DVD Authoring Guide [Archive] - SnapStream Forums

DonK

10-21-2003, 08:55 PM

It's already in DVD Author to cut the commercials out. Also, the easiest way to accomodate for video too long is go ahead and make your "out of spec" dvd with DVD Author, then process it for about 20 mins with DVD2One in full disc mode. You can use DVD Shink, which is freeware, but to be quite honest I'm fond of DVD2One and haven't used DVDShrink.

I also use a PVR250. I set my audio to be 224k instead of 192. I set mine to ~6mbit usually, either 720x480 or 352x480, if I don't need high res, or if I'm doing some experimentation.

I didn't see your guide until I'd written mine, I don't do any reencoding whatsoever, since I record to the proper specs I need for dvd format.
My DVD Guide done without reencoding anything: (http://home.woh.rr.com/weezul/dvd.html)

I've created multi-movie dvd's with my method, and no loss of synch, although I wouldn't recommend more than 2 movies that are 90 mins or less being compressed onto one dvd.

kernel

10-22-2003, 06:10 AM

Originally posted by Weezul
I wouldn't recommend more than 2 movies that are 90 mins or less being compressed onto one dvd.
Why not more than 2?

DonK

10-22-2003, 06:35 AM

2 reasons mainly:
1) If you're compressing that much video to fit on a dvd, the quality will suffer badly on video,
and
2) I put 3 movies on a dvd once just to see what it would do, and got massively bad pixelization and audio synch issues.

kernel

10-24-2003, 05:50 AM

Are you using VBR? I believe that increases your likelyhood of getting sync issues if I remember correctly...

DonK

10-24-2003, 07:58 AM

VBR, and Multiple cuts/edits are the biggest reasons why you get out of synch errors.

The key here is he is removing commercials, which means multiple edit points. The more you edit, the bigger problem you'll have with synch.

Mayamaniac: Try upping audio to 224kbps instead of 192. That might help.

I've always had problems with audio synch if the following conditions were true:

1) Variable Bitrate
2) Audio bitrate lower than 224
3) Multiple cuts and edits

RobertH

10-24-2003, 09:38 AM

he cant be using vbr because he doesnt have a hardware encoder, wich is likely the cause, there are "problems" with the snapstream mpeg encoder for doing software encoding. while you wont notice the sync errors in snapstream you will notice them in other applications wich strictly adhear to the mpeg spec. more than likely the original video files have dropped frames or incomplete GOP structures and tmpgenc is rebuilding them from scratch causing the frame/audio sync to be lost. the only thing i could recommend in that case is to transcode the video into divx at a really high bitrate (so no compression artifacts) and then import it into tmpgenc and have it spit out a genuine mpeg file. most people that have the audio sync errors are those not using hardware encoders.

DonK

10-24-2003, 09:52 AM

RobertH's got a point there... I use PVR250 so I don't use the software MPEG encoder.

good call!

Mooneyass

10-27-2003, 08:22 AM

I'm having the same problem. I'm using 224 kbps audio, CBR, with no cuts.

Wes

kernel

10-27-2003, 08:38 AM

Is there any other program besides both of those mentioned made by TMPGEnc that anyone uses to cut out commercials?

DonK

10-27-2003, 08:42 AM

Originally posted by Mooneyass
I'm having the same problem. I'm using 224 kbps audio, CBR, with no cuts.

Wes

Are you using a PVR 250 or software mode?

RobertH

10-27-2003, 09:36 AM

if you own a pvr250/350 you can get a small editor called nanopeg(i think thats what it is called, the website refers to it as wintv editor) from hauppauge it is available on the original cd and there is a patch for it on their website. But i think if you are getting sync errors in tmpgenc you will likely get them in any other mpeg edititing program, the only other method i have seen is to convert to some other format like dvix/avi and use one of the plethora of "free" tools for that then re-render it back into mpeg for authoring (very wastefull and will likely result in quality loss unless rendering to very highbitrate/non-lossy format)

Mooneyass

10-27-2003, 09:40 AM

Well, after ALOT of reading it seems as though the culprit is SS3.3, which really sucks. It seems that everyone who is having success wirting DVDs are those with a PVR250/350. So, the problem only seems to occur when SS is doing the encoding.

I'm encoding in SW. Is anyone out there having success with the SS encoder? As of right now I'm very unhappy with SS performance.

Wes

SHS

10-27-2003, 07:57 PM

Weezul that not ture the problem is min MPEG editor can't do VBR rigth this why you need try out Womble MPEG2VCR it only one that is Frame/Audio-accurate editing when come to VBR MPEG2 files and there nothing fast then Womble MPEG2VCR.
Demo right here http://204.2.106.205/tle-request.htm
I have agree with RobertH if do other thing on your PC or you other thing (system services) that are runing in background thoses can cuase problem with Software encoding witch end cuaseing software encoder to drop frames.

I perf Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2.0
Most Useful Tools I use are
IfoEdit
DVD Patcher
DVD Shrink

RobertH

10-27-2003, 09:36 PM

Another thing I forgot to mention is that if you have the preview option enabled it can add some extra min to the encoding process, i transcoded an svcd file today into dvd format for archiving and i had the preview option turned on when i turned it off the time left counter dropped by almost 40 min

DonK

10-27-2003, 09:38 PM

I've tried them all, Womble, Sonic, Ulead... they are all either too buggy or overly complicated for something so simple as menu creations, the folks who made dvd made things wayyyyy too cumbersome....

Also, TMPG's DVD Author cuts at the proper point, not in between parts of the GOP like other mpeg editors I've seen.

SHS

10-27-2003, 10:06 PM

Womble MPEG editor not a DVD Author Weezul

DonK

10-28-2003, 08:05 AM

Originally posted by SHS
Womble MPEG editor not a DVD Author Weezul

I've tried the editor, yes. I didn't like it. I've tried just about everything out there. I've spent a boatload of time searching and trying every obscure program I could to try and find answers to my issues before I got my PVR250. And I've encountered good and bad software, too. I was creating my own dvds with differing levels of success before all these new tools came out, the hard way.

I've had a lot of problems with software encoders, and so far, the only solution I came up with was to switch to hardware encoding. Mainly because of the whole sound synch issue. I've explored different framerate/bitrate/audio type combinations... MPG2 audio, converting the AC3 audio using BeSweet, changing delays, compressing different ways, etc... I've done hundreds of hours of work with a lot of failed burns and missynched audio, all because the rule that the more you cut/alter the original stream, the more you get issues.

Yes, I agree, a hardware encoder isn't the greatest answer for everyone, as they may not have the budget for it. But your results are the best with Hardware encoders in quality of the video and resource usage.

My personal preference is TMPGEnc's DVD Author for PVR250/350 users because it simply *works*, that's all. I don't have to do a bunch of pre- or post- processing just to remove commercials, of course, I am not one to go through the bother anyway, I don't watch commercial tv most of the time, I am watching my movie channels, because I hate commercials, they are an extreme annoyance. The only channels I watch with commercials on them are Sci-Fi channel and my local Fox affiliate for news and the Simpsons.

SHS

10-28-2003, 09:37 AM

I found TMPGEnc's DVD Author is to boring and lack lot features vs Ulead DVD MovieFactory but I found that NeroVision Express 2 is the best with it over all features and killer functionality for even the avg user on building custom DVD menu but it has major problem with Hardware made MPEG2 files cuasing big time sync problem last time I check and to bad DVD-lab is a pain in neck to work with.

By the way Weezul TMPGEnc's DVD Author dosen't remove commercials it self all your doing chapter edit on top chapter auto points which not the same thing as ture MPEG editing so there for it the same.

And there part of problem is you was converting MPEG2 audio to AC3 audio which I think big waste of time.

DonK

10-28-2003, 09:56 AM

I don't have a single sync issue with hardware encoded files.

You're "cutting out" the commercials by the method I use without actually editing the file. It's basically skipping over the chapter edits you pull out. This still produces the same end result: video without commercials. It works for me. lol

When I was first creating my own DVD discs, I had limited success with conversion to AC3, but yeah, it's a HUGE waste of time. Once you have a hardware encoder that writes out the files that work. I know that the PVR250 has some kind of support for AC3 but I think the main reason behind it not being implemented was licensing, was it not?

And to play devil's advocate against the PVR250, if you cut the hardware encoded ones enough you get the same thing, as you well know. Even the Hauppauge included editor can cause this behavior.

Nerovision is a nice proggy but I hate having to buy one program, then shell out for addons later like Nerovision urrrg... What a way to nickle and dime people to death lol I have the full Nero 6 package with everything though, it's definitely a nice piece of work, and very useful. I use CopyToDVD a lot though because I've had some compatibility issues with Nero.

SHS

10-28-2003, 10:44 AM

Your method my work but my thing is your way you can't get very min TVshow Episode on one disc becuase on avg there are at lease 18min of commercials.
For example we do CVD.
So we set up as AudioBitrate 224, AudioSampling 48KHz, Video Bitrate 2500000 (bits/second) & Video PeakBitrate 3000000 (bits/second) in VBR.
Babylon 5 is the TVshow we are doing which has 112 Episode.
NoN Editing vs Editing
Your way you only get 4 TVshow Episode vs My way where I get up to 6 TVshow Episode with very little DVD Shrink something I don't have use DVD Shrink which all depend on file size after editing.
Your way that be 22 DVD Disc and My way that be 19 DVD Disc which dosen't count the Babylon 5 Spinoffs/Movies.

I have been using Womble MPEG2VCR for 3+yrs now and I have not had any problem with audio sync even when I had my first PVR card but sometime you can get bad video clip which is usely due to bad broadcast so that something no one can fix becuase there are a lot of things that can cuase this problem on all type services weather be it Cable, AIR, VHS, Home DVD Player and even Satellite broadcast.

Yes that rigth Weezul implemented AC3 has to with licensing which cost and $Arm&Leg$ but only Conexant CX23416 (iTVC16) can do AC3 or better know DD 2.0

DonK

10-28-2003, 10:52 AM

how are you getting those numbers? If I'm removing video from the final product by using the edit function then how are you saying that you get more by manually editing the video?

I'll tell you what. I'll settle the whole issue tonight. I have 6 + episodes of Stargate, which are an hour apiece. I will create a 6 episode dvd with them (UNCOMPRESSED) with no editing, and then do a 6 episode dvd with the commercials removed. I'll have screenshots for you to show the results.

SHS

10-28-2003, 11:00 AM

I removing all the commercials it self from the clip and output new clip so that ready for DVD Author.
For example the recording is 62min long with all the commercials in it when I get done edit out the commercials and output new MPEG clip I now have 42min of the show only with no commercials in it.

SHS

10-28-2003, 11:07 AM

what will be using for and MPEG editor?.
See this page if going to try out Womble MPEG2VCR
http://jschefdog.home.comcast.net/wintv_pvr_250.html#mpeg2vcr
I hope you don't mean (UNCOMPRESSED) as in AVI?.

DonK

10-28-2003, 11:14 AM

When you go into the chapter edit function and remove clips from the video, you're doing that! You're removing video from being encoded in the final product.

It's not writing the vob with the whole mpg file in it and skipping portions. It's removing them just the same as you would with a separate editor.

SHS

10-28-2003, 12:18 PM

I have redownload the latest TMPGEnc's DVD Author and look at Weezul at time I try it wasn't doing that and I think that was something like ver 1.1 or 1.2 at time I take look at ver 1.5

SHS

10-28-2003, 09:08 PM

Ok Weezul see this little test I did
http://www.shspvr.com/images_other/dvd_test.html

DonK

10-29-2003, 07:41 AM

I may have to look at the newer applications then, Ulead and Womble both, but as you can see from your own test it *does* cut the parts out like I was trying to explain to you.

Now, did the result lose synch?

Just an FYI: According to the MPEG specification, the *only* place a program should be making cuts are at I-Frames.

If the program you use does it anywhere other than I-Frames, then it isn't accurately following the MPEG specifications. This is the major factor for me also, I want everything to be as accurate as possible to the spec. I see you record at a *much* lower bitrate than I do. I record at 4.7mbit total 224kbit audio 720x480.

This may be another reason you can fit episodes on a disc. I wasn't able to do my test last night, had to keep the other half busy or suffer the consequences.

I am also wondering, did you do motion menus? One thing I have noticed is that it does affect my output size.

SHS

10-29-2003, 10:09 AM

That not ture Weezul the trick is alway cut on black frame
I don't care for motion menus.

AZman

10-31-2003, 01:13 PM

Has anyone used the editing program that comes with the PVR250? I did have TMPGEnc Plus, but the audio out of sync. was to much to deal with. I now use the edit program for the PVR250. It is a little hard to use, but it cuts commericals without re-rendering the movie. No audio problems yet. For all you without the PVR250 or 350, this program will only open files created by the PVR250 or 350 hardware encoder.

bobbysue

11-01-2003, 11:57 PM

Converting MPEG-2 files to DVD the Easy Way.

Tools Needed: TMPGEnc
IFOEdit
DVD Shrink 2.3
NERO 6 or suitable burning app

Step One: In TMPGENC, close out the project wizard window that pops up. Next click on file>MPEGTools, select De-multiplex. Then click browse and find your MPEG file you want to convert. Double click the video stream 0x00 and save the video part of your MPEG-2 to wherever you want and name it., making sure it has an .m2v extension. The video stream will now be saved. When complete, double click the audio_stream 0x00, but when you save it, first manually change the file to a .mpa extension. The audio stream will now be saved .

Step Two: Now open up IFOEdit and click on DVD Author>Author New DVD. Add the video and audio files you created in the above steps by clicking on the square boxes to the right of the dialogue box. You should now have your Video and Audio files with file extensions of .m2v and .mpa showing in the window. Now go to the bottom and where it says “Output Stream” and click on the square box to the right. Before doing this create an VIDEO_TS folder somewhere. This is where your output stream will create its files. Click okay. Your DVD structure will be created in this folder complete with VOB files ext. If the file is the way you want it. Burn with NERO 6. If the file is too big or you want to edit commercials out go to Step 3.

