DVDforger: new version 0.6.1 alpha released

[alvarez]

Hello,

A new version of DVDforger, 0.6.2 alpha, is available at:

http://download.videohelp.com/dvdforger/

What's new in version 0.6.2:
* Fixed loading project files with unspecified subtitles
* Fixed creating chapters
* Aften updated to version 0.0.8
* HC updated to version 0.22.1
* MediaInfo updated to version 0.7.6.0
* mplex updated to version 2.2.7 from MJPEG Tools 1.9.0rc3

What's new in version 0.6.1:
* Improved aspect ratio detection using MediaInfo
* Fixed initialization of fixed chapters

What's new in version 0.6.0:
* Implemented the configuration window with lots of options
* Added option to create ISO image
* Added option to burn DVD (requires ImgBurn to be installed)
* Video bitrate can be specified instead of DVD size
* QuEnc can be used for video encoding as well
* Added option to define custom AviSynth functions to open and pre-process video and audio
* AVISource is not used any more by default (less reliable than DirectShowSource)
* Added option to compensate CRT overscan
* Advanced encoder options moved to the configuration window
* Frames can be saved from the video preview window
* Fixed browsing for audio files when multiple audio tracks are present
* Auto-detect subtitle charset (even without BOM)
* Fixed browsing for subtitle files when multiple subtitle tracks are present
* Menu editor now shows the safe area
* Added shutdown option
* Improved documentation a bit
* Version changed to 'alpha' - all planned features are present (requests are welcome, though)

DVDforfer is a DVD authoring application which creates DVDs from almost any kind of video files (if the necessary codecs are installed). Supports multiple titles with multiple audio tracks, subtitles and a simple menu.
Features
Video
- Video input can be either a video file which can be opened by AviSynth's AviSource or DirectShowSource filter, or an AviSynth script.
- Custom AviSynth functions can also be defined to open / pre-process video.
- Multiple video titles.
- Merging video files into one title (also with different resolution/fps).
- Chapter creation.
- Deinterlacing and IVTC (using the Decomb filter)
- HC Encoder or QuEnc is used for encoding.
Audio
- Multiple audio tracks.
- Audio input can be either an audio file which can be opened by AviSynth's AviSource or DirectShowSource filter, or an AviSynth script.
- Custom AviSynth functions can also be defined to open / pre-process audio.
- Aften is used for audio encoding.
Subtitles
- Multiple selectable subtitles.
- Subtitle input can be an .SRT, .SSA or .ASS file (formatting is not preserved).
- Delay correction.
- Subtitles are anti-aliased with custom font and color.
DVD menus
- Creates root, subtitle and audio menus.
- Still menus with custom background and buttons.
- WSYWYG menu editor with limited features.
DVD authoring
- mplex and dvdauthor are used for DVD authoring.

I hope some of you will find it worth a comment, or even useful.

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[smok3]

how about support for allready encoded mpeg2 files?

[alvarez]

how about support for allready encoded mpeg2 files?

Not to be expected in the near future :)

Reason: DVDforger opens all videos via AviSynth, and it doesn't even know what kind of file is being opened. The same applies to audio files - that's why keeping already encoded AC3 tracks isn't possible either.

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[linx05]

This looks very promising. I will keep an eye on this one for sure.

[rendez2k]

Looks like the beginnings of an excellent bit of software....

1. Will other encoders be added in the future (CCE, QuEnc...)?

2. Would it be possible to be able to specify a target bitrate rather than size - D2MP allows this.

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

[alvarez]

Hello,

Looks like the beginnings of an excellent bit of software....

Thanks!

1. Will other encoders be added in the future (CCE, QuEnc...)?

I'm thinking about supporting QuEnc in the future, but I'd like to reach a stable and well tested version with HC first. CCE (and other non-free encoders) will not be supported.

2. Would it be possible to be able to specify a target bitrate rather than size - D2MP allows this.

Good idea, now it's on the to-do list for the next version.

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[rendez2k]

Shame about CCE - I don't know of any video->DVD apps that support the excellent value CCE basic. Nice to know QuEnc is coming though!

[Boulder]

- mplex and dvdauthor are used for DVD authoring.
Hi,

and thanks a lot for your contribution. Regarding this, would it be possible to switch to MuxMan? You would a) skip one unnecessary step (muxing to mpeg) and b) have superior authoring quality and do it fast.

I've been looking for a tool like this to set up for my dad now that I need to build him a DVB capture -> DVD encoding and authoring system. I'll definitely give the program a try :thanks:

[alvarez]

Regarding this, would it be possible to switch to MuxMan? You would a) skip one unnecessary step (muxing to mpeg) and b) have superior authoring quality and do it fast.

DVDforger has an option to produce only the multiplexed mpeg files and skip DVD authoring. As far as I know, this is not possible with MuxMan.

Also, I find the syntax of dvdauthor scripts much more understandable than MuxMan's. That's a great advantage when I have to debug something :)

About mplex's inferior quality, I have read in this forum that early versions of mplex had had some DVD compliancy issues. DVDforger uses mplex from the newest MJPEGTools (1.9.0rc1), which seems to perform quite well. Or doesn't it?

I've been looking for a tool like this to set up for my dad now that I need to build him a DVB capture -> DVD encoding and authoring system. I'll definitely give the program a try :thanks:

Thanks for trying it out. Please post the results as well!

