A few issues with ffmpegX; need advice/help

[xloosefusionx]

Ive been browsing the pages of this forum since I started using ffmpegX, about two weeks ago when I got a DVD burner, and I havent found any solutions for the problems Ive been having.

The biggest would be that when I try to find a file Ive encoded in ffmpegX in the Finder (Im using OSXv10.3.9), when I get to the folder the file is in, or a subfolder before the actual folder, the whole Finder crashes and disapears and everything on my desktop disappears while the beach ball spins for about 10 seconds or so. This kina freaked me out at first, but now Im used to it happening...used to it, but Id like it to stop because I dont think it should be happening. It doesnt happen, however, when I put keywords pertaining to the file in the search and it comes up that way.

Another issue Im having is when I try to encode AVI's to MPEG-2 for DVD burning, they either a) fail or b) cut off atleast 30 minutes of the file at the end or c) cut off the picture and the sound keeps going on a white screen. Its pretty disappointing after waiting however long (usually a couple hours) for the file to finish and that alert sounds that it has failed again or when I think its done and ready to burn, I find its missing a huge chunk, but still has a huge filesize.

While Im posting here, might as well ask a general question: does anyone know the best settings that produces the best results (not only quality, but actually working without having me pull my hair out ) for encoding AVI's to be burnt onto DVD's, both for using iDVD for creating menus and such or for just burning one file without creating menus?

Thank you all for your time..

[major]

For the first point, is that happening under Finder? If yes your OSX or disk may be seriously messed out, you should consider backing up and reinstalling OSX.

For the second, which preset were you using, and are you using VLC to preview the resulting file?

About settings, the preset settings are the best ones.

[Case]

For the first point, is that happening under Finder? If yes your OSX or disk may be seriously messed out, you should consider backing up and reinstalling OSX.

DiskWarrior fixed a similar issue for me, without reinstalling the OS. Even the best OS needs maintenance.

[xloosefusionx]

Ive been trying different settings to attempt getting the best results, and 9/10 it happens. The thing with the white screen has only happened once though. Most times I try and do the default DVD mpeg2enc setting, but like I said, I try different things with mpeg2 seeing as though thats the best for DVD burning and authoring, so I read on the web.

As for previewing, I preview the files in VLC, does this make a difference in viewing the completed file?

Im "getting" DiskWarrior as we speak. I'll post the results when I use it. Thanks for the suggestion

[raulveiga]

Really, this program just creates problems...
All I see in these forums are people complaining
Having the same problems as I do
About encoding an AVI to DVD with subtitles not working
The program doesn't create a DVD folder nor the VIDEO_TS
The program gives a failure msg when encoding with mplayer instead of quicktime
This sucks
This ffmpegX is worthless
And no one seems to care nor give any solutions
Their how-to's are laughable
As if they would work
Looks like it was written by a monkey
And I still cant burn my avi's to DVD with subtitles
Tsss

[rumplestiltskin]

Really, this program just creates problems...
All I see in these forums are people complaining
Having the same problems as I do
About encoding an AVI to DVD with subtitles not working
The program doesn't create a DVD folder nor the VIDEO_TS
The program gives a failure msg when encoding with mplayer instead of quicktime
This sucks
This ffmpegX is worthless
And no one seems to care nor give any solutions
Their how-to's are laughable
As if they would work
Looks like it was written by a monkey
And I still cant burn my avi's to DVD with subtitles
Tsss

If you can't figure out how to use a few different tools when necessary, then just buy a PC and bitch in their forum, okay? We don't need those negative waves.

[raulveiga]

Negative waves?
Are you a hippie?
I'm just stating a fact of what I read in this forum
The program doesn't work
Or worse, they'll even say to install older versions because the new mplayer has bugs
Yeah, maybe I should buy a PC, because that's a typical Microsoft problem
You're so smart rumplestiltskin...
Good waves to you bro

[rumplestiltskin]

Hippie? Well, maybe so.

"fact"? No, that's opinion.

"program doesn't work"? Wrong again; it works fine for me.

Yes, please do buy a PC.

ffmpegX works just fine although there are so many non-standard AVIs floating around that it's inevitable you'll run into something that any one app won't transcode for you. So you end up with a small "toolkit", so to speak, through which you run the offending AVI until you are successful (all the while cursing the bozo who decided to use AC3 or Ogg for the audio while the rest of the world is happy with MP3 for its AVIs).

By the way: "Looks like it was written by a monkey"? I'd love to hear exactly how you will explain what this means. Actually, not.

[raulveiga]

Look man,
I choose the avi file, select the target format which is DVD mpeg2enc. In the filters tab, I load my srt file, I choose the size, the position, test it with the preview, it all works fine (the video the subtitles and the audio). In the options tab I choose decode with quicktime, because when I try it with mplayer I get an error. This is what happens: I get a huge mpv file and a folder with an audiodump.wav file and a stream.yuv file. At the end of the process it gives a failure msg and in the info I read that its because the program couldn't find an mpa filve, while all the time it created and mpv one!
I always make sure to check the Author as DVD (video_ts) box on the options tab, that file names of both my movie and subtitle have no space or special characters, so why wont it work?
Finally when encoding with quicktime, I get a m2v file, which when tested with VLC doesn't even have audio (not to say obviously no subtitles).
So what am I doing wrong?
I'm following exactly what the how-to's say, but this is what I get.
How can make this program create the DVD and the VIDEO_TS folders?

[Case]

I always make sure [...] that file names of both my movie and subtitle have no space or special characters

The whole path counts, that includes all folder names upwards to the volume name.

Finally when encoding with quicktime, I get a m2v file, which when tested with VLC doesn't even have audio (not to say obviously no subtitles).

.m2v is the MPEG video stream; it's supposed to have video only. The .m2v and .mpa (the audio only portion) would in a successful process be muxed together to an .mpg file.

Could you attach the Process Log for closer inspection at error specifics?

[rumplestiltskin]

Please post the AVI's "Info" (click the little button directly to the right of the source file's name). Perhaps that will provide us with a clue.

The m2v file will never have audio nor subtitle as it is just the video stream.

[raulveiga]

I attached the progress information for encoding the avi file to DVD + subtitles with MPLAYER instead of quicktime, exaclty as I described in my earlier post.
It shows the error I get in the end.

Here's the AVI's "Info":
VIDEO: [DX50] 576x304 24bpp 23.976
fps 988.8 kbps (120.7 kbyte/s)
Audio codec: framecopy (format=55
chans=3 rate=48000 bits=0 B/s=13505
sample=0)

I'm now encoding again with quicktime and will be attaching the process information window again in a while. Any ideas?

Thank you

processwindowmplayer.rtf

[rumplestiltskin]

If you could PM me a link to that file, I might try it.

You also might try transcoding it to a different AVI format.

Does the source file play in QT Player?

Your profile shows you running 10.3. Is this accurate? What version of QT are you running?

[etruscan]

>when I get to the folder the file is in, or a subfolder before the actual folder, the whole Finder crashes and disapears

Probably related to a very rare case where you drop the folder into another folder and the finder won't display it under similar pre-circumstances as yours. Command-f finds it, but the finder won't display it no matter how many times you redrop it in that folder unless you move it somewhere else, which is what I do. I once teased the finder by redropping it in the problem folder again-and-again...until it crashed.