DVD ReBuilder Versions 0.98.2(free)/ 1.28.2 Pro - Jul 12th

[jdobbs]

In order to make it a little easier for everyone to find the newest version, and read about any changes, I am creating this thread as a "single source". The thread itself will be locked -- but you can subscribe to it and, as a result, will be automatically notified each time it is updated with a new version.

The latest Professional Edition (VIP) version is v1.28.2, released on July 12th 2008.
Released only to VIP contributors. The Professional Edition includes numerous improvements over the freeware version and a newer modernized interface. Read about the Pro Edition here. (http://info.dvd-rb.com) See the changes for this version here. (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1158259#post1158259) If you are a registered (paid) user you can download the new version from this link (https://jammernhilftnichts.de/jdobbs/DVD-RB_v1.282Pro.exe). Note: This version of the software is only for VIP users (donators) and will not function unless you are a registered user!

The latest Public Release (freeware) version is v0.98.2, released on December 15th, 2006. You can get it here (http://www.jdobbs.net/freeware/DVD-RBv0982Free.zip) (jdobbs.net). Read about it here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?postid=917596#post917596). The freeware version is now being distributed complete with the Rockas Installer. This distribution includes all associated apps, includings the recommended versions of the HC and QuEnc encoders (total 4.5MB). If are using a dialup connection and want to download just the Rebuilder executable in an "Update Only" zip file file -- you can get it here (http://www.jdobbs.net/freeware/DVD-RBv0982FreeUO.zip) (about 591KB).

Note: Some browsers may need to "Refresh" to get the most current version.

Thank You Beta Testers!


A heads-up to all: I continue working on the "Professional Edition" and will also continue to release copies to VIPs. It includes many additional features that will never be in the freeware version -- the Pro version is only distributed to those who contribute at a certain level (see REBUILDER.TXT for more info). VIPs will get automatic upgrades for the life of the product. Freeware versions will continue (normally including only bugfixes) but will never include the extended features.

A special thanks to wmansir for this great idea.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.46

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Added support for Button-Over-Video. Imbedded menus and user actions should now work correctly. This also sets the stage for possible menu size reductions.

- Found and fixed Runtime Error '9' that occured during REBUILD phase. This should end most if not all of the '9' errors. It will be especially noticable in removing them in Half-D1/Half-Bitrate extra selections.

- Fixed a source of Runtime Error '9' in PREPARE phase.

- Found a situation in which bad MPEG editing in the original DVD (in which trailing B frames were deleted leaving an out of temporal sequence I or P frame) could cause error #0006 in REBUILD during transcoding (using ReJig). A workaround was implemented in which the temporal sequence was adjusted.

- Changed code so the "PREPARE" button doesn't change to "Process" after running it the first time. It wasn't supposed to.

- Made a modification to the monitoring of CCE as it is running in an attempt to get it to apply less processor time to DVD-RB when running on multithreaded processors. On my Athlon 2400+ processor it has dropped to consistently less than 1% processor usage for DVD-RB while CCE is running.

- Reset the DVD Compliant flag to "off" in the ECL files to bypass a new "feature" associated with CCE's 2.69 version. If it is set "on" CCE tries to outsmart you and add frames to a 23.976fps source.

8,569 downloads before removal.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.47

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Updated code so subtitle support is more properly implemented. This should fix most (if not all) of the problems associated with non-displaying subtitles.

- Again tweaked the monitoring of CCE to try and improve performance on multi-threading processors. The parameters posted with 0.46 were too conservative.

- Added automatic addition of the -interlaced or -nointerlaced command line option to QuEnc. The determination is based upon data found in DVD-RB's PREPARE phase.

- Added an option under the AVS advanced menu setting MPEG2SOURCE("source",idct=7) as a possible default.

- Fixed an error that caused incorrect calculation when Half-D1/Half Size option is selected. This generally resulted in undersized output.

- Fixed an error in which the "TargetSectors=" INI command was not being used to establish a default when targets were not established for the selected encoder.

- Other minor corrections and optimizations were made.

7,309 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.48

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected an error related to fast forwarding and rewinding through chapter points. The first entry in any Cell's first DSI was not correctly flagging time offsets that had no prior VOBU. My thanks to Sir Didymus for finding and pointing out this error. Extraordinary beta testing!

- Added support for the "-maxbitrate" option to all QUEnc encode command lines. The value is set to the DVD-RB default of "9000" unless changed via the "max_bitrate=" INI option. This might fix some of the stuttering errors seen when using QuEnc.

- Enabled checking that disallows mismatching of modes between the PREPARE and ENCODE phases.

- Fixed an error in which "IDCT7" was not being properly applied when selected. Thanks to djan for discovering this error.

5,825 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.49

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Fixed an error that could cause audio drift over time, cell audio moving out of sync, and also was responsible for some (rare) "freezing" chapters. Thanks to Djuby for pointing out a disc through which it was repeatable.

- Fixed a minor error in which during save the wrong extension is shown (".RBD" showed as ".RDB").

- Corrected processing of Project Files. When loading the status (such as noting that PREPARE is complete) was not retained and updated. Thanks to maksa for pointing these last two out.

10,063 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.50b

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected an error in which the maximum bitrate could peak higher than that set in the max_bitrate setting when working with interlaced sources. This is highly likely to have been the source of infrequent frame stutters at high demand points in encoding. The problem is the result of DVD-RB's inherent method of feeding frames to CCE and QuEnc. Please note that if you browse the .ECL files for interlaced sources, they will now show a vbr_brate_max= value that os 80% of the default setting -- do not change it. It is right, and the resulting stream (after processing) will still match the max value. Excellent observation by Trahald.

- Added a One Pass VBR mode for those who are using CCE SP. It performs sampling pass(es) during PREPARE phase that predicts an appropriate Q rating based upon the space available. That Q is then used for a one pass encode. Total time for an encode is reduced dramatically while quality is maintained at a known level. This is the first iteration of this set of routines and its still being tested, so some level of sizing error is expected. Please provide feedback in the DOOM9 rebuilder forum. Note added: It seems to be oversizing consistently. I will do some mods and post a fix soon.

- Fixed an error in which answering "No." to "Continue" in the PREPARE phase would result in the encode and rebuild buttons remaining disabled (regardless of their previous state). Thanks to wgw for finding this one.

- Added more timestamps to the Status messages to make it easier to determine the lengths and times of different activities.

- Fixed an error in which having "Shutdown at One-Click Completion" selected while using batch mode would terminate Rebuilder after the first batch job. Added a "Batch Shutdown" option to the "File" menu that now the system can be set to shutdown following a batch run. The setting is NOT saved to INI and will not be persistent across program runs (purposefully).

(0.50a)
- Did some tweaking on the One Pass VBR. Should be closer, still needs work.
(0.50b)
- More tweaking of the One Pass VBR. It's starting to look good.

7,164 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.51b

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

v0.51
- Added Subtitle removal to the SETUP dialog. You can now make a global choice as to which subtitles remain or get removed. Space recovered from removed subpictures is reallocated to the main movie (as is true with audio). In this version the subtitles will still exist in the IFO files -- but are removed from the VTSs. Future versions may remove them from the IFO as well.

- The bitrate fix in v0.50 was incorrectly implemented. Progressive and PAL sources were getting maximum bitrate reductions while those that should have been receiving the reduction were not getting it. It has been corrected. Thanks to Brikin and The_Flash.

- Enabled the "Steal Space from Extras" option. This option allows you to improve your main movie quality by reducing the quality of extras. It works by taking storage space (25%, 33%, or 50%) from whatever is in use by the extra and then reallocating it to the movie. Please be careful in using this option -- as it can very easily degrade the quality of extras to an unacceptable level. It is really meant to be used when extras take a LOT of space on the original disc. Also please note that the reallocation of space happens BEFORE other options -- so, for example, if you choose Half-D1/Half-Space and also choose 50% reduction, the Half-D1 size will be halved twice -- resulting in a Half-D1/One-Quarter space. This option is only valid when the "Dynamically Assign Cell Bitrates" option is enabled.

v0.51b
- Modified One Pass VBR mode so it recovers sectors associated with ReduceBy and Half-D1/Half-Size options. The recovered sectors are now added to the target sector size associated with the main movie VTS.

- Fixed error in which the maximum bitrate was not being set for PAL interlaced output. Thanks to Amenophis for finding this.

- Modified the rough order of magnitude calculation for beginning Q in OPV. It should take fewer prediction passes (on average).

v0.51c
- Corrected a problem in which, if you did not go into the setup screen and specifically choose default subpictures to remove, all were removed. Bad day.
- Added an Expert AVS option in which you can add text that will be added to AVS files. This is meant to support filters -- but can also be used to activate other AVISYNTH commands. This is an EXPERT OPTION. If you are not intimately familiar with AVISYNTH... leave it alone. It can make your encodes fail completely if incorrectly used. Note: Don't use blank lines.

