FAVC - v1.07 (Auto Menu Generation) (19/06/08)

[Nick]

@Shadowhaze - my 2 pence worth:

1) XVID and MPEG2 are lossy codecs, therefore each time you encode with one, you lose quality. Even if the input and output videos are both in XVID, the use of filters necessitates a re-encode.
XVID --(filters)-> MPEG2 will always be better then
XVID --(filters)-> XVID ---> MPEG2
And yes, video filtering is a slow process I'm afraid.

2) Certain filters (Undot, Deen for example) require YV12 and IIRC QuEnc requires YV12 input. I am not sure about HC. At any rate, if the source is already YV12, no conversion will occur so removing this line will not speed up proceedings.

3) Which encoder another user prefers is unimportant. You're the one who'll be watching it. Both encoders have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Make a short test clip of the footage you're encoding and test for yourself. See which YOU prefer.

[shadowhaze]

Nick,

Thanks for your help

1) XVID and MPEG2 are lossy codecs, therefore each time you encode with one, you lose quality. Even if the input and output videos are both in XVID, the use of filters necessitates a re-encode.
XVID --(filters)-> MPEG2 will always be better then
XVID --(filters)-> XVID ---> MPEG2
And yes, video filtering is a slow process I'm afraid.

I was afraid of that. I hoped that if I kept the same bit rate or higher on XVID, the I wouldn't lose anything, but I guess that wrong (right?). As for the processing speed (*sigh*), I've think I've come up with a combination to replace vmToon which is really slow (but very good). I'm trying LimitSharpenFaster and FastLineDarken. So far it's about 3 1/2 times faster. I don't want to jack the thread, but any thoughts on which should be first in the chain?

2) Certain filters (Undot, Deen for example) require YV12 and IIRC QuEnc requires YV12 input. I am not sure about HC. At any rate, if the source is already YV12, no conversion will occur so removing this line will not speed up proceedings.

I think HC requires YV12 as well, but in any case, I might as well leave it in.

3) Which encoder another user prefers is unimportant. You're the one who'll be watching it. Both encoders have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Make a short test clip of the footage you're encoding and test for yourself. See which YOU prefer.

It's hard to tell, but I think HC does a better job. I know that w/ the previous version of QuEnc, the bit rate was off. It showed a much higher rate than it actually was, and I'd end up with too much extra space on the DVD. However, QuEnc does allow for multicore processing. I'm hoping to upgrade my system to a Penryn or Barcelona quad core along with 2 or 4GB of 1066Mhz DDR2 (or even faster DDR3 (Penryn)) in Dec. or Jan. That will definitely speed things up - especially with a good OC. :D

Thanks again for your advice. I'm continually surprised by just how complex all of this can be. Audio is pretty simple by comparison.

[Mr_Odwin]

The way that FAVC implements dual core support is just by splitting the script into separate parts and running the encodes simultaneously. At the moment you can't do this with HC and 2-pass encoding (you can do it with constant quantisation) because the stats (db) file is always stored in the HC folder, so simultaneous encodes would clash. Hank says this behaviour is changing in the next release of HC though, so that will no longer be the case.

Nick covered your questions so I'll not go over them again. Just a note that I'm no AVISynth expert, and I have no clue about your filter chain.

[r0lZ]

I have a .NET unhandled exception each time I start FAVC v1.01 (before the GUI is opened.)
Continuing anyway seems to be safe.

See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.InvalidCastException: Conversion from string "False" to type 'Decimal' is not valid.
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ToDecimal(String Value, NumberFormatInfo NumberFormat)
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ToDecimal(String Value)
at FAVCForm1.Form1_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
FAVC
Assembly Version: 1.1.0.0
Win32 Version: 1.01
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/FAVC/FAVC.exe
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Microsoft.VisualBasic/8.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Runtime.Remoting
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Runtime.Remoting/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
----------------------------------------
TrackBar
Assembly Version: 1.0.2195.37365
Win32 Version: 1.0.2195.37365
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/FAVC/TrackBar/TrackBar.DLL
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/WINDOWS/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

[Mr_Odwin]

I have a .NET unhandled exception each time I start FAVC v1.01 (before the GUI is opened.)
Continuing anyway seems to be safe.

