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ENCODING
GUIDES -> Convert VCD to DVD
This is actually
very easy to do, and takes only a few steps. Because VCD
files use an MPEG-1 format very similar to the MPEG-1
allowed by DVD, most times it's a simple matter of
extracting the MPEG-1 files and using them in a DVD
authoring program.
However, please note this simple method requires
cooperation with your DVD player as the sequence headers and
GOP lengths of VCD are not as controlled as the ones in the
DVD specification. And these MPEG-1 video nuances can vary
from VCD to VCD, especially on homemade ones. This guide
will require a DVD'RW and a test to see how well your player
accepts the DVD made from VCD source. If you cannot simply
transfer the files, an re-encode of the footage may be
required.
Why convert VCD to DVD? Before DVD burners were
available or popular, most people wanted to convert DVD to
VCD, often resulting in several discs per movie. With DVD
burners on the rise, people find themselves wanting to
reduce the amount of discs they have. Easy answer: a DVD can
hold several VCDs.
This guide may not support CVD,
SVCD or XVCD. Feel free to try anyway.
File
extraction methods
Extracting the
files is easy, given that you have the right software.
Extract with ISO Buster. Since ISO Buster is
freeware, the is my software of choice. You can download it here.
- Insert your VCD, open the program, and select the CD/DVD
drive where the disc is.
- Locate the folder system with the red ISO logo.
- Change to the MPEGAV folder under it.
- Select the DAT file you want to convert. A VCD houses the
MPEG video/audio files in .DAT format in the MPEGAV folder.
Different VCD creation software uses different file names
for the MPEG-1 VCD video files. In the example, MUSICXX.DAT
is the naming structure.
- Right-click on the .DAT file that holds the MPEG video and
select "Extract But Filter Only M2F2 MPEG Frames".
- Select a new filename and location on your hard drive to
store the file. Be sure to give it a VIDEO.MPG name, with
.MPG being the extension, not .DAT as the extension.
Note: You may have several MPEG videos on the same disc.
Extract them one by one. The disc shown in the example has 5
.DAT files, the first one is the VCD intro, the second one
is the menu, and the last three are the actual VCD video
files I want to get. Note the file sizes. This normally
helps you determine which files are the ones you want.
Continue doing this until you have all the video files.
The disc in the example also has a weak form of
homemade anti-copy, shown by the blank tracks 02-06. This is
why CD-based copy protection is futile, as software like
CloneCD and ISO Buster merely ignore it.
Do not skip ISO Buster and merely copy and rename the DAT
files! While simply copying the .DAT files to your hard
drive and renaming to .MPG may sometimes work, this is not
the proper method. The .DAT file contains more data than
simple MPEG information, and the reason ISO Buster is needed
to filter it out. Drawbacks of doing this include distorted
video and uncooperative DVD authoring.
Author
a new DVD
This authoring
guide is very basic, and uses TMPGEnc DVD Author. Full
authoring guides can be found under the AUTHOR & BURN
section of this site.
1. Open TMPGEnc DVD Author and Create A New Project.
Notice the FIVE tabs at the top of the page, START, SOURCE,
MENU, OUTPUT, OPTIONS. Go to the SOURCE tab and add a file
to the first track.
Click on ADD FILLE and select the video file. A new
window will pop up.
Note: If you receive a warning
about non-compliant video (GOP errors, incorrect GOP length,
invalid header, etc.) tell TMPGEnc DVD Author to ignore this
and process the file anyway. This is expected from some VCD
files.
This is where you can read the information about the VIDEO
and AUDIO contained in the file. As shown here, the video is
true MPEG-1 352x480 29.97 NTSC 1150k. The audio is 44.1hz,
which is NOT supported by DVD, but as shown by the last
option, the audio will be RE-ENCODED to 48hz as needed.
Chapters. If you want to add chapter, click on the
CHAPTER/CUT/EDIT button:
Drag the slider and click ADD CURRENT FRAME where you want
chapters. Little tick marks will appear on the timeline
where the chapter are, and a thumbnail will be shown in the
far right window. This page also allows you to cut out
unwanted footage.
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This
is the time to test your DVD from VCD on a DVD-RW
disc! Go to MENU and select any menu, the
quickly go to OUTPUT and let it make a DVD folder on
your hard drive. If you have Windows XP, and are
using the newest version of TMPGEnc DVD Author, go
ahead and use the built-in burning utility. Otherwise,
burn in your normal DVD-Video burning program. See the
AUTHOR & BURN section of this site for BURNING
guides. If it works, go back to TMPGEnc DVD Author and
keep working. If it fails, you will need to re-encode
the VCD files to a true DVD-approved video/audio
format. |
Add all
video to project. Continue adding the MPEG-1 video files
as needed, repeating this method. I prefer to make a new
track for every episode of VCD. Under the DISPLAY MENU
SETTINGS, I also prefer to select "ONLY MAIN MENU"
as that will only show the opening menu and the track menus,
not chapters.
Make menus and burn. This is all covered in the
authoring and burning guides on this site. The easiest thing
to do is select a menu template and customize it with your
own graphics. Burn with either TMPGEnc DVD Author (if using
Windows XP) or your favorite DVD-Video burning software.
Page Last Updated: May 9th 2005
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