Step Three: Open up DVD Shrink 2.3. Click on open files and navigate to the folder where IFOEdit put your files. Double click the top file in the folder. Your video will now be opened up in the program with a preview showing at the bottom. Click re-author. Drag as many copies of your file into the DVD window (upper left). Highlight your first copy and then click on the Start/End icon at the top of the dialogue window. Use the start/stop function to trim out commercials etc. Do this with each copy of your file until you have all the commercials cut out. Need more copies, drag from bottom right to the top left. When you are completed. Click on back-up. DVD Shrink will now output to the folder you designate. Burn these files with Nero 6.

This process has worked well resulting in no audio/video snyc issues. It takes less time than you might think to complete. Works great when wanting to put several copies of a series on one disk. Note: If your total file size is in the red in DVD Shrink after all your editing, use the compression feature to bring your DVD down to green acceptable size limit. Good luck.

esd3104

11-02-2003, 08:04 PM

Thanks for your post which was exactly what I was looking for! I have followed your instructions and it works great - just as you said.

However, I am stumbling on getting multiple episodes on one disk. I have 2 episodes converted into their respective output folders from DVDShrink (started from 2 separate mpeg files and went through your step-by-step process). However, I cannot see how you get the 2 episodes into one DVD output for burning since they have all the same file names etc.

I am probably missing something obvious but can you add an explanation on this point? I'm trying to keep my recordings of West Wing onto one DVD.

Thanks

DonK

11-02-2003, 08:36 PM

My first method of doing dvd's was similar to Bobbysue's but there wasn't a product out (DVD2One or DVDShrink) to bring the video down under the limit for a DVD-/+ R disk.

I had severe time synch issues back then, and it occurred both with PVR250 and Snapstream software encoded mpg2 files. This was before Snapstream even had experimental PVR250 support.

I haven't done the IFOEdit method in so long, I can't remember the last DVD I made with it.

BKL

11-14-2003, 07:36 PM

I have been using TMPGEnc Plus for quite awhile now and have had excellent results using the KDVD template from http://www.kvcd.net/dvd-models.html . They claim it is good for upto 6 hrs on a DVD, but I must admit I usually max out at about 3-4 hrs. I have found the files to play on all three DVD players I have tried it on, but as they recommend, you should test it for yourself. KVCD.net also offers templates for TMPGEnc which will offer upto about 2 hrs on a CD-r, but, again, you need to test to your own satisfaction. Some people like the templates and some don't. Try them out and they may fit your needs. I should also add that your DVD player may or may not like videos encoded using the templates. Again, test, test, test!
I also highly recommend www.dvdrhelp.com as an excellent source for help on all kinds of video encoding questions.

erlend

11-16-2003, 05:17 PM

Hi, does anyone know of a command line tool for removing parts of a mpeg-2 file? The combination of a command line based splitting and joining tool would be sufficient, I guess. This would enable me to write the proper scripts. I see that http://boilsoft.com has a Splitter and a Joiner tool, but they don't seem to be invokable from the command line.

As you prbably have guessed I want to use such a tool to remove the commercials from my recorded TV programs. When 3.4 arrives it will be very ease to find the start and end of all commercials and feed those into a command line tool. We could even ask the Snapstream development team to provide a list of those start end times in a dialog window (or directly to the clipboard maybe?) to make it easier for us to invoke the tool. Better even , of course, would be to be able to call such a tool from within SS.

-E

RobertH

11-16-2003, 05:23 PM

check out the following for some programs:
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/encoding.html
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/

they have some good programs for doing stuff, havent checked for command line based ones however.

PVRMan2

11-18-2003, 05:50 AM

Womble's MPEG2VCR is by far the best and easiest Editor for cutting commercials. It is so simple to use. If you follow this (http://jschefdog.home.comcast.net/wintv_pvr_250.html#mpeg2vcr) online guide, you shouldn't have any problems. I even tought my 12 year old son how to set up Snap Stream to record his own shows, and he uses Womble to edit out the commercials!

Combined with ULead's Movie Factory 2, I am making some high quality DVDs! Thanks for all the info in this Thread guys.

DonK

12-12-2003, 08:56 PM

Great to hear more people are having success using Snapstream/PVR250 created files making dvds.

I just did Battlestar Galactica (both nights) the other day with DVD Author and removed the commercials and had a working dvd with no audio synch loss, I just had to use DVD2One on it afterwards, but I've got a nice DVD menu with motion :D

I love this stuff!

awesomejt

01-06-2004, 12:24 PM

Here's my setup:

PC 1 (snapstream box)
Athlon 1.1 Gthz
Win2k
SnapStream 3.3
PVR 350
Connected via S-video to Sony SAT B55 Satellite reciever (DirecTV); controlled by serail cable.

PC 2 (Studio box)
Athlon XP 1700+
Win2k
Sony 500AX DVD burner
Studio 8.10.4c (patch really recommended)

Process:
1. Record to PC1 using SnapStream 3.3 with PVR 350 on Hi-Res DVD profile
2. Copy resulting MPEG file to PC 2 for editing, rendering, and burning.
3. Edit using Studio 8 (make sure latest patch is installed). Removal of commercials is fairly simple and straightforward. Just "Split Sence" at each break between commercials and good content. Then, put together a new project with just including the "sences" without commercials.
4. Add menu to beginning -- allow Studio to automatically add chapter points in. A typical span with commercial brakes are good references of where to put chapters.
5. Set the Make Disc settings to save files to hard drive -- just burn later with another program.
6. Save project and open back up before going to bed for the evening. I like to burn my projects overnight since they usually take about 10 hours to render.
7. Burn DVD with favorite DVD burning software (I like using Nero 5.5.x.x).

A few things I've noticed:
1. Studio will re-render the MPEG when creating the DVD. To my knowledge, most programs will do this also (except I-Frame editors). Anyways, this causes very long render/compile times. Like I said before, I let it do this at night.
2. Studio is great software when it works but I've seen lots of users have issues with it (especially previous versions). For this task, it works perfectly for me.
3. I'm currently using PVR 350 to capture (ie, hardware MPEG encoding). I don't have A/V issues. Before this I used an ATI TV-Wonder card with SnapStream's native software encoding and always had A/V sync issues with any files more than 20 minutes long.
4. Starting from scratch, I've spent more than I would have on a TiVo system (initial cost only). But, in the end, I have a vastly superior setup (can burn to DVD, re-encode to DivX, etc) and easy to upgrade, and no monthly service costs. Besides, I enjoy many side benefits from this setup. I'm a geek, so I can do this -- but not recommended for Grandma.

PVRMan2

01-06-2004, 01:11 PM

The easiest way to edit MPG files to remove commercials - and fastest - is to use Womble MPEG-VCR (http://womble.com/vcr-text.htm) to edit the .mpg files produced by snapstream. It doesn't do any re-rendering it basically rewrites the file in the same format dropping out the marked commercial segments. It is extremely fast. I won't use Studio 8 even though it came bundled with my writer. The best inexpensive piece of software I have found for authoring my commercial-less DVDs is Ulead's Movie Factory 2.0 (http://www.ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm) !

rtd3

02-24-2004, 08:28 PM

After reading and then re-reading this forum, I am at a loss as to the best tools for the job of creating a DVD from SS/PVR-250.

