Thanks again for taking time to help me. My source isn't a dvd. It is a mpeg captured from my TV Wonder pro card on a windows computer. I capture with the default DVD setting of the ati software:
video : mpeg-2, 720x480 (NTSC), encoded interlaced, number of P frames in group = 4, variable bit rate 8MB/sec. Available options not selected: inverse 3:2 pulldown and close group of pictures.
audio: 48khz 16bit, 224kbit/s.

Then I copy this mpeg file on my Linux computer and I try to create a dvd with it using dvdauthor. I'm getting the sound but no image on the created dvd.

I tried running the transcode command (you provided) on my mpeg file and I'm getting a "broken pipe" error and it doesn't create the new file.

Looks like there is something wrong with my captured file?

Any idea?

Since you're not using a DVD as the source, you need to modify the -i and -x parameters, and remove the -T. Try changing the command to this:
The italic options are for audio (DVDs are often quiet, so -s 2 doubles the volume, and -b sets the audio bitrate). Remove them if you have just a pure video stream. Don't forget to change (name) to the filename you want for your newly re-encoded mpeg file.

If your stream file does have audio, you might need to specify the codec format for that too, e.g -x mpeg2,mp3 or whatever. Check the transcode manpage under -x.

Doesn't work, I'm getting a broken pipe error...

transcode -i Caillou.mpg -x mpeg2 -y mpeg2enc,toolame -w 4800 -b 192 -s 2 -F 3,"-K tmpgenc -G 15 -c" -V -o CaillouDavid
transcode v0.6.12 (C) 2001-2003 Thomas Oestreich, 2003-2004 T. Bitterberg
[transcode] (probe) suggested AV correction -D 0 (0 ms) | AV 0 ms | 0 ms
[transcode] auto-probing source Caillou.mpg (ok)
[transcode] V: import format | MPEG-2 (V=mpeg2|A=vob)
[transcode] V: AV demux/sync | (1) sync AV at initial MPEG sequence
[transcode] V: import frame | 720x480 1.50:1 encoded @ 4:3
[transcode] V: bits/pixel | 0.463
[transcode] V: decoding fps,frc | 29.970,4
[transcode] V: Y'CbCr | YV12/I420
[transcode] A: import format | 0x50 MPEG layer-2 [48000,16,2] 224 kbps
[transcode] A: export format | 0x55 MPEG layer-3 [48000,16,2] 192 kbps
[transcode] V: encoding fps,frc | 29.970,4
[transcode] A: bytes per frame | 6408 (6406.400000)
[transcode] A: adjustment | -1600@1000
[transcode] A: rescale stream | 2.000
[transcode] V: IA32 accel mode | 3dnow (3dnow mmxext mmx asm)
[transcode] V: video buffer | 10 @ 720x480
[import_vob.so] v0.6.0 (2003-10-02) (video) MPEG-2 | (audio) MPEG/AC3/PCM | (subtitle)
[import_mpeg2.so] v0.4.0 (2003-10-02) (video) MPEG2
[export_toolame.so] v1.0.5 (2003-02-06) (audio) MPEG 1/2
[export_mpeg2enc.so] v1.1.10 (2003-10-30) (video) MPEG 1/2
[import_vob.so] tccat -i "Caillou.mpg" -t vob -d 0 -S 0 | tcdemux -a 0 -x mp3 -S 0 -M 1 -d 0 | tcextract -t vob -a 0 -x mp2 -d 0 | tcdecode -x mp2 -d 0
[import_mpeg2.so] tcextract -x mpeg2 -i "Caillou.mpg" -d 0 | tcdecode -x mpeg2 -d 0 -y yv12
[export_mpeg2enc.so] *** init-v *** !
[export_mpeg2enc.so] cmd=mpeg2enc -v 0 -I 0 -q 3 -f 3 -4 2 -2 3 -b 4800 -s -F 4 -n n -a 2 -o "CaillouDavid.m2v" -K tmpgenc -G 15 -c
[export_toolame.so] cmd=toolame -s 48.000 -b 192 -m j - "CaillouDavid.mp2" 2>/dev/null
Broken pipe

Finally! I think I found the solution... I was reading some forums on another site and came across a discussion about video capture and dvd. The guy was having avi and used avidemux2 to convert them to mpeg. During the discussion someone said that an mpeg can be made dvd compliant using avidemux2. So I installed avidemux2 and opened my mpeg in it. It indexed the mpeg. Then I saved it as "DVD PS" (one option in the save dialog). Then I used dvdauthor to create the dvd using the same xml as in a previous post. The created dvd structure played well in xine and totem on Linux and also well on PowerDVD on Windows! I guess that's it. I'm going to make more tests tonight to make sure everything works fine. then I'll try creating menus...

Thank you very much for your help, I learned a lot from you! I hope my dvd problems are over.

David.