Author: HQH
Released: July 25, 2002
Updated: N/A
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This guide here will provide you with procedures how to extract (get, rip, take, etc...) the audio from a SVCD format. Further, you
will learn how to manipulate the audio to an alternative format, may it be MP3, WAV, or OGG (this guide focuses turning the
extracted audio format MPEG-1 Layer 2 [MP2] to a MPEG-1 Layer 3 [MP3]). This only takes a couple of programs to accomplish the
entire task.
I only write this guide because I couldn't find one on the Internet when I was in the process of trying to extract the audio
from a SVCD format. I did some searching, but not much turned up. I had to piece things together to get my satisfying result. This
guide will present how I ended up being able to extract audio from a SVCD format and in an efficient manner, and for those who
want to know how to extract audio from a SVCD format video as well.
It all started when I was watching Trish Thuy Trang's Paper Lantern Night music video (pictured above). I liked the song, so I
went in search on the Internet to try and find the song. I found it, but whoever recorded the song did it poorly. So, I went back to
the music video, and because it was in a SVCD quality (MP2: MPEG-1 Layer 2), the music's quality is high, so I'll extract the music
from the music video. This was where I kind of got stuck. But nonetheless, I found out how to rip it from the SVCD and have it in a
MP3 format.
So, to start the guide, keep reading below. Pictures are included to assist the extraction process quicker. This guide was
done on Trish Thuy Trang's Paper Lantern Night music video from a SVCD file format. Enjoy the guide!
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Here are the basics to extracting the audio portion from a SVCD source that pertains to my guide:
Required Tools:
- TMPGEnc: Extracting the audio from a SVCD.
- Winamp: Listen to the extracted and final version of the audio.
- winLAME: Converting the extracted audio to an alternative
format.
Optional Tools:
- PowerDVD XP: View SVCD video.
- Windows Media Player with Elecard MPEG2
Video Decoder: View SVCD video. An alternative free method if you don't have PowerDVD XP.
Tools' version used in this guide:
- TMPGEnc: 2.56 (2.56.39.143)
- Winamp: 2.80
- winLAME: RC2
- Power DVD XP: 4.0
- Windows Media Player: 6.4 (6.4.09.1121) or 8.0 (8.00.00.4477)
- Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder: 2.0 beta
Miscellaneous Notes/Requirements
- All tools presented and used in this guide were the latest and current version at the time of the guide's 1st edition writing.
Subsequent updates (and elapsed time) to this guide may render the tools' version as obsolete. Later updates to the tools should not
affect this guide. If so, please e-mail me to let me know so that I can fix it.
- All required tools used in this guide are free. However, one of the optional tool is not.
PowerDVD XP is shareware. I'm using a registered version of PowerDVD XP.
Although if you do not have PowerDVD XP, you can use a free alternative method: Windows Media Player should come pre-installed by
your Windows operating system. It's free. Also, the
Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder is also
free. The Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder
will allow Windows Media Player to be able to play SVCD video/audio format. You must download the
Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder inorder for
you to view SVCD video/audio format.
- Assumes that all required tools are available and installed prior to following this guide.
- You need about less than 20 MB of space to extract the audio and turn it into a MP3. Although depending on the length of the
audio itself, space requirements may vary.
- Time and patience. Time isn't that consuming, unless you're using a very obsolete computer. I'm using a decent laptop:
Pentium III 500 MHz with 128 MB of RAM under Windows XP Pro. You can check out more information about my laptop
here.
- You should not be using the computer for any other activities. This will speed up the extraction process and reduce any
chances of introducing unwanted interruptions and flaws into the quality of the audio conversion process.
- Instead of using Winamp, you may use Windows Media Player, but since I
have Windows Media Player 8.0, codecs may be installed to allow MP2 (the extracted audio) to be playable. I'm unsure of past
versions of WMP and on other Windows version to include MP2 to be playable. But for the sake of uncertainty,
Winamp 2.80 is chosen and able to play it.
