avi2vcd Frequently Asked Questions - Version 1.4.2 PLEASE NOTE: MOST PROBLEMS WITH AVI2VCD CAN BE FIXED BY INSTALLING THE LATEST VERSION OF DIRECTX (8.1 AS OF THIS WRITING) AND THE LATEST VERSION OF THE CODEC YOUR AVI USES AND THE LATEST VERSION OF THE DRIVERS FOR YOUR VIDEO CAPTURE CARD (IF ANY). YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PLAY THE AVI YOU WISH TO ENCODE WITH MEDIAPLAYER! IF MEDIAPLAYER CAN"T PLAY THE FILE, THEN AVI2VCD WON"T BE ABLE TO ENCODE IT! Even if Mediaplayer can play it, there is a chance avi2vcd won't be able to encode it. Contents: Question 0 - Where can I find, or do you have freeware software that converts .mpg to avi? Question 1 - What is avi2vcd? Question 2 - OK, I have encoded my files, how do I get a VideoCD out of it? Question 3 - I made a VideoCD, but my DVD player cannot play it. Question 4 - I get a "FATAL ERROR: Could not retrieve video frame xxxx" error". Question 5 - The encoder will not encode the avi I have. Question 6 - What's a codec? Question 7 - Where do I get a codec? Question 8 - Why is avi2vcd so slow? Question 9 - How do I encode a video with compressed audio? Question 10 - My audio/video "lipsync" is bad after encoding to mpeg. Question 11 - When I encode a video of 10 frames per second, the mpeg player I use claims the frame rate of the resulting mpeg is 23.976FPS, but the video still looks jerky? Question 12 - When I encode a video the resulting mpeg is larger than the source? Question 13 - The mpeg avi2vcd generated is larger than will fit on a CD, how do I split it? Question 14 - When I encode an avi file that uses the Cinepak (or other) codec, the resulting mpeg is very "blocky". Question 15 - When I encode a screen capture sequence, or a computer generated animation, the resulting mpeg is not very clear. Question 16 - When I play back the resulting mpeg, the video occasionally freezes, or it plays like a slide show with a new still frame every few seconds while the audio continues. Question 17 - AVI2VCD encodes my avi, but the sound is garbled, what can I do? Question 18 - avi2vcd will not encode the video from my mjpeg capture card? Question 19 - After encoding, the mpeg video is inverted, what can I do? Question 20 - I'm having problems encoding videos captured from my DV Camcorder. Question 21 - Adaptec's Easy VideoCD Creator says the mpeg produced by avi2vcd is not "Whitebook" compliant? Question 22 - The VideoCD creation program I use "Brand X", does not accept the output of avi2vcd. What can I do? Question 23 - What is the "Split Target MPEG" option for? Question 24 - What is the "Shutdown system at encode completion" option for? Answers: Question 0 - Where can I find, or do you have freeware software that converts .mpg to avi? I do not have any software that converts mpg to avi, nor can I recommend any. If you are looking for any other mpeg software other than what is on www.cogeco.ca/~avi2vcd, I suggest you begin you search at www.mpeg.org or any search engine. Question 1 - What is avi2vcd? avi2vcd is a Windows based program to encode avi files to VideoCD compliant mpeg files for recording to VideoCD with a VideoCD creation program. The resulting VideoCD can be played on VideoCD players, and many DVD players. Question 2 - OK, I have encoded my files, how do I get a VideoCD out of it? Avi2vcd is just the file encoder. You will still need a CD recording application which can create all the required structures required for a VideoCD, as well as write the mpeg files to individual tracks on the VideoCD. There are several such packages out there such as NTI CD Maker, the full (Deluxe or Platinum) version of EZ CD Creator, InstantVideo, Nero, etc. YOU CAN'T JUST RECORD THE MPEG TO A CD AND EXPECT IT TO PLAY IN A DVD PLAYER! If your CD recording application can create VideoCD's, there will be an explicit setting for creating a VideoCD. Check your manual. For example, with Easy CD Creator, you need to use the EZ VideoCD Creator application which comes with it. For InstantCD, you need to use the InstantVideo selection in the startup menu. Question 3 - I made a VideoCD, but my DVD player cannot play it. Not all DVD players can play VideoCDs. Some DVD players that can play commercially stamped "silver" VideoCD's cannot play VideoCD's on CD-R. You need to try both CD-R and CD-RW media. I have found that even different brands of CD-RW get different results. Question 4 - I get a "FATAL ERROR: Could not retrieve video frame xxxx" error". If the frame number is 0, then you either do not have a properly installed codec for the compression method this video uses, or the codec in question is not accessible from DirectShow or Video-for-Windows, and cannot be used with avi2vcd ver 1.4. You might also need to upgrade the version of DirectX installed on your system. If the frame number is higher than 0: Most likely either your video is corrupted (the video frame in question is "damaged") or the codec has a bug. Avi2vcd tries to skip over the corrupted frame to the next good frame (it will skip up to 15 bad frames for most codecs, or 60 frames for Divx, where this is much more common a problem). This is most usually caused by downloading video from the net, and having the download fail. When you restart the download where it left off, often the video is corrupted at the point of resumption. If this is the case, you need to re-download the avi in one single, unbroken session. Question 5 - The encoder will not encode the avi I have. avi2vcd will encode avi files that fit the following limitations: Audio: if present, must be 8 or 16 bit, sample rate of 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, or 48 KHz uncompressed PCM only! Video: The parameter requirements are: Horzontal width <= 768 Vertical height <= 576 Frames per second >= 1 Colour depth: 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits The video codec used should be compatible with DirectShow. Note that for best quality, there are preferred values which will not require avi2vcd to resize or resample the input to match VideoCD specifications. The ideal values are (depending on target format): NTSC: Horzontal width: 352 Vertical height: 240 Frames per second: 29.97 Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits PAL: Horzontal width: 352 Vertical height: 288 Frames per second: 25 Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits FILM: Horzontal width: 352 Vertical height: 240 Frames per second: 23.976 Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits AUDIO (NTSC, PAL, or FILM): 44.1KHz, 16 bit, mono or stereo If you don't know what the parameters of the video file you have are, in explorer, right click on the file once, then select 'Properties', then select the tab 'Details' or 'Summary', depending on the version of Windows. Question 6 - What's a codec? Codec stands for "COmpressor/DECompressor". Every compressed video file uses a codec to decompress the individual frames for playback. There are a great many codecs. Some come with Windows, others must be downloaded and installed before you can play back the video. Some codecs are not compatible with DirectX, which is what avi2vcd uses to decode the video frames, in which case you will not be able to encode the video using avi2vcd. Try getting the latest version of the codec, it might work with avi2vcd. Question 7 - Where do I get a codec? There are a lot of codecs, and as many places to get them as there are codecs. If you downloaded a video from the web, and you don't have the codec it requires, check the website you downloaded the video from for information on where to get the codec. Question 8 - Why is avi2vcd so slow? Depending on your computer system, you may experience anywhere from 1 to 10 frames (more or less) encoded per second. Some systems will be slower, some faster. This means it might easily take from 3 to 30 hours to encode 1 hour of video to mpeg. Mpeg encoding is a computationally intensive, and slow, process. The characteristics of the video also have an effect. If your video is 720x480, for example, avi2vcd needs to resize each frame to 352x240 (or 352x288 for PAL), which adds to the time required. Some codecs are also slower than others. Question 9 - How do I encode a video with compressed audio? Use the utility "decompress" which is included in the zip file with avi2vcd. Decompress will copy your video to a new file with uncompressed audio. Avi2vcd should be able to encode this new avi. Decompress SHOULD be able to convert any file that mediaplayer can play. If you can't play the file with media player, than neither decompress nor avi2vcd will be able to use that avi. Question 10 - My audio/video "lipsync" is bad after encoding to mpeg. If the lipsync was ok in the source avi (you can play it back with mediaplayer, and the sound and video are syncronized) then your avi probably has compressed audio. Some forms of audio compression (notably MPEG Layer-3) CAN result in a loss of audio/video sync, even when you have used "decompress". I have no solution for this at this time. Don't use compressed audio if you can avoid it! Question 11 - When I encode a video of 12 frames per second, the mpeg player I use claims the frame rate of the resulting mpeg is 23.976FPS, but the video still looks jerky? The VideoCD standard allows for frame rates of 23.976, 25, and 29.97. The non-standard frame rate videos are resampled to a standard frame rate by simple frame replication. Hence, for a 12FPS source video, each source frame is converted to 2 frames in the resulting mpeg. The video is still jerky as a result. There are still only 12 "different" frames in each second in this case. Question 12 - When I encode a video the resulting mpeg is larger than the source? The resulting mpeg will always be 176400 bytes x # of seconds in source video. This is a result of the VideoCD standard. Question 13 - The mpeg avi2vcd generated is larger than will fit on a CD, how do I split it? Use the "Split target mpeg at" option, See Question 23 for details. Question 14 - When I encode an avi file that uses the Cinepak (or other) codec, the resulting mpeg is very "blocky". The encoded mpeg can be no better than the original source file for video quality, in fact it is usually significantly worse. This applies to all codecs. To obtain maximum quality, you must use a high quality original video that is only slightly compressed, or not compressed at all. Simply encoding miscellaneous avi's you may have lying around will probably not work very well. The encoder is paricularily sensitive to noise, if the source avi has visible noise in the picture (as from VHS video tape), it will not encode well. Question 15 - When I encode a screen capture sequence, or a computer generated animation, the resulting mpeg is not very clear. Mpeg was intended to compress real world video images, not artificial computer generated images. Question 16 - When I play back the resulting mpeg, the video occasionally freezes, or it plays like a slide show with a new still frame every few seconds while the audio continues. Try turning your screen saver off completely before starting the encode. Many users have reported this solves the problem for them, though I have never experienced it myself. Also make sure you have the latest version of DirectX and the codec your video uses. The DIVX codec exhibits this behavior on many PC's. This is a bug in the Divx codec. Divx is aware of the problem and expects a fix in the next release of the divx codec. (Current version of Divx codec as of this writing, 5.02). Question 17 - AVI2VCD encodes my avi, but the sound is garbled, what can I do? Please send me a copy of the .log file that avi2vcd generated when you tried to encode the video. The most likely cause is