How to convert DVD to MPEG for my MVP?

[jhughesjr]

Ok so after getting ffmpeg from their cvs repository and installing mingw and msys I was able to build ffmpeg and when I try and run it to convert a vob file, I'm getting an audio codec error. Any idea what I need to install/download/build to be able to do this conversion? Output follows:


C:\projects\ffmpeg>ffmpeg -i C:\movie\little_einsteins_notsplit\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB -vcodec copy -ac 2 -acodec mp2 -ab 320 c:\movie\dvdtmp
\little_einsteins_ffmpeg.mpg

FFmpeg version CVS, Copyright (c) 2000-2004 Fabrice Bellard
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack
libavutil version: 49.0.0
libavcodec version: 51.8.0
libavformat version: 50.4.0
built on Mar 26 2006 09:26:33, gcc: 3.4.2 (mingw-special)
Input #0, mpeg, from 'C:\movie\little_einsteins_notsplit\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB':
Duration: N/A, start: 0.280633, bitrate: N/A
Stream #0.0[0x1e0], 29.97 fps(r): Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 720x480, 9800 kb/s
Stream #0.1[0x80]: Audio: 0x0000, 48000 Hz, 5 channels, 448 kb/s
Output #0, mpeg, to 'c:\movie\dvdtmp\little_einsteins_ffmpeg.mpg':
Stream #0.0, 29.97 fps(c): Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 720x480, q=2-31, 9800 kb/s
Stream #0.1: Audio: mp2, 48000 Hz, stereo, 320 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0.0 -> #0.0
Stream #0.1 -> #0.1
Unsupported codec (id=86020) for input stream #0.1

[Para]

Originally Posted by jhughesjr

C:\projects\ffmpeg>ffmpeg -i C:\movie\little_einsteins_notsplit\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB -vcodec copy -ac 2 -acodec mp2 -ab 320 c:\movie\dvdtmp
\little_einsteins_ffmpeg.mpg

I don't pretend to understand very much of this but I have been playing around with FFMPEG and trying to transcode VOB files to my MVP. Just looking at the line above, it looks like the number of audio channels is shown before the audio codec. I don't know if it matters or not, but I would at least try it with the following format:

C:\projects\ffmpeg>ffmpeg -i C:\movie\little_einsteins_notsplit\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB -vcodec copy -acodec mp2 -ab 320 -ac 2 c:\movie\dvdtmp
\little_einsteins_ffmpeg.mpg

I have not seen the "copy" command before.

I have only had luck in transcoding 5ch ac3 audio to play back through the MVP on 2 channels (WITHOUT VIDEO). Pause, ff, rw, all cause the sound to be lost and a never ending stutter to begin.

Let me know if this works.

[jhughesjr]

I still get the same error.
Anyone else having any luck using ffmpeg?

[jettman]

Someone in this thread posted that Womble was simple for converting DVD's to an MPEG.
I am testing out Womble's MPEG Video Wizard DVD and can't figure out how to do it.
Anyone know how to do this?

[PGPfan]

There are a lot of different software packages that will convert the files into a format that the MVP will play, not just Womble.

I think the main attraction (in this thread, at least) is to get Sage to do the transcoding 'on-the-fly' rather than depending on external software to do it. I suspect most of us on this forum would rather have DVD transcode capabilities for the MVP rather than something like 'Placeshifting'. I just hope the Sage guys can get this feature completed soon. They have commented that is coming.

-PGPfan

[jettman]

I realize it would be nice for Sage to support playing DVD's via MVP natively, but for the time being, can someone tell me how to convert a DVD into a MPEG file using Womble or TMPGenc?

[MrD]

Parameter ordering should not matter

I do remember getting this error too. However, unfortunately, I do not remember what I did for the solution. Some things to try are changing the bitrate, sampling rate, or audio output codec.

-MrD

[phenixdragon]

If you want MPEG here is a simple way to do it and it works flawlessy for me so far. You first need to rip your DVD (main movie file) to a single VOB.

I then use VideoReDo and allow it to do it's magic. It does allow you to downgrade the audio from AC3 which should work in the MVP. Since I do not use the MVP I keep it as AC3 and it works great.

Some DVDs will come up with saying it can't read it or to do the quickfix (this is all in VideoReDo) in which you just do the quickfix from one of the menus and it works.

Easy as pie my man.

[Para]

Originally Posted by MrD

Parameter ordering should not matter
-MrD

Yeah..I tried it out both ways and it worked just fine.

jhughesjr,
The command line you listed worked fine (with different file names etc.) when using the SageTVtranscoder file (their mix of FFMPEG). I am thinking that your build may be missing something? Why not try using the SageTVtranscoder file (it responds to the same command lines as FFMPEG) to make the conversion for you?

Or maybe, try out the transcoder portion with your MVP now (assuming you have the server power).

[jhughesjr]

Originally Posted by Para

Why not try using the SageTVtranscoder file (it responds to the same command lines as FFMPEG) to make the conversion for you?

Oh cool! I'll give ita shot, do you know where I can get the transcoder file?

Or maybe, try out the transcoder portion with your MVP now (assuming you have the server power).

I'm using an old machine for my sage server, so probably not, do you have an idea of what type of server power I'd be needing? The machine is an old PIII 850 with a gig of ram.

[Para]

jhughesjr,

The transcoder "SageTVTranscoder.exe" is part of the newer beta installations and is located in the SageTV directory where your property files are located. The build that came with SageTV Version 4.1.10 (or higher) should do the file conversions you are wanting to do from the command line. I believe that prior to that version (in versions supporting the initial transcoding of DIVx to the MVP) they still named the file FFMPEG.exe.

If you are wanting to transcode your VOB files to your MVP (on the fly) you will need 4.1.11 or higher. Just a note about 4.1.12: it had some enhancements to placeshifter that broke some of the MVP transcoding features. Even though I think the problem was not in the transcoder itself, if transcoding VOBs on the fly is important to you, then I would stick with 4.1.11 until they release 4.1.13 (which has the VOB sound problem fixed - or at least the one I was experiancing).

Talking about server "horsepower": I use a P4 3.0Ghz machine (see my sig) and can transcode to my MVP with no impact to the client running on the server. I don't know how much less of a processor you can get away with though. My gut feel is that a PIII 850 may be a stretch for transcoding on the fly

[jhughesjr]

Cool,
Thx for the great info.
I'll check it out.