Newbie -creating vcd or dvd

[migaluchi]

hi folks...obviously i dont have a clue here...so pls be patient.

for an example...i want to go to archive.org and download the 'Captain America' cliffhanger serial.

1. this happens not to fit on (1) DVD...and i have a bunch of CD-Rs. but i can and will buy dvds if i have to.
2. i picked up a sony dvd player and it does play VCDs.
3. i am looking at CH 1: this file (and most of the others like it) give this information:
MPEG4 (260MB) , Ogg video (121MB), and 512Kb MPEG4 (99MB)...size of files vary.
4. these will play on my pc and this is a big, new system....windows 7, 1 terabyte disk, 2.6GZ and a DVD burner.
5. this has 15 chapters. it may probably fit on (1) or (2) DVDs or (2) or (3) CDs.
6. i could play the entire serial in sequence....straight thru...no problems.
7. i would LIKE to be able to play either the entire 15 chapters OR start, say, at a different chapter and continue playing the entire movie....like start at chapter 5 or something.
8. i just want to know:
a. what freeware (if possible) or commerical software (at a reasonable price) can i use to do any or all of this?
b. do i need to convert the MPEG4, Ogg Video, or 512Kb MPEG4 into some format the DVD player can recognize with the menu- or even non-menu system i described above?


the amount of material is LARGE but i am undauntable (if that is a word).

here is what i found out so far...and is this a workable solution?

1. i can download from archive.com to quickplayer to get mp4 format

the next two points are quotes from another forum

"2. Convert video to MPEG-1 for VCD with TMPGEnc. TMPGEnc is low cost, only $37 to buy. Guide at http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/convert-tmpg.htm
3. Author and burn VCD with VCD Easy. A free version is available. Guide at http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/vid...n-vcd-easy.htm"

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I cannot seem to find VCD easy in a free version...so other alternatives...including nero 8 OEM bundled with my new PC is fine with me as long as i can include menu, chapter headings, etc.
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will this combination work?

if not, i can go to DVD rather than VCD.

if you suggest DVD....will the above still work? or must i go another route?

oh and i almost forgot...i can also use Moyea FLV YOUTUBE downloader…I think…because all I need to do is plug in the URL and this will output in FLV format


i realize this is a lot to answer...but i really do appreciate any and all help i can get. Individual movies dont seem all that hard....but old cliffhanger serials present a problem with between 12 to 15 chapters each.

thanks so much

migaluchi

[migaluchi]

i found dvd flick...i think this will do the menu building and chapters...instead of vcd easy...but, again, im not sure

thanks

[admin]

Honestly, I'd go the DVD route, and not mess with VCDs in 2010. So forget VCD Easy. Save the CD-R for the next time you need an audio CD, or have to give a big file to a friend.

SIDE NOTE: The free version of VCD Easy is attached to a forum post, FYI: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/show...-1-1-1715.html -- guide for using VCD Easy and creating VCDs at http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/vid...n-vcd-easy.htm

You can make VCDs if you want, but the DVD method is probably easier and better quality.

Now then, to easily create a DVD from those downloaded video from archive.org, I'd think about buying an using VSO ConvertXToDVD. Get it at https://secure.avangate.com/affiliat...so-software.fr

It's $50 payware, but worth it.

Technically, there are better methods to encode and create DVDs, but your source isn't high quality to begin with (I have that exact serial, from that source). ConvertX will work a bit nicer than DVD Flick -- you get what you pay for. ConvertX does have excellent encoding quality.

I would do 2-3 DVDs, for best quality.

Like most other all-in-one consumer software, the menu options are limited, but it should suffice for what you want to do.

You don't need or want the Moyea software -- that's for something else. It's not the right tool for this task. (Moyea encoding is awful, too. The have some Premiere import plugins that look interesting, but that's about it. Chinese company, lot of forum spam from them, too.)

ConvertX will handle the conversion to DVD-Video compliant MEPG-2 video format (with accompanying MP2 or AC3 audio). What you download isn't DVD-ready.

A private group released a special restored Captain America from a private-archive print several years ago. I saw it, and it was great -- sadly, it's not available anywhere anymore. It was better than the official VHS tapes or the archive.org copy.

[migaluchi]

hi...ok...i tried corel ulead workshop 2 and it couldnt figure out the files. so im dumping it about 10 min after i tried it.

also...i will scratch the VCD concept. thanks.

since you actually downloaded captain america...the VSO ConvertXToDVD route sounds like a champ.

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as for a general question, is mp4 = mpeg4? avs mentioned something about mpg....and i cant get a real feel for the difference...if any...except that ulead laughs at me.

so now the options are narrowing to VSO ConvertXToDVD for the format converting/encoding...

photoshop essential 8 for the authoring (altho this is about 10 times more gunpower then i need)...

and finally imgburn for the actual copying.

does this sound about right? thanks for all your patience...and...btw, how many DVD-Rs did you use for captain america?

happy presidents day....

migaluchi

[admin]

It's going to take more than 10 minutes to learn most any software.

MP4 = MPEG-4 container, generally an H.264 or XVID file, but the container does support other video formats.

A container is like a bucket.
Video formats are like liquid.
I could fill a bucket with milk, water, orange juice, etc.

The MPG container is reserved for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats.

DVD Authoring software needs MPEG-2 files.
This means the MP4 must be converted to MPEG-2 first in a converter, as listed above in posts.

Photoshop 8 doesn't author -- it makes images/photos. DVD menus need images/photos.

DVDWS2 authors the DVD-Video (the format of the data, not the round disc -- the data just goes on a disc). To author, it uses images you make in Photoshop, videos you encoded to MPEG-2 in an encoder.

To burn the DVD-Video data made in the authoring program, you use burning software.

Because people are lazy and cheap, there are programs that will do everything for you. But it does so at the cost of quality and options. For example, no custom menus. Or video that is grainy and blocky.

[migaluchi]

this stuff is finally starting to sink in ... thanks for your patients and understanding