The Official AVS Guide to HD DVD
Authoring
This guide will take you through the creation of your own HD DVDs
step by step. This process uses regular DVD recordables (and double
layer DVD recordables) to create HD DVD discs that will play on a
standard HD DVD player (such as the Toshiba A1 or XA1). At present,
high definition MPEG2 files at resolutions of 1920x1080i,
1440x1080i (HDV) and 1280x1080i work without additional conversion
within the software. 1088i and 720p are now supported with the
addition of HDPatch, a simple but powerful utility by texmex. See
below for specific instructions if your files are 720p or 1088i
(i.e. DirecTV).
Special Warnings:
1. Recording double/dual layer DVD media has proven less consistent
than recording single layer DVDs. You may find it difficult to
achieve successful burns with double layer media using certain
combinations of burners and media.
2. DircecTV users will need to convert their video from 1088i to
1080i for this process to work. See the notes below on using
texmex's HDPatch conversion utility. Download the attached file
below.
3. HDTV files in 720p format also will need to be processed with
texmex's HDPatch utility, if you are using a version of Ulead Movie
Factory 5 before version 5.3.0.0. Versions after this appear to
have full support for 720p60 built in. (Thanks Leonowski.) HDV
720p30 files, however, still need to be patched. (Thanks
d-v-c.)
4. Reports are that Nero Burning ROM 7 is less problematic in
creating discs than earlier versions. Some people report failures
with version 6.
For additional information and all the original posts, go to the
AVS Forum thread started by Aaron.s:
Original AVS Forum HD DVD Creation
Thread
Please make all new posts to this
thread.
Hardware requirements:
1. A device that allows MPEG2 captures to a computer. This may
include: HDV camcorders; D-VHS recorders (with unprotected
content); OTA receivers with FireWire output; OTA computer capture
cards such as MyHD or Fusion; FireWire devices such as 169Time;
and, USB2 devices such as the Nextcom R5000 (for HD receivers from
Dish Network, DirecTV and some cable TV companies).
2. Any more recent computer (Intel or AMD based systems) with a DVD
burner and sufficient hard drive space.
Software requirements (alternate software is listed
below):
1. VideoRedo (version 2.2.1.491).
VideoRedo
2. Ulead Movie Factory 5.
Ulead Movie Factory 5
3. Nero Burning ROM (versions 6 and 7 work, although some people
report problems creating discs with version 6).
Nero Burning ROM 7
Basic Steps for Creating HD DVDs:
1. Capture a high definition MPEG2 video to your computer.
2. Convert the video file from .ts, .tp or .m2t transport stream
format to program stream format (mpg) using VideoRedo.
3. Create an HD DVD folder on your computer using Ulead Movie
Factory 5.
4. Burn the HD DVD disc using Nero Burning ROM.
Detailed Steps for Creating HD DVDs:
1. Capture a high definition MPEG2 video clip using an
appropriate device. See Hardware Requirements above for a
partial list of devices. It is beyond the scope of this guide to
include specific instructions for capture. Several other threads
exist on the AVS Forum that cover this process.
2. Convert the MPEG2 transport stream file (usually with a .ts,
.tp or .m2t file extension) to MPEG2 program stream (with an .mpg
extension) with VideoRedo:
Special Note:
As of this writing
(late October, 2006), version 2.2.1.491 is a beta release. You must
follow the instructions below to access the special feature that
allows VideoRedo to work seamlessly with Movie Factory 5. Future
full releases should have this feature available without having to
hold the shift key.
a. Start VideoRedo. Select File>Open Video… . In the browser,
select the movie you’ve captured. (Tip: if you have multiple files
that need to be added as a whole, lasso select the files and choose
"Combine," not "Join," from the dialog that follows; the file
segments will be combined into one large MPEG.)
b. In the main menu, select Tools>Options. Hold down the shift
key as you click on "Options." This will bring up one additional
selection - "Add GOP Timecode to all GOPs... .") Click on this and
change the value to "True."
c. Use the play and navigation buttons to find the start of a
section of the video you want to delete. Click “Set Start.” Find
the end of the section you want to delete and click “Set End.”
