This guide describes a perfect DivX -> VCD conversion. Including audio extraction to keep the audio synched when converting usually caused by Variable Audio Bitrate, splitting and burning. For this guide I used the movie "Ghost in the Shell" which I ripped to a 600mb big DivX file and it is about 80 minutes long.


Guide

Tools required: Latest VirtualDub, TMPGEnc and VCDEasy



Preparing:

  1. Download all tools, be sure to extract all files in the zip files.

  2. Be sure to install both DivX 3.11, DivX 4 and latest DivX 5. You may need to install other video and audio codecs also, read here how to identify what codecs you need.

Audio-extracting:

  1. Start Virtualdub. Open your video File->Open video file.(if you get any warnings just ignore them because you won't edit the video just extract the audio)
    Select File->File Information and note the fps as the video source fps because you will need it later. 29,970 fps is the video source fps(frames/s) in this case.




  2. Select under Audio->Full processing mode.
    Select Audio->Compression and select <No compression (PCM)>




  3. Select Audio->Conversion.
    Change the the Sampling rate to 44100Hz if you are going to make VCD or SVCD MPEGs.




  4. Save the wav by clicking on File->Save WAV...the wav will be a huge audio uncompressed video file(about 10 MB/minute so for this 80 min movie a 800 MB wav file).





Encoding:

  1. Start TMPEnc. Press cancel if the Project Wizard comes.
    Press Browse… and select the DivX file (in this case Ghost in the shell.avi) as Video source input.
    Now you press the Browse button for choosing the Audio source input and use the saved wav file.

    If you receive anyr errors when opening the video read here.




  2. Press load and load the file which in the Template directory of TMPGenc.
    If the video source fps is 29,970 load VideoCD (NTSC).mcf
    If the video source fps is 23,970 load VideoCD (NTSCFilm).mcf
    If the video source fps is 25,000 load VideoCD (PAL).mcf
    If the video source fps is anything else else just load NTSC if you live in US or Japan and PAL if you live anywhere else.

    Note if you live in US or Japan and get problem playing PAL, often causing black and white TV playback problems, then first check if you can change to PAL on your TV or DVD Player if not then instead convert it to NTSC by loading the VideoCD(NTSC) template.

    Note if you live Europe and the rest of the world and get problem playing NTSC or NTSCFilm, often causing black and white TV playback problems, then first check if you can change to PAL on your TV or DVD Player if not convert it to PAL by loading the VideoCD(Pal) template.




  3. Press Settings and choose Advanced.
    Select Full screen (keep aspect ratio) under Video arrange method to keep the same aspect ratio(widescreen,fullscreen) as the video source(if you have a widescreen movie and you want it to be in fullscreen select No margin(keep aspect ratio).
    Select Source range and double-click on it with the mouse.




  4. In the next dialog you can choose the source range. This process depends on the DivX file. If the DivX file is less than 80min (for a 80min/700mb CDR) then you do not have to split the file to two CDs. Also if the DivX file is already in two parts you have just to convert the first file and then the second. But if there should be the case that the movie is in one file over 80minutes long then it is necessary to select the source range. In this new dialog you put the horizontal scrollbar to the middle of the selection so that you will get the same length on the first CD as on the second. After you selected the middle do you have press Set end frame. A new value should be under End Frame. This value you should notice somewhere for the encoding of the second part. Of course the start frame must be 0.




  5. After pressing ok, you only have to select the output file name. I prefer the movie name with the CD number (e.g. Ghost in the Shell CD1) for the burning.
    Now encode the file by pressing the Start-Button.
    While encoding you can select File->Preview(it won't effect the encoding) to see how the output will be, it it looks wrong(widescreen or fullscreen) you can stop the encoding and start over and change especially the Settings->Advanced->Video arange method.)
    If you only want to burn the movie on one CD jump to the burning guide else follow the next points.

  6. Repeat the third, forth and fifth point. In the source range dialog you now use as Start frame the noticed value and move with the horizontal scrollbar to the end of the movie.
    After pressing Set end frame, press two times OK.

  7. Now select the output filename for the second file. (e.g. Ghost in the Shell CD2) and encode it.
    After the encoding is done and you did all right, you should have for every CD a file.

Burning:

  1. Install VCDEasy and launch it.
  2. First we need to configure to burning. Select Settings and select CDRDAO Integration and now you have to restart VCDEasy.




  3. Select VideoCD type VCD 2.0 if making VCD.
    Select your CD Writer (if not in the list read the problems section here)
    Name of the CD Volume Label.
    Select Browse to choose where to make the temporarily output you need about 800 MB free harddrive space.
    Add the first encoded file (In this case Ghost in the Shell CD1.mpg)
    Hit Go for burning.




  4. Repeat this and burn the second file (Ghost in the Shell CD2.mpg).

Done.



Problems:
If you have problem open ASF or WMV be sure to use Virtualdub 1.3c because newer versions don't support ASF/WMV

If you have problems extracting the audio using Virtualdub try extract it using AVI2WAV instead.

If you get problem burning with VCDEasy read this or else you could burn with Nero.

If you have problems with Tmpgenc read here

In the very unrealistic case that in one DivX file is more than 160 minutes of video, you of course have to split the file into three parts. For this you of course use 1/3 of the length as end frame.