From what I gather, it's mostly personal preference. That said, before I take the plunge and invest a lot of time, can someone tell me if my assumptions are correct?

1. For editing out commercials, Womble's MPEGVCR seems to be the quickest.

2. For non-comercial MPEG2, DVD-Author.

3. If the above create a DVD > 4.7 GB, then use DVD Shrink or DVD2One to create a DVD that will fit in 4.7GB.

4. Use DVD-Author or another DVD burning tool to create the DVD.

Are my assumtions ok for the "quickest" way to create DVD's?

Thanks,

Rob

RobertH

02-24-2004, 08:35 PM

yep that sounds about right, however I have found that some programs will cause dvdshrink to not be able to process the end video, tmpgenc for instance will muck up and not create entire GOP structures and as a result dvdshrink cannot shrink the disk after its been authored. I really should up date this guide but havent had any free time since thanksgiving.

Currently I use the following process:
- Record with BTV
- Open files in dvd author
- Cut commercials with dvd author's cut tools (edit the video clip's properties its on a button at the top)
- Render dvd using dvd author (ignoring errors of it being too big)
- Open output in dvd shrink and shrink it
- Allow dvd shrink to burn using the nero engine (new version can rip and burn, makes doing backups a real simple process now :))
I can fit 3 hour shows on their using my vbr profile (see other forum thread for that) and it takes dvd author about 15 minutes to build, then dvd shrink about 20 minutes to shrink then depending on if im burning on my 4x or 1x burner it can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes to burn the disk. I think the quality is better than doing it the tmpenc route and I dont have to worry about scrounging the video down before encoding to make sure they will fit. normally the output of dvd author is around 7-8gigs and dvd shrink goes from 75-60% compression

turbodb

03-07-2004, 01:19 PM

If I dont want to use DVDShrink on a file (which I am assuming is lossy), what's the best way to split a large MPG to multiple disks? Use DVD Author and just cut the first/second half of the file for each disk? Does this cause any quality loss due to re-encoding?

Thanks,
Dan

RobertH

03-07-2004, 02:04 PM

if you use dvd author to do the cutting it only allows cutting on GOP breaks so it will not have to re-encode the video stream, that is about as clean of a cutting you can get.

parkerbink

03-12-2004, 08:52 AM

Your great guide helped me alot! (encoding S.W.A.T as we speak). One question, what (if anything) is the difference between TMPGEnc 1.5 & TMPGEnc 2.5 PLUS?

I downloaded the trial of 1.5 and am using it per your instructions. Is there a reason to look at Plus? before I buy one or the other?

Gunn

03-20-2004, 07:31 PM

Robert, according to your guide I downloaded, my Step 5/5 of the wizard is different and I can't figure out why.

The "Output video and audio as individual elementray streams" is grayed out. AND more importantly, I can't select the output file to be .mpg. The only thing I can do is get a .m2v and .wav, split. Even when I try to manually type in .mpg, it does the .[m2v+wav] extension and proceeds to split them.

I trying to do this with a BTV recorded movie and I have a PVR250. So I'm not sure why it must seperate them?

Thanks,

RobertH

03-20-2004, 09:27 PM

that means on the first step of setting it up you set it up to have PCM audio instead of mpeg2 audio, go back to the first step and make sure you picked the right option

wintivo

03-31-2004, 07:00 PM

Hello! I am new to this forum, so I am not sure if I am including all the information I need to.

I followed Weezul's version of authoring DVDs. I used DVD Author and then copied Volume 1 into Nero to burn to a DVD. I did not need to shrink it. Before burning it, I opened two of the VOB files and they both had sound. I burned the disk, test it on my DVD player and there is no sound. If I use Nero to author my DVDs and then burn them, there is sound - so that tells me it's not the DVD player. :confused:

Please tell me what else you might need in order to help me...but I would really like to figure it out as Weezul's version was very easy to follow, especially for someone like me that is not very technical.

Thank you!

Lachlan

04-05-2004, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by Weezul
You're "cutting out" the commercials by the method I use without actually editing the file. It's basically skipping over the chapter edits you pull out. This still produces the same end result: video without commercials. It works for me. lol

Weezul--I don't understand what you're saying here. How did you get your software to automatically skip commercials without removing them altogether?

Lachlan

DonK

04-05-2004, 02:51 PM

when you go in and do your chapter edits with dvd author it "cuts out" the edits you remove.

For example... you go to the beginning frame of your commercial and set it at the start point... then go to the end and set it as the end point and then cut that out. then you go to the next commercial and repeat.

As far as I can tell, dvd author doesn't really cut the commercials from the mpg, it just skips over the points you "deleted" and continues from there.

Granted I'm using hardware encoded files so I haven't seen any problems, but software encoded might encounter problems.

RobertH

04-05-2004, 04:35 PM

the one currently on their site does remove the video that is why it only allows cutting on I-Frames, the video files are signifgantly smaller in total space after cutting as apposed to older versions, the originals dont get touched however so you would have to re-cut the video if you wanted to burn it onto a differently layed out disk.

Lachlan

04-06-2004, 05:34 PM

I am using their most recent demo. I didn't watch the size, but I cut the commercials out of the Thomas Crown Affair on NBC, then squeezed it with dvd shrink, then wrote it with TMPGEnc and it worked flawlessly. Much better than neodvd! Oh and I'm using pvr-250.

amontalenti

04-26-2004, 07:51 AM

I highly reccomend you guys go and buy VideoReDo (link http://www.videoredo.com). It has support for SmartSkip XML files. This saves so much time.

BeyondTV's SmartSkip Actually Works. I have tested it for a variety of shows, and it always seems to cut at the right point.

Setup BeyondTV to create SmartSkip files after you finish recording. If you're like me, the shows you want to record run during the day when you're at school/work. Setup ShowSqueeze's constraints to be an hour or so before the end of the day (4pm) and then have SmartSkip run in there.

Come home to MPEG streams and open them in VideoReDo. Then open the XML SmartSkip files and VideoReDo will apply cuts in the right places. Save the mpeg file; since VideoReDo works like Womble, it only takes about 2-3 minutes to save a 1-hour show with 5 commercial cuts.

Then put your edited mpegs directly into TMPGEnc DVD Author or Ulead's MovieFactory/Workshop and burn. Simple as that.

I am able to use DVDShrink after this process, as well.

DSuit

05-22-2004, 07:02 AM

Womble also has a "Video Wizard" version which is awesome!! I am now a spoiled girl and, although diamonds are still a girl's best friend, Womble is a close second. I just started DVD'ing it this week and Womble was easy to pick up.

Re: the GOP issue: Womble Video Wizard lets you edit frame by frame (use N speed and your left/right arrow keys). You just mark in/out on whatever frame you want and Womble automatically takes care of the GOPs. It plays the audio on the (N forward) setting, so I can set my mark at exactly the point where the video and audio fade in or out -- makes a very nice transition when cutting out commercials. I am recoding at a high variable bitrate (avg 6000; max 12000) and audio LayerII. Womble handles it like a pro (no sync problems after 20+ files). An edited show (around 41 minutes) is around 1.9G, so I can get two hours of very high quality video/audio per disk.

