What other ways to use a PTE-generated .AVI?

[Truelight]

I'm pleased to see the new version of PTE has a way to output an .AVI file, but am hoping I might be able to find other ways to generate a disc playable in a DVD player without having to purchase another program - Ulead DVD Movie Factory.

Does anyone have any alternate methods? For instance, Nero will create an SVCD disc from an .MPG file, but not an .AVI and the one program I tested for converting .AVI to .MPG didn't like the PTE-generated .AVI What else might be possible?

-- Thanks...

[Igor]

I also would be very glad to find more number of such programs to recommend them.

I heard that TMPGenc plus can prepare DVD-Video files, which can be written using Nero. http://www.pegasys-inc.com/e_main.html

Probably Sonic MyDVD (as wrote me another user).

p.s. even Nero 6 doesn't create DVD-Video disc. I have Pinnacle PCTV Deluxe TV tuner which captures in MPEG2 format and Nero discards my .mpg files and asks to buy special license just to burn DVD disc with already prepared MPEG2 files.

[Danabw]

My computer is down right now (finishing up remodel) but I use Pinnacle's Studio 8 (movie making SW that can also make slideshows) and Pinnacle's Expression (movie and slideshow SW) to make DVDs from AVIs. I haven't been able to try them w/the PTE output yet, unfortunately.

Dana

[LES]

I have been able to successfully bring a PTE generated avi file into Sonic MyDVD, Sony's ScreenBlast Movie Studio and also Pinnacle's Studio 8. I haven't burned any DVDs yet but I don't foresee any problems.

Les

[slau]

I have used Nero6 to successfully create VCD/SVCD from a .AVI source file, although I don't like the quality of the mpeg2 decoder Nero used. The encoding process to either MPEG1 or MPEG2 is very fast compared to TMPGENc. For better qulaity, I am still using TMPGEnc Plus to encode the .AVI file to MPEG file first and then use Nero only to burn the VCD/SVCD disk. The VCD or SVCD plays well on my 'old' Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.

Also, I have successfully created VCD/SVCD from the PTE created AVI, Using TMPGENc for encoding and Nero6 for burning. No problem to play on my Pioneer. I just have to figure out how to improve the quality of the VCD/SVCD (i.e. maximize the slide area with minimal backgorund).

[Michel]

There is no problem with these two good converters: Ulead and TEMGencplus.

Ulead is the easiest of use and the quality of the ouput is here.

For TMPGenc plus, you don't worry: please, use only the wizzard, choose VCD, SVCD, or DVD...and click on next...: the quality is here also.

These two software are the best actually. I used certains other software with problems, but I think that they or are not badly optimized for the quality's encoding. The output AVI of PTE give an exceptional quality with his codec.

Don't forget that you can choice your codec audio and video in the first option.

[Truelight]

Just for the record, the new beta-2 version creates a --much-- more compatible .AVI file. I was able to successfully convert a PTE-generated .AVI to the .MPG format using this product --

AVI-MPEG Converter

Now to find a freeware way to get the .MPG file to an SVCD disc!

[slau]

Just for the record, the new beta-2 version creates a --much-- more compatible .AVI file. I was able to successfully convert a PTE-generated .AVI to the .MPG format using this product --

AVI-MPEG Converter

Now to find a freeware way to get the .MPG file to an SVCD disc!

Hi Truelight,

Have you compared the quality of the MPEG 1/2 created with the AVI-MPEG Converter and TMPEGenc Plus? I have tried quite a few software conversion programs and none of them give me the MPEG video quality as good as the TMPGEnc. The last program I tried was the Nero6. The speed of the Nero6 rendering is very good but the quality of the VCD/SVCD is horrible. There must be some good MPEG encoder out there now at a reasonable price. Anyone?

[quietstorm]

Now to find a freeware way to get the .MPG file to an SVCD disc!

Rick and others...

Here is two links:

DVD2AVI (Freeware)

An easy to use software to converts MPEG-2 streams to AVI - includes the VFAPI plug-in

http://www.divx-digest.com/software/dvd2avi.html

FlasKMPEG (Freeware)

A very good MPEG2 decoder tool for converting mpg/mpg2/dvd to avi/vcd/svcd.

http://www.flaskmpeg.net/

Hope this helps

Bart

[Michel]

TEMPGenc plus is very good for VCD and SVCD. But for DVD, there is a problem because of the ouput format; m2v or m2p + wav !

