change the mode to "MPEG1-Video CD". Load your file and enter a new (.MPG) name in the "Output file" box. Then doubleclick on the ORIGINAL file's name in the window, which will bring you to the cutting area. Select your desired start and end points for the first half, click on "Okay" which will bring you back to the first window and generate (in a sequence of three automated steps) the first new file. To create the second new file, repeat the steps starting with "Then doubleclick on the ORIGINAL..." (be extra patient with the second half, as the program has to do more seeking to establish the beginning of the new file)