- I'm originally working with a SVCD video file, which was encoded from a DVD. In order to include instructions on how to get a
video from an actual SVCD, I took the SVCD video file and burned it as a SVCD (a CD) so that I can have a reference in the guide.
So this makes it look easy for me to locate the file, since there's only one track on the CD. I made note of that in the guide on
how to find the specific video in a set of videos on a SVCD.
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Extraction Requirements
- SVCD video containing the audio you want to rip. Either the SVCD itself (the CD) or a SVCD video format file encoded by
somebody (m2v, m2p, mpg, mpeg, just to name a few filename extensions).
- TMPGEnc.
Optional Extraction Requirements
- PowerDVD XP or Windows Media Player with
Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder.
- Winamp.
Extraction Process
Step 1: Retrieving the SVCD video. This is the most simplest direction ever. Most likely, it's already completed. But I
will go over it anyhow to make sure. For those who will extract the audio from a file, then you already have it somewhere on your
hard disk drive, and is easily located, so you're done; something like this pictured below:
For those who will rip from the CD itself, you need to know where the video
is located. Make sure to have the SVCD in your DVD/CD-ROM drive. Open up "My Computer" on the desktop and go to your DVD/CD-ROM
drive. Locate the folder "MPEG2". It'll look something like this:
Now, go into the MPEG2 folder and locate the video that you want to extract the audio from. The video file should have the name
"AVSEQ##.MPG", where ## are numbers, starting with 01, as seen in this picture:
Because in my guide's example, I only had one video on the CD, so it's easily to locate the video that I want to extract the
audio from (in the above picture). For those who have more than one file in the MPEG2 directory, you either have to use your
intuition or trial and error search for the video that you want to extract the audio (assuming you just want to extract a specific
audio from a specific video). Your intuition comes from viewing the SVCD from your DVD player ahead of time, and knowing which
chapter the video is labeled. So for an example, chapter 2 video is the file AVSEQ02.MPG. For the trial and error search method,
you will need to either use PowerDVD XP (if you have it) or Windows Media Player with Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder. PowerDVD should be able to play
the whole SVCD as if you stuck it into your DVD player. The same applies if you had intuition from playing the SVCD ahead of time.
So for an example, chapter 5 video is the file AVSEQ05.MPG. As for Windows Media Player, you don't have the luxury of a DVD player
or PowerDVD XP. You have to search out for the video for itself. You'll have to open up at least one, if not all, to find the video
that you want to extract the audio from. After locating the video, remember what the filename is. You'll need to remember which one
so that you can do the extraction process.
If you have a track listing of your SVCD, it'll be easier, because AVSEQ01.MPG is your first chapter/track, AVSEQ02.MPG is your
second, and so on.
Step 2: After locating the video, it's time for extraction. Load up TMPGEnc. If you get the picture below, hit "Cancel".
We do not need to use the wizard. If you do not get the screen pictured below, don't worry about it.
Step 3: Once you're in TMPGEnc, click on the "Browse" button from the "Video source", as pictured below.
You should then be presented with an "Open" dialog box. From here, go and select the video that you want to extract the audio
from. Make sure that you choose "File of types:" as "All files(*.*)" (as circled in the picture below) so that in case the SVCD
video is hidden from the Open dialog because of SVCD filename extension. Pictured below is getting the SVCD video as file format
(for opening the video from the SVCD itself, just make way to your DVD/CD-ROM drive, MPEG2 folder and choose the appropriate
AVSEQ##.MPG file):
After selecting the appropriate file, in this guide's case, "trish_-_paper_lantern_-_[82].mpg" as seen in the picture above,
click "Open" button to confirm the file that you want to open. You will then be returned back to TMPGEnc main program as pictured
below:
Step 4: Select "Audio only" option under "Stream type" box as pictured below:
Notice that the filename in "Output file name:" box changes from "E:\Trish Video\trish_-_paper_lantern_-_[82].mpg" to
"E:\Trish Video\trish_-_paper_lantern_-_[82].mp2", which is what we want - TMPGEnc will extract the MPEG-1 Layer 2 music format
from the SVCD file. As for those extracting from the SVCD, it'll go from "AVSEQ##.MPG" to "AVSEQ##.MP2" in the "Output file name:"
box.
