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

[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.

[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. 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! 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

[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]

Originally Posted by hakko504

Maybe we should link to this thread by markrb as well as the pie thread. 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!

[tominator]

Id like a good guide on cropping and resizing.

[SallyDog]

Originally Posted by tominator

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"

[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]

Originally Posted by bananacreamandpeca

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... 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)

[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!