AutoGK alternatives.

[brucevangeorge]

Since AutoGK has stopped development, are there any other high quality alternatives? Maybe a brached project from AutoGK?

What about non-free alternatives that are of high quality also?


I've looked at GK but it seems to be a liitle too complex. You spend more time figuring out how to encode the file than the encode time itself.

[setarip_old]

Hi!

Other than the fact that there's no further development, is there something lacking in "AutoGK" that you need?

[weaver4]

Two I like are:
avi.net -- very easy to use
automkv -- very flexible

[brucevangeorge]

Hi!

Other than the fact that there's no further development, is there something lacking in "AutoGK" that you need?

Just minor problems that I have with the software.

I read that virtualdub does YUV to RGB conversion when working with material and back to YUV to encode. Lowers quality and speed of entire operation. AutoGK uses virtualdubmod and it has the same issue as the original, right?


VirtualDub (and variants) run in RGB mode when you use Normal Recompress or Full Processing Mode (in the Video dropdown menu). All of VirtualDub's internal functions and filters run in RGB colorspace only. However, Fast Recompress doesn't decode the video to RGB, and instead just passes whatever your source is into the compressor you've selected - thus if your source is a YUV type then it passes the video data as YUV into the video compressor.
.
.
For example, using Fast Recompress in VirtualDub (or any of its variants) is not only the fastest way to transcode video but also the least costly in terms of colorspace conversions. The drawback is you cannot you any of VirtualDub's filters in Fast Recompress mode - VirtualDub never even touches the incoming video stream... which is why you should use AviSynth for any video processing work.

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=975636#post975636




That and its a little "too automated". I'd like to be able to use settings like output resolution at least, and encoder settings, and better encodes. When I select an output size of 100mb it gives me a 50-60mb file. When I select 300mb, it gives me a 80-120mb file. Same source material.

What the hell is that?

[setarip_old]

its a little "too automated".Then it sounds like the program is too well-developed for your taste, rather than lacking something due to no further development.

If that's the case, there are all sorts of alternatives discussed at the other sub-forums here...

[JohnGordon]

Hi!

Other than the fact that there's no further development, is there something lacking in "AutoGK" that you need?

AutoGK does a really good job at what it does but to me the biggest thing missing is a command line interface. This would open up the application massively. Other equivalent apps that offer a command line option just aren’t as good.

[Taurus]

I read that virtualdub does YUV to RGB conversion when working with material and back to YUV to encode. Lowers quality and speed of entire operation. AutoGK uses virtualdubmod and it has the same issue as the original, right?

The answer is in your own quote:
AutoGk and therefore VirtualdubMod never uses YUV/RGB conversion.
In "Fast Recompress" it stays at YV12 colorspace.
All editing is done via Avisynth.
That's why it is "Fast and Accurat":p

Output resolutions can be tweaked in the Advanced Options settings....
The undershoot in your encodes might be an indicator for a different Xvid or Divx encoder your using.
Uninstall all previous versions. Install the Xvid codec that comes bundled with AutoGk, open the encoder configuration panel, hit "load default settings" once. Click OK, and you should be on your way.
Or the codec is just simply saturated. Try "Ctrl+F9" and you can tweak your heart out....

Cheers

Taurus

[ele_mental]

That and its a little "too automated". I'd like to be able to use settings like output resolution at least, and encoder settings, and better encodes. When I select an output size of 100mb it gives me a 50-60mb file. When I select 300mb, it gives me a 80-120mb file. Same source material.

What the hell is that?

completely uninstall your old XviD codec then reinstall new.

[shrink0]

AutoGk,works great for me!! but give FairUse Wizard a spin, I think you'll be satisfied.....:)

[JohnGordon]

Yuh, so what about the command line option?!

[FishTank]

Hi!

Other than the fact that there's no further development, is there something lacking in "AutoGK" that you need?

ability to crop :)
i use agk for encoding mjpeg captures to xvid as its almost twice
as fast as when i use vdub and better quality then what i can do
manually *blush*.
only downside is that you cant crop. to bad theres no way to
crop & direct stream copy :( so i could crop in vdub, then encode
in agk.

oh well, life aint perfect lol

[aldaco12]

FAIRUSE ( http://www.fairusewizard.com/lang_en/fairuse_wizard_dvd_divx_xvid_backup_tool_light_edition.html ) is a nice alternative, and has the only drawback to make its own 'ripped DVD', so you cannot use an already ripped DVD. At step 2 of the wizard Fairuse asks you the DVD unit (well you could make a 'virtual image' by loading the ripped files with with Nero and mount it).
I used it whan I found a DVD which belonged to the set of 'exceptional DVDs' which were badly indexed by DGIndex 1.4.8 (alas, an AGK version which uses a future DGIndex upgrade will never exist).
Nice alternative, but I prefere AutoGK, when it works well (99.99% of the DVDs).

