Im new to this, so please bear with my potentially stupid question. What can I use to convert a pair of 700 meg Xvid files to any a format that Nero can recognise so I can burn as Svcd or DVD format?

"I'm new to this, so please bear with my potentially stupid question. What can I use to convert a pair of 700 meg Xvid files to any a format that Nero can recognise so I can burn as Svcd or DVD format?"

Sounds like we've downloaded a movie or two from the internet??? Well, here is the process:

First you'll need the xvid codec installed on your computer. You can do a search and find it easily.

Second you'll need a transcoding application to turn xvid AVI into MPEG2. TMPGEnc has a 14 day free trial and is relatively easy to use. I say relatively because most of the settings make sense to me now, but didn't a few years ago.

You can use it to select an SVCD template, reencode into SVCD...which may take 3 or even 4 CD's, with the DVD template you'll be able to get it onto a single blank if you can burn a DVD-R, and I might suggest VCD format which can probably get your movie onto two CD's and is compatible with more players. The quality is slightly less than SVCD, but from a good DVD rip...which you might have...it'll look fine.

You'll need authoring software before you can burn if you're going the DVD route, but you can encode and go straight to burning software otherwise. Nero has an eval period I believe, so try Ahead software for that.

That's it in a nutshell, there are many pitfalls, but its quite doable.

cheers and good luck,

mark

Make sure you select Full screen (but KEEP aspect ratio)
Otherwise the resulting mpeg2 will look out of proportions

Seb

Simply having the x-vid codec install on ur sys. is just not simply enough. When using TMPGenc you're gonna have to de-mux (strip off the audio) from the video first, then use svcd template and select the avi file for video source and then the wav file saved from the de-mux step. How do you de-mux...thought you might ask...use Virtual dub and simple load the avi and then select save wave as...

Dude, there's lots of other steps to take but I haven't the time to explain...go to VCDHelp.com and look them up.

Also, let me know if your successful transcoding x-vid to mpeg2 to svcd, cuz it just aint working for me...div-x 3-4 or 5 works but not x-vid yet.

Lex

Lex, I've transcoded many an XVID without going through the process you suggest as mandatory.

In fact the only time I've needed the steps you suggest is when the XVID has AC3 encoding, and in that case I need to go through an additional step beyond what you suggest, since the "wav" file ripped by VirtualDub is in fact not actually a wav file.

I have to rename as a .ac3 file, and use a separate utility such as px3conv.exe to convert to an actual wav file.

At that point I simply input the video file into TMPGEnc and then replace the audio portion with the wav file and continue with transcoding.

I see no particular problem in transcoding to SVCD from XVID. If you can transcode to MPEG2 then applying the SVCD template is a trivial part of the process.

I seldom use SVCD these days because although its a great format, it takes up too much space on a CD for too little time (I can just squeeze 1hr with 2pass), and its hard to swap files online with folks. Hence what you find online is DIVX, XVID, or VCD usually.