AVStoDVD Support Thread

[manolito]

I came across something I never saw before today, a file with compliant audio but with an audio delay of 168ms according to mediainfo.
When AVStoDVD processes it and by default, the audio is kept as-is since it's compliant, the resulting DVD has audio that is not synced properly.

Forcing A2d to re-encode the audio fixes the problem, as well as manually cutting the audio ac3 by 168 ms in DelayCut and using that audio in A2D.

This has always been the normal behavior of AVStoDSVD...

A2D corrects audio delays through an AviSynth command. But if the source audio is already DVD compliant (and you have ticked "Keep compliant audio") then AviSynth is not used at all for audio. FFmpeg is used for demuxing audio directly from the source file instead, and there is no provision for correcting audio delay here.

So you need to use some workaround, and you already found the right ones. Another possible workaround would be to tell A2D to create just elementary streams and then add the delay manually in the muxing or authoring stage.

For a DVD structure you would use Muxman which lets you add a delay. For a muxed MPEG2 file you can tell Mplex to add a delay with the "--sync-offset" parameter (here you need to specify a negative value for a positive audio delay and vice versa).


Cheers
manolito

[davexnet]

Thanks manolito wasn't sure if it was normal or not. Perhaps A2D should offer warning if the project has this scenario?

[digicube]

What can AVStoDVD do that DVDStyler cannot? I thinking of migrating to DVDStyler altogether.

[manolito]

AVStoDVD and DVDStyler are very similar in their purpose to create video DVDs from all kinds of sources. But they come from different standpoints, and this shows up to now...

AVStoDVD always had the priority to offer high quality encoding. Earlier versions did not have any menu capabilities, these were added much later, and they still are somewhat limited. Conversion is based on AviSynth which makes it very powerful and versatile, but users who want to tweak things need to know the AviSynth syntax.

DVDStyler started as a pure authoring application with the option to create menus using DVDAuthor. In the beginning it did not support any transcoding, users had to provide DVD compliant sources to feed them to the authoring routines. Later Mr Thuering (the author) decided that he wanted a more universal software, and he added transcoding capabilities using FFmpeg. But he supported only basic CBR transcoding, which resulted in bad quality except for very high bitrate encodes. The current DVDStyler versions incorporate a FFmpeg VBR plugin which I made out of frustration from the previous bad quality, so today DVDStyler can create very high quality DVD output.

Which one you prefer is very much a matter of taste. I recommend to install both of them, you will soon see which one you prefer...


Cheers
manolito

[digicube]

OK. I'll try both for a while and decide. DVDStyler supports Avisynth too. Hopefully AVStoDVD will support chapters menu and thumbnails in the future.

Edit: Welp, it looks like I'm sticking with AVStoDVD. DVDStyler doesn't accept AVS files. I have to use Avisynth Virtual File System and DVDStyler froze/stalled when loading the 124GB AVI file AVFS creates.

[manolito]

Why do you need to feed AVS scripts to the conversion software?

As you already found out DVDStyler will mostly crash when feeding an AVS script to it. And AVStoDVd (despite its name) is also not really good when you feed it with an AVS script...

Since AVStoDVD uses AviSynth it is not too hard to incorporate your AVS script by adding it to the AviSynth tab in the "Edit Title" window. This is a much safer way compared to using an AVS script as the input.


Cheers
manolito

[digicube]

A2D works fine with basic/simple Avisynth scripts but DVDStyler won't accept any AVS files despite it stating that it supports Avisynth and AVS files. Did the author drop this feature?

[manolito]

DVDStyler itself has no special code to support AVS scripts. It just uses FFmpeg's input capabilities, it is completely at the mercy of FFmpeg.

Starting from FFmpeg version 3.12 the interaction of FFmpeg with AviSynth has changed. In many cases it helps to add the "AviSynth\Plugins" folder to your "Path" environment variable, and also adding any folder from where you may load AVS plugins to the Path variable is a good idea.

//EDIT//
BTW you did not make the bad mistake to try using a 64-bit version of DVDStyler with a 32-bit AviSynth version? This would never work...


Good luck
manolito

[RowRowYourBoat]

I installed the software this morning and had an error related to skins at the end of installation, when trying to launch the application for the first time. Software reported it would use default skins. What I have now is an application missing all of its distinct pictographic buttons, which are replaced with what appears to be "rainbow-colored film clips" (red-yellow-green-blue).

Is the new version buggy? Is there any way to fix this?

Warning! Problems found during Skin Icons loading! AVStoDVD will try to extract the ico files.

Do you want to continue?

and

Warning! Errors found during Skin Icons loading!

Default AVStoDVD icon will be used.

See Help/FAQ/GUI/Q2.6 for more details.

Manual extraction:

Which folder, exactly? Default or Default\Icons? Classic or Classic\Icons?

C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Skins\Default
C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Skins\Classic

And then Administrator rights are requested to extract or copy the folders. It's very frustrating.

/// EDIT ///

It would seem that we must copy the ICO files from the two Icons.ZIP archives into the Default and Classic folders directly—NOT into new "Icons" folders.

As mentioned below, I have in fact changed my default font size in Windows 7.

[digicube]

Try a previous version. I'm sticking with 2.8.4.

[manolito]

This happens with newer Windows versions (Win7 and above), mostly if the user has changed the default font size. But the workaround is easy.

See Help/FAQ/GUI/Q2.6 for more details.

Have you even read the FAQ?

Workaround: manually unzip the icons.zip file you can find in the same folder

Which folder? Default or classic skins?
Of course the folder for the skins you are using. You set this under the "View->Skins" menu tab.

And if you need administrator rights to extract or copy files to these folders, this is a Windows permissions issue, there is nothing AVStoDVD can do about it. I suggest you familiarize yourself with some basic Windows procedures (like doing things with elevated rights or start software as an administrator).

And no, the new AVStoDVD version is NOT buggy, any user can easily fix these issues with very little effort...


Cheers
manolito


//EDIT//

It would seem that we must copy the ICO files from the two Icons.ZIP archives into the Default and Classic folders directly—NOT into new "Icons" folders

Of course. Reread the FAQ... Unzip the icon files into the same folder

[RowRowYourBoat]

Green diagonal lines:

Converting an MP4 video into DVD Folder Structure, I end up with green diagonal lines (slanting downward right to left at about 15°) dividing the picture—which I can still see, but not enjoy.

In case it helps, I saw this message when opening the file:

Warning! Input Title 'C:\Users\My user account\Video\My video.mp4' has a typical NTSC framerate (23.976 fps) Video stream.

NTSC encoding will yield a better result.

Do you want to change DVD Standard from PAL to NTSC for this Project (If you do not know, press 'No')?[/n]

I've encountered problems with other converters when opening this same file. VLC will play this file without issue, although VLC cannot convert it, either.

[manolito]

In such cases it is necessary that you post your AVStoDVD log file here. If you could cut out a short section of the source file (AviDemux works well for MP4) and attach it here then this will help us even more...

In any case I hope that you have replaced the default MicroSoft DirectShow source filters with LAV... See this post:
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/277852-AVStoDVD-Support-Thread/page106#post2460122


Cheers
manolito

[RowRowYourBoat]

In such cases it is necessary that you post your AVStoDVD log file here. If you could cut out a short section of the source file (AviDemux works well for MP4) and attach it here then this will help us even more...

In any case I hope that you have replaced the default MicroSoft DirectShow source filters with LAV... See this post:
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/277852-AVStoDVD-Support-Thread/page106#post2460122


Cheers
manolito

I switched all filters to LAV, and this corrected the green lines. The MP4 was also converted faster than ever. I have to ask, why are the LAV filters not used by default?

Regardless, when DVD Shrink attempted to create the disc image I needed from the resultant DVD file structure, I encountered an error I've never seen before:

DVD Shirnk encountered an error and cannot continue.

Out of memory

Not enough storage is available to process this command.

I'm trying again, hoping AVStoDVD will allow me to bypass the use of DVD Shrink. We shall see.

Until yesterday, I had been using DVD Flick, DVD Rebuilder, DVD Shrink, and ImgBurn to migrate an assortment of video files to DVD.

\\\ EDIT \\\

I was hoping to get an ISO I could later burn, but was surprised to discover AVStoDVD launched ImgBurn. All I had to do was point to the proper DVD writer. I've not been this impressed by software in many years.

I imagine AVStoDVD creates an ISO at some point. Where is it? I'd like to burn more than one copy of these videos. I see Delete temporary DVD assets files is checked—in case that results in automatically deleting disc image files.

[manolito]

I switched all filters to LAV, and this corrected the green lines. The MP4 was also converted faster than ever. I have to ask, why are the LAV filters not used by default?

AFAIK the A2D installer version comes with LAVFilters. I always use the non-install version, but in any case upon the first start A2D should give the users a warning if LAV Filters are either not installed or not used. Didn't you get such a warning?

Some users still prefer ffdshow over LAV Filters, and A2D also supports this just fine. It's just the Microsoft filters which are evil...

Regardless, when DVD Shrink attempted to create the disc image I needed from the resultant DVD file structure, I encountered an error I've never seen before:

I'm trying again, hoping AVStoDVD will allow me to bypass the use of DVD Shrink. We shall see.

If you just want to create a disk image (without any additional shrinking) then of course you can bypass DVDShrink. The "Output" button at the top lets you choose between all kinds of output options. You can select an ISO image, and if IMGBurn is installed, A2D will recognize it and let you burn directly after a conversion.


Cheers
manolito


//EDIT//
Okay, posting both at the same time...

Like I said, have a look at the output options. IMGBurn should only pop up directly after you have specified it.

IIRC when you specify "Burn" then the image will not be deleted automatically (I could be wrong though). Where this image is depends n your settings for the A2D Paths. You can edit the paths under "Preferences", and at least for me things are easier to find if your temp and work and assets folders are different from the Windows user folders. But this is a matter of personal taste...


And you are absolutely right, AVStoDVD is a software which does impress a lot of users. It has been around for over 10 years now, and MrC has constantly worked to improve it. At first glance it sometimes looks simple, but this is not true. Once you get familiar with it you will notice how powerful it is.

[manolito]

IIRC when you specify "Burn" then the image will not be deleted automatically (I could be wrong though)

Did a quick conversion to refresh my memory...
When "Burn" is specified under the output options then A2D does not create an ISO image file at all. It creates a DVD structure instead (a VIDEO_TS folder), and this DVD structure is used by IMGBurn.

After burning is complete, the VIDEO_TS folder will not be deleted. You can burn it again later with IMGBurn or any other decent burning software. In IMGBurn you need to specify "Build" in the "Mode" menu (instead of "Write").


Cheers
manolito

[RowRowYourBoat]

I've not the A/V experience of other users; I imagine the software will impress and leave me dumbfounded for many years to come.

Another hiccup: The first MP4 I put to DVD played well enough, but for an occasional slight pause. The second MP4, which I output as an ISO instead of DVD, will not play on my set top box. I get a region restriction notice. The MP4 plays fine on my computer. Why would the DVD not be region free by default?

More importantly, how do I address this?

[manolito]

This is a first for me...

AVStoDVD NEVER EVER adds a region code to the DVDs it creates. Maybe your set top box has problems playing ISO files directly. Try to create a DVD structure (a VIDEO_TS folder) and play this on your set top box.

Or if you can live without menus repack the DVD into an MKV container using MakeMKV. This will retain your chapters, and most set top boxes have no problems playing MKVs.

Good luck
manolito

[RowRowYourBoat]

"Playback prohibited by area limitations." That is the message via my Sony set top box.

I ripped the disc back to computer with a program that would remove any region settings, but that did not help; a second disc would not play, either. An MP4 isn't going to have any sort of region limitations, right? VLC plays the MP4. I can try creating a DVD folder structure, burning directly to DVD, or perhaps looking for another MP4. We shall see.

