My TiVo-to-DVD process

[Toddler]

Guys,

I've put a lot of work into testing various ways of going from TiVo to DVD. I just wanted to share the most optimal way I've come up with for doing that, since there can be a strong learning curve for newcomers. Also, I think it's worth sharing because I seem to be doing things a little different from most people here. After testing a bunch of different ways, I feel like I've got it down to a science now. This works for me and it works fast, and I hope posting this info can be useful to someone else.

You can do all of this from within TyTool and there is a place for that, but if I want more presentable menus or if I want to do frame-accurate edits, this is the process I follow:
_______________

With TyTool:

1) Pull down TyStream file

2) Convert to generic MPEG2 (and patch audio holes!)

With MPEG2VCR 3.14:

3) Make cuts & convert audio to 48k

With ULead DVD MovieFactory 2:

4) Make menus and auto chapters, burn to DVD
_______________

Start to finish it takes probably 30 minutes to edit four hour-long shows down to commercial-free files, create menus and start the burn to DVD. A nice bonus is the fantastic and speedy interface for doing cuts in MPEG2VCR. Also, the audio transcoding in MPEG2VCR is pristine and is much better than the TyTool output (which is not the TyTool author's work, by the way).

ULead MF2 is an easy way to make good looking menus in a hurry, but I'd imagine your DVD mastering application of choice would also work fine with this process.

There's also a little more detail to step 2. Rather than go through the GUI, I use command-line parameters to invoke VSplit, which is one of the tools within TyTool. Since we're not doing cuts in TyTool, we don't need to make key files. All we want to do is convert the Ty files into standard MPG files. To accomplish this, I wrote the following batch file, which parses the directory from which it is invoked for any files with the .ty extension, and automatically passes them to VSplit for batch conversion (in other words, it converts all existing .ty files in the local directory to .mpg automatically):
_______________

@echo off
set PATH=C:\Program Files\TyTool;%PATH%

for /F "eol=/ tokens=1,2 delims=*" %%I in ('dir /b *.ty') do call :check "%%I"
goto :done

:check
if exist "%~n1.raw.mpg" echo Overwriting "%~n1.raw.mpg"
if not exist "%~n1.raw.mpg" echo Creating "%~n1.raw.mpg"
if exist "%~n1.raw.mpg" del /q "%~n1.raw.mpg"
echo Processing started at %time%
vsplit3.41b1.exe -a -m "%~nx1" "%~n1.raw" "%~n1.raw"
echo Processing completed at %time%
echo.
goto :eof

:done
pause
_______________

Your path to TyTool will need to be set differently if you did not install it in the default location. Also you'll have to modify it to match the filename of your version of VSplit.exe.

Toddler

Note: Updated to use TyTool (VSplit) instead of TyStudio. TyTool's "Patch Audio Holes" seems to resolve the audio synch errors and does away with the need to repair the MPEG file in MPEG2VCR.

[panopticon_i]

Cool Todd, thanks for posting this.

In your original Tivo2DVD workflow, you were using TyTool. Why is it better to TyStudio.

In the original workflow, you mentioned saving the output to temp.mpg after fixing the timecode. How do you do this in Mpeg2Vcr? And after you make the cuts, how do you save it in Mpeg2Vcr? I'm trying to replicate your process, but am getting stuck on the mpeg2vcr part.

Pan

[Toddler]

I can't tell you why exactly, but doing it with TyStudio takes care of the synch issues I was getting with TyTool. I have no idea why, but there's a difference in how they do what they do.

After you do your cuts in Mpeg2vcr you just do a Save As and give the new file a new name, then you can delete the old one.

[Zagor]

I think that what panopticon_i is referring to is you cannot save to a temp file while fixing the GOP time code in MPEG2VCR only without also fixing the GOP size. The time code is fixed directly in the original file while fixing both time code and size will force you to save to another 'temp' file.

Right now I am using two methods. The first and quickest I try is using Tytool to transfer the file already in muxed form.

I then use MPEG2VCR to fix the time code only and do my edits. Save file and onto to DVDLab.

This works a lot of the time but there are times when I get sync issues and on those occasions I use the longer method of:

Tytool all the way thru (keyfile, GOP edit, vob-mux, ifo/dir)
VOBedit (set zero time code)
MPEG2VCR (fix time code only)
DVDLab

between these 2 systems I get every show to work every time (so far anyway)..

[mavrcksd]

Originally posted by Toddler
Guys,
@echo off
set PATH=C:\Program Files\TyStudio;%PATH%

FOR /F "eol=/ tokens=1,2 delims=;" %%I in ('dir /b *.ty') do call :check "%%I"
goto :done

:check
echo File: "%~nx1"
echo Processing started at %time%
typrocess -d 4 -la I:\TiVo\process.log -it "%~nx1" -d 4 -demux { -s 2 } -tcode { -m -s 48000 } -mplex { -f 3 -V } -om "%~n1.mpg"
echo.
echo Processing completed at %time%
echo.

goto :eof

:done
echo Check process.log file for detailed results
pause
_______________


Upon trying your batch file the first time - it did not process - I had used tmf2ty to create the ty file. I'm going to try and download using MFS_FTP in ty format and try again.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by Zagor
I think that what panopticon_i is referring to is you cannot save to a temp file while fixing the GOP time code in MPEG2VCR only without also fixing the GOP size. The time code is fixed directly in the original file while fixing both time code and size will force you to save to another 'temp' file.Not true. It can be confusing because when you first load the mpg, the other buttons are greyed out. But if you load the file and just do a scan, then when the scan is complete you get the button for "Fix (1) GOP time code and (2) audio PTS errors" which is all we are concerned with. You don't need to fix GOP size errors.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by mavrcksd
Upon trying your batch file the first time - it did not process - I had used tmf2ty to create the ty file. I'm going to try and download using MFS_FTP in ty format and try again. Well you've got to give us more info than that, you're not making it easy to say what went wrong by just saying it did not process. A log file should have been generated that would provide more specifics. At any rate, the syntax is taken from the batch file which normally gets generated by TyStudio. Set your options in TyStudio Editor for Generic MPG and 48k transcode, load a ty file and then choose "Tools, Add to Batch" from the menu and then open the batch file it creates. Check the syntax there and if that fails, then I'm out of answers.

[sych0]

Hm. When i try it, movie factory wants to reencode the video. I loaded the video in dvd lab and it says its 544x480. I know that this is the format tivo records in, but i thought ty studio was supposed to adjust that.....? Or is there a toggle im missing to allow dvd movie factory to use this resolution?