How to convert into MPEG 2 ? With a plugin ? (TMPG DVD author is not very good and easy)

We made here several tests yesterday more complete and precise and and I must say that for the moment it's to better use ULEAD, a little slower, but more universal, and allowing the making of very nice menus. Moreover it's less difficult of use. But it's normal, in moment of tests, which one look at for the best software. I think nevertheless that it's necessary to hear IGOR for that: the best currently is to use Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2, for optimal results and everyone can use it easily !

[Michel]

We made more than thirty tests of reading in SVCD with all my slide shows with different photographs, and tryed 4 software: Ulead, TMPGenc plus, AVI to VCD (Cucusoft), AVI to VCD-SVCD-DVD converter....

I think now personally that there is very few good software and that the most complete solution, easy to use for all, is Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2. The quality of output is also very, very good (several tests with many very sharp pictures and surface aspects ).

But I must also say that I didon't make a test with DVD, because I don't have yet a DVD writer.

I speak only for SVCD.

[Tripstrilles]

@Michel

I have created an avi-file from an existing show. Afer this I have maken a s-vcd with Ulead Movie Factory trial version.

My dvd-player plays no s-vcds so I have tried it on pc with power-dvd player. It has start but it shows only a black screen.

The playing time runs normal, but there was no image to see on screen.

???????????????

T.

[Michel]

Only WinDVD can read SVCD (on a PC) !

Try with it...

[Ed Overstreet]

I succeeded in created a video CD from a PTE .avi file using Roxio Easy CD Creator Platinum version 5; I had to generate an MPEG using that software's VideoImpressions feature. I was able to get the show to play back on my DVD player with my television, but the result was truly awful. The resolution was terrible, some of the early images came on-screen initially partially de-saturated, some images "popped" in places, the sound also "popped" occasionally, and the transitions were very ragged. Not something I'd be proud to show anyone. I did this with beta 1 of 4.20, haven't tried it with beta 2 yet. I am downloading the trial version of ULead to see what the difference is on my playback systems and will keep you posted on it.

Don't waste your time trying to get a video CD out of version 5 of the Roxio software, at least not from the beta 1 version of PTE; the result isn't worth the bother. (Test show was two minutes long; PTE converted to avi in about 16 seconds, the Roxio software took nearly 19 minutes to produce the MPEG. Painful. (500 MHz PIII with 384 MB RAM, using a four-year-old 1x Sony CD-RW, it probably would have been faster on a newer computer system but I doubt the quality would have been any better with Roxio version 5 on another system)

[Michel]

Sorry, no doubt for me, it's because of your software and to in no case AVI PTE.

Please, once again also try with ULEAD (or TMPGenc).... Don't create a VCD, but a SVCD...if your player acccept it !

And post your result here, if you want !

[Ed Overstreet]

Michel I agree it's not PTE that's the problem, it's Roxio -- or at least version 5, it only creates video CDs not svcd, when I search the help menu (and the hard copy of the manual) in version 5 of the Roxio software, the letters "svcd" don't appear. So I guess that means if I want to do this in svcd I have to get ULead or something else. Certainly I've verified that while a video CD produced in Roxio will play on my DVD player, the result isn't worth the bother.

Will let you all know what happens with the ULead trial version. I'm not using state-of-the-art DVD or TV technology either, but neither do most of my intended audiences, so it's important to know what works or doesn't work with people who aren't into the latest digital gadgets.

[Ken Cox]

well now

not wanting to start a pissin match

but

how was i able to create shows with beta 1 using plantinum roxio 6

i have tried to document every move i have made and posted the success's since the avi feature came out last friday

better follow all the threads before you guys start making rash statements -- people are having a hard enough time making vcd's without statements that were just posted

ken

[ronwil]

My experience is the same as Ken's. I have created two satisfactory SVCD's on CD-Rs using Easy CD Creator Platinum 6 thanks to advice received from Michel over last weekend . It is wrong to rubbish Roxio in the way which has been expressed. Easy CD Creator 5 was around in 2001 - at what stage was PTE then.

My quandary is what extra benefit would I get by investing in ULead.

Ron [uK]

[Ed Overstreet]

Very possibly version 5 of Roxio isn't able to produce as good results as version 6 of Roxio; I wouldn't know, as I haven't upgraded to that version. From the postings by Ken and Ron I gather that version 6 does svcd, but version 5 doesn't seem to, I can't find that option anywhere in it. So I stand corrected about version 6. Probably the important variable is svcd not Roxio per se. Whatever it is, I stand by what I said about Roxio's version 5 -- it's not worth the bother trying to do a vcd from an avi file using that particular version of the software. Maybe upgrading to version 6 of Roxio is worth it (check the cost though), but I think I'll try ULead since that's what Igor is recommending.

