How to play video CDs (SOLVED)

[satimis]

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The .dat files are just standard MPEG-1 Program Streams, although when authoring them there is a parameter that mplex has to set to create VCD-compliant files.

Thanks for your advice.

I'm aware that I can't proceed converting on .dat direct to .mp4. I have to create on .dat .wav files first. I'm still searching its steps.

Do you have this information? Thanks

Regards

Edit
===
I'm now converting video CDs to .mp4 on VLC Media player. It works seamlessly.

[satimis]

Hi all,

Now I can convert VCD to MP4 with following steps:

Steps
1) Copy files from VCD to PC first;
1.1 Install vcdimager
1.2. Insert the VCD into the drive. It does not need to be mounted.
1.3 Open on Terminal and navigate to the folder on your PC where you want the files from the VCD.
1.4 Run vcdxrip -vpC
Files of VCD will be copied to the folder including converting .dat to .mpg automatically

2) Convert .dat to .mp4, run;

$ ffmpeg -i file.mpg" -acodec copy -vcodec copy -f mp4 file.mp4

You are done.

[ajgreeny]

Great news!

Please mark as SOLVED from the Thread Tools menu up-top if this is now solved to your satisfaction. It is a great help to other users searching the forum.

[satimis]

Great news!

Please mark as SOLVED from the Thread Tools menu up-top if this is now solved to your satisfaction. It is a great help to other users searching the forum.

Hi ajgreeny,

OK.

Actually it is not completed solved. Some VCD (not all), the quality of the converted .mp4 is not so clear/good compared to their original version, the VCD. I don't know WHY?

I'll start a new posting later to find an alternative solution.

Regards.

[satimis]

Hi ajgreeny.

My problem mentioned before seems solved.

It may be on account of "ffmpeg supports remuxing of mpeg2 into .mp4 container in copy mode ....."

So I try with reencoding to h264 running;
$ ffmpeg -i newfile.mpg -c:a aac -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 20 newfile.mp4

It seems the problem gone. I'll keep watching other conversions.

Besides, if running;

vcdxrip -vpC

it extracts several .mpg files;

avseq01.mpg
avseq01.mpg
avseq01.mpg
etc

Join them with "cat" command first;

$ cat avseq01.mpg avseq02.mpg avseq013.mpg >> avseq-complete.mpg

before running "ffmpeg" for conversion.

Regards