[brett63]

If you are recording it on a SA TiVo, you can either:
-Use TiVoWeb to change the resolution to 352x480 or 720x480 before recording it.
-Use DVD Patcher to patch the 1st header to 352x480, to trick Movie Factory into thinking it's compliant. The resulting DVD will not play in all players, though, as it is still non-compliant.

There are plenty of threads that you can search, that discuss both of these methods.

[Toddler]

Yes brett63 is correct. You've got to change the resolution your TiVo records at or else MovieFactory or anything else will want to reencode it to a standard DVD resolution. Some players will play odd resolutions, but even if your DVD player would play 544x480, chances are none of your friends' players will, so you can't share DVDs with them, and if you ever get another player, good luck. It's much better and simpler just to change your TiVo's resolution.

[sych0]

Thanks guys. After some searching around i found DVD Patcher and i patched the files, and luckily they play fine on my dvd player. :)

As far as changing the resolution my tivo records at, id assume that affects the recording capacity...?

[rung]

if you leave the bit rate the same, you will not affect the recording capacity - only the relative quality (in time or resolution) of the recording.

[Toddler]

I modified my TiVo's recording settings as follows:

Best Quality: 720x480, bitrate 5250000, 2.2GB/hr, 2 hours per DVD
High Quality: 720x480, bitrate 3500000, 1.46GB/hr, 3 hours per DVD
Medium Quality: 352x480, bitrate 2625000, 1.1GB/hr, 4 hours per DVD
Basic Quality: 352x480, bitrate 2100000, 880MB/hr, 5 hours per DVD

By dropping the resolution, you get more information per pixel. Finally, basic quality is actually watchable! Notice that all resolutions are DVD-compliant and the medium and basic resolutions are SVCD-compliant. You can get more hours per DVD by editing out commercials. Recording at high quality, I can get eight commercial-free episodes of a 30-minute sitcom per DVD, and the resulting video is virtually indistinguishable from the original broadcast.

I highly suggest modifying the recording settings on your TiVo. It's absolutely essential as far as I'm concerned.

[sych0]

Ok cool. I see where to change bitrate, but as far as resolution, i got DBSBestResolution set to 4. What's 4? The others are 2 & 1. What does that mean, and is this where i would change the resolution? And if so, change it to what? Thanks again guys ;)

[rung]

Toddler,

I really like the way you worked the settings out by hours/dvd! Any chance you can post a print screen of your Tivoweb bitrate screen so we can get it right, too?

Thanks,
Greg

[Toddler]

Originally posted by sych0
Ok cool. I see where to change bitrate, but as far as resolution, i got DBSBestResolution set to 4. What's 4? The others are 2 & 1. What does that mean, and is this where i would change the resolution? And if so, change it to what? Thanks again guys ;) This is by memory, but I believe TiVo resolution settings are as follows:

0 = 720x480 (DVD-compliant)
1 = 352x480 (DVD-compliant)
2 = 480x480 (non-standard)
3 = 352x240 (DVD-compliant)
4 = 544x480 (non-standard)

This is only for SA TiVos, as DTiVos only record the satellite streams exactly as they are broadcast. There is no encoder in a DTiVo.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by rung
Toddler,

I really like the way you worked the settings out by hours/dvd! Any chance you can post a print screen of your Tivoweb bitrate screen so we can get it right, too?

Thanks,
Greg These are my settings from the Bitrates page. If you turn off the "save additional space" (VBR) setting on your TiVo (which you should do anyway, since it severely degrades picture quality anytime there's fast motion in the picture), then you only need to change the values on the Bitrates page. You don't need to worry about the Alt Bitrates page.

By the way, when you edit a resource through Resource Editor, you have to (1) change the value, (2) hit Enter, and (3) page back. If you change more than one value before you hit Enter, only the value in the box where you hit Enter gets updated. Make sense? Basically you have to hit Enter in every box that you change, then page back again. Also, when you're all done editing the values, go back to the Resource Editor page and Click Update Resources. Then reboot your TiVo and you should be good to go.

P.S. Rename the extension on the attachment to .mht in order to view (I had to change it to post it here).

[sych0]

Hey toddler, Thanks for all your help and the great info :) I just have one last question.

"If you turn of the "save additional space" (VBR) setting on your TiVo (which you should do anyway, since it severely degrades picture quality anytime there's fast motion in the picture)"

Is there a typo in this line? Should it be "shouldn't" or "upgrades"? I cant understand why it would be better to turn it on, if it degrades quality...

[Toddler]

Originally posted by sych0
Hey toddler, Thanks for all your help and the great info :) I just have one last question.

"If you turn of the "save additional space" (VBR) setting on your TiVo (which you should do anyway, since it severely degrades picture quality anytime there's fast motion in the picture)"

Is there a typo in this line? Should it be "shouldn't" or "upgrades"? I cant understand why it would be better to turn it on, if it degrades quality... You misunderstood me. To rephrase:

Turn off the "save additional space" (VBR) setting on your TiVo (since it [having VBR on] severely degrades picture quality anytime there's fast motion in the picture).

[sych0]

Ohhhhhh I see - "If you turn of the" - You missed an F so I read it as on. Thanks for the clarification. I also noticed the degradation myself when tivo first offered it and I had it on.

Well, no more q's from me. I got tivo to dvd down pretty good now. Thanks again. :)

[rung]

Riley,

Care to share your bitrate page? Sounds like you have it optimized.

Thanks,
Greg

[sych0]

Well, i meant i noticed a degradation when tivo unrolled it with one of its software upgrades a few years ago, without editing the settings (using the tivo factory default). You could probably edit them though, to get a higher quality.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by rc3105
the reason vbr degrades on high motion with those settings is that the BestMAXBitrate & BestVBRBitrate bitrates are the same

turn vbr on but increase the max bitrate setting. the buffy musical episode segments with singing will encode much smaller do to VBR savings and the fight scenes will still look good

with a bit more tweaking you can get dvd compliant resolution and dtivo comparable filesizes


--
Riley Riley, it's not just those settings that degrade the picture--it's any settings I've ever used with VBR. I've experimented quite a bit and I've just never liked the results. But share your suggested settings and I'll give them a try. You're the first person I've ever seen post here who was happy with the quality of TiVo's VBR encoding. I'm happy with my present settings because I know exactly what file sizes I'm going to get, but since you're using VBR and you're impressed with it, then I'm willing to experiment.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by rc3105
here's the rule-of-thumb I use for pc-side vbr reencodingAhh...but doing the VBR on the PC-side is much higher quality, with multi-pass being the key to getting good VBR...the TiVo's real-time VBR leaves a lot to be desired, and to get decent-quality VBR on the TiVo, I have to set the rates so high that the file sizes come out about the same. And once you record it that way, you are stuck with whatever the TiVo gave you in terms of quality.

