avi2vcd Frequently Asked Questions - Version 1.4.2
PLEASE NOTE:
    MOST PROBLEMS WITH AVI2VCD CAN BE FIXED BY INSTALLING THE LATEST
    VERSION OF DIRECTX (8.1 AS OF THIS WRITING) AND THE LATEST VERSION
    OF THE CODEC YOUR AVI USES AND THE LATEST VERSION OF THE DRIVERS
    FOR YOUR VIDEO CAPTURE CARD (IF ANY).
    YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PLAY THE AVI YOU WISH TO ENCODE WITH MEDIAPLAYER! IF
    MEDIAPLAYER CAN"T PLAY THE FILE, THEN AVI2VCD WON"T BE ABLE TO ENCODE IT!
    Even if Mediaplayer can play it, there is a chance avi2vcd won't be able
    to encode it.
Contents:
     Question 0 - Where can I find, or do you have freeware software that converts
                  .mpg to avi?
     Question 1 - What is avi2vcd?
     Question 2 - OK, I have encoded my files, how do I get a VideoCD out of it?
     Question 3 - I made a VideoCD, but my DVD player cannot play it.
     Question 4 - I get a "FATAL ERROR: Could not retrieve video frame xxxx" error".
     Question 5 - The encoder will not encode the avi I have.
     Question 6 - What's a codec?
     Question 7 - Where do I get a codec?
     Question 8 - Why is avi2vcd so slow?
     Question 9 - How do I encode a video with compressed audio?
     Question 10 - My audio/video "lipsync" is bad after encoding to mpeg.
     Question 11 - When I encode a video of 10 frames per second, the mpeg player I
                   use claims the frame rate of the resulting mpeg is 23.976FPS, but
                   the video still looks jerky?
     Question 12 - When I encode a video the resulting mpeg is larger than the
                   source?
     Question 13 - The mpeg avi2vcd generated is larger than will fit on a CD, how
                   do I split it?
     Question 14 - When I encode an avi file that uses the Cinepak (or other) codec,
                   the resulting mpeg is very "blocky".
     Question 15 - When I encode a screen capture sequence, or a computer generated
                   animation, the resulting mpeg is not very clear.
     Question 16 - When I play back the resulting mpeg, the video occasionally
                   freezes, or it plays like a slide show with a new still frame
                   every few seconds while the audio continues.
     Question 17 - AVI2VCD encodes my avi, but the sound is garbled, what can I
                   do?
     Question 18 - avi2vcd will not encode the video from my mjpeg capture card?
     Question 19 - After encoding, the mpeg video is inverted, what can I
                   do?
     Question 20 - I'm having problems encoding videos captured from my DV
                   Camcorder.
     Question 21 - Adaptec's Easy VideoCD Creator says the mpeg produced by avi2vcd
                   is not "Whitebook" compliant?
     Question 22 - The VideoCD creation program I use "Brand X", does not accept the 
                   output of avi2vcd. What can I do?
     Question 23 - What is the "Split Target MPEG" option for?
     Question 24 - What is the "Shutdown system at encode completion" option for?
Answers:
Question 0 - Where can I find, or do you have freeware software that converts .mpg
             to avi?
        I do not have any software that converts mpg to avi, nor can I recommend
        any. If you are looking for any other mpeg software other than what is
        on www.mnsi.net/~jschlic1, I suggest you begin you search at www.mpeg.org
        or any search engine.
Question 1 - What is avi2vcd?
	avi2vcd is a Windows based program to encode avi files to VideoCD compliant
        mpeg files for recording to VideoCD with a VideoCD creation program. The
        resulting VideoCD can be played on VideoCD players, and many DVD players.
Question 2 - OK, I have encoded my files, how do I get a VideoCD out of it?
        Avi2vcd is just the file encoder. You will still need a CD recording
        application which can create all the required structures required for
        a VideoCD, as well as write the mpeg files to individual tracks on the
        VideoCD. There are several such packages out there such as NTI CD Maker,
        the full (Deluxe or Platinum) version of EZ CD Creator, InstantVideo, Nero,
        etc. YOU CAN'T JUST RECORD THE MPEG TO A CD AND EXPECT IT TO PLAY IN A DVD
        PLAYER! If your CD recording application can create VideoCD's, there will
        be an explicit setting for creating a VideoCD. Check your manual. For 
        example, with Easy CD Creator, you need to use the EZ VideoCD Creator
        application which comes with it. For InstantCD, you need to use the 
        InstantVideo selection in the startup menu.
