[ttoth]

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I downloaded a Mpeg that is supposedly in SVCD format (or an SVCD that is in Mpeg format). Anyway, I have a mpeg that I downloaded from a newsgroup in hopes of burning it to CD to play on my DVD. The problem that I am running into is that this file won't open in QTplayer and when I try to burn in with Toast, it tells me that I need to use the VCD option in my encoder/multiplexer. I'm not sure I have everything I need. This is what I have.

OS X, Cleaner 5.1, Imovie, Toast Ti and QT pro and VPC 5.0.

Can I with these items convert my Mpeg file into an Mpeg file that Toast will allow me to burn as a VCD?

If so, can anyone outline the steps I need to take, what Codec I should use and any thing else that may be useful. If there is any thing else I need that you know of, please let me know also.

[tullamore]

The brand new Toast Ti 5.1.1 has it's own VCD encoder and some other new VCD features. Download the upgrade and try that.

Originally posted by tullamore:
<STRONG>The brand new Toast Ti 5.1.1 has it's own VCD encoder and some other new VCD features. Download the upgrade and try that.</STRONG>

SVCD is MPEG2 (IE DVD), Toast burns MPEG1.

Muhahahaha

-Oh yeah

[dvd]

Originally posted by &lt;Oh yeah&gt;:
<STRONG>

SVCD is MPEG2 (IE DVD), Toast burns MPEG1.

Muhahahaha

-Oh yeah</STRONG>

how does that help us?

You should try to use VCDgear. I think the URL is VCDgear.com. I know it fixes mpg 1 files, I am not sure about SVCD. Also check out vcdhelp.com

good luck

Originally posted by ttoth:
<STRONG>I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I downloaded a Mpeg that is supposedly in SVCD format (or an SVCD that is in Mpeg format). Anyway, I have a mpeg that I downloaded from a newsgroup in hopes of burning it to CD to play on my DVD. The problem that I am running into is that this file won't open in QTplayer and when I try to burn in with Toast, it tells me that I need to use the VCD option in my encoder/multiplexer. I'm not sure I have everything I need. This is what I have.

OS X, Cleaner 5.1, Imovie, Toast Ti and QT pro and VPC 5.0.

Can I with these items convert my Mpeg file into an Mpeg file that Toast will allow me to burn as a VCD?

If so, can anyone outline the steps I need to take, what Codec I should use and any thing else that may be useful. If there is any thing else I need that you know of, please let me know also.</STRONG>

[pkjackson]

If anyone has successfully created a SVCD, please post the step-by-step directions here...I not very satisfied with the quality of the VCD from iMovie/Toast....SVCD sounds like a good option if it can be done.

Originally posted by pkjackson:
<STRONG>If anyone has successfully created a SVCD, please post the step-by-step directions here...I not very satisfied with the quality of the VCD from iMovie/Toast....SVCD sounds like a good option if it can be done.</STRONG>

Do you have VirtualPC installed?

[ttoth]

This is what I have found out and done with some successes and some passable VCD and then also so that I just trashed.

It all comes down to what format your SVCD is to begin with. Lets start with a basic Mpeg file. If it is an SVCD format, i.e. one that you got from a newsgroup, etc and it does not open in QT player, it is in my experience an Mpeg 2 format. VCD is an Mpeg 1 format so this must be converted. This is what I have done so far and is done on OS X with classic and VPC. For OS X, there is an app called GNU VCDTools (look for it in versiontracker). Run that app and choose the VCDimager tab. Select the mpeg you want and the location to save it to. It has alway crashed on me if I don't keep the same location to save as to open. I've tried test burns with VCD 1.0, 2.0 and SVCD and other than a longer conversion time, I've noticed no difference. This will convert the file into a .bin and a .cue file. This is where step 2 or the other file type comes in.

If (or when) you have a .bin and .cue file, I've gotten it to work with the following steps. Download "fireburner", a Windoze app (versiontracker for windoze) and run it in VPC. Open the .cue file you want converted. This will then give you 2 tracks. Select them both, right click and chose "save as". This asks you if you want to use the current settings. I've always said yes and never changed them so it might be a default setting. Choose a place to save the resulting files which will be .iso files, 1 large and 1 small. Drag these 2 files onto Toast and burn as a "multitrack CD-Rom XA" hit the select button and make sure the small track is before the large track. Burn to your CD and you now have a playable VCD.

In my DVD player, Apex AD-800, I have problems with this autoplaying. What I found to do is select the goto a specific time and I choose 0:01 and hit play and it does. I've used the cheap Compusa CD-R and the cheap Staples CD-R's with equal success.

One thing I've found also. In VPC with fireburner, if the .cue file is an originally long name, you have to shorten it for it to work right. Example "this name may be too long.cue" and "this name may be too long.bin" change it to "name.cue" and "name.bin". Fireburner won't find the .bin file so you will have to search for it and make sure you select the all files option when searching.

I'm currently trying right now to convert an Mpeg 2 format into an Mpeg1 format using cleaner 5.1, but I seem to have trouble with the audio part right now. I'm doing this by doing a straight conversion using the mpeg-1 setting and VCD compatible setting. If anyone knows how to fix the audio portion, I would appriciate the help.

[pkjackson]

Yes....I do have VPC5 and I have tried to install Fireburner, but it will not install...It gives me an error while installing.

[ttoth]

Are you getting the error when installing from the .exe file? I did and this is what I did to get around it. I right-clicked on the .exe file and chose the extract here option (or something like that) and just installed everything to my desktop, dll files included. No problems.

[JonoG4]

Dude! There is fairly easy mac solution. I have been burning SVCDS all month using this method. Download GNU vcdtoolsX here. Then follow this tutorial. You will have to make the xml file yourself though as you didn't extract the mpeg using GNU vcdtoolsX. Good luck!

PS. As I am typing this I am using vcdtoolsX to burn Ocean's 11 SVCD. I can't stop, these SVCDs are great

edit: Sorry didn't see that you found the app already. But you shouldn't have to use Windows if you make an xml file.

[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: JonoG4 ]

[ttoth]

Have you never encountered screeches and pops in the sound track with GNU vcdtools? Everytime I burn one using this full path, I get hisses and pops and freezes in my VCD's. Also, have you figured out if there is a difference in the VCD 1.0, 2.0 or SVCD radio buttons? I haven't noticed a difference, but there has to be one.[/LIST]

[JonoG4]

Originally posted by ttoth:
<STRONG>Have you never encountered screeches and pops in the sound track with GNU vcdtools? Everytime I burn one using this full path, I get hisses and pops and freezes in my VCD's. Also, have you figured out if there is a difference in the VCD 1.0, 2.0 or SVCD radio buttons? I haven't noticed a difference, but there has to be one.[/LIST]</STRONG>

Never. Produces perfect SVCDs everytime. It also makes toast ready mpegs which you can just drop onto toast's VCD template and burn away. No problems at all.

[tullamore]

The Apple DVD Studio pro comes with an MPEG2 encoder from apple that you can use in OS 9 and quicktime to export to a .m2v file

[ttoth]

Originally posted by tullamore:
<STRONG>The Apple DVD Studio pro comes with an MPEG2 encoder from apple that you can use in OS 9 and quicktime to export to a .m2v file</STRONG>

Pardon my ignorance, but is the above only able to be used on a DVD equipt Mac? What do I do with the .m2v file after conversion?

[JonoG4]

Originally posted by ttoth:
<STRONG>

Pardon my ignorance, but is the above only able to be used on a DVD equipt Mac? What do I do with the .m2v file after conversion?</STRONG>

I think that is just to encode an mpeg file into an mpeg2 file? BTW you can play the mpeg file in DVD Studio Pro, or so I hear.

[pkjackson]

so...JonoG4....since you seem to be the only one here able to make a SVCD...PLEASE post your step-by-step procedure for making a SVCD.

THANKS!!!!

[JonoG4]

Just follow this tutorial. Make sure to add in the pregap information.