Config files generally aren't compatible between releases (something that I'll fix in the future). Delete config.ini in the FAVC\Documents folder; FAVC should reset to defaults and the error will go away.

Right, I'm off on my hols for a week, so I'll not be answering any queries until my return. (Pity the weather is awful in the UK at the moment. :( )

[r0lZ]

Yep, deleting the INI has solved the problem.
Thanks and good luck for the weather! (It is very bad in Belgium too!) :(

[gonwk]

Hi Mr_Odwin,:)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for "FAVC 1.01".

I was wondering if you can make the "Menu" portion OPTIONAL ... if someone wants a Menu then they can Tick it ... if not ... then they just convert teh AVI to DVD and that is it.

Thanks,
G!:thanks:

[rendez2k]

Hi Mr_Odwin,:)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for "FAVC 1.01".

I was wondering if you can make the "Menu" portion OPTIONAL ... if someone wants a Menu then they can Tick it ... if not ... then they just convert teh AVI to DVD and that is it.

Thanks,
G!:thanks:

It is: under the first tab tick Menu Creation - No.

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

@ Rednez ... can I claim that I did not have my Glasses on or would it be Simpler to just Admit it :stupid:
THANKS Rednez ... I just missed it.

@ Mr_Odwin ... my apologies to you too for the "False Alarm".:thanks:

G!:rolleyes::D

[rendez2k]

Two quick questions....

1. Is there anyway to see each movies expected bitrate before encoding?

2. Can the encoder quick preset defaults (speed, balance, quality) be changed (such as number of passes and encoding quality?)

[Mr_Odwin]

1. Is there anyway to see each movies expected bitrate before encoding?

I'm afraid not.


2. Can the encoder quick preset defaults (speed, balance, quality) be changed (such as number of passes and encoding quality?)

They're hard-coded, so no to that as well. Unless you want me to change them and have good reasons behind your suggestions.

Probably not the answers you wanted!

[rendez2k]

Its mainly the trellis quant option - I was under the impression that this isn't a great option to use for time vs the amount of quality gain? Shame about the bitrate option - its nice to know when you've reached the limit for quality (in my case, I never like to go below 3000). Also, is there anyway to stop it resetting the DVD menu text when you add or remove a video?

[Mr_Odwin]

Also, is there anyway to stop it resetting the DVD menu text when you add or remove a video?

Not right now, but probably in the future. It's more difficult to implement than it sounds. :(

[rendez2k]

Well, non of these things are big things so its not the end of the world! Just keep up the good work with the rest of it (easy menu font selection would be nice next!)

Edit: One other thought about the bitrate question. Could you have a button the runs the video analysis part that will grab all the details, then bitrate could be calculated and worked out?

[ricardo.santos]

Hi Mr Odwin

I have a friend that when using FAVc on Vista the following message apperas:

See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.AccessViolationException: Tentativa de ler ou escrever na memória protegida. Isto é normalmente uma indicação de que existe outra memória danificada.
em FAVCForm1.MediaInfo_Get(Int32 Handle, Int32 StreamKind, Int32 StreamNumber, String& Parameter, Int32 KindOfInfo, Int32 KindOfSearch)
em FAVCForm1.Button1_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
em System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
em System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
em System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
em System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
em System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
em System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
em System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
em System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
em System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
em System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
FAVC
Assembly Version: 1.1.0.0
Win32 Version: 1.01
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/FAVC/FAVC.exe
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Microsoft.VisualBasic/8.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Runtime.Remoting
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Runtime.Remoting/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
----------------------------------------
TrackBar
Assembly Version: 1.0.2195.37365
Win32 Version: 1.0.2195.37365
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/FAVC/TrackBar/TrackBar.DLL
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Accessibility/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------
mscorlib.resources
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms.resources
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms.resources/2.0.0.0_pt_b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.resources.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

What can be causing this error message?

