Does anyone out there know how to use DVDx properly please?

[gazman1965]

I am wondering if there are any people out there who know how to use DVDx properly. I have 1.8 installed and have been told a number of different ways to have the settings. I am at present trying to do a rip of Contact but I consistantly get problems.I have increased the mux to 5 padding start rate to 50 audio to 112 volume to 4 and 10mb rip to ram on save dvd drive. Frames per second are pretty good because I have a 1.4 Athlon running XP Pro 512 mb 133 ram but only have a small HDD 10gig.
The main problems I keep getting are slight jumpinees, ghosting,edges around people moving or still are fuzzy (like looking at an aeroplane on take off in summer!)I have also the Panasonic Standalone & Plugin for dvdx but cant seem to be able to install them and use them properly. I seek someone out there who can help me through my problems. I am a novice user so in easy to understand English please.
Thanks for reading this waffle but I am getting very cheesed off with it. [/b]

[newgen]

I think I can help you out with the video problems in your movie. I have been getting jumpy video problems when encoding the movie V. When I loaded it into DVDx I kept getting the error message: "Warning input output frame rate are not equal pulldown(up) will be prefomed". The frames in the movie showed 23.98. To correct the outputed mpeg I used TMPGEnc to encode. I used the following settings: I double clicked on Inverse telecine in the andvanced tab as one of the filters. I selected auto-settings. In the settings box I chose 24fps (Motion Prioritized) for setting method and Delinterlaced: None. I clicked on enable during encoding and and clicked OK. I tested the parts of the movie that had the most jumpiness and it removed it completely. The only thing is that it increases the encoding time. As for making the panasonic plugin work I think that you have to copy all of the plugin files to the main DVDx Directory. I was having a similar problem using the videoserver plugin that came with DVDx. I'm not exactly sure if you can get the same filter :lol: setting if you are using a panasonic plugin but if you use the video server plugin and TMPGENc to encode than you can apply the filter.

[gazman1965]

thanks newgen 4 that

I still have problems though with the installation side of things. Tmpgenc 2.53.130 is the version I have but it says that it is an evaluation version. I have downloaded the crack for it but it still says the same thing!!LOL!
In Tmpg what are the best settings for a good smooth looking vcd. I am only ripping Reg 2 dvds so I dont have a problem with trying to rip NTSC to PAL at all.
Could someone out there try to give me some tried and tested settings which work for them and tell me if its best to rip in dvdx or tmpg (again good settings would be appreciated noting my problems before!)
Is it best to install the Panasonic Plugin or the videoserver for DVDx?
Thanks Again!!
Mr Useless!

[schamp]

Forget about DVDx, it doesn't produce very good quality. Instead use Smartripper to rip the DVD, then use DVD2AVI as a frameserver for TMPGenc. Best results for VCD with TMPGenc are obtained by making XVCD's if your player can manage them. Try setting higher bitrates than the standard 1150 and whats even more important try a resolution of 480xhhh and even 720xhhh. You have to use a burning software that lets you burn non-standard VCD's like Nero for instance.
If your player can read these, then you can make great looking VCD's.
All my XVCD's are 720xhhh (hhh being between 304 and 576) and I use VBR with average between 1500 and 2000, max at 2500, and min at 400 with padding. Works great with my Sony 325, but you'll have to check things out first with your player.

[gazman1965]

Thanks Schamp

My problems were set out earlier. I dont have a very big HDD 10gig to use Smartripper because I would like to.
Also having problems with Tmpg, to be honest because I am a bit on the thick side not sure how I should be using it!!lol!!
I need a back to basics start afresh guide on how things should be installed and in what order!
Please help me I dont think my player plays Xvcds so thats out of the equation. I want good not excellent or brilliant copies for me & my family to watch thats all but at the same time acceptable to the eye!!!

