AVStoDVD Support Thread

[rendez2k]

I agree with MrC - 4:3 menus are of little use, but thats just my opinion! On another matter, will there be options to change the highlight colour and type in the future? Maybe option to highlight just the border of the image or the text? Also, will it be possible to alter the frame thats been captured by hand? I know theres percentage options for the frame, but it doesn't always produce perfect results!

[MrC]

I agree with MrC - 4:3 menus are of little use, but thats just my opinion! On another matter, will there be options to change the highlight colour and type in the future? Maybe option to highlight just the border of the image or the text? Also, will it be possible to alter the frame thats been captured by hand? I know theres percentage options for the frame, but it doesn't always produce perfect results!

Let's put highlights customization and thumbs frame selection in the neverending ToDo list.

;)

Bye

[MrC]

Available AVStoDVD 2.1.0 Alpha 080807 (http://avstodvd.googlepages.com/AVStoDVD_210Alpha080807_NoInstall.7z).

Change log (since last Alpha):

- Some bugs fixed
- Added Motion Menu (animated thumbs)
- Added possibility to lock label properties change and to anchor thumbs labels to thumbs
- Added drag and drop of DVD Menu Editor items
- Improved Main form GUI
- Revised bitrate calculation routine
- ImgBurn updated to 2.4.2.0

Except for bugfixing (if any), 2.1.0 "Final" will be the same.

:)

Bye

[rendez2k]

Good work! I'll be giving it a full test shortly!

From my limited test - for future versions the ability to see the motion menu in the preview would be nice and some kind of snap to grid or alignment feature for moving the thumbnails round. But it really is superb! I'll feedback later about any further issues....

[Sir Didymus]

Compliments for the new release!
I will test it as soon as possible...

4:3 aspect ratio: I had a similar discussion privately with Sir Dydimus and he had your opinion. IMO 4:3 is becoming obsolete. I don't know if the effort (take care of vertical height, new highlight masks, new templates, etc.) is worthy... let's wait for other users opinions.

Hem... Didymus, please...

Well, yes, I confirm my dream is to see the complete support in AVStoDVD for all of the possible AR: 4:3, ws+lb, ws+ps, ws+lb+ps...

Of course this would imply a significant additional implementation effort from your side, and everybody agree that the 4:3 format is becoming obsolete...

But there are also other good reasons (both of theoric and of very practical nature) for asking it... Maybe I will give some further comment on the matter in the future...

In the meanwhile, let's see if other users have their own opinion on the matter...

Cheers,
SD

[ricardo.santos]

MrC thanks for keeping improving AVStoDVD, just tested it twice, with 2 and 3 clips and worked perfectly, no errors.

2 suggestions/requests:
would it be possible for AVStoDVD to have a default subtitle language like it has for audio on OPTIONS>>>SETTINGS>>>AUTHORING/BURNING ?

Any chance of making different starting points for the menu motion thumbs? I record tv shows and and if i put 3 videos they all start with the same show intro in the dvd menu, it works, but doesnt look good eheheheheh.

Keep up the good work with AVStoDVD.

[rendez2k]

Any chance of making different starting points for the menu motion thumbs?

Did you can change the thumb offset % in the menu options? Try a higher number than the default 10%

Edit: just noticed this only works with static menus!

[rendez2k]

Just found a serious error: the motion menu won't on my Panasonic. The highlight just flicks very quickly on the first frame and you can't select anything. However, it works fine on my Philips. Any ideas?

[MrC]

Hem... Didymus, please...


:eek: I'm very sorry!!! Imperdonabile!

But there are also other good reasons (both of theoric and of very practical nature) for asking it... Maybe I will give some further comment on the matter in the future...

Please, go ahead. You know I appreciate a lot your opinion and suggestions. And not only as BatchMux developer...

;)

Bye

[MrC]

would it be possible for AVStoDVD to have a default subtitle language like it has for audio on OPTIONS>>>SETTINGS>>>AUTHORING/BURNING ?


Good suggestion. Will put in ToDo list ;)

Any chance of making different starting points for the menu motion thumbs? I record tv shows and and if i put 3 videos they all start with the same show intro in the dvd menu, it works, but doesnt look good eheheheheh.


My goal is to add the possibility to select start and end point of motion thumbs. Customizable for each title. It needs some work, but it should not be a big effort.

:)

Bye

[MrC]

Just found a serious error: the motion menu won't on my Panasonic. The highlight just flicks very quickly on the first frame and you can't select anything. However, it works fine on my Philips. Any ideas?