6,624 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.52

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected an error in NAVPACK processing that may be the source of at least some of the subtitle problems some have reported with certain players. The PTM of the first and last frame in a VOB was not being correctly updated.

- Implemented improvements to OPV algorithms. Now have more consistently accurate prediction of filesize and predictions are now made in fewer passes (2-3). As there are typically fewer passes now, the default sampling percentage has been increased from .5 to 1 for improved accuracy. Also added two INI entries: Q_sample_percentage=n (default is 1, can be set to any value from .1 - 25), and Q_ROM_constant=n (default is 256, with max/min of 300/200. You may be able to get better accuracy in some cases with Q_sample_percentage set to values higher than default -- but it will in turn add significantly more time to the prediction process and the PREPARE phase. Q_ROM_constant is used to estimate a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Q value for the first pass using the formula:

Q = (framecount / targetsectors) * Q_ROM_Constant

A special thanks to tylo, author of D2SRoBa, for reviewing the DVD-RB algorithm and recommending some excellent improvements.

- Added an "Are you sure you want to abort?" prompt during encoding to help prevent accidentally aborting when doing other work while an encoding session is taking place.

12,625 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.53

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected an error in which the prediction phase of OPV could get into a continuous loop when a change in Q of 1 might result in an output that was still not within 1% of the target.

- Changed logic so all still frames are output as Constant Bitrate (CBR) in an attempt to correct some persistent CCE related still/BOV problems.

- The "Quality_Prec=" value set in the CCE settings dialog is now also used to adjust the "pict_qchar" value that has been introduced to CCE Basic starting with version 2.69. Please note that (as in CCE SP 2.50) the value is scaled between 0-64 (to match newer versions of CCE SP) and will be converted to a value of 0-100 when written to the ECL file.


- Corrected an error in which the "Steal Space From Extras" options were showing as having an effect (messages were presented) when "Dynamically Assign..." was not selected. The "Steal" option only works with "Dynamic..." is selected.

- Set several "warning" messages so they would not display during batch mode encodes (follows the same logic as having the "No warning" flag set).

- Adjusted audio and subtitle language tables to account for apparent differences between the current ISO and DVD standards. Two types of codes (old and new) are accepted for Hebrew ("he" and "iw"), Indonesian ("id" and "in"), and Yiddish ("yi" and "ji"). Thanks to HARM for pointing out this inconsistency.

Version 0.53a

- IMPORTANT BUG FIX. Fixed an error in which original (unchanged) files were not being copied correctly into the destination directory. This could cause created directories to fail upon write.

6,727 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.54

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected error in which the "all contents of VIDEO_TS..." message was not suppressed when "Suppress Warning Prompts" was selected. Thx to jhmac.

- Changed output to .ECL files so "seq_endcode=1" is set for still frames this has been reported to fix problems associated with stills and BOV. Thanks to wmansir and Sir Didymus for researching, finding, and testing this fix.

- Corrected an error associated with CCE Basic that caused a "cce encoding failed: MPVA ... qsv 112 > 112" -- caused by an average bitrate that was calculated to an exceptionally low value.

- Fixed an error in which only the last two digits of the segment number were displaying in the status window. Thanks to jptheripper for catching this.

- Fixed error in which the the "Shutdown" options were not working correctly with Windows 2000 computers (stopped at the "SAFE TO REMOVE POWER" prompt). Thanks to archaeo for pointing out this error.

8,995 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.55

Below are a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Fixed an error that made DVD-RB fail to run in Windows 98 and SE versions. It should now work properly on all versions of Windows. Thanks to turbodpv for catching this -- and to wmansir for his help in identifying the cause.

- Adjusted the OPV calculation so that it better predicts size.

- Fixed an error in which the reallocation of recovered space associated with "Half-D1/Half Space" and/or "Steal Space from Extras" was not being allocated correctly with certain combinations of the switches. This was the cause for reported oversizing/undersizing.

- Added informational parameters to the REBUILDER.INF file related to original DVD overall and VTS sizes (in sectors) for use by helper applications.

Version 0.55a

- Corrected an oversight that has been in the program since v0.36. Subtitle streams were not being updated in the IFO PGC tables when converting from 4:3 to 16:9. The result was the inability to view any but the first subtitle (when a 4:3->16:9 conversion was done).

Version 0.55b

- Implemented code that corrects the way selected audio streams are saved and recovered in project files. Now any non-standard (different from that recorded in the setup configuration) audio choice is recalled on project load. This also works in batch mode.

13,211 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.56

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Fixed an error in which VTSs with very few frames could result in Error Code '6' when using OPV mode. These now default to a Q Factor of 10.

- Changed the size of the "Source Path" and "Working Path" areas so longer filenames can be viewed.

- Fixed an error in which the PTM of the last frame of the last GOP of a VOB was sometimes incorrectly calculated and placed in NAVPACKS. This, very probably, was the cause of reported "freezing" on some Sony players.

15,369 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.57

ILVU processing has been delayed at least one more version. Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Updated code for compatibility with QuEnc 0.52 and above. The KVCD commandline logic has been replaced by the QuEnc Lower Bitrate (QLB) Matrix option. Older versions of QuEnc will no longer be supported and will get an error if use is attempted. QuEnc 0.52+ is free and is easily found on the net.

- Corrected an error in which the progressive flag was not being set correctly during rebuild when "Deinterlace with Decomb" is selected. Also please note that if the input stream is already identified as progressive, the deinterlacing filter will not be added to the associated .AVS file.

- Modified SCR algorithm to more accurately reproduce the SCR/PTS structure of the original disc.


- Made a timing correction that may affect possible audio dropouts. It also may reduce (but not eliminate) the liklihood of encountering an error #0003 or #0004 on preprocessed (3rd party edited) streams.

- Fixed an error in which the "Disable Interlaced" was correctly reencoding the as progressive -- but was incorrectly reinserting the original flags on rebuild.

- Add a "Status Logging On" switch to the file menu. When checked, anything that is output to the status box is also echoed to the log file. The file, called "rebuilder.log" is created in the directory specified in "Working Path" -- it no path is specified it is created in the root of the C:\ directory. The file location is changed whenever a new working path is specified (for example when running a batch job). This should be helpful in debugging problems that might cause DVD-RB to exit abruptly.

v0.57a

- Corrected a buffering problem associated with the "Status Logging" output

- The fix related to audio dropouts in v0.57a seems to have made the problem more pronounced. It has been reversed until it can be more accurately studied.


2,819 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.58

I decided these changes were important enought to post in a maintenance version. Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Found and fixed a source of Error code '9' that can occur immediately at the start of an encode.

- Made changes to the output ECL formats so CCE SP version 2.67.xx.xx retail versions are supported. Please note that SP 2.67.xx.xx Trial version will only work with ECLCCE.EXE. Do NOT attempt to use ECLCCE.EXE with the retail version of 2.67.xx.xx -- it isn't needed, and doesn't work. Note: I don't have a copy of the retail version to test -- but I believe it will work.

- Found and fixed an error in which certain circumstances could cause illegal System Clock Reference (SCR) values near the end of some cells. This could very possibly have caused audio problems and/or video problems on some standalone units. Special thanks to Sir Didymus for identifying this problem.

2,601 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.59

Sorry about the slow release of ILVU/Angles -- been busy fixing bugs. Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Found an additional System Clock Reference (SCR) error that caused some NAVPACKS (immediately following a sound or subpicture packet) to not comply with the DVD minimum spacing standard. This, depending upon the player, could theoretically cause any of a number of audio, video, or timing problems. This has the potential of being a very big correction. A special thanks again to Sir Didymus and the Doom9 beta testers.

- Fixed an error that was responsible for random but rare #0003 errors depending upon original source timing characteristics).

- Added code that forces GOPSIZE to a DVD standard when using QuEnc.

- Fixed a problem in which version update checks were not being recorded when changed in the SETUP dialog (only on startup).

- Fixed an error related to PES headers in which the P-STD Buffer size data was not being properly set at the beginning of each data stream.

- Corrected an error in which stuffing bytes at the end of a stream could overwrite PES header data (a million to one -- but possible).

- Added two more choices to the "QuEnc Options" menu. You can now choose to enable High Quality Mode (slow but very impressive quality) and "Use Scene Detection" which makes intelligent decisions as to where to break GOPs. For those who haven't tried QuEnc... it has become the highest quality encoder available as freeware -- and outdoes most of the costly alternatives. Hats off to Nic and dragongodz.

