TMPGenc Questions, Please Help

[Mysticalfan]

At first I wanted to make a SVCD of my AMVs. But now I'm thinking of making a DVD. The dvd burner and dvd+r belong to my brother and he'll get very mad if I mess them up with my trial and errors. So I'm trying to get informed as much as possible. I'll hopefully buy another set of dvds for my bro later.

I went to this site and followed the Freeware version of dvd making http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm? ... 635&page=8
but I think some stuff is wrong

I have downloaded the programs listed on that site and I have Nero Express 6.0

These are my questions:

1.) That site mentions that I should use 720x640 for the DVD ratio....shouldn't it be 720x480 for a full screen video?

2.) I want to use TMPGenc to encode to MPEG-2 instead of BBmpeg, but I read that TMPGenc might have problems with DivX and the audio on Divx. Is that True?

3.) Which should I use for MPEG2 encoding? BBmpeg or TMPGenc? Is BBmpeg better and less problematic with Divx?

4.) I have a couple of videos that are widescreen and I want to keep them like that. I don't want them strecthed. TMPGenc has a NTSC (16:9) option on their menu, should I use that for the two widescreen videos I have?

5.) If I use TMPGenc for MPEG2 encoding, can I use the NTSC option for the 4:3 videos And the NTSC (16:9) option for the widescreens videos on the Same dvd? Or will that screw up the dvd?

I think I pretty much understand what to do. I know I have to make the files into .vob etc. and then burn. I'll appreciate feedback and comments. I want to show the AMVs to my brothers.

[Qyot27]

1.) That site mentions that I should use 720x640 for the DVD ratio....shouldn't it be 720x480 for a full screen video?

Yes, it should be 720x480. Whoever told them to make it 720x640 is a complete moron.

2.) I want to use TMPGenc to encode to MPEG-2 instead of BBmpeg, but I read that TMPGenc might have problems with DivX and the audio on Divx. Is that True?

That was a problem with older versions of TMPGEnc. The newest version on the original site (http://www.tmpgenc.net/e_download.html) doesn't have those issues. If it does, the video can be decoded to Uncompressed video or HuffYUV with VirtualDubMod or served through with AVISynth first so the problems evaporate. If the audio is Variable Bitrate MP3, you will need to demux it and decode it to WAV (VirtualDubMod can demux it easily). Constant Bitrate MP3 files don't cause such problems. Since you're dealing with AMVs, most of them will probably use constant bitrate instead of variable - you may not even have any of the few with VBR, so you probably shouldn't worry about that.

3.) Which should I use for MPEG2 encoding? BBmpeg or TMPGenc? Is BBmpeg better and less problematic with Divx?

It's a matter of preference. I use TMPGEnc.

4.) I have a couple of videos that are widescreen and I want to keep them like that. I don't want them strecthed. TMPGenc has a NTSC (16:9) option on their menu, should I use that for the two widescreen videos I have?

One way is to run the video through TMPGEnc with the default settings. It'll be stretched, but you can use ReStream to reset the aspect flags so that the video appears as widescreen on a television (select 16:9 from the dropdown box next to Aspect). I don't trust TMPGEnc's 16:9 setting (not to mention that it's notoriously hard to figure out how to get it working right, it's not very memorable) so I usually just leave that stuff alone and correct it with ReStream. ReStream requires .m2v files, which you can choose on TMPGEnc's last wizard panel underneath the filepath box (the 'Output elementary streams' option - it makes TMPGEnc spit out the video in one file and the audio in a separate one, very handy for DVD authoring since MP2 shouldn't be used for DVD).

Another thing is that AC3 audio is the preferred way to store audio on DVD. ffmpegGUI can encode AC3, and then TMPGEnc's Multiplex - or Simple Multiplex - function (under MPEG Tools) can join the .m2v and the .ac3 files together. For DVD you should choose MPEG-2 Systems Stream (which is the default), not the SVCD option. Any DVD authoring program worth their salt should take the joined streams. TMPGEnc DVD Author and Adobe Encore both do, and I'm sure there are others that do also. They also let you create menus.

