MF 5 & 6 - 544x480 DVB MPEG files are driving me crazy!!

elfworks · Post by **elfworks** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:27 am

Longtime user of MovieFactory, first time poster, so bear with me.

My biggest problem with MF is that it keeps trying to 'fix' MPEG streams that I know will play perfectly fine on all my computers & DVD players.

I'm ready to throw down my $50 for MF 6, if only you would fix this problem...

Goal:
To avoid unnecessary conversion times for 'valid' MPEG streams.

Source material:
NTSC Digital Video from a Motorola DCT6412 recorded via FireWire/1394 to a Windows XP system, using the tools described here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

Then, run through VideoReDo for editing and to fix audio timing.

Here is the file info from Video ReDo:

Final format is an MPEG2 file with the following parameters:

544x480,
29.97fps,
4:3 aspect ratio,
Bitrate: 9.0Mbps (Actual Bitrate: 5.67Mbps)

Here's what MF6 has to say about the clip:

And, here's the clip in question:
Warning: 106MB for a 2 minute clip!!
http://www.elfworks.com/temp/Henry_Rollins_Clip2.mpg

With MF5, I was able to massage the clips with DVDPatcher, and avoid the lengthy 'conversion' process - at the expense of motion menus.

With MF6, I just can't seem to get it to accept the clips without transcoding them.

I know you're trying to look out for the newbies, but maybe we could have an 'advanced' advanced mode for people who are willing to throw caution to the wind?

Thanks!

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:06 pm

I'm ready to throw down my $50 for MF 6, if only you would fix this problem...
Goal:
To avoid unnecessary conversion times for 'valid' MPEG streams.

Before loading the video click on the GEAR Icon (left bottom of screen) and put check marks in the top 2 boxes:
"Do Not convert compliant MPEG file" = ON
"Support X-Disc" = ON

Then load your video file.
I downloaded your video file and in the menu creation selected a thumbnail menu, set NO background audio, NO motion menus, NO menu transistions.
Created a dvd folder in 21 seconds (no re-encoding).

Dvd players have to support this feature, some do not, you shouldn't need to use DVDPatcher though. The video may not play full screen since it's not one of the standard dvd spec size. On the computer you can correct this in the software player and on a dvd player some have a full screen or Zoom feature to obtain full screen when the video is not one of the standard dvd spec's. When a dvd player playsback video and the video is dvd compliant the dvd player uses the assigned TV settings in the dvd players setup menu.

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:54 pm

Goal:
To avoid unnecessary conversion times for 'valid' MPEG streams.

Your files may be valid MPEGs, but they are not DVD compliant MPEGs. That does not mean that your player won't play them, but the Ulead programs do try to make fully-compliant DVDs that will play on all DVD players. (...All players that can play "burned" discs.)

Assuming NTSC, the following resolutions are valid:

720 x 480 (4x3)
702 x 480 (4x3)
352 x 480 (4x3 or 16x9)
352 x 480 (4x3 or 16x9)

Also, you need Program Streams (computer file formatted) as opposed to Transport Streams (broadcast stream formatted).

I'm ready to throw down my $50 for MF 6, if only you would fix this problem...

This is a user-to-user forum. We can't "fix" the software.

elfworks · Post by **elfworks** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 6:52 pm

etech6355 wrote: "Support X-Disc" = ON

Wow, I should have asked this question a long time ago!
(Or, maybe I should have Read That Fine Manual....

)

From the manual:
Support X-Disc - Includes Extended disc (XDVD, XVCD, XSVCD) compatible files to your project.

For some reason, I had convinced myself "Support X-Disc" had to do with importing non-standard disc formats, not file formats. (D'oh!)

I enabled X-Disc support and all my conversion problems went away.

Many thanks for the quick response!
You've earned yourself another sale.
(Or, as I have been corrected: You've earned Ulead another sale.

elfworks · Post by **elfworks** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:09 pm

Fortunately, etech6355 pointed me to the one glaring mistake I'd made. By enabling "Support X-Disc," I was able to import my non-standard MPEG2 files and burn them to disc without conversion.

DVDDoug wrote: Also, you need Program Streams (computer file formatted) as opposed to Transport Streams (broadcast stream formatted).

I actually use VideoReDo to convert the .ts file into Program Streams. The first screenshot I uploaded (showing the Video Properties panel from VideoReDo) shows the parameters of the original unprocessed Transport Stream. (Sorry for the confusion.)

DVDDoug wrote:
I'm ready to throw down my $50 for MF 6, if only you would fix this problem...
This is a user-to-user forum. We can't "fix" the software.

Yikes! Sorry about that! No offense intended.

You folks are doing a great job, and the help is greatly appreciated. This support forum is one of the reasons I've kept upgrading MovieFactory over the years.

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:30 pm

I used that feature many times. Never posted it before due to the fact that it is advanced.
Doesn't work for SVCD's unless you convert the audio from 44.1khz to 48khz.
The audio must always be dvd compliant or it doesn't work, if the audio is 44.1khz it doesn't work. The audio must be 48khz pcm, mpeg or dolby.

Glad this worked for you, thanks for the tip on VideoRedo, I didn't know VideoRedo will convert TS to PS.
VS10+ & MF5+ converts TS to PS (lossless fast conversion).
Avidemux2 (freeware) also can do a TS to PS conversion.

elfworks · Post by **elfworks** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:17 am

etech6355 wrote:I used that feature many times. Never posted it before due to the fact that it is advanced.
Doesn't work for SVCD's unless you convert the audio from 44.1khz to 48khz.
The audio must always be dvd compliant or it doesn't work, if the audio is 44.1khz it doesn't work. The audio must be 48khz pcm, mpeg or dolby.

Glad this worked for you, thanks for the tip on VideoRedo, I didn't know VideoRedo will convert TS to PS.
VS10+ & MF5+ converts TS to PS (lossless fast conversion).
Avidemux2 (freeware) also can do a TS to PS conversion.

Thanks again for the tips!

Fortunately, the video streams coming from the set top box all seem to use a common 48KHz Dolby Digital audio format, so that's not as big a worry as it used to be.

I picked up VideoReDo a few years back, as it was the only application I could find (at the atime) that resolved some audio synch problems in the HD streams I had recorded from the Motorola STB.

It's kind of a one trick pony, but I find it handy for editing commercials out of transport streams and converting them to program streams. The nice thing that you can cut on I-frames by default, but it also supports frame accurate editing if you need it. (Even though I bought it for HD processing, it's taken pretty much every MPEG file I've thrown at it.)

P.S. I checked out AVIDemux2. Interesting app. It didn't have any trouble with SD sources, but choked on some HD files I threw at it.

Thanks again!

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:33 am

P.S. I checked out AVIDemux2. Interesting app. It didn't have any trouble with SD sources, but choked on some HD files I threw at it.

Avidemux2:
Yes, it's actually cross compiled from linux. Could be the audio selection in preferences, hard to say.
This is what I do to convert from TS to PS. (If I use Avidemux2, there are other methods)
Insert the .m2t file, anwser = Yes to index. (View=Zoom 1:4 | resize )
Video = Copy
Audio = Copy
Format = MPEG PS A+V
Save the video