[schamp]

Well, with a small HD you are very limited indeed, so why not just get a bigger one. An extra 20gigs is just a handfull of dollars, but almost a must, if you really wanna get to work with DVD's.
Anyway, most players won't state that they can read XVCD's. I didn't even know, mine was capable of VCD's. I tried a CD-R once and it didn't do a damn thing and it was pure luck, that a friend came along with a copied music CD on a CD-RW and tried it in my DVD-player and IT WORKED!!!
So, my player only takes CD-RW and no CD-R. That when I tried my first VCD and it WORKED TOO!! I really just tried out the higher bitrates and higher resolutions for shits and giggles, but WOW, even that WORKED!!! I was amazed, after already having planned to throw out my player and buying a better one. So, just try it, you got nothing to loose.
DVDx is just not a very stable program. I started off using that, but soon had to realize that it crashes sometimes, its rather slow, and the results are not great at all. I only use it to calculate the best bitrate to fit the movie on 2 discs, but then comes DVD2AVI and TMPGenc, which as mentioned before, are a great couple of programs.
So, if you stay with your 10gigs, you are gonna have a hard time getting good results at all, but even with DVDx you can try the higher bitrates and resolutions and then decide if you wanna get a additional HD.

[newgen]

I can walk you through the installation of DVDx and if you use it with TMPGEnc you have many options instead of just using it alone. First of all you should have already dowloaded the DVDx zip file. And another important file called avisynth if you don't have this here is the link:
http://www.doom9.org/Soft21/SupportUtils/Avisynthv105.zip. Unzip the DVDx file to whatever directory and you will have two files, the DVDx installation file and the videoserver zip file. Double click on the DVDx inst. file and install it. Once your done go back and Double click on the videoserver zip file. When I use winzip I get two options to unzip or install I chose to unzip only because when install I don't get to choose the directory and I have more than one version of DVDx installed. So to make sure all of the files go in the right spot I manually put them there.

After unzipping the videoserver file. There will be several folders that should appear: AudioEnc, Aviwrpr, BBMpeg, Plugin, Pulldown, and Screen file. Some of these plugins you may not need for DVDx to work. Make sure that the directory that you installed DVDx into is open. Open the Plugin folder. You will see a file called cm-videoserver.prm. Copy this file into the DVDx directory this is the plugin which is very important for DVDx to let you encode with an external encoder. The last step is to install the avisynth program from the seperate zip that you downloaded. Unzip the avisynthv105 file and you will see 4 files first copy the avisynth.dll to the windows directory and the windows32 directory. Then double click on the install.reg and click yes. Now should you have a fully working DVDx program.

To check for the plugin open DVDx and open output settings in the settings menu. Under premiere plugin enconder selct the drop down menu and it will display all of the installed plugins. If you see videoserver as on of the plugins then you installed it correctly. Many times I get a error message like can't auth. the drive but I always ignore it because the movie still loads.

In order to use DVDx and TMPGENc all you have to do is load your movie, click open DVD root and select the title with the longest chain. Under program chain select the program that is the longest. Select your settings like language and frames. When your done select settings, output settings choose your res, resize if you don't want letterbox or leave it and very importantly select whole under max frames. Select your premiere plugin which will probably be videoserver. Click the plugin settings button. Select connect to avisynth under server mode. Under link to avi synth settings make sure Create AVS file is checked. Browse to where you want it saved. Click OK then Apply in the main output settings window. Click encode in the main DVDx window then OK. Now you are ready to use TMPGEnc. First leave the DVDx windows open or else it won't work. You can minimize them if you want.

Open TMPGEnc. If you are using the wizard choose your template. Then browse for the video file. In order to find it in the directory you saved it you have to select all files or else it won't show up. It will also load the AVS file for the sound. Make whatever settings you want or apply filters in the other settings tab. Name your movie and select where you want to save it and start to encode. When I used this method of copying the movie directly from my drive it took about 3 and half hours. It depends on the speed of your computer.

If you would like a full color guide DVDx comes with an offline webpage for using TMPGEnc with it. The file is called guide and it's in the main DVDx folder.

If really want smooth looking VCDs you may have to apply some type of filter like I said earlier the. Usually with DVD rips the video quality starts very high so you won't lose a lot of quality. If you want to sharpen your picture you can use the sharpen edge filter. You can also turn up the CBR if the picture looks blotchy when there's movement. If it doesn't let you you have to load the unlock template first.

[gazman1965]

Thanks 4 that its great!!
I have installed all the necessary information but I still have a couple of questions I would like answered please.
In the readme files it says not to install the avisynth files because TMPG will not recognise them (AVS).
I have set it up via the guide pages you suggest & it starts to encode through TMPG but after a short while it freezes (5 then 12 mins encoded) on both times that I have tried.
I did not install the avisynth.dll files in system/system 32 because of the incompatibility of the AVS files. Should I still have installed them?
I am running XP and the files say that it was not tested with XP, should I change my OS if it makes it better but I prefer not to.
If you have any ideas that can stop my freezing then please let me know.
In save dvd drivevits set on 100mb/hard drive. Is it best on RAM?