Click “Cut selection.” (It will turn red.)
d. Repeat this process for all the sections you want to delete.
(Tip: use the arrow keys and your mouse’s scroll wheel to move
quickly through the video. A full set of keyboard shortcuts can be
accessed from the main menu's "Help" item.)
e. Select File>Save Video As… . Select a folder on the hard
drive to save the video. By “Save as type:” select “MPEG Program
Streams (.mpg .mpeg).”
Special Note:
If after using
VideoRedo to convert your file, Movie Factory 5 still insists on
re-encoding your video, try processing the file with HDPatch (see
below). Another use for HDPatch is to replace false bitrate values.
Files improperly marked with high bitrate numbers may force Movie
Factory 5 to re-encode the video to make the files compatible. See
the notes on HDPatch below for a technique to replace false high
bitrate numbers with more accurate ones.
IMPORTANT NOTE for using this technique with 1088i and 720p
videos:
If the file you are using is 1088i (DirecTV) or 720p, see below to
patch your video so that it can be used with Movie Factory 5. If
you don't follow the instructions below, you may be able to create
an HD DVD folder, but the process will take much longer and the
resulting video will be degraded dramatically from the original. In
the worst case scenario, Movie Factory 5 will reject the file as
incompatible.
3. Create the HD DVD folder on your computer with Ulead Movie
Factory 5.
a. Start Ulead Movie Factory 5 (and wait, it loads slowly). Select
“New Project.”
b. Under “Create a Video Disc” select “HD DVD.” Click “OK.”
c. In the upper right, select the movie film icon with the + sign
(second icon from the left). In the browser, select the video file
you just converted. The file should load in quickly. Long delays in
file loading are being investigated. See some possible solutions in
the frequently asked questions section below.
Tip: avoid
trimming the video at this stage of the process. Trimming here may
result in video re-encoding. It's better to do all editing in
VideoRedo, prior to importing your file into Movie Factory
5.
d. Deselect the button on the left marked “Create menu.” (Leaving
this button on will allow you to create custom menus for your
project, but they will slow the process. For many projects, menus
will be unnecessary. This also allows you to check more easily that
your project is processing without re-encoding.)
e. Click on “Add/Edit Chapter…”
f. Clicking “Auto Add Chapters…” brings up a box in which you may
have the program add chapters at fixed intervals in minutes.
Playing and moving the play button for the movie allows you to use
the “Add chapter” selection manually. (Chapters allow you to
navigate quickly through the video on your HD DVD player.) When
you've added all the chapters you want, click “OK.”
g. Click “Next” and use this screen to check playback and chapter
stops in your program. When you're satisfied with playback, click
“Next” again.
h. Click on the “Project Settings” button in the lower left of the
screen. Make sure the box labeled “Do not convert compliant MPEG
files” is checked and click “OK.”
i. Click the box labeled “Create HD DVD folders.” Click on the
folder icon at the end of this option to select the folder where
you wish to create the HD DVD folder. (You may create such a folder
in the browser at this point, if you do not have one
prepared.)
j. Click the “Burn” icon in the lower right. If things have gone
well, you should see “Total progress: Prepare output content…” and
“Detailed progress: Video/Audio multiplexing…” appear with blue
progress bars almost immediately. If you see the message “Convert
title…” you are in for a long wait and your video may not be
compatible. Time to check the settings. and refer to Frequently
asked questions bwlow.
k. When the process completes, click “OK.” Your HD DVD folder is
ready to burn.
4. Burn your HD DVD folder to a DVD recordable using Nero
Burning ROM.
