VidCoder: Alternative HandBrake GUI for Windows

[RandomEngy]

Hi RandomEngy.

Could you take a look at this test .mpg file:

http://www.mediafire.com/?z9en2a4pcak4q90

VidCoder (1.4.14.0/svn5245) currently produces "an error occured while scanning" (although HandBrake (svn5285) happily opens it).

(Is it possible that when HandBrake core in VidCoder is updated in next release may fix this?)

Thanks for your time.

I tried this file on HandBrake SVN 5184 and it errors out. It's possible that a fix somewhere between 5245 and 5285 fixed the issue. I'll update the core in the next VC release.

(edit) Even the latest HandBrake SVN has a scanning error on that file. Are you sure HandBrake actually opened it fine? It doesn't complain as loudly as VidCoder does when it gets a scanning error.

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.15 Beta (http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/103201):

* Added a portable version! This packages up VidCoder as an .exe file that does not need to be installed. Be aware that it's not completely portable as you still need .NET 4 Client Profile on the computer for Windows versions earlier than 8.
* "Open in containing folder" now selects the file as well.
* Updated HandBrake core to SVN 5312.
* We now have finer-grained scan progress (not just title-level).

* Fixed behavior of switching off of modified, built-in preset. You can no longer do a phantom save on it.
* Changed how VidCoder responds to the worker process failing to respond to a ping. It now needs a bit of extra evidence that the worker process has died before stopping the encode.

[mike20021969]

Hi RandomEngy.

I'm still getting an error when opening the file from my previous post.

?

(Edit: Hmm, something strange is going on. Handbrake wont open it now either).


* We now have finer-grained scan progress (not just title-level).

This is great :)

[cengizhan]

Released VidCoder 1.4.15 Beta (http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/103201):

* Added a portable version! This packages up VidCoder as an .exe file that does not need to be installed. Be aware that it's not completely portable as you still need .NET 4 Client Profile on the computer for Windows versions earlier than 8.


Thanks. will it keep our profiles when copying over newer versions?

[RandomEngy]

It will still use the profile/app settings from the regular install, so yes I think so.

[lib3rty1]

great app, but still hardsubs are not working in these. Any toughts how to fix this ?

[cengizhan]

It will still use the profile/app settings from the regular install, so yes I think so.

So we have to install regular version first? what about if we reinstall windows? i think this is not so portable.

[RandomEngy]

No, you don't need to install the regular version first. Both the regular installer and the portable version create and use the same files. This means that if you upgrade from one portable version to the next, it will keep all of your settings.

About the hard subs, I don't know what you're talking about. What subtitle source are you using?

[lib3rty1]

Srt. Muxed witk mkv file and imported ones.

[R=G]

I got this hilarious result from trying to encode a Video TS folder with a source of 4hrs 50 minutes and this was the instant result. Never seen anything like it.
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42
File size : 108 KiB
Duration : 6s 933ms
Overall bit rate : 128 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:22
Tagged date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:24
Writing application : HandBrake 5245svn 2013021101

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 500ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 1 171 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 1 500 Kbps
Width : 710 pixels
Height : 478 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.115
Stream size : 71.6 KiB (66%)
Writing library : x264 core 129
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=hex / subme=2 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=6 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=1 / keyint=300 / keyint_min=30 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=10 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1500 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=4 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:22
Tagged date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:24
Color primaries : BT.601-6 525, BT.1358 525, BT.1700 NTSC, SMPTE 170M
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.601-6 525, BT.1358 525, BT.1700 NTSC, SMPTE 170M

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format version : Version 4
Format profile : LC
Format settings, SBR : No
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 6s 933ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 39.1 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 72.2 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 33.1 KiB (31%)
Encoded date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:22
Tagged date : UTC 2013-03-13 12:02:24

[RandomEngy]

Srt. Muxed witk mkv file and imported ones.

You can't burn in SRT files. That's a HandBrake API limitation.

[RandomEngy]

I'm grabbing the list of encoders directly from the HandBrake core library so if they added it to the list it should show up in VidCoder.

