AVI to MPEG2 Info

[camper]

I am new to this world and am looking for information on how to convert AVI files to MPEG2 files. I've downloaded the TMPGEnc encoder but have no idea what to do now. Specific questions include:

Aspect ratio: 4:3 or 16:9
Frame rate: will only let me do 30fps (sufficient?)
Bitrate: set at 1150kbit/sec
Encode mode: non-interlaced

Are these to correct settings? Any others in which I should pay particular attention?

Also, what do I do then? Can I burn this MPEG2 file onto a CD R disk or do I need other hardware/software to view on my DVD?

Sorry for the last of info. I've spent the last four hours reading but have yet to find anything that walks me through this process.

Your help is greatly appreciated!

BC

[1 Smelly Fish]

Hi there Camper, check out these sites for more information on what your going to be doing. I would explain it here but reading the tutorials already written will expalin everything step by step

https://www.vcdhelp.com

http://pub92.ezboard.com/fripandburnfrm12

Cheers

[camper]

Thanks so much

That sight is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so so much.

Here's the issue I'm facing now.

I'm almost there!

I've used TMGEnc to convert avi to mpeg-1. The only problem is that my playstation won't recognize it. I've used EZ CD Creator 5.0 Platinum to burn the cd.

I've checked the disk and it shows the mpeg as a dat file. Is this what it should be?

I've also downloaded VCDGearGUI and converted this dat file back to an mpg. However when I burn the cd it still comes out as a dat file.

Could the problem be that I'm only burning half of the movie (too large to fit on one CDR)?

Any help out there?

Thanks..BC

[setarip]

Not all hardware capable of playing VCDs will recognize all brands of CD-Rs that the VCDs are burned on. I've had great success using Prime Peripherals and ArtMedia brands. I've also been told that the "Black" CDs.

Let us know of your success ;>}

[1 Smelly Fish]

Your not trying to play a VCD on a PSX2 are you ? Cause they wont play VCD's. Yes the file on the disc should be a DAT file so thats good. No you havent burnt only have the movie, well i doubt that because Easy CD Creator souhld have let you know if the file was too big to fit on a disc. Have you tried to play the DAT file on your PC yet ? I would try a differnt brand of disc and use NERO to burn to VCD.

Cheers

[RedWingsSuck]

I went through the encoding nightmares (DivX to VCD) for a couple of months. Your best bet, and trust me on this, is to connect your PC directly to your TV to watch movies. FORGET ENCODING TO VCD. It's a complete waste of time and energy and the failure rate is extremely high. I connect my PC via my video and sound card (s-video and RCA for sound) directly into my 50" TV. What this does is give you ou computer screen on your TV along with sound. Then just use whatever media player you like set it to full-screen and watch it on your TV. The quality is much better than VCD too. As far as details on how to do this varies depending upon you system and TV. e-mail me if you want and I can tell you more about it.

steve@xrrc.com

[1 Smelly Fish]

I will have to disagree with you REDWINGSSUCKS I dont think that converting AVI to VCD's are a total waste of time. It isnt really that hard and i dont know why it would have taken yoiu months and still no success. It is a realitivly simple process using about 2 to 3 programs. If you follow the tutorials at the sites listed above there shouldnt be too much problems, and if there are well its a great learning experience. Lets face it any one can download a movie and watch it on there PC or TV via PC but converting, editing, cutting, joining, burning is what its all about if your interested in messing around with media, which I presume allot of us are . Converting to VCD or SVCD does have allot of advantages including being able to watch the movie on a Stand-A-Lone DVD Player, PSX with VCD Adaptor and VCD Players. This way your not using you PC to watch movies and thus they can be used to do other things. As for quality i don't think that converting to VCD and watching them on a TV you loose quality provided that the original file is of a high standard and it is done correct. I have some fantastic Rips i have done to back-up some DVD's to VCD and appart from the loss in DD sound the picture quality is 95% of the DVD.


Cheers

[RedWingsSuck]

I didn't say that I had no success. I'm tellin' you though, just pressing play is much easier and it free's up more time to collect and trade movies instead of spending hours upon hours of processor time just to get a sub-DVD quality rip of something that one already has in DivX format. Plus I can save a movie on one disc instead of two. Plus, I can fast forward, rewind and go to ANYWHERE in the movie just by using the media player. With a VCD or DVD you can't do that. Encoding to MPEG is a time and resource hog. I am more interested in collecting titles than spending all day and all night maxing out my PC's capabilities so I can't use it for anything else. TMPEG and FLASK and all off those other format converters MAX OUT your processor for hours, if not days. I have a cheap PII 400 PC just for my home theater, so I am not using the only computer that I have to watch movies; just one of them.

[1 Smelly Fish]

We obviously have totally opposite views, which is cool . I just dont like the idea of haveing hundreds of movies that can only be watched on a PC. Where as VCD's i recon are more versitile (although as you did mention do take an extra disc, but a small price to pay) Stand Alone DVD Players, PC, VCD Players PSX with VCD Adaptors can all play them (exceptions do apply).

Cheers

[setarip]

To RedWingsSuck

"I'm tellin' you though, just pressing play is much easier and it free's up more time to collect and trade movies"

Don't take any of the following personally, but:

You'd probably be surprised to discover that most of the posters at this forum aren't necessarily interested in acquiring copies of movies that they haven't purchased...

P.S. Video-Out cards, although becoming more prevalent, are not yet universal ;>}

P.P.S. Posting the same diatribe in "response" to virtually every VCD-related question is not really beneficial.

[RedWingsSuck]

Setarip, I am so, so glad that you are there to keep me in check. Your policing of the content in this forum is invaluble! If you keep it up, this won't be a forum anymore; just your opinions of my posts.

Plus, doesn't anyone wonder why they make DVD players that play virtually every format known, except for DivX? It's my opinion that the movies studios want to continue to keep making DivX to VCD as difficult and time consuming as possible and to keep PC-TV connections as unfamiliar to the public as they can. Yes, if you are looking for a hobby that that where all you do is try to convert DivX to VCD, you must really be into keeping your processor as hot as possible and making sure that nobody touches your PC while you're encoding. God forbid that someone checks their e-mail while you are encoding to MPEG; This is sure to throw off your whole video-audio sync (but you won't realize it until 5 hours later and you are finally done burning your VCD only to find out it didn't come out good enough to watch). In the meatime, while you have wasted 5 or 6 CDR's trying to get it right, I have downloaded and cataloged 5 movies to your one.

I do this for the movies, not because I like using TMPEG or VirtualDub.

Smelly Fish, I can always agree to disagree.
Cheers M8!

[1 Smelly Fish]

Sure RedWing, you raised some great and valid points mate, and good to discuss different facets of digital media in an 'open' forum and get the opinion a views from those world wide

Cheers mate