AVStoDVD Support Thread

[Sparktank]

FTR: I install K-Lite Codec Pack and customize everything during install and also use the Codec Tweak Tool (and Preferred Filter Tweaker if not on Win7 machine) to switch preferred filters/splitters and enable/disable anything.

Codec Tweak Tool > Configuration: DSFilters > if you see Haali, it's enabled. If it's missing, it's not registered/enabled/installed.
Codec Tweak Tool > Codec and Filter management: Preferred Splitters > Haali should show up in the options for some formats (AVI, MKV, MP4, etc).

KLCP installs Haali 1.11.288.0. I don't install Haali on its own anymore, I've been using the one that comes with KLCP and it's always been compatible with A2D, regardless of version (of Haali or A2D) for as long as I can remember.

Codec Tweak Tool can be downloaded separately, mirrored on VideoHelp.
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Codec-Tweak-Tool

CodecGuide has a list of mirrors where you can download it from as well...
http://www.codecguide.com/download_other.htm

For Windows 7/8 environments, make sure to also use...
http://www.codecguide.com/windows7_preferred_filter_tweaker.htm

[edwood]

Hi there edwood,

it is a matter of directshow raw video codec configuration. See Help/FAQ/GUI/Q2.2 for more details and how to fix it.

;)

Bye

MrC.,

When I went to the above link, and clicked on the "instructions" tab, all I got was a white screen. Evidently I have some files missing that are needed for the successful operation of AVStoDVD. I reinstalled AVStoDVD and am getting the same results as mentioned in my earlier post as well as this post.

Here is a description of my system.
Windows 7 Ultimate with sp1 running on a:
Panasonic Toughbook CF-51 Laptop
Intel Pentium M Processor running @ 1.73ghz
Standard VGA Graphics Adapter
2gb ram.
80gb hard disk drive
1 internal DVD-ROM & CD-R/RW combination Drive
1 external Asus DVD+R Dual Layer Drive.

I also have AVStoDVD installed on my Desktop Box which I built about 3 years ago. It has a Gigabyte MD, An Intel Dual Core processor running @ 2.5ghz, 4gb ram, 1 internal 1tb hdd, 1 internal 500gb hdd, 1 external 1tb hdd, 1 internal HP Lightscribe combo CD/DVD+RW burner and 1 external Plexus combo CD/DVD+RW burner.

This box also is running Win 7 Ultimate sp1. Everything works fine in AVStoDVD on this desktop box.

I have downloaded and reinstalled ffdshow from the SourceForge website onto the laptop without any success in getting the preview function to work.

I woud appreciate anything you suggest that I try.

Regards,
Ed:thanks:

[edwood]

MrC.

Here is an update. One thing that I did NOT do was reboot my computer after I had reinstalled everything. After a reboot, everything seems to be working as it should. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help.

Ed Wood
:D

[edwood]

Hi all,

I spoke too soon! I tried the preview frame again and there was nothing but a white screen. The audio was working, but I could not check the lip sync without any video. We are now back to the detailed post of the problem.

Sorry for the inconvience of the post that everything is working as expected.

Regards,
Ed
:mad:

[MrC]

Wait, wait, what is the "instructions" tab?

Have you set up the ffdshow video decoder configuration to have the 'Raw Video' set to 'All Supported'?

;)

Bye

[ThaDraGun]

Not sure why but now I have a message box pop up when Im making a video. I havent changed any settings. It wont proceed unless I hit x. Makes it annoying when Im making a DVD with multiple videos.

AVStoDVD - Edit Command Parameter
HCenc Command INI File:
(when finished press X)

[alot of code]

How do I get rid of this?

[manolito]

How do I get rid of this?

By simply unchecking "Edit Encoder Command Parameters at runtime" in the "Advanced Project Settings".



Cheers
manolito

[edwood]

By "instructions" link, I am referring to the Help tab and the Q2.2 FAC on setting the ffdshow settings.

I was finally able to set the Raw Video setting to all supported by running ffdshow independently from my start button, then working my way through all of the options on ffdshow until I found the Raw Video setting (which was disabled, by the way). I now am able to view the movie clip.

My problem now lies with lip sink. The audio is approximately 2 1/2 - 3 seconds behind the video. I do not have the lip sync problem when I run the movie clip through Windows Classic Movie Player.

