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 AVI to VCD conversion guide 1.2 
By Jim Mangafas
-=JiMb0=-

Greetings, in my recent time I have been trying to come up with a method of creating good quality VCD's from avi files I gather from the internet. After reading various guides on the net and learning which software is the most effective, yet easiest to use I decided to give back to the wider internet community by writing my own conversion guide.

As you are probably aware there are a million and one conversion guides out there, but the problem is most of the software described is confusing to use let alone all the settings you need to understand before you can get started. I will try to be a easy and clear as possible.

Here goes!

Software Used
Virtual Dub! V1.4.9
Panasonic Mpeg1 Encoder v2.51
Roxio Easy CD Creator v5.02d (VCD Creator v5.02 is in this S/W package)
Divx Codec 5.0

step 1:
Cutting AVI To Size
After downloading your .AVI file you will need to make sure its running time is less than 70min. (this is so it will fit on a 74min CDR)

If it isnÔÇÖt open Virtual Dub and cut it into smaller pieces. You do that by marking the beginning and end of a section and save that part as as anvi, then do the following for the rest.

step 2:
Preparing The AVI
While in Virtual dub you can add filters to enhance the quality of your video file. Some filters I usualy like to add that increase the quality of the final result are brigthness / contrast, smoother, and sharpen filters. I donÔÇÖt always add them it just depends on the original quality of the .AVI that I have. Go to Video/Filters/Add and select them.

Next, you must choose a compression codec, so Video/Compression and choose a Divx codec you have installed. I recommend DivX 5.0 or DivX Fast Motion.

The Bitrate settings for this codec are very important, VCD bitrate is 1150kbps if you set it higher or lower you will usually result in a VCD that jumps and skips, also the picture becomes blocky and unwatchable.

Ok now your ready to save your AVI file with the new settings File/Save As AVI/ type in a name and relax until its finished.

step 3:
Extracting The Audio
Now open up your newly saved AVI and check to see if all is well. If it seems good you can delete your original .AVI to save hard disk space.

Open Virtual Dub again and open up the .AVI file. Now under the Audio menu select full processing mode then still under audio select conversion/sample rate - 44100Hz (important it must be this) then click ok.

Now choose File/Save Wav, give it a name and it will begin extracting the audio.

The reason for this is the sync problems you get when watching the final VCD.

step 4:
Encoding To MPEG 1 Or VCD Acceptable Parameters
Ok, now we should have 2 files an .AVI file and a large .WAV file.

Open Panasonic Mpeg Encoder and in the Material Files box uncheck the Use Identical Files box. Then click Select for Video and choose the .AVI file. Do the same for the Audio except choose the .Wav file you extracted.

In the Output file box choose Type and select VCD/Pal Stream or NTSC, whatever floats your boat. Make sure the Video Bit Rate is 1150 and 25 frames per second. Audio should be Stereo 224 kbps.

Click Special Processing and down the bottom choose High Quality interpolation.(this is optional but it improves viewing quality.)

Now your all set click Start Encode and then take a brake because this usually take 2 to 3 and a half hours to complete (thatÔÇÖs if you have a fast machine)

After its complete what you are left with is a big MPEG 1 file.

Test it to see if it works fine, if it does the you can delete the .AVI and .Wav files.

step 5:
Burning The VCD
Ok after all thatÔÇÖs done were almost finished. Open up Roxio VCD Creator and hit the + button on the menu bar and select the newly created MPEG file. Drag it over to the Contents Of VCD Layout Panel on the right, and then hit the Red Record button.

I always burn at the slowest speed to eliminate any skips, blockyness and distorted audio, so select 2x300kbps. Then click Start Recording.

The recording process should take about 35min maximum but donÔÇÖt worry if it takes abit longer. The end result is a VCD compliant disk that will play in almost any standalone DVD player.

So I hope I have been clear in the way to carry out this whole process, it does take a few hours but have patients. Once you know what your doing you can fiddle around with various filters and quality settings to achieve the look you want from your VCD. Congratulations!!

Disclaimer: The author by no means takes any responsibility for people pirating Hollywood style movies downloaded from the net. This guide is for educational purposes only.

