What kind of questions would you like to see in the upcoming Newbies FAQ?

[aleksander]

Hi there!

I would like to make this thread a place where everybody can post his/hers ideas or suggestion of what should be included in the upcoming Newbies FAQ (that, by the way, is missing and should be done long time ago - I admit - my fault).
There is already a number of people working on it, but we are all only humans. There are things that might be just straightforward for some of us, but for others will need some explanation. There are things that we may just overlook. There is a lot of reasons...
And you guys are the ones I would like to ask for help.
If you think that something is missing in other FAQs, that something has to be explained in more understandable way - now you've got a place to post your thoughts, remarks, etc.
If you have some questions, that you think that should be included in the FAQ and already know good answers - post it here!
We will look for answers and we will combine it all into one FAQ.
Any help from your side is much anticipated and welcome.

So....

LET'S BEGIN!!!!

aleksander

[bakercool]

Hey, Well I am still kinda a newbie, but check out this link (notice it is a forum)

http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84759

If yall need help making stuff like this, let me know. I will help all I can. I cannot answer hard in-depth questions yet. I haven't tried out GK yet, but I will be doing that tonight. Guides/newbie sections like this one would really make it easy for tons of people. Let me know if I can help. Thanks!

[ammck55]

@aleksander--This will become a large sacrifice of personal time on your part. Thank you!

ammck55

[dani82]

i seen alot of newbies always asking the same question, but for some reason, they never seem to uses the search feature, since they've already been answered.

Here some questions that should be on the Newbies FAQ:


how do i burn an dvd with (s)vcd files?

how do i convert an dat -> mpeg?

how do i convert an rm -> divx or mpeg?

how do i extract the audio from an (s)vcd or dvd?

something about the hotmail banned?

i'm still wondering how do i extract an pcm audio from an dvd, correctly?

and probility the most asked newbie question: audio sync?

[ArdenDag]

Some of those questions are good, the others seem a little on the advanced side for a newbie faq... of course it's all up to aleksander to decide :)

[Jolard]

As a new member finally graduating from newbyhood, I want to help. Here is a list of newbie questions I had that I would have liked to see in a faq. (Thanks in advance for everyone's help on these in advance!)

- How do I make a backup of a DVD to DVD+-R/+-RW?

This is not as simple as simply running your copy program and making a copy. DVD's are encrypted to hinder copying, and must be decrypted before they can be copied. The other major hurdle is that most DVDs are DVD-9, which means they have two layers. Your blank DVD will only have one layer, half the space, so you will need to either copy to two DVDs or make some decisions on what you want to keep and how you are going to make it fit. The other problem is that in order for the DVD to work in stand-alone players, you have to make sure the files and format are correct. You have some reading ahead of you.

- What is DVD-9 and DVD-5 and why does it matter?

Each layer in a DVD can hold 4.3GB of information. In order to fit more information on a single side of a DVD, studios often glue two layers together, so that it becomes a dual layered disc. That is why you will see the layer change pause half way through the movie. Most new major studio releases are dual layer. Dual layer DVDs are called DVD-9 and single layer DVDs are DVD-5.

The reason it matters is that blank DVD media (+R, +RW, -R, -RW) are all only single layered. So it is not possible to simply recreate the full original DVD on a single recordable DVD, unless the original is a DVD-5. For DVD-9 disks, you can either split the DVD to two disks, remove enough unnecessary data to fit the movie on one disk, or compress the files to make them smaller. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these options.

- How do I decrypt the DVD?

The first step in any backup process is decrypting the files. The studios encrypt the data on the DVDs to make it harder to backup. However we have 2 great tools that can be used to decrypt the movie, DVDDecryptor and SmartRipper. They can both be downloaded from doom9’s download area, and guides are available here: Descrambling Guides (http://doom9.org/descrambling-guides.htm)

- What is the file structure of a DVD? How should the files look in order to make sure it will work in my stand-alone player?

There should be two main directories on your DVD, AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. AUDIO_TS is used for DVD Audio disks, and will most likely be empty on your final DVD. VIDEO_TS is where all your other files should go.

Inside VIDEO_TS you should see at least the following:
VIDEO_TS.IFO This is the Video Manager Information file. It is a master file.
VIDEO_TS.BUP Backup of the VIDEO_TS.IFO
VTS_01_0.IFO First Title Manager Information File. Contains details your DVD player needs to know in order to play correctly, e.g. chapter stops, language info etc.
VTS_01_0.BUP Backup of VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_0.VOB This is first video file of the first title. It is a container file that includes an MPEG2 video stream as well as audio and subtitle streams.
VTS_01_1.VOB This is the second video container file for the first Title.

Your DVD will most likely have additional VOB’s, and possibly more Titles as well. Each additional title will have its own set of IFO, BUP and VOBs. A second Title would be named VTS_02_0 etc.



- How do I backup a DVD-5 DVD?


There are a number of ways to do this, but by far the easiest is to use DVDDecryptor in ISO mode. See the DVDDecryptor guide here: DVDDecryptor Guide (http://doom9.org/dvddec.htm) , and follow the instructions for ISO mode.


- How do I backup a DVD-9 DVD?

The first thing you have to determine is what you want the final DVD to look like.

If you want only the movie, and no special features or menus then you will need to see how large the movie is. Rip just the main title in DVDDecryptor or SmartRipper (see the guides) and then see how large it is. If it is smaller than 4.3GB, then you are in luck. Use IFOEdit (guide here Creating a DVD that contains just the main movie (http://doom9.org/mpg/ifoedit-menustripping.htm) ). IFOEdit and the other tools mentioned can be downloaded in the software area.

If you want only the movie, but the ripped main title only is larger than 4.3GB, then you will either need to split the movie over two disks while keeping the original bit rate (and therefore quality), or strip out unwanted audio and subtitle streams to save space, or you will need to compress the movie file to a lower bit rate so that it will fit on one disk, but your quality will decrease somewhat. All the guides you will need are here: DVD and miniDVD Guides (http://doom9.org/mpg/dvdr-guides.htm), pay special attention to the following guides:
Basic Guide (http://doom9.org/mpg/ifoedit-basic.htm)
Creating a DVD that contains just the main movie (http://doom9.org/mpg/ifoedit-menustripping.htm)
Copying a DVD-9 to 2 DVD±Rs (http://doom9.org/mpg/ifoedit-2dvdrs.htm)
DVD Authoring in IfoEdit (http://doom9.org/mpg/ifoedit-dvdauthor.htm)

- I want to back up a DVD-9 and I want easy newby tools that I can pay for and will do nearly everything I want easily and simply. What should I buy?

While we cannot recommend specific commercial products over others, there are a few good tools that will do most of the work for you, and that you can buy for a reasonable price. DVDxCopy and DVD2One are two good examples, although there are others.

DVDxCopy is the simplest, you only need that one tool and it will do everything you need. It will copy the movie file without compression, so that means you will need two blank DVDs for most movies. It will also copy all the menus and special features you need.

DVD2One does what it needs to do well and quickly, for a reasonable price. For a newby, you will still need to learn a little DVDDecryptor or SmartRipper to get the movie decoded and on your hard drive, but other than that it will work simply and easily. It will compress the movie so that it will fit on one blank DVD faster than anything else out there. The drawback is that you lose all special features and menus. However if you just want to back up the movie, this is a good easy newby friendly tool.




Ok, some other questions that would be good to have answered that I haven’t had time to write yet:

My burned DVD won’t play in my stand-alone, what is wrong?

I don’t have a DVD burner, how can I backup my DVDs?

My DVD media says it is 4.7GB, how come I can only get 4.3GB of data on it?


Hope this helps. Wanted to do my part, since I have learned so much from this site. Keep up the good work!