Technique 1 - preferred (works with Nero version 7):
(Contributed by pteittinen.)
a. Launch Nero Burning ROM and select "DVD-ROM (UDF)" on the left
side of the screen (you may need to scroll down).
b. Under the "Multisession" tab, select the "No Multisession" radio
button.
b. Click on the "UDF" tab.
c. In the "Options" pull-down (or the checkbox under "Advanced,"
depending on your version of Nero), select "Enable Xbox (TM)
compatibility mode."
d. Disregard any warnings and continue.
e. Click "New."
f. Drop the HVDVD_TS folder you just created into the root
directory of the compilation (column on the far left).
g. Burn the disc by clicking on the Disc/Lit Match icon at the
top.
Technique 2 (works with Nero 6 and 7):
a. Start Notepad or any word processor that allows you to create a
.txt file. Leave the document blank (don’t type in anything).
Select File>Save and save the blank document as text (.txt
format) in a handy place on your hard drive – call it VIDEO_TS.VOB
(.txt will be added automatically). Open Windows Explorer and find
your new text file. Right click on it and go to rename. Delete the
.txt from the end. Ignore the Windows warning and click “Yes.” Your
file should now appear as VIDEO_TS.VOB.
Special note: if you
can't see the .txt extension in Windows Explorer, it probably means
you have your computer set to hide file extensions. Open Explorer
and select from the menu Tools>Folder Options... . Select the
"View" tab. Find the box for "Hide extensions for known file
types." and deselect it. Click "OK." You should now be able to see
the .txt extension.
b. Start Nero Burning ROM and select the Nero Burning ROM
application.
c. In the left column, select DVD Video and click “New.”
d. In the right column, select the drive where the new VIDEO_TS.VOB
file is located. Drag that file onto (on top of, not above it) the
VIDEO_TS folder in the leftmost column. (Make sure it’s in the
VIDEO_TS folder, not in the root directory.)
e. Go back to the rightmost column and find the HD DVD folder you
created in Ulead Movie Factory 5. Drag that folder into the
leftmost column. Make sure NOT to put it into the VIDEO_TS folder.
This folder must reside in the root directory.
f. Load in a recordable DVD (single or double layer, depending on
the size of your project). Make sure your DVD burner is selected in
Nero (click the “Choose a recorder” button).
g. Click the Disc/Lit Match icon to burn the current compilation.
Ignore any warning messages the system displays by clicking
“OK.”
Try your new HD DVD in your HD DVD player.
Alternate software:
(Note that some have experienced problems with Womble MPEG2VCR,
VideoRedo and HDTVtoMPEG2. HDTVtoMPEG2 is freeware, but has known
problems creating compliant MPEG streams with this process. Womble
and VideoRedo cost $50 each. Use the trial versions with this
process and your system before you buy.)
A variety of other software packages may be used to edit transport
stream video files and convert them to MPEG2 program stream. If you
have a program that will convert .ts to .mpg, try it. If you have
substantial success, please post your results here.
You can find Womble MPEG2VCR here:
MPEG2VCR frame accurate transport stream (.ts) to
program stream editing software
Using Womble MPEG2VCR (version 3.14) to convert transport stream
video files to MPEG2 program stream format:
1. For videos consisting of one large .ts file, select File>Open
MPEG Movie and Editor Project… . Select your video file from the
browser.
2. For videos consisting of multiple files, hit F6. In the “Clip”
box, select the “…” button to bring up a browser window. Select all
the ts files that make up your video (either lasso or select/shift
select all the files you want to include). Hit “OK.”
3. Edit out the sections of the video you don’t want included. Find
the beginning of a section (such as a commercial) you want to
exclude and hit the “I” key (for in). Find the end of that section
and hit the “O” key (for out). Hit the “X” key (for cut). Repeat
until you’ve gotten rid of all the material you don’t want.
4. At the bottom of the MPEG2VCR Clip List window, there are two
rows of buttons. Select the button on the second row, third from
the right (the icon with a red top). In the box labeled “MPEG
Format” select the third radio button from the bottom, labeled
“MPEG-2 Program Stream.” In the box labeled “File Name” select the
“…” button. In the browser, select where you want to save the new
program stream file and type in a name for it. Click “Save.” Click
“Save” again and MPEG2VCR will convert and save the file for
you.
