Would somebody please provide information on how to convert an m2v video file to mpeg. I'm asking and I may not even need to...in order to play an m2v file is all that is required is the proper codec? If so, which one is it? Where can I download it?
Alas, you cannot convert M2V to MPEG, because M2V = MPEG-2 video only part of a MPEG-2 movie, and MPEG = full movie (video + audio multiplexed).
Whay one usaually does is either:
1) cerating a MPEG
2) creating a M2V + a 'sound file' , in either AC3 or MP2 format [48 kHz sampling rate].
Ater that, one authors the DVD: stuff above into those files:
- video_ts.bup;
- video_ts.
- video_ts.ifo;
- video_01.bup;
- video_01.ifo;
- video_01_#.VOB, where # depends upon the movie's size. For a DVD5, usually one has file VOB files (video_01_1-5.vob), ince a VOB is never larger than 1 GB.
Usually one starts from an AVI. If it is so, one should:
1) exract the sound, first. If the audio is AC3, simply Demux it. If the audio is MP3, decode it to WAV, then convert WAV --> AC3 48000 Hz, with FFMPEG GUI, requiding an AC3bitrate depending from the MP3's bitrate (making a 192 kbps AC3 from a 128 kbps MP3 is a waste of DVD room). Put a bitrate similar than MP3's.
2) encode the video: AVI --> M2V, givine the encoder the movie's required bitrate which is given by a bitrate calculator (which needs two things: the movie's length and the birate of the DVD audio). I use DVTool, for this. Take care that the AC3bitrate is either what you choosed (if you made MP3 --> WAV --> AC3) or the original's AC3bitrate (which can be easily shown by VirtualDub[Mod] making File___File Information)
3) author AC3(or MP2) + M2V --> DVD files set. A very nice (and free) application to do it is IFOEdit.
If the calculation made in the bitrate calculator are correct, authored(video+audio) = about 4489 MB of VOB files (=1 DVD5)
Finally, a PC capable to play DVDs (MPEG-2 files) sould be able to play M2V files. I don't know which is the codec, because Windows usually has it, on PC having a DVD-ROM unit. I suppose you can upgrade windows freely.