I just checked the list in common.c:
hb_encoder_t hb_audio_encoders[] =
{
#ifdef __APPLE__
{ "AAC (CoreAudio)", "ca_aac", HB_ACODEC_CA_AAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "HE-AAC (CoreAudio)", "ca_haac", HB_ACODEC_CA_HAAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
#endif
{ "AAC (faac)", "faac", HB_ACODEC_FAAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
#ifdef USE_FDK_AAC
{ "AAC (FDK)", "fdk_aac", HB_ACODEC_FDK_AAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "HE-AAC (FDK)", "fdk_haac", HB_ACODEC_FDK_HAAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
#endif
{ "AAC (ffmpeg)", "ffaac", HB_ACODEC_FFAAC, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "AAC Passthru", "copy:aac", HB_ACODEC_AAC_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "AC3 (ffmpeg)", "ffac3", HB_ACODEC_AC3, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "AC3 Passthru", "copy:ac3", HB_ACODEC_AC3_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "DTS Passthru", "copy:dts", HB_ACODEC_DCA_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "DTS-HD Passthru", "copy:dtshd", HB_ACODEC_DCA_HD_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "MP3 (lame)", "lame", HB_ACODEC_LAME, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "MP3 Passthru", "copy:mp3", HB_ACODEC_MP3_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "Vorbis (vorbis)", "vorbis", HB_ACODEC_VORBIS, HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "FLAC (ffmpeg)", "ffflac", HB_ACODEC_FFFLAC, HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "FLAC (24-bit)", "ffflac24", HB_ACODEC_FFFLAC24, HB_MUX_MKV },
{ "Auto Passthru", "copy", HB_ACODEC_AUTO_PASS, HB_MUX_MP4|HB_MUX_MKV },
};

They must be building hb.dll without the USE_FDK_AAC flag enabled. Maybe it's still experimental or something.

[RandomEngy]

Well I've been taking the hb.dll build from the official nightly for use in VidCoder, which is quite convenient. Enabling that option would mean doing my own builds again via two Fedora VMs, which is always a pain in the butt. I'm just going to hold out until the encoder implementation comes out of the experimentation stage and it's enabled in the official hb.dll .

[JohnAStebbins]

In addition to any as yet to be discovered bugs, fdk-aac is *massively* slower. In some cases it is *slower* than encoding the video and bottlenecks things. And we are not even enabling the "afterburner" feature which makes it yet slower.

But I did manage to fix the mono encoding issue. 1 down X to go :p

[Slitheen]

I've just started using this and it's 'naturally' so much nicer than just using handbrake. I have a question. If I want to slightly sharpen the picture what setting do I need to change. Thanks.

[RandomEngy]

Thanks, though there isn't any way to sharpen an image. The HandBrake core API doesn't have a sharpen filter.

[Slitheen]

Ok thanks. Never mind, still great!

[carlmart]

Today I tried to import presets to Vidcoder, but all my tries said the file was not compatible.

Funny thing is some of those presets were created by Vidcoder, and I was just trying to load them for a new job.

[RandomEngy]

What version did you create the presets with and which version did you try to load them in with?

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.16 Beta (http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/103909):

* Updated HandBrake core to SVN 5358. This fixes an issue with the scan progress going backward sometimes.
* Added ability to tell VidCoder to look in a different directory for the .sqlite settings file. To do this you need to edit VidCoder.exe.config and VidCoderWorker.exe.config and follow the directions.

* Fixed install detection and DVD playback for MPC-HC (Registry key was moved).
* Increased worker process timeout to 20 seconds.

[DIEGO7-5]

Just noticed that burnt-in subs are not resized properly when cropping is active. They get cropped away, too. Handbrake does not seem to have this problem. Hope you can fix it. Thanks a lot for this software! :)

[zooom]

RandomEngy

Input AVI file has sound track (PCM, 32 kHz, mono). Output file has sound track with clicks (for example MP3). What do you think about this?

Another programs (Hybrid; XviD4PSP; Kirara; xmedia recode) have not this problem.

[RandomEngy]

zooom: Does HandBrake also have that problem? See http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=Submitting%20bug%20reports

[zooom]

Yes, HandBrake also have this problem (I have used svn5357).

[RandomEngy]

Then I can't do anything about it. Report it to them.

[RandomEngy]

Just noticed that burnt-in subs are not resized properly when cropping is active. They get cropped away, too. Handbrake does not seem to have this problem. Hope you can fix it. Thanks a lot for this software! :)

Thanks for the heads-up. This will be fixed in the next beta.

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.17 Beta (http://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/104333):

* Fixed burned subtitles getting cut off by cropping.
* Fixed crash on completion if sound alert is enabled and the user is running VidCoder.exe from a different directory.
* Changed worker logging to use a temp file to reduce the chance of locking the SQLite file.
* When applying an update, we now let the process exit naturally rather than calling Environment.Exit. (This is an attempt to fix a crash on updating)

[DIEGO7-5]

Awesome news and thank you!

[DIEGO7-5]

I´ve just tested it and the subtitle issue is fixed. Thank You! But here is another bug i have discovered: If i add another movie to the queue while encoding and select "shutdown when done", only the first movie gets encoded and then the computer shuts down, regardless of the next movie in the queue.

[eyudnn]

Very nice software, thank you.

One observation - I am processing mkv files ripped using MakeMKV. If the original mvk has a PGS subtitle track that is zlib compressed, in the output mkv, the PGS track is uncompressed. I have to use mkvmerge again because WDTV Live only plays compressed subtitle tracks. Can we have an option to compress the subtitle track or just pass-through the subtitle track ? The same behavior happens with Handbrake, it could be a limitation of Handbrake itself.