Have nice day,

:alvarez:

[rendez2k]

Tried with a couple of AVI's and get:

Error: Could not find PCM audio track in "E:\Temp\set1title1audio1.avs".
invalid RIFF id in wav header
invalid wav file: -

Any ideas?

Edit: forget that as reinstalling avisynth fixed it. Anyway, can HC Enc options/quality be changed and could a shutdown when done option be added? Also when creating a menu, could the file name be used for the text? I'll let you know how my first encode goes!

[alvarez]

Edit: forget that as reinstalling avisynth fixed it.

That's exactly what I'd have suggested as the first thing to do :)

Anyway, can HC Enc options/quality be changed

I'm planning to add an option to set the encoding profile (fast/normal/best) when I manage to implement the configuration dialog. More advanced options can be changed by creating an .ini file for HCenc and specifying this .ini file in the video track properties.

and could a shutdown when done option be added?

Definitely.

Also when creating a menu, could the file name be used for the text?

Not as default, but I'll add this option as well to the configuration dialog.

I'll let you know how my first encode goes!

Thanks!

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[rendez2k]

First encode went really well (7x25min TV episodes) other than I messed up the menu text (back to my point about adding the filename as default text in the menu editor!). Menu editor is one of the best I've seen in a freeware (and even some payware) application. Need to work out how to put HC in normal encoding mode as encoding took hours. Really good application considering its 'alpha' state.

1. Could the safe area be shown on the menu?
2. Will any further enhancements be made to the menu editor such as maybe drop shadows, or the ability to add an image from the video instead of just using text?
3. Could there be an option to add a text box, so a title could be added etc?

I'm sure I'll think of some yet things yet :rolleyes:

[alvarez]

Hello,

First encode went really well

Good to hear :) Thanks!

1. Could the safe area be shown on the menu?

Yes, I'll add that to the next version as well.

2. Will any further enhancements be made to the menu editor such as maybe drop shadows, or the ability to add an image from the video instead of just using text?
3. Could there be an option to add a text box, so a title could be added etc?

I don't really plan to add image-editing functions like dropping shadows, pasting images and such. (If you're into the DVD specs: the basic idea here is to leave the background image untouched, and draw only the overlay bitmaps.) For me, it would be no fun to implement half of an image editor application inside DVDforger; there are excellent applications available (like Gimp) for that purpose, and I don't want to reinvent the wheel and implement some crappy features which would perfom even worse than Paint :)

However, talking about images from the videos, I'm thinking about adding a 'Save this frame' button to the 'Take a look...' dialog at the video file properties, then you can use those when editing the background image in Gimp/Paint/etc.

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[alvarez]

Since the home page has managed to exceed GooglePages's bandwith limit during the first 3 days of its life (by the way, thanks for having such an interest in DVDforger :)), I had to look for hosting somewhere else. Thanks to the generosity of VideoHelp.com, the new homepage is:

http://download.videohelp.com/dvdforger/

Have a nice day,

:alvarez:

[kypec]

Well, I personally don't know much about Videohelp's hosting quality but I think SourceForge.net (https://sourceforge.net/) is for sure great place for hosting your projects ;)

[alvarez]

Well, I personally don't know much about Videohelp's hosting quality but I think SourceForge.net (https://sourceforge.net/) is for sure great place for hosting your projects ;)

Unfortunately, SourceForge doesn't allow hosting packages which contain a collection of binaries of other programs. So, I'd have to say 'to use DVDforger, please download Aften/HC/dvdauthor/mjpegtools/etc/etc separately from here, here and here'. My approximation of how many people would be willing to do that is around zero.

[rendez2k]

I'm enjoying 0.5.0 a lot, but any update on a new version?!

[alvarez]

I'm enjoying 0.5.0 a lot, but any update on a new version?!

I'm working on it, but since I'm not in college any more, I don't have as much free time as I wish I had :( Maybe early September.

Have a nice day,

[alvarez]

Hello,

Well, contrary to what I wrote two days ago, I've just made the new release. It seems more-or-less stable now - I've been planning some improvements regarding chapters and writing some more docs, but I don't seem to be able to find the time for it, so they'll come later.

http://download.videohelp.com/dvdforger/

The new version is 0.6.0 alpha, the following things changed:
* Implemented the configuration window with lots of options
* Added option to create ISO image
* Added option to burn DVD (requires ImgBurn to be installed)
* Video bitrate can be specified instead of DVD size
* QuEnc can be used for video encoding as well
* Added option to define custom AviSynth functions to open and pre-process video and audio
* AVISource is not used any more by default (less reliable than DirectShowSource)
* Added option to compensate CRT overscan
* Advanced encoder options moved to the configuration window
* Frames can be saved from the video preview window
* Fixed browsing for audio files when multiple audio tracks are present
* Auto-detect subtitle charset (even without BOM)
* Fixed browsing for subtitle files when multiple subtitle tracks are present
* Menu editor now shows the safe area
* Added shutdown option
* Improved documentation a bit
* Version changed to 'alpha' - all planned features are present (requests are welcome, though)

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

Thanks alvarez - thats an amazing list of new features. Can't wait to test!

[rendez2k]

2 quick questions....

