Converting to MPEG
(Video CD - Super VCD - DVD)
For converting to VCD, SVCD or DVD you will need another Program called (TMPGEnc which is pronounced The MPEG Encoder)
TMPGEnc has several great features that make it the best, in my opinion for this type of project. All three formats are easiest if you first convert them to the proper size MPEG.
| 352 X 240 for VCD | 480 X 480 for Super VCD | 740 X 480 for DVD |
Some times due to the type of encoding, it is difficult to re-encode a file to a different format. Often, when I try to join MPEG one and two to have the complete movie ready for encoding to AVI, I find the sections will not join as they are slightly different formats, even though both are SVCD. Here is how to remedy this using TMPGEnc.
Here is the basic screen for TMPGEnc.
The Arrow shows you where to click to Browse to a file on your hard drive. In this case, I was set to encode Alien Resurrection. Usually when you browse to the file you will also get the Audio Source. If this comes up blank, with no path listed, it means the Audio source is such that TMPGEnc cannot read it and modification to the original file is necessary. If you continue to encode you will get a proper Video file, but without Audio.
Next we will choose the proper setting, so the Movie will be in the format you desire. Click the LOAD button on the Lower right.
Notice that I have a couple of Custom settings I use. Normally the default settings are sufficient to get a good encode. Since most of the people reading this live in the USA we will choose (NTSC) which is the default for the United States and Japan. If you live in Europe you would choose (PAL). Decide which format you are trying to create and choose either DVD, SuperVideo CD or DVD. This will load the settings necessary to create the MPEG file of the Proper size and Resolution.
Highlight the name (I recommend NOT to use the NTSCFilm settings for VCD and SVCD. I haven't had much success with them. Use the standard settings. Click on the name of the setting you want, then click OPEN in the lower Right.
NOTE: If you end up customizing any settings and want them to be available to use later, Click the SAVE button on the lower right after making your changes. You will be prompted to select a name for the new settings. That's where these that start with Bud came from.
Often, especially if you are converting from an AVI, the sound is very low. TMPGEnc has a feature that allows you to boost the sound before encoding. Again, look at the lower right corner and click on SETTINGS. This is where you can make changes to the default settings, mentioned in the previous paragraph.
After you click SETTINGS a new window will appear. Choose the AUDIO tab
You can change the Bitrate or frequency to lower the quality of the Audio, here. Lower quality sound is acceptable in a movie and it can drastically reduce the size of the finished file. I feel that 44100 is acceptable but you may want to reduce this frequency to as much as 22500. What is considered standard for music is actually too high and unnecessary for a movie, so I reduced the bitrate from 128 to 96. Not a drastic change but enough to reduce the finished file size considerably.
Notice the Sampling Frequency and Bitrate controls are grayed out? Click on the Name (not the setting window) and you will get a pop-up that says Lock/Unlock. Unlock the control, make your adjustment, then Lock the control once again. These are the type of changes that you may want to save as a Custom Setting.
Now let's adjust the volume level for the finished recording. I assume you have played at least part of the movie and know whether you had to turn the volume up a significant amount to hear the dialog clearly. This is the only indication you have as to how much to boost the Audio. Remember, that as you boost the audio, you also increase the file size of the finished project. 150% is my normal amount of boost, though I have been required to increase it to 300% in a few cases. Use your best judgment.
Near the bottom of the last picture there is an arrow pointing to a SETTINGS button. Click this to change the audio boost. A new window will pop-up.
Notice on the left side the Change Volume check box is checked and the setting says 150. You can change this as much as necessary. So far I haven't had to use the Fade In/Fade out feature. From here you can also play the audio portion to make sure you have increased it to a satisfactory level. When you are satisfied the level is correct, click OK.
When you return to the Settings screen you will notice that the USE AUDIO EDIT box is checked. If you are encoding a movie with two parts, you will probably want to load part two after the first part is completed without closing TMPGEnc. After you load part two, make sure you open the settings screen and check this box again. This will make sure the two parts have the same Audio level and are encoded the same in case you want to join these parts. (More about joining later)
Now Click OK on the Settings Screen to return to the main Window. All that remains is to click on START in the upper left corner to begin the rendering. The display will tell you the approximate time required. Depending on the amount of changes required this will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the processor's speed. Mine is 1.5 Ghz. If your computer is less than 1Ghz, get ready for a wait of a couple of days.
Also, the window across the bottom of the Main window will tell you the encoding settings you have chosen. It is also Not necessary to save the finished file to the same folder as the original. Output File name can be saved to any existing folder on your hard drive. The video will appear in the black window, but there will be no Audio while encoding. Don't panic. It should be there in the finished product.
There have been several times, when I got ready to convert the movie to a single AVI file as a back-up, I discovered I was unable to join the two MPEG sections prior to the AVI conversion. Since I like to create the best quality AVI possible that will fit on a single CD, I discovered it was sometimes best to convert the original MPEG to DVD format. If I used the same Audio settings, not shutting down TMPGEnc between parts One and Two, the sections joined almost all the time and were at DVD quality. This trick also works when the downloaded movie is in AVI format but the two parts were encoded differently and therefore will not join.
Now let's see how we can join two parts of an MPEG to make a single file. We will also see how to split a one part large MPEG to get two or three sections that will fit on a CD.