4,358 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.61

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- IMPORTANT FIX: Corrected an error in SCR/PTS computation for audio and subpicture streams. Likely symptoms of the problem that was fixed is audio dropouts, and stutter. It may also have and affect on Error #0003, and Error #0004. My thanks to fritzdis and Sir Didymus for helping find this. Note: Do not simply try to "REBUILD" old sources, this fix includes a change in the "PREPARE" phase.

- Corrected implementation of version checking for CCE. v0.59 made an assumption that new CCE ECL changes applied to all 2.67 SP Retail versions. It has been modified to now only apply to CCE SP Retail v2.67.0.27.

- Corrected a problem in which reopening DVD-RB after receiving a "..multiangles" error would allow it to process the selected fileset -- even though it would always result in an error.

- Fixed an error in which the last audio pack within a VTS was not being written to the output stream. This could cut a very tiny (~40ms) from the very end of a movie. Thanks to totya for pointing this one out.

[Change for v0.60a & b]

- Fixed an error in which users of CCE v2.67.0.27 Trial/ECLCCE were getting the wrong ECL settings.
- Fixed my fix.

[Change for v0.61]

- Found and corrected a cause of Error #0003 and #0004. This should fix most reports associated with these errors. Note: Remember some are caused by invalid source files.

2,191 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.62

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Added an option under the "Help" menu that will display the versions of support software you are using. This should be useful in debugging problems.

- Inserted code to modify the sequence header extension on NTSC telecined titles so that the progressive flag will set to 0 -- this was noted as a problem associated with QuEnc. Please note that this DOES NOT mean progressive streams will not be recognized and played as progressive. This should fix reported "stuttering" on some players when using QuEnc as the encoder.

7,584 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.63a

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Corrected rebuilding code to prevent "runt" VOBUs (less than .4 seconds). This will bring the newly authored stream more tightly into compliance with DVD standards. This is KNOWN to have caused audio/video stutter on some DVDs.

- Added support for Canopus ProCoder through Robot1's EclPro utility. Nice work Robot1, you continue to provide outstanding support to the DVD community! Please note that this feature needs testing.

- Modified the maximum bitrate on output so it lowers to accomodate large and multiple audio tracks. This should help to keep the bitrate bursts under DVD maximums. Maximum bitrate is now set to MAXBITRATE - AudBitrate -- so using the default it would be 9,000Kbs - AudBitrate. Note that DVD standard is no greater than 9,800Kbs for video and no more than 10,008Kbs total audio/video/subs.

- Corrected a bug introduced in v0.61 related to audio/video sync. This could have caused stutter and audio dropout on some DVDs. An option has been added to the "Options" menu called "Special Error Avoidance" for special cases in which certain #0003 or #0004 errors are encountered -- this is temporary and will be removed in future versions. It is recommended that this option only be used as a last resort after you've encountered one of these errors -- and not before, as it can cause other unpleasant effects. This option ONLY affects the rebuild phase. It is meant to counter what appears to be bad source timing parameters.

[v0.63a]

- Disabled runt VOBU code for more testing. It appears to have caused more problems then it solved.

6,103 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.64

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Added support for DGDECODE.DLL. This is a newer, more accurate, and faster version of MPEG3DEC3DG.DLL. In order to use it, download DGMPGDec from the Doom9 site (the only required portion of the .ZIP file is DGDECODE.DLL. You must point to the file from DVD-RB's "Setup" dialog. The MPEG2DEC3 path area name has been changed to "DECODER". NOTE: In order to use DGDECODE.DLL you MUST point to it in the DECODER area of the setup dialog and it must not be renamed (from DGDECODE.DLL). DVD-RB will default to MPEG2DEC3DG.DLL. Hats off to Neuron2 (Donald Graft) who is an MPEG Maestro.

- Removed the "Add to AVS" checkbox from the setup screen. It was a source of confusion and probably should never have been implemented. If you enter a path in the "Path to Decoder" box -- it will be loaded in every AVS file.

- Created a new option under the "Mode" menu that allows you to use a different "Output" path. When selected, the output of VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders will be sent to that path rather than the "Working Path." This allows users who are low on drive space and have more than one drive to write to two different areas. It also cleans the output up a little -- reducing confusion as to which directories should be burned. You burn only what is in the output directory. If may also increase the rebuild speed. If the option is deselected, DVD-RB will work as it always has -- writing all output to the "Working Path."

- Fixed an error in "Batch" mode in which some parameters from the saved .RDB file were being loaded and set incorrectly.

- Note: It continues to be my intention to provide this package as freeware. But it is my belief that I should somehow reward those to took the time and effort to contribute to this project, either through donation or extraordinary testing support. In the future all new releases will be made to a list of VIPs/donators first. After some period (maybe 30 days) that version will be released in a "public" version. Those who helped through donations and special beta support deserve recognition. This is my way of saying "Thanks." THE FIRST DONATOR RELEASE (IN A COUPLE OF DAYS) WILL SUPPORT MULTIPLE ANGLES AND ILVU (I've completed it and am testing it now).

[v0.64a]

- Fixed an error in which the "Transcode" button disappeared when selecting/deselecting the alternate output directory while in one-click mode. Silly mistake.

13,346 downloads before removal

[jdobbs]

Version 0.65

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release until 17 Nov):

- Integrated an exciting new visual interface designed by Rockas. Thanks, my friend. May the road rise up to meet you, and the wind be always at your back. This interface is the first step in enabling "skin" capability for DVD-RB.

- Multiple angles and ILVU (Interleaved VOBU Units) are now supported. The method used has worked successfully on all multiangle and seamless branching discs I've tested to date.

- Note: The greatest challenge I've run into with multiple angles and ILVU is that they are already pretty tightly bitrate bound -- and any smaller sizing at all seems to noticably degrade the quality. So for this version I've decided to not further compress the ILVU portion of a film. In my testing it has shown to not be worth the quality loss -- the largest ILVU portion of a film I've found is the Matrix, and it is too small to have any significant impact on available bitrate. I can readdress if anyone finds a DVD in which this isn't the case.

- Fixed an error in which the "Steal Space From Extras" settings were notloading properly from .RBD files during batch encoding.

- Added a new selection list to the main screen so subpicture streams can now be individually selected. Be careful when removing subpictures, especially when they are shown as "Unk" -- some special features (e.g. "follow the rabbit") rely on subpictures.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.66a

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

(v0.66a)
- Fixed the Rebuilder form's header -- removed "3" from the title

- Fixed an error in which the Subtitles listbox wasn't visible and could not be accessed.

(v0.66)
- Corrected an error in which ReJig encoding failed during the "PREPARE" stage when working on a disc with ILVU and/or angles.

- Corrected an error that incorrectly always set the "Aspect_Ratio=" variable in the .D2V file to 16:9. (No impact noted in previous version).

- Found and fixed an error in which interleaved sources, under certain conditions could redirect the PREPARE and/or ENCODE date an incorrect directory.

- Fixed an error in which Subtitles having an number higher than 9 would be incorrectly shown out of order in the "Subtitles to Keep" listbox.

- Added support for "Skins" -- user programmable definition files can be created that load backgrounds, set text, and allow you to customize the way you want DVD-RB to look. NOTE: When DVD-RB is executed it will automatically create a SKINS directory within it's execution path! Several default files will then be created in that directory... these files define the default skins. Two defaults are provide. "Rockas Original" is the interface you've seen, as it was released in version 0.65. Also provide as a default is "Windows Standard" which is very similar to what you would have seen in version 0.64a. You can modify them, customize them, do whatever you want... but remember if you ever run into problems you can always delete the files -- and DVD-RB will recreate them the next time it is executed. You can use the two default skins as a baseline for new ones you create. Simply copy the files, rename, and modify and you can play to your heart's content. The name you use (e.g. "My Skin.txt") when creating a new file, will be added to the "Skins" menu the next time DVD-RB is executed. The SKIN code is new -- so some beta problems and feedback is expected. Enjoy.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.67

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version. (Now available in Public Release).

- Corrected an error that cause QuEnc to fail due to a "blank" .AVS filename.

- Tweaked SCR calculations to more closely control STD Buffer size. This may reduce or eliminate reported audio dropouts on some players.

- Added "Rewrite Defaults" option to the "Skins" menu. This will recreate the two standard interfaces in the Skins directory. The option is meant to provide a way to correct any mistakes created in editing the files. It can also be used to implement changes I may make to the standard interfaces.

- Fixed an cosmetic error in which some residual color was included in "Folder" buttons.