1. If audio bitrate is left on default, what is it?

2. Could a simple batch processor be added that could load a number of projects (great for overnight processing!)

[alvarez]

Hello,

1. If audio bitrate is left on default, what is it?

The default recommended for the actual number of channels - I'm using the bitrates which are the defaults of Aften. In the list on the left, you can also see what the bitrate actually is.

2. Could a simple batch processor be added that could load a number of projects (great for overnight processing!)

Not a bad idea, would be also useful for batch testing. :) Added to the to-do list.

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

Thanks alvarez. One other quick report - I encoded 4 4:3 AVIs which were all fine but I tried a 16:9 that looked stretched. I tried the same video with ConvertXtoDvd as a test and that looked OK. Any ideas or could it just be a faulty source?

[alvarez]

Thanks alvarez. One other quick report - I encoded 4 4:3 AVIs which were all fine but I tried a 16:9 that looked stretched. I tried the same video with ConvertXtoDvd as a test and that looked OK. Any ideas or could it just be a faulty source?

Detecting the aspect ratio is a weak point of DVDforger. Since all videos are opened via AviSynth, I get only the number of pixels, therefore if the pixels are not rectangular, DVDforger may make a faulty guess.

Another reason can be that the video is in fact not 16:9 but wider (2:1 or 2:39 are common); in that case, DVDforger will also set the aspect ratio to 16:9 (the reason is that the aspect ratio detection is not perfect anyway, so I wouldn't like to make the situation worse by adding black borders innecessarily).

This will remain a drawback of DVDforger, because I'd like to stick to the practice of opening the videos transparently via AviSynth. You should always check the aspect ratio (at the video track properties, top right of the title editor dialog) and correct it if necessary.

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

Movie dimensions are 608 x 240 so how would I work out the correct aspect ratio in this case?

[alvarez]

Movie dimensions are 608 x 240 so how would I work out the correct aspect ratio in this case?

The easiest way is select 'Aspect ratio -> Other' and enter 608 and 240 directly.

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

So to be on the safe side, should I always input the movie dimensions to ensure a good output? If so, could those numbers not be used as the default size?

[alvarez]

So to be on the safe side, should I always input the movie dimensions to ensure a good output?

For regular AVI files, this is indeed a safe method.

If so, could those numbers not be used as the default size?

Well, for regular AVI files it would work - but in many other cases (like stuff from DV cameras and other stuff that I won't mention here as I wouldn't like to violate rule 6) it wouldn't. I'd rather leave it the way it is...

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

Thanks for your help alvarez. Could a preview function be added to get an idea of how it will look on DVD before encoding?

[alvarez]

Thanks for your help alvarez. Could a preview function be added to get an idea of how it will look on DVD before encoding?

Adding an option for this to the 'Take a look' dialog should be no problem.

However, I think I found a solution for detecting the aspect ratio: using MediaInfo (a very useful tool which failed to catch my attention until today), I can query the correct aspect ratio of almost all kinds of video files, and then set it in the video properties when a video file is added. It can also tell whether the video is interlaced, so I can initialize that correctly as well.

(Seems that the to-do list is growing again...)

Have nice day,

[rendez2k]

Great news and can't wait for the enhanced version. I'll be happy to test if required...

[alvarez]

I've put in aspect ratio detection using MediaInfo (it was relatively easy, MediaInfo has a very nice interface for programmers), so here's the new version 0.6.1 alpha:

http://download.videohelp.com/dvdforger/

'Hope it works correctly now.

Have a nice day,

[linx05]

I just came across something dangerous. After creating a quick test DVD I made the output folder my C:. It said that this 'folder' was not empty and asked me if I were to erase everything in the C: folder.

Could you change it so if I set it as C:\ it creates a folder on its own accord so we don't get this nasty message please?

[rendez2k]

I've put in aspect ratio detection using MediaInfo (it was relatively easy, MediaInfo has a very nice interface for programmers), so here's the new version 0.6.1 alpha:

http://download.videohelp.com/dvdforger/

'Hope it works correctly now.

Have a nice day,

Thanks alvarez, it looks like its working great (just re-encoding the problem video I had). With regards to the config options, could some default audio options be added so I could set the language to be say English be default at 256kb? Also, is it possible for a user to add other languages/text to the list so I could say add a 'commentary' audio option?

[alvarez]

Hello,

Could you change it so if I set it as C:\ it creates a folder on its own accord so we don't get this nasty message please?

Good idea. (This is one of the things which never come to the mind of a programmer :))

Thanks alvarez, it looks like its working great (just re-encoding the problem video I had). With regards to the config options, could some default audio options be added so I could set the language to be say English be default at 256kb?

Seems reasonable.

Also, is it possible for a user to add other languages/text to the list so I could say add a 'commentary' audio option?

The problem here is that according to the DVD standard you can't put arbitrary description for an audio track on the DVD, only the languages present in the list.

Have nice day,

[rendez2k]

Arh, fair enough. I thought I'd seen it on some commercial DVDs....

[Elvis56]

Yesterday i used DVDforger for the first time, I must say I'm very impressed. Even this alpha version is working very well, I like the menu editing options. Not sure if this is on by accident or on purpose but i love the option to specify the font by just pasting the font name in the field. Very handy if you want to change the font on several items.