Using Movie Factory 5 with 720p and 1088i
files (a file patch utility by texmex):
Do not be put off by the length of the following instructions. Once
you've done this once, it shouldn't add more than about 30 seconds
to a minute of additional time to the process of creating HD DVDs.
This utility is extremely easy to use. As with the process in
general, problems have been reported with some files.
For HDPatch to run, you will need to install the Microsoft .Net
Framework 2.0. It can be found here:
Microsoft .Net Framework
2.0.
Download and install the software. You may have to restart your
computer when the install completes. Failure to install the
Microsoft .Net Framework will result in an error message when you
attempt to run HDPatch.
The latest version of HDPatch can be found in the file attachment
at the bottom of this post.
What Is HDPatch Used For?
HDPatch can be used, primarily, to solve two problems in the Movie
Factory 5/VideoStudio 10+ HD-DVD workflow (other uses are outlined
below):
1. 1088 files: many streams from various sources are encoded
with a vertical resolution of 1088 (i.e. 1920x1088 or 1280x1088).
MF5/VS10+ does not recognize this as a valid HD-DVD resolution and
will attempt to re-encode these streams. HDPatch will modify the
stream headers to correct the resolution, changing the 1088 to
1080. Once "patched," Movie Factory 5/VideoStudio 10+ should
process the stream without re-encoding. And don't worry - you're
not losing 8 pixels of video. Those extra 8 pixels are usually gray
filler.
To use this feature:
1. Process your .ts, .tp or .m2t file with VideoRedo to convert
transport stream to program stream.
2. Run HDPatch. Select your converted program stream video by
clicking on the "..." box at the end of the "File:" line. In the
browser, find the file you converted.
3. In the menu select Preset>Fix1088.
4. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
The patch should be virtually instantaneous. Your file is now ready
for normal processing in Movie Factory 5.
2. 720p files: Movie Factory 5 (before version 5.3.0.0) and
VideoStudio 10+ do not recognize 720p as a valid HD-DVD format.
They will attempt to re-encode 720p files during the authoring
process. In order to avoid this, you can use HDPatch to "prep" a
720p file for authoring.
To use this feature:
1. Process your .ts, .tp or .m2t file with VideoRedo to convert
transport stream to program stream.
2. Run HDPatch. Select your 720p stream by clicking on the "..."
box at the end of the "File:" line. In the browser, find your
file.
3. In the menu select Preset>>720p> Pre - patch 720p for
MF5/VS10+.
4. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
The patch should be virtually instantaneous. Complete the process
outlined above to create the HD DVD folder on the hard drive.
Before you can burn the HD DVD to disc, you
must patch the .EVO file within the folder.
1. Run HDPatch and click on the "..." box at the end of the "File:"
line. In the browser, find the first .EVO file in the HD DVD folder
you just created.
2. From the menu, select 720p>Post - Patch EVO/IFO for
burn.
3. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
The patch should be virtually instantaneous. Your HD DVD folder is
now ready for burning in Nero Burning ROM.
Patch the 720 file back to its original settings:
Once you've burned the HD DVD folder to disc, you should return the
original MPEG file to its normal settings. Failure to do so may
result in the MPEG file not playing correctly.
1. Run HDPatch. Select your 720p stream by clicking on the "..."
box at the end of the "File:" line. In the browser, find the
original MPEG file.
2. In the menu select Preset>720p>Post - Revert MPEG source
to 720p.
3. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
Your original 720p MPEG file is restored virtually instantaneously
and should play normally.
General MPEG patching:
HDPatch also can be used for general MPEG header patching. Maybe a
file is incorrectly flagged as 4:3 when it is actually 16:9.
HDPatch can be used to correct the headers in such a file.
