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  1. Member
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    Hello all, I am brand new to this board, and brand new to the work of Blu-Ray authoring. Here are the programs i am using.

    TMPGENC Authoring Works 5
    Handbrake or MPEGStreamClip
    VideoRedo

    Here is my Problem, Which is apparently common amongst alot of newbies, and of all the threads i have read none of them were using my programs so maybe you guys can shed some light on new stuff or what have you.

    When i first started working on these i was told to prepare Blu-Rays i would need to put the footage into MKV's, which to my estimation is a container and not a file format itself. I am trying to fit Standard Def footage (4:3) onto Blu-Ray Discs. I want to make them compliant by adding pillars to them, but i don't know if that is needed, brand new to TMPGENC, and haven't discovered a way to do it there or on Handbrake. VideoRedo has the ability but here in lies my problem. I want to do as little extra encoding as possible to preserve the video quality.

    So with all that being said, What is the best way (And i know there will be different opinions from different posters, but i am open to anything) to encode the files so that TMPGENC won't encode the files again when it's time to make the blu-ray.

    If i seem all over the place, it's because i am haha, i'll specify anything i need to, thank you in advance.
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  2. It may be necessary to know what your source files are from, dvd and/or blu-ray or cam or something else.
    I don't see why you need to put the footage in mkv, not for blu-ray at least.
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  3. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Blu ray standards allow use of SD, both MPEG2 and MPEG4. Unlike for HD, pillarboxing is not necessary. For MPEG2 the same spec as that for DVD can be used. For MPEG4, some exact parameters have to be met. Handbrake et al (even TMPGenc) use x264 as the core MPEG4 encoder, so it may be helpful to know what command line arguments have to be for encoding blu-ray compliant MPEG4 streams by looking at http://www.x264bluray.com/. In the upper left corner of this site's first page, clicking on any of the resolutions brings you to the relevant page. Some of these arguments will have been implemented in certain x264 GUIs (like handbrake) when choosing blu-ray output, so do not include them in the custom command line area. I prefer SimpleX264 launcher because, for me, it is less confusing to use than others; I just have to copy and paste the arguments from the above website and away I go. I have always used avisynth as input for x264, even though I have been told it will now accept VfW AVI files directly, so *.avs is still my input for Simplex264. The files I have produced this way were accepted without fuss by adobe encore; I don't see why the same shouldn't happen with TMPGenc authoring.
    If you are successful in making a blu-ray with 4:3 SD clips, another thing to look out for is a setting in your blu-ray player, which tells it to recognize the 4:3 AR and automatically pillarbox it on a 16:9 display (as opposed to horizontally stretching it).
    As an aside, IMHO, the one limitation of blu-ray is 4:3 HD; there is no allowance for such. So you have to pillarbox your 1440x1080 HD clip in NLE to make it 1920x1080 prior to authoring your blu-ray. This is done all the time with classic non-widescreen movie re-issues on blu-ray.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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  4. Originally Posted by dereksimonetti View Post
    i was told to prepare Blu-Rays i would need to put the footage into MKV's,
    By and large, this is terrible, terrible advice.

    Originally Posted by dereksimonetti View Post
    i am open to anything) to encode the files so that TMPGENC won't encode the files again when it's time to make the blu-ray..
    TMPGenc is likely the only tool you need.

    If the files are blu-ray (or DVD) compliant, TMPGENC will smart-render them, not reencode. If they are not compliant it will reencode.

    What is your source?
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  5. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by turk690 View Post
    As an aside, IMHO, the one limitation of blu-ray is 4:3 HD; there is no allowance for such. So you have to pillarbox your 1440x1080 HD clip in NLE to make it 1920x1080 prior to authoring your blu-ray. This is done all the time with classic non-widescreen movie re-issues on blu-ray.
    You don't need to re-encode 1440x1080 to 1920x1080,it blu-ray compatible.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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    Which "TMPgenc" is being discussed here? TMPGenc Video Mastering Works is the maker's x264/MPEG encoder. It does not have smart rendering. It encodes everything that goes through it, from start to finish, whether you change anything or not. It's designed for lossless->to-digital encoding, or for conversion (re-encoding). If you want smart-rendering for MPEG/h264, go with TMPGenc Smart Renderer v4.
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  7. Originally Posted by johns0 View Post
    Originally Posted by turk690 View Post
    As an aside, IMHO, the one limitation of blu-ray is 4:3 HD; there is no allowance for such. So you have to pillarbox your 1440x1080 HD clip in NLE to make it 1920x1080 prior to authoring your blu-ray. This is done all the time with classic non-widescreen movie re-issues on blu-ray.
    You don't need to re-encode 1440x1080 to 1920x1080,it blu-ray compatible.
    1440x1080 is only supported at 16:9 DAR . 4:3 is not supported
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  8. Originally Posted by LMotlow View Post
    Which "TMPgenc" is being discussed here? TMPGenc Video Mastering Works is the maker's x264/MPEG encoder. It does not have smart rendering. It encodes everything that goes through it, from start to finish, whether you change anything or not. It's designed for lossless->to-digital encoding, or for conversion (re-encoding). If you want smart-rendering for MPEG/h264, go with TMPGenc Smart Renderer v4.
    OP clearly said TMPGenc Authoring Works in his first post -- which does smart render.
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  9. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    I read that it was compatible in 4:3,i even authored videos in that spec that play with no issues.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  10. 1440x1080 wasn't even in the first few original drafts . A few years later it was added , but only at 16:9 . Unless something has changed within the last few months, blu-ray never has supported 4:3 1440x1080 in AVC, MPEG2 or VC-1 . That doesn't mean it won't play - many players (especially newer ones) can play just about anything
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  11. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by johns0 View Post
    You don't need to re-encode 1440x1080 to 1920x1080,it blu-ray compatible.
    1440x1080 is blu-ray compliant, along with a flag set in the stream that always displays it as 16:9, stretching it horizontally, which is Ok if it was meant to be like that, shot as 16:9, to be displayed as 16:9, anamorphic (as in like HDV). If you deliberately want/need your original not-meant-to-be-widescreen 1440x1080 material display as it is (4:3), it needs to be pillarboxed to 1920x1080 prior to re-encoding/authoring.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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    To answer the Source question. The two formats i am usually using are direct from DVD .VOBS or .MOV files exported from Final Cut.
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  13. TMPGenc VAW will handle the VOBs fine. Your export settings from FCP/compressor will determine if your movs need recompression (most likely they will.) TMPGenc does a very creditable job of reencoding if necessary, and tends to enforce standards tightly.

    Nothinhg wrong with the other tools you've mentioned -- but they'll just add unnecessary steps in your case.
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    Originally Posted by smrpix View Post
    TMPGenc VAW will handle the VOBs fine. Your export settings from FCP/compressor will determine if your movs need recompression (most likely they will.) TMPGenc does a very creditable job of reencoding if necessary, and tends to enforce standards tightly.

    Nothinhg wrong with the other tools you've mentioned -- but they'll just add unnecessary steps in your case.
    Ok, so if i output from final cut to .MOV in the highest quality form, it's suggested to just go to TMPGENC and just let it do all the converting work? Sounds easy enough. And if the Final Cut footage is in 4:3 I can add pillars in final cut to skip the step of anything else to add them.

    What about for the 4:3 DVD footage (.VOB or .MPEG2), would i still need to add pillars or is there something in TMPGENC that will output 16:9 for me?
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  15. If you add pillar bars before loading into TMPGenc VAW you are adding an extra encoding step -- exactly what you are saying you do not want to do. The only reason to add bars is when you are mixing and matching shots within a title set. TAW will add "soft" or permanent bars based on the specific source.
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    Oh ok, very cool. Do you know of the specific settings to achieve this? Within TAW i mean?
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  17. Unfortunately my trial has long ago expired so I can't tell you exactly where the buttons are (I use Encore for authoring my increasingly rare disk deliverables.)

    If you place the different "types" into their own titles it will handle it automatically. If you mix and match within a title it will conform everything to the same "type."
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    Fair enough.
    You mention you use Encore. I also have Encore, but never really hopped in the driver's seat to use it. Any Tips on that?
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  19. If I were starting from scratch I would go with the TMPGenc Product.

    If you want to learn encore there are many tutorials -- start with the Adobe site. Also be aware that Encore is EOL, it will not be developed further.
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  20. Originally Posted by dereksimonetti View Post

    What about for the 4:3 DVD footage (.VOB or .MPEG2), would i still need to add pillars or is there something in TMPGENC that will output 16:9 for me?

    What do you mean by this? Are you trying to some sort of a 4:3 => 16:9 conversion? As mentioned above, SD 4:3 is supported natively by blu-ray . It's only HD resolutions that do not support 4:3 . If they originally ripped from DVD-video, they are already compliant as-is and should be passed through without re-encoding by any blu-ray authoring software
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    Very good, it looks like i had gotten some bad information beforehand so i want to thank everyone that has been so helpful on here so far. If ripped from a dvd it shouldn't need to recode, Good to know.
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    Ok, tested some stuff based on suggestions from here. So my next question is this. The DVD files didn't require any more encoding, but i got alot less space on the blu-ray...as expected of course. So my question is, if i am encoding these before i bring them into TMPGENC to correct compliant format, what format would that be, and what specific settings am i looking for. Thank you again for all your help so far.
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  23. So my question is, if i am encoding these before i bring them into TMPGENC to correct compliant format, what format would that be, and what specific settings am i looking for.
    I don't use TMPGEnc, but SD blu-ray supports MPEG2 or AVC in 720x480 for NTSC regions. It has to be 29.97i (24p sources need pulldown). Unlike HD, native progressive is NOT supported at SD resolutions

    AVC is far better compression wise (better quality at a given bitrate or filesize), if you use a good encoder . So you can fit more on a disc and still have it look better

    I don't know if TMPGEnc can do this but BD specs supports different spec videos on the same disc as long as they are on separate titles. So you can mix MPEG2 / AVC videos. Different Aspect ratios (e.g. 4:3 , 16:9) on the same disc.



    So you have to ask yourself why are you doing this ? What is your goal ? Are you trying to squeeze more titles/footage on? Or are you referring to different source formats? If it was purely from DVD rips, I would keep them as is

    So if you have to re-encode , one option is to let TMPGEnc figure it all out. It will figure out how much bitrate to use etc... so you can optimally fit to the full disc - I would say that would be the easier way to do it. So ideally it would pass thru footage that was compliant and re-encode those that were required to be re-encoded
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  24. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    I've also authored 720x480 avc at 23.976 progressive and it plays with no issues on every blu-ray player i have tried.So basically even if certain resolutions aren't supported most blu-ray players will play them anyways.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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    Ok tried a buunch of things suggested, like some of the results. Which brings another question.

    If i go straight from the dvd i can get like 5 Discs on a Standard Blu-Ray, However, I'm looking to put more content on a disc.

    What format would i want to encode my footage to, so that when i put the file into TMPGENC, it won't encode it again?
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  26. Originally Posted by dereksimonetti View Post
    What format would i want to encode my footage to, so that when i put the file into TMPGENC, it won't encode it again?
    TAW will smart render any DVD or BR compliant file. (see what is DVD, what is BR at the top of this page.) However, you can also make adjustments within TAW to modify the file size, and the internal encoders are quite good, so there is almost no good reason to pre-encode your sources.


    You seem determined to drive around the block to get next door.
    Last edited by smrpix; 28th Jun 2014 at 12:02. Reason: expanded thoughts
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    Haha Good Point. I have had no issue with other formats converting in TAW. Just trying to see it from all the angles.
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