Some suggestions:


Single pass encoding using HCenc using either *cq or *cq_maxbitrate. Not sure if this is possible though because of filesize control. 2 pass encoding quality is not always needed and this will prevents comments like "application<insert name here> is much faster encoding my videos!" which are already appearing on videohelp.

Option to position menu items using the mouse and aligning menu items

Multi select and edit menu items, ie change font for several items, rectangle etc.

Option to specify which menu item will be highlighted after a clip finishes. For instance after episode 1 finishes return to the root menu with episode 2 highlighted.

More audio bitrates to choose from, possibly even mono

Drag and drop video files to the title groups window. Drop on a title-> add to title. Drop in empty space, add as new title.

Menu background music/background video

A no-deinterlace option

Not an option many people will use probably but I've never seen it in any other dvd authoring package: Option to automatically create random playlists and select a random playlist. This way you can have a pseudo shuffle function on a musicvideo disc.

To clearify:
50 musicvideos on the disc
automatically create several playlists with the clips in random order
select a random playlist from the generated playlists using a menu button

I think this is the closest you can get to a shuffle function without things getting complicated

2 Small bugs i found


When editing the name of a menu item using alt tab to switch back and forth causes the cursor to jump to the beginning of the edit field.

A bug I've seen many times in many different programs which is more a windows bug really: When adding multiple video files using shift click starting from the first file the file order is wrong(last file is the first title).

Shift click starting from the last file works fine.


Keep up the good work, looking forward to a new version.

[alvarez]

Hello,

Thanks for the compliments! Edit-font-by-paste is of course on purpose :)

Single pass encoding using HCenc using either *cq or *cq_maxbitrate. Not sure if this is possible though because of filesize control. 2 pass encoding quality is not always needed and this will prevents comments like "application<insert name here> is much faster encoding my videos!" which are already appearing on videohelp.

I have to admin I don't really understand what CQ is. (My knowledge about video encoding is actually quite shallow - I learned what's necessary to encode videos in a way I'm happy with, and turned this knowledge into this program.) However, in version 0.6.* you can set any parameter you like for HC at the config dialog. (And I'm quite skilled at ignoring unfriendly comments :))

Option to position menu items using the mouse and aligning menu items, Multi select and edit menu items, ie change font for several items, rectangle etc.

This is actually possible. You can select multiple menu items and drag them around with the mouse, and you can also set any property for all the selected menu items.

Option to specify which menu item will be highlighted after a clip finishes. For instance after episode 1 finishes return to the root menu with episode 2 highlighted.

Good idea, especially if it's limited to the example above :) I'll think about it.

More audio bitrates to choose from, possibly even mono

The recommended bitrates are be 96k for mono, 192k for stereo and 384/448k for 5.1 - all present. Is there really need for more?

Drag and drop video files to the title groups window. Drop on a title-> add to title. Drop in empty space, add as new title.

Maybe, in the far future...

Menu background music/background video

Maybe, in the even farther future...

A no-deinterlace option

If the video is set as interlaced in the video file properties, it won't be deinterlaced (unless it's merged with another video with different properties).

Not an option many people will use probably but I've never seen it in any other dvd authoring package: Option to automatically create random playlists and select a random playlist. This way you can have a pseudo shuffle function on a musicvideo disc.

Interesting idea. I'll think about it but I'm not sure whether it's possible - adding too much functionality is really hard because of the limitations of the DVD standard, and I have other plans already :)

When editing the name of a menu item using alt tab to switch back and forth causes the cursor to jump to the beginning of the edit field.

Please consider this a feature :)

A bug I've seen many times in many different programs which is more a windows bug really: When adding multiple video files using shift click starting from the first file the file order is wrong(last file is the first title). Shift click starting from the last file works fine.

This is indeed a Windows bug, and there seems to be no way to work around it.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to a new version.

Thanks!

Have a nice day,

[wg]

First of all, thanks for this software. I added 2 Xvid files & 2 subtitle files to dvdForger & merged them to create 1 title, so far so good. I had the option selected to 'Create At Least One Chapter Every Five Minutes', when the conversion was complete there were no chapters on the DVD files. The conversion was NTSC To NTSC, I used HC Encoder with the quality set at normal.
Any ideas as to why the chapters were not created?

Cheers!

[alvarez]

Hello,

I had the option selected to 'Create At Least One Chapter Every Five Minutes', when the conversion was complete there were no chapters on the DVD files. Any ideas as to why the chapters were not created?

The part of the code which deals with chapters tries to be smart, but in reality it's often quite stupid (it attempts to place chapters at scene changes reported by HC, but sometimes it messes it up completely). I'm currently working on rewriting the whole part dealing with chapters, so please wait for the next version.

Have a nice day,

[wg]

Would it be possible in the next version to add a title to the menu, for example 'Comedy - Disc 1'.

Thanks In Advance.

[MR Nice]

Hi, Alvarez, Q? can you add an audio sound track to your background image on the root menu?

[alvarez]

Hello,

Would it be possible in the next version to add a title to the menu, for example 'Comedy - Disc 1'.

Okay, I give up and implement this :) (I didn't want to do it, but this is like the fifth request, so I'll put it in.)

However, I have currently blown up lots of things in the code (and I'm quite busy with my real job as well nowadays), therefore a new version isn't likely to come out in the next 1-2 months.

