AVCHD Manager: Quickly set default AVCHD folder on external drive

[idbirch2]

Latest version here: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mzj1djdiymn

Guide on usage here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1236112#post1236112

This tool is for managing you collection of AVCHD folders on an external hard disk (although it should work on any USB device).

With all these great AVCHD authoring tools popping up, AVCHD on a FAT32 hard drive has quickly become my authoring method of choice for playback on the PS3. Trouble is, my FAT32 drive now contains lots of titles and I'm sick of renaming them all the time. I've written this tool to make that process quicker and easier.

Place the .exe on the root of your USB device and run it. It looks like this:

http://i44.tinypic.com/2qjvhuq.gif

The current default AVCHD folder is shown at the top and a list of all the other AVCHD compatible folders is at the bottom. Just select a folder, click "Make default" and the current AVCHD folder will be renamed and the selected folder will be renamed to AVCHD. Of course, to rename intelligently, the app needs to know the name of the movie. This is stored in a "details.txt" file in the root of each AVCHD folder. You can make those yourself or just click "Identify" - a prompt will appear, which defaults to the name of the folder, asking you to enter the movie title. This is then saved to details.txt.

There is now an updated version which has a "Done (Safely remove drive)" button which does what it says really. This new function has been tested and confirmed working on Vista and XP.

Update 1.2.0.0: All functions of new AVCHDMe are included as is AVCHD-Undo. Also added Explore button and space free on drive and list is now sorted alphabetically.

Update 1.3.3.0: Red/green flags next to each movie to indicate if filenames adhere to 8.3 standard or not so it's now easy to see which movies you need to run AVCHDMe on and which movies are already PS3 ready at a glance. Also added tooltips for long movie titles which dont fit in the column, tooltips for a few of the buttons and an "Export to text file" button which will save your movie list to a text file.

Update 1.3.6.0: Added error checking for copying of fixlcpi.exe and fixclpi.exe is now cleaned up from the CLIPINF folder after running AVCHDMe and added workaround for Vista UAC. Exported movie list now includes folder sizes.

Update 1.4.0.0: Removed all CLPI fixes as new TSMuxer takes care of these. Made proper icon for app.

Update 1.5.0.0: Added list box at the bottom to display multiple titles - this is intended to display all the seperate items you have put in the same AVCHD using MultiAVCHD. Added video/audio codec, duration and imdb URL (these must be defined in details.txt). New Identify function lets you enter all this extra information. MultiAVCHD has already been updated to output the new format details.txt.

Update 1.5.5.0: Bugfix which fixes problem where empty rows with a red sqaure would appear if no details.txt existed. AVCHDManager can now be run from any location - doesn't have to be the root of a drive. Improved insertion of IMDB links where the user hasn't defined one. Incorporated new workaround for UAC - shouldn't prompt every time it is run now. Couple of minor bugfixes.

Update 1.6.3.0: Video/audio codec and duration information is now automatically detected if missing when you press 'Identify'. Settings button to enable/disable this feature. Refresh button added. New progress animation while detecting. Auto re-select movie after identifying. Minor bugfixes.

Download here (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mzj1djdiymn).

Also, if you put the following in Notepad and save as autorun.inf:

[Autorun]
shell\Manage=Manage AVCHD folders
shell\Manage\command=AVCHDManager.exe

and place that on the root of your USB drive, you'll get this handy right-click menu option on the drive which will launch AVCHD Manager:

http://i39.tinypic.com/24qnui8.jpg

You could also add the line "open=AVCHDManager.exe" if you want it to run automatically.

[Krawhitham]

nice program

Midnight Run? HD-DVD convert?

[idbirch2]

Correct, HD-DVD convert.

[deank]

Thanks for this handy tool. I was planning on implementing something similar in my app, to distinguish the existing and newly created avchd folders.

I'm too using ps3 with ext usb hdd and got sick of renaming tons of folders, so I'll put it in my [autorun] :)

[~bT~]

cheers for this nifty app!

[idbirch2]

Just updated this to a new version - there's now a "Done (Safely Remove Drive)" button which performs the "safely Remove Hardware" routine on the drive for you. Download link updated in first post.

