Video DVDs

Making Video DVDs with Linux
By: Andy Stewart
March 23, 2005

Introduction

Video source = TV capture card (NTSC)

Simple video editing with avidemux2

cut out commercials

save a frame for DVD menu

save an audio clip for DVD menu

DVD menu

your own background music

your own background graphic

multiple videos up to 4.7GB space limit of DVD

View the DVD files with xine/mplayer

Burn the DVD – it'll work on any DVD player

Required Software

avidemux2 – for simple video editing

version = 2.0.38rc1 + “mpegpatch”

mjpegtools – version 1.6.2

dvdauthor – to create the DVD files and dirs

version 0.6.11

dvd+rw-tools – provides growisofs

gimp – to create DVD menu graphics

Hardware Requirements

LOTS of disk space needed

minimum 10GB per DVD

(ok, maybe that's not so much these days...)

I/O intensive – use fast disks and controllers

CPU intensive – use a fast processor, or be prepared to wait patiently...

Video Source

TV capture card (for this talk)

Hauppauge 350 creates .nuv files

Actually, any video source can be used

convert file to mpeg

Video Editing

avidemux2 is used for (simple) video editing

File->Open_Video

Load file – indexing may take a long time

Cut out commercials, etc.

Set output format to “Mpeg video”

File->Save->Save_Video as file.m2v
Audio->Save_Audio as file.mp2

Save files for menu

Find a frame and save it for DVD menu

File->Save->Save_Images->Save_JPEG_Image

save as jpeg file: menu.jpg

Find some audio and save it as menu.mp2

Mplex audio and video

avidemux2 created separate audio and video files. Check file types with “file” command

video = MPEG Video Stream data

audio = MP2, 384 kBits, 48 kHz, Stereo

Run mplex to create one file with audio/video

mplex -f 8 -O 100ms -o file.mpg file.mp2 file.m2v

-f 8 indicates DVD format

-O indicates a/v time skew

beware audio out of sync with video

view file.mpg with xine/mplayer and check a/v sync

-o file.mpg is the combined a/v output file

DVD with no menu

DVD with no menu, one program:

Run dvdauthor:

dvdauthor -o DVD file.mpg

dvdauthor -T -o DVD

-o DVD puts files in newly created DVD directory

-T = table of contents

Try it before burning it to DVD:

xine dvd:/your_full_dir/DVD/VIDEO_TS/

Burn it:

growisofs -Z /dev/scd0 -dvd-video DVD

Result: a DVD that starts playing the video automatically

Create the DVD menu

Find a JPEG image for the DVD background

use avidemux2 and save one (menu.jpg)

Create a video file from this one image

jpeg2yuv -n 50 -I p -f 29.97 -j menu.jpg |
mpeg2enc -n n -f 8 -o menu.m2v

Create some audio for the background

use avidemux2 and save an audio clip (menu.mp2)

create silence:

dd if=/dev/zero bs=4 count=2000 |
toolame -b 128 -s 48 /dev/stdin menu.mp2

Create the DVD menu

Merge menu audio and video:

mplex -f 8 -o menu.mpg menu.m2v menu.mp2

Use xine/mplayer to see if menu.mpg is OK

Use Gimp to create menu selections overlaying the menu background graphic (details omitted)

Create the menu.xml file

Create final menu file:

spumux menu.xml < menu.mpg > menu_final.mpg

Create the DVD

Create the dvd.xml file

This ties the menu choices to the video files

Create the DVD files and directory structure:

dvdauthor -x dvd.xml

Test the resulting files:

xine dvd://your_full_dir/DVD/VIDEO_TS/

Burn the DVD:

growisofs -Z /dev/scd0 -dvd-video DVD

Test the DVD with xine/mplayer

Test it in your home DVD player

Other Tools

QDVDAuthor

an alpha quality GUI for DVD creation

much easier to create menus than with Gimp

My limited experience: DVD doesn't quite work in home DVD player, OK on computer, need to play more with this...

kino – video capture and editing

useful for Firewire (IEE 1394) devices

Cinelerra – professional quality tool

Conclusion

The tools have many options not explored

Make your own DVDs at home

2005-03-20T12:34:06