Patching files with false bitrate information:
Sometimes video files have inaccurate bitrate information in the
header. A file with a stated bitrate of, for example, 65000000 may
force a video re-encode in Movie Factory 5. Changing the header
information to a realistic number (20000000) often prevents a
re-encode. If after normal VideoRedo conversion, Movie Factory 5
insists on re-encoding, try the following:
1. Run HDPatch. Select your MPEG file by clicking on the "..." box
at the end of the "File:" line. In the browser, find the
file.
2. In the dialog, click in the "Bitrate:" box. Change the
excessively high number to one that no OTA or satellite HD signal
is likely to exceed (i.e. 20000000).
3. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
The patch should be virtually instantaneous. Try using your file
again in Movie Factory 5. If all has gone well, it will be accepted
without re-encoding.
Frequently Asked Questions/Helpful
Suggestions:
Q. The video on my HD DVD player pauses or video freezes up
several times during playback and then continues. What can I do to
prevent it?
(Contributed by KoolKiwi)
A. Since the HD-A1 correctly interprets MPEG timestamps, any
timestamp gaps will result in an apparent freeze (actually a pause)
in playback. This can be caused by software editing programs that
do not correct timestamp gaps during editing (such as when you edit
commercials out of a .ts file with HDTVtoMPEG2).
To avoid this, run the original .ts file through Mpeg2Repair (log
only) to check for any timestamp gaps. MPEG2Repair can be found at
the bottom of this guide with other helpful tools.
1. On the line labeled "Input File:" select the "..." button. Find
the transport stream file that may have timestamp problems.
2. Click the button labeled "Find PID's."
3. Check "Log Errors."
4. On the line labeled "Log File:" click the "..." button. Click
"Save." Any timestamp error notations will be saved to a text file
in the same directory as the .ts file.
5. Click the "Start" button in the upper right.
6. Check the timestamp of the file you just processed by opening
the text file in Notepad or any word processor. Look for a line
that reads something like this: "Info: 1.233011 seconds of video
timestamp gaps." If any timestamp gaps are found in the log file,
the .ts should be processed through VideoRedo's "Quickstream fix"
(with output to a new .ts), before using the normal VideoRedo
process to convert the resulting .ts to .MPG for use in Movie
Factory 5.
To use the VideoRedo "Quickstream Fix" function:
1. From the VideoRedo menu, select Tools>Quickstream Fix...
.
2. Under "Input Stream:" click the "..." box and find the stream
with the timestamp errors. If necessary, click the "Select Stream"
button and find the stream you want to fix. (This should be
necessary only if there are multiple videos within the .ts file -
i.e. if the file has video subchannels.)
3. Under "Output Stream:" click the "..." box and find the location
where you want to save the timestamp corrected video.
4. Click the "Start Quickfix" button.
When the process completes, you can run the new .ts file through
VideoRedo as usual for output as a program stream file in Movie
Factory 5.
Q. My video files load into Movie Factory 5 extremely slowly.
How can I speed up the process?
A.
[Update: Using VideoRedo's beta release
(version 2.5.2.491) seems to solve many of the slow loading issues
(as of late October, 2006). Please follow the instructions above to
speed up the loads. Until we have more reports, I'm leaving the
following notes here.]
No definitive answer is
available. Contributors are looking into this issue. Generally
speaking, slow file loads occur more often in VideoRedo than
Womble's MPEG2VCR (a trial version is available). Try using
MPEG2VCR instead. Many users have reported that MPEG2VCR loads are
virtually instantaneous, while files created with VideoRedo MAY
take a long time to load. MPEG2VCR, however, does seem more prone
to creating lip sync errors. At present, the only way to know what
your results will be is to experiment. One possible solution to lip
sync errors is to use the timestamp repair procedure outlined in
the first question above.
Here's another contribution that you may find helpful if you are
having problems with Movie Factory 5 accepting your video file as
HD DVD compliant (and it insists on re-encoding). This suggestion
comes from the_Tom, who uses a Motorola 6200 cable box.
