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Introduction
As
you probably know, DVDs are encoded in an MPEG-2 format and
encased in a file called a VOB (Video Object) file. This guide
briefly introduces some techniques to convert these very large
VOB files to a format less space consuming, like MPEG or AVI,
using the many software and techniques available.
Note,
this guide is fairly advanced and is purely optional for those
who seek to explorer more into the world of digital video
editing and conversion.
VOB
TO MPEG-1
MPEG-1(.mpg,
.dat) is the predecessor to MPEG-2 used for DVD. MPG files
are a lower quality/bitrate format usually at half of the
resolution of DVD VOB files. They encompass CD quality 2 channel
audio, as opposed to the 5.1 channels found in some VOB files.
Quality depends on the encoder used, and can be quite good
if done properly.
Some
useful statistics:
-
Format : .mpg
- Resolution
: PAL - 352x288 ; NTSC -352,240
-
Bitrate : 650 MB stores around 50-60 minutes
-
Quality : VIDEO - Similar to VHS ; AUDIO - CD Quality (44kHz,
stereo)
-
Encoding time : 1-2 frames per second on a PII-350
CONVERSION
PROCESS
Refer
to some of this guides for more information:
- Simple
Guide to Convert your DVD to VCD
- Making
the Perfect VCD
- Flask-MPEG
- DVD2MPG
BURNING
TO CDR
You'll
need a suitable VCD burning software like Nero-Burning Rom
or WinOnCD and for the MPEG file to be a perfect MPEG-1 system
file - to do this, you should have converted using the Making
the Perfect VCD guide above.
HOW
TO PLAYBACK MPEG-1/VCD
Most
software DVD players can playback these files, as well as
newer versions of the Microsoft Media Player.
VOB
TO MPEG-4/MP3 (DivX)
MPEG-4/MP3
is a new standard of AVI that is both high quality and low
bitrate. They are usually only a fraction (around 15%) of
the size of a standard VOB file, even at 640x480 resolutions,
making them the best format to backup your DVDs.
They
only take half the time to encode, but also smaller in size
than MPEG-1. This format works on the DivX (MPEG-4) and MP3
codecs and so can only be played back on Windows systems with
the Windows Media Player. Quality is extremely good.
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