Rather than roll the dice with the TiVo's on-the-fly VBR, I'd rather stick with stable encoding rates, predictable file sizes and consistent quality. And if I really need to squeeze a show down, I'll do my VBR compression on the PC.

[sych0]

Hello guys

After playing around with toddlers script, id like to make an edit. On my machine at least, it didnt like the { -m -s 48000 } part of it. I couldn't get the script to work, so i checked it to see why. It appeared fine. So i eventually started deleting things until it did work. As soon as i removed that part, it ran. I also noticed that it defaults to 48000, and mpeg format.

-m - output format is MPEG (default)
-s rate - new sample rate (i.e. 32000 or 44100 or 48000 (default)

Perhaps it didnt like specifiying defaults? I dont know. And again, aparently it works for others so its just me. But i figured i'd throw it out there incase anyone else runs into the same problem.

Also, question for Toddler. You mentioned in an above post, that in tystudio, i can click Tools and click Add To Batch. I dont have that option. The only thing i have under Tools, is Options. What version are you running? I'm running 0.5.0 beta 2. Just curious, thanks a lot.


Update: Eh... except now typrocess is freezing. It keeps getting to around 2400 chunks and dies :confused: Anyone know why this is? I get

demux: Demux stalled, nothing written for 30 seconds. transcode or mplex may have crashed

A lot. :mad: If i just encode right from the Now Playing however, its normally fine. I just like doing it in batch form.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by sych0
Also, question for Toddler. You mentioned in an above post, that in tystudio, i can click Tools and click Add To Batch. I dont have that option. The only thing i have under Tools, is Options. What version are you running? I'm running 0.5.0 beta 2. Just curious, thanks a lot.When I do "Help-->About" I have 0.5.0 with no mention of a beta. Maybe the files I have are slightly newer than yours and that's why the batch commands work for me and not you. The syntax of the batch file isn't something I came up with, I just took the output of "Tools-->Add to Batch" (or also Ctrl-B). All I did was add the code that automatically parses the contents of the local directory and runs the conversion on all ty files it finds. If you want to change it or have a need to do so, by all means go for it.

[Toddler]

I've edited the original post to reflect a significant change. I no longer use the "-tcode { -m -s 48000 }" option with the TyStudio batch file. I found that the audio conversion was terrible with TyStudio and MPEG2VCR does it absolutely perfectly. In fact, it's so perfect that I questioned whether it had even converted the audio the first time I did it that way. So for anyone who might still be following this thread, doing it this way is a major improvement.

[gl9500]

I hope no one minds me posting this method here...


TyTool is fantastic. For my normal Tivo extraction needs it does everything I want--neatly, efficiently and quickly. It can't be beat IMHO.

But on that rare occasion, I want to add some pretty menus, possibly backgrounds, music, etc.

So below is what works for me. WARNING... total newbie at burning DVD's here, I've only been doing tivo2dvd for one week. So feel free to give advice. I wouldn't have gotten this far if not for this wonderful forum and all the great posts.


>>> Requirements:

- TyTool (I started w/ 7r7, then moved to 7r8)
- ULead's DVDMF 2.10
- DVDPatcher 1.06
- hacked SA Tivo, turbonet
- knowledge of how to use the above


>>> Steps:

=> TyTool
- std mux (no ulead fix needed)
- audio DVD@192 (!!)
(If I don't do this (or at least DVD@160, DVDMF will want to convert/transcode the video which is painful and ridiculous!!)
- download .ty in TYstream mode
- make key
- edit key (as desired)
- split mux (creates .mpg files for next step)

=> DVDPatcher
- patch first entry to 352x (make sure to keep bitrate the same!!)
(Usually the Tivo files I want to do this to are in BEST. On my SA Tivo w/ std settings, the files are always 480x480 w/ 5.8mb bitrate. I never mess with the bitrate, just the first number of the resolution. If I don't change it to 352x--instead of 480x--then ULead will want to convert/transcode the video which is painful and ridiculous!! If have a Tivo file in MEDIUM, the file is usually 352x already, so I can skip the patch/depatch steps here entirely.)

=> ulead DVDMF
- new DVD project
- add video (patched *.mpg)
- add menus, auto chapters, etc.
- create dvd folder (VIDEO_TS) onto harddisk

=> DVDPatcher
- patch ENTIRE file to 480x (make sure bitrate is the same as original!!)
(This is assuming all the original *.mpg segments are of the same recording quality (.e.g., BEST mode). I have to do the entire file because usually my BEST recordings are 2hours and DVDMF creates 4 or more 1GB files out of them. When DVDMF does this, starts of segments which were patched to 352x are embedded somewhere in the middle of the VIDEO_TS/*.mpg generated files. Ergo, patch the ENTIRE file of ALL *.mpg files in VIDEO_TS.

=> ulead DVDMF
- start up and select COPY DVD
- select image to burn as VIDEO_TS folder
- set a disc label if desired
- to be safe, I uncheck (quick eject)
- burn it!
(Most (all??) posts I run across about burning VIDEO_TS folders use Nero. I find DVDMF folder burning works fine too. But I have no idea if I'm missing anything. As long as the DVD's work in my consumer player, I seem to be happy. :-)


Thanks again for all the great posts on this forum, w/o which I would have never figured this out.

[sych0]

I dont know if this belongs here, but anyone have any idea why when i demux with tytool i get artifacting? Like blocks and stuff in the video that dont belong there. Everyone claims tytool is amazing, but tystudio has never ONCE had any artifacts in the video. And i really dont want to download the ty stream. Its much easier to just convert to mpeg as its coming off the tivo. Eliminate an extra step. Just wondering if anyones experienced the same problem. Im using tytool7 release 7.

[dogbreath]

Has anyone gotten this to work with video from an series 2 dtivo?

dogbreath

[Toddler]

The posts are definitely getting off-topic in here. I'd like to limit responses to those which specifically address the process I outlined in the first post. Questions about TyTool go in the TyTool thread, and other how-tos really deserve their own thread.

