Hi, this is a tutorial on how to create VideoCDs out of any video file, encoded in divx or any other common video format.

Software required:

- Mencoder 1.0pre8.07
- VCDImager 68k 0.7.14
- registered MakeCD 3.2d beta 11 and makecdromfs.module V45.12, or
- cdrdao 68k (inside CDonFire Tools archive) and Ixemul for OS4



1) Converting the video file to a VideoCD/SuperVideoCD-compatible mpeg file. Set a suitably high stack before starting. During the conversion, many "US-ASCII conversion" warnings will appear, you can safely ignore them. Movie.mpg is the output file, movie.avi the input one. I've so far tested only the PAL VCD option.

PAL VCD:
mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=xvcd -vf scale=352:288,harddup -srate 44100 -af lavcresample=44100 -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg1video:keyint=15:vrc_buf_size=327:vrc_minrate=1152:vbitrate=1152:vrc_maxrate=1152:acodec=mp2:abitrate=224 -ofps 25 -o movie.mpg movie.avi

NTSC VCD:
mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=xvcd -vf scale=352:240,harddup -srate 44100 -af lavcresample=44100 -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg1video:keyint=18:vrc_buf_size=327:vrc_minrate=1152:vbitrate=1152:vrc_maxrate=1152:acodec=mp2:abitrate=224 -ofps 30000/1001 -o movie.mpg movie.avi

PAL SVCD:
mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=xsvcd -vf scale=480:576,harddup -srate 44100 -af lavcresample=44100 -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg2video:mbd=2:keyint=15:vrc_buf_size=917:vrc_minrate=600:vbitrate=2500:vrc_maxrate=2500:acodec=mp2:abitrate=224 -ofps 25 -o movie.mpg movie.avi

NTSC SVCD:
mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=xsvcd -vf scale=480:480,harddup -srate 44100 -af lavcresample=44100 -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg2video:mbd=2:keyint=18:vrc_buf_size=917:vrc_minrate=600:vbitrate=2500:vrc_maxrate=2500:acodec=mp2:abitrate=224 -ofps 30000/1001 -o movie.mpg movie.avi



2) Splitting the mpeg video (if the resulting file is too big). You'll need to do this if the file is bigger than 600 megabytes, you'll have to make 2 VideoCDs, so repeat points 3 and 4 for both files. This has not been tested.

mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -endpos 0:50:00 -o movie-part1.mpg movie.mpg
mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -ss 0:50:00 -o movie-part2.mpg movie.mpg



3) Creating .cue and .bin files:

VCD:
vcdimager movie.mpg

SVCD:
vcdimager -t svcd movie.mpg



4a) Burning the tracks with latest *registered* MakeCD:

Open MakeCD, select from menu "Edit->Import CD Image->CDRWin (.cue)", then proceed to burn the CD.



4b) Burning the tracks with cdrdao:

The cdrdao commandline tool is inside the CDonFire archive, inside the Tools drawer. You'll have to install the ixemul libs in the Libs: directory, too. There's no need to install any part of the GeekGadgets archives and/or set any assign, cdrdao doesn't make use of them. First you have to find out how's your CD/DVD burner placed in the IDE chain (e.g. 0,0,0), then you use this information to burn the CD:


cdrdao scanbus
cdrdao write --device (burner address) --driver generic-mmc --speed (speed supported by the CD) movie.cue
example:
cdrdao write --device 0,0,0 --driver generic-mmc --speed 16 movie.cue


That's all. Any feedback will be appreciated.

Reference:
http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/menc-feat-vcd-dvd.html
http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/2002-April/013720.html
http://www-oss.fnal.gov/projects/fermilinux/common/class/advanced-admin/cdrecord3.html
http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Cdrdao

Varthall

Last edited by Varthall on 02-Feb-2007 at 12:44 PM.

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@Varthall

Wow cool. I didn't know it was possible.

Thanks

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@Varthall

Good tutorial! Now if only somebody could make a gui frontend for the process

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@Varthall

Could this support DVD also with some changes? Did you try it?

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@walkero

Quote:

walkero wrote: @Varthall Could this support DVD also with some changes? Did you try it?