Thanks !

[RandomEngy]

Yes I believe it's a limitation with HandBrake itself. I don't think it exposes any options for compressing subtitles.

[RandomEngy]

But here is another bug i have discovered: If i add another movie to the queue while encoding and select "shutdown when done", only the first movie gets encoded and then the computer shuts down, regardless of the next movie in the queue.

I can't reproduce this problem. Could you provide a log?

[RandomEngy]

If you want to help translate, it's now a bit easier as the project is now up on Crowdin (http://crowdin.net/project/vidcoder).

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.18 Beta (https://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/105005):

* Added option to use in-process encoding (for a fallback until the last issues with the worker process are resolved).
* Added extra logging to the encode worker handoff.
* If we're unable to connect to the worker process we now kill it, reducing the chances of leaving a zombie process encoding away without the GUI knowing about it.
* MP4 muxing errors (like the output file getting too big) are now shown as errors in the log and cause encodes to be marked as Failed.
* Updated the Delete Source Files feature to work on disc folders as well as individual files.
* Added the ability to automatically resume the queue when restarting VidCoder.

[mike20021969]

Released VidCoder 1.4.18 Beta (https://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/105005):



Great :cool:

Have you considered personalising the VidCoder executable icon from the default Windows one?

From this...

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g302/mike20021969/vc1_zps860e02b4.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/mike20021969/media/vc1_zps860e02b4.jpg.html)

to this...

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g302/mike20021969/vc2_zpsdb447689.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/mike20021969/media/vc2_zpsdb447689.jpg.html)

[RandomEngy]

I hadn't really. But I just made that change, was a one-liner in the setup scripts.

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.19 Beta (https://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/105806):

* Updated HandBrake core to SVN 5415.
* Changed setup file icon to the VidCoder icon.
* Added some error checking around the possibility of the EncodingProfile getting set to null.

* Fixed "Stop" and "Pause" functionality for non-worker process encoding.
* Fixed bug where the automatic deletion option would fail if the source had just been closed.

[mike20021969]

Released VidCoder 1.4.19 Beta (https://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/105806):

* Updated HandBrake core to SVN 5415.
* Changed setup file icon to the VidCoder icon.


Awesome work and bang up to date with the current SVN.

New icon looks cool too.

:thanks:

[Slitheen]

Automatic updating is saying I have the latest version, did manual check for update, still on 1.4.18. Not reading the new update.

[RandomEngy]

The auto-update (and the portable versions) should be going now.

[RandomEngy]

Released VidCoder 1.4.20 (https://vidcoder.codeplex.com/releases/view/106798)

This is a stable version based off of HandBrake 0.9.9. All the improvements from the last 20 versions of the Beta are in this release.

Also if you were on the Beta release before you've been changed to the Stable version. When the Beta track starts back up again it will be as a different app so you can run it side-by-side with the stable version.

[jkauff]

Also if you were on the Beta release before you've been changed to the Stable version. When the Beta track starts back up again it will be as a different app so you can run it side-by-side with the stable version.
Can we hope for a HB/Quick Sync beta version of Vidcoder in the near future?

[RandomEngy]

I'll look into it. Not sure I want to start up 2 different beta tracks; I might get QSV or OpenCL when it makes it to the regular nightlies.

[Mr. Monte]

Random,

Where canister find the temp file when using preview?
I want to see the media info of the preview file to get an idea of the bitrate used..in case I want to adjust my settings?

Would it be possible to have a button on the preview window to open media info on the temp file?

Thanks

[mike20021969]

Where canister find the temp file when using preview?
I want to see the media info of the preview file to get an idea of the bitrate used..in case I want to adjust my settings?



On Windows XP, the temp file created is at this location:

C:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR USER ACCOUNT HERE>\Local Settings\Application Data\VidCoder\preview.mp4

[RandomEngy]

Or you can go to %localappdata%\VidCoder .

[Hobbe]

It might be a good idea to have a option for preview file path... at least save preview file in same directory as source.

[Mr. Monte]

Good idea Hobbe..I still like my button idea to launch MediaInfo on the preview file :)...thx RE

[RandomEngy]

Where to put the preview file isn't a simple thing. If you put it in the source folder you have to deal with the source folder being read-only. You could put it in the current output folder, or the default output folder, but those might get in the way for some people who want clean output folders. I'd be hesitant to build MediaInfo support right into VidCoder; it's caused me some pain before by confusingly mixing up CFR and VFR. Will have to think some more on this.

[Mr. Monte]

I'm trying to encode the new Ghostbusters 4k BluRay and Vidcoder says it will not allow DTS or AC# HD passthrough. Any ideas?

Audio #1
ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : TrueHD / AC-3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Format settings, Endianness : Big
Muxing mode : Stream extension
Codec ID : 131
Duration : 1h 45mn
Bit rate mode : Variable / Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 2 739 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 481 MiB (1%)