AVStoDVD Support Thread

[jjcinema1]

For starters the default values in ff_vbr.ini are quite useable. But everyone has different needs, someone puts speed over quality, others who have a very fast computer might want to use the highest quality settings each and every time...

The plugin uses the concept of video bitrate thresholds which I stole from AVStoDVD. In the INI file you define bitrate thresholds for using 1-pass VBR, 2-pass VBR, HQ or XHQ and for custom quant matrices. This way DVDStyler will automatically switch between different modes according to the video bitrate.

One thing you have to know is that I regard 2-pass VBR as a sub-case for VBR and XHQ as a sub-case for HQ. If VBR is not specified then the 2-pass VBR setting will have no effect. And if HQ is not selected then the XHQ setting has no meaning.

Example:
Let's say you always want the best possible quality. You would then unconditionally use 2-pass VBR and the XHQ (Extreme HQ) modes. To achieve this you need to set
VBR_threshold=1
twopass_threshold=1
HQ_threshold=1
XHQ_threshold=1




For more support on DVDStyler you should join the DVDStyler support forum at SourceForge.


Cheers
manolito

Thanks Manolito. I will give that a shot and join the dvdstyler forum so I'm not taking up more space on this a2d thread. Hope to see you there if your a member as you give great advice and so far have helped me learn a lot. Many thanks. I will test out the default values first and get back to you if you are about the dvdstyler forum.

jjcinema

[jjcinema1]

I have using avstodvd to join and convert 2 files that are same specs. I want one mpeg2 stream file but My output is coming out as a .m2v with no audio stream just the video stream. why is this happening and how can I fix it?

Thanks
jjcinema




*******EDIT*****


Its ok I got it fixed, I did an complete unistall and reinstallation of version 2.8.4 and all works fine now.

Thanks
jjcinema

[JukeboxJezabel]

Is there a tool that will easily convert mkv compliant xml chapter texts or the type you find at chapterdb to the ifoedit frame type that avs2dvd uses? Thanks in advance.

[manolito]

Yes, ChapterEditor by hubblec4 can do this easily. Click the "Converter" tab, load the XML, specify the output format and click Save.

Cheers
manolito

[JukeboxJezabel]

Yes, ChapterEditor by hubblec4 can do this easily. Click the "Converter" tab, load the XML, specify the output format and click Save.

Cheers
manolito

Thank you!

[jjcinema1]

Im looking to do some batch converts in my projects, is the JOBLIST feature easy to use and reliable?
I would be adding about 4 episodes at a time to convert in batch form.

Also if I make changes to the title settings avisynth script is there a way to save it so I dont have to retype it everytime?

Thanks
jjcinema

[manolito]

The job list in AVStoDVD is very easy to use and reliable. It just works...

For AviSynth scripts A2D has no feature to manage user specific scripts. I store my personal scripts in separate AVS files and paste them into the script window as needed.

Cheers
manolito

[jjcinema1]

@ Manolito

Yes I have been playing around with the jobs list and it is very easy to get the hang of. That is a good idea regarding your personal scripts in seperate files and just paste them in when needed.

Thanks
jjcinema

[manolito]

...removed...

[manolito]

Added an Administrator Manifest to the compiled batch files. This should ensure better compatibility with Win10.

Just after adding an Administrator Manifest to my compiled batch files I got a complaint by a Win10 user:

I get the popup: "Do you want to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to this computer?"

Without the added Administrator Manifest the file works fine for him.

Was I too quick to make this change? I cannot test this myself since I absolutely refuse to let Win10 get close to any of my computers. Could some AVStoDVD users who are under Win10 please test at least one of the plugins and report her/his findings?


Cheers
manolito

[manolito]

After some research it seems clear that the Windows UAC is responsible for this issue. For some reason the compiled batch files trigger this UAC warning only if they were compiled with an included Administrator Manifest.

Personally I always disable UAC completely after every new Windows installation. But I would probably not recommend this to the average user.

So I decided to recompile my batch files without Administrator Manifests. Please redownload if you have any UAC issues...
http://www109.zippyshare.com/v/FThfn5UY/file.html


Cheers
manolito

[GeoSlv]

I started trying AVStoDVD in order to make new DVD compilations from existing DVDs, without recoding. When I try to load items into the panel, it indexes, then freezes. Names do not appear, my file explorer freezes, I have to force AVStoDVD closed. Can't get past that. Windows 8. Both the self-contained and the installed programs. This is what I consider a program not working with the system properly.
You want all problems placed in this thread?
(I don't see any log file from my attempts)

[theewizard]

LookI think you would need to load only the vob files not every file in the DVD folder
In fact your should convert the DVD to one file per movie, with something like vobtompeg
Then load this into avstodvd

[GeoSlv]

I am capable of converting each title to one VOB file using cladDVD. Then what about avoiding recoding? I'm picking individual titles out of compilation DVDs. I see if I load the IFO file it can index that title. I see AVStoDVD can load that but then it freezes like I say.

[manolito]

Hi GeoSlv,

AVStoDVD can certainly do what you want, but not with your work flow...

First of all CladDVD is more than 10 years old. If your source DVDs are copy protected, you will need a more recent ripper.

Importing IFOs into AVStoDVD directly can give you strange results. Still A2D should not freeze, maybe this is the result of some unhandled copy protection. But the main problem with this approch is that as soon as indexing is required, you will not be able to process the source without reencoding.

To achieve what you want there are several possibilities:
1. Under "Tools->Parse DVD" you can demux the titles and also export chapter information. Use the demuxed files as input.
2. Like theewizard suggested you can create MPG files from your titles with VOBtoMPEG (there is no reencoding involved).
3. Use MakeMKV.

IMO using MakeMKV is by far the most convenient method, so I will explain this a little more:

MakeMKV will repack the titles of a source DVD into an MKV container. There is no reencoding involved, chapters and subs are included, any copy protection gets automatically removed. And MakeMKV is still free.

Download and install MakeMKV, load your source DVD, select the desired title(s). Pick the audio and subtitle tracks you want to include, make the MKV.
Use this MKV as the input for AVStoDVD. Make sure that A2D will keep DVD compliant video and audio streams (either globally under preferences or specify "Direct Stream Copy" for each title under "View/Edit Title Settings").

Another important tip if you are new to AVStoDVD:
Make sure that LAVFilters are used instead of the Microsoft DirectShow filters. Under "Codecs->Preferred DirectShow Codecs Setup" select LAVFilters for all codecs. If you do not do this you are asking for all kinds of trouble...



Good luck
manolito

[GeoSlv]

Thanks for the reply. At the moment I'm working with my own compilations from my VHS collection. Will cladDVD be okay? (It gives .vob output)
I was mislead elsewhere about how this will work.
When I try to change preference to LAV video for mpeg2 it fails to do so.
I'll try more but might not get thru this.

[manolito]

Alright, then your source DVDs will not have any copy protection.

Working with VOB files directly does not work, and using the IFO files as input will force reencoding no matter what. So you will need to convert the VOBs to MPG, or use MakeMKV.

As you will not reencode your source files it should not matter if LAVFilter is used for MPG files or not. If you cannot change this from within AVStoDVD you should use the DSFilter Tweaker Tool (link at the bottom left of the A2D codec setup page).


Cheers
manolito

[GeoSlv]

VOBtoMPEG - I don't suppose that will retain title and chapters. MKV is new to me and maybe it's time I learned it. So when the mpg is more than 1 GB will AVStoDVD make one VTS title set for it individually? I suppose it can create auto chapters.

[GeoSlv]

Now I've given it mpg but it still freezes.
Also it said it wanted to index it.
I had to use DVDVob2Mpg.
I guess I'm giving up.

[manolito]

You are making it unnecessarily complicated for yourself...

DVDVob2MPG is nice, but it requires a little more expertise from the user than the other solutions. And any MPG file can not have chapter information or subs.

When importing an MPG file into AVStoDVd and you do not want to reencode it, then you must NOT index it (even if the popup window recommends it). And if AVStoDVD freezes on you after importing an MPG file then there is a good chance that your system has a problem or two...

Why don't you just use MakeMKV?
And posting your log file would also be very helpful. You can find it in your AVStoDVD output folder.


Cheers
manolito

[GeoSlv]

Thanks again. I'm quitting.
DVDVob2MPG works nice. VOBtoMPEG would not open. MakeMKV won't install.
AVStoDVd can't give a log if I force it shut.

[jcool26]

I'm trying to encode a 2hr 20 MP4 video to DVD and it takes 6 hours to do it. Why does it take so long? Is it best to use freemake before using this?

[manolito]

The encoding speed depends on:
1. Speed of your computer
2. Resolution of your source video
3. Your encoder and filter settings


AVStoDVD automatically selects an encoding mode depending on the video bitrate. For your movie length A2D will pick HCenc 2-pass VBR which is the slowest of the three available modes. But for the highest output quality this is the preferred mode.

If speed is more important to you than quality you can override the encoding mode which was automatically set by A2D. Aftwer loading your source click "View/Edit Title Settings" and go to the "Video" tab. Uncheck automatic settings, then select a different video encoder. HCenc 1-pass is much faster than 2-pass, and under HC Advanced Settings you can select the "fast" profile. The highest available speed results from selecting "FFMpeg CBR", but the quality will be very low.

So after all this is always a tradeoff between speed and quality. And please do not use another encoder like freemake before AVStoDVD. Freemake uses FFMpeg, it cannot do anything which AVStoDVD cannot do also. Encoding a source clip using a lossy encoder twice in a row is an absolute no-no.


Cheers
manolito

[jcool26]

Ok thanks for the info

[jcool26]

Would it be safe to burn the video using dvdstyler after using avstodvd?

[manolito]

AVStoDVD and DVStyler are basically competing applications. They both create DVDs with menus, they both accept almost any input format for transcoding. But they have different priorities:

AVStoDVD started as a pure transcoding/reencoding software. It could create a DVD structure for burning, but it did not create menus, and the focus was on high quality transcoding. Menu creation was added later, and for many folks todays menu capabilities are all they need. But still authoring fancy menu structures is not the strong point of AVStoDVD.

DVDStyler comes from the opposite direction. It started as a pure authoring and menu creation software, it could not transcode/reencode any source videos. This changed later on, the author added FFMpeg to his software to be able to reencode almost any source format for DVD. But the transcoding capabilities were very basic, only CBR mode was supported. (This has changed with the latest release candidate version, now FFMpeg VBR is also supported.) But still the main strength of DVDStyler is menu creation.

Of course you can use both programs together, but I have my doubts about the usefulness of this approach. If the menu features of AVStoDVD are all you need, why use another software for burning? And if you need DVDStyler's menu capabilities, why use a different software for encoding? The new VBR modes for FFMpeg also include some high quality 2-pass VBR modes which provide a quality equal or very close to HCenc.


Chees
manolito

[jcool26]

So if I need the quality menus I should just stick with dvdstyler and let it encode and all. I don't see any options for output quality like avstodvd has.

[videobruger]

I don't see any options for output quality like avstodvd has.

Read ff_vbr.pdf that comes with DVDStyler Version 3 RC2 and use Configuration -> Settings -> Core -> Encoder.

[jcool26]

I just used the default settings and the video quality was perfect and menus were awesome. Much faster time than avstodvd

[manolito]

By default DVDStyler uses FFMpeg in CBR mode as the encoder. It does not even create B-Frames by default. This only gives you good quality at very high bitrates (my threshold for using this mode is 7000 kbps). For medium and low bitrates you should really use one of the VBR methods.

But as always, you are the judge if the video quality is good enough for you. Maybe make some tests at a medium bitrate (around 4500 kbps) and compare the quality of the different encoding modes...


Cheers
manolito