One thing that is necessary in order for MF5 to consider the mpg
file you feed it to be "compliant" and thus be willing to skip
"converting" it, is for the file's header value for max bitrate to
be within the HD-DVD spec. One way to ensure this when using
VideoRedo is to set the bit rate to 20Mbps (20000000) in its
Save/Options dialog. Doing so may not be necessary in all
circumstances, but it should always be "safe" as long as the actual
max bitrate in the video is less than that, which it almost
certainly will be (the highest actual that I have yet seen was
around 18M).
Here's how to do this:
1. Start VideoRedo. Load and edit your transport stream file
normally, following the instructions above.
2. In the menu select File>Save Video as... .
3. Select the "Options" button in the lower left of the dialog
box.
4. Set the "Bit Rate:" drop down to "20Mbps" and click "OK."
5. Click "Save" to save your file as an MPEG program stream.
Another way of achieving much the same thing is to use HDPatch (as
outlined above - repeated here for clarity):
1. Run HDPatch. Select your MPEG file by clicking on the "..." box
at the end of the "File:" line. In the browser, find the
file.
2. In the dialog, click in the "Bitrate:" box. Change the
excessively high number to one that no OTA or satellite HD signal
is likely to exceed (i.e. 20000000).
3. Select the "Patch Stream" button at the bottom.
The patch should be virtually instantaneous. Try using your file
again in Movie Factory 5. If all has gone well, it will be accepted
without re-encoding.
To download the files below, right click and
select "Save target as... ." Just left clicking often will not
work.
No selection was clipped for this page.
Loading...
thanks for your hard work with this tutorial. It is almost shocking how helpful you guys are in getting people started in video blogging.
I recently had 2 questions; do you know of any good sound/audio editors (sound from videos), and do you know of good resources to refer to about copyright issues. I want to do some ‘research/documentary’ work and also don’t want to get into trouble with the law, thanks.
I got all of that except the choice of IMA4:1 as the audio codec. Most recommendations seem to say use AAC for iPod compatibility - did you choose a different one for any particular reason?
[…] use it compress full resolution DV files (AVI format) using the process in this tutorial: Create a QuickTime movie from Windows Movie Maker […]
[…] u have to pay. Don’t worry, Freevlog has even a video tutorial that shows you how to […]
my digital camra can make movies but they are quick.mov and i would like them to be windows. is there any way i can convert them into a windows movie.
please email me the answer at massive_98@hotmail.com
thanks
ok i wanna do the OPPOSITE from the tutuorial, by changing quictime files into window files…any ideas on how to do that????
oh yeah just send your reply AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! to playsoccer15@hotmail.com ….thanks alot!
I have 2 movies in quicktime but one kind of follows on from the other. Anyway I can link then in one file, as done in WMM with mpeg etc???
heres the deal i just got a expensive camera and all the files are quick time pro how do you change them to windows
heres my hotmail chickmagnet94@hotmail.com
I also have the smae problem as in my digi cam onli record in quicktime.I need it ti change so i can edit it in window movie maker ASAP.Can someone pls help me…..I really in a hurry to do this.THANKS
use this software:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mp4cam2avi/
it will change your .mov files to avi for editing in Windows Movie Maker. Cheers!
vnearsedfw…
lzstsuuc rotwerssle lchzrutpoo xjnpmhktqwg ineqcpsi…
Hi i just made some videos on my digi cam and they are saving in quicktime and i cant import them into windows moviemaker i havnt got quicktime pro but i have the normal quicktime cn u help me?!? thanks
my digital camra can make movies but they are quicktime.mov and i would like them to be windows so i can use the windows movie maker. do you know how to convert them into a windows movie. if so please email me the answer at achick93@yahoo.com
thanks
I kind of have a problem @_@ I bought this nice camera, i converted it to a WMM file so i can import it in. The movie ended up blank but i could still hear the sound. Apparently, there was some kind of trial period pop up but it poofed before i could read it. I tried it again– same thing happend. Any ideas -heellllppp!!!- btw, my e-mail is kara_9623@yahoo.com Thank you!
I need to know how to switch a quick.mov into a windows file please send me a email thanks