Note that the MPEG-2 free trial for TMPGEnc runs out after 30 days, as does the free trial period for TMPGEnc DVD Author.

5.) If I use TMPGenc for MPEG2 encoding, can I use the NTSC option for the 4:3 videos And the NTSC (16:9) option for the widescreens videos on the Same dvd? Or will that screw up the dvd?

Having standard 4:3 and anamorphic 16:9 video on the same disc won't screw anything up, but like I said, I don't trust TMPGEnc's 16:9 options, so I just encode as 4:3 and then use another tool to fix it. Professional DVDs mix the two frequently (the main movie will be anamorphic, but the special features may be letterboxed or standard 4:3 fullscreen).

So essentially what you'd have to do is:
1) Open the video in VirtualDubMod

Note: There are different widescreen aspect ratios, some of which require some letterboxing to achieve (albeit much less if it was entirely letterboxed). A way of checking this is to use the VDMod Resize plugin filter in VirtualDubMod (it's available for download from the VDubMod download page - just put the unpacked filter in VDubMod's 'plugins' folder). Filters only work in Full Processing mode, however, so only use it if you have screwy aspect ratios (Filters is an option in the Video menu). Check the box that says 'round to multiples of 16', and adjust the height box to 480. If the width value on the right-hand side of the menu bar is 848, you've got standard widescreen video and don't need to use VDubMod to correct it, so you can proceed to step 2. If it's anything other than that, you need to put 848 in the width box and take note of the height it gives on the right-hand side of the menu bar. Click Cancel, then use the normal resize filter in VirtualDubMod to resize to that height and 720 width. You'll also need to select the letterbox option (it's underneath the main value boxes) and tell it to use 480 as the height. Make sure that you select Lanczos3 from the drop-down menu. Then you can save the file with VirtualDubMod and run the resultant file through TMPGEnc (you will need to do step 7 on this, though, because the file will still be stretched)

2) Go to Streams->Stream List and click Demux or Save WAV, depending on if the video has MP3 or WAV audio.

3) Open ffmpegGUI and encode the AC3 from the MP3 or WAV.

4) Run the video through TMPGEnc on standard 4:3 settings; you may want to adjust the bitrate, but that's your choice. On the last page of the wizard select 'Output elementary streams' and then press Finish.

Note: If there's a problem with the encode, go back to VirtualDubMod and decode to HuffYUV or Uncompressed video (Uncompressed is the default; for HuffYUV you'll need to go to Compression option under the Video menu and select it from the list - you'll also need HuffYUV, which you can get here if you don't already have it). HuffYUV cuts down on the space needed, and TMPGEnc generally doesn't have any problems dealing with HuffYUV. To maximize the space savings with HuffYUV, make sure that VDubMod is set to Fast Recompress mode (another option in the Video menu).

5) When it finishes encoding, delete the MP2 file it created. For widescreen videos, skip to step 7.

6) Use TMPGEnc's Simple Multiplex function to join the .m2v and .ac3 together.

7) Open the widescreen video in ReStream. Select 16:9 from the dropdown menu next to the word Aspect. Then click the Write! button (in the lower left-hand corner. After it finishes writing, take the fixed .m2v and refer back to step 6.

8) Now, open TMPGEnc DVD Author and create your menu. It's pretty intuitive. Make sure that the size of the data doesn't spill over the maximum size limit (in other words, don't put too many videos on the disc - just keep an eye out and don't let the meter at the bottom of the screen cross into the red area). On the last page, click the Create DVD option (or whatever it is, I haven't used TMPGEnc DVD Author in a while), and it'll create all the necessary files - the VOBs, menus, and entire file structure. Then just use Nero's DVD Video burning option to burn the file structure onto the disc.

[Qyot27]

Addendum:

Concerning DivX, the problem may lie in the use of B-frames (this isn't so much a problem with DivX as it is with XviD. Make sure you have DivX 5.2.1 or later and the newest *stable* version of XviD at Koepi.org. That will correct the ugly warning that gets pasted to the first frame of the video by replacing it with a simple black screen that may not be noticable depending on how the video starts.

