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Appeared on: Sunday, February 17, 2002
DivX ;-)


1. Introduction - FAQ

DVD to DivX ;)- Page 1

This is the best way to convert DVD movies to (usually) a single CD. How can this be possible? With DivX ;) codec we compress Video to mpeg4v3 and the sound to mp3 (or MS audio).  This gives us the possibility to get MUCH better video and sound quality than VideoCD, at a smaller file size. A great way to backup those favourite DVD's you paid 30 bucks for.

- What is DivX ;)?
You all might knew the term "DivX" from past since it was a DVD Rental system by the same name that emerged about a year ago. However don't mess it with DivX ;)..Actually DivX ;) is nothing else but hacked Microsoft Mpeg4 codecs in order to be used with AVI files since original MS Mpeg4 codec were restricted to ASF use only!.

- Why i should care about it?
Mpeg4 codec gives you a great video quality and produces low filesize avi. In simple words you can have two hour movie compressed with DivX and fit in one CD with very good sound and video quality.

- How good it this Mpeg4 codec compared to original DVD and VCD standard?
I think you can place Mpeg4 in the scale of 50(VCD) and 100(DVD) at 75.

- Will it play at my stand alone DVD player?
Nope! DivX ;) is not playable to any standalone player since it uses Mpeg4 codec. I guess soon manufactures will support Mpeg4 decoding and then you will stand alone players which will support DivX ;) standard.

- What are the platforms which DivX ;) is supported?
Mostly Windows and MAC

- What are the minimum requirements for playback it?
Because DivX ;) uses heavy encoding techniques for audio and video, you will need a quite powerful PC to play them well. If you want to play it at the highest possible quality, you might need a P3 or K7. Of course you can also use 'low' or 'normal' quality decoding, which will work on lower spec machines. But keep in mind you at least will want a P2-300mhz+ PC.

- Where I can read more about Mpeg4 technology?
http://www.iis.fhg.de/amm/techinf/mpeg4/index.html
http://www.licensing.philips.com/mpeg/
MPEG-4 Overview document


2. Ripping

DVD to DivX ;)- Page 2

Ripping

1st Step: Copying DVD Movie files to HD

Procedure :
After we insert the movie disk in our DVD-ROM drive, we run VobDec.

Tools:
VobDec v0.31
VobDec GUI

VobDec is a utility that decrypts VOBs that have been encrypted using CSS. Unlike DVD rippers, it does not need to get the decryption key from the DVD drive, but actually derives the key from the encrypted VOB itself using a cryptographic attack. This means that once you can read the VOBs (after the drive has been authenticated) VobDec should work. This may be useful for people who have problems with DVD rippers, or those who must disable DMA to get them to work. VobDec can even decrypt a VOB that has been copied encrypted to the hard drive!

1) Place in the same folder VobDec.exe and VobDec GUI. After run GUI. You will see something like this:

2) Press on Locations and locate VobDec and also select the target directory:

3) Now don't waste any more time and press the "GoldCD button" at the bottom of VobDec GUI (one step copy) and the after sometime you will have the vob files uncrypted at your HD. Notice that the vobs are copied in the same folder which vobdec is:

4) You are ready to step in Encoding Page!

Other options

- Merge: Merges all files in one big file! But with the FAT32 file system you will have problems since it doesn't allow files bigger than 4GB. A possible solution would be to convert the FAT32 partition to NTFS with Winternals NTFS for Win98. When the conversion finishes you can use files bigger than 4GB. But most users can work fine having 5 separate VOB files.

- Detect Multiangles: Have this option always checked, since it skip multiangles vobs which causes problems when encoding multiangles movie. Useful for movies like Matrix, Sixth Sense..

- Find key: Press it in order to find the key which was the DVD encrypted
- Read key: It will read the key (if you have found it previous)
- Show DVD Info:

- Show AC3 streams


3. Encoding

DVD to DivX ;)- Page 3

Encoding

2nd step: Installing DivX Drivers.

Tools :
DivX ;-)_Drivers v3.11 alpha (Homepage) for PC platform
DivX ;-) Player v1.0 beta 3 (Homepage) for MAC platform

Procedure:
We must install DivX Drivers package in order to be able to play and encode DivX files. After installation you must run "Register_DivX.exe" and after you must reboot. This works in both Win9x and Win2k.