[sych0]

Toddler-

Know of any commands i can add, that would delete the ty file after it converts it? I know i can add "delete *.ty" at the end, however, i'd like to delete the one file it just finished converting.....one at a time. Thanks :)

[Toddler]

I don't really think it's a good idea; I would rather check the log file and make sure the conversions all went correctly before deleting the ty files. But if you really want to do it, just add this:

del "%1" /q

after the typrocess line.

[gl9500]

Toddler,

Great thread. I'm just getting around to understanding why changing the default Tivo bitrates is so important. (even though I've been reading it all over the place, it takes awhile to sink in :-)

Can you explain why you use TyStudio for the 2nd step ("Convert to Generic MPG")? I noticed TyTool can transfer from Tivo and mux to .mpg as it's first step (it will also transcode the audio during this first step--I set it to "DVD 48@192"). I tried a few tests and it seemed to work fine. Any insight appreciated.

Thanks.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by gl9500
Can you explain why you use TyStudio for the 2nd step ("Convert to Generic MPG")? I noticed TyTool can transfer from Tivo and mux to .mpg as it's first step (it will also transcode the audio during this first step--I set it to "DVD 48@192"). I tried a few tests and it seemed to work fine. Any insight appreciated.There are a few reasons I do it that way and I'll try to briefly explain why.

First of all, TyTool does work fine depending on what the rest of your process is. If you're planning on doing your editing and mastering in TyTool, then definitely it's an easier way to go. But I like frame-accurate edits, which TyTool deliberately doesn't do. I'll explain how this comes into play.

Sometimes audio and video get out of synch if you use TyTool to do the mux to .mpg and then use another tool to perform frame-accurate edits. The reasons are complicated, but basically TyTool performs its edits on the I-frames (which is essentially a frame that contains absolute positional data, and subsequent frames only contain relative data until the next I-frame appears). This means that TyTool doesn't do frame-accurate editing, but this is how the author of TyTool ensures that audio and video stay in synch. If you try to use TyTool's mux'd .mpg in another program that does do frame-accurate edits, then you run the risk of your audio getting out of synch since TyTool is the only program that edits on the I-frames. Eventually the synch comes back when the next I-frame hits and pulls it all together again, but that's not acceptable to me.

Not being the author of either TyTool or TyStudio, I can't tell you specifically what accounts for the difference. But TyStudio's mux'd .mpg output seems to be more standard than TyTool's. All I know is that when I use the .mpg output from TyTool in a frame-accurate editor, I eventually run into audio synch issues. But I can edit TyStudio's output in other programs without experiencing any of these issues.

Second, TyTool does transcode audio just fine, but if you listen critically you will hear some artifacts introduced in the new audio stream. To my ears (and admittedly I am using Sony professional broadcast headphones and I am a recording engineer), it is brittle and irritating. It isn't as noticable coming through the TV, but why do it that way if there is a better way? So I don't let TyTool do the transcode. Instead I do it in MPEG2VCR (which is also doing my frame-accurate edits anyway), and I literally cannot hear the difference. It is like night and day to me in terms of quality. But if you don't hear the difference, TyTool will do the job.

The final benefit to using TyStudio to convert to .mpg is that the TyStudio program is really just a shell for command-line utilities, so I can utilize the batch process as I posted in the beginning of this thread.

So basically I use TyTool to pull down my ty files and then I generate keys as a means of checking my ty files to ensure they are good. Then I start the batch conversion on an entire directory of ty files and when I come back to the computer, I've got perfectly compliant .mpg files I can use in any editing application without any other issues.

Hope that helps,

Toddler

[gl9500]

Toddler,

Thanks for that great explanation. That was just the right amount of detail for me as I am new to all of this.

I will try out TyStudio for muxing to .mpg files. That sounds like exactly the "problem" I've been seeing... I occasionally take the TyTool muxed .mpg files into Ulead's DVDMF2 and do some edits (via "extract video"). And on a small percentage of the "cuts", sometimes the segments will have minor skips/repeats (I usually replace the entire audio clip for the entire completed cut). I was thinking this was DVDMF's fault, but from your explanation, it's the .mpg file input that's the problem.

And true, on the audio transcoding, I cannot tell the difference, nor do I have the expertise/equipment to decipher. Has sounded fine to me, but now that I know there's a difference, I'll have to pay more attention to it.

FWIW, what I'm doing is pretty basic and common... transfering a bunch of camcorder 8mm (not Hi-8, just regular 8) of my kids to DVD. Occasionally taking selected clips and making a movie "collage" out of it. I've adjusted my SATivo's default bitrate for HIGH to 352x480 and VBR ~5.8mb. Seems to work fine. I figure that camcorder (and VHS) resolution isn't even 352x480, so why waste the extra 720x480... although, being a novice, I've done some BEST (720x480, VBR ~5.8mb) and I've not noticed a difference in file size--of course, my video sources to-date aren't even capable of anything approaching 720x480 (or even 480x480 is my guess).

I'll have to try your CBR of 5.25mb, which would give me closer to 2hrs instead of the 1:45 I get now, but I want to get as best a camcorder tape copy as possible. But I'm surmising you think 5.25mb is just as good (and probably is since the video source is only tape).

Appreciate the insights.
Thanks a bunch.

[Toddler]

The file size has no relation to your resolution; file size only depends on the encoding rate. When you specify a rate, you're telling the TiVo exactly how much data to use over a given time, so your file size will be the same no matter what resolution you're recording at. But at a higher resolution, that data rate is spread over more pixels, so you have more information per pixel with 352x480 than with 720x480. On the other hand, there is a tradeoff on raw resolution, so you have to decide what's more important. For VHS or Hi8 I would say 352x480 is just fine. If you're going to use that resolution, you can definitely get by with 5.25mb.

I never use the TiVo's VBR because it's awful. It's single-pass VBR and it just doesn't do a good job. VBR in apps like TMPGEnc or MPEG2VCR is fine because the computer can analyze the video repeatedly (multipass) in doing the VBR encoding. The TiVo has to do it on the fly, and it just can't do an acceptable job at it, in my opinion. So if I really needed to squeeze a show down, I'd rather record it at a good CBR on the TiVo and then reencode it with high-quality VBR on the PC side. The resulting file size will be smaller and better than the TiVo's VBR output.

[panopticon_i]

Toddler

That was a fantastic explanation -- I'm totally grateful for it. Now we know exactly what the benefits and liabilities of each tool is, and why. I love Jdiner's tool, but have noticed the audio synch probs that get corrected by the next Iframe.