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 Comments 
 
Your comments (max. 255 characters)
BAD COVER !!!  
Comments from anonymousposted - Feb, 25 2003 - 21:53
reda
Comments from anonymousposted - Feb, 24 2003 - 21:04
i have the movie en mpeg1 and it's ready to make the cd... but i can't burning it, the roxie vcd creator it doesn't work, i cant' record... please if anybody have the roxie vcd creator that really work or another program that can record vcd, pleaso contact to me to [email protected] thanks!
Comments from anonymousposted - Feb, 12 2003 - 06:05
bom
Comments from g0lfposted - Jan, 29 2003 - 10:05
where can i get Panasonic mpeg1 encoder?
Comments from anonymousposted - Jan, 19 2003 - 17:05
Hi guys,
this dude have a nice work here, please take a look:
www.vcdhelp.com

Newbie beginners-guides, articles,
Burn (S)VCD,DVD menu,photo album,
CAPTURE VCR,TV,Cam,DV,
CONVERT AVI,DV,DivX... to VCD, SVCD, DVD...
DVD RIP DVD-Video to VCD, SVCD, DVD...
EDIT Cut,join,edit video
PLAY VCD,DVD,DivX on Computer,TV,DVD

Links, apps, subtitle stuff...
and much more.

Its help me a lot. ;o)
Comments from xodeusposted - Jan, 15 2003 - 10:58
Could you make this guide with some pictures/snapshots of the process?
Comments from fighterposted - Jan, 04 2003 - 13:17
Hi guys.I read your problems about adding subtitles to VCD and I found some resolution.You need program called AviSubtitler (I downloaded it from this site some time ago).It's simple program that adds downloaded subtitles( .sub, .txt, .srt) to your AVI file.So now you have movie with subtitles in one Avi file.Start whole proces as it is described in this guide with subtitled avi and that's all.You have VCD with SUBTITLES...
Good luck
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 29 2002 - 00:41
subtitles in AVI to SVCD !! can anyone tell me how ?? [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 26 2002 - 01:28
Please, i want to know how to convert an avi file to vcd, with the subtitle include, but i need it in spanish, if someone can help me please send me an e-mail to: [email protected]

porfavor quisiera saber como convertir un avi en vcd, con los subtitulos incluidos, pero necesito esto en mi idioma original; espa??ol.
si me pueden ayudar, porfavor haganlo a:
[email protected]
Comments from Jopesposted - Dec, 25 2002 - 02:14
J?í me esquecia de por o email, [email protected] a mesnsagem ta em baixo.
Comments from Jopesposted - Dec, 25 2002 - 02:12
Bom natal antes de mais. Eu tenho o windtalkers mas nao consigo ver nem ouvir quais os codecs que devo sacar.(Portugal).
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 19 2002 - 20:00
I guess I have done so many of these alternative techniques; even, tried various softwares such as NTI CD-MAKER, instant CD...you name it. I came to a conclusion that converting an .avi files to VCD or SVCD can be easily achieved by using one simple tool called TMPGEnc. TMPGEnc offers many options, but the most important features of TMPGEnc is that it allows you to decide which quality do you want. Do you want your movie to be 2 CD's long, or the mono version that only need one CD. If you decide to cut your movie into whatever number of parts you want, TMPGEnc is equiped with mpeg cutting tools that can cut your movie with precision to 00:00:00 . Further questions? [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 15 2002 - 04:01
preciso de ajuda, as vezes ao baixar filme do kazaa no formato avi o mesmo n?úo aparece nem som nem imagem, o q fazer se algem pode mim ajudar. agrade?žo [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 10 2002 - 23:29
I have a film in AVI format, i want to burn it on CD, but it's bigger as i can write it on 800MB.
Is it possible to make it smaller, and no need to crop?
If anyone could help me, write here: [email protected]
Thx
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 10 2002 - 21:33
I downloaded a movie and I can't get it to playback, I have downloaded Divx 5.0, Avicodec,I have roxio easy cd creator, I tried downloading virtualdub and it didnt do anything, I tried downloading nimo and I have an error with system32, my real player and windows media player and divx player and windvd and intervideo wont play the movie, the divx player said it couldnt open it. It's an .avi file and i dont know how to convert it...someone please help me.
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 10 2002 - 20:17
I'm from Brazil and my ps2 don't play the vcd!!!Somebody knows what I have to do???Contact me [email protected]
Se voc?¬ ?? brasileiro e sabe algum site que explique esse mesmo guia s?? que mais detalhado me avise por favorrrr!!
Comments from anonymousposted - Dec, 10 2002 - 20:00
I need to now How put de subtitles on VCD--Alguien podria orientarme como incluir los subtitulos en un VCD? PLEASE CONTACT TO ME. [email protected]
Comments from 1961posted - Dec, 09 2002 - 07:35
for that you cannot discharge this program
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 30 2002 - 09:48
Alternative method for converting avi to vcd.