3rd step: Converting VOB(s) to AVI (DivX)

Tools:
FlaskMpeg download page (Homepage)
BitRate Calculator (Homepage or FeZ BitRateCalc (Homepage

Procedure:
FlaskMpegThis step will take lot of time so relax and let your PC work alone.. We will convert VOB files and

AC3 sound into AVI (DivX). For converting VOB files to AVI we must unzip the FlaskMpeg and run it. We go to " File > Open >", select the folder in which the VOB files rest, select VTS_06_1.VOB and Flask Mpeg automatically selects the rest of the files too. After we press ok the program informs us that there are 4 AC3 Audio Streams (4 different languages) in the VOB files. We select the first one (English). From here you cannot listen to the 4 AC3 streams but with your DVD Player you can understand which language stands for every steam. (In our example the first stream is English, the second is German (2), the third French and forth English 3 (director's comments 1). After choosing our AC3 stream we press on "Flask It!".

Then we go into "Options >> Global Project Options". (Remember to select .avi output from Options >> Select Output Format).

Video Tab

We suggest to use for all the DVD modes (16:9 and 4:3) final resolution 720x576 and bitrate's around 2000kbit/sec. If you use bitrates below 1700kbit/s you might have not good results. This way our final movie will fit in two CDs. If you want to fit your movie in one CD you must use lower resolution and lower bitrate.  for example 640 or 512 (width) (check below table of Post Processing tab).

If you using such a resolution you have have 16:9 (4:3 don't have black border) head over to Post Processing Tab and see what numbers you must fill for doing a perfect crop. Notice that there will be slight differences between output avi size in different resolutions.

If our movie is NTSC we use 29.97fps or if our movie is PAL we use 25fps for output. Notice that if we don't use same original framerate as final one , there will be problem with sync of movie and sound!

Video Structure

Here you can tweak the way FlasKMPEG decodes and handles interlaced and progressive content. Here we have the options available:
- Reconstruct progressive images: This options is only available with 23.976 and 24 fps setting. It's main use is for 24fps progressive encoded MPEG2 material. Check this option if your source is 24fps progressive. This setting is not an IVTC (inverse telecine); it just forces FlasKMPEG to 24fps progressive mode, avoiding potential problems.
If this option is not checked, FlasKMPEG will follow the MPEG sintax for decoding the video structure.
- Deinterlace video: If your source is interlaced you can use the video deinterlacer. Keep in mind that this will slow down encoding process. With the 'threshold' setting you control how much sensitive to motion is the algorithm. A lower setting means more sensibility (0-255). As FlaskMpeg author suggests:

NTSC 24 progressive

Deinterlace video off & Reconstruct progressive frames

NTSC 29.97 or 30

Try Deinterlace video if interlacing artifacts are annoying

PAL 25

Try Deinterlace video just for video material (soccer, TV programs...)

Audio Tab

We select "Decode Audio". Also we choose either 48000hz or 44100hz sampling rate keeping in mind that some soundcards (mostly older ones) do not support 48khz, and that results in distorted noise. Note: If we select to convert sound to 44100 we must know that the final AVI file will loose sync after encoded from FlaskMpeg. If this happen head over to Misc Page and read how we can re-gain sync with VirtualDub.

Post Processing Tab

We leave Resizing quality options tab as default (HQ bicubic- highest quality) and in the crop area we put the following settings (only for 16:9 movies). Also keep aspect ratio selected. As we said we put an final resolution 720*576. If our movie has the following original resolutions and it is 16:9 sized we must put the in Post Processing Crop:

Original Video Resolution:

 

Post Processing Crop:

Width

Height

Aspect Ratio

PAL/NTSC

Top

Height

Left

Width

720

576

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

128

320

0

720

720

576

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

80

416

0

720

720

480

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

128

320

0

720

720

480

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

80

416

0

720

If you want to lower the resolution of final video (lower than 720x576) you must put the following sizes and crop selection. If you had a DVD that had originaly 720*480 you should use Flashmpeg at 720*576 or one of the other resolutions mention below. If you use Flashmpeg at 720*480 resolution you still get a border:

Output Video Resolution:

 

Post Processing Crop:

Width

Height

Aspect Ratio

PAL/NTSC

Top

Height

Left

Width

704

528

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

112

304

0

704

704

528

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

72

384

0

704

640

480

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

96

288

0

640

640

480

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

64

352

0

640

576

432

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

88

256

0

576

576

432

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

56

320

0

576

512

384

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

80

224

0

512

512

384

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

48

288

0

512

448

336

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

72

192

0

448

448

336

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

40

256

0

448

384

288

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

56

176

0

384

384

288

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

40

208

0

384

320

240

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

48

144

0

320

320

240

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

32

176

0

320

256

192

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

40

112

0

256

256

192

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

24

144

0

256

192

144

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

24

96

0

192

192

144

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

16

112

0

192

128

96

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

16

64

0

128

128

96

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

8

80

0

128

64

48

2.35/1

25 / 29.97

8

32

0

64

64

48

1.85/1

25 / 29.97

0

48

0

64


4. Encoding (2)

DVD to DivX ;)- Page 4

Encoding Page 2

Files Tab

We select the destiny location for our files.