I wonder if the lip sync problem could be because I am retrieving the files from another computer on a wireless router? To check this out, I am copying the movie clip files directly to my limited space laptop hard drive. I will try to create a project using only the laptop and see if I get the lip sync problem then. I will let you know the outcome.

Have a great day!
Ed

[ThaDraGun]

By simply unchecking "Edit Encoder Command Parameters at runtime" in the "Advanced Project Settings".



Cheers
manolito

Thanks that worked. Must have clicked the box by mistake some how.

Another issue Ive had. Only happens once and a while...

I add some mkv, hit the Start button and 2-3hrs later its done. I burn the video and when I play it I notice that there are subtitles hardcoded when I dont want any subs. Now I usually check with VLC before I burn. Then Ive gotta use mkvmerge gui to remove the subtitle and remux. Then I can add the file and try again.

Im not selecting add sub either.
So I add an mkv, and it pops up a box asking if I want to include an imbedded subtitle. I dont select the box for the subtitle I just hit close. If I right click the title and choose subtitle to check, none are listed. The only way I can tell that there is a subtitle on there is to preview title. I dont do that too often because it used to freeze all the time for me.

Also, there are no subtitle files in the same folder as the mkv.

Any ideas whats going on here?

[Sparktank]

I add some mkv, hit the Start button and 2-3hrs later its done. I burn the video and when I play it I notice that there are subtitles hardcoded when I dont want any subs

Change the settings in DirectVobSub. Make sure you enable "hide subtitles".

You can use Codec Tweak Tool > DirectShow Filters and change the settings from there.

[ThaDraGun]

Change the settings in DirectVobSub. Make sure you enable "hide subtitles".

You can use Codec Tweak Tool > DirectShow Filters and change the settings from there.

Then when I DO want to have a subtitle show I just have to go back and unhide?

[Sparktank]

Then when I DO want to have a subtitle show I just have to go back and unhide?

That's one option.

You can extract the subtitles and convert them and let AVStoDVD load them. SRT format are the best, imo.
Converting to an IDX/SUB format tends to leave a lot of artifacts around the subtitles.

[ThaDraGun]

I just downloaded codec tweak 5.4.8 and dont see any option to hide subtitles

[Sparktank]

I just downloaded codec tweak 5.4.8 and dont see any option to hide subtitles

DirectShow Filters > DirectVobSub > Misc > Hide Subtitles

[ThaDraGun]

DirectShow Filters > DirectVobSub > Misc > Hide Subtitles

Finally found it, I dunno how I missed it. Was looking at the directshow under codec and filter managemnt.

thanks

[Sparktank]

Is there anyway to change settings to the subtitles default status?

Normal subtitles (not forced) seem to be enabled by default during playback.
I have to turn them off when the disc starts whether on my DVD/BD machine or media player on my PC.

[edwood]

I just burned my first dual layer dvd (8 - 48min .avi files) using AVS2DVD. I like the menu setup, and the way it is easier to customize them compared to DVDFlick which I have been using for several years.

However, AVS2DVD took a total of 22 hours and 17 minutes from start to finish to complete the project. Is this normal? or did I set things up wrong? That amount of time for a project is 4 times as long as it takes DVDFlick to complete a project of the sae type (8 - 48min .avi files).

I love AVS2DVD, but obviously, I cannot tie up my laptop for a full 24 hours to complete one project when I have over 400 episodes of Perry Mason and Ironside to compile to DVD.

Any suggestions on why it took so long to complete the project? Have a great week!

Thanks,
Ed Wood

[MrC]

@edwood

2 questions to begin:

1. What is your system? I mean: CPU, RAM, HD

2. Could you post the neverending project log file?

;)

Bye

[edwood]

MrC

I will search for the log file to post. Where is it located, and what is it titled?

You raised the point that is probably my problem. The laptop has a cpu speed of 1.3mhz. There is 2mb ram installed, and the hdd size is 80mb of which it is probably 1/2 full. I have a 1tb external usb drive that I will see if the laptop will recognize and use. That should speed up the process considerably if AVS2DVD will support the external drive.

Thanks,
Ed

[MrC]

I will search for the log file to post. Where is it located, and what is it titled?

Look in the Output Folder you selected in AVStoDVD. There is the DVD folder and a .log file. Copy and paste here the content of the .log file.