Question 3 - I made a VideoCD, but my DVD player cannot play it.
        Not all DVD players can play VideoCDs. Some DVD players that can play
        commercially stamped "silver" VideoCD's cannot play VideoCD's on CD-R. You
        need to try both CD-R and CD-RW media. I have found that even different
        brands of CD-RW get different results.
Question 4 - I get a "FATAL ERROR: Could not retrieve video frame xxxx" error".
        If the frame number is 0, then you either do not have a properly installed
        codec for the compression method this video uses, or the codec in question
        is not accessible from DirectShow or Video-for-Windows, and cannot be used
        with avi2vcd ver 1.4. You might also need to upgrade the version of DirectX
        installed on your system.
        If the frame number is higher than 0:
	Most likely either your video is corrupted (the video frame in question
        is "damaged") or the codec has a bug. Avi2vcd tries to skip over the
        corrupted frame to the next good frame (it will skip up to 15 bad frames
        for most codecs, or 60 frames for Divx, where this is much more common
        a problem). This is most usually caused by downloading video from the
        net, and having the download fail. When you restart the download where it
        left off, often the video is corrupted at the point of resumption. If this
        is the case, you need to re-download the avi in one single, unbroken
        session.
Question 5 - The encoder will not encode the avi I have.
        avi2vcd will encode avi files that fit the following limitations:
        Audio: if present, must be 8 or 16 bit, sample rate of 
               8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, or 48 KHz uncompressed PCM
               only!
        Video: The parameter requirements are:
                          Horzontal width <= 768
                          Vertical height <= 576
                          Frames per second >= 1
                          Colour depth: 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits
        The video codec used should be compatible with DirectShow.
	Note that for best quality, there are preferred values which will not
        require avi2vcd to resize or resample the input to match VideoCD
        specifications. The ideal values are (depending on target format):
                    NTSC:
                          Horzontal width: 352
                          Vertical height: 240
                          Frames per second: 29.97
                          Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits
                    PAL:
                          Horzontal width: 352
                          Vertical height: 288
                          Frames per second: 25
                          Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits
                    FILM:
                          Horzontal width: 352
                          Vertical height: 240
                          Frames per second: 23.976
                          Colour depth: 24 or 32 bits
                    AUDIO (NTSC, PAL, or FILM):
                          44.1KHz, 16 bit, mono or stereo
        If you don't know what the parameters of the video file you have are, in
        explorer, right click on the file once, then select 'Properties',
        then select the tab 'Details' or 'Summary', depending on the version of
        Windows.
Question 6 - What's a codec?
        Codec stands for "COmpressor/DECompressor". Every compressed video file uses
        a codec to decompress the individual frames for playback. There are a great
        many codecs. Some come with Windows, others must be downloaded and installed
        before you can play back the video. Some codecs are not compatible with
        DirectX, which is what avi2vcd uses to decode the video frames, in which
        case you will not be able to encode the video using avi2vcd. Try getting the
        latest version of the codec, it might work with avi2vcd.
Question 7 - Where do I get a codec?
        There are a lot of codecs, and as many places to get them as there are
        codecs. If you downloaded a video from the web, and you don't have the
        codec it requires, check the website you downloaded the video from for
        information on where to get the codec.
Question 8 - Why is avi2vcd so slow?
        Depending on your computer system, you may experience anywhere from 1 to 10
        frames (more or less) encoded per second. Some systems will be slower, some
        faster. This means it might easily take from 3 to 30 hours to encode 1 hour
        of video to mpeg. Mpeg encoding is a computationally intensive, and slow,
        process. The characteristics of the video also have an effect. If your video
        is 720x480, for example, avi2vcd needs to resize each frame to 352x240
        (or 352x288 for PAL), which adds to the time required. Some codecs are
        also slower than others.
Question 9 - How do I encode a video with compressed audio?
	Use the utility "decompress" which is included in the zip file with avi2vcd.
        Decompress will copy your video to a new file with uncompressed audio.