What do you think of Bato's method? I ask because Mpg2VCr seems to take a lot longer, plus it never accurately estimates the amount of hard-drive space necessary to re-record the mpeg.

Pan

[gl9500]

Originally posted by Toddler
...
For VHS or Hi8 I would say 352x480 is just fine. If you're going to use that resolution, you can definitely get by with 5.25mb.
...


Toddler,

Thanks again for your insights.

One last :-) question... I set CBR to 5.25mb, but when I transfer and look at the bitrate w/ DVDPatcher (v1.06), it shows as 5.09mb. Is that important?
(This reminds me that one time before I set a CBR @ 5.8mb, but it DVDPatcher showed it as a lower bitrate when all was said and done.)

Thanks again.

[bato]

Originally posted by panopticon_i
I ask because Mpg2VCr seems to take a lot longer, plus it never accurately estimates the amount of hard-drive space necessary to re-record the mpeg. Removing commercials from a mpg doesn't take long if you are not reencoding the video, if for some reason you need to reencode then all methods will take time. I think mpeg2vcr check the cut recreate the GOP, join the file, correct GOP time code and save the rest (no reencode) until next cut. Of course faste your machine, less time it takes.

The amount of hard drive space calculated in mpeg2vcr is high with Dtivo files because the header in those files say that the bitrate is 15000000 and you usually get around 3000000 (average), if you have this problem you can patch the header.

For frame accurate editing mpeg2vcr is the way to go. With SA tivo files I think you get 0.5 sec GOPs, but with Dtivo I've seen GOPs larger than 2sec, so if you GOP cut then you need to choose between that GOP or the next and in 2 sec you can have some dialog from the show and from the commercial, sometimes is no easy task.

[bato]

Originally posted by gl9500
I set CBR to 5.25mb, but when I transfer and look at the bitrate w/ DVDPatcher (v1.06), it shows as 5.09mb. Is that important? I think that's only the difference with the display method with decimal values and computer/byte values.

In decimal 1 MB = 1,000KB.
In computer/byte 1MB = 1,024KB

Maybe not, either way is not that important. Some say is difficult to "see" the difference if is less than 10%.

[HuMan321]

If you wanted to use dvdlab for menus, when whatb step would you do this at?

Would you just do that instead of step 4?
or after you made chapters and then bring it in to dvdlab for menus?

Thanks



"3) Make cuts & convert audio to 48k

With ULead DVD MovieFactory 2:

4) Make menus and auto chapters, burn to DVD"

[bato]

You make the cuts and the final mpg you use it with DVDlab.

You don't need to patch your mpg to work with DVDlab, it can be 480x480 or even 544x480 it show a warning about resolution but just ignore that.

[Toddler]

To whoever asked me questions above, don't think me rude for not answering but I think they've already been answered fully and accurately by bato.

Bato, thanks for chiming in and helping in this thread.

[gl9500]

Thanks to Toddler, bato and everyone for the replies and posting.

I have learned tons (one might say a lot more than I wanted to :-)

Cheers and regards to all!

[gl9500]

FWIW, I posted earlier that I was seeing repeats/skips w/ output of .mpg's from TyTool, and tried Toddler's method of using TyStudio (via typrocess batch script)... and I still see the video minutely repeat/skip, so my problem may be elsewhere. I have no idea.

Also slightly off-topic, all this talk about bitrates, has anyone tried checking or know the highest "practical" bitrate that SATivo1's can do? I compared some VBR 5.8mb recordings w/ CBR 5.25 and noticed (in my small unscientific, very novice samples) a slightly better (smoother, less pixelation--apologies for not using the proper terminology) w/ the VBR 5.8mb. Of course it could just be due to using the higher bitrate, I still like the idea of using CBR vs VBR in light of Toddler's comments.

Thanks for any insights on the highest bitrate possibilities.

[Toddler]

I remember seeing someone post in another thread that they had gone as high as 9mb and had significant errors, and backed it down eventually to just over 7mb and still had the occasional error. I don't have time to search for it, but the info is here somewhere.

[gl9500]

Thanks Toddler,

I had done a search on "bitrate" but I only went a few pages. Going a few more on your suggestion, I found a post that linked to this thread that seems to have a lot of info...

http://dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12736&perpage=15&highlight=bitrate&pagenumber=3

One post also answered a question I had been thinking about... that about "RecordQuality". The post on page 4 of that thread says in part...

"What I've found from my tests is that the 'Quality' factor is nothing more than a numerical value the TiVo uses internally to keep track of the various bitrates. ie- it does not impact the recorded video at all."

I mentioned this because I saw you had modified your Quality settings and I pondered what those settings meant, but decided to leave mine as original.

Thanks again.

[Toddler]

The "quality" setting seems to have no effect on recording quality. There are some who think this setting does nothing at all, and others have their own opinions.

From what I've seen, it appears that TiVo uses the quality settings to estimate how much space a recording will take relative to "best quality" mode and it estimates from that ratio how much free space is available. That's also exactly what you found in the post you quoted above. So I modified my quality settings to stay in line with the compression ratios of my modified CBR settings. That way the TiVo can more accurately estimate when the drive will fill up with recordings, or when old recordings will be deleted for new ones.

But since no one agrees on what the setting means, it is probably not worth worrying about either way.

[snoopy]

It seems the makers of DVD Lab at www.mediachance.com have just released this product. They say it works closely with DVD Lab, which is a single vts application.

Has anyone tried getting it to work with TyTool DVD Output, bypassing DVD Lab all-together for nicer menus? It seems a viable possibility.

The problem with the DVD Lab method for pretty menus is that it is a single vts application (unlike TyTool for DVD, which is mult-vts, but doesn't have very nice menus) DVD Lab (single vts) means nice menus, but the VOBs run together as if they are one show. Oh they play as separate shows, but they are the same file set which means that you cannot pull them off one by one. Once you create a DVD with show titles 1) Jerry Springer 2) Little House on the Prairie, you are stuck with those titles for that CD. You can't just pull one of the titles off and later, burn another CD with 1) Little House on the Praire 2) Little Mermaid. You can if you use TyTool (multi-vts)all the way to DVD, but you loose the pretty menus.

[aliu]

Toddler,

Great thread. Do you have any experience with the dreaded 11111 -> Chunk contains neither audio nor video data. Stop here...?

I have a large 720x480 TY file that TyTools doesn't like (many 11111 errors). I'm seeing what is probably similar when I try to use TyStudio and your script on it:

demux: Chunk Chunk: Warning!! chunk 7625 No video records - assume it's not okay - skipping
demux: Chunk Chunk: Warning!! chunk 8783 No video records - assume it's not okay - skipping

etc.