BTW - I don't care about making a cool interface and just want a fast way of storing high quality MPEG-2 video on DVD, so I am using DLA (from Sonic). DLA allows you to just drag and drop an .mpg file onto your DVD burner drive. There is no authoring and because it's just stored as a file, there are no concerns about the 10mbps DVD Video limitation. So, I am storing and playing my 12+mbps MPEG-2 files (PowerDVD will play them directly from the DVD drive).

Note that DLA ONLY works on re-writeable DVDs (-RW, +RW). The DLA help doc says it takes 45 minutes to format it the first time, but I have a Sony 8x player and am using +RW 4x media and the entire initial format takes 45 seconds (-RW only comes ax x1 and x2 and costs the same as +RW x4, so for this app, the obvious choice is +RW). Because it's +RW and it's just a file, I can always author it later if I ever get the time. PowerDVD plays it directly from my burner drive. My video card has S-Video output so should be able to play it on my TV, but I haven't tested that part, yet.

Jeez I've learned a TON in the last week! I didn't even know what +RW was a week ago. :D

DSuit

05-22-2004, 07:38 AM

Oh, I forgot:

Someone asked about splitting an .mpg into multiple files because of size restrictions.

This should be easy to do in Womble MPEG Video Wizard: Note that these are based on the current trial version.
1. Drag and drop your .mpg into the Input monitor. Make sure the slider is at the beginning of the movie.

2. Click the Mark In button (^). (all the buttons have tooltips)

3. Drag the cursor to your halfway point (or enter the hh:mm:ss.ff) and click the Mark Out button (make note of the timestamp). This highlights the segment in green.

4. Right click the green segment and select "Add to Clips". This can sometimes move the slider, but doesn't affect the selected segment. Having the "Mark out" timestamp from Step 3 will help you reposition if the slider gets moved.

5. Position the slider where the second file should start, click the Mark In button.

7. Go to the end of the file and click the Mark Out button. R-click and Add to Clips. Select Save As (a tiny little icon in the upper Left corner of the Timeline) & save the Womble Project.

8. Drag and drop the first segment onto the timeline. Click the Export option on the menu at the top of your screen. Click the first Tab (I think it's General) and enter the file name (you might need to select the correct project because it defaults to the last one that exported). Click the last tab, make sure Automatic is selected and then export (the top button). The export is pretty quick (a few minutes).

9. Delete the segment from the timeline, and then drag/drop the second clip to the timeline. Do Step 8 for this segment. Make sure that you change the FileName on the first tab, or the second export will overlay the file created in the first export.

I haven't tested this, but it should be close (you might need to save in between the exports or something). Hope this helps someone, as I have gotten a tremendous amount of information from a number of forums this week.

craighackl

05-27-2004, 09:29 AM

I found a program that will re-encode the files into a form that any other program will recognize, with no audio sync issues (i just spend the last 5 days trying to figure this out)

pretty much any of the honest technology products will re-encode it properly with no audio sync errors, then you can load them up in tmpgenc and cut the commercials.

i tried the video editor,and the video splitter and joiner product, both worked fine.
however don't try and use either of these for cutting the comercials, since i could never get them to cut right on the frame i wanted.
so basically i load the video splitter and joiner, drop the file in, re-encode it using the default settings (which don't change any of the file settings) then i take the file it produces and drop it into tmpgenc and cut the commercials out...
another slightly anoying thing is that you don't have any options where to save your files with the video splitter and joiner so install it to the drive you have a lot of space on.
it's a bit of a pain (i encode in dvd ready lo-rez) and it takes slightly longer then real time. a 30 minute show i can re-encode with the video splitter and joiner in about 40 minutes... and there is no batch mode that i have found yet...
this is running on an amd 2200+ xp with 512 mb of ram, on a hardware ide raid stripe set.

oh the website is http://www.honestech-e.com/us/product00.asp?chk=1&thispage=/index.asp

if somone can find a way to get the video splitter joiner to work in batch mode that would be awesome...

but anyways this works 100% for me, at getting a file that i can use in tmpgenc with no audio sync errors.

(oh i'm using an ati tv wonder pro capture card, so it's software mpeg encoding as well)
hope this helps.

diE

07-07-2004, 10:23 AM

Hi,
Yes your guide is just perfect. I just started using this way a day before because none of the other guides I found on the net were helping me that much and I'm happy to know that someone else was doing what I am currently doing, not done. I would like some support though. Below are a list of questions I have lol :D .

1.) Can I just use '#1 Video Converter' to convert my file first?
2.) Can I use a 'Standard MPEG-2' format, or do I have to make it
"MPEG-2 [DVD NTSC]?
3.) What frame rate do I have to use for converting first?
4.) For the TMPGEnc Author, do I have to put something in the audio? I don't have a seperate audio file, it's with the video file! So what am I supposed to do?

I have converted once to 'Standard MPEG-2' but when I went to TMPGEnc Author, it said some error like frame rate does not match a standard dvd's. Than below it, it told me which frame rates do work, so now I am converting again using the frame rates provided by the Author, so really I haven't got to the Authoring part yet. Just one last question:

With TMPGEnc Author, can I upload my own background images. And does it support audio menus?(Like can I put music in the menus?)

Which one would you think is better:

Sonic DVDit PE or TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.5?

I tried DVDit PE, but it cannot take in MPEG-2 files, and it takes far too long to convert avi to dvd format itself.

If I use '#1 Video Converter', and convert it to 'MPEG-2[DVD-NTSC]' will I get a bunch of DVD files or 1 DVD file which can be than authored?

If TMPGEnc does take audio menus, does it accept a certain type of file only?

DVDit does make Audio Menus, and it works just fine until I tried to put the DVD in a folder, the following error came up 'Cannot transfer (WAV name,) contains a unsampling audio rate' or something similar to that.

Thank You
:confused:

craighackl

07-07-2004, 05:29 PM

well, i'm not an expert, i just have found a way that works for me, but i'll answer as best i can

i'm not sure what the #1 video converter is, if it's a different software package, then it MAY work, the two programs i mentioed before i know work, but a lot of other didn't.
as far as formats, it shouldn't matter which one you use, or what framerate (again with the two honesttech products) as the first step simple re-encodes the stream with information so that tmpgenc will see it properly.

as for tmpgenc author, it should be able to see the audio stream with the video, but if it can't then when you are using tmpgenc to remove the commercials, it has the option to save the files in seperate audio and video streams.
in tmpgenc when you get to the set output screen, as long as you pick one of the dvd templates you shouldn't have any problem with tmpgenc author

i don't actually burn any of my movies as dvd's i play all mine back via a computer, so i'm just burning them to dvd as the raw mpeg file or after i convert it to xvid later.

another really good place to check for help with this kinda stuff (especially with specific programs is www.videohelp.com

well hope this helps you out some!

diE

07-08-2004, 12:53 PM

Ok,
I am not going to use TMPGEnc Author anymore because I cannot create a custom MENU in it. I do want to use Sonic DVDit because it is so easy to use, but it does not accept standard MPEG-2 Files. Which program should I use:

ReelDVD or DVDit PE

I think ReelDVD accepts standard MPEG-2 files, but I am not sure if it accepts AVI files, because at the moment I cannot find any encoder which can convert my AVI file into standard MPEG-2 or MPEG-2 [DVD-NTSC], and it should convert in high quality. Anyone recommend anything?