        Avi2vcd should be able to encode this new avi. Decompress SHOULD be able
        to convert any file that mediaplayer can play. If you can't play the file
        with media player, than neither decompress nor avi2vcd will be able
        to use that avi.
Question 10 - My audio/video "lipsync" is bad after encoding to mpeg.
        If the lipsync was ok in the source avi (you can play it back with
        mediaplayer, and the sound and video are syncronized) then your avi
        probably has compressed audio. Some forms of audio compression
        (notably MPEG Layer-3) CAN result in a loss of audio/video sync,
        even when you have used "decompress". I have no solution for this at this
        time. Don't use compressed audio if you can avoid it!
Question 11 - When I encode a video of 12 frames per second, the mpeg player I use
             claims the frame rate of the resulting mpeg is 23.976FPS, but the video
             still looks jerky?
        The VideoCD standard allows for frame rates of 23.976, 25, and 29.97.
        The non-standard frame rate videos are resampled to a standard frame
        rate by simple frame replication. Hence, for a 12FPS source video, each
        source frame is converted to 2 frames in the resulting mpeg. The video is
        still jerky as a result. There are still only 12 "different" frames in each
        second in this case.
Question 12 - When I encode a video the resulting mpeg is larger than the source?
        The resulting mpeg will always be 176400 bytes x # of seconds in source
        video. This is a result of the VideoCD standard.
Question 13 - The mpeg avi2vcd generated is larger than will fit on a CD, how
              do I split it?
	Use the "Split target mpeg at" option, See Question 23 for details.
Question 14 - When I encode an avi file that uses the Cinepak (or other) codec,
              the resulting mpeg is very "blocky".
        The encoded mpeg can be no better than the original source file for video
        quality, in fact it is usually significantly worse. This applies to all
        codecs. To obtain maximum quality, you must use a high quality original
        video that is only slightly compressed, or not compressed at all. Simply
        encoding miscellaneous avi's you may have lying around will probably not
        work very well. The encoder is paricularily sensitive to noise, if the
        source avi has visible noise in the picture (as from VHS video tape),
        it will not encode well.
Question 15 - When I encode a screen capture sequence, or a computer generated
              animation, the resulting mpeg is not very clear.
        Mpeg was intended to compress real world video images, not artificial
        computer generated images.
Question 16 - When I play back the resulting mpeg, the video occasionally
              freezes, or it plays like a slide show with a new still frame
              every few seconds while the audio continues.
	Try turning your screen saver off completely before starting the encode.
	Many users have reported this solves the problem for them, though I have
	never experienced it myself. Also make sure you have the latest version of
        DirectX and the codec your video uses. The DIVX codec exhibits this behavior
        on many PC's. This is a bug in the Divx codec. Divx is aware of the problem
        and expects a fix in the next release of the divx codec. (Current version 
        of Divx codec as of this writing, 5.02).
Question 17 - AVI2VCD encodes my avi, but the sound is garbled, what can I do?
        Please send me a copy of the .log file that avi2vcd generated when you
        tried to encode the video. The most likely cause is that your video uses
        compressed audio. Avi2vcd can only handle uncompressed audio. If you
        insist on encoding a video with compressed audio, then use decompress.exe
        which is included in the zip file with avi2vcd.
Question 18 - avi2vcd will not encode the video from my mjpeg capture card?
        Some mjpeg capture cards use a hardware based codec which is not compatible
        with the DirectShow component of DirectX. Some software mjpeg codecs are
        also not compatible with DirectX. You should first make sure you have the
        latest version of the codec. If that still does not work, then the only
        other thing I can suggest is to contact the manufacturer and request a
        DirectShow compatible version of your codec. Also make sure you have the
        latest version of DirectX installed on your system.
Question 19 - After encoding, the mpeg video is inverted, what can I do?
        Most inverted video is automatically corrected by avi2vcd. If your's is not,
        select the "Invert Video" check box before encoding.
Question 20 - I'm having problems encoding videos captured from my DV Camcorder.
        Generally, there are no issues with encoding Type 2 DV avi files,
        and if your DV capture program gives you the option, you should choose
        Type 2 DV instead of Type 1. However, if you attempt to encode Type 1
        DV avi files, you may experience the following error message:
             "Error attempting to read audio from Type 1 DV .avi file
                Re-render video with video editor and try again!"