Step 5: Make sure that where you're saving the audio has enough space to accommodate the music file. For instance,
Trish Thuy Trang's Paper Lantern Night audio extracted before hand yields 6.27 MB for a 4:34 long video for a MPEG-1 Layer-2
44100Hz 192kbps quality. Just make sure that you have at least 10 MB or so, give or take a few MB. In the picture below, I edited
the "Output file name:" box and changed the location of where the audio portion will be saved to and the file name itself to
something a little bit cleaner:
Step 6: Time to extract the audio portion from the video. Before starting the audio extraction, make sure that you are
not doing anything else on your computer. Don't do anything on your computer while TMPGEnc is at work. Go find something else to do.
TMPGEnc gives you a remaining time frame when it's done with its conversion process. So in the mean time, get up and do something
else, like watch TV or entertain yourself with something else other than the computer. Note: Make sure that you do not have your
screen saver enabled and that you're not going to run any other programs while you are in the middle of the conversion process. You
may introduce pops and clicks into your song. Click the "Start" button near the top left hand corner of TMPGEnc to rip the audio, as
pictured below:
The extraction process will now begin and will look something like this pictured below:
TMPGEnc gives you some progress information, which is informative. In fact, from the picture taken, I can actually play the
extracted audio while extracting the audio in real-time. Although this is a no-no, since it'll slow down the extraction, because
it'll take some CPU process to play the audio while extracting. Also, playing the audio while extracting may also introduce unwanted
quality problems like pops and clicks into the audio. So avoid testing the audio while extracting. Also, the remaining time until
the process is done is shown, and circled in the picture above. So do something else in the mean time.
Soon, the audio extraction process will be completed, and TMPGEnc will play the notify.wav sound file from Windows to signify
that the extraction process is done. Pictured below is the extraction completed:
Congratulations! Audio extraction process has been completed. You can now go onto Step 2: Convert if you
do not want to do the optional process detailed below.
This is an optional process, but I would recommend it to anybody, but not required to do so. This final optional step is to
check for your audio quality. Given that if you do not do anything else on your computer when TMPGEnc is extracting the audio from
the SVCD file, the extracted audio quality should be perfect as you would play the SVCD video without any additional quality
problems like pops and clicks. But to be sure, it's recommended that you listen over the extracted audio to make sure that the
ripping process did not introduce any quality problems. If you do not want to do this optional step, you can now close out of
TMPGEnc. Should you do the optional step 7, you might want to leave TMPGEnc open so that if you run into quality problems, you
should re-rip the audio again.
Optional Step 7: Load up Winamp, as pictured below.
Now, click the "Eject" button as pictured below, circled.
Now browse to where you saved the extracted MP2 audio file and select it and click "Open" button as pictured below.
The extracted MP2 audio file should start playing in Winamp. Make sure you pay close attention to the quality of the song, and
compare the quality of the extracted MP2 file to the audio that can be played from the SVCD file with PowerDVD XP or Windows Media
Player with Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder.
After checking for the quality between the extracted and the one from the SVCD, and if it's all okay, time to move on to
Step 2: Convert. If there are quality problems introduced, re-rip the audio again until
you're happy with the quality. Make sure that you don't confuse already present quality problems that are already present in the
SVCD to the extracted audio file. It can be confusing at times.
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Convert Requirements
- Extracted MP2 audio format from Step 1: Extract.
- winLAME.
Convert Process
Step 1: Load up winLAME. Should look something like this pictured below:
Step 2: Time to select the MP2 audio that was extracted earlier. Click the icon that looks like an open folder,
representing as open and choosing file(s) circled as pictured below:
Step 3: An "Open" dialog box should come up, just like the picture below. Browse to where you saved the extracted audio
file from Step 1: Extract. After selecting the appropriate MP2 file, click "Open" button to confirm the audio
file to be opened. Note: You can choose more than one MP2 file to convert to an alternative audio format at this time if you ripped
more than one audio track from a SVCD source.