[aleksander]

Wow.
Jorald - thank you so much - we will make use of it for sure. The DVD->DVD-R part was the hardest one for us, since none of us has a DVD-Recorder neither an access to one.
So - once again - thank you so much for it. Maybe we will ask some of the DVD mods to help us out with this part of the FAQ, but what you have written is really helpful.

take care and keep up good work

aleksander

[themancubb]

One question i would like answered:

I can convert Mpeg1 just fines; I get audio sync problems when trying to join mpeg2 files from an SVCD to make then all a DVD. Why is that? Is it a codec or what is the best way?

[Jolard]

No problem Aleksander. These were all questions I had that bugged me as a complete newbie. Thought they would be a good start for someone just barely breaking into DVD backup. I will work on some more and submit them as well.

[hakko504]

Maybe we should link to this thread by markrb (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19566) as well as the pie thread. (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7770) They are very well written threads about how to behave when you are a newbie (or quite experienced too for that matter), but since they are 'hidden' (sticky in fact;)) in the DVD2SVCD-basic forum it's not necessarily the first place a newbie would go look.

[ArdenDag]

markb's thread will DEFINITELY have to be in the FAQ/Stickies

I still think that there should be a FAQ with Questions & Answers, and a 'Read this before posting' or something more appropriate thread, the one manono and a few others (me included) have been working on.

[ammck55]

@aleksander->I'm sure this one is on your list, but I remember how much of a life saver it was at the time. It only took me three hair-pulling days to find it, and it is still the method I use for getting my files to the burner. I'm not going to link this as these notes will all be compiled at a later time, but maybe someone will stumble across it in the meantime. It feels like Christmas when it all comes together for the very first time! Was this DDogg's baby?

A search on "Foolproof Method" will come up with this too.

DVD2SVCD Basic Topics>DVD2SVCD Official Q&A>Q.61

ammck55

[mudda_t]

I don't know if it's too late but maybe something that addresses the bizarre ripping speeds many have gotten. Ripping speeds 1x to 12x even with 16x drives. (maybe for decrypting section)

I know that when I was very newbie it was driving me crazy as to why I was getting a 2x rip speed with a 16x read dvd-rw drive. It took forever to rip. Finally went out and bought a dvd 12x solely for ripping to get faster rips.

Some recent threads that addresses this:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45529

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43758

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46711

[mnibond]

I want to convert some DVD and store it in my hard drive. Would anyone tell me
Which format are best video quality so close to dvd and use lowest hard drive room.
DIVX, AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2.

[killingspree]

@mnibond: is this a question you need to be answered right now or do you recommend it for the FAQ?
if it is the former this is not the appropriate place to ask...

[rpa1121]

Well being a newbie how bout just an expanded glossary with maybe some examples other than that I think u guys have done a great job with comments and ideas.

[hakko504]

This post by DDogg (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51632) is also a very good reading for anyone who don't know how to handle rule #9 (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm)

[royalb]

I have several suggestions. I found that there is all the information that anyone could want on the subject, but placing it into a coherent order is a real challenge. Therefore, I'd like to see:

1- A glossary of terms
2- A compilation of articles with their URL's presented in some logical order. Basically, you want the newbie (me) to read a set of articles in some order.
3- A set of cookbook recipes to accomplish simple tasks. These might not end up with the best quality, but it walks you through the process so that once you've digested it, you can then strike out on your own.

royalb

[killingspree]

this post by doom9 in the general discussion forum should be included in some way too (either shortened version or link - or perhaps both :)

3- A set of cookbook recipes to accomplish simple tasks
what kind of tasks are you thinking about? things like cutting joining etc or how to easily do divx/SVCD etc?
if it is the latter i guess links to the appropriate doom9 guides should be sufficient. (and perhaps a short note about Xmpeg... like if you want a really fast solution, go for xmpeg, if you want to invest a bit more time use gknot, or another one of the encoding tools out there)

what i would also recommend to include is a list of the most commonly used dvd one click backup tools and what their advantages/disadvantages are... perhaps also make a list of programs that are somehow not recommended at all (e.g. commercial rip-offs of freeware programs)

steVe

[commando57]

What I would like to see is a thorough file extension glossary.
I would also like to see what extension a program makes and what extensions are combined together for an output.
This would have greatly helped me climb the steepest part of this curve.

[SAFE_Dives]

I would like to see some guides to what causes error messages that you can get with the various apps (preferably those realistically available to newbies) especially IFOEdit and similar apps.

On the same subject an explanation of what the IFOEdit log is actually telling us would be v. useful - no criticism of Derrow here, he's done a great job of putting together an app that we can freely use and gives good results - I bet there's a lot of us who couldn't do the same - me included. :)

Guides that are aimed at the home movie nut would also be good (we're not all trying to backup our DVDs to DVD, SVCD, etc). ;)

[Valky]

well at least for me it was some time ago very hard to find short answers how to put permanent subtiles on movie..where to get filters and how to adjust those subtitles little bit lower than they usually appear by default.
Also stretching audio could be sometimes very painful operation and have been asked many times.

One more thing...I am not sure if this is newbie issue anymore, but adding deleted scenes back to original movie has been also asked many times.

[killingspree]

Originally posted by SAFE_Dives
I would like to see some guides to what causes error messages that you can get with the various apps (preferably those realistically available to newbies) especially IFOEdit and similar apps.

this would be a huge workload, and if done, it should rather be in the appropriate forums and not in a noob FAQ. so the ifoedit error messages would go into the ifoedit FAQ for example. otherwise the noob FAq would also get incredibly large!


On the same subject an explanation of what the IFOEdit log is actually telling us would be v. useful

again, this would rather belong into the ifoedit FAQ.


Guides that are aimed at the home movie nut would also be good (we're not all trying to backup our DVDs to DVD, SVCD, etc). ;)
of course, but again this does not belong into a newbie FAQ. perhaps a link to the guide, but not more! If you want to make a suggestion about a new guide or additions to an existing one you should better refer to the Forum/ Site Suggestions Forum.


originally posted by Valky
well at least for me it was some time ago very hard to find short answers how to put permanent subtiles on movie..where to get filters and how to adjust those subtitles little bit lower than they usually appear by default.
doesn't a guide for this exist? anyway again this FAQ should in my eyes not tell newbies how to accomplish very specific tasks but rather guide them through the jungle of knownledge around here.


Also stretching audio could be sometimes very painful operation and have been asked many times.
again, a specific task, for an example of questions that should come into this FAQ see Jolards great contribution.


adding deleted scenes back to original movie has been also asked many times

the technical task is not as hard as it may seem if you know how to use vdub(mod) and avisynth, the real difficulty in this step is to find the right spot where those scenes might have belonged!

anyway,
thanks for your input guys it will somehow be incorporated with the final FAQ.
steVe

[SAFE_Dives]

Sorry for getting it all wrong, but I was responding to the original question aimed at us newbies by aleksander ...

"If you think that something is missing in other FAQs, that something has to be explained in more understandable way - now you've got a place to post your thoughts, remarks, etc. "

The things I brought up are "missing in other FAQs" (not just on Doom9, either).

Asking for help from newbies, then effectively knocking them back and responding in such a negative manner is IMHO not at all helpful, or encouraging!!!

[killingspree]

sorry i didn't want to offend you. somehow I read over this line (or forgot it somehow) - my bad
your input is very much appreciated.

I apologize.
steVe

[warrensomebody]

I'm an ultra-newbie here and have been slogging my way through lots of info trying to answer the following question:

What is the best way to capture TV shows to play on a stand-alone DVD player?


video capture process
[o] should I capture to mpg or avi (time vs quality)
[o] what tools (hardware/software) is recommended
encoding process
[o] do I want VCD, SVCD, DVD? What will play on my player?
Is there a simple way to find out? What's the most common
if I want to give the disk to my friends to play?
[o] what formats are recommended, quality vs encoding time vs
compatibility tradeoffs (audio and video)
[o] what format works for my region? NTSC, PAL, other? How many
lines?
burning process
[o] what hardware/software is recommended?
[o] what's most likely to work vs most likely to make toast?
once I've got the basics working, what can I do to
[o] improve quality
[o] reduce time to create
[o] automate the process


I'd be happy to work with you to write this up (once I figure it out myself). I'm just at the stage of playing around with different encodings, with mixed results.