- Added control over placement of the AudioList, SubList, DTSCheckbox, and MinCheckBox objects in the SETUP dialog box. These were inadvertently left out of the last version.

- To enable the last two fixes -- YOU MUST SELECT "Rewrite Defaults" in the "Skins" menu so the lastest definitions are updated.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.68

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than 5 Jan 2004):

- Fixed an error in which the ReJig pathbox in the Setup Dialog could not be positioned properly in the Skin definition file.

- Added "ProcoderTargetSectors=" option to the REBUILDER.INI file.

- Changed the maximum frame count accepted per GOP during scanning to a ridiculously high number. While the DVD spec has a maximum of 18, at least one DVD was encountered that had a GOP of 47. This could be bad authoring, or an attempt to prevent backup. Either way -- it's gone now.

- Fixed an error in which the .D2V file associated with DGDECODE was incorrectly listing PAL resolution as 720x480 (rather than 720x576). This appears to be purely cosmetic, as the statement appears to have had no negative impact.

- Further tweaked SCR calculations. Based upon beta tester inputs it appears the changes in v0.67 fixed most but not all audio dropouts. This fix adjusts the buffer algorithm further in the "less likely to overflow" direction in an attempt to possibly eliminate these glitches.

- Added a new item "Set Background Color" to the "Options" menu. This option will allow you to set and change the color of the background on the "Windows Standard" skin (or any other skin that doesn't include a graphic background). Please note that graphically oriented skins have fixed colors that will cannot be changed by this option.

- Changed the way in which the ILVU_EXTRACT= parameter works. This is in preparation for some newer methods of handling multiple angles and ILVU sequences that are large.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.69

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Modified the "working" directory selection algorithm so that when the "output" directory is not enabled it will be automatically updated to match that selected as "working"

- Inserted code making any segment of 60 frames or less that is being encoded using Half-D1 outputs in CBR mode. This should eliminate the annoying "cce_encoding_init() failed" error that sometimes occurs.

- Fixed the alignment error experienced in 0.68 on the setup screen when used with skins.

- Modified the default skin used under "Rockas Original" -- Rockas has updated this skin with a little less brilliant colors and a nice textured finish. You will need to select "Rewrite Defaults" under the "Skins" menu for the new skin to take effect.

- Further tweaked SCR calculations. This fix again adjusts the buffer algorithm further in the "less likely to overflow" direction.

- Added capability so that audio selections are now saved in the rebuilder.ini file in a manner similar to that used in project files. This makes it no longer necessary to reset your audio choices any time you stop and then restart DVD-RB.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE (http://www.doom9.org/Soft21/Vobtools/DVD-RBv069PR.zip)

[jdobbs]

Version 0.70

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Added a new option entitled "No Compression (100% Video)" under the "Mode" menu. This option will keep original video intact (no reencoding) and only remove audio/subtitles as selected. This is meant for use with discs that are only slightly over DVD-5 size and can fit with audio removal. It is also a way in which previously created discs can be demuxed and remuxed to fix possible errors (for example buffer overflows or audio dropouts). This mode is very, very fast.

- The default skin "Rockas Original" was completely reworked and is now even more cool than previously. My thanks to Rockas. Make sure to select "Rewrite Defaults" under the "Skins" menu for the fix to take effect.

- Fixed an error in which a newer "Rockas Original" batch background was not correctly included in v0.69 -- which caused misplaced buttons and list box. Make sure to select "Rewrite Defaults" under the "Skins" menu for the fix to take effect.

- Modified the One Pass VBR (OPV) prediction code to more accurately select Q values. The previous method tended to make output too small. Thanks to Robot1 for lending me his code to analyze.

- Added a new default skin called "Simple Blue" It takes advantage of the standard background provided by Rockas. In order for this skin to be available you must select "Rewrite Defaults" under the "Skins" menu.

- Fixed a "disappearing button" problem associated with the Batch "OK" button

- Fixed an error in which changing skins while processing batch jobs could lock out the possibility of interrupting the program -- essentially locking out the user.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.71

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than Feb 16th, 2005):

- Added support for CCE v2.70. This version of the encoder seems to have improved quality while also increasing speed. A new CCE option has been added to the "Options" menu called "CCE SP Trial" -- which must be used when using trial versions (now that they can accept .ECL files directly). "CCE SP Trial" uses the path specified for CCE SP.

- Added an INI variable through which the header for "CCE SP Trial" .ECL files can be modified. The variable is called "CCE_Trial_Header" and it is located in the "Options" area of "REBUILDER.INI" (used for hacks). Default value is "; CCE SP Trial Version -- Encoder Control List".

- The "AudioDub(Blankclip())" is not applicable to QuEncode now. The setting is ignored when QUENC is selected.

- Fixed an issue with the progress bar in which it was not reset properly when changing skins during encoding.

- Fixed an error in which the Batch Abort button could still disappear when using certain skins (e.g. Simple Blue). Also fixed missing "OK" buttons in "Simple Blue" skin.

- A final minor adjustment was made to SCR calculation to ensure standard buffer limits are maintained.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.72

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version:

- Fixed an error that causes CCE SP V2.50 to create an incorrectly formatted .ECL file and fail in the encoding phase under certain circumstances.

- The GOP size for NTSC material that is not from a FILM source has been changed to default to 15 frames (rather than 12). This should improve quality at a given bitrate on NTSC sources that are interlaced and should be especially useful on episodic discs of television shows.

- Made a correction to the quality prec value for CCE v2.70. The scale has been changed (again) in this CCE version. The scale is again set to 0-100. NOTE: DVD-RB will automatically make the conversions between the scales of different versions.

- Updated the SETUP and ABOUT screens with new images provided by Rockas. Now there is more room available for viewing paths in the "Rockas Original" SETUP screen. You must select "Rewrite Defaults" under the SKINS menu for this change to take effect.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.73

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than Feb 28th, 2005):

- Made code associated with timing adjustments more robust. This will fix many of the #0003, #0004 and #0006 errors experienced. It should also make DVD-RB more compatible with edited files from DVD ReMake and VOB Blanker.

- Added code to trap certain error #52 and '5' conditions caused by an invalid path. These errors are related to DVD ISO images that have been mounted. Some DVDs apparently have hidden illegal file info that forces these errors and causes DVD-RB (and other software) to fail. It should work now.

- Corrected an error in which null packets (generated by DVD Decrypter as a way of bypassing certain protection schemes) were incorrectly being inserted into into the output stream causing Error #0003 (possibly other errors as well depending upon positioning).

- Added a "BatchHeight=X" variable to the [MAIN] section of the Skin description. It makes it possible to relocate the batch box to the bottom of the screen (rather than only the right side). (Rockas rules).

- Added additional QuEnc support making newer versions more compatible. DVD-RB now outputs command line parameters to prevent muxing, which is reported to have been related to errors.

- Fixed an error in which the maximum bitrate was being incorrectly set at only 80% of the calculated value for PAL sources that were being encoded using OPV. Probably little/no impact -- but it's correct now.

- Changed defaults so all segments with less than 60 frames are encoded using CBR. Previously this only applied to half-d1. It seems CCE may have problems applying VBR to some exceptionally small sources.

- Added code to handle IFO cell table entries that reference sections of a VOB that is smaller than a cell (protection?) found on some recent DVDs (e.g. Resident Evil Apocalypse, The Forgotten). DVD-RB ensures the structure remains true to the original.

- Moved the "Verbose Status Window" option to the "File" menu so it is grouped with the other status related options.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.74

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than Mar 1st, 2005):

- Cool new interface. Again designed by Rockas and it takes better advantage of the available space and all functions are logically positioned. Make sure you select "Rewrite Defaults" from the "Skins" menu to take advantage of this interface.

- Fixed an error in which OPV predictions on small files could get caught in a forever loop and end with an error '6'. The change in 0.73 that forced CBR encoding was not allowing the adjustments.

- Fixed a minor error in which some qual_prec= settings in ECL files were being set to floating point values. Just a cleanup - no real effect.

- Corrected a very elusive error related to flushing information at the end of cells -- could have been responsible for some possible stutter and audio drift.

- Fixed and error in which the "Rewrite Defaults" function wasn't properly updating the graphics files.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.75

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than Mar 6th, 2005):

- Found and fixed a bug that was causing "Runtime Error 9" at the end of the PREPARE phase.

- Made a couple of (slight) adjustments to the OPV prediction code to try and make sizing more accurate.

- Corrected an error in which the subtitles listbox was not being disabled properly during execution. This could lead to changes during execution that might cause anomalous behaviour.

