Newbie (Yes, another one) with Saving Question

[Weirdlet]

Hello, all- I would like to ask for help from someone who is more computer literate than I. I've been making AMVs with Windows Movie Maker and ACen, where I'm going to this summer, has finally posted the rules for their AMV contest. I wanted to get the saving-in-the-right-format down pat well before the April 21st deadline, but I've encountered a problem trying to save to the prescribed format. If anyone could take me step by step or tell me what I'm doing wrong, that would be helpful. If I need to put in any more info, lemme know.

The rules for the file format are as follows-

"· MPEG-2 files must conform to rigid technical specifications outlined below. Please read the technical requirements carefully. Acen AMV staff will not convert entries for you nor give technical support in meeting these format requirements.
· MPEG-2 file formatting requirements:
- 720x480 Frame Size
- Progressive Video (See note below)
- 23.976 or 29.97 Frames per Second
- 48 kHz MP2 Stereo Audio at 320 kbps
- Total file bitrate cannot exceed 15 Mbps
· A note about progressive video: If your video is interlaced then it will most likely be deinterlaced on the fly by our software playback environment. For this reason we are considering progressive video a formatting requirement but we will not disqualify a video if it is interlaced. Please keep in mind we cannot guarantee that playback of interlaced videos will match your expectations."

I would just try to save in MPEG-2 format and see if the rest fell into place, but Windows Movie Maker seems not to have that as an option. This is what shows up when I do the 'save movie to computer' thing.




So- am I just clicking on the wrong thing, or misreading my options? Can I save to the right format, with all attendant details correct, or did I choose the wrong program? What can I do?

[Kalium]

I do not believe WMM is capable of MPEG-2 export. I think you'll have to export to DV-AVI and then use an MPEG-2 encoder.

[Weirdlet]

Ah, okay. I'll give that a shot- can you reccomend an encoder?

[Autraya]

Ah, okay. I'll give that a shot- can you reccomend an encoder?

I think that new invention called google can ;\

[Melichan923]

How to export DV-AVI from WMM and then convert to HuffYUV for better compatibility:
Exporting Video from Windows Movie Maker 2

Using TMPEnc to convert to MPEG-2 (IMO, it's the best AVI to MPEG converter around):
Encoding Your AMV to MPEG for Convention Submission

If you aren't familiar on using Avisynth and/or VirtualDubMod from the AMVapp described in the how-to's above, there are guides on them here (along with many other useful things) under "The AMVapp, AVIsynth and VirtualDubMod."

It may be slightly confusing at first, but it's simple once you get the hang of it.

[Weirdlet]

Thank you.