Rendering an Amiga animation to a modern format?

[Ral-Clan]

What is the best way to render an animation created in an Amiga to a modern format (i.e. ultimately MPEG2 or DVD).

What I would like to do is create video animations using DPaint, ImageFX and Aladdin4D.

Then I need some way to distribute these on DVD.

There are products for the Amiga (i.e. DPS PAR Zorro Card).  Which will allow you to output the Amiga's video to an external video recorder (like a DVD recorder).

But I'm wondering if in today's day and age, it would be better to just put all the frames of the animation in a directory, and have an application (on the Amiga or PC) render the frames into MPEG2 video which can then be burned onto DVD.

Something tells me the second way would result in higher quality rather than real-time recording.

But I'm just wondering if this is in fact is do-able and what software can do it (on the Amiga or PC)?

The reason I ask is that I know where I can get a PAR (Personal Animation Recorder card) but don't know if I should spend the money when MPEG rendering might be the way to go.

I should note that I have an A2000 with B&W composite output so that's not an option.  I do have an A520 RF adaptor for the RGB port, but the quality is not up to professional standards (unless someone knows of a S-VIDEO hack for the NTSC version - I've only seen the PAL version hack).

Recommendations?

[Ral-Clan]

If you want to use MPEG/DIVX etc which are not animation formats, but video formats I'd just run them in UAE and use UAE to record them.

Yes, I understand that that MPEG/DIVX are video formats.  But ultimately, Amiga animation creators have to get their .anims out to the "real" world in a video format useable in the "industry".  This means either recording it straight to an external video recorder (VHS, U-Matic, BetaCAM in the old days - today a DVD recorder or as a digital video file like MPEG2 or .AVI, etc.)

It's quite possible to render Amiga animations to MPEG-1 video using a variety of Amiga software (ImageFX, or others).  Generally you separate the ANIM into its individual frames, then run it through such an application which assembles the frames into an MPEG-1 video.

However, MPEG-1 is limited to VCD resolutions (I think).  So I was wondering about MPEG-2 rendering solutions.  Once the animation is rendered as an MPEG-2 video, I can burn it to DVD, as that is the native video format of DVD.

But the problem is that I don't know if there are any Amiga apps that render MPEG-2 video.  So I was asking.  Alternatively, I can burn the individual frames of any Amiga animation to CD-R, and use a PC program to assemble them to a digital video file (MPEG-2, etc.) if anyone can recommend one (preferably freeware!).

Recording from UAE is sort of a hack, and the real-time recording of an MPEG-2 video (or DIVX or whatever) is usually inferior to frame-by-frame rendering of the video file.  With real-time MPEG-2 recording, the software & hardware doesn't have a lot of time to analyse the frames.  With non-real time MPEG-2 rendering (like professional DVD authoring places use), the individual frames are analysed one by one, compared to the frames coming before and after, and the most optimal compression is used for best image quality in the assembled video.

[Ral-Clan]

Piru wrote:
Obviously you re-encode the saved avi.

If you're worried about quality, choose "Full Frames (Uncompressed)".

Yes, obviously.

But that doesn't answer what I was asking.  I'm looking for the best method of transferring Amiga animations to MPEG2 video.  The UAE method you guys are suggesting is real-time video encoding (inferior) and then transcoding to another format (another degradation).

I was wondering if there was any MPEG2 encoders for Amiga, or a good shareware/freeware one on PC that would take a series of still images (making up an animation) and encode it to an MPEG2 video file.

Or barring that, I was looking for some feedback from DPS PAR users, or anyone else who had used methods to convert Amiga anims to digital video formats.

[Ral-Clan]

Okay, that's great.  Seems like buying a hardware solution, etc. etc. is not necessary, due the many software solutions available, including this UAE method.

Now, if UAE runs perfectly smoothly, (i.e. no skipped frames, good timing), everything should work.

[Ral-Clan]

Thanks!  Someone on the ImageFX forum also told me that VirtualDub could assemble video from individual frames.  That is great news, as I already have the program (but did not know of this feature).

[Ral-Clan]

leirbag28 wrote:
@ral-clan

The BEST and simplest way is to get a DVD recorder (Standalone) and just press record in the High Quality mode..............thats it!  Trust me you wont notice the difference.

I've got a DVD recorder, and have considered using this method.  But I've not found an easy way to rip video off DVDs for editing in desktop video software (like Windows Movie Maker).  Is there an easy way to rip video straight from DVD to AVI or something without ending up with segments or VOBS or some such convoluted thing?

[Ral-Clan]

Seeing as Aladdin was only just bought out by Discreet FX from Nova Design in January, I dont' see how they could have made a PC port already.

[Ral-Clan]

rkauer wrote: I use this hack for any NTSC Amiga with no troubles at all! The quality is just "good enough" (nothing like 1080i, of course). But works even for Eric Schwartz... ;-)

That page says the hack is only for PAL A520s.  I've seen some discussions by the author and he states hasn't done the NTSC hack yet.

Are you sure you have an NTSC Amiga?  You're posting from Brazil, where they use PAL-M, as I understand.