[idbirch2]

Another new version is now available. I've integrated AVCHDMe and "AVCHDMe-Undo" which is for reversing the AVCHDMe renaming. I've scrapped my hex editing clpi fix code and implemented deank's code instead as it is more reliable - props to Dean for that.

I've also added an [Explore] button to open the currently selected folder and added a readout of the current free space on your drive. I've updated the first post with the new link and a new screenshot.

[idbirch2]

Sorry to those who have just grabbed the update, I've just made another small change, the list of movies is now sorted alphabetically. Download from link in first post.

[coolalibaba]

nice little app, Thanks!

[idbirch2]

I created a guide for another forum on the process of remuxing a BD and AVCHDManager usgage so I thought I'd post it here too:

OK, I don't know of a decent guide anywhere that covers this whole process, so I thought I'd better step up. If you want to watch BluRay structures on your PS3 without losing stuff like VC-1 video, DTS-HD audio etc, then this is for you.

The first step is to use TSMuxer to create a BluRay structure. In the example below, I'm doing Independence Day. Untick the streams you don't need:

http://i44.tinypic.com/2e3v482.jpg

As you can see, I'm keeping the DTS-HD audio, commentaries and English subs. IMPORTANT: The above screenshot is outdated, make sure you select the "AVCHD" option for your output mode. Only one other thing to change in TSMuxer, split every 4GB:

http://i44.tinypic.com/15psqbq.jpg

This is because only FAT32 drives are supported on the PS3 which imposes a 4GB maximum filesize.

You can tell TSMuxer to output directly to your USB disk or copy it over afterwards, it doesn't matter. At this point, make sure you have AVCHDManager on the root of your USB drive. Let's have a quick overview of AVCHDManager and why its needed before we continue:

http://i39.tinypic.com/i5slck.jpg

Something to understand before we continue: the PS3 will only recognise 1 movie at a time on a USB disk, it will only look for a folder on the root of the drive called "AVCHD". For this reason, you can store as many films on the drive as you like but the PS will only see one of them. In order to change which film it sees, the current AVCHD folder must be renamed back to the movie title and the next movie folder you want to view renamed to "AVCHD". AVCHDManager performs both renames for you just by clicking the 'Make Default' button.

Moving on, there are 2 buttons in AVCHDManager which you should use on every movie - 'Identifiy' and 'AVCHDMe'.

The Identify button

The first column just shows a list of directories which appear to contain a valid BluRay/AVCHD folder structure. The next column is the title of the movie. This is stored in a "details.txt" file inside each movie folder and for that reason, they will all say "Unknown" if you are using AVCHDManager for the first time. Before you do anything else, click "Identify" and enter the name of the movie, do this for all movies in your list.

Lets say we have run all the necessary fixes on the 'Aliens' folder and renamed it to 'AVCHD'. We have watched the movie, thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to watch Superman. This would be done by simply clicking on the Superman folder and pressing 'Make Default'. So AVCHDManager needs to rename the 'AVCHD' folder back to 'Aliens' and then rename the 'Superman folder to 'AVCHD'. How does it know to rename back to 'Aliens' though? That's why we need the details.txt and the Identify button.

The AVCHDMe button

A requirement that the PS3 demands of an AVCHD folder is that the files inside must be in the 8.3 standard. That is to say, they must be no longer than 8 characters with a 3 letter file extension. AVCHDMe renames all files for you to this standard.

Additional

To make the process a bit smoother, put the following in Notepad and save as autorun.inf:

[Autorun]
shell\Manage=Manage AVCHD folders
shell\Manage\command=AVCHDManager.exe

Place autorun.inf on the root of your USB drive and you'll get this handy right-click menu option on the drive which will launch AVCHD Manager:

http://i39.tinypic.com/24qnui8.jpg

You could also add the line "open=AVCHDManager.exe" if you want it to run automatically.

In Summary

There's quite a lot there but once you've got your head round it, it's fairly straight forward. Each time you copy a new movie to your USB drive, make sure you ID it thus creating the details.txt file and that you click AVCHDMe to fix all the clpi issues and rename the files. Other than that, you will just be connecting the drive, choosing your next movie and clicking 'Make Default'.