General Tab

We leave the defaults settings here too.

Go to " Run > Start Conversion". A popup window will come up and we'll have to select codecs for video and Audio. You can either select Low-Motion and High-Motion DivX codec.

High-Motion is Variable BitRate (VBR) codec and usually used on high motion movie. If you choose high motion you must probably choose higher BitRate than you would choose with Low-Motion codec (above 1500). This happens cause this is the BitRate it will be used on HIGH action scenes. On low action scenes codec will automatically use a lower BitRate for better compression video.

Low motion is also based in Variable BitRate (VBR) codec and most times used on low motion movies.

Note: FeZ Microwave BitRateCalc has support for High and Low motion codecs. However as the author says:

- Why does my variable bit rate file came out bigger/smaller than expected?
This is because the codec will encode different file sizes according to the amount of action (fast scenes/scene changes) in the video you are encoding. Due to this the variable bit rate is an APPROXIMATION! - based on my experiments If you have a very hi-action film, you might need to decrease the bit rate. But without inspecting the video, there is no way of calculating this.

For our example we select "DivX Mpeg4 Low-Motion". We press "configure" and we leave Key frame to 10 sec. If you face clip problems when you fast forward/skip to a section during playback decrease it. A good value would be (6). Notice that this setting will increase output file size. We must now select at which Bit Rate our movie will be encoded at.

Now it's time to run the Bit Rate Calculator. We select the size of our movie (in minutes), the rate at which the sound will be encoded (mp3), and finally we insert the desired total size.

DVD2Mpeg4 BitRate Calc

You can also user Fez Microwave BitRateCalc. However notice that Fez BitRateCalc gives different Suggested VideoBitRate. From our experience DV2Mpeg4 Bitrate Calc works great with Low Motion Codecs. If you plan to use High Motion Codecs you must use Fez BitRateCalc. Notice that as the author says this is just a suggestion! Your final AVI file could end up bigger than your original desired file size. If this happens you can split the AVI file in 2 parts (check Misc Page).

Fez Microwave BitRate Calc

The calculator will give us the BitRate of the clip. We insert this number in DivX Mpeg4 Low Motion Compressor and continue to Sound Encoder.

Mp3 Sound Encoder Selection

WMA Sound Encoder Selection

We select Mpeg Layer-3 (Mp3) and put the same BitRate quality we used in the calculator. Newest 3.1 alpha release drivers finally support wma encoding but only up to 64kbit/s. WMA sound encoding is very good for low bitrate encoding (comparing to 128kps mp3) and gives much smaller output size file! We press ok and the encoding process starts.

Into our example, it needed 15 hours for the conversion to finish. We run it on Win98SE. However in Win2k it will probably take less time especially if your system is DUAL! Also from various reports DivX encoding works faster in Athlon and PIII CPUs and not so fast in Celeron.

Note 2: When you start conversion LEAVE THE PC ALONE to make the process. If you start using it you will get distortion of the image. With a different combination of CPU and RAM your time could be smaller or bigger.

Final note: These pages were put up on a rush due to GREAT demand, they will be refurbished and enriched during the following days (-: It is in our knowledge that not all aspects of DivX have been covered here, like more available tools, mpeg4 tech stuff, the differences between fast & slow versions of the codec, etc, this will happen soon. We also welcome ANY opinions & ideas on this matter. (Changes, additions, clarifications etc).


5. Misc Page

DVD to DivX ;)- Page 5

Misc Page

- Can i see my DivX movie file (avi) without installing DivX drivers?

Yes you can! If your system have the original MS Mp4 decoder you can use DivX2Mp4 software. It changes the FOURCC code so that DivX is then labeled as MP4 which it is in the first place. This allows any windows PC to play it without having to get hold of the DivX codec. The homepage for this program is right here and you download the program here. How it works ? Simple. Open an MS Dos Box and type : C:\Test\divx2mp4 testdivxmovie.avi . If you would like to restore DivX format type: C:\Test\divx2mp4 testdivxmovie.avi -restore.

I used FlaskMpeg method and I get out of sync. What I can to avoid this ?

Convert Video using same procedure. Use the Decode Audio Mode and select 44100 kHz and select PCM compression for Audio.