Warren

P.S. Does anybody offer a dvd with chapters in different formats so that you can just pop it in your player and see what works, what looks best, etc.?

[Jo Monkey]

Originally posted by dani82
i seen alot of newbies always asking the same question, but for some reason, they never seem to uses the search feature, since they've already been answered.

Here some questions that should be on the Newbies FAQ:


how do i burn an dvd with (s)vcd files?

how do i convert an dat -> mpeg?

how do i convert an rm -> divx or mpeg?

how do i extract the audio from an (s)vcd or dvd?

something about the hotmail banned?

i'm still wondering how do i extract an pcm audio from an dvd, correctly?

and probility the most asked newbie question: audio sync?

[Wilbert]

WinXP not letting you delete avi
I can't copy and paste it, so I just give the link:

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/forum/userguides/100406.php

[REMINATOR]

Originally posted by Jolard
- What is the file structure of a DVD? How should the files look in order to make sure it will work in my stand-alone player?

There should be two main directories on your DVD, AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. AUDIO_TS is used for DVD Audio disks, and will most likely be empty on your final DVD. VIDEO_TS is where all your other files should go.

Inside VIDEO_TS you should see at least the following:
VIDEO_TS.IFO This is the Video Manager Information file. It is a master file.
VIDEO_TS.BUP Backup of the VIDEO_TS.IFO
VTS_01_0.IFO First Title Manager Information File. Contains details your DVD player needs to know in order to play correctly, e.g. chapter stops, language info etc.
VTS_01_0.BUP Backup of VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_0.VOB This is first video file of the first title. It is a container file that includes an MPEG2 video stream as well as audio and subtitle streams.
VTS_01_1.VOB This is the second video container file for the first Title.


:) :) This is the kind of example and explanation that I want to see. Well done Jolard. I think it's very important that newbie understand the DVD DNA structure before messing around the files.

As newbie and totally new into this DVD Ripping department, I am so lost in this DVD Ripping world from the DVD Structure (above) to terminology (ISO, Demux, Streaming, etc) to ripping process.

I had downloaded DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink and did manage to mess around with it. So far, I only ripped just a portion of the video and put into my HD. I am way behind in learning to rip a complete DVD or even editting its DVD structure and content, or editing the DVD video or audio.

So with that said, any link or help would be really appreciated it. Many thanks. I can't wait to read this new FAQ for newbies once it's complete.

[killingspree]

hi REMINATOR,

are you aware of the existance of these guides (http://www.doom9.org/dvd-basics.htm)? Those documents got essentially everything covered you'll need to know in the beginning. After reading those you can start over with all the other guides that are more specific...

oh and the glossary (http://www.doom9.org/glossary.htm) might be of quite some interest for you too (you know all those terminologies :))

hth
steVe
PS: DVDshrink is definitely a good point to get into this scene :)

[REMINATOR]

:) :) Many thanks, Killingspree! I'm going to read them now.

lol, actually I didn't know those terminologies. I happened to open DVDencryptor and just copy it off from the menu since I have no I idea what they are.

[echooff]

My biggest frustration was trying to figure out which guide to use. I think the biggest thing for you FAQ is links to guides. The questions newbies ask listed with a brief explanation and a appropriate guide link for detailed help.

[Pierre C]

After a few months converting DVD/Divx to SVCD/DVD, my biggest source of frustration has constantly been subtitles. Problems with video or audio have usually been worked around pretty quickly (if not gracefully :) ) but subs are an everlasting headache, particularly their positioning.
Thanks for asking us Aleksander,
/Pierre

[farmer dan]

Aleksander--

Thanks for posting this thread. It's a real eye opener, especially if you read the FAQ's--like the pie thread :D This is something that I wanted to do after I achieved some success in one of my projects and posted my "Lessons Learned."

I've spent a deal of time today reading everyone's posts and looking at any links that are provided. It seems to me that, over the history of this entire forum, this community has really evolved into a complex network. From reading the stuff that's two years old I get the picture that there were one or two " main topic areas" and at least one general area OR a few combinations of "topic area" and "advanced topic area" AND no newbie area. DDOG and his compadres were discussing how to engage the newbies and yet stay away from answering the "same ol' questions." Ergo, the Newbie Forum. Isn't everyone who posted in this thread having the same discussion?

The only thing that has changed is the complexity of the forum and the proliferation of the tools available. But coupled with that, I think, is a lack of "un-informed user" information. In my office, I won't help anyone who has not read "Help"--same as this forum--but for many of the tools, there is no "Help." This may generate a lot of the "newbie questions" as each new "newbie" tries an application for the first time. As a relative new-comer myself, I can say that my major task was in learning what different applications can and can't do.

Of course, there is another variable here too--What the individual actually wants to do. For example, one of my back-up criteria is the preservation of multi-channel sound. I can use DVD Shrink only as an editor. But I didn't know that until I played my movie back in only stereo.

So what's your point, farmerdan? Well, maybe the purpose of a FAQ section of this forum would be to Guide and not to Teach. My idea is that if I tell someone how to do something, they don't learn how to do it. But if I help them do it, they learn a lot. Many of the guides we ask newbies to read are just step-by-step with not a lot of "understanding"--but they are good and necessary.

Here is a possible format for the the "Newbie FAQ's"1. Basic info and philosophy--markrb threadand the pie thread.

2. A few--define a few--basic questions. The one's that Jolard wrote are really good and maybe totally sufficient.
3. This is a tough one. A list of the most popular non-commercial applications: DVD Shrink, IFO Edit, DVD Decrypter to name a few. Along with that list a glossary or definition of terms and functions. For example, ISO Mode, PuOP, image. And, what does "Play DVD" in IFO Edit do and how does that relate to PowerDVD and WinDVD.
4. A linked list of Basic guides and what they are used for.As DDOG or someone in his day said--There are a lot of people looking for one button quick solutions to backing up DVD's. We know that this is really not possible. I think that once we get someone involved in manipulating the software the informed questions will come. The trick is getting them past the, "I received an error that says 'Hit any key to continue.' I can't find a key marked 'any,'" questions. :D :sly: And, at the same time, treat them with courtesy, dignity and respect.

[Wilbert]

Codecs missing in XP:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24305

[ArdenDag]

Just popping in, I haven't been on this forum in many months...

What's going on with this FAQ? Me and Manono were doing a start on this a whiiiiile back, and I think I still have the initial copies on my computer...

Was wondering if anyone was still putting a foot forth in compiling this information? I may make a return and start working on this again :)

Oh btw, hello all :)

[killingspree]

hi ArdenDag
well actually ammck55, oddysseus and myself should be working on the FAQ. unfortunately I myself got by far not enough time to compile such a piece of work and afaik ammck55 and oddysseus got more or less the same problem.
manono was so kind and gave us a copy of the work you've done already. it is sitting on my hd along with a bit of work i've done myself quite a while ago and waiting for the right time when I once more have time enough to do such a task.

this will take another 5 months though, as i am in the military atm and have little to no spare time - which is largely consumed by RL problems anyway and barely leaves time for the everyday mod work that has to be done around here!

anyway, if you feel that you can further contribute to this project we would of course be very greatful and I would give you as much as help as possible. so if you do have anything specific in mind, feel free to contact me by PM (or email) anytime!

kr
steVe

[ArdenDag]

Well, I've spoken with ammck, and I'm willing to help work on this, but not if the process will have to be routed through every one who has their hands on the project before a preliminary FAQ is posted. I know this project is one of those things that has to be done right, but there is no reason that it can't be done, especially before your 5 months of military time is up, just because it needs your approval and your critiques, I think all that can be settled in pieces after an initial version is up, I mean it's been almost a year now since the project started, and this topic has been here for that long with still only a few replies (albeit some very good ones).

