SUMMARY:

This is a digital video (dv) avi to mjpeg-encoded avi converter. It's a quick hack to get me by until formal support is provided in other packages. (although it's been quite some time and I haven't seen other support yet)

During this process it converts a 720x480 29.970fps 48khz incoming a/v stream to 352x240 29.970fps 48khz mjpeg-encoded. Frame sizes are adjusted slightly if you're using PAL instead of NTSC.

REQUIRED:

you'll need:

• dvgrab, a digital video device, and a fireware card. I'm using the Dazzle Hollywood analog (composite) to digital converter to capture output from my vcr.
• The avilib package ripped from lavtools-1.2 (included)
• libdv from sourceforge (quaser codec). you may need version 0.4.
• mjpeg tools (greater than 1.3b3) from sourceforge (the FRIGGEN greatest thing since sliced bread!! good job on the mjpeg avi support guys!!)
• Avilib converted for use with the DV codec (included)

BUILDING:

Make sure that VIDEO is defined properly in the makefile. Just type 'make', and two executables will be built - dv2jpg and avijoin.

USING:

1. Use dvgrab with the --format dv2 parameter to create avi files. you'll notice that the avi files it creates are about 1gb in size, and contain about 4.5 minutes of video/audio. An hour and a half show takes up about 25 gigabytes.
2. Use "dv2jpg dvavi mjpegavi" to convert one of the above-created DVavi's into mjpeg-encoded AVIs. repeat for all DVavi's. You won't need the DVavi's any more now that you have mjpeg-encoded AVIs. That'll free up some much needed disk space, since they're much smaller.
3. Use "avijoin showname_1-6.avi show1.avi show2.avi show3.avi show4.avi show5.avi show6.avi" to join together 6 of the 4.5 minute mjpeg-encoded avi's. you'll wind up with almost 1/2 hour of avi; about one gigabyte. this seems to be the about the max you can stick in an avi file.
4. Convert the audio to mpeg by using mjpeg tools. You need to downsample the audio to 44100khz in the process: lav2wav showname_1-6.avi | mp2enc -v -o showname_1-6_a.mpg"
5. Convert the video to mpeg by using mjpeg tools: lav2yuv showname_1-6.avi | mpeg2enc -m 1 -b 1152 -o showname_1-6_v.mpg -r 32 -4 1 -2 1 -h
6. Join the video and audio together using mjpeg tools: mplex -m 1 -f 1 showname_1-6_v.mpg showname_1-6_a.mpg showname_1-6.mpg
7. Repeat the process for segments 7-12. you now have an hour's worth of mpeg-encoded video in two pieces.
8. Use vcdtools and cdrdao to burn your two segments to vcd. NOTE: my Sony dvd player doesn't like any CD's other than... (I think they're called) "memorex platinum 650MB CDRW" NOTE that they're CDRW's; CDR's wont work because the laser is too weak. if you don't have a Sony, hopefully you'll have better luck than I did.
9. Insert VCD into dvd player, or use the 'mtv' package to play your movie.
10. Enjoy. This is a required step. Do not skip.

THANKS TO:

The Gnome team for help with libgdk-pixbuf, rasterman for help with imlib2, arne for help with dvgrab. Tremendous Kudos go to the mjpeg-tools team, who built a nice mpeg encoder that can handle a common input format. Charles 'Buck' Krasic for help with the LIBDV codec. And of course Linus and every Open Source/Free Software contributer for helping us all get along fine without any Micro Sloth products.

-cajun