[rendez2k]

Is there a log kept somewhere? I'm trying to encode 4 AVIs and one of them must have an issue as the output is well under size.

[Mr_Odwin]

Hi Mr Odwin

I have a friend that when using FAVc on Vista the following message apperas:
What can be causing this error message?

Perhaps he is using the 32bit version when he should be using the 64bit. (The only difference is that the 64bit version of Mediainfo is included in the download package.)

Is there a log kept somewhere? I'm trying to encode 4 AVIs and one of them must have an issue as the output is well under size.

There is no log file kept. What sort of encoding settings are you using? How does the encoded dvd look when played? How much of an undersize are we talking about? Etc, etc ...

[shadowhaze]

One thing I've noticed about Aften is that it lowers audio at least -3db per channel for some reason (you can see this w/ aften gui). Still it seems to be the best ac3 convertor so I'd rather not use something else. Is there anyway to add a "+3db" gain option? Right now I demux the files, add 3db or so to audio (usually converting to wav), mux back together, and then run through FAVC.

Unfortunately, normalize often changes the mix and overall tone (whether when used in FAVC or elsewhere). In FAVC, surround channels get an unwanted boost and drown out the center channel.

This may be asking too much, and if so, no worries. FAVC's still my favorite authoring program (just needs a shutdown when finished option :D).

Thanks

[Boulder]

One thing I've noticed about Aften is that it lowers audio at least -3db per channel for some reason (you can see this w/ aften gui). Still it seems to be the best ac3 convertor so I'd rather not use something else. Is there anyway to add a "+3db" gain option? Right now I demux the files, add 3db or so to audio (usually converting to wav), mux back together, and then run through FAVC.Could it be that FAVC uses a certain value for dialog normalization which will cause a decrease in the overall volume? If dialnorm is set to -31, there will be no decrease.

[Mr_Odwin]

FAVC passes the audio to Aften through the avisynth script and bepipe. Normalize() can be added to the script via the audio options and in the advanced script options you could add some Avisynth volume increase command (I don't know it offhand).

I'm not great with audio encoding, so any tweaks that would go down well are welcomed. I'm currently doing some work on the audio side of things so now would be the time to bring it up!

[Mr_Odwin]

FAVC has been updated to 1.02, and the first post in this thread summarises the changes.

[gonwk]

Hi Mr_Odwin,:)

THANKS for another GREAT Update.

G!:thanks::thanks::thanks:

[Taurus]

Thanks again to the FAVC man, Mr_Odwin.

Your work makes video life a little easier!

Cheers

Taurus

[r0lZ]

Thanks for the new version and particularly for the shutdown option!

[shadowhaze]

Thanks for the new version and particularly for the shutdown option!

I'll second that! FAVC just keeps getting better...

:thanks: Mr_Odwin for all your hard work.

[shadowhaze]

Could it be that FAVC uses a certain value for dialog normalization which will cause a decrease in the overall volume? If dialnorm is set to -31, there will be no decrease.

I understand what you mean about dialog norm set to -31, but if you click on the levels tab (Aften GUI), the highest setting is -3db - http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/1692/aftenguise3.jpg Given the volume drop, that leads me to believe that you'll get at least a -3db drop even if dialnorm is set to -31. Thanks for the help, but this is getting OT. I'll search the audio threads for this.

FAVC passes the audio to Aften through the avisynth script and bepipe. Normalize() can be added to the script via the audio options and in the advanced script options you could add some Avisynth volume increase command (I don't know it offhand).

Thanks for the tips. I'll try some scripts and check elsewhere (sorry if my previous post was OT for the thread). One last question - The last advance scripting tab box "following the resize" is the correct place to put audio scripts, right?