Step 4: After selecting the appropriate audio file, time to move on. Click on the "Next >>" button to move on, as
pictured below:
Step 5: You will be brought to the next selection of options in winLAME to tell winLAME to convert to what format,
pictured below:
From the "Output Module" option, the selection should already be selecting "LAME mp3 Encoder". If not, select it. Note: From
here, you can select other than converting the MP2 to another format other than MP3, like OGG or WAV format. Also, make sure the
"Output Location" is where you want to save the converted audio file to. Everything should be all set. There are a few other
options that you can play under "Other Output Settings", so go ahead and check the boxes next to the features you want to activate.
Note: "overwrite existing files" option is selected by default. You can just leave the option as is, won't harm anything. After
you're done, click the "Next >>" button to move along.
Step 6: Choosing what the quality of the MP3 should it be converted to. For the average person, selecting "alt-preset:
CBR 128" is the way to go. I, however, would select the "alt-preset: insane", which is deemed overkill quality. If you want
something else with more choices to your MP3 quality, you may want to go with "default", which will allow you to select a vast
pool of quality control options (although no screenshot shown). After selecting your own choice under "Preset List", click the
"Next >>" button to move on. Pictured below is what it should look like for the average people:
Step 7: This is the final page of settings before the conversion takes place. Here, you have one more option to play
with: "Thread Priority". Default setting is set to "normal" as pictured below.
"Thread Priority" setting controls how fast your computer will convert the MP2 to MP3 format. I would like to get the
conversion process done as fast as possible, so I bump the bar two notches to the right to get "highest". Note: Make sure that you
do not have your screen saver enabled and that you're not going to run any other programs while you are in the middle of the
conversion process, especially when the "Thread Priority" is set to "highest", because this setting heavily relies on the CPU and
will leave very little performance handling for anything else you want to do. You could choose to leave it on "normal", but it will
take a bit longer to do the conversion process. After deciding what "Thread Priority" setting you want, click the play icon as
circled below in the picture:
While winLAME converts the audio, leave your computer idle. If you do not leave your computer idle while running "highest"
setting or possibly at lower settings, you may introduce pops and clicks into your song. So it is important that you leave your
computer alone. Pictured below is when winLAME is commencing the conversion process.
Don't do anything on your computer while winLAME is at work. Go find something else to do. winLAME gives you an estimated
time frame when it's done with its conversion process (as pictured above). So in the mean time, get up and do something else, like
watch TV or entertain yourself with something else other than the computer. As soon as it's done, like the picture shown below, the
conversion process is completed. After the conversion process is done, you can then click the "Exit" button to quit the program
as pictured below.
Congratulations, you are done converting the MP2 audio extracted from a SVCD format over to a MP3 format that can be played in
Winamp or any other MP3 players you may have.
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This guide, hopefully guided you through the process of extracting the audio portion from a SVCD source, extracting to a MP2
(MPEG-1 Layer 2) format, where you then convert it to a MP3 format (or OGG/WAV format) that can be played in Winamp or any other MP3
players that you may have. The audio can be burned onto a CD given that that you have a CD-RW drive and the appropriate software
to do so (MP3 or WAV are certain, OGG unknown). You can also edit the audio if there are some parts that you need to cut off
excessive silent parts of the song (usually at the beginning and/or the end) or whatever you want to do to the audio. I would
recommend Cool Edit 2000 or any other Cool Edit versions that will do the
job for you. If you have any other audio editing software that will do the job, use it. I used Cool Edit 2000 to edit Trish Thuy
Trang's Paper Lantern Night music because of the silence in the beginning and the end. Did the job nicely and saves the audio
format in its current state - MP3. Well, that's all there is to it. I hope you found this guide helpful.
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