that your video uses compressed audio. Avi2vcd can only handle uncompressed audio. If you insist on encoding a video with compressed audio, then use decompress.exe which is included in the zip file with avi2vcd. Question 18 - avi2vcd will not encode the video from my mjpeg capture card? Some mjpeg capture cards use a hardware based codec which is not compatible with the DirectShow component of DirectX. Some software mjpeg codecs are also not compatible with DirectX. You should first make sure you have the latest version of the codec. If that still does not work, then the only other thing I can suggest is to contact the manufacturer and request a DirectShow compatible version of your codec. Also make sure you have the latest version of DirectX installed on your system. Question 19 - After encoding, the mpeg video is inverted, what can I do? Most inverted video is automatically corrected by avi2vcd. If your's is not, select the "Invert Video" check box before encoding. Question 20 - I'm having problems encoding videos captured from my DV Camcorder. Generally, there are no issues with encoding Type 2 DV avi files, and if your DV capture program gives you the option, you should choose Type 2 DV instead of Type 1. However, if you attempt to encode Type 1 DV avi files, you may experience the following error message: "Error attempting to read audio from Type 1 DV .avi file Re-render video with video editor and try again!" This occurs when DirectShow reports to avi2vcd that a Type 1 DV file with 48KHz audio has 32KHz audio! Usually this occurs when you try to encode a Type 1 file directly after capture from a DV camera. If this file is first edited with an video editor (such as Media Studio Pro) then re-rendered to a Type 1 DV file, avi2vcd can usually encode this fine. I have not been able to correct this problem as yet, but I am still working on it. In the meantime, it does not affect most individuals since generally avi files are edited after capture and before encoding. A simple workaround for the above issue is to set your camcorder to 32KHz, 12 bit audio. This seems to works fine even with Type 1 DV files. Some camcorders work better during capture if they are powered through the AC adapter rather than the battery. Check your owner's manual. Sound quality: If you experience poor quality audio, generally described as noise, when encoding Type 1 DV files, try rerendering your DV file to Type 2, or use 32KHz audio. Pinnacle DV500 Owners: Make sure you upgrade to Version 8.1 of DirectX (or later) and get the Version 4.0 (or later) DV 500 driver from the Pinnacle web site. Question 21 - Adaptec's Easy VideoCD Creator says the mpeg produced by avi2vcd is not "Whitebook" compliant? Start up VideoCD creator, go to Help - > About. What does the dialog box say next to "MCI Mpeg Video Driver:"? If it says something other than "DirectShow" or "ActiveMovie", for example "QI Cinemaster DVD", than that's likely the problem. Easy VideoCD Creator uses the default MCI MPEG driver to determine the source mpegs characteristics. Many DVD software players replace the DirectShow MCI Driver with their own, which may not properly identify the mpeg file characteristics to Easy VideoCD Creator. All I can suggest is that you remove whatever software installed the new MCI driver and try again. You should also request a fix from the manufacturer of the software which caused the problem. Question 22 - The VideoCD creation program I use "Brand X", does not accept the output of avi2vcd. What can I do? Make sure you are using the latest version of the program. If that still does not work, send me an email with the name, version, and a web location where I can download an evaluation copy of the program in question. I will attempt to resolve this for the next version. If an evaluation version is not available, I will contact the software company and see if they are willing to help. Question 23 - What is the "Split Target MPEG" option for? The "Split target MPEG" option causes avi2vcd to limit the size of the mpeg file produced to the size (default 700 MB, where MB = 1024*1024 bytes) specified in the edit box in the option. This is the aproximate size limit of most VideoCD's. If your source would cause the mpeg to go over this size, avi2vcd will start a new mpeg with a filename the same as the first mpeg with the addition of "_2". I.e. if your source file was "movie.avi", your target was "movie.mpg", then when "movie.mpg" reaches 700MB, it will start a new mpeg of the name "movie_2.mpg". You may alter the size at which the split occurs anywhere in the range of 350 - 900 MB. The size and state of the option are saved as the new default. The main use of this is when encoding large source avi's (such as 90 - 120 minute movies) into 2 separate mpegs, suitable for burning to separate VideoCD's. Note that if the second mpeg (i.e. "movie_2.mpg") reaches the split point (default 700MB), then a third file "movie_3.mpg" will be started, and so on, until the encoding is finished. Question 24 - What is the "Shutdown system at encode completion" option for? On most computers, mpeg encoding is a very time consuming process. With Ver 1.4 of avi2vcd, this option allows you to start a long encoding session before you go to bed at night, or to work in the morning (for example), and avi2vcd will automatically shutdown your computer when it has finished encoding your video. PLEASE NOTE: You computer MUST be capable of being shutdown under computer software control in order for this option to function properly! Generally speaking this requires either an "ATX" type desktop computer, or any recent laptop. If using the "START->SHUTDOWN" from the start menu in Windows will power down your PC, then this option should work. If not, then your computer will only logoff and put itself into a state where it is ready to have the power turned off.