- Added code so the values selected for VTSs under "Disable Interlaced", "Resize to Half D1", and "Convert LB 4:3 to 16:9" (all under the "OPTIONS/AVS OPTIONS/ADVANCED (EXPERT) OPTIONS" are saved when set so they can be active during batch encoding. In order to protect against accidentally setting and forgetting them (causing unexpected results) , they will ONLY be activated when loading as a project("FILE/OPEN PROJECT") which includes loads in batch mode.

- Fixed an error in which switching skins while encoding in batch mode might make the Batch listbox unavailable.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.76

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected no later than Mar 13th, 2005):

- Found and fixed an error that could cause "Runtime error '5'" during the rebuild phase.

- Corrected an error in which the cell elapsed time was not being correctly entered in NAVPACKS. It was resetting back to zero for each segment (as opposed to each cell). This was reported to cause playback problems on some players. Hats off to gm901 for some outstanding beta testing and trouble reporting.

- Corrected an error in which the bitrates reported in the status window were incorrect when sources were PREPAREed with "Dynamically Assign Cell Bitrates" turned off.

- Added code to prevent the Q prediction routine from ever returning a value less than 1. Also fixed an error that could cause output from OPV to be oversized under some circumstances.

- Corrected the opv_brate_max value so the that it is contrained by the sum of the audio tracks during Q prediction (as is true in the actual encoding). This could theoretically improve prediction accuracy.

- Inserted code to recognize QuEnc v0.54 and not use the "-mpeg2mux" command line option (it causes a command line error).

- Corrected an error associated with the -cmatrix or -qlb switches in QuEnc. The -cmatrix was not getting inserted on any versions oher than v0.54.

- Renamed the button for one-click mode from "Transcode" to "Backup DVD" -- the term "Transcode" was a source of confusion for some.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.77

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (VIP release, non-VIP expected in late Mar, 2005):

- Fixed an error in which the VOBU_SRI tables in NAVPACKS could contain incorrect entries in cells containing multiple segments. This could result in problems with rewind and fast forward.

- Corrected an error in which the working path selection button remained disabled after aborting a batch job.

- Added code to help prevent VBR errors caused by very small segments w/low bitrates being sent to QuEnc. Now all segments shorter than 60 frames are encoded with CBR (i.e. CCE). Also added -vbr to the command line as not doing so may have contributed to reported sizing problems.

- Widened the "ENCODE" button in the "Rockas Original" skin. It was cutting off part of the "Stop/Pause" text when encoding. You must select "Rewrite Defaults" from the "Skins" menu for this change to take effect.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.78

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in early Apr, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS
- Corrected an error in which encoder windows may not close properly when aborted during encoding.

- Modified QuEnc command line to control maximum b frame setting.

- Made mods to improve OPV prediction slightly for CCE

- Added a check after each encode to warn if the resulting .M2V file was not created. This is to counter some #0003 errors that may be experienced during the rebuild phase of the affected segment.

- Added filesize checks so versions of QuEnc can be discovered.

- Made a correction to the STILL_FRAME detection algorithm. This will reduce the number of segments detected on many DVDs.

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO (VIP Only) VERSION ONLY
- Added "Skip PREPARE during Batch" option under the file menu. This is meant to assist those who are using RB-Opt. This option forces the assumption that you have already completed the PREPARE phase (and processed with RB-Opt) before beginning the batch sequence. This option is saved with project (RBD) files, so it can be set to a different value for each entry in a batch sequence. Notes: Setting this option when PREPARE has not been completed ahead of time will result in errors.

- Added support for the HC encoder developed by HANK315. This independently developed encoder provides exceptionally high quality (with some sacrifice in speed). Note: In order to work you must use version .01 of HC (with *BATCH setting) and the executable file must be named as "HC.EXE" and loaded into the same directory as DVD-RB.

- Added Constant Quantization (CQ) One Pass VBR (OPV) mode support for QuEnc. This mode can dramatically cut down on encoding time and produce high quality output. Note: The nature of CQ encoding can make sizing less accurate, and the CQ prediction routine is new and needs some tweaking. The nature of CQ increments makes it a little like measuring with a micrometer and cutting with an axe. May tend to undersize, your feedback is welcome. Nic's QuEnc is getting closer and closer to CCE's capabilities.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.79

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid Apr, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS
- Corrected the SRI table computation algorithm to make FF/RWD offsets more closely compliant with the DVD standards.

- Fixed an error that could cause the V_F/BWD_Exist2 flag of the SRI tables to be sometime set/reset incorrectly.

- Corrected the QLB matrix switch so it works again with the QuEnc encoder.

- Added the "Create New Folder" option to the "Browse for Folder" dialog when browsing for WORKING or OUTPUT folders so people won't have to go in and out of the program when they need to create a new one. Thanks to Rockas and Ryan for pointing out the flag I'd missed.

- Corrected ConvertToYV12() statement in AVS files so it is sensitive to interlaced sources. Also forced the insertion of ConvertToYUY2() when CCE is selected regardless of whether the AVSOptions selection. This was causing some problems for folks who mistakenly unchecked it.

- Added code to prevent "impossible" Q values (as a result of extreme compression -- e.g. in Half/Half encoding where 50% reduction is also applied). This should prevent getting a "Runtime error 6" when the Q value gets too large.

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY
- Created a new menu item called "Advanced (Expert)" under the Options menu. Note to the beginners: The options under this menu should only be changed by those who are familiar with them and understand the impacts -- that is why it is only being added to the "Pro" version of DVD-RB. More to come.

- Added customized MATRIX capability. Now custom matrices can be loaded from definition files. When run this version will automatically create a MATRIX directory in the DVD-RB path and load it will four default custom matrices that can be used with CCE (versions that support custom matrices), QuEnc, and HC encoder. A matrix can be selected for normal, low bitrate (< 3Mbs), very low bitrate (< 2Mbs), or for use against extras only (e.g. for half-d1). The appropriate matrix will be used based upon the bitrates DVD-RB calculates for each segment. A matrix editor is in the works by Rockas so additional custom matrices can be added. The selected matrices are saved in project files -- so if you use them be sure you know what they are before encoding.

- Added the ability to select the Group of Pictures (GOP) size for encoding. In some circumstances you can get better quality by extending the GOP size. Be careful, though, as the DVD size limit is 15 frames for PAL and 18 frames for NTSC and some encoders can occasionally make GOPs slightly larger than the the number specified. Warning: Do not select "18 Frame GOP" unless you know exactly why. Some encoders (e.g. CCE Basic) will not accept a value of 18 for the GOP size.

- Added DC Precision to the Advanced Menu. You can now enter the value to be used to set the bit precision of the intra block dc coefficient. Generally a low value is good for high motion scenes and and smooth work better with higher DC precision values. If you don't know what it is: you should leave it set to the default!

- Changed the configuration of the HC.INI file so that when using the HC encoder, the AUTOGOP function will be used as the default unless overridden by the "GOP Size" advanced option.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.80

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid Apr, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Added code to do a check for existing .M2V file after a segment encode is completed, and to reencode the segment if it does not (up to 3 tries). There have been reports of missing .M2V files causing errors during rebuild. Most often this is caused by an errant keystroke stopping the encode accidentally -- but it appears that sometimes an encoder can abnormally exit leaving DVD-RB without an M2V to process. This code should reduce that likelihood.

- Fixed an error in QuEnc encodes in which the maximum bitrate was always set to 9000Kbs. While this would most often have little impact there could be instances in which this could raise the total bitrate to a level that is greater than the DVD specification.

- Corrected an error where under rare circumstances the calculated average and maximum bitrates could be set to the same value. This can cause some encoders to fail or freeze.

- Added a "-maxbitrate" parameter to the QuEnc command line for segments less than 60 frames in order to ensure HC can work in the freeware version. These had been done at CBR due to problems seen in both QuEnc and CCE with very small segments -- it is needed because HC does VBR encoding only.

- Made changes to the segment encoding code to better assure all segments are encoded properly.

- Added an output line that displays how long the entire job has taken in "One-Click" mode.

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Updated the HC interface so it now works with the newer HC Batch encoder. Please note that support for the previous HC encoder IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED. This freeware encoder is coming along nicely. While not the fastest encoder available -- the quality is outstanding. Please note: The HC encoder's .EXE file must be loaded in the same directory as DVD Rebuilder and the name must start with "HCBATCH" (e.g. "HCBATCH_012.EXE"). The new HC version is free and at the time of this writing can be downloaded from here:

http://www.doom9.org/Soft21/Encoders/MPEG2/HCbatch_012.zip

- Fixed an error in which the checkmarks weren't being set or reset properly in the DC Precision and GOP Selection menus.