[newgen]

I think that you should go ahead and copy the avisynth files to your system folders. The avisynth prorogram is what you will use to connect to TMPGEnc. You computer could be freezing up because the files aren't there. If you try to copy the files in the 2 system folders and they still do not make it work then delete the file. As for what to use to save the movie I recommend RAM. Your hard drive is much slower and sometimes if you have it save too much it may also cause it to freeze up. When I set my DVDx to save the drive at 100MB on my RAM I got warning messages even though I have 512MB of RAM. It also froze after about 50% of the movie. To be save don't set the save dvd too high. Your computer may not be able to handle too much data at one time and encode even if you have a fast computer. I think 20MB on your RAM is OK and not on your hard drive.

[Puneet]

I use 100MB save to hard disk. Is that too much? Also does it affect picture quality or bing any sort of picture jumpiness into play?

BTW, I have 320MB ram

[newgen]

I think that it is better just to save to your RAM as long as you have enough. When you run programs the speed is determined by your memory not your hard drive. If you have faster memort than it will speed up DVDx. I think that if you choose to save to your hard drive it wont effect the picture. Picture is usually effected by improper settings. I have never tried DVDx with the save to hard drive setting because my hard drive is a little slower than my memory and usually that the case. Let me know if you have been getting jumpiness in your video because I have been getting the same problems recently and reencoding the movie didn't help. I have found a few solutions to the problem.

[Puneet]

Ya, I have been getting a jumpiness in my picture. Could you please share with me (either here or email me on puneet_21@hotmail.com) your solutions to the problem. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also say 20Mb on RAM , couldn't that lead to DVD drive stuffing as it has to turn on and off again and again.

[kevstir]

im using dvd x 1.8 with the panasonic plugin , i use 700mb to hard drive setting and have no probs what so ever did have when i had it set to 10mb my dvd drive wouldnt read the disc after about 2 hours which is no goo when they take about 6 hours lol , 700 is the max u can set it too, whole dvd done in 6 hours aprox
quality is good , i sell the vcd's i make and never had a complaint so cant be that bad .......

[gazman1965]

thx kevstir 4 that
Could you please give me the installation details of the panasonic plug in because no matter how i try i cant get the thing to recognise it in the plugins box at the bottom.
I,m desperate to try it because they reckon its the best plugin to use.
Step by step please easy english.

[kevstir]

goto http://www.vcdhelp.com/The%20fastest%20and%20easiest%20way%20to%20create%20a%20pal%20V...%20page_files/ and follow the instructions there then do what i told u to do then u will be sorted , i would have gone into more detail but im just away to work lol hope this helps mate , if u want the cracked plugin give me an e-mail at kevstir2000@hotmail.com

[gazman1965]

thx 4 that kevstir
u can send me the cracked plugin at gazman1965@hotmail.com please.
Now go through the process of installing the pana sonic plugin from beginning 2 end because I still cant get dvdx1.8 to recognise it ,which in turn must mean there is something wrong. Video server is already installed on dvdx, what should I do if I want to remove the videoserver & re install panasonic plugin.
I'm running XP any reasons for me not to worry!!!.....lol!

[kevstir]

hi mate if i were u i would uninstall dvdx and ur outher plugin then reinstall dvdx , when u install the plugin just point it to dvdx folder thats what i did and it worked first time

[kevstir]

iv tryed to send u the panasonic plugin but hotmail only lets u send a file of 1mb and the plugins 2 mb plus ur e-mail address dosnt work, if u have msn messenger i can send u it through that if u want? i will be on here about 7pm uk time just use my e-mail address to add me to ur contacts.

Kevstir

[gazman1965]

thx 4 trying kevstir
if u want send me the site where u got it from and give me a n exact guide as to how u installed the plugin with dvdx1.8, by mailing me at hotmail,ok?
not in this week at 7pm at work myself, only till about 3/4pm then again at about 6/7am every morning to check 4 mails etc?

[marsu]

hmmm...
i installed the panasonic plugin into the dvdx-folder. i followed the instructions in the before mentioned guide. but when dvdx starts the decoding, it simply crashes. well... at least it doesn't freeze. it simply disappears
can anybody help me? or send me the premiere plugin?