Simply take your avi file (you dont have to cut it)(dont worry about the size) and input to TMPGEnc.

We are going to set the setting so that we reduce the file size so that you can fit up to 3 hour on 1 80 min disk.
We need to keep certain parameters to make sure we are vcd compliant, but we can play with the bitrate and audio settings to save on size and keep quality while still creating a disk that plays on almost all dvd players.

TMPGEnc Settings:
Video tab:
mpeg 1 video size= 352x240 pixels
Aspect ratio= 1:1 vga FPS= 29.97
Rate Control Mode: very important
2pass vbr then click setting
Set avg. bitrate to 600kbs.
leave max at 3000 and min at 300
Motion Search Precision Set to highest quality!!
This is also the slowest so be prepared to let it run 12-24 hours.

Advanced tab: Dont touch the top portion. That will be filled in by TMPGEnc.
Set video arrange method to full screen and check noise reduction.

Leave the Gop Structure tab alone!!

Quantize matrix: Check soften block noise

Audio Tab: Stream type is mpeg 1 Audio
layer II

Sampling frequency set to 32000 Hz
Channel Mode: Mono
Bitrate: 32kbs

These are critical settings in reducing size and only affect the audio by the difference between stereo and mono. Not critical and hardly noticeable.Leave the rest alone/

System tab: Mpeg 1 video cd (non-standard)

You can play with the settings on the advanced tab like color correction etc. but keep in mind that the more we check the longer the encoding takes.

save these settings to a file so you dont have to reset all the time. You can just load the settings.
Click start and go to bed. In 12-24 hours you will have a file 1/3 to 1/2 of the original size that fits on 1 disk and keeps very good quality.
Burn the video with a good utility like Nero and if you get a message saying non-compliant vcd just click on "turn off standard compliance" and burn to disk.
ENJOY!!!!
[email protected]

Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 28 2002 - 13:15
My DVD player is region 2 but supports PAL & NTSC; however my TV supports only PAL. I can successfully rip region 2 DVDs to avi using DVD Decrypter to rip it, & then SimpleDivx (0.99g) to convert it.
I bought a region 1 DVD (Bad Company) thus it was NTSC. I ripped it using DVD Decrypter. Simple Div X thinks it is only 15 minutes long, so when I convert it to avi it comes out huge (instead of 650MB, its 1.08GB). WHY???
I've used FlaskMpeg instead (but the quality ain't good, why?). Then I used VirualDub to split the files. Then I used nero to burn a PAL VCD, but the sound don't go with the video! So the lips move but the words come out in a few secs! Why is this? What do I do to correct this?

You can contact me on [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 23 2002 - 20:54
About subtitles etc. See www.afterdawn.com...
Comments from Hangarposted - Nov, 19 2002 - 15:00
I want to know how to convert DivX movies with AC3 sound to SVCD. Is it possible?
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 18 2002 - 17:14
When I start encoding my avi files to MPEG a window comes up and says "Video Data Rate or VBV Buffer Size is too small". Can someone tell me what do I have too do PLS
My meil is [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 18 2002 - 17:13
When I start encoding my avi files to MPEG a window comes up and says "Video Data Rate or VBV Buffer Size is too small". Can someone tell me what do I have too do PLS
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 17 2002 - 03:59
Eu tambem quero saber se existe algum site que ensine...
Contact me [email protected]
(from Brazil)
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 10 2002 - 23:18
I also have the same problem in the subtitles.
I'm from Brazil and I'd like to put the subtitle in my language.
Help me!!!!!
Where I can download Panasonic MPEG Encoder? Please contact me. [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Nov, 09 2002 - 16:41
i also have the same prob in the subtitles en SVCD

please e-mail me if you know how:
[email protected]

thanx
Comments from vj_coreposted - Nov, 07 2002 - 01:38
Hey....

How about Nero Burning ROM????