Hi, Alvarez, Q? can you add an audio sound track to your background image on the root menu?

No, it's not possible. And I really wouldn't like to do it ;)

Have a nice day,

[MR Nice]

Why is it not possible when you can do this with nero?

[wg]

Good luck with your real job alvarez, & take your time with the new version, we are just pleased you have any time at all to spend on this project, it is much appreciated.

Cheers!

[alvarez]

Hello,

Why is it not possible when you can do this with nero?

Because I wouldn't like to implement it. For me, developing DVDforger is programming for fun in my free time, not a competition against any commercial product.

Have a nice day,

[MR Nice]

Hi, "not a competition against any commercial product" who said anything about competition? not me I just thought it would be nice to have an audio wav added to the root menu that's all didnt mean to upset you. Have a nice evening

[alvarez]

Hello,

Hi, "not a competition against any commercial product" who said anything about competition? not me I just thought it would be nice to have an audio wav added to the root menu that's all didnt mean to upset you. Have a nice evening

I wasn't upset, I just explained that your argument ('can be done in Nero') wasn't convincing :) Sorry if it seemed harsh. Although animation and sound in menus may be a nice feature, I have another plans which I find more useful and more fun programming.

Have a nice day,

[MR Nice]

"I just explained that your argument" There was no argument don't you mean my suggestion you didn't like? Like you said in another post about your program any suggestions on how to improve the progam would be nice did you or did you not say this? please don't get upset with me I've done nothing wrong other than try to add an idea to your program. Have a good day

[alvarez]

Hello,

"I just explained that your argument" There was no argument don't you mean my suggestion you didn't like? Like you said in another post about your program any suggestions on how to improve the progam would be nice did you or did you not say this? please don't get upset with me I've done nothing wrong other than try to add an idea to your program. Have a good day

I really didn't mean any harm - sorry if it turned out like that. I really appreciate all suggestions, but - because of my lack of time and/or notion - not all of them will turn into a feature, even if it's present in other applications. However, many features have been and will be added to DVDforger because people asked for it, so if you have other ideas, please share them :)

Have a nice day,

[MR Nice]

Hi, There is no harm done, I think it's better if other people give there ideas or suggestions on how to improve your program. You didn't like the idea I suggested so I don't think you will like any of my other ideas good luck with the program. I am always looking for better way to convert nstc to pal without the jerky picture from 23fps, 29fps to 25fps and also the less lose of quilty in the picture the better. Take care peace

[Adub]

This looks like a pretty nice program. I will have to run some tests, but thank you very much for taking the time to code it. It looks like a nice replacement for DVDPlannerBasic

[Sir Didymus]

...It looks like a nice replacement for DVDPlannerBasic

:confused:

AFAIK DVDforger is an xxx2dvd converter, whose authoring engine is based on DVD Author. DVDPlanner by Zeul was a completely new (and original) authoring package. It's a shame this last project has been abandoned. The purpose and the content of the two programs is completely different.

Cheers,
SD

[nonoitall]

This is definitely my favorite all-in-one DVD authoring app! Now, for the nitpicks! (These aren't complaints, but you're homepage does ask for feedback, so here are my thoughts.) :P

Any chance of seeing some multi-threading for us multi-core CPU users? It wouldn't have to be anything too fancy - maybe just have a list of tasks like you have now and then have how ever many threads as there are CPUs taking the next task off the top of the list. (If detecting the number of CPUs is complicated you could even have the user just manually enter in the desired number of threads.) Arranging the list so that the most time-consuming tasks are at the top would probably yield the best efficiency. Then, once all the 'independent' tasks (video encoding, audio encoding, subtitle rendering, etc.) are done, the authoring could be done.

My second and final request: Would it be possible to add 'label' support in the menu editor? (A non-functional text field, as opposed to functional menu items.) I usually don't need a flashy menu, but even so I still have to separately create a bitmap so that I can have a plain text title in the menu. (For example, displaying the title of a TV series above the selectable episodes.)

Anyway, that's the only two improvements I could really come up with. I know you have a life and will understand completely if you never get around to including these features. In any event, this is a fantastic project and I appreciate your hard work!

EDIT: Oops! Didn't realize wg had already asked for that menu feature. Sorry! I second his request. :)

[alvarez]

Hello,

Any chance of seeing some multi-threading for us multi-core CPU users?

There definitely is a chance, but it's at the absolute bottom of the priority list. So maybe around the end of next year :)

My second and final request: Would it be possible to add 'label' support in the menu editor?

Okay, now I stop counting how many times it was asked, and really start working on it :)

Have a nice day,

[marioval]

Ok now that i am a registered user and have waited the 5 days I can post here instead of videohelp.com

Is there a known issue with the settings in the configuration settings window ? First I noticed that When I set the chapters in the config window I get no chapters. However if I set chapters in the settings for each title individually, I do get chapters. That was already discussed before. Now I notice that If I change the colors for the menu items in the config window, my menu items do not show up at all. On my pc I have to blindly move the mouse around and it will highlight when I find it. On the TV, If I use the up/down arrow I can select the items but they are basically invisible. But, if I set the colors in the settings for each individual titles setting window, my menus show up fine.