You raised the point that is probably my problem. The laptop has a cpu speed of 1.3mhz. There is 2mb ram installed, and the hdd size is 80mb of which it is probably 1/2 full. I have a 1tb external usb drive that I will see if the laptop will recognize and use. That should speed up the process considerably if AVS2DVD will support the external drive.

1.3 Ghz are really not that much. Mainly if the cpu is single core and the source title is HD and/or long.

BTW, let's see the project log file.

;)

Bye

[edwood]

MrC

Here are the log files from my last project that took 22+ hours to complete. There are 8 of them.

#1
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96616
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74201088
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:31.712
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96615
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:31.552
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96611
Number of Errors= 0

#2
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96575
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74169600
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:30.400
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96574
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:30.240
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96570
Number of Errors= 0

#3
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96490
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74104320
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:27.680
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96489
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:27.520
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96485
Number of Errors= 0

#4
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96795
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74338560
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:37.440
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96794
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:37.280
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96790
Number of Errors= 0

#5
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96632
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74213376
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:32.224
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96631
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:32.064
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96627
Number of Errors= 0

#6
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96654
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74230272
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:32.928
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96653
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:32.768
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96649
Number of Errors= 0

#7
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96932
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74443776
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:41.824
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96931
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:41.664
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96927
Number of Errors= 0

#8
[Input info]
Bitrate=192
Actual rate=192.000000
Sampling Frec=48000
TotalFrames=96786
Bytesperframe= 768.0000
Filesize=74331648
FrameDuration= 32.0000
Framespersecond= 31.2500
Duration=00:51:37.152
Channels mode=2/0: L+R
LFE=LFE: Not present
[Target info]
StartFrame=5
EndFrame=96785
NotFixedDelay= 0.0000
Duration=00:51:36.992
====== PROCESSING LOG ======================
Seeking....
Done.
Processing....
Number of written frames = 96781
Number of Errors= 0

I have installed the 1gb external drive on my laptop and tried to access it through AVS2DVD. I was able to import the .avi files into AVS2DVD, and set the output folder to the external drive. I have not, as yet, tried to burn a DVD. I will try that next to see if there is any speedup in the project with a larger available drive to operate with.

Thanks for your help.

Ed Wood

[MrC]

These are not logs from AVStoDVD.

AVStoDVD .log file is just ONE file named with the DVD label you have inserted in the main AVStoDVD window and located in the Output Folder you have selected in the main AVStoDVD window.

For example, if you have labeled you DVD as "My DVD" and you have selected "D:\Movies" as output folder, then the log file will be:

D:\Movies\My DVD.log

;)

Bye

[edwood]

MrC.

I found 4 text files titled Ironside_D1_S1_0, Ironside_D1_S1_1, Ironside_D1_S1_2, Ironside_D1_S1_3. They were all document files, not log files.

I tried to post them on this forum board but each one by itself far exceeded the 16,000 characters allowed in posts.

If that is not the log file you refer to, I cannot find it on my computer. I am now in the process of burning a 2nd dvd and timing the burn, since I am writing to an external 1tb drive with 400gb free space. I will let you know what happens.

Regards,
Ed

[Sparktank]

Just saw the 2.6.0 Alpha (December 11, 2012) update on VideoHelp.com
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/AVStoDVD

Going to have fun testing with this and give any feedback in due time.
Looking forward to trying out the new features and new look.

:thanks:

[MrC]

@edwood

these 4 files are not created by AVStoDVD... are you sure you are looking at the right folder?

@Sparktank

mate, you are a lightning! Let me know your opinions.

;)

Bye

[MrC]

Release 2.6.0 Alpha 121205 is available to download (https://sourceforge.net/projects/avstodvd/files/avstodvd_alpha_beta/AVStoDVD%202.6.0%20Alpha%20121205/).

Change log:

- Some bugs fixed
- Added 'FFmpeg (Safe Mode)' to AC3 Audio Encoding profiles in 'Preferences'/'Audio'
- Added 'Adjust Frame Strategy' in 'Preferences'/'AviSynth'
- Added 'DeBlock' AviSynth deblocking filter (by Manao) in 'Title Edit'/'AviSynth'
- Added a time cap (2h) to AC3 audio encoding step (Wavi+Aften profile). Overrun leads to process kill and 'FFmpeg (Safe Mode)' start as backup.
- Added a framerate consistency check vs selected Video Standard to source titles during 'Add Title' routine
- Added audio ON/OFF control to 'Preview Clip' section
- Added ffdshow 1.2.4422.0 32bit to Installer package
- Added GraphStudio 0.3.2.0 beta to NoInstall and Installer packages
- Added 'Codecs' as new element in Main AVStoDVD Menu
- Added 'ffdshow Video Configuration' option from 'Codecs' (Main Menu)
- Added 'ffdshow Audio Configuration' option from 'Codecs' (Main Menu)
- Added 'Build Graph Filter' option from 'Codecs' (Main Menu)
- Moved 'AviSynth FrameServing Check' from 'Title' to 'Codecs' (Main Menu)
- Removed ImgBurn Installer from AVStoDVD Installer Package. There is still a link to ImgBurn webpage.
- Changed 'Adjust ffdshow Mixer Output at runtime' to 'Adjust ffdshow Settings at Runtime' (now including Raw Video and Raw Audio adjustments for Preview Clip section)
- Improved 'Quick StartUp Tutorial' section
- Improved 'Fix SRT' routine for authored subtitles
- Improved log activity (Audio Encoding section)
- Improved GUI graphics (progress bars color change)
- Re-organized AviSynth filters options disposition in 'Title Edit'/'AviSynth'
- FFmpeg updated to build git-8b6aeb1
- FFMpegSource updated to 2.17
- Haali Media Splitter updated to 1.11.96.14
- MKVToolNix updated to 5.8.0
- MediaInfo updated to 0.7.61

Happy testing.

;)

Bye

[manolito]

Thanks MrC for the new version, I like the improvements very much. I tested it with two small conversion jobs, no problems so far.

One small thing I noticed was when my source was a VOB file from a DVD (unencrypted) that GraphEdit could not build the graph. No big deal...


Thanks again
Cheers
manolito

[edwood]

MrC.

I am now in the process of burning a 2nd dvd and timing the burn, since I am writing to an external 1tb drive with 400gb free space. I will let you know what happens.

Regards,
Ed

The 2nd dvd burn aborted in the BatchMux process. Here is the log file for that process.

BatchMux version --> 1.3
Destination Folder --> F:\Ironside Burned DVD\DVD_0\VIDEO_TS
MuxMan Script File --> C:\Users\EDWOOD~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_0_MuxMan.mxp
MuxMan Log String --> -l "C:\Users\EDWOOD~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_0_MuxMan.log"
Folder of the MuxMan executable --> C:\Program Files\AVStoDVD\MuxMan
Check presence of MuxMan.exe --> PASSED
Palette File --> C:\Users\EDWOOD~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_0_Palette.txt
Default Palette --> SUCCESSFULLY REDEFINED
Segment memory resources --> RELEASED
Local Stack memory --> RELEASED
File i/o structures --> DEALLOCATED

The DVD log file is to long to post.


I think the problem was caused by the external drive going to sleep and the process aborted before the drive came up. I have searched the properties of the external drive and I cannot find any way to prevent the drive from going into sleep mode.

Any suggestions?
Ed
:thanks:

[MrC]

@manolito

the VOB is indexed? If not, it should be resolved by directshow. Make sure that ffdshow is setup with libmpeg2 for mpeg1/2 decoding.

@edwood

please post the whole log file. You can attach the file.

;)

Bye

[manolito]

One small thing I noticed was when my source was a VOB file from a DVD (unencrypted) that GraphEdit could not build the graph. No big deal...

This is GraphStudio's fault...:p
Rendering a 1GB VOB from a DVD simply takes longer than 10 secs, and by default GraphStudio aborts rendering after 10 secs. There is an option in GraphStudio to turn this off, and with this option disabled the VOB is rendered correctly.

Unfortunately GraphStudio does not save this setting, and it also does not support startup parameters, so nothing can be done about it. But as I said, this is no big deal...


Cheers
manolito

[Adub]

@edwood

please post the whole log file. You can attach the file

Or feel free to use a service like pastebin (http://pastebin.com/), which will avoid the need for a moderator to approve the attachment.

[edwood]

MrC,

I did not know that you could attach a file to this forum board. I have not seen an attachment icon. When you suggested that I attach the file, I did a little exploring and discovered the attachment icon under the advanced button.

Here is the attachment from the project that aborted during the muxing procedure. It is labeled Logfile.txt

After the process aborted, I started the process again, and let it run throughout the night. At about 3am, I heard my laptop reboot. When I checked on it later that morning, I found that AVS2DVD had not burned a DVD. However, AVS2DVD got far enough into the process that it did create the file folders AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS, with the appropriate files in the VIDEO_TS folder. I then used CyberLink Power2Go to burn the DVD.