I think it's only right to get that first copy up, and get feedback from *everyone* who visits this forum, about how well it's working, and how better to reword it, or what to add to make it better.

Sometimes it takes a newbie's perspective, since many of us can't step back to see what they see, sometimes words we use don't translate well into someone's eyes who has not had much experience in the field as others have.

I think it best to post something, a forward, a quick FAQ, then get feedback, and rework and rework the FAQ until it sounds better to the point where it is worthy of being here.

[Asmodeus]

It will be nice to se a proper RealVideo9 encode guide, with all problems included in encoding with this format, eg. best (or) fast (or) easy (or) all of this encoding engine/program, use of 2-pass (or 1-pass) encoding, EHQ use, and so one, and so one ...
RealThanx.

Poor english team member =)

[slickomatic]

I would like to see more instructions on how to get rid of unwanted content. DVD-Dycrypter is great and so is DVD-Shrink, both are really easy to use but I would like to know how to get rid of the excess content from a DVD and just get the menus and movie. I'm not big on having the "special features" from my originals, just the movie at high quality. DVD-Shrink is somewhat flexible in manipulating content but instead of getting rid of content it only changes it to still pictures and you have to stip off the audio to get a good size movie above 65% compression. I am trying to learn about infoedit but it has not clicked yet. Is there a good or easy way to do this?

Thanks,

Josh

[killingspree]

hi Josh,
well actually there's a very easy way to get the movie only to your backup DVDR. it is, if you want to say so, a seperate dvdshrink method. it strips off all the menus too though, but i honestly do not see much reason to keep the menu if you get rid of all the extras anyway. switching audio and subs during playback is more convenient imho anyway. for more details see here (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/dvdshrink3-main.htm)
for loads of other methods of backing up your DVDs see here (http://www.doom9.org/mpg/dvdbackup-guides.htm)

hth
steVe

[Henry The Ripper]

It would be very useful to explain the B-,P- and I-frame settings? What do they mean and how do they work in plain terms?

[slickomatic]

Thanks for the feedback. The links were helpful!

Josh

[ukb007]

jolard has decided he's not a newbie any more. Great work, jolard. How exactly does one decide that ? (I'm asking because I'd want to make such a decision) Is the cut-off point some amount of time spent in these fora, the biological age, ability to successfully use GK, write a killer software, or a gradually blinding inner glow ? (well, I find it's too dark yet to see any light around)

Q. How just to stretch audio by factors like 0.0086% [I know CoolEdit can do this, but it's not a freeware] without changing the other parameters.

Thanks.

[assemblage]

Word glossary of the lingo used in the forums and the guides.

How to backup episodic DVD's

A rewrite of the Big3 guide that explains more about what's going on or even a few different dvd's that walk you through the steps. The current guide I found to be confusing. It was basically, a 'check this do that' without much explanation of what's what. It seemed more like a guide of backing up Training Day. I don't have that one so after trying to backup my Band of Brothers Disc 1 which took forever, The disc wouldn't play past the first menu, but since the guide really didn't explain well what was going on, I have no idea what went wrong. I'm thinking it might just be easier to use DVD Shrink to backup the two episodes and use another program to make a menu.

[Jonodan]

I'd like to find an easy to use guide suggesting best methods, formats, etc for editing video. What is the best format to edit in (avi, mpeg) for highest quality output.

[2COOL]

Originally posted by Jonodan
I'd like to find an easy to use guide suggesting best methods, formats, etc for editing video. What is the best format to edit in (avi, mpeg) for highest quality output. We all play in Doom9's playground so we must abide by his rules, especially #12.

12) How NOT to post on this forum:

Do not ask "what's best" because this question cannot be answered objectively. Each and everyone has their own view about what's best in a certain area. The best is what works best for you!

If you have a problem with this, here's a thread (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=66654) on others trying to challenge it. Of course, Doom9 had the last words before closing it.

[trolltuning]

There are two things that I've always had trouble with
1)Searches- sometimes I almost know the answer must be there but I keep coming up with irrelevant answers. Any tips that the experts can give would be appreciated.
2)Often I find I can't understand the guide or thread I'm trying to read because I should have read another one first. It would be nice if some one could say something like 'learn about fps first then colorspace 2nd etc. with links to the correct beginning guides.

[NewbieIntheDell]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jolard

Ok, some other questions that would be good to have answered that I haven’t had time to write yet:

My burned DVD won’t play in my stand-alone, what is wrong?

:confused:

I am totally a newbie and have been searching and reading lots information in this forum. Thanks, guys. But I have been stuck for a few days. I used DVDShrink, ImgTool & DVD Decrypter,etc. to backup a dvd and burned into a DVD +R (Philips DVD+R 1-2.4X). It can play in my laptop by using PowerDVD, but cannot play in my stand-alone (Mintek DVD 1600). I tried different ways after reading many many and many instructions. But as a newbie, I find myself now in a dell. Please help me out, thanks.

What I did was:

1.Use DVD Shrink3.2-->Re-author main movie to harddisk. Use Recordnow! (Burner is Sony 530A) burn the whole directory to DVD+R.

2. Use DVD Shrink3.2-->Full Disk Backup to harddisk. Use Nero(demo) burn into DVD+R.

3. Use DVD Shrink3.2-->Full Disk Backup to harddisk. Use ImageTool (Classic 0.91.4) and DVD Decrypter to make an image and burn into DVD+R.

All results can play in my laptop by using PowerDVD, but cannot play in my stand-alone DVD player.

I must have done something wrong, but I cannot find it. Please help me, thanks.

[manono]

Hi-

This player seems to be problematic with DVD+R. Read here (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=Mintek+DVD+1600&Submit=Search&Search=Search&country=&orderby=Name&hits=25) for some other people's experiences, and what some have done (turn on bitsetting) to make it work.

[RPT]

Hi there .... one thing I think should be included in any newbie FAQ is a clear description of codecs ... what they are, how they work, how they interact with other applications / processes (CCE, DVD2SVCD, etc). I don't consider myself a newbie (millions might disagree) but I still have trouble conceptually getting a handle on this.

[NewbieIntheDell]

I never thought it might be the problem of the stand-alone DVD player. Thanks.

Hi, RTP, what is codecs?

[jggimi]

http://www.doom9.org/glossary.htm#Codec

[stewart2000]

being as some people have a bad memmory and loose things easy, specially serial numbers....how about a place we can keep them safe?

[killingspree]

eh? what's that to do with a newbie FAQ??

[metramo]

I think the question to ask and anwer is: What are the different formats and which tool/operation get me from one to the other.

I had the problem when at first I ripped a CD and produced a DivX file, then I tried to produce a DivX file from a TV recording which was in Mpeg. The tool neo didn't work at all. I finally used DrDivx.

Anothe time I tried to rip a newer film and the sound didn't come out. So I upgrade Neo, but this time the tool didn't guide me to the correct process rip, compress so I was lost.

The answer should be in the form of a diagram

DVD -- ripping -> VOB -- ??? -> MPEG -- encoding -> .avi file

But this is probably to simple and also wrong.

[shevegen]

As a newbie, I like organized FAQs.
In fact, I love those FAQs to be in a question-answer style, and I want that the FAQs are consistently up-to-date, and not too long, and not too short. (If in doubt, I rather want them to be a bit too long - this way I can learn more).

I also want the FAQs to use CSS - I dislike plain html FAQs without visual helps of colour and other CSS techniques. It does not have to be something stunning at all - it just has to be helpful and consistent. A simple clean design, nothing that takes hours to work on!

As a newbie I also like to have many links available in case I run into problems AND i also want to have certain techniques tested thoroughly, for example Capturing any content, or relaising video information in a server or via bluetooth/WLAN.

As a newbie i also DO like that there are explanations given - I might not understand it completely, but it is a good start to have them, and I can come back happily to it at a later time to reread through it.

