Ripping DVDs, technical problem... Help!

[FIREd]

I have been ripping some DVDs (DVD-Rs) in an effort to convert my movie collection to an all-digital format.

With some DVDs, I am noticing that the video and audio are slightly out of sync in digital format while they are perfectly in sync on the DVD. Other DVDs are converted just fine, with no delay.

I am using a ripper called Xilisoft DVD Ripper. I am converting the video to a .mp4 file optimized for Apple TV (preset parameters).

Does anyone know what's going on?

 

[audreyh1]

Hope someone knows the answer because we also are planning to get an Apple TV box. Don't have any software yet to convert our DVDs.

Audrey

 

[RonBoyd]

I have been ripping some DVDs (DVD-Rs) in an effort to convert my movie collection to an all-digital format.

With some DVDs, I am noticing that the video and audio are slightly out of sync in digital format while they are perfectly in sync on the DVD. Other DVDs are converted just fine, with no delay.

I am completely unfamiliar with Apple computers so pardon my ignorance. Are you saying that some (or all) of your movies located on a DVD are not in digital format? That is impossible in the MS world. VHS, on the other hand, is an example of non-digital (analog) in my world.

 

[audreyh1]

I suspect he just means that audio loses sync with the video when he converts from the DVD (digital format) to the format he is using for the Apple TV.

Audrey

 

[FIREd]

I am completely unfamiliar with Apple computers so pardon my ignorance. Are you saying that some (or all) of your movies located on a DVD are not in digital format? That is impossible in the MS world. VHS, on the other hand, is an example of non-digital (analog) in my world.

I am doing all this on a PC. I am trying to convert a movie located on a DVD-R to a .mp4 file that can be stored and played on my PC / Apple TV / iPhone. The movie located on the DVD is digital (sorry if I misspoke) it is just not the right format. Upon conversion to the .mp4 format, I notice that the video trails the audio by a second or so, maybe less, giving the impression that the movie is dubbed. As you can tell, I am not super computer savvy.

 

[easysurfer]

I tried converting VHS tapes to DVD via computer software (Windows, not apple). I never did get that to work and had out of sync issues. Sometimes they'd be in sync at the start of but by the end, noticeably out of sync.

I eventually just got a VCR/DVD combo that allowed copying tapes to DVD to bypass using a computer altogether.

I never finished transfering the tapes over, but not because of the hardware but rather I put that aside and never got back to that.

 

[RonBoyd]

I am doing all this on a PC. I am trying to convert a movie located on a DVD-R to a .mp4 file that can be stored and played on my PC / Apple TV / iPhone. The movie located on the DVD is digital (sorry if I misspoke) it is just not the right format. Upon conversion to the .mp4 format, I notice that the video trails the audio by a second or so, maybe less, giving the impression that the movie is dubbed. As you can tell, I am not super computer savvy.

Oh! Now I am on track with you. My source of information when I run into these kind of issues is AfterDawn. Go there and type something like "conversion mp4" (without the quotes) into the blank following "Search AfterDawn.com." (You may have to Register but it's free and a good idea anyway.)

Something like this thread might help you:

Convert AVI, MPEG, WMV to iPod, PSP, 3GP, MP4 Video Converter Tutorial

If that doesn't help you, try other Search terms. In any event, I am sure the answer you are looking for can be found at that site.

 

[IndependentlyPoor]

The A/V expert in our family (not I) says that audio/video synchronization problems are pretty common for disc copying software and that you should give HandBrake a shot:
HandBrake

 

[CCdaCE]

The other thing to consider is your CPU load. If the processor is taxed pretty hard, it can't keep up, and has to sacrifice something (dropping video frames, out of sync audio, etc.). So, don't do anything else (if you were before) while converting/ripping and see if that makes a difference.

-CC

 

[TromboneAl]

I had this problem when converting some video of my band. It happened for only one clip. I solved it by recording the audio, and then recombining the audio and video in Windows Movie Maker. I'd shift it around and watch the bass player's hands to get it synced. It was a mess, and not recommended. Probably impractical for a longer clip.

 

[audreyh1]

If I were having this problem I'd try to talk to the Xilisoft DVD Ripper people because they might know exactly the issue and how to fix. Failing that, I'd try to find an on-line discussion board for that software, and/or an Apple TV board to find people doing what you are doing. That's usually how I resolve my technical software issues.

Audrey

 

[FIREd]

Thanks for all the responses.

@ Audrey: The online help resources and technical support for the Xilisoft software is very limited. I went through it and couldn't find an answer. But there was a link to contact technical support by email, so I may give it a try. I did a Google search on the problem a few days ago and found lots of people having similar problems when ripping DVDs (using various ripping software), but few answers, at least few answers that a layman like me could understand.

@Trombone AL: I was thinking about doing that. Right now I can decouple the audio and video tracks in the .mp4 file using Quicktime Player but I haven't found a way to recombine them after introducing a time delay for the video track. The problem I am facing is that that .mp4 movies are not well supported by Microsoft and I can't open them in Movie Maker or even Media Player.

@ CCdaCE: I too thought that perhaps CPU load had something to do with it, so last night I restarted my computer and closed all applications and I ripped a DVD during the night. The result was terrible. On the other hand, last week I got some good results ripping the DVD while I was using the computer for other tasks and CPU-hog programs like Quicken and iTunes were running in the background, no problem. So CPU overload does not appear to be the problem.

@IndependentlyPoor: I already use Handbrake, but it takes seemingly forever to rip a DVD and that's why I wanted to try a different piece of software. The results with Handbrake are usually pretty good, no audio delay. I have noticed some image distortion with Handbrake (aliasing), but I may just have to suck it up and go back to it.

@RonBoyd: I will definitely give AfterDawn a try. It's the kind of self-help resources I love.

@easysurfer: I have one of those VHS/DVD combo thingy. Originally the idea was to convert my VHS movies to DVDs and then to .mp4 at a later date. Perhaps the VHS tapes are too old and perhaps too much quality is lost during the conversion process, I'm sot sure, but the results have been disappointing especially given the amount of labor involved. Or it could be that I have become so spoiled watching HD movies on a large screen TV that I have forgotten what it is to watch a VHS movie on a small CRT TV. I guess I wasn't so picky back then...

 

[RonBoyd]

I guess I am really slow today. If you were looking for software suggestions, I use AVS Media Converter. In fact, I use all of AVSMedia's software on a regular basis.

AVSMedia.

 

[FIREd]

Reporting on my progress:

1) I upgraded my DVD drive and it seems to help a bit. There is still a delay on some videos, but even in the worse cases, it considerably shorter than before.

2) Then I found a quick way to resync the audio and video using a piece of software I already had, Quicktime Pro. It's not ideal, but it works. Check it out if you are interested:

How to fix the problem of "sound is out of sync with the video"

No solution yet on how to get it right the first time.

Note: when I converted a .mp4 file with a delay to an .avi, the delay went away. So it looks like it has something to do with the .mp4 format.

 

[RonBoyd]

If you hurry (today only), there is a commercial product available for free that may be useful to you. (I have not used the program and know nothing about it other than what you see at this link.)