- Fixed an error in HC encodes in which the maximum bitrate was always set to 9000Kbs. While this would most often have little impact there could be instances in which this could raise the total bitrate to a level that is greater than the DVD specification.

- Added the "*WAIT 0" command to HC encoder settings. This will reduce overall DVD encode time on future HC versions.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.81

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late Apr, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Fixed the "Runtime Error 52" that occured with the working path is invalid. A proper error message now appears and gracefully exits the PREPARE.

- Changed the displayed text of the error message in an UpdateIFO routine so it spells out any missing cells that it has found during REBUILD. Formerly known as the notorious "Contact developer" message.

- Added the "adjust_q_matrix=0" parameter to ECL files to prevent CCE from using adaptive quantizer matrices as there could be incompatibilities on some DVD players.

- Corrected an error in which an exceptionally large segment (e.g. Cape Fear bonus disc) could cause DVD-RB to not integrate file into the output, causing an extreme undersize in the VIDEO_TS folder.

- Added code that will automatically update your Skins if they are out of date. This is needed to ensure layout changes or possible new fields are also updated.

- Changed the button for starting batch encodes from "Ok" to "Start" -- the OK button was confusing...

- Modified the CCE Advanced settings dialog so the number of passes can't be changed when CCE Basic is selected, (CCE Basic does no more than 2 passes). This seems to have caused confusion for some who weren't aware of CCE Basic's two pass limit.

- Removed "Dynamically Assign Cell Bitrates" as a menu option. Cell bitrates are always dynamically assigned now. Not doing so detracts from output quality.

- Changed the actions taken for segments of less than 60 frames. Instead of setting to CBR, VBR is used but with a minimum bitrate. This more accurately correct the reason for adding this fix originally.

- Changed INF file slightly. Added two new values to each segment section.

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added a major "Pro" feature. A Segment Viewer/Editor option has been added to the "Options" menu. This editor (following the PREPARE phase) allows you to view each of the detected segments to see what it contains, you can then selectively blank out the video, or replace it with a SLIDESHOW. Saved space is reallocated to the DVD's main feature. Look for more options being added to the editor.

- Added a "Movie and Menu Only" option to the "Mode" menu this will automatically detect extras following PREPARE and blank them out -- leaving the movie and menus fully functional.

- Added a "Movie, Menu, and Slideshow Extras" optin to the "Mode" menu. This option will automatically detect extra segments and replace them with a SLIDESHOW.

- Added the ability to set the HC encoder path in the SETUP screen. This was requested by a couple of folks who wanted to put it somewhere other than in the DVD-RB directory.

- Updated STILLFRAME code so frames are no longer reencoded but instead are kept intact and are reintegrated into the output stream.

- Removed the path settings for DECOMB.DLL from the SETUP screen. The filter is (or at least should be) rarely used and I wanted to clean that up before going to version 1.00. You can still set the path by editing or adding a "DECOMB=" line in the [PATHS] section of the REBUILDER.INI file.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.82

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late Apr, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Fixed a "Runtime Error 75" error that can occur when files in the working directory cannot be cleared.

- Corrected settings that may not be set properly during a project load (e.g. during batch encoding)

- Fixed a memory leak that became especially noticable in OPV analysis using v0.81. The symptom of this problem would be an increase in DVD-RB's memory usage over time as jobs are run, and eventually cause memory swapping and slowdown after a few jobs in batch mode. Note: The leak was not persistent -- meaning it was corrected each time DVD-RB would exit and restart.

- Added code to removed sequence end codes that are added as a default on some encoders. The end code at the end of a segment can cause problems on some players.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Fixed an error in which the decoder and HC paths were not properly aligned in the "Windows Standard" and the "Simple Blue" SETUP screens.

- Implemented code to keep legacy Skins compatible.

- Corrected an error in which audio streams recovered when blanking segments were not being accounted for. This could cause slight undersizing and would not give the recovered space to the feature.

- Fixed an error in which loading a project file was not correctly setting either of the "Movie Only" menu only options checkboxes (including batch mode). Note that the movie would encode properly, it just displays the check mark incorrectly.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.83

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in early May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Fixed an error in which some of the options that are not available in "No Compresssion" or "ReJig" modes were not properly enabling/deenabling as modes were selected.

- Correct a problem in which VTSs that were 100% ILVU content were not included in the output directory.

- Revamped the processes associated with removal of subpictures. In previous versions it was sometimes possible for subs to be kept that weren't selected and (rarely) for the wrong subs to be removed when running in three-click mode.

- Changed the default minimum bitrate (MIN_BITRATE) to 500Kbs. It was previously set to 100. This should negate the possibility of getting CCE "MPVA VBF ovg frame #" errors and DVD-RB's resulting "ERROR: Encoder failed to create .M2V. Aborted."

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added a new "hidden" setting in the [Options] are of REBUILDER.INI for enabling CCE's adaptive quantizer matrices feature: "CCEAQM=1" -- if you decide to use this feature, be very careful. The reason it is "hidden" is because, according to the CCE notes, it might be incompatible with some DVD players.

- Corrected an error in which the value "qmat_idx=0" could be incorrectly inserted in an ECL file. The result could be the use of the standard matrix as opposed to the custom one you've chosen.

- Fixed an error in the segment editor in which the amount of savings was incorrectly calculated when selecting "SLIDESHOW" settings. The result caused the "Recovered Space" to not return to zero as you switch between that and "No Action" mode. Final calculations were accurate, however.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.84

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND YET TO BE RELEASED FREEWARE

- Corrected an error in which some under certain circumstances some small VOB files may not be copied to the output directory and as a result might not make it ot the final output. Note: This issue does not apply to Freeware v0.82 as it was introduced in v0.83.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Implemented new procedures to prevent unreported overflow errors that are occurring in CCE version 2.70 (both SP and Basic) from causing undersized builds (with frames missing). Tweaked several parameters that make the overflow less likely to happen, and also inplemented a segment frame count verification in the REBUILD phase to flag it should it somehow again happen.

- Added code that does a checksum verification of the source directory which is now used in the ENCODE and REBUILD phases. There have been several reported errors that were caused by attempting to encode or rebuild against a different source than was mounted at the time of PREPARE.

- Made several changes related to how DVD-RB handles sources that have a width of 704 pixels. While these are very uncommon, they are within the DVD standard. There should be no more problems with reencoding these sources.

- Changed the mechanism for setting maximum bitrate for VBR encodes. The previous method was overly aggressive and could cause rates that are too low that might force buffer overflows in CCE.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added an additional selection to the "Steal space from Extras" menu. You can now decide to steal only 10% in addition to 25%, 33%, and 50%. This is for folks who what to help the main movie, but keep the extras reasonably clear as well.

- Added display of the percent completed value (for encoding and rebuilding) when DVD-RB is minimized.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.85

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND YET TO BE RELEASED FREEWARE

- Fixed "Runtime Error 9" error when attempting to run in one-click mode with an invalid directory.

- Added code to reduce the likelihood of false positive detection and abort in the "missing frames" check routine of the rebuild.

- Located and corrected a source of Runtime Error '9' during rebuild that would have happened on exceptionally long source M2V GOPs.

- Added code to reset the vbr maximum bitrate to the maximum DVD compliant rate if creation of a a .M2V file is not successful after 2 attempts.

- Tweaked the OPV prediction algorithm to try and reduce the number of passes required to hit the target value.

- Added code to properly identify and output an error message when the encoder path is invalid, this corrects the non-descript "Error 53".

- Corrected an error in which the quality_prec parameter was being incorrectly converted to a 0-100 scale. Also improved the accuracy of the conversion and removed extraneous decimal values. (Freeware Only)
- Changed "missing frames" check so that it only reports "possible" missing frames, but does not stop the process. (Freeware Only)


CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added new support for OPV in the latest version of the HC encoder (HCBatch v013 or above). Hank315 has modified HC to give greater CQ value granularity improving prediction for the One Pass Variable Bitrate (OPV) encoding capability of HC. Now DVD-RB can use the same prediction algorithms developed for CCE OPV prediction to get high quality results in a single pass.

- Reformatted the segment listbox in the segment viewer/editor in order to make it more readable.

- Added version checking/reporting for HC encoder.

- There is now an INI value under [Options] that allows a target output setting that is specific to HC. You can set HCTargetSectors= in the same way as you would CCETargetSectors. When nothing is set, it defaults to the "TargetSectors" value.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.86

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- By popular demand I have added a new Movie-Only mode. By removing all extraneous material this mode guarantees the highest possible quality reproduction of the DVD's main film.