As a newbie, and upcoming video expert (hehe, i am talking about the newbie point of view, not mine!!)
I want to be able to convert multimedia information into other files - mpeg2 to avi/divx, matroska into DVD compliant stuff, wmv into mpeg1 and so on, and then I want to be able to create VCD SVCD and so on things.

[jemaricld]

i would like a version of dvd43 thats compatible with 64 bit

[jemaricld]

is lightscribe software you can add to an existing burner

[goregirl]

THANK YOU SO MUCH JOLARD!!:cool:

[mg262]

One very specific request: a section with a description of each piece of software that has its own forum section. (I'll write out a couple if it's any use!)

For quite a while I got DVD content into AVISynth by opening the Vob in VirtualDub and re-saving it is as a ginormous AVI... DVD2AVI sounded like some kind of one click backup program. :o

[MarcioAB]

Normally a "How To" request is more specific and more extense than a simple FAQ so, maybe we could have a Frequently Asked How To guide and let the FAQ point to it when necessary.

My two pennies ...

Thank you.

[Schnoodledorfer]

I think a list of local stickies (and perhaps other important threads) would be useful. Sometimes it's not obvious where to look for them, nor that they would even exist. Furthermore, the search function doesn't necessarily find them. The forum rules have links to the FAQs on the regular web pages, but not to the FAQs inside the forum.

Example: bond's MP4 FAQ (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=381366#post381366). That's a sticky in the "New and alternative a/v containers" forum, which is a subforum under "MPEG-4 and Co.". It wouldn't occur to me to look for MP4 information there since MP4 isn't particularly new, nor is it an alternative to MPEG-4. (I would have expected it under some sort of "general" forum, FWIW.) The search is no use, because a search for "MP4 Faq" yields "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.", even though that's the exact title of the thread! :confused: So, I think a newbie could easily be excused for not knowing that the FAQ existed.

That's the sort of thing that would be helped with a specific "look here first" list, rather than expecting (hoping?) the newbies to find the information themselves.

My main concern about this is that perhaps this information shouldn't be in the newbie FAQ; instead perhaps it should be somewhere more obvious to everyone.

My 2¢ worth.

[uliudo]

Originally posted by Schnoodledorfer
instead perhaps it should be somewhere more obvious to everyone.

We are all newbies at heart.


But seriously though, not a bad idea. Unfortunately, what might be an important post to some may not be to everyone. The sheer volume of posts on Doom9 inevitably make it hard to find some things (a search that yields 50 pages of links is often as useless as one that yields none) but it is this volume that also would make an "important threads" area fill quickly.

Not long after starting this area there would be so many "important threads" that it would be like reading a book with every other word highlighted as "important."

So, while it is not perfect, we must all :search:

[koave]

hi, i got a question u can add in the newbie guide

how do u fix the .mkv video file, when i play there are 2 sounds overlapping; english and japanese?

how can i convert from .mkv file to .avi or other video file types?

[ivoh]

how can i open the vob,ifo... etc. files (what i got in my hard-disk) in some kinda player?

[Guest]

@ivoh

I asked you in a PM to change your avatar as it violates rule 4. You ignored my request, so I struck you for rule 4. Now I am asking you again. If you do not comply, you will be struck for rule 16, which will result in a suspension.

[faenwyn]

Maybe we should link to this thread by markrb (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19566) as well as the pie thread. (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7770) They are very well written threads about how to behave when you are a newbie (or quite experienced too for that matter), but since they are 'hidden' (sticky in fact;)) in the DVD2SVCD-basic forum it's not necessarily the first place a newbie would go look.



YEA, What he said! I do use the search button, but I don't get anything close to what I am asking about. I don't think I am using the right words. DUH! I don't know the right words because I am a newbie!:confused:

[tominator]

Id like a good guide on cropping and resizing.

[SallyDog]

Id like a good guide on cropping and resizing.

I think that would be a great guide.

However, what exactly is the definition of "upcoming" :D

[aly26m]

wouldnt it be a good idea to have a guide to all guides or FAQ with links to specific sections
well the earlier sentence is more in a lighter vein though one issue which i would like to be handled is Reconversion. Me for one has been facing a lot of issues trying to reconvert divx to xvids and vice versa esp. when it involves file resizing. Most of the times sync goes out whenever i try to resize.

[rwest]

1. A suggested list of programs in accordance to experience.
ie. simple/advanced/and complex

2. Also the latest programs available with thier level of expertise needed.

[laura_lee]

1 classifying problems
2. before asking for helping ,go to FAQ first.

[bananacreamandpeca]

But I really would like some sort of central-help that helps newbies
understand the causes of off-sync audio/video in general.
And what you can do about it.

So noobs like me (and future noobs) wont have to ask
out-of sync questions for their own specific encoding problems again.
This will help relieve aggrevation that novice users have with these questions.
Will help cleanup the sub-forums in the future. And part of the 0-reply threads will stay away.

And saying I have to use the search, well the search sucks. Especialy with this subject.
I get 1001 threads about dvd->avi audio sync problems, None wich covers my problem.
Well yes, 1 tiny bit of info.
that says it will explain why mp3-vbr is troublesome with video streams.
And then the link is broken or dead on some stupid old vdub-site.

So please.

[bananacreamandpeca]

The yahoo-search engine is also very powerfull.

When you goto yahoo-Q&A. You can immediately start typing
a question you have.
And it will instantly suggest the right subforum for it (9-10 times)
If you could implement a similar help -function on doom9.
Cuz all these threads and a ton of info.
And I still dont know where to look.
Paging through 15 pages of text. And none helps me.
And tehre are a lot of dutch poepl here who like myself
do not master the englisch language well.
So they make shitty manuals that use dutch grammar with english words in it.

[Schnoodledorfer]

If you could implement a similar help -function on doom9.


... and if pigs could fly. ;)

The search function is supplied by vBulletin®, which is the forum software. It doesn't even index words of 3 characters or less, so there is no point in specifying things like "AVI", "mux", "MP3", etc. (If you set it up so it did, the search engine would slow down far too much.) Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there is no reasonably simple and inexpensive solution to the problem that the search engine is inadequate. Given that this is a free volunteers-only site, some compromises must be made.

I'm not connected with anyone who runs this site, but I've been frustrated enough in the past to look into this somewhat. I got to the point where I could see that the people who run this place are doing about the best that can be expected. Reality sucks sometimes.

When I search these forums I often use Google and include the term: "site:forum.doom9.org" (or "site:doom9.org", to search the Doom9 web pages as well). It probably is possible to do the same thing with Yahoo, but I don't know the syntax.

My main gripe with those who run these forums is that they don't (last time I checked) provide this information where people would easily see it. That could easily be done, I think. (On the other hand, one can find that information by searching for "search", even using the forum search engine - it gets mentioned in posts occasionally.) While I'm thinking about it, I probably should at least put that information in my signature. I don't have many posts, but someone might see it and benefit.

[Bh4i]

Some basic tools to demux and mux maybe?

[throwawayaddy]

I am new to the forum, and I don't know exactly what goes on here, but it would be cool if one of the pros made some videos using this software (http://www.camstudio.org)... such as installing VirtualDub, AviSynth, as well as common tasks. You could toss the videos up on youtube or something.

Also, some workflow charts! I'm currently under the impression that VDub is a codec/filetype converter, but it needs AviSynth in order to feed it movies that it can't normally read by itself. E.G.: (and this may be wrong, since I'm a noob)


http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/kye222/logic.gif

[MetalheadGautham]

i want to see full length guides of each of the prescribed softwares with download links...

[TiggyWink]

Hi,

Being an Apple Mac user, I've found it really frustrating and challenging at times to work out the whole downloading from (for example) RS.com, learning what best to use to unRAR (I've chosen Mac Par Deluxe), finding VLC, using Switch to convert files.

