Best GUI for x264; Any that are semi-stable?

[fegul]

I'm going to be honest, I had high hopes for MeGUI. I really liked the interface which was simple, and had advanced options. It had great navigation, and had everything I needed in an x264-capable converter (e.g bitrate calc)

However, I downloaded the most recent release, and while building the AVS script, the "crop" button crashes the program. The older release I had was not doing this, it would actually queue the job, but would always error when I started it.

I do have the latest version of everything (MeGUI, DGindex, x264, etc) and it just doesnt work.

I've been using Staxrip mainly because its the only one I've found that actually works, though I dont like its interface a whole lot.

Is this mainly because h.264 is still a developing technology, or is it just the programs that I'm using to encode?

I used to use Vdubmod and used the VFW end of x264 until some of you guys mentioned a while back that the CLI is better. I'm not much of a command line person, so I was hoping MeGUI would be slightly more refined, but I was a little disappointed. I'm writing a tutorial on this, and was hoping to use MeGUI as the primary tool since its so versatile (makes the AVS for you and everything) How can I write a tutorial if the program isnt even stable for me yet?

Looking forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions :)

[Sharktooth]

MeGUI is in a transitional phase. It moved to sourceforge since some days and we're working on new features and the new .NET 2.0 framework.
get the files here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=156112
and if you encounter any problems please make a detailed bugreport on the megui development thread.
we'll try to fix it as soon as we can.

[fegul]

OK, I was planning on submitting some bugreports once I figure out how. Also, why is CLI preferred over the VFW end? Dont they both use the same encoder or am I thinking the wrong way about this?

BTW, that is the version I downloaded.

[Sirber]

If you don't do much DVDRip you can try RealAnime ;)

[fegul]

The tutorial is about going from DVD to x264. I've seen a lot of interest, and I thought I'd take a stab at it and write something up for the average user

[Sharktooth]

Yes, they use the same core, but the VFW interface is not updated coz the VFW itself is old and lacks features and AVI is simply "not enaugh" for MPEG-4 streams.
It could be hacked but it's a half-ass solution.

[fegul]

So what do you want in a bug report? I have the details from the crash, is that good enough? I dont speak C# so I wasnt sure if I should post in the development thread, but I'll post what I have there now.

[Sharktooth]

the script you loaded, the x264 commandline, what you were doing when it crashed, the x264 and MeGUI version, the MeGUI settings, the OS version and your system specs.

[stax76]

Sad to hear you don't like the StaxRip interface, there is nothing I'm more concerned about in StaxRip than the interface and the user experience. Maybe you can tell me what is the problem, I might be able to fix it.

[fegul]

Sad to hear you don't like the StaxRip interface, there is nothing I'm more concerned about in StaxRip than the interface and the user experience. Maybe you can tell me what is the problem, I might be able to fix it.

The think I didnt like about it was the fact that I couldnt add my own audio track since I encoded my own to Ogg.

I did like how it checked for the certain components needed for it to operate though. I would prefer a page that asked about the input sources, a page that had options for choosing the encoder, bitrate calc, etc, and the last page for the job queue.

Staxrip has it all clumped into one page that can be a little clunky to navigate (for instance I didnt even realize where the option was to choose the codec until I finished the 2-3 hour conversion only to find that it was in Xvid.

[Mutant_Fruit]

Maybe the latest version isn't the best?

Stick with a version that works if the latest doesn't work for you... MeGUI is only on version 0.2. Expect quite a lot of things to break or not act correctly all the time.

[stax76]

The think I didnt like about it was the fact that I couldnt add my own audio track since I encoded my own to Ogg.

I did like how it checked for the certain components needed for it to operate though. I would prefer a page that asked about the input sources, a page that had options for choosing the encoder, bitrate calc, etc, and the last page for the job queue.

Staxrip has it all clumped into one page that can be a little clunky to navigate (for instance I didnt even realize where the option was to choose the codec until I finished the 2-3 hour conversion only to find that it was in Xvid.

Sounds like a perfect description of GordianKnot ;). StaxRip uses a fundamentally different GUI concept similar to AutoGK having only basic stuff in the main dialog. It's ideal for novice users.


Staxrip has it all clumped into one page that can be a little clunky to navigate (for instance I didnt even realize where the option was to choose the codec until I finished the 2-3 hour conversion only to find that it was in Xvid.


It's much more easy and convenient in recent versions as profiles can be loaded directly chosing from the main menu instead of having to open the profiles dialog.

[ricardo.santos]

altoug i dont use x264 when i first aproached the codec StaxRip was the only aplication that workrd for me, it was more intuitive than the others.

about the GUI, i think Stax found the perfect balance between the Gui for advanced and novice users

[fegul]

I've been looking at Staxrip a little more, and I'm growing much more fond of the interface than before.

However, when I'm creating an mp4 file with x264 video and AAC audio, I cant figure out where to specify the size I want the target to be. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or has it simply not been added in yet?

Also, I created a fullblown mp4 with it earlier today, but the sound didnt sync with the audio. I'm trying it again just to see, but I hope this isnt a frequent issue.

[buzzqw]

well i can promote my own gui... (look at sign) :D :D

BHH

[stax76]

However, when I'm creating an mp4 file with x264 video and AAC audio, I cant figure out where to specify the size I want the target to be. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or has it simply not been added in yet?

When a codec is in quality mode StaxRip does notice it and hide all filesize and bitrate related features.

Also, I created a fullblown mp4 with it earlier today, but the sound didnt sync with the audio. I'm trying it again just to see, but I hope this isnt a frequent issue.

Such issues fit better in the StaxRip topic, regarding sync problems, I wrote something about it here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=760428#post760428