Here is the attachment from that project. It is labeled Logfile2.txt

I hope this helps you figure out what is going on. Again, I wonder if it is the fact that the external drive goes into "sleep" mode after a certain period of time.

Have a great weekend!
Ed

[manolito]

Again, I wonder if it is the fact that the external drive goes into "sleep" mode after a certain period of time.

This seems to be a common problem with external HDDs (I have got one of those, too). But there are workarounds:

http://nosleephd.codeplex.com/

http://xsleep.codeplex.com/

and if both of these do not work, try this as a last resort:

http://zababov.blogspot.de/2011/04/turn-off-hard-disk-power-saving.html



Cheers
manolito

[Sparktank]

Re: "sleep mode" for external HDD's...

I've configured the Power Options on my laptop to disable any sort of USB selective suspension.
With that disabled, I've been able to do all sorts of things with my externals for encoding/decoding, etc.

[manolito]

However, AVS2DVD took a total of 22 hours and 17 minutes from start to finish to complete the project. Is this normal? or did I set things up wrong? That amount of time for a project is 4 times as long as it takes DVDFlick to complete a project of the sae type (8 - 48min .avi files).

I love AVS2DVD, but obviously, I cannot tie up my laptop for a full 24 hours to complete one project when I have over 400 episodes of Perry Mason and Ironside to compile to DVD.

Any suggestions on why it took so long to complete the project?

OK, here are some suggestions how you can get the maximum speed out of AVS2toDVD. I am fully aware that MrC will probably not endorse these suggestions since he always puts quality over speed...:D , but for people with slow computers it is probably worth a try.

The reason why DVDFlick is so much faster than AVStoDVD is that DVDFlick uses ffmpeg in 1-pass mode for the conversion. AVStoDVD normally uses HCenc, and most of the time it uses 2-pass VBR mode. Much better quality, but it might take up to 4 times longer, as you already discovered.

AVStoDVD comes with QuEnc (based on libavcodec like ffmpeg), but by default it is only used for very high bitrates (in CBR mode with the HQ flag enabled). But it is possible to use QuEnc for lower bitrates in 1-pass VBR mode without the HQ flag. This will probably result in an encoding speed and quality very similar to DVDFlick.


This is what you have to do:

In AVStoDVD under "Advanced Project Settings" you have to enable the option "Edit Encoder Command Parameters at Runtime". Load your source(s), then click "View/Edit Title Settings". Under "Video" uncheck the "Auto Video Setup" option. Now specify QuEnc as your encoder.

Start the conversion, the edit window for the QuEnc parameters will pop up. Now you have to replace "-hq" with "-nohq" and "-novbr" with "-vbr". For medium to lower bitrates you might want to use the qlb matrix instead of the mpeg standard matrix. You can specify this by adding the "-qlb" parameter to the command line.

Close the edit window, the conversion will start.

Make sure to carefully examine the resulting DVD to make sure that you are happy with the quality...:)


Cheers
manolito

[manolito]

Re: "sleep mode" for external HDD's...

I've configured the Power Options on my laptop to disable any sort of USB selective suspension.
With that disabled, I've been able to do all sorts of things with my externals for encoding/decoding, etc.

It seems like a lot of external HDDs completely ignore the Power Saving options of the operating system. The sleep mode settings reside inside the firmware of the external drive, and many companies like WD, Samsung or Maxtor do not provide any means for the user to change firmware settings.


Cheers
manolito

[qyot27]

MrC

I will search for the log file to post. Where is it located, and what is it titled?

You raised the point that is probably my problem. The laptop has a cpu speed of 1.3mhz. There is 2mb ram installed, and the hdd size is 80mb of which it is probably 1/2 full. I have a 1tb external usb drive that I will see if the laptop will recognize and use. That should speed up the process considerably if AVS2DVD will support the external drive.

Thanks,
Ed
Drive size means nothing in terms of speed. The RPM of the drive - or it being an SSD would (but with it being over USB, you're bottlenecking that; it needs to be hooked directly to the internal connectors for HDDs to really make use of that), but the amount of storage space doesn't. And any significant performance degradation you'd find from a lack of storage space won't come into play until the drive is 90% full or more.