I still have great problems with ffmpegX (have posted recently in the Newbies section on this but so far no solution). I just cannot successfully merge avi and srt files.

So.... guess what I'm asking for is a simple, step by step introduction for Apple Mac users. It's so time-consuming searching bit by bit with Google to solve each problem as it occurs!:devil:

[timestoby]

well since askn on this forum and others ive never gotten a solid answer to wot type of hardware a gpu's is best for playn back 720p and 1080p movies witout stutter and being able to do emails or some other stuff at the same time.

like wots the least type of gpu can i use for a laptop,same for desktop.
core duo or core 2 duo,which is better

a list of gpu's for both laptop and desktop would be great.

like right now my desktop has 1gb ram p4 3.oghz and an old nvidia fx5200 128mb card,and its old.i can run 720p fine,but cant run mkv.x.264 1080p files,but can run 1080p wmv-hd fine.
surely newbs would want to know this type of info.maybe they still stuck in the sd era.

[jult]

Converting videos from
YouTube Googlevideo LiveLeak Dailymotion FLV flash video
to be editable usable in VirtualDub, and all this as lossless as possible.

There are literally hundreds of so-called guides on this, but none of them is considering the aspect of not wanting to lose audio- and video-quality. Also, most of the guides involve HUGE software-packages for just one task, or scripts. I have yet to see a decent guide for this. Would be great to see one here.

[foxyshadis]

Avidemux can directly edit them. Instant bonus!

You can use ffmpeg to mux to avi and edit in virtualdub, totally lossless, but you must have a recent ffdshow installed and flv decoding enabled for it. There's also no GUI for it, command-line or batch files only. Fortunately it's dirt simple:
ffmpeg -i {input}.flv {output}.avi
In newer builds it'll detect the frame rate and everything for you. (Which surprised me just now, it used to always do 1000 fps.)

Or you can use pretty much any ffmpeg or mencoder frontend to convert it to pretty much any other format in existence, see the GUI forum for plenty of those.

[lellum]

I am using the very latest StaxRip (1.0.0.1) and it has downloaded it's needed versions of everything but nero aac encoder (it wanted feb 2007 - august '07 was dl'ed instead).

I am new to x264/aac encoding into the mkv and mp4 containers and am playing the files using VLC 0.8.6c. Ripper is DVDdecrypter 3.5.4.0 on XP Pro.

Audio sync is a nightmare and is off by a constant interval. Should I search for the older version the AAC encoder, or is there something wrong with using the programs I am using?

edit to add:

I have located a source for the required back level nero encoder; it can be downloaded from

http://www.brothersoft.com/mp3_audio/rippers_encoders/nero_digital_audio_download_59677.html

The required version is 1.0.7.0 and the releases date is Feb 12, 2007. I am doing an encode from scratch on a movie that has displayed the sync prob and will update this post when I have checked it out.

edit to update:

Many problems seem so obvious after you find them. The problem was that I did not change the default DVDDecrypter processing mode from 'File' to 'IFO' and was at the mercy of circumstance. I was trying to get my process up and running on four machines and thought that individual environments were involved.

Thank you.

[_yo_wasup_]

Seriously, cover the result of this other topic of EVO files to WMV HD conversion after it is figured out. What I don't like about this forum in particular that should change is that people should post updates in the first post in an easy to understand manner dated with credits. Especially these 15 page topics you know no one is going to read every 15 pages because their attention span is 10 seconds before they post the same question asked 128 times already.

[nightryder21]

How to create a single .vob file from a DVD containing just the movie.

[DMF]

Kind of DVD-RB specific, but may apply somewhat to a FAQ here: There is *no* discussion in DVD-RB FAQ (unless I've managed to miss it) of the various modes. I know it's a complex subject, but surely each merits a couple of sentences and a pointer to some on-line resource (or, here, thread). E.g.:

"XYZ Mode - Mode that {uses the XYZ program or whatever}. It's particularly good at blah blah, but downside is blah blah.. See [linkie] for more information."

[ettin]

I would like an detailed explanation of what happens when a variable (or combination of variables) within a filter is set to either extreme. Every single tutorial or FAQ out there just explains in vague terms what it does, like "function Q of MY filter makes THIS do THAT, you can set it from 0 to 99". And im always left asking, well, what the hell happens if i set it to 99? No wait, let me spend the next hour finding out. Oh, whats that, you have 5 more settings to change, and the combination of any of them could produce a drastically different result than any of them by themselves? Well, let see, 6 settings , so thats 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 15 hours for combinations of two! I wonder what 3 or more of these settings do, i think retirement is coming up soon, maybe i can finally find out!

Its not really a FAQ in and of itself, its more of a way of creating FAQ's that actually create a greater sense of understanding instead of just blindly leading people towards a specific goal.

[juGGaKNot]

a "how to" faq

hot to get DXVA working on ATI HD cards :)

[Ramir Gonzales]

A method on how we could play two encodes 'on top of eachother' or "side-by-side" would be great !:)

[juGGaKNot]

A method on how we could play two encodes 'on top of eachother' or "side-by-side" would be great !:)

well

make a new project in vegas ( you didn't say the resolution ) 1920x1080

take the first material at 960x540 and add a border up 960 pixels

take the second 960x540 material and add a border down 960 pixels

put the footage on top of each other and you will have a 1920x1080 split screen material

weird i know :)

if your footage is 1920x1080 than project 3840x2160 and add border 1920 each :D

a "how to" faq

hot to get DXVA working on ATI HD cards :)

got the DXVA working, no need for the faq

[Ramir Gonzales]

Yes JuGGAknot, but I was actually look for some Avisynth script.:)

[J_Darnley]

Read the docs. StackHorizontal and StackVertical are what you should look at and Interleave might also be of interest.

[omibrain]

OK, so I just found this forum which seems to be a plethora of audio/video info. But, it all is "greek" to me. Has anyone written a dictionary of terms?

[Guest]

A dictionary wouldn't help you much. You need to do some serious research and learning. I'm sorry to say there is no shortcut. But the journey can be quite enjoyable.

Anyway, Google is a giant dictionary and you should be able to find out what you need with it. If not, post a question in the Newbies forum.

[linyx]

OK, so I just found this forum which seems to be a plethora of audio/video info. But, it all is "greek" to me. Has anyone written a dictionary of terms?

Actually there is a glossary of terms here (http://www.doom9.org/glossary.htm), but this is FAR from everything.
Happy learning.:)

[omibrain]

well, thanks all. I do think the glossary will help. so, I begin my journey with the first step.:)

[Karkas]

I started delving into this stuff a few months ago and still feel overwhelmed by the number of apps out there. I would love to see a list something like this...

Ripping programs:
Standard DVDs only:
Program A - Discription, price, rating etc.
Program B - Discription, price, rating etc.
HD DVD, BR, and standard DVDs:
Program C - Discription, price, rating etc.
BR only:
Program D - Discription, price, rating etc.

Encoding programs
Program E - Discription(codecs & containers), price, rating etc.
Program F - Discription(codecs & containers), price, rating etc.

Playback programs:
Standard DVD only
Program G - Discription, price, rating etc
HD DVD/BR playback
Program H - Discription, price, rating etc
File playback
Program I - supported codecs/container, price, rating etc

Yadda Yadda Yadda

If there was something like this that allows us noobs to make sence of the tower or babel of codecs & programs most of us could be brought up to speed very quickly.

[kalia]

Converting videos from
YouTube Googlevideo LiveLeak Dailymotion FLV flash video
to be editable usable in VirtualDub, and all this as lossless as possible.

There are literally hundreds of so-called guides on this, but none of them is considering the aspect of not wanting to lose audio- and video-quality. Also, most of the guides involve HUGE software-packages for just one task, or scripts. I have yet to see a decent guide for this. Would be great to see one here.


i've had quite a bit of success converting with the open source software mediacoder. pretty intuitive to work out and operate. simply set source, output file and destination, tweak output settings depending on file format, and go. http://www.photopile.info/img/c/8.gif

kalia.