- Modified the HC One Pass VBR prediction and parameter passing to take advantage of the new version (HCBatch, v014 or above). Hank315 has modified the new version to limit maximum bitrate. This makes it possible to use HC OPV and remain within DVD bitrate limitations. Outstanding work by Hank315. This encoder is giving CCE a run for its money.

- For experts: I've added a flag under "Resize to Half-D1" that allows for adjustment in the method of resizing. While my testing shows most sources use a "generic PAR" and will be resized directly -- there are ITU PAR sources that need to have the left/right overscan areas stripped before resizing to Half-D1. The "Adjust for ITU Aspect Ratio" flag does that. Please note that the difference is very slight and in most cases would not be noticable. An ITU PAR incorrectly size would only show a 2% horizontal aspect distortion.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Added a fix that significantly increased the point at which the "Buffer Overflow 0003" or the "Buffer Overflow 0004" is reached. While this error is normally a result of a corrupted source, I have found at least one example in which the buffer overflowed on a legitimate source. This will correct that.

- Again changed the method of encoding for very small segments. Some reports of CCE CRC errors make it necessary to create a "workaround". Now all segments of less than 60 frames are encoded using one pass VBR in CCE SP versions. Single frames encoded with CCE Basic are done in CBR. The Pro version still retains STILLS intact.

- Changed the setting for ProCoder output so the .ECL file (using ECLPro) has "seq_endcode=1" for all encodes. Since DVD-RB now removes endcodes automatically this save time by not requiring ProCoder to do so. Thanks to Robot1.

- Modified the way DVD-RB calls web pages so it uses the default browser (it was making a call to "Explorer" before -- which always called Internet Explorer. Thanks again to Robot1.

- Added a "Contents" option to the Help Menu. This will open the default file DVD-RBHELP.CHM in the DVD-RB home direcotry if it exists.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.87

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- (v0.87a) Corrected a minor syntax error.

- Fixed an error in Movie-Only mode that caused a 'Runtime Error 9" on any DVD in which the main feature is not in VTS_01. Silly mistake.

- Corrected an error in which Movie-Only mode may create a segment having a frame length of zero under certain circumstances which could cause CCE version 2.70 to fail with "No M2V".

- Corrected an error in which the CQ value for HC was being incorrectly written to the HC INI file. This could result in erroneous sizing and prediction loops in countries that use the comma as a decimal point.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Modified startup routines to prevent multiple instances of DVD-RB from running concurrently. This prevents any of a number possible errors from occurring.

- Corrected an error in which the quality_prec parameter was being incorrectly converted to a 0-100 scale. Also improved the accuracy of the conversion and removed extraneous decimal values. (Freeware v0.84 & up)

- Added code so the "Contents" help command will look in a subfolder "Help" as well as the DVD-RB executable directory.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.88

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late May, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Corrected an error in which a nonexistent source directory could cause unexpected errors upon program start.

- Added code so the color lookup table (CLUT) of the source PGC is collected and stored for use in Movie-Only output. This should fix the unreadable green subtitles problem.

- Corrected an error in which movie-only subtitle tables were being incorrectly updated.

- Fixed an off-by-one error in which the final segment of a DVD was not being loaded into the segment viewer/editor.

- Fixed a bug in which "Runtime Error 11" could occur under certain circumstances when using "No Compression" and movie-only mode.

- Corrected an error that could cause incorrect sizing when changing parameters in the editor or choosing "Movie and Menus Only" or "Movies, Menus, and Slideshow Extras".

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Modified the "missing frames" message. It now makes a reference entry in the status window and continues with the rebuilding process. (Changed on unreleased freeware versions as well). I have concerns that RB may be finding false positives.

- Corrected an error in which MPEG Layer audio was not being accounted for properly in the DVD sizing and was not being removed properly when selected for removal. This was causing oversizing on homemade discs (commercial discs generally use AC3 audio).

[jdobbs]

Version 0.89/0.90

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in early June, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- (v0.90a) Fixed a last minute syntax error.

- (v0.90) Fixed an error (introduced in v0.89) in which Movie-Only mode could fail to execute under certain circumstances.

- (v0.90) Fixed a source of "Runtime Error 9" during the encode phase when using OPV.

- (v0.90) Fixed "Runtime Error 5" that could happen upon startup under certain conditions.

- Corrected an error in the way subtitle streams are identified in movie-only mode.

- Fixed "Runtime Error 6" error that could occur in the ENCODE phase when attempting to use SLIDESHOW mode on the last segment of a stream.

- Changed OPV encoding so it doesn't use custom matrices. Since OPV uses constant quality (quantizer) encoding, the precalculated bitrate shouldn't be used as a method of determining quantizer matrix as it really doesn't apply. This should make sizing predictions more accurate.

- Corrected an error in REBUILD that could result in a "Runtime Error 6, Overflow" when still rebuilding segments selected as SLIDESHOW.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

[Note: Freeware v0.89 includes changes in v0.87 & 0.88 (skipped over)]

- Modified code so that proper structure will be created whether or not DVD Decrypter's "Remove Structure Protection" is selected. Because DVD-RB made corrections itself, in previous versions using a source for which Decrypter had also removed structure protection would in effect reverse itself and cause long blanks at title start.

- Adjusted subpicture stream id collection so it will work properly with a multiple PGC source.

- Corrected an error in which "Reduce by 50%" was not being read properly from .RBD files so it was not being set properly in batch encodes. (Changed in Pro v0.89 and unreleased Freeware)

- Modified the project save routine so that now subpicture selections are also saved in the RBD file.

- Corrected a problem in which attempting to call an encoder with an incorrect path could cause "Runtime Error 52" and cause Rebuilder to abort.

- Modified audio and subpicture handling so that unreferenced streams (streams listed in the IFO attributes tables that are never used in a PGC) are labeled as such and defaulted to off.

- Fix a bug in which selecting CCE Mode on the menu was incorrectly resetting the CCE path to the one selected for "CCE SP" regardless of the version truly selected.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.91

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in early June, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Modified the handling of Movie-Only and it's relationship to D2V files. Also cleaned up problems with Movie-Only and certain types of structure protection.

- Fixed "Runtime Error 340" that could happen when attempting to automatically change the Movie-Only option.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Corrected "Runtime Error 6" during REBUILD on sources that have very large TMAP tables in the IFO file.

- Added code to inhibit the "...is already small enough to fit " warning when using the "No Compression" mode.

- Made a change to OPV prediction routines that will significantly improve output sizing on certain types of movies.

- Removed the restriction that limited output size to 100% of the original. There are rare occasions in which additional processing (e.g. frame resizing/filtering) may need additional bandwidth that is made available through extra reduction or movie-only modes. Generally, though, it is best to use "No Compression" mode on sources that would hit 100% or greater.

- Added code to include a "(DC)" to the description of audio and/or subtitle streams if they are flagged as director's comments. Also added a "(F)" to subtitles that are forced.

- Corrected an error in which very rarely, under a specific set of circumstances, a 4:3 source (that has some portion of its stream flagged as 16:9) could incorrectly change the aspect ratio to 16:9 in the IFO file.

- Changed the default background color to one that is more standard. The background color only applies to skins that have no graphic that fills the background (like "Windows Standard").

- Corrected an error in which retail versions of CCE 2.67 before v2.67.0.27 would set the wrong value for "video_type" in the ECL and perform OPV rather than multipass encoding.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.92

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in mid June, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added support for multiple angles in Movie Only mode. Previous versions would copy the multiple angle sections but did not make IFO changes allowing selection and playback.

- Modified Movie-Only creation so it recreates the cell structure of the original DVD/PGC. Previous versions built chapter tables based upon the cell structure of the primary PGC.

- Found and fixed "Runtime Error 5" that could occur immediately upon start of PREPARE when using Movie-Only mode. My thanks to bryanb and Lark for pointing out and helping with finding this very elusive problem.

- Added an advanced "Graphic Analysis" display that will show the structure of a VTS to help the user understand the original authoring. The display is accessible by double-clicking on the VTS you wish to view in the "Video Title Sets" list box.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Modified the selection routine for "Source" so that now if a directory is selected that contains a "VIDEO_TS" subdirectory, that directory is automatically tried before returning a "does not contain" error message. This seems to have caused some confusion to some users.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.93

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late June, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added support for writing ISO images using the mkisofs utility. In order to make this option you must have the MKISOFS program file installed in either the rebuilder directory ora subdirectory under rebuilder called "APPS". Note that this is all done automatically if you use the Rockas installer. If you are doing a manual install, the two files needed (mkisofs.exe and cywin1.dll) are included in the rebuilder zip file. After the files exist, the next time you run DVD-RB the "Output to ISO Image File" option in the "Mode" menu will be enabled. You can also select a VOLUME NAME and FILE NAME for the ISO image or choose to automatically delete the files after writing (to save space). These options are selected using the "Select ISO Output Options" selection -- also under the MODE menu.

