encode2mpeg

the mpeg frontend

encode2mpeg is a front end to MPlayer/MEncoder and mjpegtools. It is able to convert any kind of video that mplayer can play in a format suitable for VCD/SVCD/DVD, plus it can create avi containing mpeg video.
The program has the following capabilities:

mpeg1 video with constant or variable bit rate
mp1, mp2 or mp3 audio stream
CD-i compatibility

SVCD

multiple audio streams (mp1,mp2,mp3,ac3,dts or lpcm)
subtitles (from SPU streams, Vobsub and text subtitles)

multiple audio streams (mp1,mp2,mp3,ac3,dts or lpcm)
subtitles (from SPU streams, Vobsub and text subtitles)

VCD/SVCD/DVD

Mpeg Multichannel Audio (mp2 5.1)
aac single stream audio
custom quantization matrices (kvcd, tmpgenc)
mpeg video encoding with mpeg2enc or mencoder (1/2/3 pass)
copy of audio and/or video stream from a mpeg source
predictable file size
chapters
menu

fast 1/2 pass mode
high compression 2/3 pass mode
high quality 2/3 pass mode
single audio mp2, mp3, aac, ac3, pcm stream
multiple audio mp3, ac3 streams
copy of audio and/or video stream from the source
custom lame/libavcodec options
predictable file size
automatic scaling
vobsub extraction (from a dvd source)
subviewer (srt) subtitle extraction (from DVD, SVCD, Vobsub source)
custom quantization matrices (kvcd, tmpgenc)
DivX/MPEG-4 profiles
MPEG-4 encoding with libavcodec or xvid

Documentation

The README is the first document to read. The online help lists all the options, the long online help describes all the options. The rest of the documentation is in these html pages. Read them carefully.

In any moment you can read the html documentation running:

encode2mpeg -doc

Online help specific to a particular option can be showed giving help as option argument:

encode2mpeg -addchapter help

The html page describing a particular option can be viewed giving doc as option argument:

encode2mpeg -addchapter doc

Usage

encode2mpeg has different working mode. Click on the links below to see how to choose and select the appropriate mode.

Other features:

add Chapters and Subtitles (from SPU streams, Vobsub and text subtitles) to VCD/SVCD/DVD
add Menu to VCD/SVCD/DVD
set the correct aspect ratio, rotate the image and avoid TV overscan zone for VCD/SVCD/DVD
dump Vobsub subtitles
cache the source DVD (and save it on two disks)
create VCD/SVCD/DVD easily
put different videos in a single VCD/SVCD/DVD
verify the stream burned on a DVD disk and burn a ISO/UDF dvd disk with your encoded stream
make a standard SVCD with 5.1 audio
select an Avi profile and convert text subtitles
encoding from multiple input image files
set defaults in the configuration file
telecine usage explained
convert SPU and Vobsub subtitles to text subtitles

Options Check

encode2mpeg will detect an incorrect option on the command line. If you are using a valid MPlayer option and encode2mpeg does not recognize it, you can disable options checking by adding '-toolopts mplayer'. Everything after '-toolopts' is assumed to be a valid option/argument and passed to the specified tool.

Disk Space

Temporary disk space usage is about 2 times the size of the final stream. When using the option -addsub, temporary disk space usage is 2 times the size of the final stream plus the size of the input stream. Be sure to have enough free space on your disk. encode2mpeg does not check for sufficient free disk space.

Input audio stream

If the input stream contains more than one audio stream, it is always better to select explicitely the audio stream you want with the option -aid. If you do not do it, it may happen that MPlayer will chose one audio stream, but MEncoder will pick another one for the encoding.

A/V sync problems

Sometimes the mpeg stream created with encode2mpeg has a/v sync problems. This can happen with some input streams (like Real and WMV) but not with all of them. In general it is possible to solve the problem in this way: use Mpeg Mode and add one of -mc 0/-mc 0.1/-mc 10 to your command line.

Download

The last version is 0.6.4, released 2007-10-18. RPM can be found here.

What's new

Since version 0.6.1 encode2mpeg has been developed with MPlayer 1.0rc1. Next relase will be 0.7.0 and will support MPlayer 1.0rc2.

0.6.4

Default menu are in 16/9 noletterbox now
Buxfixes, code cleanup, several small improvements

0.6.3

Subtitles conversion from graphic to text
Menu bugfixes/new features

0.6.2

Anime/Cartoon optimization
More avi profiles
xvid encoding support (-vcodec xvid)

0.6.1

Bugfixes, MPlayer 1.0rc1 support

0.6.0

Extended telecine encoding support
aac audio
Bugfixes, MPlayer 1.0pre8 support

0.5.7

SVCD/DVD subtitles from Vobsub source
SPU subtitle speedup

0.5.6

Bugfixes

0.5.5

Configuration file
Encoding from multiple input image files

0.5.4

Text subtitles conversion
Burning of the output stream to a ISO/UDF dvd disk
Avi profiles
Usage of the option -setaspect has partially changed
Video rotation and TV overscan removing work in Avi Mode

0.5.3

Multichannel Audio

0.5.2

Code cleanup, no new features

0.5.1

SVCD/DVD subtitles from text sources
Bugfix
Fully supporting KVCD specifications

0.5.0

Created the mailing list: encode2mpeg-users
Burning of the output stream to a ISO dvd disk
Easy creation of standard VCD/SVCD/DVD (-stdvid)
Verify of the burned disk
User selectable video codec (-vcodec)
Faster encoding in Mpeg Mode (using the MEncoder muxer)

0.4.x

Video rotation and TV overscan removing
Menu
Encoding different source video in one disk
Cache support
Copy of audio streams of different type to SVCD/DVD
dts and mp1 audio
Turbo mode for 2/3 pass encoding in Avi Mode and Mpeg Mode

0.3.x

VCD/SVCD/DVD chapters, subtitles and aspect ratio fix
Mpeg Mode
Interlace support
html documentation

See the Changelog for a more detailed list.

Support

The main way to get support or ask questions is through the mailing list

Bugreport

in order to fix bugs as quick as possible, please follow these simple rules before submitting a bugreport.

Always be sure to use the last release. A bug you have found may have already been fixed.
Check if you have enough free disk space. If disk space is insufficient unpredictable behavior may happen.
Add to encode2mpeg the option -debug.
Compress and send me, togheter with your bugreport, the log file and the debug file.

send your bugreport to the addresses: encode2mpeg at users.sourceforge.net , encode2mpeg at email.it

Feedback

Users' comments about encode2mpeg can be read here. I am looking for some euro coins, can you help me?

Help

Although I try to keep the documentation as much as possible accurate, I do not have the time to extend/improve it. If somebody wants to help me with this task, I will gladly accept the help.