[frank lampard]

Hi there!

I would like to make this thread a place where everybody can post his/hers ideas or suggestion of what should be included in the upcoming Newbies FAQ (that, by the way, is missing and should be done long time ago - I admit - my fault).
There is already a number of people working on it, but we are all only humans. There are things that might be just straightforward for some of us, but for others will need some explanation. There are things that we may just overlook. There is a lot of reasons...
And you guys are the ones I would like to ask for help.
If you think that something is missing in other FAQs, that something has to be explained in more understandable way - now you've got a place to post your thoughts, remarks, etc.
If you have some questions, that you think that should be included in the FAQ and already know good answers - post it here!
We will look for answers and we will combine it all into one FAQ.
Any help from your side is much anticipated and welcome.

So....

LET'S BEGIN!!!!

aleksander



Hi guys,I am newbie here.My name is frank.
Glad to meet you all,guys..

[janep]

Maybe something that is super basic, like what all those acronyms mean?

[nikki]

Recently DVDs have been loaded with what I refer to as trash files and cannot separate and decrypt. How do I deal with this?
Any and all help appreciated

[rstoddard]

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that is needed to help people understand.

[Lorek]

I have been a member of this forum for several years now. During this time, I have noticed a pattern which seems to happen on a relatively consistent basis.

Most people who discover doom9 usually fall into two groups; people who are looking for a result with minimal time, and people who want to know more but get bogged down without a clear path.

Obviously, the former are helped most by narrow how-to guides, but the latter usually end up leaving because of the massive time commitment involved in the discovery process. What they need to know, why they need to know it, and then finally learning the material.

I think it would be beneficial to the doom9 community as a whole for a path to be set down describing what one should know. In effect eliminating step 1 and decreasing the steep learning curve.

Obviously generating a specific how-to guide would be a massive undertaking that is ultimately doomed to failure. While there is no substitute for experience, all technical fields have a core knowledge base from which that experience is built upon.

A much more manageable proposition would be a basic list with semi-specific prerequisites knowledge and skills. Since much of the material is already out on the internet, links could be added with minimal effort and it would lower the steep learning curve.

I'm no expert on multimedia encoding, but I did fall into the latter group of newbies when I first arrived here. I did a lot of reading through the forums and dedicated several hundred hours towards research before backing off.

Today, I still know very little about how x264 actually works. Sure I can use it, but a lot of what the more experienced people talk about still goes right over my head. Much of what I learned was just through trial and error. Most people would be frustrated but it just tells me they've learned something which is implied, that I haven't. In other words, an avoidable a communication breakdown.

I haven't been on the forums in awhile but it seems to me the experienced people are in the minority, and their time is limited. It doesn't make best use of that time answering questions which have been answered in the past. Nor does it make sense for that time to be used on trivial configuration errors.
Setting up something like what I have suggested would make better use of everyone's time and give people the background needed to eliminate most of the common questions and problems while putting them on solid footing for helping others later on.

What do you think?

[Amateur]

i'm with lorek. the questions i have asked are probably able to be found elsewhere but its difficult if you don't know what it is you're looking for. the experienced people know where to look so to them, it seems lazy that the first person didn't find it for themselves. but when you type in a question and are given 400 threads which contain the word you searched for (but maybe not necessarily the answer to your problem) it's overwhelming. the ones that have been a part of this site for years are familiar with which threads can answer which problems, but the new people have no clue (i know i don't).

a guide that i had been using for several months was this scintilla's guide (http://aquilinestudios.org/avsfilters/index.html) but apparently it's very outdated (i was still using filters such as undot, pixiedust, deen...apparently those are ancient and there are better options). if one of the experts could make an updated version of a guide like this i think it would be VERY helpful. the before and after pictures are of great help for newbies like me to somewhat know what type of problems their source may have and how to fix them. or is there such a guide already on here?

[CWR03]

I was (and in some areas still am) in the same boat as Lorek. People who use these encoding tools and codecs every day know what they need to, and forget that the answers they give that seem completely "common sense" to them can easily overwhelm someone just getting started. I'm sure that's why AutoGK is so popular despite its grossly inferior output quality to a good x264 encode. Perhaps a Doom9 wiki could be started that could be updated by forum users whenever a "newbie" question about a feature comes up.

[Mizra]

WinXP not letting you delete avi


That's usually the case when some other process still holds an open file handle for that file.

The usual way to solve this would be to close all apps that did use that avi (you may check in the task manager if there is still some process hanging around that should no longer be), and wait a few seconds before trying to delete it again.
Also rebooting or logging out wil usually free those handle(s).

If you want a less random method go and download Process Explorer. You can get it from MS:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html
When you start it it has a UI entry 'Find handle or DLL' that allows you to find process that still hold a handle to the file. You need to input at least the filename or the full path including the file name.
Then you can close or kill the respective processes/applications. After that you should be able to remove the file.

[Mizra]

I'm a newbie and thus I still have a lot of basic, probably even dumb questions, even though I was reading around anywhere in the last few weeks.
Currently my focus is to encode ripped DVD/BluRay/(S)VCD content in good quality close to the original.

Below is a list of questions or unclear statements I ran into so far, where I'm still unsure. Usually I added what my current understanding of the matter is.


1) Which container format to use? (Or maybe what container for what purpose?)
The only up-to-date and advanced ones are mp4 and mkv. So far I understood that mkv is best for versatility of content and mp4 for widespread support of standalone players etc.

1b) What is the largest supported file size for mkv and mp4?
(I've seen 10GB mkv videos of BluRay rips but have not seen the same size for mp4.)

1c) This does not seem to be an issue with mkv, but since mp4 has content restrictions, is there a tool that can verify the mp4 compliance of the resulting file?

1d) A few years ago with my less powerful notebook and when h264 was really new I often encountered internet videos where the video went out of sync with the audio and/or the subtitles. (This did never happen with xvid but only h264). Does the container format (or the audio and video formats stored in it) affect this? Or was that all due to my weak CPU?
Or to rephrase this, does the container format has an effect on keeping video in sync with audio and subs?

2) Which video codec to use when?
I will only consider x264 or xVid only here though. Since x264 is the better encoder and format I understood it is somewhat like this: if CPU power is not a limiting factor in encoding and playback than use x264 otherwise use xVid.
Anything else?

3) When to use which audio codec?
Criteria would be quality (probably flac, vorbis or AAC) versus overall playback ability (probably mp3 maybe ac3).

4) Which tooling combo to use to encode?
Dropping payable solutions like Nero Recode or FairUse Wizard, and going for an hopefully easy to use GUI (that still allows to use the gory detailed features if needed) it seems there are basically three tooling combos around:
a) MeGUI (with AviSynth)
b) MediaCoder (mencode/ffmpeg and AviSynth)
c) VirtualDub/VirtualDubMod with AviSynth and probably
Advanced Substation Alpha
Where are the pros and cons of each of the above combinations? Or when to use what?

4b) Is there any encoder with allows for decent flexibility that does NOT use AviSynth?
That is, is AviSnyth a 'must-have' to learn?

5) What are the pros and cons of the different subtitle formats? Namely the soft sub ones.
Basically I would just go for plain srt or ass format. Anything else that is worthwhile to be considered apart from the idx/sub hard subs?

5a) What tools are good for
- converting between the various subtitle formats
- merging them (e.g. CD1 srt and CD2 srt into a single file)
- allowing for proper re-timing to adjust for changed
frame rates as well as adjusting offsets?
(I had just one good found about 2-3 years ago, but I forgot the name.)

5b) Just curious: What tools are used to do those Anime Karaoke subtitles?

6) Is there a tool to merge and trim different vob files?
(Hopefully one that does not need any transcoding when the files belong to the same video.)
I also understood that mkv allows for multiple video files. Does that mean merging is actually not necessary?

7) How to merge splitted videos back in one?
(The question is targeted at those multi CD size ripped videos.)

8) I read transmuxing (from one container into another) does not need transcoding (which is great).
Does that mean it is a 'simple' demuxing and muxing task? Or are there other tasks (or tools) involved as well?

8b) For others: Explain why transcoding is usually a bad idea.

9) I understand that black borders in video are a bad thing for encoding size and read that they are bad for the encoding quality as well. Thus cropping is a good idea.
However I usually like my videos to be preceded and followed by a black frame before and after the actual video content. If I take them from the video itself is that a bad idea as well?
If it is not bad, is it possible for AviSynth to create those two single frames?

10) As far as I understood for keeping the quality of the original video (DVD/BluRay) it is good to keep the original resolution as well. (That is as long as only computer playback is intended. PAL/NTSC conversions are naturally something else.)
I also understand that down scaling can't be helped for smaller devices (lines and/or rows need to be dropped or interpolated). For the same reason upscaling is not good as well since missing lines/rows need to be added by either duplicating them or interpolation, also the size of the resulting file will increase.
But in the end if the video is displayed in full screen (e.g. 1920x1080) doesn't it get resized by the player player at run time to the display resolution? If so is that a reasonable argument to do the resizing at the encoding time, where due to probably much larger encoding time better quality can be expected? Or should upscaling beyond the original video resolution still not be done (since upscaling provides only 'virtual' quality)?

11) What's the best way to handle anamorphic input data (with AviSynth)?
If the original video is anamorphic (e.g. cinema-scope) the width and height of the original do not match an 1:1 aspect ration. In that case what is the best approach to keep the correct aspect ration in playback?
Basically I understand there are two reasonable choices:
i) keep the original width (which usually results in
the video loosing some lines of heights and the resulting
lines probably needed to be interpolated)
ii) keep the original height (which probably results in the
resulting rows being interpolated)
Is there a way to keep the original pixel datas width and height (for both, rows and cols) and only tell the player what resolution or aspect ratio to use, and thus avoiding the need of interpolating data? If so how?
If not, are i) and ii) equally good choices? Or is there one to prefer? (Since anamorphic is actually done by squeezing the video width I would guess that ii) would be the better choice...)

11b) How to get 11ii) done from above?
So far with MeGUI and AviSynth I was unable to do so. My best result was to keep the height while loosing the aspect ratio. That is unless I added the borders that got cropped before in the AviSynth script via 'AddBorders' later on. But than the video had black bars on the top and bottom.

11c) If I add borders to the video via the AviSynth script, do they get encoded as well? That is does that increase the file size and is it troublesome to the encoding the same way as the originally cropped borders are?

12) I should have probably asked this much earlier:
When encoding DVD/BluRay/SVCD content and considering playback on computer only (that is with no restriction for video resolution, frame rate, NTSC/PAL, ...):
Is it correct to assume that for best quality (meaning close to the original) the original videos resolution (width and height) and the frame rate should be kept for encoding?
Anything else that should be kept?
Things that should/need not be kept?

13) What type of interlaced video are there, and what are the best ways for each to convert them to progressive video via AviSynth script?
So far I encountered 3 variations in vob files:
a) fully interlaced videos (NTSC or PAL)
b) video with 2 successive interlaced frames every
5 frames. (I heard it is called hard telecined, and it's
where I first heard that keeping the original
frame rate might not always be the best idea.)
c) A vob file with part of b) and the rest fully progressive

14) For Audio codecs like mp3 or vorbis it is a given that the best quality will be obtained by using variable bitrate encoding. Is this the same with video encoding namely x264 encoding? Also is the bitrate encoding encoding that can be set in tools like MeGUI the bitrate for a variable encoding or for a fixed bitrate encoding?

15) When to use which x264 resize filter? I heard some of them were particularly good for upscaling. Maybe others are best for anamorphic content, or for other purposes...
At the least are there some sample images (or short videos) where one can compare the different results to the original?

16) How to add chapters to the file?

17) What is the best way to merge .rm or .rmvb videos and the like into one file? (Provided it is a good idea at all)

18) Can Real Video have soft subs?
(At least real player does not seem to understand any of the usual formats...)

19) Sometimes I encounter video files (from the internet) where the video slide bar during play back does not work. That is when I drag it forward the image seems to freeze (usually while the audio is still playing), or sometimes it takes a long time until normal playback is resumed.
What is the reason for this? Can it be post-fixed?

20) Where to learn to understand the math needed in AviSnyth when cropping and resizing normal and anamorphic content in order to keep the resulting video resolution and aspect ratio close to the original.
(At least in MeGUI when cropping is applied the values for 'global MeGUI_darx' and 'global MeGUI_dary' change in ways I do not understand yet. And if I change them manually I do not seem to get any effect.)

20b) A basic introduction to the most required/useful commands of AviSynth and how to properly mix them all together (explained on a small example) will be useful.


Sorry for the list being this long. ^^°°

[CountryBumkin]

When a DVD or BD is ripped with multiple audio formats/tracks (such as AC3, DD, DTS, DTS-HDMaster), will the player (software such as 7MC or MPC-HC or hardware such as OPO) try to play the "best/highest-quality" format in the rip, or will it just play the first format it can regardless of the quality?

Should all of the audio formats/tracks be added to the rip - so the movies can be played back anywhere (such as played through a 7.1 HD receiver or if just connected directly to a TV)?

Edit: I should add that I rip my BD to M2TS format (movie only) with Clown_BD and play back through a couple of different HTPCs, but this question also could apply to ripping to ISO or MKV or whatever. Thanks.

[SallyDog]

Welp, this thread is now officially over 10 years old, and I've yet to see the upcoming Newbies FAQ. Maybe time to get rid of the sticky? :D

[terrencefloyd]

big task you have there. Good luck.

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[theking2]

answers to these questions:
name a moderator of the dvd2avi forum
name a popular mpeg-4 asp encoder
what's the software version this board is running on?
name a moderator of the General Discussion forum
which forum rule consists of two parts?
What is the name of the script-based frame server used for processing/filtering video?
name a popular mpeg-4 encoder gui that is beign discussed on this forum
name a popular mpeg-4 avc encoder
what software is the most popular thread in the development forum about?
how many forum rules are there?
how is the first category of this board called?
what's the name of the last subforum in this place?
which forum rule mentions the netiquette?
name a moderator of the dvd2avi forum
which software has two dedicated subforums on doom9?
what's the successor of mpeg-4 avc?

Typos and capitalizing are not by me.

[maxfilm]

answers to these questions:
name a moderator of the dvd2avi forum
name a popular mpeg-4 asp encoder
what's the software version this board is running on?
name a moderator of the General Discussion forum
which forum rule consists of two parts?
What is the name of the script-based frame server used for processing/filtering video?
name a popular mpeg-4 encoder gui that is beign discussed on this forum
name a popular mpeg-4 avc encoder
what software is the most popular thread in the development forum about?
how many forum rules are there?
how is the first category of this board called?
what's the name of the last subforum in this place?
which forum rule mentions the netiquette?
name a moderator of the dvd2avi forum
which software has two dedicated subforums on doom9?
what's the successor of mpeg-4 avc?

Typos and capitalizing are not by me.
Why isn't someone answering this?

I googled a question but couldn't find an answer since no one bothered to give the answers.

I'm not ranting but I have to say the question are so advanced and take a lot of time to find for a newbie and that is really really annoying if you want to ask a specific question without wasting a lot of time.
I would scrap this whole advanced question system before allowing to post a thread. The question in my oppinion should be one that anyone already knows. Like what is 2+2 or is there more water or land on the earth etc. Not "What is the most expensive componant when building a TV" Just so stupid imo.

Either way someone pls fill out all questions to help ppl in the same position I was in the future

[manono]

If you have a specific question, you can ask in the appropriate forum. Beginner-type questions can be asked in this forum, but not in this thread.