[linx05]

Thanks for the latest version! One problem though, when I set all my options and close FAVC, it does not save them. This was done on a clean directory (removed the previous folder).

[r0lZ]

linx, I've noticed that with the old version also. The options are kept only when you convert really something.

[Mr_Odwin]

The options are kept only when you convert something.

That is the case. I can look into changing it though.

[linx05]

linx, I've noticed that with the old version also. The options are kept only when you convert really something.
Oh it has been a while since I've done one and I thought it was a bug.

That is the case. I can look into changing it though.
Thank you so much :)

[Fishman0919]

Would it be possible to add an option to keep the audio without converting if it is already AC3/DTS ?

[rendez2k]

Just encoded 3 x 55min AVIs and output is 2.71gb. I used HC Enc in speed settings (but full-d1, not half). Is this kind of output size normal for this much video? Can I find out the average bitrate?

[Mr_Odwin]

Would it be possible to add an option to keep the audio without converting if it is already AC3/DTS ?

AC3 Audio can be retained. There's an option for it on the Audio tab and the default setting is to retain it. DTS audio I've not thought about because it's generally rarer. I'll look into it.

Just encoded 3 x 55min AVIs and output is 2.71gb. I used HC Enc in speed settings (but full-d1, not half). Is this kind of output size normal for this much video? Can I find out the average bitrate?

You've discovered a dirty secret about FAVC. When HC is used in constant quant mode it changes FAVC's behaviour. It will nearly always undersize. To meet the requested size the maximum bitrate allowable is set to what is the average bitrate in all other modes. If the maximum bitrate is set higher than this then you run the risk of oversizing, which I think is worse.
I only use FAVC with constant quant when the total length of video is reasonably short.

If anyone has a suggestion on how to change this for the better I'm open to it.

[rendez2k]

Hmmm - that explains all the under sizes I've been getting anyway. So basically, the time I'm saving probably isn't worth it as the quality in theory could be horrible?!

[Mr_Odwin]

Once you get to about an hour of video the maximum bitrate will start dropping. (For a 4.37GB output)

[Boow]

The shutdown option does not seem to work for me. When I come back to my pc in the morning its still running.

here's the the shutdown part of the batch file.

shutdown -f -s -c "FAVC has completed its task."rd /s /q "E:\dvdtemp\Working Folder 0"

[Mr_Odwin]

The shutdown option does not seem to work for me. When I come back to my pc in the morning its still running.

here's the the shutdown part of the batch file.

shutdown -f -s -c "FAVC has completed its task."rd /s /q "E:\dvdtemp\Working Folder 0"

Oops. There should be a new line in there between " and rd. I'll fix it for the next release. This will arise when you ask to delete the working files and shutdown also. Neither will happen!

I didn't test the shutdown too extensively as it shut my computer down every time I did. :p

[Deusxmachina]

I've been trying the various all-in-one suites lately, and this by far has had the least amount of errors/problems. It just plain works.

I'm mainly wondering about the forced 4000 bitrate for full-D1. Is there a way to adjust that? I set other options to best quality/slow pass, etc, but it resets max bitrate to 4000 a few moments later. A lot of the time, I'd like to have the max at 2000.

I haven't had the success with HC other people have had. It tends to not like scene changes with noisy video. Whereas I flip on QuEnc, and it looks great. I can beat QuEnc a bit in size and quality with TMPGenc if I really try, but I'm getting lazy and using QuEnc and FAVC more and more.

As an aside, I don't know if people who say TMPGenc is slow are leaving the display window on or what, because the speed of all three of the above encoders are in the same ballpark to me. I would love to see a TMPGenc option added to FAVC since it has more settings than Quenc for those of us who don't like avisynth files, but FAVC is still an achievement regardless. Thank you.

