Guide to create DVD from multiple SVCDs
 

Reason:Lately I bought DVD burner. Because I found some not burned SVCD files on my HD, and I decided to burn them on one DVD. They were in proper DVD resolutions (704xPAL/NTSC) so I don't had to recode them. Some of them have MP2 audio in 44.1kHz and some in 48kHz.

After some search in Internet and help form my friend Rui, I've managed to produce first DVD with multiple VOBs. My goal was to do such thing with freely available tools, as easy as possible, and without joining them to one big VOB (or couple of 0,99 GB VOBs). Sometimes NTSC and PAL videos muxed in one file are not play properly by standalone, same as AC3 audio in one movie and MP2 in second. Not to mention screw of audio delay, subtitle re just, etc....

One more thing that I must find, is how to create menu for this type of DVD (without mux of course), cause tools I know (DVDLab $, DVDStyle) are muxing movies to one VOB (Nx0,99GB). Any tips appreciated

Tools:
ReJig by Nic
Subtitle Creator (still buggy but god enought)
pcgEdit or IFOedit (if you know how to use it ;) )
Some demux tool: TMPEG or ReJig or other you know.

I will explain this step by step, cause I'm scientist, not man of letters ;)

1.Demux SVCD to .m2v and .mp2

2. Some hacks.
If your resolution isn't DVD compliant you can try use ReStream to hack it. This will work occasionally, because not all standalones can be fooled this way.
Open m2v file with ReStream (a), type proper resolution [704 or 720 for fullD1, or 352 for halfD1] (b), save to new m2v file (c). You can also set aspect ratio (d) or average bit rate flag (e), and frame rate (f) [for NTSC you need 29.97 for DVD] but beware, this is not the same as Pulldown flag.
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3. Audio adjust.
If your audio is in 44.1kHz you need to recode it do 48kHz. I suggest to use BeSweet, ffmpeg (with gui for audio encoding) or some other tool. You can find some tips in this forum. If your audio is in 128kbps or lower (sic!) recode it to at least 160kbps (I suggest 192) to not disturb it more. Of course this values are for stereo track. At this bitrate MP2 and AC3 should have similar quality, so you choose. You can also try some 2ch->6ch tools to create 6ch AC3 file. Some guides you can find at doom9.org forum.

4.Now for subtitles.
You need at least srt file. I don't know any way to demux subs from SVCD. If you don't have .srt files, you can download them from net (this is legal AFAIK, if not I will edit this).
Run SubtitleCreator.
Open srt file (a).
Save sup file (b).
Start (c).
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You can edit some colors or fonts (buggy) (d) and also see results (e).

5.Authoring.
Run ReJig.
Run DVD Author part (a)
Ad video (b), audio (c), subtitle (d), select languages (e), Save authored (f). For saving use empty folder. Rejig create VIDEO_TS+AUDIO_TS and all IFOs and BUPs.
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For another move do the same as above. Rejig will add next IFO, BUP and VOB and edit VIDEO_TS.IFO, so you will obtain two track DVD.
And so one and so one...

6.Editing subtitles attributes.
Because when muxed Rejig is changing default colors of subtitles, we need to set them back. Also if you want to force subtitles to be displayed at start of DVD by default, you need to use pcgEdit (or IFOedit - much complicated)
Run pcgEdit

Open VIDEO_TS folder (a). Information about loaded IFOs is displayed.
Double click on VTST 1,1 TTN 1 (b)
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Edit colors (c). I change only first line to this. I don't know what rest is for (tips :?:). Ok.
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If you have more than one track or subtitle, press button "copy all". For next subtitles you will press "paste all" to paste color sequence.

Right click on ************ pre commands: , and select Add after (d).
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New NOP command will appear. Double click on it.

In hex editor window (e) type "51 00 00 00 Cx 00 00 00" and press enter. "x" is number of your subtitle. If you have only one just type 0 (or 1 , both worked for me). Ok.
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File , Save IFOs as, and select the same VIDEO_TS folder as for Open.

Voila :drunkard:

As time will allow I will make this more clearly, and try to find out how to create menus.

Note. Some sources suggest that ReJig isn't good for PAL sources, but I hadn't problems with it. They suggest IFOedit for PAL authoring , but it doesn't ad new files and edit video_ts.ifo, it just overwrites.

Images by ImageShack
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Thanks Hydeus this is a great guide and im sure people with lots of SVCD's find this guide to be very valuable. :)

If I can add two cents : dvdlabpro (free for 30 days) accept directly SVCD resolution and srt subtitle files. You just have to process the audio (that can be done directly into DVDLabPro either).

A lot faster and easier... during 30 days. After this you have to pay or use the Hydeus method :-)

Yes but dvdlabpro also create one big (couple 0,99GB) VOB file, what I wanted to avoid, and ...

... exactly :)

1/ you can avoid this if you create a VTS for each SVCD
2/ I don't see how your method can do differently. IfoEdit also does one single (big) vob. Did I read too fast the guide ?

8) wonderful guide Hydeus! :D cool details in everywhere.
bookmarked , will be used as reference!

Yes, that's why I don't use IFOedit , but ReJig.

First: Nice guide Hydeus! :)

Second: My opinion on that final "release" of DVDlab: A Joke (sorry to say that) ... because MAIN-BASIC Problems have not been solved like a user friendly MULTIPLE VTS generating option which is OBLIGATORY in DVD generating like done in Meastro, TmpgEncDVDAuthor etc. Shure - we use it for "simple" final Backups, but if you want to reextract those titles :arrow: merry christmas. They added lovely-marketing-user-fascinating Addons like Vector Menue Elements or what kind ever BUT did not focus on a real professional working core. *** No flaming! Im just disappointed ***

Third: We also should keep in mind that even IF the header of a 480x576(480) is patched in its Size- Flags to fake a DVD compilancy, many SAPs still do recognise the Real Size of the stream itself and do not play it back properly OR those ones DO NOT recognise the real 480 width content which causes a wrong AR on the TVset.
So that SAP-Related issue has everybody to figure out of his own :wink:

:) Inc

:bowdown:
What are you talking about ???
They removed in the final release the "add new VTS" button that existed in all the 16 betas ? I have a 2 VTS DVD this is currently beeing authored on my PC while I'm typing this post :-) (I'm using Beta16).

That is the case of my pioneer.

thanks for the guide Hydeus, is very beautiful!
:)
i came from another thread when i saw your signature! :wink: