the SVCD templates from sonic foundry are defective. they
don't actually make SVCD compliant files. you're better off
using TMPGEnc to re-mux them. that's why they were removed
from the latest MPEG plugin. hopefully they'll eventually
add this feature back, possibly through a new MPEG plugin
based on the new LSX 3.5 engine....

I couldn't get the mpeg files to play either, where can you
get the other mpeg converters?

http://www.jamsoft.com/tmpgenc/

I had to split my video into two halves and "Render As"
each as an AVI. Then used tmpgenc to make MPGs and joined
the resulting files with the MPEG tools. I then burned an
sVCD with Nero.

I was able to play the sVCD on my Philips 701.

It sure would be easier if we could do this with VF.

you can actually make the MPEG-2s in video factory and remux
them with TMPG to save time making SVCD-compliant files, but
the MPEG video quality from VF is vastly inferior, so it's
probably not worth it. it's too bad, because it really is
nice for editing...

I'm having no problem getting VideoFactory to encode my mpeg-2's (recorded with WinTV PVR directly to
mpeg-2 format, 2 mbs/second), and then getting Nero to burn the SVCD's. These play on our standalone
Pioneer DV-525 perfectly with a great picture. The problem I'm having is with the audio lag and I'm trying to get
that fixed. It just takes a great amount of experimentation.

Marta

the dv525 will play non-compliant SVCDs (i have a dv414 and my brother has a dv525 so i've tested it). but not
all players that can play SVCD will. so what you should do to your final MPEG2 is to remux it with TMPG
Encoder (freeware) under its SVCD template. remuxing it won't change the bitrates, but will fix the incorrect
parameters in the GOP headers. why freeware programs can accomplish this and Sonic Foundry won't is
beyond me.... but anyhow

if your audio is out of sync capturing with WinTV, make sure you set "PCI Latency" to "zero" in your bios.

(also, the 525 will play up to ~2500kpbs bitrate, so you can actually get a little more quality out of your captures
if you want to. and to really get good quality, you should record AVI and edit with VF, then encode that to MPEG
with VF (for speed) or TMPG (for quality) ).

When I record the mpeg-2 and play it back on my PC, the audio syncs just fine. It's when I send it through VF
that it unsynchs. When I send it through TMPGe it's better, but the picture is worse. I'm just too new at this to
know what exactly to do.

Marta

And, how the heck do I get to the bios to change the value of PCI Latency?

Marta

o.k. I have been paying attention to this volley so I
thought I would step into the ring now. I have used TMGENC,
I have downloaded help material from vcdhelper.com. NERO
accepts and burns my file. I am using PowerDVD to play SVCD
disc on my computer...but I still have not gotten anything
to work(dont tell me I need a standalone dvd player!). I
get errors of unkown files or something like that! Is
there realy such a thing as SVCD's or are you guys pulling
my leg. I am using ATI AIW 128 Pro with the 7.1 version
software. HELP!!!

ok, i really don't know why the audio gets out of sync in VF. i've never had that happen personally. but make
sure when you move/strech/cut your tracks that you have the audio and video tracks locked together (or both
selected). it may just be an accidental mistake from editing. you can prob check this out by just making a
short clip that plays correctly, then just load it into VF and re-encode with no editing. and see if that is still in
sync.

as for video quality, that's really odd that you said you got worse output from TMPG. it's almost universally
known to be among the better encoders video quality wise (though it's awful slow sometimes, and it isn't the
best audio encoder). when you load the clip into TMPG, make sure you hit "load" (bottom right) and load the
SVCD template. in 'settings' you can adjust the bitrates, etc. i think by default TMPG loads the regular VCD
template, which is much lower quality than SVCD (though still pretty good unless you have a really noisy
source). you're better off capturing to AVI first, you'll get a much better looking final MPEG.

if your video card is capturing in sync, you prob don't need to worry about PCI latency. but to change it, right as
your comptuer boots it'll say "push DEL to enter setup" (or F1 or something). do that. inside there (BIOS
setup) you'll be able to change lots of stuff (most you shouldn't unless you know what you're doing). but under
PCI or peripheral setup or something similar, there is usually a PCI Latency value (sometimes just as a #,
sometimes in terms of CLK (clock cycles) ).

good luck

yes, SVCDs really do exist. i think the www.vcdhelp.com site has an image file you can download that's a
premade SVCD, so you can't really make any mistakes. if you get that, you can see if it's just an error in how
you're using PowerDVD. (i've never used it, so i don't know). you might also want to try the Xing Player for
regular VCDs. it's pretty good, but only plays MPEG-1/VCD. you may just need to reinstall powerDVD to install
its codecs properly.

i'm also running an AiW 128 Pro, and i'd really suggest you switch back to the 4.12.6292 drivers and MMC 6.3.
the new package of MMC/drivers is really a downgrade, since it removes VfW support, the VCR1 and VCR2
codecs, and high-res AVI capture. it's also supposedly very buggy.

Yes, you need a stand alone player. Maybe. My computer
DVD cd player will not play sVCDs in any way shape or
form. VCDs play ok. My older Philips 701 stand alone has
no problems with sVCDs or VCDs, standard CDR coasters or CD-
RW.