[Ken Cox]

I said my software created and burned a VCD successfully that play in my 3 dvd players. I was able to create a svcd and burn it but i got an error message to check disc when i tried to play it - upon checking the manual's [that's a first ] no where is svcd mentioned, so i spent my efforts in figuring out the becoming familiar with the Roxio 6.

My one Koss player was not able to get to the "B" [track 2] movie button, but the 2 Toshiba's were able. As the grandkids will be be more apt to be using the Koss setup, i have made all shows since with just the one button "A" movie[track 1].

Another thing i have found was that text generated with the object editor in one show sometimes jiggles when played in my newest Toshiba -- same is steady in the other 2 systems.

Working with the Audio Video store personel, i tried better quality video cables to no avail. On their recommendation, i connected up a super VHS cable from the DVD player to the 32" JVC TV and the jiggle went away amd the sharpness of the picture increased dramatically.

No further testing of hardware is planned till i regroup

ken

[Ed Overstreet]

Interesting point about the video cable. I'll remember that if I can't get better results on my playback equipment with a ULead-generated svcd. Has anyone else noticed a difference with a better video cable? Who knows it might even improve the playback of DVD movies, though those look and sound pretty good over the cable I now have. Maybe they'd be even better with a better cable ...

[Ken Cox]

On that particular set up the TV does not have the rgb jacks -- that might also have solved the jiggle

the show does not jiggle on the set up in my computer room -- tv here does have rgb jacks and have tried both cable configurations - - standard video and rgb with no noticeble difference - my workshop setup is a 13" monitor style 17 yr old tv and things are sharp on it

-the tv shop mentioned that there might be some jiggle but not enough to be noticeable on every setup -- my tests at their store on the 56" set was hooked up with the svhs cable

these are all things that are going to affect final viewing -- we hear all the time " it looks fine on my puter but on uncle bill's it is the pits -- what did i do wrong"

variables are the problem and sadly no 2 systems are alike

ken

[fgnoel]

I cannot get either Ulead Movie Factory 2 or Sonic MyDVD to recognize a PTE generated AVI. If I use the "custom" button and use another codec, ie Indeo then Ulead will recognize the resulting avi. But of course it takes much much longer to create the avi than with pte. Anyone know why I am having this problem.

Franki

[kway007]

I cannot get either Ulead Movie Factory 2 or Sonic MyDVD to recognize a PTE generated AVI. If I use the "custom" button and use another codec, ie Indeo then Ulead will recognize the resulting avi. But of course it takes much much longer to create the avi than with pte. Anyone know why I am having this problem.

Franki

I can't get Sonic MyDVD to recognize a PTE AVI either. WHen I select it to add to my project, it freezes and doesn't do anything after that. Has anyone had success with MyDVD yet??

[slau]

If you miss my post regarding NeoDVD, you should know that the NeoDVD is another option and a very straight forward one. It may be the program for people who does not care or want to know the video side of technology used to creat a VCD/SVCD/DVD. The interface of the program is kind of sucky though.

I have beening editing movies and making VCD/SVCD for at least 5-6 years, with the TMPGEnc/Nero combination. Over the years I have also tried other software/hardware options to create VCD/SVCD. The best option for ME is to use Ulead MSP to edit and create the AVI, encode to MEG with TMPGEnc and then finally burn to VCD/SVCD with Nero. I have experienced in capturing video in either analogy and mini DV format. Life is a lot eaiser now with the power of new computer, DV format and Firewire technology. What I am trying to say is: unless you REALLY want to explore the video side of the technology, don't bother as video is a complicated area that requires a lot more than most would like to offer. Also, the qulaity of the final product, which not too many users seem to talk about in this forum, can be very widely different depends on the intermediate process.

With the PTE .Avi, I can go directly to burn VCD/SVCD/DVD in one step. The encoding process of the avi file is almost transparent to users. Quality is very decent in DVD and definitely a lot better than my SVCD. Now, with the (low) price of the DVD Writer and DVD Disk, I don't know why anoyone wants to bother with VCS/SVCD? VCD/SVCD serves their purposes when DVD writer/Disk is too expensive and not too many DVD players are compatible with home made DVD disks. But, I think we are at the stage now that if anyone wants to try this 'new' technology, he/she may consider go directly to DVD. That will be my recommendation for any new user wanting to make disk that can play on thier relatively new DVD player.

BTW, I noticed that there is a new codec "PTE codec" in my system. I have tried to use the PTE Codec to create a .AVi file with Ulead MSP but none of my programs can play that .avi file. Have anyone been able to use the PTE codec for anything?