This looks like the same thing to me. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions? I don't see the problem when the bitrate is lower, but when I get up to 9M I see it.

[aliu]

One more question. As part of your process, do you run the MPEG-VCR MPEG GOP fixer? If so, when? -- after TyStudio, before editing? Does it matter?

[TRILIGHT]

Originally posted by snoopy
The problem with the DVD Lab method for pretty menus is that it is a single vts application (unlike TyTool for DVD, which is mult-vts, but doesn't have very nice menus) DVD Lab (single vts) means nice menus, but the VOBs run together as if they are one show. Oh they play as separate shows, but they are the same file set which means that you cannot pull them off one by one. Once you create a DVD with show titles 1) Jerry Springer 2) Little House on the Prairie, you are stuck with those titles for that CD. You can't just pull one of the titles off and later, burn another CD with 1) Little House on the Praire 2) Little Mermaid. You can if you use TyTool (multi-vts)all the way to DVD, but you loose the pretty menus.

This is just one of many reasons I don't buy into the whole "make a VOB and then try to come up with an IFO for it later" or whatever. It's "putting the cart before the horse"! It's just not the way DVD's are made. It's better to have it compiled properly through authoring software for the fewest anomalies.

As for your problem, I have not done extensive work with DVD-Lab but if you say that, no matter what, it always puts things into one VTS, then each of the clips you are working with are simply PGC's (Program Chains) within that title set. There is a lot of information on this at my website and at Doom9.org. If you've created a DVD like this and want to pull out the programs (PGC's) seperately, you CAN do this. It's done the same way as a retail DVD backup. Download DVD Decrypter and select your extraction to be done by PGC and you will be given the elementals for each program.

[snoopy]

Originally posted by TRILIGHT
Download DVD Decrypter
Excellent!

I downloaded it and it appears to give me the correct information.

I have two programs on the DVD in question. 1) Men of Honor 2) Shrek. However, with this DVD like many I have, I cannot determine right off the bat, which Program to select in DVD Decrypter. As one might reasonably expect, they are not listed by the title there. To make things worse, it gives you an option to select and decrypt the primary PGC. Out of the two listed there, what the heck does it consider primary?... The first one in the list, I think? Not so. When i select what it considers primary, it does not select the first one (as one might expect), but the second. Needless to say, this is a little confusing. If ALL i want to do is extract the correct program from the file set and perhaps end up with not another fileset, but a single VOB for the program I want to extract, is there a less painfull way to do it?

[TRILIGHT]

This sounds less like a TiVo DVDR you made that you are wanting to extract something from and more like a DVD backup problem, Snoopy. There is a LOT more involved if you are doing a DVD backup and that's not really what we're covering on this particular thread. I have everything you need to know listed in the guides on my site and there is also tons of info on the Doom9.org site for making DVD backups.

Obviously, there is no decryption on a TiVo DVDR that you made in DVD-Lab. I just told you to use DVD Decrypter because it allows for extraction of your programs by PGC which is what it sounded like you were saying you couldn't do.

[snoopy]

Originally posted by TRILIGHT
There is a LOT more involved if you are doing a DVD backup and that's not really what we're covering on this particular thread. ...I just told you to use DVD Decrypter because it allows for extraction of your programs by PGC which is what it sounded like you were saying you couldn't do.

You are correct sir. It seems I got off topic. Discussion moved (http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27376)

[Toddler]

Originally posted by aliu
Toddler,

Great thread. Do you have any experience with the dreaded 11111 -> Chunk contains neither audio nor video data. Stop here...?

I have a large 720x480 TY file that TyTools doesn't like (many 11111 errors). I'm seeing what is probably similar when I try to use TyStudio and your script on it:

demux: Chunk Chunk: Warning!! chunk 7625 No video records - assume it's not okay - skipping
demux: Chunk Chunk: Warning!! chunk 8783 No video records - assume it's not okay - skipping

etc.

This looks like the same thing to me. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions? I don't see the problem when the bitrate is lower, but when I get up to 9M I see it. They occur when the TiVo can't write fast enough to the hard drive and it just flushes everything in a panic. Josh's next release of TyTool fixes it...I helped him test it and it indeed resolves the 11111 errors.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by aliu
One more question. As part of your process, do you run the MPEG-VCR MPEG GOP fixer? If so, when? -- after TyStudio, before editing? Does it matter? It doesn't matter. MPEG2VCR is going to write out a new MPEG file that is standard and properly compliant, so not fixing is needed.

[Toddler]

Just to pull things back on track, please let's not turn this into a thread about DVD Lab or anything beyond the process I follow. If you've got a great process or questions about another process, put it in another thread so that the focus is maintained. Thanks.

[aliu]

I tried your process, and I like it. The MPEG files out of TyStudio are definitely different, and possibly better, at least as far as MPEG-VCR is concerned. Running the MPEG GOP Fixer finds no class (1) or class (2) problems (but plenty of class (3), but that's the Tivo's doing).

The sound quality is certainly as good, and possibly better -- I'm willing to trust your judgment on that.

The only problem I'm having is that the sync is off for me. Not by much, but definitely off -- maybe 100 to 400 ms (a guess), definitely noticeable, especially with things like a door closing.

For me, this is a showstopper.

[TRILIGHT]

Originally posted by Toddler
It doesn't matter. MPEG2VCR is going to write out a new MPEG file that is standard and properly compliant, so not fixing is needed.

I'm going to have to disagree on this one, Toddler. It will only write out a new compliant file if you A) run the GOP fixer and tell it to fix the GOP errors or B) have it re-encode the video.

If you're just editing and exporting like I do, it will still be non-compliant. I do not run any GOP fixing or re-encode of my video I edit. As such, my resulting video is flawless quality just as it was sent from DirecTV. It's also just as non-compliant as it was before.

[bato]

Originally posted by aliu
The only problem I'm having is that the sync is off for me. Not by much, but definitely off -- maybe 100 to 400 ms (a guess), definitely noticeable, especially with things like a door closing.

For me, this is a showstopper.
Are you using the latest tystudio (non beta)? some reports about some betas was this little sync problem.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by TRILIGHT
I'm going to have to disagree on this one, Toddler. It will only write out a new compliant file if you A) run the GOP fixer and tell it to fix the GOP errors or B) have it re-encode the video.