You can download AVCHDManager from the link in the first post of this thread.

[Butterfly666]

This is a very handy program, thanks for this!

[insaneoctane]

This is so the app I've been looking for!
One- question...is there anyway we can write an app for the PS3 that does this so that we don't have to keep plugging and unplugging our HDD?
Two- comment...I've been using eac3to in the front end to figure out what the languages are (audio and sub-titles) and to export the original chapter points...is there a way to do this all from tsMuxeR?

[idbirch2]

1) No. Well maybe someone else can but I wouldn't know where to start.
2) TSMuxer can import chapter lists but not create them

[odin24]

@idbirch2
Is there anywhere else I can download this, mediafire is have issues with their server. Thanks.

One- question...is there anyway we can write an app for the PS3 that does this so that we don't have to keep plugging and unplugging our HDD?
Two- comment...I've been using eac3to in the front end to figure out what the languages are (audio and sub-titles) and to export the original chapter points...is there a way to do this all from tsMuxeR?

Solution to question #1
I have an external HDD that has a RJ45 network connection, I can mount it to my PC (through my home network) as if it were a local drive, and also have it connected to my PS3 at all times via USB.

I have it partitioned as well, a 50GB FAT32 and the rest NTFS. I can manage the files through my PC, transfer to the FAT32 partition and view on my PS3, without disconnecting.

Answer to question #2
Yes, you need to open the correct MPLS file in the PLAYLIST folder, instead of the largest m2ts file. eac3to can figure this out for you. Be aware though, with seamless branching titles eac3to is the preferred demuxer.

[idbirch2]

Sure, here's a temporary link while MediaFire is down. I don't know if this file host is any good I just googled for free hosting and found them. edit: Removed.

[odin24]

No good... page not found. Thanks anyway. I'll wait for mediafire to resolve their issues, I don't need AVCHD Manager right away anyway. I just wanted to test with the movie I'm watching right now, I used the AVCHDMe instead.

Thanks again.

[musicman2311]

hi there, I just saw this and it looks very interesting. I have a question about something I do not quite understand. Since PS3 can only use FAT 32 disks, let's say I have a 20 GB movie in 5 parts, i.e. 5 files at 4 GByte each.

How do you watch the movie in one ? or can you not?

thanks

PS: just came to my mind - do you say you create a complete AVCHD structure which links the 5 parts in kind of a seamless branching way ? Does tsmuxer do that automatically ? (i didnt know !)

[idbirch2]

musicman, read the guide a few posts up.

odin24, link in first post now working.

[odin24]

musicman, read the guide a few posts up.

odin24, Here's (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ndmdhyzcyyn) another link, try that.

Got it, thanks.

[deank]

One- question...is there anyway we can write an app for the PS3 that does this so that we don't have to keep plugging and unplugging our HDD?

1) No. Well maybe someone else can but I wouldn't know where to start.

I guess a BD-J application could do this. I'm not really sure about it, because PS3 won't allow simple renaming of files/folders via XMB. I've never used the BD-J SDK but probably it is a good start point for a research.

BD-J applications can manipulate BD players' internal storage space, but I don't know if they could handle external hard drives.

[musicman2311]

Thanks, I had asked since the guide was not clear to me - however it is clearer now - i saw the tool creates names for AVCHD rather than Blu Ray (as if you have a AVCHD cam and use the files from SD card as they are).
I also confirmed tsmuxer creates several parts with an according number of clipinf and 1 playlist file.

I have just created a test AVCHD structure with Nero 8, it contains a Menue and 5 clips if 1 second each from HD cam.
As a result there is now an AVCHD with a Menue for 5 clips.... since this is a static, non animated menue, it creates 1 *.mts file for the menue in the BDMV STREAM folder and its corresponding clipinf.

Question to the experts:

Could we replicate such sturcture for e.g. 50 clips (movies) and put them into one big AVCHD structure say on a 1 Terrabyte HDD.

Not sure how practical that is, but if it works, then you have all your movies under 1 menue in 1 structure and there is no need to unplug from PS3 (provide you dont update content)

Just food for thought.....

