I have Reuilder Profesional v1.09, AVISYNTH v2.5, CCE SP v2.7, and Procoder 2.0. I want to convert DVD's in PAL format to NTSC format. I have read where using AVISYNTH is the best method but then you have to redo the audio. The audio on most of the DVD's I wish to convert are AC3. I can use Procoder to extract the audio in PCM (WAV) uncompressed format then use TMPGEnc Author to combine the audio with the final VOB files by again demultiplexing them and just keep the VOB files that TMPG makes and renaming them and replacing the VOB files in the final version created by Rebuilder.
I did this using Procoder to convert the m2v files from PAL to NTSC, but the result is jumpy video. If I can modify the Rebuilder AVS scripts properly, then maybe I can eliminate the jumpyness in the video.
I also have ffmpegGUI beta 3, but sometimes it comes out sounding like Donald Duck!!! Thus I usually use TMPEG. I also have the AC3 plugin for TMPGEnc Express 3.0.
I also have the HUFFY codec installed. But not certain if AVISYNTH uses it.
I don't know too much about modifying AVS files or where to put the resizing info in it or what the sytax is or which resizer is the best to use.
What I am wanting to convert are the VIDEO_TS files, not an actual DVD, however, I can burn the files to a RW-DVD if I need to or use Nero to make an NRG file and mount it with Deamon Tools. Nero is version 6.x but I do have Nero v7.x. I have not installed it yet.
I also have several versions of Virtual Dub, but not the MPEG2 version, but can easily download it.
Hi DB. I can tell you what I did...but there may be a better way?
I convert the PAL VOBs to one large mpeg. The audio and video tracks stay together and in synch. I then run this large mpeg through ProCoder2 which converts this to non-reduced "master" NTSCVOB files. I then reduce these master VOB files with DVD-RB. So, DVD-RB never gets involved in the conversion...just the reduction.
This process will eliminate any menu functions that existed with the PAL DVD, but it sounds like this is not a problem with your project. If there is a way to convert PAL to NTSC without losing the menus I would really like to know.
Actually I want to keep the menus and keep the DVD as original in some cases. In other cases I can make my own menu.
I tried procoder to change the VOB's and renamed them to m2v when finished but they come out with jerky video.
I think the best route to go is to use CCE SP and edit the AVS files to do the conversion. What I need to know is what sytax to add to the AVS files and where to put the new sytax in the AVS files and which resizer to use and the syntax for the resizer. The video I am currently trying to change has 20 AVS files, but it's not that difficult because I can use copy and paste to modify each one.
Also one other thing. For some reason Procoder does not get the audio in the VTS_01_0.VOB file after rebuilder gets done. I also tried CCE, but do not remember if I got the audio in that file. What I did to correct this is demultiplex the original VOB with TMPGEnc 3.0 express, then use that raw audio and use with TMPG Author using AC3. This how I plan on fixing the audio after Rebuilder gets done. Then I'll check and see if the audio/video sync is correct. Unfortunately with this DVD files the language is Dutch or French, I believe, and it's hard to tell.
DB...I can't help you with your approach. You will likely have to forge new ground, and hopefully you will come back and share it with us. When I approached this problem, there was very little help available in this forum, or any of the others. PAL to NTSC seems to be a limited area.
What I can do is add some bits of experience, because I tried a lot of things to simply convert a PAL DVD to NTSC. In a manner of speaking, DVD-RB is a utility that sits on top of an encoder, and tells it what to do to reduce the file size. It will either reduce PAL or NTSC VOB's, but DVD-RB is not a format converter. You should therefore have the files you want to reduce in either PAL or NTSC format before using DVD-RB.
Along with your own experience...I tried to get ProCoder2...as a standalone app...to convert the entire PAL DVD to NTSC, and keeping menus entact. Like you, the output I got had no audio. I won't say ProCoder2 can't do this...I just couldn't find out how to do this in the manual, or in the settings.
It was important to me to get some kind of PAL to NTSC conversion. So, I tried the mpeg approach. The audio and video stayed in synch. I was then able to get Procoder to convert the mpeg into NTSCVOB files keeping the sound! I then added my own menus. Then.....I went to DVD-RB to reduce the file size.
I don't know to what extent you have a jerky video? This is likely due to different frame rates and the quality of the PAL to NTSC converter you used. ProCoder2 is pretty good.
If for nothing else, I would urge you to try converting to an MPEG as a middle step. I think the jerky video will go away, and you will also have the audio back.
DB...it had been awhile since I converted from PAL to NTSC, so I thought I would research it some more for my own education. I googled a few things, and came up with a company offering PAL DVD to NTSC DVD conversion software. They also have a supporting forum. If you read through this page (Link below) it will basically explain that the menus aren't part of the video, and therefore can't be converted with it. It also explains why the converting to MPEG-2 needs to be the interim step in the process: http://www.deskshare.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1676
Concerning the jerky video... Video editing tools typically use one of two methods for conversion: frame skip or frame repeat. A frame skip method results in video with intermittent jumps where the software didn't know what to do in making the 25fps data fit in the NTSC format. A frame repeat method doubles certain frames to make the frame count match NTSC video at either 24fps or 30fps, which looks better until you get to high motion sequences and then it looks like you did a double take.