If you're just editing and exporting like I do, it will still be non-compliant. I do not run any GOP fixing or re-encode of my video I edit. As such, my resulting video is flawless quality just as it was sent from DirecTV. It's also just as non-compliant as it was before. As is stated in the beginning of the thread, the process assumes that you are using a SA TiVo, not DirecTiVo. So I can't address the DirecTV issue. All I can tell you is if you take a file with GOP errors as output by TyTool, and open it for editing in MPEG2VCR and then save it again, the resulting new file has no GOP errors. Test it for yourself.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by aliu
I tried your process, and I like it. The MPEG files out of TyStudio are definitely different, and possibly better, at least as far as MPEG-VCR is concerned. Running the MPEG GOP Fixer finds no class (1) or class (2) problems (but plenty of class (3), but that's the Tivo's doing).

The sound quality is certainly as good, and possibly better -- I'm willing to trust your judgment on that.

The only problem I'm having is that the sync is off for me. Not by much, but definitely off -- maybe 100 to 400 ms (a guess), definitely noticeable, especially with things like a door closing.

For me, this is a showstopper. I don't blame you. But I also don't get any sync issues with this process, so I don't really know why you are getting them.

[Davandron]

Toddler, All,

Sorry if this is a silly question but I'm a little lost

Last month I setup the resolutions and bitrates the same as you suggested. This week when I got my DVD-R drive I started pulling files; but they are in 480x480!

The only thing I can think of; do I have to run TivoWeb all the time to get the new resolutions?? (I was told/read it was unstable).

Thanks!
-Andrew

[Davandron]

AH HA!

OK so this is kinda stupid but I never hit "Update Resources" !!!!

I didnt think it was a link, just text saying what the screen did.

Thanks to TicToc in this thread (http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5613) here on DealDatabase

Wanna know something weird; it took a search in google to find that thread. Whenever i searched here, i specificed the extraction group.

[Hi8]

Not really part of this thread/topic... but as good as any.

I've noticed from the beginning of burning DVD-R(W) from TiVo streams.. that all my discs seem to have a breakup or black horizontal line streaking through the text of the opening credits. I should qualify this by saying I'm sure it appears in all text, most obvious in the White on a dark background.

anyone else seen this? not really a big deal, but it is noticable.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by Hi8
Not really part of this thread/topic... but as good as any.

I've noticed from the beginning of burning DVD-R(W) from TiVo streams.. that all my discs seem to have a breakup or black horizontal line streaking through the text of the opening credits. I should qualify this by saying I'm sure it appears in all text, most obvious in the White on a dark background.

anyone else seen this? not really a big deal, but it is noticable. Never seen it.

[rung]

Originally posted by Hi8
Not really part of this thread/topic... but as good as any.

I've noticed from the beginning of burning DVD-R(W) from TiVo streams.. that all my discs seem to have a breakup or black horizontal line streaking through the text of the opening credits. I should qualify this by saying I'm sure it appears in all text, most obvious in the White on a dark background.

anyone else seen this? not really a big deal, but it is noticable.

I've been seeing this effect on the original broadcasts more and more lately! It's been really bugging me. Some stations are worse than others (Comedy Channel is really bad, for example). I thought it was just me or my cable company, by my friend who lives in another state had the same problem.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by rung
I've been seeing this effect on the original broadcasts more and more lately! It's been really bugging me. Some stations are worse than others (Comedy Channel is really bad, for example). I thought it was just me or my cable company, by my friend who lives in another state had the same problem. I archive Comedy Central shows to DVD all the time and I have yet to experience what you're talking about.

[rung]

Originally posted by Toddler
I archive Comedy Central shows to DVD all the time and I have yet to experience what you're talking about.

I'm taking about analog broadcasts on the cable system. Are you using Direct-TV?

[Toddler]

Originally posted by rung
I'm taking about analog broadcasts on the cable system. Are you using Direct-TV? No, I've got a Series 1 Sony SVR-2000 on Comcast analog cable. I've never seen anything like what you describe.

[Hi8]

Originally posted by Toddler
No, I've got a Series 1 Sony SVR-2000 on Comcast analog cable. I've never seen anything like what you describe.

this is from my SAT T60 - It is an example of the problem. I've had to go through several discs to fid it, as it doesn't appear all of the time. I cropped the image to conserve space.

broken credit text (http://www.mpython.com/graphics/credit_breakup.jpg)

[rung]

Originally posted by Toddler
No, I've got a Series 1 Sony SVR-2000 on Comcast analog cable. I've never seen anything like what you describe.

This is what I am seeing.

[Toddler]

Strange. Maybe someone can help you better if you start another thread.

[bato]

Sorry to continue with the OT discussion, but what I see in rung's zip file is what I used to call "channel noise", and this was very common back before today's sat tv (you remember BUD?).

Very common in analog signals and contrasting colors (white/black, red/green), back then you can even hear a "noise" in your TV with this type of pictures.

Maybe that's not it, but you said is very common in a particular channel, so I think that may be it, sometimes you don't see it in every TV set (or as bad).

[marcopag]

I've done carefully all the bitrate changes, reboot, rechecked the values, both for bitrates and altbitrates. I recorded 4 pieces, one for each quality (Best, high, medium, basic) and, when I checked the mpeg using a tool like mpegprop.exe, I still see the standard resolutions:
best = 544x480 as if it was 4, 5.800 Mb/s instead of 720x480 (I put 0)
high = 480x480, 3.500 Mb/s
medium = 352x480, 2600 Mb/s
basic = 352x480, 1.470 Mb/s

I have done the settings recommended by Toddler.

Unless mpegprop.exe is wrong, but I doubt because it was giving the same values before I changed the bitrates.

Can anybody help? Thanks!

[marcopag]

Found the problem: I did not click "Update Resource" link. And it doesn't matter that you see all the new values after a reboot: you need to click the update link and reboot.

I will add that Mpegpro.exe works fine (although it always gives an error in the audio stream).

[Toddler]

Check the first post in the thread for the latest process information. All references to TyStudio in this thread can now be disregarded as the "Patch Audio Holes" function in TyTool seems to resolve the audio sync issues using third-party editing tools.

[uktivo]

thanks toddler, i just read this entire thread and realised that I been seriously missing a lot of info.... I will be trying your method at the earliest convenience! :D

[uktivo]

Toddler can I ask a quick question.... When I pull the files from Tytool I transcode the audio to 48 @ 160 Do I still need to do this with your method?