[Mr_Odwin]

Why would you want to set the maximum bitrate (maximum, not average) lower than 4000 for full-d1!?!
I'll look into changing the minimum that I set, but for now you can edit the "Title.bat" batch file that is created in the working folder before it starts, by using the "Don't start batch file" checkbox in the advanced scripting tab.

[Deusxmachina]

Why would you want to set the maximum bitrate (maximum, not average) lower than 4000 for full-d1!?!

lol, I figured that question would get asked.

It's good to have options is why. If I'm just putting my favorite things onto one disc for convenience or for whatever other reason, 2000 can be plenty. It depends on the subject matter, obviously.

If the video is mainly talking heads, talking heads don't need much bitrate, and if there's a lot of movement for short periods, those short periods will macroblock some, but the bits saved with the 2000 cap can be spread throughout the rest of the video, making it look better for the other 99% of the time there's not heavy movement. This of course works better with 16:9 instead of full-screen.

It's just another tool to have in the toolbox is all. Plenty of people around here think a person is crazy for even going as low as 4000.

For those new to HC and using low (sub-2000 average) bitrates, so far I've found the Bach1 matrix much easier on the eyes than the default "mpeg." JAWOR1CD seems similar. Still playing around with the others. I don't know what my original problems with HC were from, maybe just the particular video I had, but I'm liking the look and filesize with HC and Bach1.

I want to say again how impressive FAVC is compared to the other all-in-ones I tried. Some would error seemingly for no reason, others wouldn't allow AC3 audio, or couldn't do multiple files, or couldn't make menus, or couldn't do custom filesizes, etc. With FAVC, I can set it and forget it.

[wg]

First off Mr Odwin I'd like to thank you for putting together a great bit of kit, I have used it for several weeks now with great results, until now, here's the problem. I'm creating a DVD of five parts, with a menu & subtitles(I've done this several times before with similar clips & had no problems). When FAVC is finished I am left with a destination folder containing a video ts ifo file of 0kb & a vts 01 1 file of 880,402kb, nothing more. I have kept the contents of the working folder & tried to re-activate the batch file as outlined on this forum , but unfortunately the result was the same. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Here is the MuxScript, the last line looks ominous, could this be the reason for the failure?

MuxMan version 0.15R
Opened script file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\MuxScript.mxp
Accepted video I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title0.m2v size = 848442163
Accepted audio I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title0.ac3
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\TitleSub0.sup.
Accepted video I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title1.m2v size = 866140244
Accepted audio I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title1.ac3
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\TitleSub1.sup.
Accepted video I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title2.m2v size = 841868705
Accepted audio I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title2.ac3
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\TitleSub2.sup.
Accepted video I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title3.m2v size = 813881459
Accepted audio I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title3.ac3
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\TitleSub3.sup.
Accepted video I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title4.m2v size = 819722762
Accepted audio I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Title4.ac3
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\TitleSub4.sup.
Accepted image I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Background000000.bmp
Opened sub 1 file I:\FAVC-Temp\Working Folder 0\Menu.sst.
expanded database to 300 entries.
expanded database to 400 entries.
No useable audio found for PGC "VMG_Lu1_Pgc1"

04:20:54 Begin multiplex VTS01.
Title Segment List
Seg1
Encoded stream 20 is script stream 1.
Maximum audio duration 71450 fields.
Starting scene Seg1_Scn1 at 00:00:00:00
Starting scene Seg1_Scn2 at 00:05:00:11, requested for 00:05:00:00
Starting scene Seg1_Scn3 at 00:10:00:11, requested for 00:10:00:00
Starting scene Seg1_Scn4 at 00:15:00:11, requested for 00:15:00:00
Starting scene Seg1_Scn5 at 00:20:00:11, requested for 00:20:00:00
P-STD buffer underflow by 29502 bytes at 119721692, sector 409569.
End of video file
Bytes remaining in buffer = 29502.
Bitrate - avg: 5047204, min: 484072 (lba 0), max: 9448106 (lba 2383).
Shortest GOP has 22 fields, longest GOP has 30 fields.
Fields: 71448, VOBU: 2382, Sectors: 440201.
Video decoder buffer underflowed 1 times.
Check c:\muxman.log for details.
Resulting DVD will probably not play smoothly.

