why do my converted avi files to dvd always have a frame "stutter"? to them every few seconds no matter what i use to convert the files? it is noticeable more in panning shots and intro titles really but can be quite annoying.
the files i coverted was 23fps is it simply that converting it to PAL makes it add 2 extra frames and causes this?
Most PAL players can play NTSC DVDs fine, so converting to PAL is probably not a good idea.
Are you 100% sure your DVD player can't play AVIs? Very few DVD players made in the last few years can't. If it has something like DivX or MPEG4 listed as a file type it should play AVIs, and the frame rate won't matter. You may still see stuttering though unless your TV supports NTSC as it uses a different refresh rate. Most PAL TVs do.
Which software are you using? It certainly sounds like extra frames are being added. I generally go from DVD to AVI or MKV so I've very little experience doing it the other way around, but as both my player and TV handle both NTSC and PAL fine, I never convert from one to the other (I'm in PAL land).
I'd assume it'd be preferable to simply increase the frame rate from 23 to 25fps when converting to PAL DVD (DVDs you buy in PAL format are generally just sped up to 25fps), but that'd involve re-encoding the audio correctly to keep it in sync (it also needs to be time stretched). I guess it depends on which method the conversion software uses.
PS If you open the encoded DVD using a player which lets you advance through the video one frame at a time (MPC-HC for example) it shouldnt be too hard to work out if extra frames have been added.
Well personally I dont burn to dvd anymore, i just watch avi's on the ps3, it was for someone else which is why i wanted to burn to dvd. it was just an avi file converted to dvd using first of all freemake video converter (which is ok but there isnt many encoding options), then dvd flick, both with the same out come. think ive tried other software too in the past and its been the same. the stuttering i am seeing is on when i play it on my pc so it isnt anything to do with dvd players or tvs.
i suppose converting a file from 23fps to pal would require adding extra frames so it makes sense, i just thought it did it to a point that it wasnt noticeable (if thats what it is)?
Depending on the refresh rate of the monitor you may see some stuttering anyway. Ideally the refresh rate should be an exact multiple of the frame rate, which is 50hz for 25fps PAL. NTSC TVs refresh at 60hz but the frame rate for film is 24fps, so playing 24fps on a NTSC TV can make some motion look juddery. And of course playing 25fps video on a 60hz monitor will cause frames to be repeated, so if extra frames have already been added it may make the stuttering look worse.
I'm not sure why the software doesn't just increase the frame rate so it doesn't have to add extra frames, then re-encode the audio while time stretching it to match. To get around it you could do it manually before converting the AVI to DVD.
EAC3to can convert audio while time stretching from PAL to NTSC or NTSC to PAL. It's a command line tool but there's a few GUIs for it such as EAC3to Conversion Utility. It should be easy enough to extract the audio from the original AVI using VirtualDubMod, and then resave it with the new audio while changing the frame rate (no need to re-encode the video). Once you have a new AVI aty 25fps you should then be able to convert it to DVD without frames being added.