- Added automatic burning of created ISO images with DVD Decrypter. If the "Automatically Burn with DVD Decrypter" option is selected under the "Select Output Options Dialog" the ISO created will be automatically written to disc using DVD Decrypter at the end of the REBUILD phase. Please note that this option will be disabled if DVD Decrypter has not been installed on the host computer. Also note: This option is ignored when in "Batch" mode for obvious reasons.

- Added a FILE menu option to burn an ISO image, this is just for convenience, as the image is actually burned by DVD Decrypter.

- Changed the "MPEG Standard" matrix so it is updated to what is generally considered more "standard" today. In order to update it, you can just delete the file "MPEG Standard.mtx" from the MATRIX directory under the DVD-RB installation path. DVD-RB will see it is missing and update it when next started.

- Added a menu selection under "OPTIONS/AVS OPTIONS/ADVANCED (EXPERT) OPTIONS" in which you can instruct the decoder to use of of a list of 7 iDCT choices. This replaces the former single "idct=7" choice.

- Added a new "Key" mechanism so the executable file "REBUILDER.EXE" can be downloaded from multiple locations and can be included in the Rockas Installer package. The executable will not run unless a "KEY" file exists in the DVD-RB directory. Similar to the previous method, when VIPs are notified of new versions they will receive a link to a personalized key file. Placing this key file in the DVD-RB directory will enable the software.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Found and corrected a long-time vexing error that could cause "Buffer Overflow...0003" and "Buffer Overflow...0004". This is very likely the root of some of the "preprocessing" errors that have been reported -- and was accentuated in DVD-RBs "Movie and Menus Only" mode. This one was truly difficult to pin down. My thanks to Carpo, t3rror, and Numer0bis for helping to nail this elusive error.

- Fixed an error in which the TMAP tables were not being updated correctly for Interleaved and/or Angled sources. This may have caused errors in random access into those sections.

- Corrected a source of possible "Runtime Error 9" that could happen when IFO and VOBs aren't in agreement about ILVU. This conflict may happen during PREPARE when certain types of preprocessing have been done).

- Changed output directory format. Now in the designated output dirctory a subdirectory is created called "DVDFILES". The AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders are created under that name. This is meant to help avoid confusion and assist in future enhancements by consolidating all files that should be written to the DVD within a single directory.

[jdobbs]

Version 0.93.2

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late June, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added a checkmark on the menu for AVS Filter editing. If checked it indicates that filters are present in the editor. Also added a line to the status/log when starting a job that shows filters are in effect.

- Adjusted the ISO Image creation code so it would be more robust in recognizing error conditions.

- Fixed an error in the ISO Image creation routine in which ISO output would fail when any of the program, output, or working directories contained a embedded spaces.

- Changed the registry entry from which the DVD Decrypter path was collected, the one used may not have been set on all systems.

- (v0.93.1) Corrected an error that was causing "Runtime 13" when the "ENCODERS" directory wasn't created.

[jdobbs]

Version 1.00 Release Candidate 1

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in late July, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Added a new v1.00 graphical interface that is based upon a prototype developed by Teck. Now by using selection tabs the majority of functions can all be handled from within the main dialog! My thanks to Teck for a great idea. I've also included a Rockas theme design (based upon Teck's) as the default. For folks who like the traditional interface -- you have something new too! Rockas has updated the Professional Edition with a new "Rockas Original" skin design. Skins are still fully functional.

- Added full support for reencoding and reauthoring of ILVU sequences. Now very large ILVU sections will no longer put severe limits on bitrates. Lots of new code was implemented here -- I ask that all of the DVD-RB beta testers please exercise it thoroughly and report back on DOOM9. Note: If you run into problems or would like to disable this code for any reason and force use of the previous "ILVU-intact" method -- add the hidden command "ILVU_Encode=0" in the [Options] section of the REBUILDER.INI file.

- Implemented a new key mechanism. It works much like the old one -- in that you have to simply copy the file into the DVD-RB directory. But you must also know your registered e-mail address and use it to activate the key (from within DVD-RB). Also, it is always named "REBUILDER.RBK" -- the last naming structure caused lots of headaches for those having a ".AU" in their e-mail name. It also threw errors when double clicked because it wasn't a registry key as many assumed.

- Added ISO failsafe code so that padding is inserted at any time it may be possible for an IFO and BUP to overlap in the same ECC. This dramatically decreases the possibility of a scratch ever damaging both an IFO and it's corresponding backup (BUP) file (which can render a disc unplayable). Note that this action is only taken when DVD-RB has been instructed to create an ISO image. Also note IFOEDIT will incorrectly see the changes to the IFO for padding as offset errors. Do NOT perform an IFOEDIT "Get VTS Sectors" against a VIDEO_TS folder that has been built for ISO unless you are planning to use some other burning package to create the disc -- as IFOEDIT will incorrectly change the values back to the non-failsafe state.

- Added procedures that automatically determine the volume label and ISO filename when selecting an input source. Uses actual device detected Volume ID or directory name depending upon the input source and path format. Default value is "DVD-VIDEO"

- Added quotes around volume label for ISO creation. Previously any spaces in the volume name could cause ISO burn to get confused.

- Fixed an error in which an iDCT method loaded from a project could cause two options to be checked.

- Updated the QLB Matrix to match DragonGodz latest changes. in order to update it, you can just delete the file "QuEnc Lower Bitrate (QLB).mtx" from the MATRIX directory under the DVD-RB installation path. DVD-RB will see it is missing and update it when next started.

- Modified the parameters for HC to match the newer versions -- there is now only three quality profiles (FAST, NORMAL, BEST).

- Fixed an error in which the segment viewer/editor would allow you to make changes even though the source information had changed since PREPARE.

- Changed the viewer/editor so is shows VOBID/CELLID and length (in hh:mm:ss:ff) in time rather than segment number and frame count. I think this may be more useful information to most people.

- Added two more options to the FILE menu. You can now select to create an ISO, or create and write (to disc) an ISO for the current project.

- Fixed an error that could cause undersizing in movie-only encodes due to miscalculating the size of the original stream (especially true in ILVU sources).

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

- Fixed an error that could cause an "Runtime Error 9" upon program start or when loading a Project file when the source path is no longer present.

- Added code to disable path buttons when running any of the tree phases. Previously changing any of the Source, Working, or Output paths (either purposefully or accidentally) during execution could cause various errors (including Runtime 54).

- Adjusted the average bitrate for encodes to ensure it the minimum and average bitrates were never the same.

- Added a confirmation note when audio or subpicture defaults are saved from the SETUP screen. Also removed the old screen flags that were incompatible with skins.

- Fixed an error in which ReJig could receive values greater than 100% for its reduction level.

- Fixed an error that could result in "Runtime Error 52" on certain sources when using either ReJig or "No Compression" settings.

- Fixed an error in which exiting via the Windows "X" while rebuilding is in occuring could have anomalous results -- including program lockout.

[jdobbs]

Version 1.00 Release Candidate 2

Below is a summary of the changes/updates associated with this version (Pro release, Freeware expected for release in early August, 2005):

CHANGES MADE TO PRO VERSION ONLY

- Corrected algorithm for seamless branching analysis and detection. RC1 made some incorrect assumptions that could result in bad interleaving. This could also have resulted in several other possible errors based upon the structure of the source. This might also be a cause of "Runtime Error 63".

- Fixed an error that was causing a "Runtime Error 9" when selecting/deselecting an audio or subpicture stream when no VTS was highlighted.

- Fixed "Runtime Error 6" that could happen when while interleaving ILVU objects.

- Fixed an error in which the PREPARE phase could get stuck awaiting a keystroke at the message "Blanking all EXTRA Segments" when "Movies and Menus Only" or "Movies and Slideshow Extras" are chosen.

- In response to the "man, that sure is ugly" comments about the bluish backgrounds used in controls in the tab areas I have changed them in the Teck Skin and also added a variable to the Skin definitions called "v1TextBackground" that can change it. I'd like it to be clear that Teck was not responsible for that color choice.

- Enabled the "Remove Dir Comments" function in the Setup screen and made it functional. Also added it to the Teck skin's setup. I kinda' forgot about this on the first RC...

- Fixed error in which display of selected subtitle and audio streams display was not correctly updated when changing selected Skin.

- Added set parameters that ensure ILVU compliance as appropriate when using the HC encoder. This only affects ILVU segments.

- Added set parameters that ensure ILVU compliance as appropriate when using the QuEnc encoder. This only affects ILVU segments.