Speaking from the perspective of ancient hardware (1GHz Pentium III-based Celeron Coppermine, 512MB PC133 SDRAM - but it came with 256MB; this thing was bought in 2001), your best bet is to convert the files to DVD compliant MPEG-2/AC3 well before you ever give them to AVStoDVD, and simply use the 'Keep compliant video/audio' options so that the only thing it does is construct the menus and other disc navigation structures.

Encoding the individual episodes first means you can break up the amount of dedicated time spent on the task, or if you have access to a much faster computer, you could always do the encoding on there and then transport the files back to the main computer for authoring (I do this for television episodes; I have access to an iMac with a Core i5 in it; takes about 5 minutes to convert a 24 minute long TV episode*).

*1280x720 H.264 source -> 720x480 MPEG-2 destination

[edwood]

your best bet is to convert the files to DVD compliant MPEG-2/AC3 well before you ever give them to AVStoDVD, and simply use the 'Keep compliant video/audio' options so that the only thing it does is construct the menus and other disc navigation structures.

Encoding the individual episodes first means you can break up the amount of dedicated time spent on the task, or if you have access to a much faster computer, you could always do the encoding on there and then transport the files back to the main computer for authoring.

Can you suggest a good freeware program that will convert the files from .avi format to MPEG-2/AC3 format? I will gladly try that, even though I have approximately 450 48 minute episodes to convert. If I can speed up the burning process it is worth a try.

As to using the main computer to do the job, the reason I am using my laptop is because of the heavy use of the desktop. My wife is a big facebook fan, and also loves to "surf the net." If the computer is busy encoding or burning a dvd, she will just minimize it to do her thing. As a result, I have many coasters because of the time sharing interruptions.

Thanks for your suggestions. Have a great weekend!
Ed

[edwood]

But it is possible to use QuEnc for lower bitrates in 1-pass VBR mode without the HQ flag. This will probably result in an encoding speed and quality very similar to DVDFlick.

Cheers
manolito

Since the Perry Mason episodes are all b&w (only 1 was done in color), this would probably be a good solution.

Thanks for the suggestion. Have a great weekend!
Ed

[qyot27]

Forewarning: This might be a lot to try and digest all at once, so don't rush.


You can use HCenc for MPEG-2, and ffmpeg for AC3. AVStoDVD uses both, but the programs can be used on their own (and minimizing an encoding program won't stop it unless the program's process is actually killed by clicking Close or exiting the program). The easiest way is to have it set up as a batch script, where you control the encoding programs through the command line, which will also exit the programs after everything is finished. You can then fetch the encodes when the computer is available again.

HCenc is controlled via an .ini file that contains the settings you want to use. You can experiment with the GUI that comes with the official HCenc 0.26 package (here (http://hank315.nl/)), which will write the .ini file for you. Once you have it set up in a way that is satisfactory (it may mean playing with the bitrate values so that you can make sure a certain number of episodes fit on a single disc), you can take that .ini file, and use it as input to the command-line version (you need to delete the INPUTFILE and OUTPUTFILE settings in the .ini file, and just specify where to find the right episodes when you call the CLI). Also worth noting that HCenc takes input in the form of AviSynth scripts. I'll give a better example below.

For instance, you might have the following .ini file (let's name it encode.ini):
*BITRATE 5000
*MAXBITRATE 5000
*1PASS
*PROFILE best
*ASPECT 4:3
*GOP 12 2
*DC_PREC 9
*PROGRESSIVE
*INTRAVLC 2
*CLOSEDGOPS
*LASTIFRAME
*MPEGLEVEL MP@ML
*MATRIX mpeg
*WAIT 0
The *PROFILE and *DC_PREC settings affect performance. If you delete the '*PROFILE' line, HCenc uses the 'normal' setting, or you can change 'best' to 'fast'. *DC_PREC can be lowered to 8. Lowering them speeds up encoding, at the expense of quality.

You would then have an AviSynth script like this, let's name it episode1.avs (the " are necessary, but change the script name and .avi filename as appropriate):
AVISource("episode1.avi").BilinearResize(720,480).ChangeFPS(29.97).SSRC(48000)
The BilinearResize, ChangeFPS, and SSRC filters are just to make sure that everything matches DVD specifications. If the files are already at the right specs, those filters aren't necessary. 29.97 is assumed for the FPS because these are television episodes from before the advent of HDTV (I'm also assuming NTSC specifications - which covers North America and Japan - rather than PAL).