After video conversion is done :
- Open VirtualDub to compress and multiplex Audio with Video
- Select your AVI video file,
- Video -> Direct Stream Copy
- Audio -> Interleaving -> 500 ms of Audio before video start
           -> Interleave Audio every 500 ms
- Audio -> Compression -> Choose desired sound compression (for example for WMA try DivX ;-) Audio at 64Kbps)
- Audio -> Full Processing Mode
- Save the final AVI.
- Done!

My video input is interlaced and when I try to encode I get artifacts..What I can do ?

Get latest FlaskMpeg 0.593 and re-encode movie with de-interlaced option!

Hmm..My final output avi file is bigger than 650 or 700mbs what we do now ? (Thanks Abdullakhan Anwar for info!)

Open Virtual Dub:
1. Load the avi file.
2. Configure video -- Direct stream copy mode (i.e : no processing of the video or Audio of the original file.)
3. Configure Audio in direct stream copy mode.
4. In "video" - "select range": Select a range from 0 to an offset ending on a key frame that match a size under 700 Mb or less.
5. Goto "file" tab and select "save AVI ............ F7"

This must take from 1 to 2 minutes for an 800 MB file. Repeat the process with the same file but now start the range from the last ending offset and up to the end of the file.

You will get out with two avi files. That all! BUT...if you want to join the second file to say a third avi file. The joining must be done on Key frame or else you will end up with an out of sync in the final file (The out-sync will start at the joined point). I have experienced it with 8 DVD and found no pbs. Sure, you don't want to lose some seconds in your finalized file. If so you can cut the end of the second file at the KEY FRAME plus a multiple number of frames which should correspond to a whole number of seconds.

Example:
Myfile.avi is 720 MB with say 72000 frames. There is a KEY FRAME every 10 seconds (if you have taken the default conf of FlaskMpeg + DivX MPEG encoder Version 3e). A brute calculation gives 100 frames per MB. We will cut out 50 MB from the file = 5000 frames. I use the lower bar markers to skip to the end of the file and skip back with the FRAME SKIP button to move back about 5000 frames. When in the range, note the frame counter "cause its not sure that the 5000 frame exactly match the KEY FRAME". Say now that the marker give 66020 frame. Note this: Go to the "video" tab and in the "select range" type in 66020 in the ending frame field. Goto file and SAVE AVI. Give it a name like part1.avi. This will take around 1 mins on an ATHLON 700 and 3 mins on a PII-400.

Close VirtuaDub. Rerun VirtuaDub and reload Myfile.avi . Now in the "select range" type 66020 in the start frame field. Direct stream copy for Audio and video. Save avi : Ex: part2.avi(some secs). That's it.

How I can add subtitles to our rip?

Tools:
VirtualDub v1.3c (Homepage)
DVD subtitle plugin for VirtualDub v1.16

Procedure:
- Copy Vts_01_0.ifo in same dir which ripped Vob is.
- Run VirtualDub, Open your avi file.
- Go to Video>>Filters>>Add>>VobSub 1.3 plugin.
- Push "Select vob(s)/gif..." button, and select your vobs&ifo (order is important!) or gif. If you are doing it for the first time you might want to push the Create index... button. This will take some time if your PC is not fast..(in our test machine around 30min).
(- If you need space on your hdd: push "Save to gif...", wait, reopen gif, delete vobs)
- Set language, and push "OK".
- "Save AVI" or "Save segmented AVI.." and wait...

Possible Bug:
- The movie and the subs may run out of sync (send movie title, index file and the time position when the LAST sub should normally be shown by a regular dvd player).

Other Way to add subtitles using DVD2Mpeg Squeezer v1.16:

- Convert Video to DivX ;-) AVI using DVD2MPEG Squeezer with the AVI plug in
-  Set the Audio Output format to WAV 44100 kHz
-  Do not use 'Add bands'
-  Select the DivX ;-) Low or High for Video
-  Set the Keyframe to 10 seconds
-  Set the Compression Control to 100 (Crispness)
-  Set the Data rate to 1h30=900 2h=750

After video compression is done:

- Open VirtualDub to compress and multiplex Audio with Video
- Select your AVI video file,
- Video -> Direct Stream Copy
- Audio -> Interleaving -> 500 ms of Audio before video start
           -> Interleave Audio every 500 ms
- Audio -> Compression -> Choose desired sound compression (for example for WMA try DivX ;-) Audio at 64Kbps)
- Audio -> Full Processing Mode
- Save the final AVI.
- Done!



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