Ok... I just waisted several hours trying to make a S-VCD and it did not work. I couldn't get one burnt. I have I-Author and I tried to make some .avis into mpeg2 files using DVMPEG, I resized the video to 480 x 480, encoded using mpeg2 at 480 x 480 interlaced at a constant bitrate of 2276 for video and 224 for audio (2500 total)... DVmpeg does not have variable bit rate as far as I can see.

After a long period I had a 5 minute clip encoded but I couldn't check it as I do not have a hardware mpeg2 card and I know of know software mpeg2 player (I have a PII 333 with 128 meg ram)

I then went into I-author, selected S-VCD project and tried to make a simple S-VCD with no menus, just the one 5 minute mpeg2 file. It looked like it was working well but then when I tried to create the disc image, I-Author stoped and said that my video track one (which was the 5 minute mpeg2 I just made with DVmpeg) was not a correct video track and the operation failed.

I am lost at this point. Any help is appreciated. What software can I get that is like panasonic mpeg encoder, but for mpeg2 S-VIDEOCD compliant file creation?

Helllp. I really want to see if I can actually get a S-VCD disc to work. I found a player (Apex) that will play my cd-r regular video cds, so I assume if I can burn a correct SVCD disc it may play it but I can't seem to do it.

- Michael

-- Blackout (blackout@blackout.com), February 26, 2000

Answers

hey mike i did something similar to you (check the "real naswers to supervcd post). I didnt resixe a dman thing and it worked fine, however the adpatec still will not accpet the .cif file it creates so i used the dvmpeg and when i remuxed whatever i named it friday.cif this will let the adaptec select it but since the crappy adaptec doesnt like higher vcd bitrates... Hey do you know off hand how much space on a cdr super vcd will take? I was wondering if it uses the same amount of time as if you were to encode it as a simply high rate vcd (2500), becasue as i have said a few times by now, if thats the case, i see no reason for super vcd and i will just use my higher vcd bitrate method

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), February 26, 2000.

Bitrate is not the only parameter to make better videos. I believe S- VCD has a big resolution benefit, 480x480, vs VCD standard, 352x240. So resolution wise, there is a big benefit to S-VCD. The thing that gets me is the high price of the S-VCD mastering software. Why spend $900+ on the I-Author (is that not the price?) when you can buy a DVD mastering solution from Sonic for $500.. and I think that comes with an AVI to MPEG2 encoder. The big question that I'm still looking for, is whether the DVD standard allows for different resolutions and bitrates. For example, if DVD allows 480x480 at lower bit rates, then it is a functionally equivalent packaging method to S-VCD, but it will work with all DVD players that can read CD-Rs.

-- Bill Katz (WTKatz@yahoo.com), February 26, 2000.

Well the whole supposed benefit of using S-VCD is that there is NO way currently to play an mpeg2 video file on a stand alone DVD player. A higher bit rate video-cd does look a little better but it is still non interlaced and lacking resolution. If someone could get a Super-VideoCD to work, we would be able to archive a digital video and play it back on a DVD player that support s-vcd and you would finally see a higher resolution interlaced image that would supposedly be close to the original in quality.. and it would be digital and on a disc.

In response to how much time you can get, well, at 2500 bit rate you should get a little over a half an hour.

I still can't figure it out though.. I got the demo for LSX encoder, but when I open my 720 x 480 avi, it will not let me resize it to the 480 x 480 you need for S-VideoCD. I even have the template that sets ligos at the proper S-videoCD settings which are as follows:

480 x 480 resolution (NTSC) 29.97 frames per second INTERLACED Variable bit rate encoding with 2320 max bitrate, and 2200 average bitrate. Audio is at 224 bitrate.

The problem... my master avis are 720 x 480... and LSX won't let me resize themn. My avis were from DV camera footage taken directly into the computer. I have made some good looking higher bit rate VCDs but I have yet to get a real interlaced video image onto a CD-R and that is my quest.. S-VCD supposedly can do it but it seems no one in the world has made one.

Keep experimenting and if anyone finds a solution please post it.

-- Blackout (blackout@blackout.com), February 26, 2000.

Every time I have tried to create the .cif image file with I-author I get this error:

ERROR 10002: File: nameofmympeg2.mps is not a track format.

And I am dead in the water...

-- Blackout (blackout@blackout.com), February 26, 2000.

hey bill

the i=author program is floating around on the web for evalution purposes only :) I would never spend that much omn a prgram either espcially for anything to do with vcds (no offense but if im spending that much im going to use it for dvds)

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), February 26, 2000.

Seems people have had huge probs with SVCD making. Anyways as far as converting an avi to SVCD compatible streams you need the following software (and no, dont ask me where to get it):

1. Ligos MPEG Encoder 3.0 2. SVCD profiles for Ligos MPEG Encoder 3.0 3. Enreach I-Author Delux (duh) 4. EZ CD Creator 4.01 (for burning the cif image made by I-Author) 5. Virtual Dub 6. QDesigns I-Media

Using Virtual Dub, save the audio portion of the AVI to WAV file. Use virtual Dub to resize the video portion to 480X480 (NTSC users only). Use QDesigns I-Media to convert the WAV to mp2 (at 224kbps) audio. Use Ligos LSX 3.0 (with the SVCD Profiles installed) to convert the video-only AVI to mpeg2 video at SVCD bitrate.

Once that is done, use I-author's multiplexer tool to multiplex (combine) the mp2 audio stream and mpeg2 video stream. Once that is done, do the structure of the SVCD how you want (adding titles, pictures, etc), then in I-Author, create the CIF image. Once that is done, use EZ CD Creator Delux 4.01 to burn the CIF image to CD.

Any questions?

-- MrVCD (mrvcd@juno.com), February 26, 2000.

ez cd 3.5 also accepts *.cif files. would this version also work to burn a svcd?

-- ndumu (ndumu@hotmail.com), February 26, 2000.

I tried the Standard 3.5c version. Not the Deluxe version of 3.5c. This did not work for me.

I used I-Author Deluxe using one bitmap for my menu and one 1 minute video muxed with I-Author software. No problems with this although if I double-click the video within I-Author, it returns an error with MMSYSTEM32. What happened there? It created a cif file which I then fed into EZCD 3.5c standard. It claims to burn correctly with not problems. I selected to 2x burn on first tab of "Create cd from disk image, "Disk At Once" from the second tab. After it completes, Explorer shows no files on the CD. Doing a CD info within EZCD, it shows two tracks. When I try this in my Pioneer 525, it thinks it is "CD" and will not play correctly. If I hit play, it plays nothing for 5 seconds and stops.

Anyone have a solution to this? Do we need the deluxe version of 3.5c or the 4.0 version?

-- kg (kevg99@hotmail.com), April 17, 2000.