[insaneoctane]

@idbirch2
I have it partitioned as well, a 50GB FAT32 and the rest NTFS. I can manage the files through my PC, transfer to the FAT32 partition and view on my PS3, without disconnecting.


Yeah, but this file transfer from partition to partition takes TOO long (20 minutes +)...If I decide to watch something, I don't want to wait that long...

I do like the idea of manipulating the drive via network, but my 1.5TB is USB2.0 and eSATA, no RJ45

That's why I was wondering if it was possible to write some app on the PS3. Is it possible?

[idbirch2]

Could we replicate such sturcture for e.g. 50 clips (movies) and put them into one big AVCHD structure say on a 1 Terrabyte HDD.

Not sure how practical that is, but if it works, then you have all your movies under 1 menue in 1 structure and there is no need to unplug from PS3 (provide you dont update content)Please stay on topic, create your own thread or maybe ask in the MultiAVCHD thread for stuff like that.

That's why I was wondering if it was possible to write some app on the PS3. Is it possible?I think Dean has already answered this question as best anyone can here, it's possible it could be done in BD-J but also highly likely that external USB drives are not accessible or at least not writeable when using that platform.

[idbirch2]

New version released which shows with red and green flags which folders already comply to 8.3 filename standards and which need fixing. Screenshot and download links updated in first post.

[odin24]

I have a question regarding AVCHDMe-Undo. After using it, do the streams append properly for re-encoding.

Usually I'll watch my movie from a BD-RE or the PS3's HDD... if I like it I'll shrink to DVD9, however I have a bunch building up so I'm thinking of storing them on an external FAT32... might as well use AVCHD Manager.

[idbirch2]

Yes, I've used TSMuxer to convert an AVCHD folder back to a single .m2ts. I ran AVCHDMe-undo and then opened the .mpls in TSMuxer.

[odin24]

Good to know, thanks. It's been a while since I've check this thread... how's AVCHD-Man. coming along?

[deank]

@idbirch2: I hope you don't mind - I added details.txt generation in multiAVCHD. link (http://forum.doom9.org/showpost.php?p=1241969&postcount=591)

It will generate details.txt with this format:

* My Birthday | Party (DVI) | Concert Sofia | bla-bla-bla | bla2

Dean

[idbirch2]

... how's AVCHD-Man. coming along?It's pretty much done I think so nothing new since the red/green 8.3 flags.

@idbirch2: I hope you don't mind - I added details.txt generation in multiAVCHDHi Dean, of course I don't mind. It's great that your ouputs will be AVCHDManager ready as I notice you recently implemented custom menus which means I'll now be using it all the time! I'll try it later and check that the piping doesn't confuse AVCHDManager (I think AutoIt sees pipes as string delimiters by default) and put out a new version if required.

[deank]

I can change "|" to anything you want. multiavchd removes all slashes, ? / \ ! , etc... so output should be safe. "|" works at this point with AVCHDManager.

[idbirch2]

Oh cool, you've tested it already, I can't test until I get home you see. In that case odin24, there's nothing new on the horizon for AVCHDManager as I think it does everything it needs to at this point. Unless anyone has any feature requests?

I already know the Safely Remove doesn't work in Windows7, I don't intend to address that as I have no idea what's changed under the hood for removing drives in Win7.

[deank]

May be... if you can implement hints on mouse hover over AVCHD folder names... because if names are too long they can't be seen.

[idbirch2]

I've implemented your request Dean, hovering over any title which is wider than the column will show a tooltip with the full title, give it a try. Download link updated in first post.

[deank]

:) Thanks... Works really nice now.

[idbirch2]

Just upped another small update. I've added a few tooltips to some of the buttons that aren't self-explanatory and added a button for exporting your movie list to a text file. See first post for new link.

[odin24]

I'm trying to run the Manager (for the first time), I'm all set up properly... however When I attempt to rename I get an error "Unable to copy fixclpi.exe from C:\Windows\system32 to N:\AVCHD". Then it freezes until it is closed throu Task Manager.

Do I really need to place fixclpi in the specified folder? AVCHDMe doesn't require this???

