PAL Converstion Question and an Introduction

Robert-N-LA wrote on 3/15/2007, 12:31 PM
First the question, then I feel like I should introduce myself a little bit.

I have used Vegas to convert a couple of PAL DVDs to NTSC (in one case a wedding video, and right now, a low-budget film my friend starred in). The problem I'm having with this feature is it's 92 minutes, which fits on a 4.7 Gig DVD in PAL but not on my first pass of converting it NTSC to AVI. I'm now sitting through a rendering of MPG hoping that the standard variable compression will be enough to make it fit.

QUESTION: Is there a way to know how large a file will be BEFORE rendering it? I'm getting tired of watching this thing frame-by-frame.

INTRODUCTION: I'm new here and a great believer in Forums, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm a cross over from Theatre, where I got my degree in acting/directing, and spent many years as an actor/designer (lights & sound)/ director/writer. In 1999 I made my first feature, "Jacks Or Better" (shot and finished on 35mm, edited on Lightworks and Avid -- I don't recommend ever switching editing systems mid-stream!). "Jacks" won tons of festival awards, but is not in distribution. I blame the old SAG Experimental Contract for that... long story.

Besides that film, my day job has been as an assistant "floating" around the lot of a major studio. This has put me in just about every department a movie or TV show will have. I have a great deal of knowledge about how studios work on the executive end -- so you'll see me answer questions in that area with some authority.

You'll see me asking questions about Vegas with some naivette, as I'm new to this. I bought the program when I made a little short film that had tons of production sound problems. I've been teaching myself dialogue editing in an attempt to save the short. I'm getting farily good at it, I think. Enough to help me as a director, at least.

In the meantime, I'm trying to raise money to make my next film... and have tons of scripts available... so anyone with money, or looking for projects... give me a hollar! (I know... I know... but they say to ask everyone you meet).

Thanks for the help. I hope I can return the favor.

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 3/15/2007, 12:43 PM
Welcome to the community, looks like you'll have a lot to add!

If the media fit a DVD in PAL, it absolutely should fit in NTSC with only a minimal shift in bitrate. Can you do a lesser bitrate with 2pass?
Robert-N-LA wrote on 3/15/2007, 12:56 PM
On the pass I'm running now, I've switched from AVI to MPG. On the idiot-proof "Adjust Video Quality" bar, I changed the setting from 15 to 14 (which is on a scale of 30, I think).

The real question is... is there a way to know before waiting through 3 hours of rendering if this will work or not?
Spot|DSE wrote on 3/15/2007, 1:06 PM
Yes, this is what a bitrate calculator does.
I'm confused, why did avi ever enter the picture? If you ripped it from a DVD, it was MPEG, why transcode to avi, which then has to be transcoded back to MPEG? Not only are you undergoing two compressions (which you'll experience anyway), but you are also shifting color samples, losing quite a bit in the process.
Robert-N-LA wrote on 3/15/2007, 1:24 PM
Why? 'Cause I don't completely know what I'm doing. I'm a theatre major, remember. :)

I used Vegas to get the media off the DVD, which came in as 3 VOB files. I put these together in the timeline and am now rendering them. I used AVI because it's uncompressed -- thinking I could avoid that two compression thing. That turned out too large for the DVD, so now I'm going back to the timeline to render the project as MPG.

Should I have used a different program to rip the files initially?

Robert-N-LA wrote on 3/15/2007, 2:50 PM
And if anyone is wondering about copyright or bootlegging -- no worries. I'm doing this for the lead actress/producer who is a good friend. The Italian producers sent her a PAL screener... so I'm converting it just for her use.
nolonemo wrote on 3/15/2007, 6:12 PM
Simpler method is to use patch the .ifo to fool the player into thinking it has a NTSC disc in it. But does not work with all players (has worked fine for me, but YMMV). Tutorial here:
http://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=221928
TLF wrote on 3/16/2007, 1:17 AM
I have tried that, but it didn't work :-(.

Worley