encoding error (log file)

[smartguy15_2000]

ripping kenshin dvd, here's the error
8:44:03 PM: Started DivX4-First Pass: C:\Movies & Music Videos\Encodes\kenshin32.avs
9:20:36 PM: Finished DivX4-First Pass. Duration: 36 minutes, 33 seconds.
9:20:36 PM: Trying to open Log-file.
9:20:36 PM: Error: Could not open C:\Movies & Music Videos\Encodes\kenshin32.log
9:20:36 PM: Error: Could not count encoded Frames.
9:20:36 PM: Speed: 0.000 Frames per Second.
9:20:36 PM: WARNING: Number of counted frames differs from settings!
9:20:36 PM: WARNING: Settings: 38840
9:20:36 PM: WARNING: Counted: 0
9:20:36 PM: WARNING: Difference: 38840
9:20:36 PM: Correcting Bitrate...
9:20:36 PM: Original Bitrate = 745 k(=1000)Bits/s
9:20:36 PM: ERROR: Correction impossible.
9:20:36 PM: Now encoding at 745 k(=1000)Bits/s

anyone got any ideas? maybe i should use divx 3 instead of 4? What seems to be the problem?

[hakko504]

Have you encoded stuff before that has worked? If not try to remove the & sign from your path. I know someone earlier had a problem when he had a ! in his path.

[smartguy15_2000]

it's the 2nd episode on the same DVD...its really weird, the first episode ripped and encoded perfectly, i went on to the 2nd one and it doesn't work...

[arty_sin]

I got exactly the same error. I was encoding Moulin Rouge (PAL, region 2) at the
time. I didn't get the answer but I got a bit further.

If you fire up DVD2AVI, load the vobs (decrypted and ripped with smart ripper) and
then open the statistics window, you can then drag the progress bar slowly
through the movie. The vob ID, cell ID and timestamp slowly increment. That is till
you get to a certain point (52 minutes and 52 seconds in this case). At that point the time stamp flips back to zero. Some further checking reveals this is on the border between vob 3 and 4. This happened to me once before, on Swordfish, and that was definitely a 2 layer (9 gig) disk. I suspect something happens when you change layers.

I tried to find a utility to change the time stamp, and also experimented with merging and cutting vobs using several tools, dvtool seemed the easiest and allowed a combined merge and then cut operation avoiding the 2 gig+ isse, but after doing this I still got the time stamp discontinuity, though this time in the middle of a vob.

If anyone has any ideas I'd appreciate it, or any way to re-timestamp vobs.

[ffroms]

Well , I can't tell you about error , but it have nothing to do with 2 layer DVD's . I had some movies that resets timestamp every 5-10 min. and everything was OK . Timestamp is only important for subtitls.

FFS

[arty_sin]

Yes, thanks. I agree, nothing to do with time stamps. Turns out I was using an old DivX4 which I had NOT installed with GKnot and for some reason GKnot couldn't tell it to create a log file. No log file, no info for the second pass. I reinstalled GKnot, INCLUDING the included DivX4, and all was fine.

I subsequently tried DivX5 and GKnot again couldn't create the log file, so no success on second pass. I did it manually through VDub tho' and decided I didn't like the results. I'll stick to the included DivX4 for now.

A couple of other points.

Use 99 minute CDs, (with a burner that supports overburn of course, and software to drive it). Great results on single CD backups.

Use the latest DivX Player. Much less blockyness in dark areas than Microsoft's Media player. You do however need a decent PC. My old 266 Meg machine gives horrid crackly sound with the DivX player, and jumps in the video, whereas with WMP things are OK (ish).