Thanks

[bato]

uktivo, I'm not Toddler but maybe I can help. Audio for a DVD must be 48k, if you are using a SA tivo (like the ones in UK) then you need to convert to 48 so your DVD will be more compatible. Many players can display 480x480 or 544x480 video but few can play 32k audio in a DVD format, some even try to play de audio but you will hear the audio going too fast.

[Toddler]

Originally posted by uktivo
Toddler can I ask a quick question.... When I pull the files from Tytool I transcode the audio to 48 @ 160 Do I still need to do this with your method?

Thanks Regarding whether or not to transcode:

There are a handful of DVD players which can play nonstandard sampling rates, but the majority of players won't, and certainly most name brand players won't. The classic symptom is playback at the wrong speed. Most DVD players assume that the audio is at 48k per the DVD spec, and so they use the audio track as a clock reference. If you don't transcode and leave the audio at 32k, the player will play it at 48k (sounds like a chipmunk) and will lock the video to the audio, which makes your playback 1.5x normal speed (32x1.5=48). Every week or two, someone new posts that they've just made their first DVD with TyTool, but the playback is at the wrong speed. Now the next time you see that question asked, you know the answer.

Now even if you happen to own a player that can handle DVDs with 32k audio just fine, what if you want to loan that disc to a friend, or take it to someone's house? What if your player breaks, and the new one you want to buy now doesn't work with your DVD collection? Or what if, like me, you buy an SUV or minivan with a factory DVD unit for the kids? There's no built-in DVD player that will support 32k audio. How would you like discovering that little tidbit after you've been building a personal DVD collection over several months or years?

If you care about compatibility with whatever DVD players you and your friends might own, either now or in the future, you should transcode the audio. In my opinion, it's worth the time to do it right.

Now, regarding the best way to transcode:

I transcode my audio to 48 @ 192 and I use MPEG2VCR to do it. MPEG2VCR's transcoded audio output sounds just as good as the original to me. And since I'm doing my edits in MPEG2VCR already, it's just as easy to do the transcoding there, too. If for some reason you prefer, you can transcode in TyTool. I personally hear severe artifacts in the audio using TyTool to transcode (actually, TyTool uses a module written by someone else, not by the author of TyTool). But I am a professional audio engineer with a great listening setup. If you don't care or don't hear it, use TyTool. It won't make any difference as far as compatibility goes. The only difference will be in what you hear.

[uktivo]

thanks bato and thanks toddler for the detailed reply. I allready undertstood the importance and reasons behind transcoding. The question was specifically aimed at wether or not to do it in tytool (i want to get it right first time). You answered my question perfectly, I will try it in MPEG2VCR. :D

[uktivo]

toddler can you explain how to transcode the audio in MPEG2VCR

I have managed to make the cuts but have now hit a dead end.

Thanks

[Toddler]

When you have a video clip open, hit the save button. Then hit the audio button and change the audio sample rate from 32kHz to 48kHz. Save the file and that's it.

[kevin79]

I've read through this entire thread and decided to try use MPEG2VCP instead of TyTools for everything. I've made my cuts and hit save to save my file. When I do this, it says the new file will be 2.5 gigs and it looks like it will take almost 2 hrs to do. I'm working with a 30minute TV show and this seems ridiculous. What am I supposed to do after I make my cuts?

[Toddler]

You must be changing the video and MPEG2VCR is reencoding it. Don't change the video settings at all, only change the audio. Bottom line is you're not doing it right. Your file size should never grow if you do it correctly.

[bato]

Just to add to Toddler's comment, mpeg2vcr will say that will write a very large file, like 3x-5x the actual size but if you change nothing in video options it will do it very fast (not reencoding) and the size will be right (original less cuts).

[kevin79]

Thanks for the info. Now I have another question. I'm using Ulead DVD MoveFactory to make the menu's and burn the dvd. I have roughly 1 1/2 hours of content on the dvd that I want to make. So far, Ulead has been "converting videos" for 3 hrs 45 minutes and is only 32% of the way done. Is this normal, should it take this long to encode the video?

For reference, I am doing this on a Dell Latitude notebook with a 1.4 gig Intel Centrino processor, 512 mb RAM, 40 gig HDD with 10 gig free and a Sony DVD+-R/RW attached via USB2.

Thanks.

[bato]

kevin79, nope, ulead is re-encoding your video. To use moviefactory you need to patch the headers to 352x480@3.5Mbit (IIRC). Look for a thread from Pr.Sinister about using moviefactory with Dtivo files. All this is because we don't want to re-encode and our players can handle 480x480 resolution.

[kevin79]

kevin79, nope, ulead is re-encoding your video. To use moviefactory you need to patch the headers to 352x480@3.5Mbit (IIRC). Look for a thread from Pr.Sinister about using moviefactory with Dtivo files. All this is because we don't want to re-encode and our players can handle 480x480 resolution.

Is this the thread you was talking about? http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21728

If it is, how do I do it with the tools included in this thread?

[Toddler]

Is this the thread you was talking about? http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21728

If it is, how do I do it with the tools included in this thread?After you've edited and transcoded audio in MPEG2VCR, then just go to step 8 of that thread and follow those instructions from there on out.

Please post any questions you have about the patching process in that thread.

[bato]

kevin79, sometimes I forget where I'm at. This thread is for Tivo to DVD, the other is for Dtivo to DVD.

Toddler doesn't patch the video because he has a Tivo with a DVD resolution recording mode (720x480 and/or 352x480), so only the audio need to be changed from 32Khz to 48Khz.

I have to read again your posts, I don't know if you have a Tivo or Dtivo unit, and if you have a Tivo if you are recording at 720x480 or 352x480. Any other resolution need patching to make it work with some tools (DVDlab can handle odd resolutions without patching).

[kevin79]

Bato, I have a DTivo. So I guess the ohter thread is the one that I should follow. Can I still use mpeg2vrc to edit out the commercials? Also, is there any way to change the resolution that a DTivo records at?

[bato]

kevin79, there is no way to change Dtivo's resolutions, you record what they send, mostly at 480x480. Yes, you can use mpeg2vcr to edit your recordings. The only difference IIRC from what Toddler posted here is that you need to patch the header with DVDpatcher, create your DVD and before burning patch back to the original resolution, then test in your player, most players can handle 480x480.

[uktivo]

Toddler

I have been so busy making DVD's that I have forgot my manners. Your process works perfectly for me. I just wanted to say a huge thanks! It's incredible how something like this alters your life. Keep up the amazing work! :D