[rendez2k]

Any new version in the works - always like something new to play with :)

[alvarez]

Hello,

Any new version in the works - always like something new to play with :)

Well, it's in the works, but I have just recently blown up the whole thing :) I've decided to reengineer lots of parts of the source code because it became really ugly and therefore hard to maintain (result of the trial-and-error development process). So, the next version will be delayed, and it won't have too much new features either, but from the inside (which nobody really cares about except me) it will be much nicer ;)

:alvarez:

[marioval]

It seems that no matter which profile I choose for encoding with HCenc, fast normal or best, it will do a 2 pass encode. How can I just do a 1 pass encode? Thanks

[alvarez]

It seems that no matter which profile I choose for encoding with HCenc, fast normal or best, it will do a 2 pass encode. How can I just do a 1 pass encode? Thanks

DVDforger provides user interface only for the most basic encoder settings. However, in the textbox 'Additional options to be set in HC.ini', you can set any parameter that HCenc accepts in its configuration file. Please see the *CQ parameter in the documentation of HCenc (tools\HC\misc\HC.pdf) to see how you can switch 1-pass encoding on (it's a bit tricky, that's why it's not offered on the dialog).

(By the way, have you received my e-mail about the menu problem?)

[marioval]

yeah that's a little nuts. I'll keep the 2 pass encoding.

[marioval]

Yeah thats a little nuts. I'll keep the 2 pass encoding.

[wg]

I selected the shutdown option, but for some reason it did not work, DVDforger had closed, & it looked as if XP had attempted to close as my desktop icons had lost their colours, but the pc stayed on. The DVD folder was produced & seems ok. This is the first time I have used the shutdown option, any suggestions as to what may have gone wrong! Just tried the disc on my hardware player & the playback is very very jerky, to be honest I had to stop playing it. The original file was Xvid & it was NTSC to NTSC with 125kbps vbr audio, the total file size was 696mb. I have ffdshow & Haali media splitter installed.

Thanks in advance.

[alvarez]

I selected the shutdown option, but for some reason it did not work, DVDforger had closed, & it looked as if XP had attempted to close as my desktop icons had lost their colours, but the pc stayed on.

This happens on my computer as well, but I couldn't figure out the reason yet. (It's quite annoying because I have another utility I wrote which has the same code to shut down the computer, and that one works...)

Just tried the disc on my hardware player & the playback is very very jerky, to be honest I had to stop playing it. The original file was Xvid & it was NTSC to NTSC with 125kbps vbr audio, the total file size was 696mb. I have ffdshow & Haali media splitter installed.

Well, I live in the middle of PAL land, so I can't really test NTSC encodings using a hardware player. Does it occur with all NTSC movies or just this one?

This is just a guess, but a 'good' way to produce jerky video is mistreating interlaced movies, especially when it needs to be resized. Please check that the 'Interlacing' setting (in 'Video file properties') is correct. (The third how-to in the documentation explains how the correct setting can be determined.)

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

Has anyone tested HC Enc 0.22? Is there any reason why the encoder couldn't be updated and used with DVDforger 0.61?

[alvarez]

Has anyone tested HC Enc 0.22? Is there any reason why the encoder couldn't be updated and used with DVDforger 0.61?

If you copy HC to the DVDforger directory and rename the .exe file (strip the version number), it should work. (As for a new release of DVDforger, it may turn out to include HC 0.23 ;))

[rendez2k]

Thanks alvarez for the info. I gave it a test and had an issue but I don't think it was HC.... I added 5 avi's, 2 with odd frame sizes compared to the others and these encoded with a black screen only! Any ideas?

[alvarez]

Thanks alvarez for the info. I gave it a test and had an issue but I don't think it was HC.... I added 5 avi's, 2 with odd frame sizes compared to the others and these encoded with a black screen only! Any ideas?

What do you mean by 'odd frame size'?

By the way, if you stop the conversion while HC is encoding the file, you shall find the AviSynth script (setXtitleX.avs) which is fed to HC in the output directory. You should be able to play this file in Media Player, and the video shall have the final frame size and rate (720x480 / 29.976 fps for NTSC or 720x576 / 25 fps for PAL). Please try to play it and:
- If it plays correctly, please try adding the line:
*AVSRELOAD
to the HC options in the configuration dialog of DVDforger.
- If it doesn't play or you see only black frames there as well, please paste the contents of the .avs file here.

Have a nice day,

[rendez2k]

What do you mean by 'odd frame size'?

By the way, if you stop the conversion while HC is encoding the file, you shall find the AviSynth script (setXtitleX.avs) which is fed to HC in the output directory. You should be able to play this file in Media Player, and the video shall have the final frame size and rate (720x480 / 29.976 fps for NTSC or 720x576 / 25 fps for PAL). Please try to play it and:
- If it plays correctly, please try adding the line:
*AVSRELOAD
to the HC options in the configuration dialog of DVDforger.
- If it doesn't play or you see only black frames there as well, please paste the contents of the .avs file here.

Have a nice day,

Sorry, by odd I mean different to the others. I'll try the suggestions and report back!

[rendez2k]

Adding *AVSRELOAD made the conversion work fine.

[rendez2k]

Back again! Can DVDforger output mp2 audio? My DVDlab project requires all audio to be of the same type and most of it is mp2 as its from my DVD Recorder and I'm trying to avoid having to re-convert the audio between several formats.

[alvarez]

Hello,

Back again! Can DVDforger output mp2 audio?

No, only AC3 is supported at the moment (using Aften). Shall I add it to the bottom of the to-do list? :)

[rendez2k]

Hello,



No, only AC3 is supported at the moment (using Aften). Shall I add it to the bottom of the to-do list? :)

Brilliant and thanks!

[Blue_MiSfit]

Looking forward to trying this awesome looking application as a replacement to ConvertXtoDVD! It seems like using HC 0.22 will give me multi threaded performance!

~MiSfit

[marioval]

I really love the layout and functionality of dvdforger, especially the menu creation portion. I use it with HCEnc as QuEnc does not give me chapters which I understand is a known issue. Actually I would not use QUenc either way but thats niether here nor there..... I only use dvdforger for small projects because I find that it takes much much longer than FAVC which I also use with HCEnc. A project that takes FAVC 1 hour to convert typically takes about 3 or more hours with DVDForger. is this because FAVC is using a newer version of hcenc with multicore? I will not pretend to know too much about video encoding but I notice with FAVC there are 2 instances of hcenc running and with dvdforger there is only one. What can I do to speed up dvdforger or when can we expect any updates soon? Also can dvdforger add overscan border?

[marioval]

Hello, anyone out there?

[alvarez]

Hello,

Hello, anyone out there?

Well, I'm still alive... more or less :)

A project that takes FAVC 1 hour to convert typically takes about 3 or more hours with DVDForger. is this because FAVC is using a newer version of hcenc with multicore?

This may well be the case, it you have a multicore CPU. You can use the new HC with DVDforger as well if you do the following:
- Copy the new version of HC to the directory 'tools\HC' and rename the file 'HCenc_022.exe' to 'HCenc.exe'.
- In the configuraton dialog of DVDforger, add the line '*AVSRELOAD' to HC options.

can we expect any updates soon?

I'm thinking about releasing an update with the new HC and a quick-and-dirty fix to chapters if I manage to find the time for it, but I'm kind of overloaded with work until summer so a major update isn't to be expected in the next few months.

Also can dvdforger add overscan border?

Yes, it can. There's an option for it in the video track properties.

Have a nice day,

[marioval]

Thanks for the reply alvarez. better late than never right. Ok, just so i'm clear, by replacing hcenc.exe with a newer version and adding the line *AVSRELOAD, what am I actually acomplishing? because after I did that and ran another job, it seemed to take as long as it did before. I DO have a dual core machine.

*Edit. Nevermind, it is actually a bit faster. Although both of my processors are working there is still only one instance of HCenc running doing 1 task at a time so it still takes pretty long. For now I will still use FAVC for my longer projects and DVDForger for my shorter projects. I'm looking forward to a new version of DVDForger though.

[alvarez]

Hello,

Here's a new version, but please don't expect too much: it only includes two bugfixes and the updated version of HC, Aften, mplex and MediaInfo.

@marioval:
FAVC has much more tricks to make the encoding faster (it splits the video into several parts and launches multiple instances of HC in CQ mode to gain speed). Currently I don't really intend to put such features into DVDforger, because a) both result in some quality loss b) I'm too lazy to do it :)

Have a nice day,

[marioval]

Hello,

Here's a new version, but please don't expect too much: it only includes two bugfixes and the updated version of HC, Aften, mplex and MediaInfo.

@marioval:
FAVC has much more tricks to make the encoding faster (it splits the video into several parts and launches multiple instances of HC in CQ mode to gain speed). Currently I don't really intend to put such features into DVDforger, because a) both result in some quality loss b) I'm too lazy to do it :)

Have a nice day,

Hey Alvarez thanks for the updated version.

Can we expect any performance increase at all? have you done any type of benchmark tests to figure a percentage of speed increase? 5% 10%???

[rendez2k]

Thanks alvarez - bug fixes are better than nothing!

[alvarez]

Can we expect any performance increase at all? have you done any type of benchmark tests to figure a percentage of speed increase? 5% 10%???

I haven't done any benchmarks myself. Please look in the HC forum for comparisons between version 0.21 and 0.22; the same can be expected in DVDforger, because I haven't changed anything else which could be relevant.

Have a nice day,

[Koohlar]

Hi,

Can any one advise if the new version of DVDforger is able to convert h264, AC3 (VFR) MKV files to DVD without audio sync issues? Would be great if it could. Only software I have found to do that job is Total Video2DVD but video quality is not as good as I'd hoped.

Thanks.

[mcv]

hi,
getting the error "mplex.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close" window when running DVDforger 0.6.2alpha.

Been using this software on my other machine no problems, pretty much identical software installed, works no problem, but no joy on this machine.

Step 1 of 5: Encoding audio track 1 of title 1 in group 1... done.
Step 2 of 5: Encoding video of title 1 in group 1... done.
Step 3 of 5: Multiplexing audio and video of title 1 in group 1... Error!

And here is the log it gives me....