I haven't tried it yet, I'd first like to buy some DVD+RW to experiment with
Mencoder supports the encoding of DVD mpegs, but I'm unsure if vcdimager could be used to make DVDs, i.e. if a DVD could be made out of a .cue file. Another issue is the limit of 2GB per file of FFS2/SFS1 (can be fixed by using SFS2), and the burning of such files (FryingPan is the only software that supports DVDs, I wonder if it has any option for image files importing).

Varthall

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@Varthall

Quote:

Another issue is the limit of 2GB per file of FFS2/SFS1 (can be fixed by using SFS2), and the burning of such files (FryingPan is the only software that supports DVDs, I wonder if it has any option for image files importing).

IIRC even with supporting filesystem and OS, 68k programs won't have access to the new functions enabling access to over 2GB files (things can even go very bad because of the overflow that would lead to restart at the begining in the best case, poke anywhere in the memory/filesystem in the worst !!).
Only native OS4 program can benefit that and even at the expense of some code modifications...

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Now dreaming AOS 4.2...
Thank you to all devs involved for this great job !

@Varthall

Well done Varthall. Why not submit this for the Tutorials Section?

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Dell Mini 10 Netbook running IcAros and AmigaForever+Amikit+AmigaSys
2006 Macb

@Varthall

There are also programs like dvdrecord, makeisofs and others at CDonFire site. Maybe you could split the video files around 1.5GB and then create the file structure of a DVD Video disc with an ifo file that handles the chapters and others. I'm going to search it for a while. Please, tell me your opinion on that.

Here it is

DVD File/Folder Structure

Explanation:

. BUP = Backup files of the IFO files.

. IFO = The IFO files includes information such as chapters, subtitle tracks and audio tracks.

. VOB = The VOB files contains the actual video,audio,subtitles and menus.

Folder Files Explanation
AUDIO_TS (undefined) DVD Audio
VIDEO_TS VIDEO_TS.BUP
VIDEO_TS.IFO
The first video play item, IFO, usally a copyright notice or a menu
VIDEO_TS.VOB The first video play item, VOB
VTS_01_0.BUP
VTS_01_0.IFO Title 01, IFO, usually the main movie
VTS_01_0.VOB Title 01, VOB 0, the menu for this title
VTS_01_1.VOB Title 01, VOB 1, the video for this title
VTS_01_2.VOB Title 01, VOB 2, if larger than 1 GB it will be splitted into several vobs
VTS_01_3.VOB Title 01, VOB 3
VTS_01_4.VOB Title 01, VOB 4, up to 10(0-9) VOB files if necassary
VTS_02_0.BUP
VTS_02_0.IFO Title 02, IFO, usually movie extras
VTS_02_0.VOB Title 02, VOB 0, the menu for this title
VTS_02_1.VOB Title 02, VOB 1, the video for this title
VTS_xx_x.BUP
VTS_xx_x.IFO And so on
VTS_xx_x.VOB
VTS_xx_x.VOB
VTS_99_9.VOB Up to 99(1-99) titles with max 10(0-9) VOB files each

and maybe more info http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/dvd-structure.htm

I believe that a utility that creates the .ifo and .bup files could be easy to make. Then we need just to make the .vob files.

Last edited by walkero on 02-Feb-2007 at 05:31 PM.
Last edited by walkero on 02-Feb-2007 at 05:25 PM.

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@abalaban

Quote:

IIRC even with supporting filesystem and OS, 68k programs won't have access to the new functions enabling access to over 2GB files (things can even go very bad because of the overflow that would lead to restart at the begining in the best case, poke anywhere in the memory/filesystem in the worst !!). Only native OS4 program can benefit that and even at the expense of some code modifications...

AFAIK even existing 68k software can use files which are larger than 2GB or 4GB
when the programmers didnt make a mistake. When an existing program doesnt try to
load the file completely into memory but uses a simple "read something, write
something, finish when there was nothing more to read" approach without
trying to find out in advance the exact filesize and without seeking around
in the file, it should IMHO work with files of any size.

Its even possible to find out the approximate size of large files by 64bit
multiplication of the number of blocks of the file with the blocksize of the
filesystem, without using the new OS4 functions.

Well, the conclusion is that you have to test every 68k application if it works
with large files or not, and using non-important temporary test partitions for
that is probably a good idea...

@Varthall

I've tried the NTSC VCD line & get the following error.