Then you can use HCenc's command line version directly (make sure encode.ini is in the same folder as the AviSynth script(s), it'll make it easier):
hcenc_026 -i episode1.avs -o episode1.m2v -ini encode.ini
Chances are, you'll want to make sure Windows can see HCenc from whatever folder you happen to be in. To do this, download Path Editor (http://www.redfernplace.com/software-projects/patheditor/) and tell it to add the 'HCenc' and 'FFmpeg' folders that live inside AVStoDVD's installation folder, and then click 'Save to Registry'. From that point forward, you can open up a Command Prompt anywhere and use either program by just using the program's name. You'll also want to get mplex, which is in the MJPEGTools package (download here (http://sourceforge.net/projects/mjpeg/files/mjpegtools/2.0.1rc1/mjpegtools-2.0.1RC1-mingw-bin.tar.bz2/download)). Unpack it with WinRAR or 7zip, and put mplex.exe (from the bin folder) in the same folder as HCenc. Or just throw it into C:\Windows and forget about it.

Finally, batch scripts will tie all of this together so that you don't have to do each step manually. It's completely automatic, so after each task is done it moves onto the next. You open up notepad and use the same command that you would use on the command line if you were doing it manually, each one on a new line. You can even tell the batch script to generate the AviSynth scripts.
echo AVISource("episode1.avi").BilinearResize(720,480).ChangeFPS(29.97).SSRC(48000)>episode1.avs
ffmpeg -i episode1.avs -vn -acodec ac3 -ab 192k episode1.ac3
hcenc_026 -i episode1.avs -o episode1.m2v -ini encode.ini
mplex -f8 -V episode1.m2v episode1.ac3 -o ../episode1-final.mpg
You'd repeat those lines for any additional episodes, just changing the filenames so they point to the right episodes. If it's all episode#, then you'd just change the #. I also like to make mplex output the final .mpg file to a different folder so that they aren't mixed in with the rest of the files. That's what the ../ does - it makes the final file get output to the folder immediately above where the encoding happens. So if all the files are in C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents\encready, it'll output the final .mpg files to My Documents.

Save the batch script - let's call it encode_now.bat - and then all you have to do is double-click on the batch script and it'll do everything automatically. It creates the AviSynth script for 'episode1.avi', encodes the audio to 192kbps AC3 using ffmpeg, then encodes the video as MPEG-2 using HCenc, and then joins the video and audio together into a single file with mplex. You then can give the -final.mpg files to AVStoDVD when you've got all of the episodes you want to go on a single disc ready. If AVStoDVD is set to 'Keep compliant video/audio', then it won't do any converting and the disc should be authored in about 30 minutes or so, and then burned in whatever time it normally takes for your burner to do that (typically 12-15 minutes at the most, assuming a write speed of 6x).

To make it easier to keep filenames straight, I use Ninotech Path Copy (http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tools/13986.html) to allow me to select multiple files, right-click, and select Copy Path->Copy Long Name. I can then paste the filenames directly into Notepad and build the batch script around them, instead of having to remember what the names are or worry about whether I typed them correctly.

[manolito]

@qyot27

You made a very nice tutorial here, but isn't it exactly the purpose of AVStoDVD to shield the user from all this trouble while still giving the same high quality output?

If all the episodes should be converted separately into muxed DVD-compliant MPEG2 files, no problem, AVStoDVD can output muxed MPEG2 files which can be authored and burned later.

Whatever, each to his own...:D


Cheers
manolito

[manolito]

@MrC

- Added 'DeBlock' AviSynth deblocking filter (by Manao) in 'Title Edit'/'AviSynth'

This is very nice, but it really should be changed for interlaced sources. DeBlock is only meant for progressive material, to use it for interlaced material some modifications must be made. Have a look here:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1568545#post1568545

If Deblocking is added and AVStoDVD has determined that the source is interlaced, it should insert something like the following script:

# Deblock for interlaced sources

par = getparity()
SeparateFields()
PointResize(width,height)
Deblock(...parameters...)
AssumeFrameBased()
SeparateFields()
Merge(SelectEven(),SelectOdd())
par ? AssumeTFF() : AssumeBFF()
Weave()




Cheers
manolito

[qyot27]

@qyot27

You made a very nice tutorial here, but isn't it exactly the purpose of AVStoDVD to shield the user from all this trouble while still giving the same high quality output?

