Problem with AVI movies

[Bob Hughes]

I have converted some home movies using the program that came with my DVDXpressDX2 and have created a number of AVI files. They all play fine on my win 2K PC with the various players I have.
VS 10plus behaves very strangly
in project mode sound only, no video
in clip mode sound & video

VS Movie Wizard only show video, no sound

So I can not move forward to create DVD movies

Any suggestions?

Bob

[Ken Berry]

The chief selling feature of the DX2 is the hard chip which allows it to capture analogue video direct to excellent quality digital mpeg-2 format which is the format used to burn video DVDs.

Now you have captured to AVI format. However, AVI is not one single format, but is a 'wrapper' format which a variety of codecs use. True uncompressed AVI takes up a staggering amount of space -- about 65GB for one hour of video! Then there is DV/AVI which is the same as what you get from a mini-DV digital video camera, but the DX2 cannot capture to either of these formats.

Which leads me to suspect that you have captured to one of the highly compressed mpeg-4 formats which use the .avi extension such as DivX. These are notoriously difficult to edit.

If your intention is to burn a DVD with your captured material, you should be capturing to DVD-compatible mpeg-2 format.

Please right click on one of your captured files within Video Studios and copy all of its properties here...

[sjj1805]

Please click here --> so that we can then view your system specifications.

THEN

Please view:
Please read this before posting

[Bob Hughes]

I had to go to my wifes XP computer to get this. VS 10 works correctly on her machine so I guess its a codec problem, but I have no idea how to correct
image
w 640 p, h 480p
Audio
Bit Rate 224 kbps
audio formate MPEG Audio Layer 2
Video
Frame Rate 29 Frames/sec
Data Rate 218 kbps
Videio sample size 12 bit
Video compression Divx R codec
Bob

[sjj1805]

You are capturing in DivX format which is highly compressed and difficult to work with. When I happen upon such a video I normally convert it to MPEG2 beforehand, OK this goes against the general principles outlined in my post:
Suggested workflow where I point out the aim is where possible to render once. Every rule has its exceptions and this is one example.

If you can capture (as Ken points out) in MPEG2 format you will avoid the need to render twice.

[Bob Hughes]

Thank you for your patence. I have been creating DVD slide shows & movies for several years, but this is the first time I have tried to capture the movies myself. My system is not modern but it is a P4 1.3 GH intel processor with 750 MB RAM & a 300GB HD that I just installed for this purpose.
I am now redoing everything in MPEG2 & it appears to be working although the files are larger?
As an aside in the "Sugested workflow" 720*480 is said to be ratio 4:3. by my calculation that is actually 3:2. Am I missing something?
Bob

[sjj1805]

MPEG2 file sizes are larger than DivX

As for 4.3 ratios, I have read several times explanations but can never really remember them 10 minutes later.

Here is one explanation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tvbr ... size.shtml

PAL 4.3 is 720 x 576
PAL 16.9 is 720 x 576
NTSC 4.3 is 720 x 480
NTSC 16.9 is 720 x 480

The label on a DVD states 4.7 GB but you only get 4.3 GB
Just a few of life's mysteries

Its like
"have you seen the dirt behind your ears?"
"Close your mouth and eat your food"

Briefly the explanation is that the pixels are not square they are oblong.