How to convert dvr-ms to divx 5 or xvid

How to convert dvr-ms to divx 5 or xvid *REVISED*

How to convert dvr-ms to divx 5 or xvid

REVISED: I revised this tut to teach you how to manually cut out the commericals and compress with any compatable codec using VirtualDub-MPEG2

Tools needed
DVRMSToolbox
VirtualDub-MPEG2

Open C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Recorded TV to view your recorded tv files

Start DVRMStoMPEGGUI application from the start menu

Enter the input file in the appropriate text box

Enter the destination file in the appropriate text box. DonÂ’t forget to give it the correct extension (mpeg).
**You can find the episode name by selecting the drv-ms file in my computer or windows explorer and reading the info in the status bar

In the profile drop down list, choose which action you want the utility to perform. I usually choose Convert DVRMS to MPEG.

Click Run. Wait for this process to complete. You will be prompted to save a copy of the log to a file.

Open VirtualDub-MPEG2.

Open the MPEG video file either by file | open video file or drag and drop the file onto the VDub GUI

It will take a few mins to parse the data.

**In VDub, F9 toggles show/hide input video stream.
**In VDub, F10 toggles show/hide output video stream.
**You can find show input//output settings by clicking options on the menubar

Only show your input video stream. it will be displayed on the left hand side.

At the bottom, there a control for the current frame of the movie. As you move this handle from left to right, the input screen will show the movie's video data. Move this handle to the beginning of your show to get ready to cut out any unwanted data preceeding your show.

Press the End Key. This will select all frames from the beginning to the current frame.
Press the Delete Key. This will delete the selected frames.

Move the time handle to the beginning of the first set of commericals.
**When your close to where the commerical begins, you should use the right or left arrow keys to move back and forth in the file. If hold alt and use the arrow keys, the cursor will move 50 frames forward or backward.
Press the Home Key. This will set a start point
Move the time handle to the end of the first set of commericals.
Press the End Key. This will set your end point and select all frames inbetween start & end.
Press the Delete Key. This will delete the selected frames.
Repeat for all commerial sets.
**After you mark the beginning of your last set, press ctrl and the right arrow key to take you to the end of the file. Press End & Delete.

Click video in the menubar.
Click Full processing mode.
Click video in the menubar.
Click Compression.
Click which codec you wish to use to encode the file.
Click Configure to change the encoding settings.

I'm using xvid at 700 kbps
here's some files i created, note the file sizes and duration


When your done fixing your video codec settings get back to the VDub GUI.

Click audio in the menubar.
Click Full processing mode.
Click audio in the menubar.
Click Compression.
I click LAME MP3 at 192Kbps
Click ok

Click video in the menubar.
Click Filters.
Click Add.
Pick Deinterlaced and set it to blend together. This will blend any bad horizontal lines.
**I've seen forum posts where ppl also add sharpen and smoother but i have since stop using these filters.
Click ok in the filters dialog box.

Now, you're back at the VDub GUI again and we want to make sure the audio is sync'd with the video.

Since, you only have your input video screen on, press F9 & F10 to swtich only your output video screen on.

The time handle is prolly to the far right. Move it back just bit to a screen where people are talking.

Press Enter. The output video will start to play. Try to tell if the audio is early or late. If the audio and video isn't sync'd, click audio in the menubar and click Interleaving. Put a positive value, if the audio is early, Negative value if its late. Click Ok. Review the output video again.

Press F7 to save the file. Enter a filename and click save. A progress bar will appear. When its finished, play your file. Check the end for audio//video sync. Close the file in VDub and delete the uncompressed files.






editor notes: I wrote this tutorial because i am a proud owner of a media center laptop. You wouldn't believe how much BS is out there on converting these files. I did run across one app that would convert the files as a single function, but you have to pay for it. I'm hoping search engines will pick this up so others will see. Maybe I should add the word freeware, or did I?

I was wondering if you know how to convert a bunch of files at once and also if you know how to remove commercials from files that have already been converted to wmv. Also awesome program thank you it took like one minute to convert a dvr-ms to mpeg thats just awesome.

Sorry i forgot to add this to the last post but when it finished converting the file size was a little bit bigger than i thought it would be last time when i was using dvr 2 wmv it would take a 3gig file and make it a 700 meg file but this program took a 3 gig file and made it a 2 gig file when converting to mpeg is wmv smaller than mpeg.

looks like ppl are using windows movie maker to edit wmv files see here

wmv is a compressed format. the mpeg format being outputted is mpeg-2, very little compression, if any.

i need to revise this tutorial actually. now im using dvrmstompeg to convert the full mpeg file. then i use a special version of virtual dub to manually cut out commericals and compress both video and audio data.

bumped for the revision.

i found an awesome new option in vdub. When you goto save your file by either File | Save as AVI or F7, under the file type drop down is a checkbox that says Dont Run Job Now; Instead Save to Job Control To Be Run In Batch. When you check this option, i guess the instructions on creating the avi are written to memory. Press F4 to open Job Control. You'll see your file added to the list. You can now load another mpeg and repeat.

This is wonderful cus before i could only encode one movie at a time. But now i can queue up a bunch in Job Control, click start, and run off to do whatever; usually work, ugh. When i come back, all the file in the queue are complete.

Got to this point in the tutorial:

~Now, you're back at the VDub GUI again and we want to make sure the audio is sync'd with the video.

I hit enter and I get this error response:

"no audio decompressor could be found to decompress the source audio format"

I've searched for other postings but haven't found anything specific. I had previous errors prior to this one...installed Lame MP3 codec and AC3 codec and problems solved. Now am to this point and stuck. Any tips you can provide appreciated! Thanks!

find out what format the audio is encoded with. I would use gspot that comes with the kazaa codec pack.

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t263771.html

Hey csamuels

Sorry if my problem is really basic but i am new on this thing. I didn't even know i could record my shows using my Media Center.

Anyway i've used your "tutorial" and everything looks OK except for the fact i didn't have the xVid codec (wich i already download and installed) but the LAME MP3 the only one i found is not an installation package, so i was wondering how does VirtualDub will recognize i now have this MP3 encoder?

Last question i promisse i also notice that the other software you mentioned on the tutorial DVRMSToolbox also has some option to convert w/o comenrcials or even cur the comercials. Does that work or is that another reason that you preffer to go to manually remove them using VirtualDub?


I appreciate your help?
Thanks
esossai

my first draft of this tutorial did use the cut commericals. I stopped using it because some files would not be cut in the right spots and the screen screws up where the cut was made (unprofessional look). Cutting the files with vdub is much more efficient and time consuming.

about missing LAME. The codec pack i install on my machines is the kazaa codec pack. But i may have had to pick up some along the way.

Vdub should have its own way of checking to find if LAME is installed.