Option oac: Unknown suboption 1avc
iconv: conversion from US-ASCII to UTF-8 unsupported
Error parsing option on the command line: -oac

I have mplayer installed & it plays the avi file I tried, I found the option line in the online memcoder docs & copied it & pasted just to make sure it was entered right, but no go. Am I missing an audio/video codec here?

Edit: Ok, figured it out, Mencoder needs to be in the C: directory to find the codec file.

Last edited by sundown on 03-Feb-2007 at 06:24 AM.

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@Varthall

I get the conversion to start on a 700MB avi file, but after an hour my system locks up & the file size is between 600-700MB. Estimating the completion time would be about 2 hrs if my system didn't crash. I found a way to lower the cpu temperature 7-8C, but the system still locks, so not heat related & Mencoder does stress the cpu. I did get a 400MB avi converted ok to a vcd.mpg.

Any ideas?

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@Varthall

GREAT work dude!
And now...
Why a skilled programmer like you don create a(nice) GUI to do it all in automatic(naturally using cdrdao that was much easier for all to have)?



Tuxedo

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@Tuxedo

Dopus makes a nice shell GUI, just make a filetype for Mencoder.

Last edited by sundown on 04-Feb-2007 at 07:52 PM.

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@TetiSoft

I was under the impression that new OS4 functions wasn't presented into the 68k jumtables, thus my comment.

However you are right : if a program is just doing read something -> write it without trying to find its size, then it could work with any file size.

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AOS 4.1 : I dream it, Hyperion did it !
Now dreaming AOS 4.2...
Thank you to all devs involved for this great job !

@Varthall

Quote:

sundown wrote I get the conversion to start on a 700MB avi file, but after an hour my system locks up & the file size is between 600-700MB.

As we discussed in IRC, I bumped the shell stack to 10000000 (10M) & no lockup. 702MB avi file converted to a 1.1GB vcd.mpg file, took 145 min.

The split file line worked, but neither vcdimager or vcdgear would make bin/cue files from them. Using ffmpeg, I got the following 2 lines to work.

ffmpeg -i movie.avi -t 0:50:00 -target ntsc-vcd movie.mpg (convert first 50 mins of movie)
ffmpeg -i movie.avi -ss 0:50:00 -target ntsc-vcd movie.mpg (convert from 50 mins to end of movie)

VcdGear made both resulting mpegs into bin/cue files.

vcdgear -mpg2bin movie.bin movie.mpg

Since Mencoder & ffmpeg are about the same, maybe adding the -t & -ss option in the mencoder line would work?

Last edited by sundown on 09-Feb-2007 at 09:36 AM.

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@sundown

Glad to hear it worked. 10M might be way more than needed, but it's better to play safe. An 1.1G MPEG might fit into two VideoCDs, I'd split them in two files, 600M first and 5xxM the second:

mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -endpos 0:60:00 -o movie-part1.mpg movie.mpg
mencoder -ovc copy -oac copy -ss 0:60:00 -o movie-part2.mpg movie.mpg

If the first mpg doesn't fit the CD, try with values between 55 and 60 (for both parts).

Varthall

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@Varthall

Just edited my previous post as far as splitting the file.

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@sundown

I have not tried to convert to bin/cue a splitted mpeg yet, but it seems like the splitted mpg somehow differs from the converted one. Combining the conversion and splitting into one command line with mencoder should work, and it might produce a compatible mpg as with ffmpeg. Let me know if the ffmpeg generated video works once burned to CD, its command line syntax is much simplier. The negative point is that AFAIK ffmpeg recognises less codecs than mencoder, so it might not work with every type of videos.

Varthall

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Inspired by this thread I just compiled "dvdauthor" to OS4. This is a program I use on Windows to produce VIDEO_TS directory structure for burning onto DVD from .mpg files. I do not have time to test the binaries properly now (not this week anyway). If anyone wants to try I can upload the binaries (mostly untested) to OS4Depot though.

Regarding DVD authoring and a GUI, I'd like to work on both, only that I have to add them to my todo list with lowest priority, I have other projects which I have to finish first, unfortunately.

@salass00:

Thanks for the help ^^ I guess it would be better to make some betatesting before releasing it on os4depot.

Varthall

Last edited by Varthall on 09-Feb-2007 at 11:17 AM.

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