Found PCM audio: 2 channels, 48000 Hz, 16 bits, 5858.052354 seconds.
Writing WAV file...
WAV file written successfully.
SIMD usage: MMX
Threads: 1



==================================================
==================================================

-----------------------------------------
| HCenc - MPEG2 encoder - rel. 0.22.1.0 |
-----------------------------------------

MPEG profile@level: MP@ML
input: c:\documents and settings\mark\my documents\dvd_downloads\fav_output\bekindrewind\set1title1video.avs
output: C:\Documents and Settings\Mark\My Documents\DVD_Downloads\FAV_Output\BeKindRewind\set1title1video.m2v

--------------------
| encoder settings |
--------------------

profile: FAST
frames: 0 - 146482
framerate: 25.000
aspect ratio: 16:9
bitrate Kb/s: 5967
max. bitrate Kb/s: 9600
pulldown: no
closed gops: no
VBV check: yes
scene change det.: yes
interlaced: no, BFF
goplen,B-pic: AUTO
dc_precision: 9
scan method: zigzag
bias: 0
chapter frames: 0
time code: 0 0 0 0
CPU: MMX
priority: idle
SMP active: no
matrix: MPEG
luminance gain: no

------------------
| source stats |
------------------

nr. of frames in source: 146483
width*height: 720x576
fps: 25.000
nr. of frames to encode: 146483
frames to encode: 0 - 146482

---------------------
| encoding - pass 1 |
---------------------

pass 1 encoding time: 3:45:51 (13550.95 s)
fps: 10.8

--------------------------------
| encoding - intermediate pass |
--------------------------------

bitrate set to: 5967 kb/s
est. outfile length: 4267891 kB
intermediate encoding time: 1.25 s

---------------------
| encoding - pass 2 |
---------------------

*** INFO, adjusting average bitrate: -0.03 %
*** INFO, adjusting average bitrate: -0.06 %
*** INFO, adjusting average bitrate: -0.08 %
*** INFO, adjusting average bitrate: -0.11 %
pass 2 encoding time: 3:55:42 (14141.59 s)
fps: 10.4

------------------
| encoding stats |
------------------


intra matrix used
8 16 19 22 26 27 29 34
16 16 22 24 27 29 34 37
19 22 26 27 29 34 34 38
22 22 26 27 29 34 37 40
22 26 27 29 32 35 40 48
26 27 29 32 35 40 48 58
26 27 29 34 38 46 56 69
27 29 35 38 46 56 69 83

non-intra matrix used
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27
20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28
21 22 23 24 26 27 28 30
22 23 24 26 27 28 30 31
23 24 25 27 28 30 31 33

nr. of gops: 10506
nr. of frames: 146483
nr. of I-frames: 10506
nr. of P-frames: 43094
nr. of B-frames: 92883
average bitrate: 5960
minimum bitrate: 156
maximum bitrate: 9598

bytes in bitstream: 4366260897
bits in bitstream: 34930087176

average Quantizer: 2.428

total CPU time: 7:09:37 (25776.63 s)
total elapsed time: 7:41:39 (27699.46 s)

[marioval]

So if using 0.6.2 there is no longer a need to use AVSRELOAD to utilize both cores?

[tallguy85]

hi im new here and not sure if this is where i can post this but it seems only on certain videos i get this error in DVDforger when i try to add them to my dvd project/list (this is just an example) " 'C:\examplevideo.avi' doesn't seem to be a video file. (DirectShowSource: could not open as video or audio.)' " how can i stop this error from happening so i can add the videos i want without problems? any help would be great, thanks!

[rendez2k]

hi im new here and not sure if this is where i can post this but it seems only on certain videos i get this error in DVDforger when i try to add them to my dvd project/list (this is just an example) " 'C:\examplevideo.avi' doesn't seem to be a video file. (DirectShowSource: could not open as video or audio.)' " how can i stop this error from happening so i can add the videos i want without problems? any help would be great, thanks!

Have you got something like ffdshow installed? Can you play the videos normally?

[tallguy85]

Have you got something like ffdshow installed? Can you play the videos normally?

no i dont have ffdshow installed, and i just tried playing the videos and it says that it needs a codec to play them. so do i need to install ffdshow or?...

[rendez2k]

no i dont have ffdshow installed, and i just tried playing the videos and it says that it needs a codec to play them. so do i need to install ffdshow or?...

Yes, you need the correct codecs on you're system. I install k-lite which I know some people hate but its always worked for me (ffdshow is part of that or just try getting ffdshow separately)

[tallguy85]

Yes, you need the correct codecs on you're system. I install k-lite which I know some people hate but its always worked for me (ffdshow is part of that or just try getting ffdshow separately)

thanks so much! i tried adding my videos to DVDforger again and everything seems to be working now! no problems ^_^

[tallguy85]

ok i have a new problem now but sorta similar to my last problem only this time the error says "C:\examplevideo.avi doesn't seem to be a video file. (Script error: there is no function named "DirectShowSource")" i have the newest version of ffdshow installed also.

[rendez2k]

And is avisynth installed?

[tallguy85]

And is avisynth installed?

im...pretty sure, how can i tell if it is or not?

[rendez2k]

Probably best just to re-download and install!

[tallguy85]

k, i will try that and post back....

[tallguy85]

did exactly what you did and everything seems to be working again. thanks!

[szechman]

Hi,

I a setting up a project with the new alpha of dvd forger and when i go to start I get the error
Aften: A/52 audio encoder
Version 0.0.8
(c) 2006-2007 Justin Ruggles, Prakash Punnoor, et al.

usage: aften [options] <input.wav> <output.ac3>
type 'aften -h' for more details.

Error: Too many parameters.


Any ideas?