Do you mean external DVD player or PC DVD drive? And what about static menu?

Do you still get the error message after burning?

Bye

[rendez2k]

Its standalone players (tried in PowerDVD and that also worked fine). Static menus have always worked fine with previous betas but not yet retested with latest version. The menu plays but I cannot select anything!

Burning completed fine with latest beta.

[ricardo.santos]

The menu plays but I cannot select anything!

i used mediaplayer classic and vlc and it works here.


Good suggestion. Will put in ToDo list ;)

My goal is to add the possibility to select start and end point of motion thumbs. Customizable for each title. It needs some work, but it should not be a big effort.
Bye

thanks

[Sir Didymus]

@rendez2k

For the DVD failing to play with your Panasonic, I am very interested to get a look to the following files:
- the BatchMux.ini file
- the mxp file created by BatchMux
- the log file produced by MuxMan

Could you place these files in a zip archive and sent it to sir_didimus (at) libero (dot) it ?

[rendez2k]

As I have the temp files set to auto delete in AVS, I assume they are all gone? I can re-run the project today if it will help?

[MrC]

As I have the temp files set to auto delete in AVS, I assume they are all gone? I can re-run the project today if it will help?

Yes, please. Temp storage folder can be set in 'Settings'/'Paths'.

Bye

[gizzin]

A new version already testing away!

[Sir Didymus]

...I can re-run the project today if it will help?

I have something that is worth to test...

1. Run again your project - without the removal of the temporary files - and double check (with a rewritable media...) that you can repeat the problem;

2. Open with a text editor the file BatchMux.mxp, and find the line "Select End Time=00:00:00:00". Change this line with: "Select End Time=-1". No spaces before and after the "=". Save the file.

3. Launch MuxMan and load the project you have just modified in the step 2 above. Start!

4. Burn again on a rewritable, and report the results...

Your help is very appreciated...

Cheers,
SD

[rendez2k]

I have something that is worth to test...

1. Run again your project - without the removal of the temporary files - and double check (with a rewritable media...) that you can repeat the problem;

2. Open with a text editor the file BatchMux.mxp, and find the line "Select End Time=00:00:00:00". Change this line with: "Select End Time=-1". No spaces before and after the "=". Save the file.

3. Launch MuxMan and load the project you have just modified in the step 2 above. Start!

4. Burn again on a rewritable, and report the results...

Your help is very appreciated...

Cheers,
SD

Not a problem: I'll do it as soon as I get in tonight and post the results back!

[rendez2k]

Sir Didymus: the first test failed again, but changing that line and re-running through muxman was a success - all is working!

MrC: Will being able to select the start point for motion thumbnails be included in the next/final version or is that a big job?

[Sir Didymus]

Sir Didymus: the first test failed again, but changing that line and re-running through muxman was a success - all is working!


That's very, very good to know! Thanks for your fundamental testing!

You have discovered a little nasty bug of BatchMux; unfortunately the (definitive) fix of the issue requires to wait for the next release of BatchMux [coming soon, within August, supporting some multipage menues]...

To MrC: in the meanwhile, a "quick&dirty" patch can be applied by including in the BatchMux.ini file one line, in the section related to the menu segment, of the form:

-[Segi]hilbset 01:00:00:00

This (both for static and motion menues) will introduce a timeout of one hour for the button selection end time... It's not a clean solution, but it should allow to better comply with the "Panasonic" players...

:)

[MrC]

MrC: Will being able to select the start point for motion thumbnails be included in the next/final version or is that a big job?

Not a very big job, but I would like to do it without hurry. We have to leave some innovations for release 2.1.1....

;)

Bye

[MrC]

To MrC: in the meanwhile, a "quick&dirty" patch can be applied by including in the BatchMux.ini file one line, in the section related to the menu segment, of the form:

-[Segi]hilbset 01:00:00:00

This (both for static and motion menues) will introduce a timeout of one hour for the button selection end time... It's not a clean solution, but it should allow to better comply with the "Panasonic" players...


Got it. But what should happen after timeout?

Bye

[Sir Didymus]

... Well, it's just a temporary patch, and I said quick&dirty...

When 1 hour expires the menu continues, but the buttons will disappear...

If you think there is even one single possibility that some fool person is looking at the same menu for more than 1 hour, you can also set the hilight button selection end time to 1 hour and five minutes...

:cool:

... or more ...

[MrC]

If you think there is even one single possibility that some fool person is looking at the same menu for more than 1 hour, you can also set the hilight button selection end time to 1 hour and five minutes...