Sonic DVDit can accept AVI files and encode them into DVD files when it is making a folder, but that takes far too long and I have read that the quality is not that good.

Or does anyone know any freeware which can encode and author DVD's, which I don't think anyone does except for Ulead DVD Movie workshop.

Any recommendations??

RobertH

07-08-2004, 05:03 PM

you can create a custom menu in the newest version of tmpg dvd author, ive been using 1.5.15.49 for some time (i think this is the second build with custom menus), on the menu screen just hit [Edit menu theme] button and it will probably say you cant do you want to make a new one, it will then let you choose a base layout wich you can then edit and customise the placement of all the items on the menu.

tmpgenc can do the conversion, you might want to try www.vcdhelper.com and see if there are any "free" tools on there that will help.

diE

07-11-2004, 07:26 PM

Hi,
Thank you everyone for all your help, I have finally created a DVD which works on the DVD Player.

When I insert my DVD into the DVD Player, it works just fine, but when I play my DVD, it plays as frames, like the DVD is not running properly. It is playing the DVD frame by frame, so does anyone know what I can do to improve that. I want the movie to work normal, because my DVD only takes 1.25 GB of space. So can anyone help, as you can see I have a lot of space free on the DVD... someone help :rolleyes:

jota

07-26-2004, 10:33 AM

Just wondering if anyone here has looked at VideoRedo http://www.drdsystems.com/VideoReDo/ (http://www.drdsystems.com/VideoReDo/) at all. I have a trial version and appears to be working great. It actually takes me longer to write the video with my old 2.4x writer than it does to edit out the commercials. VideoRedo will load the smartskip files created by snapstream and automatically put cut points where the commercials are. Then I just go through and check to make sure snapstream was correct ( They are right on about 90% of the time ) and adjust the cuts as needed. VideoRedo does not re-encode the entire file. On average, on my 1GHz Athlon, it takes 8 or 9 minutes to process my cuts on a 2 hr mpeg file.

No, I'm not a salesman for VideoRedo, and I haven't even sent them any money. Still have 15 days left on my trial. It was simple to install, and the snapstream capability makes it all worth it. Maybe, when 3.5 comes out I will see if I can figure out how to write a plugin or something to automate the cutting ( but I would still probably have to check it out manually to get anything that snapstream misses! )

Joel

darkuni

08-02-2004, 08:52 AM

Here is my own DVD Authoring page. Others have found it helpful... maybe someone here will too.

http://www.monroeworld.com/dvd

barnolde

08-03-2004, 07:21 PM

I am using the process bobbysue had posted "converting MPEG-2 the easy way".
I successfully was able to burn a dvd and it played on powerdvd on the computer. It comes up with a message "error" when I try playing it in a standalone dvd player. What do I need to do to get it to that level so I can play it on any dvd player?

Thanks,
Bradley

jackal

08-10-2004, 11:32 PM

I've had excellent success using Vegas Video 5.0 + DVD Architect 2.0. Once the MainConcept plug-in is registered, Vegas can read files created with both the software encoder or PVR-250. It retains Audio sync regardless of the edits made.

When done, you can either select to re-encode the video or to compile a new video file (if you have only made cuts). Audio can be rendered to PCM, AC3 (stereo or multi-channel), or MPEG-2.

Then bring it into DVD-Architect, add menus, etc. Author it... and burn.

Plays perfectly on computer or tv-top DVD players.

I've read that this also with works with Adobe Premiere Pro and Encore DVD, but I have not authored any DVD's with Encore.

Leaf

08-26-2004, 01:59 PM

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this?

I've been testing alot of different software to see what gives the best results for multi episode dvd's that are too large to fit on one dvd.

Dvd shrink is good for 80% compression unless there are multiple episodes on one dvd. I've been testing this:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=74308

Using the free encoder QuEnc setting the menues to D1 works wonders on just copying DVD's with large content like the scifi channel Children of Dune series. The problem is it takes up to 8 hours to transcode one DVD. But the result blows DVD shrink away IMHO. Unlike DVD Shrink you have to push the buttons to burn it to dvd if you are using nero.

Anyway it's an option for those who have had trouble with DVD Shrink.

Leaf

I haven't tried it on files recorded with SS yet.

johnnyswindle

09-01-2004, 06:07 PM

I am curious.........I can' find any of the settings that everyone is talking about. For example Weezle says:

also use a PVR250. I set my audio to be 224k instead of 192. I set mine to ~6mbit usually, either 720x480 or 352x480, if I don't need high res, or if I'm doing some experimentation.
----------

Call me silly, but I don't see any place to make those changes. I am having issues with Nero for burning DVDs and would love to use DVD Author, but it tells me I am using "Non Standard" format for my mpg files.

Can some help me out here.........

Thanks

flystar06

09-03-2004, 01:04 PM

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to use the xml files created by SnapStream (smartchapters) by TMPGenc? Is there a way, cause it would save loads of time in cutting the commercials out!

kagera

10-11-2004, 09:24 PM

VideoReDo
I highly reccomend you guys go and buy VideoReDo (link http://www.videoredo.com (http://www.videoredo.com/)). It has support for SmartSkip XML files. This saves so much time.

BeyondTV's SmartSkip Actually Works. I have tested it for a variety of shows, and it always seems to cut at the right point.

Setup BeyondTV to create SmartSkip files after you finish recording. If you're like me, the shows you want to record run during the day when you're at school/work. Setup ShowSqueeze's constraints to be an hour or so before the end of the day (4pm) and then have SmartSkip run in there.

Come home to MPEG streams and open them in VideoReDo. Then open the XML SmartSkip files and VideoReDo will apply cuts in the right places. Save the mpeg file; since VideoReDo works like Womble, it only takes about 2-3 minutes to save a 1-hour show with 5 commercial cuts.

Then put your edited mpegs directly into TMPGEnc DVD Author or Ulead's MovieFactory/Workshop and burn. Simple as that.

I am able to use DVDShrink after this process, as well.

Amontalenti posted this on page 4

Nastynorman

10-19-2004, 08:23 AM

WOW, a lot of good info here. I've been doing this stuff for a long time and have tried most programs out there and so I'll just add my process here.

1) Record show with BTV on my Hauppauge PVR 250 with high bitrate@ 720x480
2) If necessary edit out commercials with Womble (excellent, easy to use tool)
3) Resize (compress) mpg file(s) to fit single dvd using TMPGEnc 3.0 XPress (slow)
4) Author Using TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6
4) Burn with Nero 6

This isn't very different from what most people are doing except maybe using TMPGEnc 3.0 XPress to compress the video. I used to use TMPGEnc Plus 2.5 but I find Xpress does a good job and is a bit simpler, especially is you you are burning a dvd with several files on it.

I do have a question for RobertH or anyone else. While am am pretty happy doing things this way, it takes a lot of time (typically 6-9 hours to reencode a mpg with TMPGEnc Plus). Is it worth it or is authoring an oversize dvd and then shrinking it with DVDSHRINK, Nero Recode or another prog. a better way? I've always thought that it would degrade my quality too much.
Any opinions?

BubblesVan

11-23-2004, 01:05 AM

Is there any other program besides both of those mentioned made by TMPGEnc that anyone uses to cut out commercials?

The program I use is Womble MPEG Video Wizard 2003. I find it does a great job plus it has many other "bits" I find useful. Things such as stream multiplexer and demultiplexer (allows you to separate video from audio and save them as separate files).

It can also do transitions between scenes if you like. I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try.

http://www.womble.com

Brant

onwiththeshow

12-20-2004, 08:05 AM

Great guide - thanks!

KenH

12-27-2004, 06:33 PM

Just wondering if anyone has advice on this. I have been using Roxio's DVD Builder to author DVD's of recorded shows. It was working great for me, but I ran into a problem in that it won't let me burn shows over 120 minutes. I am now trying MyDVD from Sonic, and it will let me get around the 120 minute limit issue... but, it takes forever to transcode the audio. Their online help tells me that DVD's should have an audio frequency of 48k hertz and a bitrate of 16.

In the setup for BTV I am unable to select that bitrate, so it seems it would always want to transcode the audio.

Is there any way around this?

RobertH

12-27-2004, 07:08 PM

Sonic's software is trying to use the LPCM format rather than MPEG2 audio (mpeg1 layer2) and as a result is why it is having to recompress the audio, check the software and see if it has an option to use mpeg2 instead of LPCM.

if that doesnt work I would suggest investigating another DVD authoring solution that uses mpeg2 audio (such as tmpgdvd author), with mpeg2 audio your going to fit much more video on a disk than you will with LPCM

its basically like with music files, would you rather store the music you listen to as wave files (PCM) that typically take up 10 meg per minute or as a nice MPEG3 (or similar) file that takes up signifigantly less space?

KenH

12-27-2004, 07:26 PM

Thanks Robert. I looked closer at the options for the DVD audio format. My choices are PCM and Dolby Digital (the default). Looking at the help for setting this option showed me that the Dolby Digital bitrate is .192Mbps, so... I will select that for my recording preference (instead of .224) and see what happens. I think it will work.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

RTB

12-30-2004, 01:28 PM

I have tried many methods to cut out comercials and burn shows to DVD, finally very happy with the following:

Use VideoReDo to cut out the commercials. This program is far easier to use in terms of finding and cutting out the unwanted clips than nanopeg which frankly sucks from a navigation viewpoint. Also, the fact that VideoReDo will only cut at a key frame seems to eliminate synch problems - at least I haven't had any.

I generally am eliminating comercials to put 4 or 5 half hour shows on a DVD.

I have also put some movies on DVD, and the results are impressive.

I use a BENQ projector with a 12' (diagonal) DaeLite screen and the results are nearly as good as straight from the cable box.

I use ULEAD DVD factory to burn the DVD - it's quick and doesn't make many coasters. Also it is very simple, yet produces very nice menus for DVD player use and allows for chapters. You can drop each video in and each becomes an automatic top level chapter, but you can then have chapters within if you want.

I also have ULEAD MEDIA STUDIO PRO, which I use if I want fancy transitions or need to re-render for any reason.

VideoReDo does not re-render, so it's fast.

onwiththeshow

01-03-2005, 09:06 PM

Wondering what BTV recording setting you using to squeeze that much footage into a DVD - and get such good results on a large screen.

RTB

01-04-2005, 04:53 AM

I currently use one of the standard settings - DVD hi-res. I used to use a custom resolution before upgrading to 3.5.1, but there is no longer an option to set the video noise filter, so I use a standard which works out to about 2 GB/Hour. After cutting out commercials, its not hard to get 5 shows (less than 2 hours) on a DVD.

I do reset the standard from program streams to DVD streams. Since I rarely edit, just cut and burn, I have less problems with the DVD stream. DVD streams can be edited and re-rendered, using a good editor like Ulead Media Studio pro.

As for the output, BENQ did a nice job on this projector, and I do use the Hauppaug 350 output via their TV 2000 rather than BTV to show the video. This uses the hardward decoding of the Hauppaug card.

Good luck!

onwiththeshow

01-04-2005, 09:07 PM

Your setting makes a lot of sense. I have a 250. Any way for me to do the same with that output, rather than use BTV?

Hipster421

01-06-2005, 09:48 AM

Use magix movies on cd and dvd 2005 works great for cutting commercialshttp://site.magix.net/index.php?id=411

WardXmodem

01-23-2005, 05:25 PM

Deuce911

01-23-2005, 05:45 PM

Is there an editing program that will take advantage of the XML files that Beyond TV makes to show the ads?

I find that when i tried my HP video to DVD recorder, I wasted a lot of time trying to find the transition points. The HP software really sucked in that it created a bajillion transitions, while Snapstream seems to find mostly the right ones. (does it look for "video/fade to black/fade to video"?Do a search for VIDEOREDO in the forums or go to their site www.videoredo.com (http://www.videoredo.com/) it cost money ($40 I think) but I have never had an audio sync issue in the 6 months I have used it. I usually load in the XML file from BTV as a starting point then I verify the cuts and then let it do its thing, usually takes me about 2 mins to verify cuts and the program takes about 4 mins per hour show. I record in DVD ready quality then I record to DVD with ULead DVD MovieFactory and there is no re-encoding. So really from start to completely finished with a DVD in hand is about 20-30 mins and the best thing is no sync errors.

Hope this helps.

Mike

jota

01-23-2005, 10:11 PM

I did a trial of video redo and was also very impressed. It was fast and easy, and yes, it loads the snapstream file for you. I did the same, verified the cuts by hand. As for how it finds the ads, I believe it is more interested in the sound than the video track. They create a fairly large xml file that has sound data in it when they are creating the ad skip xml file. I haven't brought myself to actually fork out $50 for videoredo, so I have just been leaving stuff on my hard drive. I would rather cut the ads, then convert to divx or xvid than create a DVD for each show or whatever.

joel

hengy

01-28-2005, 03:25 PM

I recently purchased a copy of Roxios's suite of software for burning DVDs. My problem is that when using the archive command, the software will not load. I get the error that my computer does not have direct x 9, which it does, or that my graphic card does not support it, which it does (sapphire 9600 256 mem with latest drivers custom with powerstrip). The real reason is that I am running my display in a non standard, 1770 x 1070. this is to correctly format to a 32" LCD cscreen. Has anyone seen this DVD Software problem before? Any work arounds? Have emailed roxio but they say it is the graphic cards problem or that the software must be run at 1228 x 768 or whatever that standard format is.

sean_snider

02-08-2005, 01:30 PM

Hey Everyone:

For now, I won't cross post, assuming I can get some helpful responses :-).

So I must applaud snapstream. My Beyond TV works great. But now I am having problems making DVDs of movies or recorded shows.

My 2 big problems are:

1.) Using Nero 6, it takes 3-5 hours to transcode and burn a dvd (to a standard 4.7GB disc). I thought at first this was because I was showsqueezing and smart chaperting my movies to WMV format, and hence Nero would have to re-transcode everything. But even when I record into just straight MPEG-2 (DVD Quality), it still seems to take forever. The movies are usually 5-8GB in size so I'm sure that Nero has to do some compression, but 3-5 hours seems really long.

2.) When I play my newly created dvd in my home dvd player, the sound comes out really "tinny". I suspect this has something to do with the fact that the MPEG movie was recorded as stereo but I'm outputing a digital (AC-3) to my amp? I can't find anything inside Nero to adjust the audio settings for the dvd. The picture quality actually comes out great though. And of course when I play said DVD in my XBOX (which is just hooked up with analog RCA audio) or my PC, the sound is fine.

Can any one give me some tips or pointers. If it requires me picking up some new software, that's fine, but I just want to hear some opinions before I spend any $$$.

Thanx in advance. . .

Sean

Machine:
P4 1.7GHZ CPU
768 MB Rambus RAM
Hauppauge 350 Tuner Card
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Sound Card
250 GB Western Digital HDD
Nvidia Geforce 5600, 256MB
Windows XP Pro SP2
Beyond TV 3.5.1
Nero 6 OEM
Toshiba DVD Burner (12x)

Deuce911

02-08-2005, 02:38 PM

I use a DVD Ready Quality and then burn to DVD with ULead DVD MovieFactory which does not require a Re-Encode and I have a full DVD in about 30-40 mins that plays on my home DVD player and I can put chapter points in very easily also.

Thanks
Mike

geoffstewart

02-08-2005, 02:50 PM

Sean,

I think you end up having a long process anytime you have to re-encode the video for the DVD. That means that using WMV as the source would not be the best route to take... especially given that WMV to MPEG2 would cause extra artifacts and degrade the quality.

So, you mentioned that when you used MPEG2, it still took a long time. That's because some authoring tools just re-encode anyways. I found that TMPGEnc DVD Author works the best for me.. I does NOT re-encode the MPEG2 and takes about 10 minutes on my P4 1.6 to generate a full DVD4.7. It's a relatively simple authoring tool, but works for my needs.

http://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tda.html

I'm not so sure about the tinny audio you're getting. Are you telling Nero to re-encode your stereo source audio to AC-3? Otherwise, your receiver should not be getting an AC3 signal... it should be either MP2 audio or PCM I would think.

Hope this helps.

Geoff

RobertH

02-08-2005, 04:36 PM

since your seeing this with the mpeg2 encoded video more than likely nero isnt allowing you to use mpeg2 audio (mpeg1 layer2) as the audio source for its dvd's, and is either converting it to PCM (wave) or to a dolby format and that is what is causing all the time problems, it may also be recompressing the video aswell. I woudl suggest trying one of the other software packages listed in this thread most have trial versions and see if any of them do any better.

look30

02-24-2005, 10:12 AM

My way :
1. Set BTV to record @720X480 (for some weird reson can't do it @360X240)
2. Optional) Extract Close Captions using mpg2srt
(only works with PVR250 AFAIK)
3. Demux(split the resulting mpeg) in M2V (video) and MP2(audio) with TMPGENC
Look under File~MPEG tools
4. Author DVD using DVDAuthorgui (accepts M2V, MP2 and SRT(for subs))
NO RECODING INVOLVED
5. Burn with Nero :aldnce:

This is the fastest way to do it I could find for DVD with menu and selectable subtitles. I saw once a posting about translating teh CC into another language and adding it to the DVD which sounds like a nice solution for non English speakers among us.

Links to the mentioned programs (most of them freeware)
DVDAuthorgui FREE
http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=DVDAuthorgui
TMPGENC FREE
http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=TMPGEnc
TMPGENC MPEG2 Plugin FREE
http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=TMPGEnc_MPEG2_Plugin
NERO Trialware (Highly recomended buy)
http://www.nero.com

notica

03-22-2005, 07:14 PM

I tried to use TMPGENC, but it always said the mpeg file I recorded cannot be opened. I guess I need to demux the file. Any reasons for demux and why is it needed? I recorded a movie and it is about 10G, will I be able to put it to a 4.7G disk? Thanks!

Duc Hunter

06-09-2005, 10:50 AM

My Nero Encodes an hour show in under 15 minutes. But I leave everything in Mpeg. It is just easier taht way to me.

r2sail

10-21-2005, 10:13 AM

is there any software that I can use to edit and write my recorded shows to a DVD?

WardXmodem

11-02-2005, 09:00 PM

> ...other programs to cut out commercials?

yes, I use VideoReDo which I believe I learned about here.

It wasn't free, but wasn't too bad (I'm sure you can search if curious).

When editing an mpeg encoded by BTV, you don't edit the MPEG, you edit the XML (the ads).

With the latest version of Video Redo, they also have "fade to black" detection similar probably to that used by the Smart Skip in BTV. You can use one to check the other.

It usually takes me about 2 minutes to validate and tweak the BTV ad detection, adding beginning and ending of program. When you save it saves as same-name (02), *and* as a bonus all the show information is maintained (not sure how THAT works, but if it knows the XML maybe it knows how to copy the other information, where ever it is).

I then use ShowBiz DVD 2 to write the DVDs, producing chapters, titles, thumbnails, etc.

To my surprise, if I remember correctly, I accidentally burned a WMV - and it worked, but took a horrific amount of time to convert.

-----------------
P.S. if you like being able to watch TV on your own time schedule, you may be interested in "pubcatching" and/or "podcasting". I liked "Science Friday" on NPR many years ago, only to find it was a short-lived summer fill-in here in Chicago. Recently I discovered it was still going on, and I could download MP3s of the show and move to my player and play at will (or play from my PC).

I even found one program that will grab the non-recordable streams and save them, and an MP3 convert program that takes them and makes MP3s. Pretty cool...

Ward Christensen
Programmer of Xmodem & world's first BBS
-----
BTV setup: old 800MHz machine (a full 100MHz above the minimum) with PVR150 card, and several hard drives, under 2000 pro (why spend $$ for a new XP license?). I also use VNC for remote access, and FileZilla for FTPing. (have yet to REALLY use it, but when a friend's TIVO broke, I offered to let him download the "Call for Help" shows he'd missed. Filezilla nicely lets you restart failed downloads).

P.S. my system is in a wooden entertainment center, and FireFly is USELESS. I have to be about 4 feet away. On the other hand, I am thrilled with a Gyration wireless keyboard and Gyro mouse - works from 20 feet away if I want it to - wireless - through the same wooden door. Yes, I read how firefly needs a powered hub, wasted my money on one, made no diff. I just scrapped it.

P.S. number bazillion: I sure wish F1 help in BTV did something other than show me useless remote stuff! Show me REAL stuff! Give me a keyword searchable help so it will help me remember where the heck some setting is. Why, early on, I would go "nuts" trying to find something in the menu, only to be at work the next day and suddenly go "Oh, @#$%, that's right, they buried some functions in the WEB interface". I guess it saved them time vs "programming it" the non-web way.

I do wish I could set the compression level for ShowSqueeze by show. Some I want a barely-viewable small video because the audio is most important, others I want to "archive" and keep, burn to DVD, etc.

Still, I truly Love beyond TV. Even if I did spend $100 on 3 licenses of BTV Link, which they could never help me get going.