[ExtractStream] Wintel Codec purgatory

[Roger Merchberger]

--- Mark Lachniet <mark@l...> wrote:
> Hello all,

How-doo!

[snippety]

> that TMPGenc can read and convert a file? I can watch them fine
> with
> Windows DVD type programs, and DVD2AVI can load the first frame
> (though
> it has crazy shimmering results on a convert - like it doesn't see
> key 
> frames or something). What I really want is to load the buggers in
> 
> TMPGEnc and Premier to mess with them, but I cannot for the life of
> me 
> find a working codec.

Here's what I do:

To do once:

Install a decent telnet client (I use NetTerm) as the telnet daemon
on the Tivo is rather picky...

Install: ExtractStream or SendStream && netcat (nc) on the Tivo.

Install: netcat, splitstream, winamp, DVD2AVI, the VSAPI avi
converter, NanDub & TmpgEnc on the Winders box.

Here's my process:

Telnet into the Tivo w/telnet clinet,
Use sendstream && netcat to get stream to Winders box as a single
stream.
Split the stream with splitstream into m2a/m2v files, save output for
audio adjustment later...
load m2a into winamp to save as wave file -- use the Disk output
option under preferences to set the filename.
Load m2v into DVD2AVI, use [f4] to save project file .d2v.
Load d2v into VSAPI-AVI and create AVI file.
Load AVI file in Nandub to find commercials/clips that you want.
TmpgENC is *notoriously* buggy at timestamping...
Load .wav & .d2v files for input in TmpgENC, under options set the
video to SVCD, 480x480, I use 2-pass VBR with (IIRC, I'm at work,
Tivo at home) max kbps - 3400 / avg - 2200 / min - 300 / no padding,
and trim 2 pix. from the top, 2 pix. from the bottom & 6 pix. from
the left. Do not resize or else it will jiggy up the picture.

I also use de-interlace (Double or Double[Adaptation]), and under the
"Source" put the larger audio offset from splitstream as a positive
number in the audio offset setting.

I also use the "high [slow]" motion detection setting.

"go do it..."

Depending on your machine, wait from several hours to forever for the
process to finish... On my Dual Athlon MP 1600+ machine, I can get 1
hour of video in just under 3 hours. It took 9-10 on my GigHz P3.
Then use TMPGenc's MPEG tools to trim out the commercials - use the
Merge&Cut tab - it's only slightly buggy provided you get the trim
times from nandub - don't trust what you see in the window. Have this
output to your final .mpg file, and burn with Nero 5.5.

Where I learned a lot about the recording process is here:

http://www.digitalregime.com/tivo2svcd/

very good info, but I use nero instead of VCDImager. You need to use
a small (8 bytes) file as detailed here:

http://www.vcdhelp.com/burnmpg.htm

and click on "How to burn to SVCD with Nero" - this is how I learned
to make good disks from Nero 5.5.

HTH,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger

P.S. I have not played around "a ton" with the settings - there may
be more optimal settings than what I use, but I have gotten good
results so far... Most Definately better than VHS, and a *lot*
cheaper, too...

P.P.S. I do *not* up-convert my audio from the 32Khz to the SVCD
standard of 44.1 Khz. Doing so will add strange harmonics to your
audio, and anyone with sensitive hearing [ahem... like me] can get
headaches from it. My APEX 500W DVD player plays the "non-standard"
disks just fine, and from everything I've read most other SVCD
capable DVD players should play them as well... but YMMV. ;-)

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