[deank]

This reminds me to report that after I use the program fixclpi.exe remains in the AVCHD folder I rename/change.

[idbirch2]

I'm trying to run the Manager (for the first time), I'm all set up properly... however When I attempt to rename I get an error "Unable to copy fixclpi.exe from C:\Windows\system32 to N:\AVCHD". Then it freezes until it is closed throu Task Manager.

Do I really need to place fixclpi in the specified folder? AVCHDMe doesn't require this???It is required, it's extracted to system32 when you launch AVCHDManager and then copied to your AVCHD folder in order to apply the fix. I had another user report this on another forum and it was a permissions issue, you must be running a limited user account (probably under Windows Vista). Give yourself full permissions to system32 or make yourself an admin.

This reminds me to report that after I use the program fixclpi.exe remains in the AVCHD folder I rename/change.Yes, this has ben reported before and I forgot to fix it in the last update. I can reassure everyone though that it does not interfere with the AVCHD structure so it doesn't matter if you leave it. I'll fix it at some point.

[idbirch2]

OK, I've tried to address both issues, there's now a check on the fixclpi.exe extraction which gives you some advice on what to do if it fails and the fixclpi.exe is now cleaned up properly after running AVCHDMe. Download link updated in first post.

[odin24]

It is required, it's extracted to system32 when you launch AVCHDManager and then copied to your AVCHD folder in order to apply the fix. I had another user report this on another forum and it was a permissions issue, you must be running a limited user account (probably under Windows Vista). Give yourself full permissions to system32 or make yourself an admin.

I have admin privlidges on my PC, and I am running Vista 32. When I try to change permission everything is greyed out. I bet if I disable the User Account Control feature everything will be fine... I'd rather leave it though.

Did the other user with the same issue resolve this?

[idbirch2]

The other user already had UAC off but didn't have permissions to the system32 directory. If I thought for a second that UAC was of any use, I would look into fixing this but as you've probably guessed, I don't.

[odin24]

I disabled UAC and it worked.

[Krawhitham]

The other user already had UAC off but didn't have permissions to the system32 directory. If I thought for a second that UAC was of any use, I would look into fixing this but as you've probably guessed, I don't.

add #RequireAdmin to the top of the script, that resolves a lot of my UAC issues

[idbirch2]

OK, I've added that line, does anyone want to test it with UAC on? (Download link updated in first post).

[odin24]

UAC workaround is OK now, although I am prompted to "Allow/Cancel" access before use, whereas the previous version, or AVCHDme did this (AVCHDme works as it did).

Thanks.

EDIT: Does the autorun function only work for USB devices, or will it work with Firewire/eSata?

[idbirch2]

Autoplay/autorun should work fine for any type of removable drive unless you have certain drive types blacklisted in the registry. 3rd party virtual drive applications can also block autorun from working properly. See here (http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/01/14/autoplayautorun-not-working-or-missing-not-open-in-windows-vista/) fore more detail.

[odin24]

Followed the link's advice, still nothing. I have a 1TB WD Home Edition. No big deal, the drive will be permanently connected to my PC via eSATA, and a USB running to my PS3. I made a shortcut on my desktop so I'll be good. Thanks for the help.

[Paulo Guimaraes]

Hello there,

My antivirus (AVAST) report a trojan (Win32:Agent-ADUR [Trj]) in exec file.

Are you see that thing?

Tanks,

Paulo Guimarães

[idbirch2]

Some antivirus vendors flag all AutoIt compiled .exes as viruses because they're too lazy or too stupid to detect them properly. Report the false positive to Avast or get a decent AV app.

[idbirch2]

I've just finished making a GUI for dburckh's remuxTool. His app fixes TrueHD output from TSMuxer so now all formats are support in AVCHD on the PS3! The fix must be applied to each .m2ts file seperately which I was finding a bit labourious so I made this GUI which just needs pointing at your BDMV folder and it will apply the patching to all .m2ts files found within.

http://i43.tinypic.com/a17slz.gif

If you look back at the first page of this thread, at the bottom of the first post, I have added a download link for the GUI. remuxTool is included and you will be asked where you want to place it on the first run.