Can I use Nero for burning VCD, or SVCD????
if someone knows, please send me a MEMO.

Thanks a lot!
Comments from Jedi_Knightposted - Oct, 28 2002 - 18:09
Subtitles to VCD? If anyone knows please let me know, [email protected]... thanks!
Comments from anonymousposted - Oct, 19 2002 - 03:22
I want to include subtitles in VCD, if anyone knows how to do this, please reply to [email protected]...

thanks...
Comments from deejayqposted - Oct, 17 2002 - 09:27
I need to know how to put subtitles too, if anyone knows, please contact me at [email protected]
necesito saber como poner los subtitulos porfavor si alguien lo sabe porfavor avisame a [email protected]
gracias--tx
Comments from anonymousposted - Oct, 15 2002 - 23:33
I need to know how to put subtitles too, if anyone knows, please contact me at [email protected] or on icq: 37139980
tkz

tamb??m preciso descobrir como coloca legendas, se algu??m souber, por favor me procure no email [email protected] ou no icq: 37139980
valez
Comments from anonymousposted - Oct, 13 2002 - 08:32
how can i put a subtitle to a vcd???
Comments from baloodkposted - Oct, 13 2002 - 03:40
Need Panasonic Mpeg1 Encoder v2.51 ???
Search on Kazaa i have it
Comments from anonymousposted - Oct, 04 2002 - 01:04
the Panasonic Mpeg1 Encoder v2.51 that i have just encorde 30 sec. of the movie how can i encorde all the movie?
or where can i download another version?


help me please, my e-mail is [email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Sep, 27 2002 - 12:35
tenho o blade 2 mas n?úo d?í som qual o codec que devo instalar
Comments from anonymousposted - Sep, 15 2002 - 06:23
I have tried everything this the only system that works!!! I have successfully converted downloaded Kazaa movies to vcd playable discs. Hint get the basics of virtual dub from digital digest. rad
Comments from anonymousposted - Sep, 14 2002 - 06:54
More information is needed on VCD video parameters. 25 Frames/sec is the standard for PAL format video, but for NTSC (Japan and North America) the framerate is 29.97 FPS, and for Film the framerate is 23.976 FPS. (DVD and VCD both support the standard film framerate, so most movies shot on film will already be formatted as such, unless they have been "captured" (i.e., digitized) from an analog videotape. If your framerate is already set to one of the above, I don't recommend changing it, as your DVD/VCD player will most likely support all of them.

Also, standard VCD resolution (very important) is 352x240. My CD burner program seems to think it's 352x288. My DVD player supports both. Things get tricky if the video is a widescreen format. I have found success in using my MPEG encoder to letterbox the MPEG file, and I am currently researching what other resolutions (if any) VCDs support.
Comments from anonymousposted - Sep, 14 2002 - 06:37
I don't understand the point of encoding your AVI file to a DivX format before encoding it as an MPEG1 (or MPEG2 for SVCDs). If the AVI is not already encoded with a DivX codec, DivX is a good codec to use if you want to archive a large file (e.g., a high-bitrate MPEG1) file on a data CD or your hard drive with minimal loss of quality, but just to create a VCD, you'll get better results and less heartache if you encode directly to MPEG1 or 2. Most of the files you deal with will probably be DivX AVIs anyway.

Remember that if your Audio sampling frequency is already than 44100 Hz, there is no need to extract the Audio. Panasonic MPEG1 encoder 2.5 has trouble converting audio sampling frequencies, but TMPGEnc doesn't seem to have that problem, so you might give it a try. I think it's a better encoder overall.

As for splitting the file, I think it's less hassle to batch-encode MPEGs in sections instead of spliting the AVI file first. TMPGEnc lets you do this, but Panasonic's doesn't appear to.

As for adding subtitles, you'll need to do the translation yourself and find a program to add them. It sounds like a lot of work. Sorry.
Comments from anonymousposted - Sep, 06 2002 - 04:08
Algu??m conhece um site no Brasil que ensine a fazer a convers?úo de avi para vcd?
Grata,
[email protected]
Comments from anonymousposted - Aug, 31 2002 - 17:11
i also have the same prob in the subtitles en SVCD
Comments from anonymousposted - Aug, 29 2002 - 01:52
my problem its the subtitle, im in portugal and i get the files in the net and i want to put some subtitles in svcd from avi filmes
 
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