        This occurs when DirectShow reports to avi2vcd that a Type 1 DV file with
        48KHz audio has 32KHz audio! Usually this occurs when you try to encode
        a Type 1 file directly after capture from a DV camera. If this file is first
        edited with an video editor (such as Media Studio Pro) then re-rendered to a
        Type 1 DV file, avi2vcd can usually encode this fine. I have not been able
        to correct this problem as yet, but I am still working on it. In the
        meantime, it does not affect most individuals since generally avi files are
        edited after capture and before encoding.
        A simple workaround for the above issue is to set your camcorder to 32KHz,
        12 bit audio. This seems to works fine even with Type 1 DV files.
        Some camcorders work better during capture if they are powered through the
        AC adapter rather than the battery. Check your owner's manual.
        Sound quality: If you experience poor quality audio, generally described
        as noise, when encoding Type 1 DV files, try rerendering your DV file to
        Type 2, or use 32KHz audio.
        Pinnacle DV500 Owners:
        Make sure you upgrade to Version 8.1 of DirectX (or later) and get the
        Version 4.0 (or later) DV 500 driver from the Pinnacle web site.
Question 21 - Adaptec's Easy VideoCD Creator says the mpeg produced by avi2vcd
              is not "Whitebook" compliant?
        Start up VideoCD creator, go to Help - > About. What does the dialog box
        say next to "MCI Mpeg Video Driver:"? If it says something other than
        "DirectShow" or "ActiveMovie", for example "QI Cinemaster DVD", than that's
        likely the problem. Easy VideoCD Creator uses the default MCI MPEG driver
        to determine the source mpegs characteristics. Many DVD software players
        replace the DirectShow MCI Driver with their own, which may not properly
        identify the mpeg file characteristics to Easy VideoCD Creator. All I can
        suggest is that you remove whatever software installed the new MCI driver
        and try again. You should also request a fix from the manufacturer of the
        software which caused the problem.
Question 22 - The VideoCD creation program I use "Brand X", does not accept the 
              output of avi2vcd. What can I do?
        Make sure you are using the latest version of the program. If that still
        does not work, send me an email with the name, version, and a web location
        where I can download an evaluation copy of the program in question. I will
        attempt to resolve this for the next version. If an evaluation version is
        not available, I will contact the software company and see if they are
        willing to help.
Question 23 - What is the "Split Target MPEG" option for?
	The "Split target MPEG" option causes avi2vcd to limit the size of the mpeg
        file produced to the size (default 700 MB, where MB = 1024*1024 bytes)
        specified in the edit box in the option. This is the aproximate size limit
        of most VideoCD's. If your source would cause the mpeg to go over this size,
        avi2vcd will start a new mpeg with a filename the same as the first mpeg
        with the addition of "_2". I.e. if your source file was "movie.avi", your
        target was "movie.mpg", then when "movie.mpg" reaches 700MB, it will start
        a new mpeg of the name "movie_2.mpg". You may alter the size at which the
        split occurs anywhere in the range of 350 - 900 MB. The size and state of
        the option are saved as the new default.
        The main use of this is when encoding large source avi's (such as 90 - 120 
        minute movies) into 2 separate mpegs, suitable for burning to separate 
        VideoCD's.
        Note that if the second mpeg (i.e. "movie_2.mpg") reaches the split point
        (default 700MB), then a third file "movie_3.mpg" will be started, and so on,
        until the encoding is finished.
Question 24 - What is the "Shutdown system at encode completion" option for?
        On most computers, mpeg encoding is a very time consuming process. With Ver
        1.4 of avi2vcd, this option allows you to start a long encoding session 
        before you go to bed at night, or to work in the morning (for example), and
        avi2vcd will automatically shutdown your computer when it has finished 
        encoding your video.
        PLEASE NOTE: You computer MUST be capable of being shutdown under computer
        software control in order for this option to function properly! Generally
        speaking this requires either an "ATX" type desktop computer, or any recent
        laptop. If using the "START->SHUTDOWN" from the start menu in Windows will
        power down your PC, then this option should work. If not, then your computer
        will only logoff and put itself into a state where it is ready to have the
        power turned off.
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