The following guide will describe how to use OGG VORBIS as an audio format for DVD Backups.
Why should OGG be used and what are the advantages of this format?
The main reason is the fact that OGG requires much less bitrate compared to MP3
in order to produce equal quality. This means that an OGG stream will be smaller
than MP3 and still its quality will not be inferior. Less space for the audio
stream will, however, provide more bitrate for the video stream and thus improve
overall quality!
The following calculation might shed some light on the advantages in terms of
gaining some mb:
Imagine an 120 min movie to be converted including two audio streams.
When using MP3 one normally shouldn't go below 128 kbps for a halfway decent
sound. OGG, however, will already provide good quality at around 80 kbps, which
leads us to this calculation:
7200 (seconds) x 128000 (kbps) /8/1024/1024 => 109.86 mb for one MP3
stream
7200 (seconds) x 80000 (kbps) /8/1024/1024 => 68.66 mb for one OGG stream
This results in some 41.2 mb difference - 2 sound streams will make it 82.4 mb,
which most definitely is worth gaining in order to have the video stream use a
higher bitrate and thus should make it look a little better.
Very long titles like e.g. Lord Of The Rings Special Extended Edition will have some 195 min or more (depending on how much of the endcredits one uses [listing fan club members for 20 min is a waste of space/bitrate imho]) and 195 min mean 111.57 mb for an OGG stream or 178.52 for MP3. The difference for TWO sound streams will be 133.9 mb!
Not only will very long titles profit from OGG.
Imagine an 85 min title to be put on ONE CD instead of using two. Since bitrate
will be lower for 1CD conversions, every possible mb should be saved for the
video stream to make it look as good as possible.
Let's now turn to the conversion into the OGG format:
AC3 => OGG
BeSweetGUI version 0.6b68 as well as BeSweet 1.5b11 (make sure NOT to
use older versions!) will be used, to convert the AC3, which were already created by
DVD2AVI (c.f. ENCODING via Gordianknot).
We will have to have OGG VORBIS filters installed: either Tsunamis Filterpack
396 will help or download and install DirectShowFilter by the name: OGGDS0995.exe
(or later versions) from Tobias
Waldvogel.
1.) Start BeSweetGUI:
At the top in 1 you will have to define the path to your BeSweet.exe.
Next select the INPUT AC3 file, which you want to convert.
In the following window make sure to have AC3 selected or otherwise no AC3 input
files will be shown.
Back in the main window, define an output name and path for the OGG file that will be created.
In case you cannot chose OGG as output format yet, go to square 2 on the right side of the main BeSweet window and select OGG there. This will automatically name your output file OGG as well.
Under 3 select all the options you see in the very first screenshot under *Start BeSweetGUI*. Don't worry about the delay part: BeSweet automatically takes care of the delay by extracting the delay information from the file name, which DVD2AVI has created.
2.) Azid 1 Settings:
BeSweet settings are now complete and we turn to AZID 1 on the right.
Use the following settings:
3.) AC3 & OGG:
Under AC3 & OGG we select the so called quality factor. 80 to 95 kbps are more than fine for OGG!
Start the conversion with the green button on the right: "AC3 to OGG"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The conversion from AC3 to OGG should be done now (Wave and MP3 to OGG could be done analogous).
Last but not least we will have to MUX/Multiplex (i.e. merge) audio and video streams.
For the time being, OGG can only be handled by a few (excellent) tools. We
will turn to a modified version of the well known Virtualdub.
The version that will be used here is VirtualDubMOD
1.4.13 - make sure not to try just ANY Virtualdub version!
1. load your AVI via FILE
2.set VIDEO to *Direct Stream*
3. sound streams and additonal input (like chapter information) will be done via OGM => SHOW INPUT
in vd_mods main window
:
- ADD your sound stream(s) now
- COMMENTS will offer more possible definitions of your video, audio or maybe
chapters:
COMMENTS will let you define comments such as language, title your movie and
much more in the lower left area.
In additon to that you can also add CHAPTER information to the final OGM file (OGM
is the container format like AVI)
This will enable you to jump to those certain points in the movie that were
already created as chapterpoints from the manufacturer of the DVD.
All the chapter information you see in the main window of the screenshot above
will NOT have to be typed in manually. If you used Smartripper 2.41 with exactly
those settings I proposed in the RIPPING part of my guide, Smartripper 2.41 will
already have created a textfile containing all those chapter informations! These
information will be loaded and extracted automatically from VD_MOD 1.4.13. All
you'll have to do is:
CLICK on the button CHAPTERS and select the textfile Smartripper has created
beforehand. The name of this file is always like this:
VTS_02_INFO.txt or it might have a slightly different number in its name.
Having added your comments and chapters click OK and go back to "OGM INPUTS"
Click "OK" once more.
Now we are back in VD_MODs main window where we will have to mux video and audio and possibly cut the final file size down to some 2x or 3x 700 mb!
Muxing and cutting the file down to 700 mb pieces can be done in one go:
- Press A in order to jump to the very beginning (not always necessary but
won't hurt either).
- Set the STARTmarker with E.
- Now use the slider and move to the right in order to move forward in your
movie.
- Since we want to cut around the 700 mb size, take a look at the red square
down right, which should indicate the filesize you have reached with the slider
now.
- Having found the correct value DON'T FORGET to press either C or D to make
VD_MOD jump to a so called KEYFRAME. since cutting should always be done at a
keyframe!
- Press F now to mark the end of the selection.
A blue bar should now indicate you made a selection.
Now click on OGM (in the menu) and then SAVE AS OGM:
Define place and name of your output file (part 1) and don't forget to select
" Don't run this job now...." buttom left!
" Don't run this job now...." will let us create a so called job
list, which means we instruct vd_mod to mark a certain area of the movie, immideatly afterwards we mark another part (second or even third) and again
instruct vd_mod to add this operation to the job list in order to do all merging
and cutting operations in a row.
Press SAVE now and you'll be taken back to the main window where you'll now take
care of part two:
- First click E to mark what was the end of part one as beginning of part two
now!
- Use B to jump to the very end (in case you want 2x 700 mb) of the film and
press F again.
Go to OGM => SAVE OGM AS once more
Define path and name for part two of your movie (unless you had an 1400 mb file
and not a 700 or 2100 mb version) and don't forget to select:
" Don't run this job now...."
Hit SAVE and don't be surprised that NOTHING will happen this very moment!
Keep in mind you only added those jobs to a list - you'll have to start the
joblist with either:
FILE => JOB CONTROL or F4:
Above your two or three (in case of an 2100 mb file) jobs should be listed - in case old jobs are still listed: mark and delete them.
Pressing START will make vd_mod do its job now and lead to one, two or even three OGM files!
That's it - Enjoy your OGM files with any player you like ( Windows Media Player 6.4 [can be started through RUN => mplayer2.exe], BSPlayer or ZoomPlayer or whatever you prefer)!