[baker]

just use my dvdx guide. Heres a link:

BAker

[marsu]

I used your guide exactly - but still, dvdx crashes (or disappears, however)... doesn't work

[gazman1965]

Guys
I still have not had anyone yet tell me how to install the plugin correctly, you two who have just joined are slightly off track. I am the one who requires help please! :P
kevstir if you are still around give me some more assistance!
thx

[marsu]

the installation of the plugin was quite easy:
1) start setup
2) when premiere plugin asks where to be installed, use your dvdx-folder
3) install
4) start dvdx
5) follow above mentioned guide, BUT: in the lower left corner (output-settings) change the color-thingy from rgb24 to rgb32 - and the plugin will work. (finally found it out, yippieeee) :P
the quality with the plugin is better, but the encoding takes twice as long: without plugin around 12 frames/sec, with plugin around 6 frames/sec.
any idea of how to speed this up?

[gazman1965]

Great news guys!
I have now installed the panasonic plugin to DVDX 1.6 and it seems fine.
Tried to encode films, it runs ok for the first 5/6 mins of encoding then it comes up with VIDEO DATA RATE or VBV BUFFER SIZE IS TOO SMALL.
Can someone tell me what settings they use to get both to work in harmony?
THX.

[Keffie]

I have ripped close to 100 DVDs to VCD using either different versions of DVDx alone (1.6 to 1.8a) or DVDx + Panasonic 2.51 plugin combo or DVDx + TMPEGenc combo. I did them all mostly on Athlon 1600 but some on my PIII 866 laptop, both running Windoze ME + DirectX 8.0a or 8.1. Here's what I can say (all basis DVD to VCD PAL):

1. Make sure you have DirectX 8.0a or 8.1 installed. I used 8.1 but reverted to 8.0a since the newest one was sometimes screwing up my graphic card drivers on my PIII, Athlon never suffered from this. Also, a freshly installed Windoze, without its registry swollen to the size of football stadium, will help A LOT (and I mean a damn LOT) when it comes to overall stability of the programs. This is especially true for DVDx.

2. DVDx 1.6 should run flawlessly with Panasonic 2.51 plugin, just install it the way folks are saying, pointing to DVDx folder and pretending it's Adobe plugin folder. Any higher version of DVDx will, in most cases, not work with Panasonic or, in the best case, will not be stable enough to rip a whole movie. Please note though, that I have never tried changing RGB value in DVDx from 24 to 32 as Marsu says and I have never ripped a whole movie with this setting. Maybe 32 of 24 will help to run latest DVDx with a plugin in a stable way.

3. Generally the output of DVDx 1.6 + Panasonic combo gives very nice quality although some movies (why the hell just some and not all of them, I dunno) turn out much darker. In this case you can turn on luminance on in DVDx and set a value of 200/50. Also some movies (why just some??? seems like old movies appearing these days on DVD - like Omen I which is 25 years old now!) give a washed out color, in which case you should turn on color control in Panasonic plugin and boost all three RGB values to something like 20 or more, depending on your personal taste. Somehow I always kept color tone correction ticked as TV and not PC (I watch movies on TV) but I heard that washed out colors can be corrected by just ticking PC even if the movie is supposed to be watched on TV (never really verified this though).

4. To get rid of extensive blockiness, especially visible on dark backgrounds and to get better looking subtitles (with no garbage flying close to them) I always used image filters in Panasonic, setting noise reduction filter at weak or medium level and video filter at adaptive + medium level.

5. Panasonic will slow down encoding abit, be aware of that, although on really fast PCs (1,6 and faster) this is hardly noticeable.

6. Although generally satisfied with results I now mostly use DVDx 1.8a + TMPEGenc combo since it works much faster and gives me more control over different options. Panasonic is definitely easier to use and set up than TMPEGenc (if you really want to play with a horde of options which are available in TMPEGenc).

Good luck.

[baker]

EVERYBODY USE DVDX V1.6 AS IT IS THE BEST AND THE REASON THE ERROR 352X288 INCOORRECT RES COMES UP IS BECAUSE PANASONIC DOSN'T ACCEPT RGB24.

I ALWAYS KNEW THIS.

IF YOU HAD A PROBLEM YOU SHOULD HAVE MAILED ME.

I AM THE DVDX KING~!

BAKER