:cool:

... or more ...

LOL

Something like an easter egg...

;)

Bye

[gizzin]

Will you ever consider not letting the bitrate be restricted too only 2500kb??

[wg]

I added my own background & changed the menu title & title labels(2) colour(Blue), the results were perfect. On my next project I added a new background image & changed the menu title & title labels to red, when I revert to preview mode the titles all show as blue, as in my last project, when I go back to edit mode they show as red again? On the completed project the labels were blue, not the desired red. Possible bug, or am I missing something? I'm using 080722. Edit* Just tried 080807 same result.

Thanks In Advance.

[MrC]

I added my own background & changed the menu title & title labels(2) colour(Blue), the results were perfect. On my next project I added a new background image & changed the menu title & title labels to red, when I revert to preview mode the titles all show as blue, as in my last project, when I go back to edit mode they show as red again? On the completed project the labels were blue, not the desired red. Possible bug, or am I missing something? I'm using 080722.

Thanks In Advance.

Yes, it is a bug in converting colour format from RGB (used in VB) to HEX (used in Sub Station Alpha 4+ to generate text in menu).

As a matter of fact, I have discovered that ASS supports also RGB format... so bugfixing is very easy. :)

Thanks for the report.

If you are making some "generic" menu templates, why don't you send them to me? I could add them to AVStoDVD standard templates library.

;)

Bye

[wg]

Yes, it is a bug in converting colour format from RGB (used in VB) to HEX (used in Sub Station Alpha 4+ to generate text in menu).

As a matter of fact, I have discovered that ASS supports also RGB format... so bugfixing is very easy. :)

Thanks for the report.

If you are making some "generic" menu templates, why don't you send them to me? I could add them to AVStoDVD standard templates library.

;)

Bye

I was using VLC snapshots from a ww1 documentary series I am backing up, as menu background image, so it was specific rather than generic, not really a usable template for anything else. Glad to hear the bug is easily fixed.

Cheers!

[ummus]

Sir, I load a DVD Rip file to convert into DVD file. But AVStoDVD limits the file to 4GB instead of 4.7GB and converts around 80% of the video. How to do complete convertion?

[MrC]

Sir, I load a DVD Rip file to convert into DVD file. But AVStoDVD limits the file to 4GB instead of 4.7GB and converts around 80% of the video. How to do complete convertion?

What do you mean with "DVD Rip" file?

Could you post here or send by email the log file generated by AVStoDVD?

:)

Bye

[ummus]

DVD Rip file means .AVI file (Full video file)

[rendez2k]

Something you've created yourself or downloaded? Two things spring to mind. Is the file damaged and the 4gb limit sounds like you're drives possibly formatted as FAT32?

[ummus]

The AVI files are downloaded and my drives are formatted as FAT 32.

[rendez2k]

FAT32 only allows files 4gb in size max. AVStoDVD will be converting the avi to a larger file! You need to use an NTFS formatted drive.

[ummus]

Thank you for your kind information and help.

[MrC]

If your file system is FAT32, you have another possiblity: look at AVStoDVD toolbar and click on 'DVD Size'/'Custom Size'. Type "3900". Start your project.

I hope the file you have downloaded is not breaking forum rule n° 6 (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm)...

;)

Bye

[MrC]

AVStoDVD release 2.1.0 available to download (http://avstodvd.googlepages.com/home)

Change log (since release 2.0.0):

- Added simple DVD Menu editing and building (static and motion customizable thumbnails)
- Added multiple file selection in 'Add' Common Dialog window
- Added autoselect Audio and Subs files if they have same name as Video
- Added 'HCenc Advanced Configuration' option (AQ, Lumgain, Matrix, Profile) in 'Title Edit'/'Video'
- Added an option to quickly lock the Video Encoding Profiles
- Added 'Custom DVD Size' storing
- Added main AVStoDVD form position storing upon exit
- Added 'Restore default Settings' in main form menu
- Improved bitrate calculation routine
- Improved use of BatchMux (many thanks to Sir Didymus for his help)
- Improved use of API BrowseForFolder
- Improved log activity
- Removed internal check on DVD drive status before burning (ImgBurn does the stuff by itself)
- ImgBurn updated to 2.4.2.0
- MediaInfo updated to 0.7.7.4
- BatchMux updated to 1.1

*Note for alpha debugger*
There are no major changes since last 2.1.0 Alpha. Only bugs fixing.

:)

Bye

[rendez2k]

Great!! I'm away till Monday but I'll be testing when I get back :thanks:

[ricardo.santos]

Hi MrC

Tested it twice with 3 and 4 videos, static and motion customizable thumbnails working fine here :)

Good work!

[Sir Didymus]

Sir Didymus: the first test failed again, but changing that line and re-running through muxman was a success - all is working!


Just want to clarify that the definitive bugfix for the problem you have reported has been implemented in the release 1.2 of BatchMux.exe. I admit that the related statement in the short changelog (BatchMux authoring thread) is someway cryptical on the matter...

I kindly ask Mrc, for the next releases of AVStoDVD, to remove the "temporary fix" consisting in the long timeout for buttons selection end time...

:-)



>> Originally Posted by Sir Didymus
>> But there are also other good reasons (both of theoric and of very practical nature) for asking it...
>> Maybe I will give some further comment on the matter in the future...

Please, go ahead. You know I appreciate a lot your opinion and suggestions. And not only as BatchMux developer...

;)

Bye

Well thanks for your kind words! So, after some time spent on the development of BatchMux 1.2, let me make some further comment on the point of the A/R of the menues...

It seems to me that one of the "best practice rules of good DVD authoring" should be discussed here:

never never never author a DVD if you know in advance it will fail to play on some standalones...


The point is not about the obsolescence of the 4:3 TV sets. We agree on this. Of course we should also state that nowadays movies are shot in a large variety of different A/R - so, in any case, the anamorphic format with 16:9 A/R is NOT the reference format; in addition the amount of available assets or new TV movies that are continuing to be shot only in 4:3 format is still huge...

The point is that the 4:3 A/R is THE standard for the TV sets: both 4:3 TV and 16:9 need nothing additional to display 4:3 movies. These movies are always displayed in Normal mode, without scaling or cropping the pictures in any way.

On the contrary, 16:9 movies can be showed properly on a ws TV, but there is the need of having some additional information for the standard televisions, since a 4:3 TV requires either letterboxing the picture or cropping and enlarging it horizontally (P/S).

Let me use an analogy to describe the problem from a different perspective. The standard for the transmission of the TV signal is still keeping separate the luminance and the chroma of the picture, in such a way that the B/W TV sets (that doesn't exist any more) are in any case enabled to properly display color pictures by ignoring the chroma information. Here the fact that B/W TV are totally obsolete is a matter of fact, but if you want to broadcast a TV signal, you have to comply with the standard, and prepare your TV signal in order for it to be properly seen on a B/W TV...

Let's go back to AVStoDVD.

Please consider that 4:3 menus will look not at all bad on ws TV. Really, if you are skeptical on the matter, you may easily make some tests by yourself: they look perfectly OK. If you think you need to keep limited to 1 the number of groups of buttons in the the AVStoDVD menu pages, this is the choice to take. It has the additional advantage that all of the available 36 buttons can be used in each menu page - hem... even thought some human factor experts will tell you that authoring a DVD menu with more than 7/9 buttons per page is another horrible practice...

Authoring a DVD with 16:9 menues having just 1 group of buttons in the menu pages is not an option, since it breaks the above "good authoring" rule. Look at the following nightmare scenario: I prepare a nice DVD with AVStoDVD, I watch the movie on my PC, then I quickly check everything is OK on my standalone. After these positive double checks, I bring the DVD (relaxed and happy) to the house of my girlfriend with the idea of having a nice evening together. And the menu is not working on her standalone... That's very bad, isn't it? She will tell me that I did it by purpose, I have no way to start the movie with other buttons on the remote controller, and the evening may easily end in a disaster...

Authoring the DVD with 16:9 menues and 2 groups of buttons in the menu pages is the way most commercial DVD are authored. Normally the two supported A/R are widescreen and automatic letterbox. As alternative, the DVD may be prepared supporting widescreen and automatic P/S. The complexity (and the number) of the assets to prepare is doubled respect to the 4:3 use case, but the overall benefits (quality and guarantee that all standalone will properly display the menu) make this option the most popular. 18 buttons per page are available for each menu page.

Authoring the DVD with 16:9 menues and 3 groups of buttons in the most complete way of authoring a DVD menu. Here the display on widescreen TV set is guaranteed, and the possibility of looking at the menu with letterboxed or P/S A/R is left as an option to the users, that normally have the possibility to set their preference in the setup of their standalones. The complexity (and the number) of the assets to prepare is the maximum; also the number of buttons per page of the menus is limited to 12, so this option (which is in any case not rare to find on commercial DVDs) is not the most popular on the market.

Of course, the best of the best would be that the users of AVStoDVD were enabled to choose among one of the above possibilities; that would be really a distinctive feature, but it would most probably imply some significant complications in the GUI and the programming of your excellent application...

Well, sorry for my long comments... I just wanted to state with some detail my point of view...

Again, please accept my compliments for the development of AVStoDVD, and feel free to ignore (in part or in total) all of the above considerations... :-(

Cheers,
SD

[MrC]

I kindly ask Mrc, for the next releases of AVStoDVD, to remove the "temporary fix" consisting in the long timeout for buttons selection end time...


Will do. ;)

About menus.

Right now AVStoDVD can only produce 16:9 A/R menus and they includes 2 buttons groups: WS and Letterbox, the first for 16:9 TV and the latter for 4:3 TV. So there should not be any compatibility risk. I did not include PanScan (and I do not plan to include it) because I do not like cropping background, and maybe thumbnails. Btw compatibility with any TV is fulfilled and if a guy wants to delight his (low- or hi-tech) girlfriend with a movie encoded with AVStoDVD, he (they) should be pleased enough. ;)

I fully agree with the purpose to follow standards. And I agree that having the possibility to create a 4:3 A/R menu can be useful, mainly when the DVD content is encoded as 4:3 A/R.
That's means I will add 4:3 A/R menus to AVStoDVD, but not ASAP, because it implies a deep revision of DVD Menu Editor form.

Stay tuned. I hope to continue developing step by step AVStoDVD with suggestions and feat request of you all. Unitl high definition will put an end to it.

:)

Bye

[Sir Didymus]

...Right now AVStoDVD can only produce 16:9 A/R menus and they includes 2 buttons groups: WS and Letterbox, the first for 16:9 TV and the latter for 4:3 TV....

Great! I was not aware about this!
I worked too much on BatchMux in the last weeks: in the alpha release of AVStoDVD I tested just one group of buttons was present!


...That's means I will add 4:3 A/R menus to AVStoDVD, but not ASAP, because it implies a deep revision of DVD Menu Editor form...

Excellent! No pressure from my side...


Stay tuned. I hope to continue developing step by step AVStoDVD with suggestions and feat request of you all. Unitl high definition will put an end to it.

:)

Bye

OK! Let see... It will take some time, IMHO, for hi def to become the mainstream...

[brianhj]

I load my avi and change all my settings but when I hit start it gives me the "progress status window but immediately says "Process aborted!" and i hit close to return to the main window. In the log window at the bottom it says "Process aborted. Error code: 75 - Path/File access error"

It does this with any file. What path or file is it having trouble accessing???

[gizzin]

mine wont retain the settings properly, and it encodes with quenc 1pass instead of hc 2pass.

[MrC]

I load my avi and change all my settings but when I hit start it gives me the "progress status window but immediately says "Process aborted!" and i hit close to return to the main window. In the log window at the bottom it says "Process aborted. Error code: 75 - Path/File access error"

It does this with any file. What path or file is it having trouble accessing???

Hi brianhj and welcome.

Some troubleshooting ideas:

1. Click on 'Settings'/'System'/'Software Info'. Is there anything red?
2. Do 'Source Titles' or 'Output Folder' have non-standard chars?
3. Does 'Preview Output' works?
4. If you kept the log file generated by AVStoDVD, please send it to me by email or PM.

;)

Bye

[rendez2k]

Just a quick note - my menu issue on my Panasonic issue isn't fixed in the final version.

[MrC]

mine wont retain the settings properly, and it encodes with quenc 1pass instead of hc 2pass.

Take a look at following posts and let me know if they solve your issue:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1161133#post1161133

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1156495#post1156495

;)

Bye

[MrC]

Just a quick note - my menu issue on my Panasonic issue isn't fixed in the final version.

That was my fear. I will move ASAP to BatchMux 1.2 and try to send you a patch. Thanks for report.

;)

Bye

[PatchWorKs]

As already posted in the SF-project Tracker (http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=2073447&group_id=197340&atid=961076), distributing ImgBurn (that is free but not open source) together with GPL-licensed code violates the license itself. :eek: :scared:

So I strongly suggest you (and non only you...) to switch from ImgBurn to an open source compatible burning tool:

- http://freshmeat.net/projects/cdrecord/
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/cdrdao/

I'm sure you can grab some inspirations from:

- http://cdrtfe.sourceforge.net/
- http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/

Hope that helps !!! :helpful:

nota: sei italiano ?