[Mr_Odwin]

It appears that Muxman is very sensitive to bitrate spikes. I know it's a pain, but re-doing all the encode with a lower maximum bitrate would probably solve it.
If you were using QuEnc, try HC, and if you were using HC, try a maximum bitrate of 7000-ish.

[Sir Didymus]

Hi wg!

It seems you are suffering from a problem which is very similar to the one reported on page 10 of this same thread.

In synthesis, your assets in the first VTS (video ? audio ? subs ?) turn out as very indigested for Muxman.

May I ask what encoder did you use ?

You may want to try with a different encoder, or with the same encoder but reducing significantly the max bitrate...

Afraid if the suggestion appear as simplicistic and empirical...

Cheers,
SD

Edit: OOPS... posted while Mr_Odwin was replying... Nice the answer is mostly the same... :)

[wg]

Thanks for the quick replies. I've tried both HC & Quenc, same outcome on both occasions. I did notice though the temp folder produced by Quenc was slightly smaller. Could you explain how to change max bitrate, I'll then try another conversion overnight & report back the outcome. The strange thing is I have used similar files(Same bitrate, format etc) in the past, on one occasion putting only 4 clips on the disc(I thought this would have made the output abr higher) with no problems. But as you have said maybe its the max bitrate that's the problem.

Cheers!

[Mr_Odwin]

There's an option to lower it on both the HC and QuEnc tabs of FAVC. (Bottom left corner.)

[wg]

My glasses are in the post.

Cheers!

[Mr_Odwin]

I've released a new version.

After some of the discussion above with rendez2k I decided to add a new encoding mode for HC. The modes are now as follows:

1. 2-Pass Variable Bitrate - Two full passes of the video are performed. Maximum Bitrate is set in the HC tab of FAVC and the average bitrate is automatically determined by FAVC, based on disc capacity/output size. In general this should neither undersize, nor oversize, but it takes the longest time to complete.

2. Constant Quantization - One encoding pass of the video is performed at the quantization value set in the HC tab of FAVC. In order to meet the disc capacity/output size the maximum bitrate is set to what is normally the average bitrate. This will nearly always undersize, but it will generally take the least time to complete.

3. (NEW!) Predictive Quantization - Several 2% samples of the video are encoded to determine the quantization value that most closely approximates what should be the average bitrate (based on disc capacity/output size). Maximum Bitrate is set in the HC tab of FAVC. One encoding pass of the video is then performed at the determined quantization level. This will sometimes undersize, sometimes oversize and sometimes be just about right. This method can give similar results to 2-Pass Variable Bitrate, and the encoding time will generally be lower, but you take the risk of oversized output.

[Taurus]

3. (NEW!) Predictive Quantization
Nice, I always like to experiment with new toys!
Thanks Mr_Odwin for your distribution.

Cheers

Taurus

[MilesAhead]

I was excited when I tried FAVC 1.03 on my XP machine since I like QuEnc and it runs 2 instances concurrently. I tried the same .avi file on my faster Vista machine and got unhandled exception dialog.

Out of 4 different .avi on my Vista machine only one started processing. As soon as you click Generate DVD it seems to be all or nothing. :)

I hope whatever Vista doesn't like is found because this looks like a great suite to get avi to dvd quickly and simply.

Edit: additional info.. copied some .avi files from Vista to XP and it's processing fine so it must be a Vista quirk. The error dialog says it's reading or writing protected memory. Fast machine is AMD duo core 5200+ HP Media Center PC with 32 bit Vista Home Premium. XP machine is XP Home SP2 Pentium D.

[gonwk]

Hi Mr_Odwin,:)

THANKS for yet another Great Update!

G!:thanks: