Handbreak - eh hello??

[The.King]

Hi guys,

Ok, I've been using Staxrip for years now to encode my files. Well used to it, takes ages to encode @ good settings, but works like a charm.

I've tried to encode another file recently, but Staxrip keeps hanging at 27% for some unknown reason. (I assume it's because the source has a Dolby True HD soundtrack as well as AC3 but other than that, the file is the same as other sources.)

Anyway, I turned to Handbreak to see if it would deal with the source any better.

I installed the latest version (10.2.7286 64-Bit) and worked away. Handbreak is so basic in its setting compared to Staxrip, that it only took a few second to set everything up once I had loaded the source.
Picture tab > Keep aspect ratio
Filters > All left as I found them
Video > Codec is x264, FPS = same as source, Quality = I keyed in the file size I wanted under 'Avg bitrate' (just like I do in Staxrip) in this case 4096 and 'ticked' the 2-Pass box, and the Optomise Video settings = the presents when 'high profile' is set.
I removed the audio & subtitles options as I planned to just mkvmerge the original AC3 file when the encode was finished.

Now normally, Staxrip would take about 10-15hrs to complete this, but produce a great resulting encode. Handbreak (by comparison) finished this in under 2hrs. I knew something had to be wrong. The resulting file (whilst great quality) is 693MB big and only 27mins long. (The original source is 1hr:39:01.)

What the hell is going on with Handbreak?

I might just strip out the Dolby True HD soundtrack from the original source and then see if Staxrip handles it??

Any ideas?

[poisondeathray]

If neither completes the encode adequately , likely something is wrong with your source - especially when other videos work fine in staxrip or handbrake on your system.

Provide more info on the source - maybe it wasn't decrypted properly etc...

[The.King]

Thanks. Yeah I've been busy running through the source. Seems like there's an issue with it alright. Someone made a botch job of encoding it originally. Even mkvmerge stumbled when I tried to strip out the unnecessary soundtracks, Pity, because it was a super rare find in 1080p.

[The.King]

Just while I think of it. Can you guys suggest/recommend a really good encoder? I get the whole 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and all that, but as I've been using Staxrip for years, I've taken my eye off the ball in terms of other developments & improvements in technology.

I've looked through this link (https://www.videohelp.com/software/sections/video-encoders-h264-vc1) but I'd like to get some personal opinions if possible.

1. I've used Staxrip for years.
2. Also tried Handbreak - found it a little too basic TBH.
3. Then came across a super good program courtesy of Selur called Hybrid. Very technical piece of kit, (probably more than most people would need being honest) but I found that it just took way too long to encode. (For something Staxrip would take 8hrs to complete, Hybrid would take about 15-18hrs to do the same thing and the difference in quality wasn't exactly much better? I found this odd and sent many logs to Selur, but that was it.

I know a lot of people use MeGui, but I don't know if that offers anything better than Staxrip or is better supported?

And for the purists, I know that Avisnyth and writing commands etc. is a brilliant way to do things, but seriously - that stuff just makes my head hurt. I prefer a gui where I have a visual on what's going on.

Oooh, and x265 isn't that important to me since nothing will playing the resulting file (except for PC/Laptop etc.) as all my stuff runs through a networked NAS & media player which can't handle x265. But if possible, it would be great if it would handle DTS in addition to all the norm audio like AC3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, etc.

I wouldn't mind trying something new, up-to-date and well supported - especially if it can cut down on the encoding times. (i.e. Staxrip can take 18-22hrs when I'm doing a really large file.)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/insight.

[jagabo]

All the free encoders use x264 for h.264 encoding (either directly or via ffmpeg). So they all encode at the same rate and deliver the same quality -- at the same x264 settings. Of course, they all use different default settings, hence the differences in encoding times you're seeing.

Some have the option of using GPU hardware encoders (Quick Sync, CUDA, NvEnc). Those can be several times faster (depending on settings) but deliver lower quality.

[hello_hello]

If Hybrid was much slower than StaxRip and you were using the same x264 settings each time, maybe you enabled some really slow Avisynth filtering when using Hybrid that caused a bottleneck (from memory, Hybrid comes with quite a variety of Avisynth filters).

MeGUI probably makes it easier to manually edit Avisynth scripts and preview the changes, and I think it has some tools Staxrip doesn't (AVS Cutter, HD Streams Extractor etc) but development of the 32 bit version of Staxrip has ceased in favour of the 64 bit version. For the moment that may mean it'll be updated quite regularly. I'm not saying that's a bad thing.... just that it might be worth a look. I haven't used Staxrip much myself, and the 64 bit version, not at all. If memory serves me correctly (it's been a while) I didn't like Staxrip's method of previewing when cropping and resizing at all, but that may have changed. I'm one of those MeGUI users....

[The.King]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, Hybrid was always waaaaaaay slower than anything else I tried - but even when I only applied the same settings as Staxrip? i.e. I did two identical encodes from the same source and with identical settings (at different times obviously), but Hybrid always took way longer?

I've revisited Hybrid today, but I have to say - it's just way too complex for what I (and probably most people) want. There's just far too many settings, so I've removed it from my rig & deleted all files. It's not worth the hassle to learn every facet of it.

Similarly, I just downloaded the latest version of MeGUI and gave that another shot too.

MeGUI probably makes it easier to manually edit Avisynth scripts and preview the changes, and I think it has some tools Staxrip doesn't

First off, I'm not into editing Avisynth scripts. I just can't get my head around it because there has never been a really good comprehensive tutorial for it. (Honestly, I must have spent about 2 solid days scouring the web and read everything I could find on it a few years ago, but I think that the people who write the tutorials - forget that there are none-IT people trying to make sense of stuff too. About MeGUI....

Seriously - how anyone uses that program is beyond me? I spent about 40 mins going through it and that was 40 mins of my life I will never get back. Where's the crop window to visually see if crop settings were applied the way I wanted? Where are all of the settings for bframes --b-adapt --subme --trellis --me umh, etc.? Where do I get to configure the encode, bitrate, file size, etc. as I want? Even Handbreak was better, more user friendly and had more options than MeGUI and it was all clearly visible too. Some developer really needs to rethink the GUI of MeGUI.

For now, I think I'll just stick to Staxrip 64-bit and try to find a better tutorial for all aspects of it rather than the usual stuff which has been out there for years and isn't the best.

[hello_hello]

About MeGUI....

Seriously - how anyone uses that program is beyond me? I spent about 40 mins going through it and that was 40 mins of my life I will never get back. Where's the crop window to visually see if crop settings were applied the way I wanted? Where are all of the settings for bframes --b-adapt --subme --trellis --me umh, etc.? Where do I get to configure the encode, bitrate, file size, etc. as I want? Even Handbreak was better, more user friendly and had more options than MeGUI and it was all clearly visible too. Some developer really needs to rethink the GUI of MeGUI.

I have no idea where you were looking but.......

The common way to open files with a GUI is via a File/Open menu. When you open a video file, MeGUI should offer to index it. Add the indexing job to the queue, switch to the queue tab and run it. It won't take long. When it's done the AVS Script Creator will open, along with a pretty decent preview window. Far better than average when it comes to seeing what you're doing as you crop and resize. The script creator has all the standard cropping, resizing, de-interlacing, denoising, subtitle encoding functions etc. You set it up and MeGUI creates the script for you, but you can switch to the Script tab and see the script being created/modified. You can also modify it manually and instantly preview the changes before you start encoding. When you're done configuring, save the script and it'll be loaded into MeGUI's video section ready to add to the job queue. If you indexed the source file the audio should be loaded into the audio section ready for encoding (or another script in some cases).

The video and audio sections have dropdown boxes labelled "encoder settings". How anyone could miss them is a little perplexing.
You'd pick the video encoder from the drop down list and click on the Config button next to it. There's all your x264 settings. Ticking the "show advanced settings" checkbox unhides a few tabs with x264's options nicely grouped, and unlike Handbrake, when you select/change a x264 speed preset or tuning, not only do you still have access to x264's advanced options, MeGUI will change the appropriate advanced settings to their new defaults accordingly so you always know what's being used.
Anyway, you can configure the video and audio encoders and save as many encoder presets as you like.

There's several ways to add encoding jobs to the Queue. There's the OneClick encoder but I won't go into details now as it's quite configurable and really needs to be configured in advance. It'll also batch encode. The AutoEncode button is MeGUI's "just give me a finished output file" method of adding jobs to the queue. It lets you specify a file size or bitrate if you're into that sort of thing, so you usually don't need to configure the x264 encoder for anything but CRF encoding. When you specify a file size in the AutoEncode window, MeGUI will switch to 2 pass encoding automatically and calculate the bitrate for you.

The job queue can use multiple "workers" so more than one job can be run simultaneously. It's great for encodes using slow filtering that prevent x264 from working the CPU hard. Add a second worker and run two encodes at a time. Or split a single encoding job in two and run both halves together....

The GUI might look a little bland at first and it might require a bit of a learning curve, but it's actually pretty well organised. At least I think so.

One thing I do like about using Avisynth scripts is being able to preview the output video properly before encoding it. I save the script with MeGUI, then open it with MPC-HC (you'll need Avisynth installed for that as only MeGUI can use it's portable version of Avisynth). I drag MPC-HC to the TV next to my desk and run it in fullscreen mode. If I'm happy with how the video looks, I add the script to MeGUI's job queue for encoding. How do you preview your encodes when using Handbrake?

[The.King]

The GUI might look a little bland and it might require a bit of a learning curve, but it's actually pretty well organised. At least I think so.....

Thanks, but I think it might be a case of 'each to their own' and all that?

It's nigh on impossible to following anything you said (despite the amount of detail you went into - which I appreciate) when I don't have the program opened in front of me and can try to 'follow your lead' and see where it gets me. As I mentioned, I've uninstalled/deleted it from my rig and just focused on Staxrip.

All I can recall is - I loaded the sourced file (a standard 2gb file) into MeGUI. It asked did I want a basic or more complex 'something' to run, I selected the more complex option. It started to read the source file and after a green bar progressing a few times, it said the ETA would be 2hr 17mins!! (Just to read the source????) I left it for like 20 mins to see if it would suddenly jump to 100% complete - it didn't.

This is something Staxrip did in 3mins 48secs with the exact same file a few minutes later when I gave up on MeGUI, so don't ask me. I also seen an auto-crop section but without any preview and when I clicked on a few other buttons (away from the auto-crop window) on the right-hand side to edit what I thought was the encode settings, I just got a window with <source>, <deinterlace>, <Resize>, blah, blah, blah.

So look, I'm not arguing - I'm sure MeGUI is a great tool and I know loads of people use it - along with RipBot, etc., but I'm not interested at the moment in wrecking my head trying to learn "another program/gui" when to someone who's never used it before, it looks more than bland, it's not at all well organised and it certainly requires one hell of a learning curve without too much comprehensive material out there to assist a new user. For the record, I don't like Handbreak at all. I tried it once - went straight back to Staxrip.

[hello_hello]

It sounds like you opened the standard 2GB file using the OneClick encoder. It has the ability to auto-crop and resize etc so it seems like a fair assumption. I've barely used OneClick myself, but my best guess would be MeGUI offered to analyse the video. Depending on the type of video and resolution etc the analysis can be quite slow. And totally unnecessary if you're re-encoding progressive video. You'd mostly only need to analyse it when re-encoding PAL/NTSC DVDs etc to check if they need de-interlacing or IVTC etc.

When you opened the file with StaxRip, I'd guess it indexed the video and extracted the audio as MeGUI's file indexer does. That's the thing.... so I'm definitely not putting StaxRip down..... both StaxRip and MeGUI use pretty much the same tools behind the scenes to do the work. In that respect they're actually very similar, even if they're also a lot different. But whatever you're comfortable with.....

For the record, the window with <source>, <deinterlace>, <resize>, blah, blah, blah.... it sounds like you clicked your way into MeGUI's Avisynth profile setup where you can create Avisynth script templates. Obviously though..... if you're comfortable with a particular GUI then use it. I wasn't trying to talk you into anything... just offering the basics on how it works. I kind of remember the first time I ran MeGUI and found myself wondering where the ^%&% to start.

[The.King]

I kind of remember the first time I ran MeGUI and found myself wondering where the ^%&% to start.

Amen to that. I really appreciate the time you've taken to reply. I have so much to encode at the moment, that I'll just stick with Staxrip for now to get through the bulk of it as I'm stuck for time.

I will definitely revisit MeGUI in the next few weeks though, as so many reviews can't be wrong. It sounds like a good tool and the part you touched on that I really liked the sound of was, being able to see some sort of a short preview, maybe making some additional changes & checking the short preview again before encoding the lot. (It's a major flaw in Staxrip, not being able to see a preview of settings applied before encoding the whole thing. You can spend 17+hrs encoding something and then the end result doesn't look great or isn't as sharp as it should be because you didn't tweak some filter!

The other thing mildly annoying me about Staxrip is how to integrate QTGMC into it (even on the older x86 version as I'm not sure that QTGMC is supported for 64-bit machines?) I've down loaded all QTGMC files, I've placed them in all the correct directories as per the "where to put these files" notepad that comes with, but I still don't know how to set it up so that it's available in the Staxrip 'Filters' menu?

I think that is the biggest problem with a lot of encoding tools - they are developed by IT heads and people who speak coding language, so they just go about tweaking stuff in five seconds to make their encoding tool work better - but there is NEVER a comprehensive guide to 'normal folk' who've been encoding for years, but would like to be 'really, really efficient' at it. As a result, you can spend 'DAYS' surfing the web and reading short bibles with little screenshots on just what a b-frame is and how it affects a video. Then there's the short bibles about 'DAR', 'PAR', 'SAR', 'trellis', 'de-blocking', 'sharpen', etc., etc. and all they do is go into waaaaaaaaaayyyyy too much detail and fry your brain. It would be easier to go fishing on the moon.

Hopefully there's a good guide out there for MeGUI along the lines of the three bears. (i.e. not too much [info], not too little either, but just right!) And with a bit of luck, it has QTGMC included in it's main download too? I'd welcome any further insight you might have.

Thanks.

[hello_hello]

Yeah, I saw your post asking about Staxrip and QTGMC. I have the 32 bit version of StaxRip installed. StaxRip won. I tried.... but couldn't work out how to add QTGMC. Hopefully someone else can help you. If not, I'll give it another shot later on.

The normal process for adding QTGMC to a script (if you downloaded the 32 bit plugins for QTGMC you'll need the 32 bit Avisynth installed to use it, but you can install 32 bit Avisynth on a 64 bit PC)..... once you've put all the required files in the Avisynth plugins folder, including the QTGMC.avsi file... Here's an example of creating a simple script from scratch. Open Notepad and type the following:

ColorBars()

Save the file and change the extension to avs instead of txt. Call it anything you like. ie "FirstScript.avs". Open FirstScript.avs with MPC-HC. If Avisynth is installed and working, you should get this:



Close MPC-HC and open the script in notepad again. Change it to this (I also added a conversion to YV12 because ColorBars is RGB and QTGMC might complain):

ColorBars()
ConvertToYV12()
QTGMC()

Save the script and open it in MPC-HC again. If Avisynth doesn't offer any errors (pretty much nobody installs QTGMC and all the required files correctly the first try, so don't get your hopes up) you'll be de-interlacing the color bars with QTGMC.

If you can manually modify scripts it's easy enough to type stuff in, but I'm not sure how to do it using StaxRip yet.

The following applies to the 32 bit StaxRip with 32 bit Avisynth. I haven't used the new version so I don't know what's different, and what works or doesn't etc.
After you open a file, StaxRip will probably index it and create scripts etc and put the temp files in a temp folder in the same location as the source file. There'll probably be a script in there with the same name as the source file. ie if the source file is video.mkv, you should find a script called video.avs. That's the script you'd open with MPC-HC to preview the video before encoding it.

If you want to see how stuff is added to scripts....
If it's not already checked, enable StaxRip's de-interlacing filter. Open the script in the temp folder with Notepad and if StaxRip added Yadif de-interlacing, you'll see two similar lines to the ones below in the script somewhere. One to load the plugin, and another to de-interlace.

LoadCPlugin("C:\Program Files\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins\Yadif\yadif.dll")
Yadif()

Disable the de-interlacing filter, check the script again, and you'll see those two lines have been removed. Now you've got a rough idea how to de-interlace with Yadif in Avisynth (there's other parameters you can specify for Yadif, but that's the idea).

You can add QTGMC() to that script yourself, but if you change any filtering in the StaxRip GUI it'll re-write the script. Hopefully there's a way to add QTGMC to the filters list in the old StaxRip too, so when it's enabled StaxRip will add QTGMC() to the script for you, but if you can I don't know how to do that yet.

I have a feeling for the 64 bit StaxRip you might need to use Vapoursynth for QTGMC because StaxRip only uses the 64 bit Avisynth. I recall there's been problems with QTGMC and 64 bit Avisynth (you need 64 bit versions of the Avisynth plugins). That probably means using Vapoursynth versions of all the required QTGMC plugins, although I think they come bundled with StaxRip now, but as I said I've not used the new version. I haven't paid much attention to what's happening with StaxRip development, but there's a dedicated StaxRip thread here you might want to try.

[hello_hello]

Hopefully there's a good guide out there for MeGUI along the lines of the three bears. (i.e. not too much [info], not too little either, but just right!) And with a bit of luck, it has QTGMC included in it's main download too? I'd welcome any further insight you might have.

MeGUI doesn't include QTGMC, but it'll use it the same way if Avisynth is installed and all the required files for QTGMC are in the Avisynth plugins folder. In MeGUI's case, after opening a video with the script creator, you can switch to the script tab and add QTGMC() manually. Or you can create a script template with QTGMC included, so it's added to a script whenever you select that template.

You can open a video by opening the AVS Script Creator under MeGUI's Tools menu and selecting a file as the Video Input. Start with an AVI if you can as it should open quickly without needing indexing. When you add it as the Video Input (under the I/O tab in the script creator), MeGUI should ask how you want to open it. Choose AVISource. The preview window should open automatically.

MeGUI's script creator displaying the script.
I removed the default de-interlacing line and typed in:

QTGMC(EzDenoise=2)

That's QTGMC with it's noise filtering enabled.

[The.King]

If not, I'll give it another shot later on.

Great. If you have the time to give it a go and are successful, I'd love to hear.

(if you downloaded the 32 bit plugins for QTGMC you'll need the 32 bit Avisynth installed to use it, but you can install 32 bit Avisynth on a 64 bit PC)

Here's the thing...
(1) I didn't think that QTGMC was compatible with AviSynth on x64 machines, just like with a lot of other plugins, so I only downloaded the 32-bit version of QTGMC. I think you need VapourSynth to run QTGMC in Staxrip and my head is already hurting with that. It's also the reason why I started to look at MeGUI..... Instead of continually learning new encoders, new tweaks, what's supported, what isn't, what will run QTGMC, what won't, etc., I just want to find the one encoder with loads of support, that will run the lot and then learn as much as I can about that encoder to produce really good quality encodes.
(2) I originally downloads AviSynth 2.5 (years ago) and that sits here: C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins
(3) But AviSynth (r1825, MT, x86_64) was also downloaded as part of the new Staxrip x64. I don't know where that sits on my machine or if it conflicts with the other version, (perhaps in the Staxrip x86 folder - although I couldn't find it) but I know the version in on my PC because I created a 'version().avs' script and when played through MPC-HC x64, that version of AviSynth comes up?

once you've put all the required files in the Avisynth plugins folder, including the QTGMC.avsi file.

When you say this, do you mean to put all of the files in here C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or do you mean to put all of the files here instead - C:\Program Files (x86)\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins ??? Same with using MeGUI - do I put them into the main C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or into the C:\Program Files (x86)\MeGUI\tools\avisynth_plugin folder?

This is what I mean about how easily things can get lost in translation because nothing is definitive enough. There are two AviSynth plugin folders on my machine - one in the main AviSynth folder in Program Files (x86) and also one within the Staxrip x86 folder. How do I know which one to put it in?

If you can manually modify scripts it's easy enough to type stuff in, but I'm not sure how to do it using StaxRip yet.

I've never manually modified any scripts in any program and I've always stayed away from creating .avs files. I remember Baldrick, poisondeathray & Selur from previous posts all mentioning AviSynth scripts, but it just hurt my head. I prefer to have a gui and to see a visual of what I'm actually doing - that's why I've always used staxrip, but why I'm drawn to MeGui now and being able to see the changes applied before encoding an entire source.

After you open a file, StaxRip will probably index it and create scripts etc and put the temp files in a temp folder in the same location as the source file. There'll probably be a script in there with the same name as the source file. ie if the source file is video.mkv, you should find a script called video.avs. That's the script you'd open with MPC-HC to preview the video before encoding it.

Sweet lamb. It just goes to show you what I said above and never going near scripts and/or creating or modifying .avs files. In all of the years that I have been encoding anything from .vob files to .M2TS files, I have seen that .avs file that Staxrip auto-created, but never once thought to play it to check my encode settings! Say no more.

I have a feeling for the 64 bit StaxRip you might need to use Vapoursynth for QTGMC because StaxRip only uses the 64 bit Avisynth.

Yep, you're bang on.

I haven't paid much attention to what's happening with StaxRip development, but there's a dedicated StaxRip thread here you might want to try.

I've been looking at the threads here and on other well-known forums and I've posted queries too. Doesn't seem to be heavily monitored though as I've had no replies and there has been no posted either.

Anyway, I think I will start to focus on MeGUI from now on, as some of the encoding I needed to do is out of the way. If I could just get clarity on the above (about QTGMC plugins location), that should get me started. I'm sure as I begin to use MeGUI, I'll have a few questions to post no doubt, but I'm looking forward to giving it a bash.

MeGUI doesn't include QTGMC, but it'll use it the same way if Avisynth is installed and all the required files for QTGMC are in the Avisynth plugins folder.

That's a bummer because (a) I really don't want to get into writing/editing scripts and (b) it's harder to know what settings are available to improve the encode. i.e. the bit you stated QTGMC(EzDenoise=2) - how would someone like me know about (EzDenoise=2) without having to read another bible somewhere about QTGMC settings & scripts? I seriously don't know why the creator of MeGUI just can't add QTGMC and all of its filters to the GUI?

Anyway, it will be a learning curve I'm sure...

Thanks.

[hello_hello]

Here's the thing...
(1) I didn't think that QTGMC was compatible with AviSynth on x64 machines, just like with a lot of other plugins, so I only downloaded the 32-bit version of QTGMC. I think you need VapourSynth to run QTGMC in Staxrip and my head is already hurting with that. It's also the reason why I started to look at MeGUI..... Instead of continually learning new encoders, new tweaks, what's supported, what isn't, what will run QTGMC, what won't, etc., I just want to find the one encoder with loads of support, that will run the lot and then learn as much as I can about that encoder to produce really good quality encodes.
(2) I originally downloads AviSynth 2.5 (years ago) and that sits here: C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins
(3) But AviSynth (r1825, MT, x86_64) was also downloaded as part of the new Staxrip x64. I don't know where that sits on my machine or if it conflicts with the other version, (perhaps in the Staxrip x86 folder - although I couldn't find it) but I know the version in on my PC because I created a 'version().avs' script and when played through MPC-HC x64, that version of AviSynth comes up?

once you've put all the required files in the Avisynth plugins folder, including the QTGMC.avsi file.
When you say this, do you mean to put all of the files in here C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or do you mean to put all of the files here instead - C:\Program Files (x86)\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins ??? Same with using MeGUI - do I put them into the main C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or into the C:\Program Files (x86)\MeGUI\tools\avisynth_plugin folder?

This is what I mean about how easily things can get lost in translation because nothing is definitive enough. There are two AviSynth plugin folders on my machine - one in the main AviSynth folder in Program Files (x86) and also one within the Staxrip x86 folder. How do I know which one to put it in?

Most Avisynth programs have their own Avisynth plugins folder where plugins the program requires are kept. When the program needs a plugin, it loads the required plugin from it's own Avisynth plugins folder. That's how 32 bit StaxRip was loading Yadif in a script in my previous example.
LoadCPlugin("C:\Program Files\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins\Yadif\yadif.dll")

I picked a non-standard Avisynth plugin for my example as Yadif is a "C" plugin (created on pure C language) and they need to be loaded using LoadCPlugin(), as above. By far the majority of Avisynth plugins are not C plugins and are loaded with LoadPlugin() Anyway....

When you install Avisynth it creates a plugins folder. That folder is specified in the registry so Avisynth knows where it's located. All plugins and AVSI scripts in the "installed" plugins folder will be auto-loaded by Avisynth when it runs.

The 32 bit version of Avisynth previously installed the auto-loading plugins folder here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins
If you uninstall Avisynth and delete the existing plugins folder, then install the latest Avisynth 2.6 (32 bit), the plugins folder it creates will be here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth\plugins
That's where you'd put the QTGMC plugins.

Sweet lamb. It just goes to show you what I said above and never going near scripts and/or creating or modifying .avs files. In all of the years that I have been encoding anything from .vob files to .M2TS files, I have seen that .avs file that Staxrip auto-created, but never once thought to play it to check my encode settings! Say no more.

I used AutoGK for years before deciding to look in it's temp folders for the scripts it creates to get an idea what it was doing. I wish I'd done so sooner. Although AutoGK came with MPC and it's preview opened the script in the player, so at least I was previewing scripts that way.

Anyway, I think I will start to focus on MeGUI from now on, as some of the encoding I needed to do is out of the way. If I could just get clarity on the above (about QTGMC plugins location), that should get me started. I'm sure as I begin to use MeGUI, I'll have a few questions to post no doubt, but I'm looking forward to giving it a bash.

I saw your post in the StaxRip thread. As far as sharpening DVD video goes.....

I use QTGMC for de-interlacing but it also has a progressive mode to use it on progressive video which can help clean it up and to remove noise. If the picture is already nice and clean and you just want to sharpen, my go-to script tends to be LFSMod.

So for stabilising a progressive picture and a small amount of noise removal I tend to do this:
QTGMC(InputType=1, Preset="medium", EzDenoise=1)
LSFMod(strength=75)

If the deblock settings you asked about in the StaxRip thread were x264's deblock settings, they effect the amount of detail that's encoded, but they don't sharpen as such. It's kind of a trade-off between detail and visible encoder blocks. The default x264 tuning (no tuning) uses deblock 0 and 0. Tuning "Film" sets deblock -1 and -1. Pick an appropriate x264 tuning,.

i.e. the bit you stated QTGMC(EzDenoise=2) - how would someone like me know about (EzDenoise=2) without having to read another bible somewhere about QTGMC settings & scripts? I seriously don't know why the creator of MeGUI just can't add QTGMC and all of its filters to the GUI?

There's a lot of variables and possibly the only way to keep it from becoming a support nightmare would be to ensure a GUI only uses versions of plugins for a specific version of Avisynth. You'd exchange some versatility for ease of use.

Pretty much all dedicated plugins (dll files) come with a text or html file containing instructions and a list of options. Scripts such as QTGMC using various plugins have their own options, and they'll either come with a similar help file or there'll be a list of options inside the avsi script itself. Scripts such as QTGMC try to make it easier by using presets such as EzDenoise. You could specify each denoising option individually and play around until you're happy, or you can use EzDenoise, which in turn enables individual QTGMC denoising options in a predefined way, and adjusts the amount of denoising according to the value you specify. Or you can use EzDenoise and specify an individual denoising option.... but all the info is in the help file.

[The.King]

once you've put all the required files in the Avisynth plugins folder, including the QTGMC.avsi file.

When you say this, do you mean to put all of the files in here C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or do you mean to put all of the files here instead - C:\Program Files (x86)\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins ??? Same with using MeGUI - do I put them into the main C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins, or into the C:\Program Files (x86)\MeGUI\tools\avisynth_plugin folder?

This is what I mean about how easily things can get lost in translation because nothing is definitive enough. There are two AviSynth plugin folders on my machine - one in the main AviSynth folder in Program Files (x86) and also one within the Staxrip x86 folder. How do I know which one to put it in?

Thanks for your extensive reply - but for someone like me, I think this is where excessive information really starts to hurt my brain and I just begin to lose interest because it all sounds the same mumbo jumbo.

(created on pure C language) >> LoadPlugin() >> portable versions or the installed versions >> Avisynth+ which is a fork of Avisynth, but it's essentially Avisynth 2.6 >> VapourSynth >> AviSynth >> 32-bit versions >> 64-bit versions >> Registries >> Scripts >> AutoGK >> LFSMod, etc.

Jesus, my brain hurts. All I was looking for was where to load the QTGMC files, i.e. in the main AviSynth 2.58 folder & under 'plugins' (C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins) >>OR<< in the AviSynth plugins folder "within" the program itself - be that Staxrip or MeGUI (C:\Program Files (x86)\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins / C:\Program Files (x86)\MeGUI\tools\avisynth_plugin folder) ??????

For clarity purposes (and to help my brain considerably) lets just assume that I no longer have the new x64 Staxrip. In fact, I don't have it anymore because I have deleted it from Program Files, run a cleaner and checked my Reg for errors. So I am now back to using just the 32-bit Staxrip and let's just forget about MeGUI for now, because once I figure things out for Staxrip, I'll follow a similar path for others.

I STILL have an AviSynth 2.5 folder here (C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5) and it contains four folders --> 'Docs', 'Examples', 'License Translations' & 'plugins'. There is also 'gpl.txt' & 'lgpl_for_used_libs.txt' in the folder - that is it.

So do I place all of the downloaded QTGMC files/plugins into that folder, or do I place them all into the (C:\Program Files (x86)\StaxRip\Applications\AviSynth plugins) ????

I'll have to have a few beers and then re-read your last post again to see if I can make any sense of the amount of info in it...

Thanks.

[hello_hello]

Your brain probably would have hurt less if I'd known you'd deleted the 64 bit version of StaxRip before I replied, because then the answer would have been simpler. You probably couldn't have put the plugins anywhere because you seem to have the 64 bit Avisynth installed and I imagine you have the 32 bit plugins.

Edit: If you're reading this you've returned some time after I edited my previous post to re-word parts and remove some of the extra info regarding 64 bit Avisynth and VapourSynth etc that might have been confusing the issue. It just explains how the different plugin folders are used and answers your questions (a couple you asked in the other thread). Hopefully it'll be easier for you to make sense of it now.

To answer your question:
Uninstall any version of Avisynth you have installed, because it seems currently that's a 64 bit version. Delete any "AviSynth" or "Avisynth 2.5" folders etc remaining in the Program Files folders (32 or 64 bit).
Install the 32 bit version of Avisynth 2.60. You should end up with this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth\plugins

That's where the QTGMC plugins go, aside from a couple of files in the QTGMC plugins zip file that go in the Windows system folder (assuming you downloaded one of the QTGMC plugins package files from the doom9 thread).

I can't remember where you said you downloaded the plugins, but if it's one of the QTGMC plugin packages some of the plugins will be of date (all the plugin packages are a bit old). Don't stress, they all should work, but I can have a look and point you in the direction of any new versions of plugins tomorrow if you like.

For adding QTGMC to StaxRip, I saw the reply in your other thread. In case you're not sure exactly how to do it, I posted slightly more detailed instructions. So it can be done, and it's not hard when you know how. https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/373899-Staxrip-QTGMC?p=2408306#post2408306

[The.King]

To answer your question:
Uninstall any version of Avisynth........

Wow, none of that hurt my head at all - thank you. Sorry if I confused the issue by not stipulating I was holding off on the x64 Staxrip while trying to figure s*it out. My bad.

C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth\plugins
That's where the QTGMC plugins go, aside from a couple of files in the QTGMC plugins zip file that go in the Windows system folder....

Thanks - I understand all of that.

I can't remember where you said you downloaded the plugins, but if it's one of the QTGMC plugin packages some of the plugins will be (out?) of date (all the plugin packages are a bit old). Don't stress, they all should work, but I can have a look and point you in the direction of any new versions of plugins tomorrow if you like.

Yeah, I'd really appreciate if you could point me in the right direction of the newest plugins. I went here http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=156028 to download my QTGMC files/plugins, but I can see that the thread was started back in 2010. Considering the hassle we've all gone to (to help me) - it would be nice to have the latest or newest plugins for a clean install.

For adding QTGMC to StaxRip, I saw the reply in your other thread. In case you're not sure exactly how to do it, I posted slightly more detailed instructions. So it can be done, and it's not hard when you know how.

Thanks for that. I hope to give this a try as soon as I can get the latest plugins for QTGMC, as per above. I did see another link here http://avisynth.nl/index.php/QTGMC which was at least updated last month (by VIT?), but I closed my eyes as I scrolled through the rest of the info/scripts on that page because it frightens me!

All I have to do now is also figure out how to add LFSMod to the fold in a similar fashion, so that I also have a sharpen feature for older .vobs to improve the resulting encode. (Althought I'm also hoping that using QTGMC over Yadif will also help in general?) i.e........

If the picture is already nice and clean and you just want to sharpen, my go-to script tends to be LFSMod

If I can get my head around all of this, give it a go and see how it works out for me - then at least I'll be confident enough to also try it with the latest MeGUI too. That will be for another day though...

I really can't thank you enough for your help though. It's folk like you on these forums who give the lemon's like me - the 'will' to continue Thanks.

[hello_hello]

I can only help with the 32 bit versions of QTGMC plugins at the moment. It appears you have both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Staxrip running at the same time, which I assume means you also have the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Avisynth installed. Interesting. There's no point in me guessing too much as to how that works. I'll have to get my new PC build with a 64 bit version of Windows under way so I can play around with 64 bit Avisynth myself.

Attached is a zip file containing the plugins I'm currently using with QTGMC and LSFMod. If there's a corresponding folder/html/txt help file for a plugin, I put it in the auto-load directory along with the plugin so I know where to find it later.

RGTools replaces RemoveGrain, Repair and VerticalCleaner, which is why they're in the zip file you downloaded, but not this one.
avstp.dll isn't required, but it allows some plugins to enable internal multithreading.
VariableBlur and WarpSharp are included for LSFMod.
Some plugins mightn't won't work with Avisynth 2.5.8
Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

Sometimes a required plugin needs a runtime to work and you'll get errors when trying to using QTGMC without knowing why. Each plugin usually lists it's own requirements on it's website, if any, but different versions of plugins might need different runtimes. For 32 bit Avisynth, you can check with AVSInfoTool if you have problems.

PS. I'm pretty sure the QTGMC plugins zip files on the Avisynth page you linked to are the same zip files as the ones in the doom9 thread.

Don't expect LSFMod to perform sharpening miracles. One of the reasons I use it is because I don't like video that looks "sharpened", and LSFMod's default settings don't produce an overly "sharpened" effect, but as a result, the sharpening mightn't be as obvious. Even so, I tend to dial it back a bit. The default sharpening strength is 100, so either of these lines in a script will produce the same result:

LSFMod()
LSFMod(Strength=100)

If you crank the strength up to 500 you'll definitely know it's working, but you'll probably be well into "looking sharpened' territory. I usually set the strength to 50 or 75, depending on the video and how clean it is (sharpened noise looks terrible), but that's me. Everyone has different tastes.

[jagabo]

If you're going to write your own AviSynth scripts why use a GUI front end for x264? You can use a batch file and the command line version of x264 and have complete control. You can drag and drop an AVS script onto a batch file like this:

start /b /low x264.exe --preset=slow --tune=grain --crf=18 --sar=1:1 --keyint=48 --colormatrix=bt709 --output %1.mkv %1
pause

I have that on my desktop named x264crf.bat for easy access. I open the file with notepad to customize it for a particular video. If you put the batch file in your SendTo folder you can right click on an AVS script and select Send To -> x264crf.bat. Start is used to run x264 at low priority so it doesn't hog the CPU. Pause is there so the CLI window doesn't close so I can see the stats after encoding, or to see the error message when there's a problem. You may have to supply the full path to x264.exe depending on where it is on your system.

[The.King]

It appears you have both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Staxrip running at the same time, which I assume means you also have the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Avisynth installed. Interesting. There's no point in me guessing too much as to how that works. I'll have to get my new PC build with a 64 bit version of Windows under way so I can play around with 64 bit Avisynth myself.

I am not running both versions. As I mentioned in several earlier posts, I removed the x64 version of Avisynth and I am only using the x86 version now (i.e. 32-Bit). In fact, as per my other post, I removed all Staxrip versions AND all Avisynth versions from my machine, cleaned my Reg and then just installed a fresh version of Staxrip x86 and Avisynth 2.6. See my other post for problems... https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/373899-Staxrip-QTGMC?p=2408025#post2408025

RGTools replaces RemoveGrain, Repair and VerticalCleaner, which is why they're in the zip file you downloaded, but not this one.
avstp.dll isn't required, but it allows some plugins to enable internal multithreading.
VariableBlur and WarpSharp are included for LSFMod.
Some plugins mightn't won't work with Avisynth 2.5.8

Thanks for that - I think. Most of those tools don't make a whole lot of sense to me BUT I am not running Avisynth 2.5.8. I'm running 2.6.

Sometimes a required plugin needs a runtime to work

Well none of that made sense to me either. This is the thing you see, I am not an IT tech guy, I'm not into writing coding or understanding the inner workings of anything IT - I never claimed to. Yeah I built my own PC from scratch, yeah I set up my own home network with a Control4 system and yeah I've been encoding for years with Staxrip 1.1.6.0, but I've never written an encoding script & I've never messed around with any plugins either. I can usually get my head around anything (as long as it doesn't get unnecessarily technical or complicated), but I really don't want to get into the brain-frying details of anything. It's like Pandora's box - especially when it comes to IT, once you open it up & delve in, you never find your way back! I just read up on all of the settings available within the Staxrip GUI, I would tweak them depending on my source and encode quality required, but that's about it. All I was actually looking for out of this entire experience, was to add QTGMC to Staxrip successfully and once I was comfortable with doing that, to then maybe look at MeGUI aswell. Instead, (pardon the sarcasm) it sounds more like a NASA project because we're getting into scripts >> runtimes >> (created on pure C language) >> LoadPlugin() >> portable versions Vs installed versions >> Avisynth+ which is a fork of Avisynth, but it's essentially Avisynth 2.6 >> VapourSynth >> AviSynth >> 32-bit versions >> 64-bit versions >> Registries >> AutoGK >> LFSMod, etc.

Who would have thought adding QTGMC to Staxrip 32-bit (and eventually to MeGUI) would be this complicated?

Don't expect LSFMod to perform sharpening miracles. The default sharpening strength is 100, so either of these lines in a script will produce the same result:

LSFMod()
LSFMod(Strength=100)

I won't be expecting miracles because by the looks of things I have to get into writing scripts and as I've said, that's not really what I want to do. Again it goes back to the folk who create these programs (Staxrip or MeGUI). How would it kill anyone to include something like this LFSMod thing, but on the GUI to just have a simple tab or button called "sharpen" and then a value range between X and X? Is it just me, or do people make sh*t far more complicated than it needs to be? It's why I initially like Hybrid. There was a button for absolutely everything and it was in simple (normal) language without the need for scripts. The only problem was - there were way too many buttons because Hybrid was an encoder on steroids. As I said before, an excellent GUI (if much slower than Staxrip), but waaaaaaaaay more than what most people needed.

If you're going to write your own AviSynth scripts why use a GUI front end for x264? You can use a batch file and the command line version of x264 and have complete control. You can drag and drop an AVS script onto a batch file like this:

Thanks - and this is exactly one of my points all along. I don't want to get into writing scripts, I never have. If I did, I would have listened to poisondeathray about five years ago and just learned everything there was to know about Avisynth, wrote my own scripts and used a command line x264 as you said. The thing back then was - there was no good & comprehensive tutorial for Avisynth. I spent days reading through different Wiki pages and other forums picking up info on command scripts and what each one even meant. After about a day of reading it non-stop, I got to the "life is just too fu*king short" pretty quickly and stopped. I've been using GUI's ever since (I like having a visual interface) and I just want to integrate QTGMC into the 32-bit version of Staxrip I am now using. Simples - apparently (for the IT people out there and no one else.)

[The.King]

Further to my comments above, I can't take this any further (either in terms of Staxrip and/or MeGUI) until the issues in my other post are resolved. Hopefully someone responds to the other post https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/373899-Staxrip-QTGMC?p=2408025#post2408025 and I can then try MeGUI with QTGMC and put this whole Staxrip thing to bed?

@hello_hello, if you have the time - can we just completely blank Staxrip and for the sake of any advice - assume that I have never installed any GUI or version of Avisynth (or associated plugins) on my machine before? I have wiped everything now, so that's technically true. I've downloaded MeGUI & Avisynth 2.6 and just installed both.

So if you could advise (after I install all QTGMC files from your earlier .zip file in the correct folders), how I go about adding QTGMC to MeGUI via a pre-loaded tab or option (if that is the correct term?) instead of having to manually add some command line instead. i.e. Either under the dropdown 'Avisynth profile' under the I/O tab after a source has been loaded & cropped, OR PREFERABLY (when a source is analysed as 'interlaced' under the 'Filters' tab, that I could hit the dropdown arrow and see an option for QTGMC, in addition to the already loaded Yadif, Yadif with Bob, TDeint, etc. - that would be great?

It would also be great if anyone could explain why MeGUI automatically resizes the material (in the I/O tab) after I click on 'Analyse' (in the 'Filters' tab)?? I assume it is to reduce the 'Aspect Ratio Error %', but why does it do this?? Is it a super cool feature of MeGUI I never had before on Staxrip, or is it an annoying auto-function that I have to keep disabling every time I analyse a source?

Finally, the only thing I'm either not doing properly (or if I am - I don't like about MeGUI) is....

After I load a source (standard .mkv file with AC3 soundtrack) it only loads the video details on the main input page (so that I can tweak encoder settings, container output etc.) but it DOESN'T auto-load the audio details too? Audio input is completely blank? There is an AC3 file in the temp folder which I can then load and tweak accordingly, but it seem odd not to be loaded initially or why I have to 'double task'?

Then, I also have two separate 'Queue' buttons to hit on the main 'input' page (one for video, one for audio) and when I've hit both and the encoding is finished after a few hours, I still have two separate files - unlike Staxrip which joins/merges the video/audio in to one complete file. Again, this is odd. It's not an issue because I can just use mkvmerge or something to join the files, but this is just another step to run through when I'd expect MeGUI to do it during the encoding process. Another double task! Hopefully, I've made sense with all that and you can shed some light given this is your GUI of choice?

Thank you in advance.

[The.King]

I use QTGMC for de-interlacing but it also has a progressive mode to use it on progressive video which can help clean it up and to remove noise.

I could really use your expertise with my last post if you have any time to spare? i.e. adding QTGMC to MeGUI ?

Thanks in advance if you can help.

[PuzZLeR]

If you're going to write your own AviSynth scripts why use a GUI front end for x264? You can use a batch file and the command line version of x264 and have complete control. You can drag and drop an AVS script onto a batch file like this:

start /b /low x264.exe --preset=slow --tune=grain --crf=18 --sar=1:1 --keyint=48 --colormatrix=bt709 --output %1.mkv %1
pause

I have that on my desktop named x264crf.bat for easy access. I open the file with notepad to customize it for a particular video. If you put the batch file in your SendTo folder you can right click on an AVS script and select Send To -> x264crf.bat. Start is used to run x264 at low priority so it doesn't hog the CPU. Pause is there so the CLI window doesn't close so I can see the stats after encoding, or to see the error message when there's a problem. You may have to supply the full path to x264.exe depending on where it is on your system.

This is similarly the way I go today.

I also use separate audio encoders and muxers too.

Don't get me wrong - loved HandBrake and MeGUI, and still do, and still recommend them for those starting out, depending on level.

But over the years (yes MANY years now - wow, it's been while! ) with new updates, different versions, different GUI's, different settings in x264 interpreted differently, different internal filters and scripts, etc, I seem to be getting very different results each time I switch GUIs or even GUI versions, or even x264 build under the hood, and feel like I'm starting over again each time. Even splitters and decoders can cause problems after installation.

Having said that, I would rather go hardcore now - straight from the command line - and have much better control. (You can tell I prefer manual transmission over automatic in my vehicles too, for the same reasons. )

[hello_hello]

I've been sick which is why I haven't replied for a few days, although I seem to be getting better now.

It appears you have both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Staxrip running at the same time, which I assume means you also have the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Avisynth installed. Interesting. There's no point in me guessing too much as to how that works. I'll have to get my new PC build with a 64 bit version of Windows under way so I can play around with 64 bit Avisynth myself.

I am not running both versions. As I mentioned in several earlier posts, I removed the x64 version of Avisynth and I am only using the x86 version now (i.e. 32-Bit). In fact, as per my other post, I removed all Staxrip versions AND all Avisynth versions from my machine, cleaned my Reg and then just installed a fresh version of Staxrip x86 and Avisynth 2.6. See my other post for problems... https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/373899-Staxrip-QTGMC?p=2408025#post2408025

I guess I misread this post where you said you had them running together previously.
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/373899-Staxrip-QTGMC?p=2408462&viewfull=1#post2408462

RGTools replaces RemoveGrain, Repair and VerticalCleaner, which is why they're in the zip file you downloaded, but not this one.
avstp.dll isn't required, but it allows some plugins to enable internal multithreading.
VariableBlur and WarpSharp are included for LSFMod.
Some plugins mightn't won't work with Avisynth 2.5.8

Thanks for that - I think. Most of those tools don't make a whole lot of sense to me BUT I am not running Avisynth 2.5.8. I'm running 2.6.

I'm running 2.6 also.

Sometimes a required plugin needs a runtime to work

Well none of that made sense to me either. This is the thing you see, I am not an IT tech guy, I'm not into writing coding or understanding the inner workings of anything IT - I never claimed to.

You don't need to be an IT guy. I'm certainly not. Some plugins require C runtimes in order to work. Like some programs require Java, and some require dot net framework etc. If you get inexplicable errors when trying to run QTGMC and you're sure the plugins are installed correctly, you might be missing runtimes. I mentioned it because it's a common problem. I linked to a program that checks the plugins directory and reports any missing dependencies. From there you can google and download any missing dlls and stick them in the 32 bit Windows system folder (system32 for XP).
Or if you're missing dependencies, these will be the likely culprits. Just install them (32 bit versions for 32 bit plugins).
http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=14431
http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=29
https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=30679
You mightn't be missing any, but then again, you might.... If you are, I don't know how to make it any easier.

Don't expect LSFMod to perform sharpening miracles. The default sharpening strength is 100, so either of these lines in a script will produce the same result:

LSFMod()
LSFMod(Strength=100)

I won't be expecting miracles because by the looks of things I have to get into writing scripts and as I've said, that's not really what I want to do. Again it goes back to the folk who create these programs (Staxrip or MeGUI). How would it kill anyone to include something like this LFSMod thing, but on the GUI to just have a simple tab or button called "sharpen" and then a value range between X and X? Is it just me, or do people make sh*t far more complicated than it needs to be? It's why I initially like Hybrid. There was a button for absolutely everything and it was in simple (normal) language without the need for scripts. The only problem was - there were way too many buttons because Hybrid was an encoder on steroids. As I said before, an excellent GUI (if much slower than Staxrip), but waaaaaaaaay more than what most people needed.

Until you find your Goldy Locks GUI, I guess you'll need to go for the GUI that's least too hot, or least too cold.
You don't have to get into writing scripts. You just need to add LSFMod to the Staxrip filter list the same way you'd add QTGMC.

[hello_hello]

So if you could advise (after I install all QTGMC files from your earlier .zip file in the correct folders), how I go about adding QTGMC to MeGUI via a pre-loaded tab or option (if that is the correct term?) instead of having to manually add some command line instead. i.e. Either under the dropdown 'Avisynth profile' under the I/O tab after a source has been loaded & cropped, OR PREFERABLY (when a source is analysed as 'interlaced' under the 'Filters' tab, that I could hit the dropdown arrow and see an option for QTGMC, in addition to the already loaded Yadif, Yadif with Bob, TDeint, etc. - that would be great?

Just switch to the script tab and type it in. There's even a picture showing how to do it in post #13. If you change something in the script creator GUI, MeGUi will re-write the script and you'll lose any manual changes though, so it's a good idea to copy it in case you need to paste it in again, or make adding QTGMC the last thing you do before saving the script.

If you want to create an AVS profile, open the AVS profile config and replace this line:

<deinterlace>

with this one:

QTGMC()

Save that as a new preset. Call it whatever you like. Maybe "QTGMC De-interlacing"

How it works. When <deinterlace> is included in an AVS template/profile, MeGUI can add de-interlacing to the script. When it's not, it can't. Same for <crop> or <denoise> etc.
If you remove <deinterlace> you can still get MeGUI to analyse the video and the script creator will still tell you if it thinks the the video is interlaced, but no interlacing will be added to the script. Likewise, if you create a preset without the <denoise> line, no denoising will be added even if it's enabled in the script creator. That's how you'd create templates to switch between using MeGUI's filters and third party Avisynth filters.
There's other options in AVS profile for allowing upsizing, setting the acceptable anamorphic aspect error, default mod, default resizer etc. All those options are saved as part of any AVS profile you create.

It would also be great if anyone could explain why MeGUI automatically resizes the material (in the I/O tab) after I click on 'Analyse' (in the 'Filters' tab)?? I assume it is to reduce the 'Aspect Ratio Error %', but why does it do this?? Is it a super cool feature of MeGUI I never had before on Staxrip, or is it an annoying auto-function that I have to keep disabling every time I analyse a source?

Changing a setting in the script creator usually causes the preview to display the video without any resizing, even if resizing is enabled. I don't know why. Any resizing in the script still remains, but the preview goes back to the original resolution. If that happens, manually click the preview button, or check the "apply auto preview" option.

Finally, the only thing I'm either not doing properly (or if I am - I don't like about MeGUI) is....

After I load a source (standard .mkv file with AC3 soundtrack) it only loads the video details on the main input page (so that I can tweak encoder settings, container output etc.) but it DOESN'T auto-load the audio details too? Audio input is completely blank? There is an AC3 file in the temp folder which I can then load and tweak accordingly, but it seem odd not to be loaded initially or why I have to 'double task'?

If you open an MKV with the File Indexer and include the audio in the indexing job, the audio should be automatically loaded in the audio section once the indexing is done.

Then, I also have two separate 'Queue' buttons to hit on the main 'input' page (one for video, one for audio) and when I've hit both and the encoding is finished after a few hours, I still have two separate files - unlike Staxrip which joins/merges the video/audio in to one complete file. Again, this is odd. It's not an issue because I can just use mkvmerge or something to join the files, but this is just another step to run through when I'd expect MeGUI to do it during the encoding process. Another double task! Hopefully, I've made sense with all that and you can shed some light given this is your GUI of choice?

I usually do it "manually". In the case of MKVs, I often I don't bother extracting the audio while indexing. I just index the video, create the script for encoding it, and when it's done I open the output MKV with MKVMergeGUI. I add the original/source MKV and that gives me the encoded video plus all the streams from the original MKV. I de-select the original video stream and remux the rest as a new MKV.

Or back in post #8, I wrote a brief explanation regarding the AutoEncode function and how it works, and how it's MeGUI's "just give me a finished output file" method of adding jobs to the queue. If there's audio loaded into the audio section for encoding it'll be included. If you don't want that, use the "X" button to clear the audio section if need be before selecting AutoEncode. The AutoEncode window lets you add existing audio and subtitles etc for muxing.