[Mtz]

FishTank, you can't crop and save as "direct stream copy".
You can crop with autogk. Is in Hidden Settings and you can use the preview to see if cropped OK. The best way is to crop in virtualdub(mod) and use that values in AGK.

enjoy,
Mtz

[BigDid]

... I used it whan I found a DVD which belonged to the set of 'exceptional DVDs' which were badly indexed by DGIndex 1.4.8 (alas, an AGK version which uses a future DGIndex upgrade will never exist).
Hi,

You may be interested to know I just made an AGK test with the new Dgdecode/Dgindex 1.49 beta17 for a short 1 pass without problems :)

After having made a copy of the old DGMPGDec directory, I just copy/pasted the 1.49-17 in it, fired AGK and made the 1 pass encode. (Alternate PC with AGK 2.27 and DgD/DgI 1.46).

At your own risk, no complaints if anything goes wrong etc...

Did

[Lenny_Nero]

Then it sounds like the program is too well-developed for your taste, rather than lacking something due to no further development.

I also cant see what the problem is ?
I have had a look at most other encoding GUI's, front ends and I still use AGK for the stuff I want to keep and I dont see what needs to be developed any further with it because it just works.

The only time I read in other places (Usenet for the main) about problems its the XviD under size thing which is not really any fault of AGK.

[tjhart85]

I've been running into issues where my xVids aren't synced properly, Tenacious D - Pick of Destiny, Lady in the Water, From Dusk Till Dawn to name a few.

I've ripped the DVDs using about every ripping software out there & always had the same results, even after re-formatting the machine & ONLY installing AutoGK & its dependencies.

I've just tried AVI.NET & it has managed to give me a perfectly synced AVI every time.

The only downside is that it can't handle program chains like AutoGK, which makes for a massive PITA when converting episode DVDs (TV shows).

98% of the time AutoGK works perfectly, but that remaining 2% is enough of a pain for me that I'm looking for decent alternatives.

[setarip_old]

@tjhart85

Hi!I've ripped the DVDs using about every ripping software out thereSpecifically, which software?

[FishTank]

FishTank, you can't crop and save as "direct stream copy".
You can crop with autogk. Is in Hidden Settings and you can use the preview to see if cropped OK. The best way is to crop in virtualdub(mod) and use that values in AGK.

enjoy,
Mtz

i know, i know :p :D
i played around with the crop in agk and its bloody brilliant actually :)

agk = perfect :D

[spotter]

Hi!

Other than the fact that there's no further development, is there something lacking in "AutoGK" that you need?

1. Not being able to save the queue (I sometimes make a queue of a hundred different encodes (Say I'm ripping a tv series).

2. Not being able to save "advanced settings" (just encoded an animated series, and had to set xvid cartoon mode each time, that was a pain)

3. I'd like "subtitles" to be external to the file size (or at least the option to do it). (namely I want my video to be 175 or 350 or whatever, and the subtitles to not be taken into account in file size). What I had to do now, is do them manually by hand.

4. I'd like AutoGK to be able to remember the directory I was saving to instead of assume it's the directory the vob's are in (this is a matter of taste, mostly an issue when I'm encoding lots of episodes from a tv series).

5. If you load the dvd to be encoded with an IFO, it will automatically name it dir.avi, where dir is the name of the dir its in. However, if the dir has a (1 or more) '.' in it, it will cut all the text after the final '.'. This seems to be a bug.

These are my primary recent annoyances w/ AutoGK. With that said, everything else causes me more annoyances.

[FishTank]

btw. i wonder why agk wants to go online everytime you start it.
i assume its an update checker, but if dev. is stopped, then the
last version should have had this removed.

[BigDid]

btw. i wonder why agk wants to go online everytime you start it.
i assume its an update checker...
Yes,

Are you amnesic? This is an optional install option :rolleyes:

To get rid of it, just delete the ".versioncheck" file in the
X:\Program Files\AutoGK directory (X being the drive/partition where Agk is installed) :cool:

Did

[weaver4]

Also AutoGK uses XviD version 1.2 which never went to Alpha/Beta and there are no plans to release it (so I am told). 1.2 is on a separate tree so any changes to 1.1.2 will not be reflected in 1.2. (I could be wrong but I don't think the changes from 1.1.1 to 1.1.2 got reflected in 1.2.)

[FishTank]

Yes,

Are you amnesic? This is an optional install option :rolleyes:

To get rid of it, just delete the ".versioncheck" file in the
X:\Program Files\AutoGK directory (X being the drive/partition where Agk is installed) :cool:

Did

i dont remember seing it when i installed agk, so i must be :rolleyes:

i have it blocked with my FW anyway, but thx for the info.