If all the episodes should be converted separately into muxed DVD-compliant MPEG2 files, no problem, AVStoDVD can output muxed MPEG2 files which can be authored and burned later.

Whatever, each to his own...:D


Cheers
manolito
True. I was mostly speaking from experience of not having used those modes in AVStoDVD (I've only ever used the default 'DVD Folder Structure' setup), so I was going off of what I do know rather than trying to assume something about what I don't.

[edwood]

Wow! Thanks for the great input & tutorial guys. It is getting just a little to involved and technical for me. Even though I have a FCC 1st Class license, I think that I will leave all of the "hands on" technical stuff to those who have the patience to do everything described in the tutorial. I'll just stick to the GUI programse that simplify matters for me.

I am still looking for a stand alone mpeg to avi converter program. I have found two that look promising: [spam]. Has anyone had any experiece with either of these, or do you suggest another stand alone converter?

Thanks,
Ed

[manolito]

I am still looking for a stand alone mpeg to avi converter program.

Don't pay any money for this kind of software. They are all based on ffmpeg which is free, and they wrap it into some cool looking GUI and probably install some toolbars or spyware.

The fastest software for this task I am aware of is WinFF. It is just a GUI for ffmpeg, and it comes with all kinds of templates (which can be modified if necessary). The templates PAL DVD fast or NTSC DVD fast are really "fast", at an acceptable quality IMO.


//Edit//
In your first post you mentioned that you have been using DVDFlick for a long time, but that you liked the menu capabilities of AVStoDVD better. Maybe you should test DVDStyler. It produces very nice menus with little effort, it uses libavcodec for the actual conversion (quite fast, acceptable quality), and it also does authoring and burning if needed.


Cheers
manolito

[MrC]

This is very nice, but it really should be changed for interlaced sources. DeBlock is only meant for progressive material, to use it for interlaced material some modifications must be made. Have a look here:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1568545#post1568545

If Deblocking is added and AVStoDVD has determined that the source is interlaced, it should insert something like the following script:

# Deblock for interlaced sources

par = getparity()
SeparateFields()
PointResize(width,height)
Deblock(...parameters...)
AssumeFrameBased()
SeparateFields()
Merge(SelectEven(),SelectOdd())
par ? AssumeTFF() : AssumeBFF()
Weave()

Yep, you are right. Very nicely I need to revise the general order of AviSynth filters placement in the script.

Do you think that this post (http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/347222-AviSynth-Order-of-Operations?p=2170955&viewfull=1#post2170955) can be used as reference?

Thanks

;)

Bye

[manolito]

Do you think that this post can be used as reference?
Looks reasonable to me...

I found this somewhere on doom9:

deblock
deinterlace
crop
resize
degrain
sharpen

I found some different opinions if denoising and sharpening should better come before or after resizing, but it probably depends on the source, and if resizing means up- or downsizing.

It seems important that deblocking should be the very first thing right after loading the source.


Cheers
manolito

[MrC]

It seems important that deblocking should be the very first thing right after loading the source.

Wait, DeBlock should be applied only to progressive stream, shouldn't it?

PROGRESSIVE
- Source load
- Color Space conversion
- Deblock
- Denoise/Degrain
- Crop/AddBorders
- Resize
- Sharpen
- Framerate adjust
- Tweak colors

INTERLACED
- Source load
- Color Space conversion
- Deinterlace
- Deblock
- Denoise/Degrain
- Crop/AddBorders
- Resize
- Sharpen
- Re-Interlace
- Framerate adjust
- Tweak colors

:confused: ;)

Bye

[manolito]

According to TheSkiller Deblock should always come before deinterlacing:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1581080#post1581080

Of course you could look at these commands
SeparateFields().PointResize(width,height)
Deblock()
as a special kind of deinterlacing :devil:

But I think it would be a bad idea to use LeakKernelDeint() before DeBlock()


Cheers
manolito

[MrC]

Thus for INTERLACED sources:

- Source load
- Color Space conversion
- Separate fields
- Deblock
- Merge fields (weave)
- Deinterlace (LeakKernelBob)
- Denoise/Degrain
- Crop/AddBorders
- Resize
- Sharpen
- Re-Interlace
- Framerate adjust
- Tweak colors

Need to do some tests.

;)

Bye