[Mysticalfan]

Thank you Qyot27 very much for your response. It's really concise and detailed. I didn't think that I would get that good of a response and I really appreciate it. I'm glad I read about this process before I posted. I understand the advice and tips. Thanks again

[Mysticalfan]

***UpDate*********

I converted my videos to MPEG2 with TMPGenc and it also seperated the audio in a WAV format.

I took the audios and converted to AC3. I know AC3 is suppose to save a lot more space than Wav, but the volume is low and I don't think it sounds as good as the Wav. I'm still debating which format to pick. Which is the best?

Does TMPGenc DVD Author handle WAVs and AC3 equally well?

Now that I have the files, I only need to use the TMPGenc DVD Author program and that should make them all into VOB and IFO etc. right? Just making sure. Thanks.

[Qyot27]

***UpDate*********

I converted my videos to MPEG2 with TMPGenc and it also seperated the audio in a WAV format.

I took the audios and converted to AC3. I know AC3 is suppose to save a lot more space than Wav, but the volume is low and I don't think it sounds as good as the Wav. I'm still debating which format to pick. Which is the best?

Does TMPGenc DVD Author handle WAVs and AC3 equally well?

Now that I have the files, I only need to use the TMPGenc DVD Author program and that should make them all into VOB and IFO etc. right? Just making sure. Thanks.

AC3s are like that. They'll sound just fine on a television, because the DVD player should perform automatic normalization. TMPGEnc DVD author has no problems with AC3, I have no clue about WAV because I've never used it.

But yes, that's it.

[Willen]

2) Go to Streams->Stream List and click Demux or Save WAV, depending on if the video has MP3 or WAV audio.

3) Open ffmpegGUI and encode the AC3 from the MP3 or WAV.

I usually create the AC3 directly from the original source file if it is a Divx or Xvid AVI. ffmpegGUI will accept the original AVI file as an input. This saves me a step and some hard drive space. I generally save the AC3 at 192kbps bitrate for 2-channel stereo, although if you want an even smaller file you can go lower, especially since MP3s are usually encoded at 128kbps and are somewhat lower quality anyways.

***UpDate*********

I converted my videos to MPEG2 with TMPGenc and it also seperated the audio in a WAV format.

I took the audios and converted to AC3. I know AC3 is suppose to save a lot more space than Wav, but the volume is low and I don't think it sounds as good as the Wav. I'm still debating which format to pick. Which is the best?

Does TMPGenc DVD Author handle WAVs and AC3 equally well?

Now that I have the files, I only need to use the TMPGenc DVD Author program and that should make them all into VOB and IFO etc. right? Just making sure. Thanks.

AC3s are like that. They'll sound just fine on a television, because the DVD player should perform automatic normalization. TMPGEnc DVD author has no problems with AC3, I have no clue about WAV because I've never used it.

But yes, that's it.

Actually WAV (Linear PCM audio) and MP3 will probably sound louder since most people add gain to the audio that AC3 ignores. From my informal tests it seems like +6db worth. So, raw PCM WAV audio into TMPGenc DVD Author makes a DVD that generally sounds louder than normal commercial DVDs and most TV programming, iirc. I need to experiment again to verify since everything I author I use AC3 audio. This may take a while since my current comp is slow and my new comp doesn't have all its parts yet.

[Mysticalfan]

AC3s are like that. They'll sound just fine on a television, because the DVD player should perform automatic normalization. TMPGEnc DVD author has no problems with AC3, I have no clue about WAV because I've never used it.

But yes, that's it.

**** Final Update***

I'm glad I asked. They really do save space.

I made the DVD and I'm really pleased with it. I succeeded in my first try. I put it in this clucky t.v. we have. It has attached speakers, it may be clunky, but the sound is great. Everything was in sync.

It all looks and sounds great. Thank You Qyot27. The ReStream worked great too, I only had to do one video in that, the other was letterboxed.

Although it took a lot of time, I thought that it was fairly easy to make.

** For future reference in case someone is curious. I have an old Mintek 1600 dvd player. I encoded my videos into MPEG with a 6000 bitrate and for the AC3 I used a 384 bitrate with a 48000 sample rate. It worked fine on my dvd player, no problems.