[davexnet]

Did you create a PAL disk instead of NTSC (or vice versa) ? My old Sony DVD player used to put this message out if it was wrong.
That's why it's important to see the log, all the Info is there

[RowRowYourBoat]

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
START PROCESS
<>

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
PROJECT SETTINGS

DVD Video Standard: PAL
DVD Titles number: 1
DVD Size: 4449/4450 MB (100%)
DVD Output Setup: ISO UDF Image
DVD Label: DVD
DVD Menu: No Menu
Output Folder: C:\Users\User\Videos
Delete Temp Assets Files: Yes
Delete Temp Working Files: Yes
Edit Command Parameters: No
Post Process Task: Show Progress Status window

PREFERENCES

MultiThread: 1
AVS Video Source Filter: A2DSource
AVS Audio Source Filter: A2DSource
AVS UpSize/DownSize Filter: Lanczos4Resize/Spline16Resize
Frame Adjust Strategy: 0
FPS Hard Conversion: 0
PAL SpeedUp: 0
NTSC SlowDown: 0
Video Resolution: 0
Video Encoder: 0
Video BitRate Min: 2500
Video BitRate Max: 8500
Keep DVD Compliant Video: 1
AC3 Audio Encoder: 0
Force FFmpeg for Long Audio: 1
DVD Audio Format: 0
DVD Audio BitRate: 192
Keep DVD Compliant Audio: 1
Normalize Audio: 0
Auto Delay Audio: 1
DVD Audio Language (Primary): EN - English
DVD Audio Language (Secondary): EN - English
DVD Subs Language (Primary): EN - English
DVD Subs Language (Secondary): EN - English
DVD Subs Font: Tahoma 16pt (255,255,255)
Chapters Interval: 5
Use Source Chapters: 1
DVD Burning Drive: G: TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-222AB SB01
DVD Burning Speed: 4x
Auto Erase DVD RW: 1
Execute with Elevated Privileges: 0
Unload ActiveMovie Library: 1
Adjust DirectShow Filters at runtime: 1
Save General Settings: 0

SYSTEM INFO

Processor Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         950  @ 3.07GHz
Operating System: Windows 7 - Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601) 64 bit
User has Admin Rights: YES
Running with Elevated Privileges: NO (3)
Available Output Disc Space: 366 GB
AviSynth is installed: YES (release 2.6.0)
LAV Filters is installed: YES (release 0.69.0)
ffdshow is installed: NO

CODECS REPORT

H.264/AVC: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
Xvid: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
DivX 4/5/6: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
Other MPG4: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
DV: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
MPEG1: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
MPEG2: LAV Video Decoder {EE30215D-164F-4A92-A4EB-9D4C13390F9F}
MP2: LAV Audio Decoder {E8E73B6B-4CB3-44A4-BE99-4F7BCB96E491}
MP3: LAV Audio Decoder {E8E73B6B-4CB3-44A4-BE99-4F7BCB96E491}
AAC: LAV Audio Decoder {E8E73B6B-4CB3-44A4-BE99-4F7BCB96E491}
AC3: LAV Audio Decoder {E8E73B6B-4CB3-44A4-BE99-4F7BCB96E491}

<>

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
TITLE 1 SOURCE FILES
Video: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.mp4
Info: AVC - 314 kbps - 640x266 - DAR 2.406 - 25 fps - Progressive - 1:50:20 hours - 165497 frames
Audio 1: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.mp4
Info: AAC LC - 96 kbps - VBR - 2 ch - 44100 Hz - 1:50:20 hours (0 ms delay)
[MediaInfoLib - v0.7.77]
<>

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
AVISYNTH SCRIPT
Import("C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Lib\A2DSource.avsi")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Lib\ColorMatrix.dll")

Video = A2DVideoSource("C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.mp4", CacheFolder="C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp", FrameRateNum=25, FrameRateDen=1, FrameRate=25)
Audio = A2DAudioSource("C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.mp4", CacheFolder="C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp")

Video = Video.ColorMatrix(source=0,dest=2)
Video = Video.ConvertToYV12()
Video = Video.AddBorders(0,46,0,48)
Video = Video.Lanczos4Resize(720,576)

Audio = Audio.SSRC(48000)

AudioDub(Video, Audio)
<>

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
DIRECTSHOW AUDIO MIXER OPERATIONS:
No LAV Filters mixer ON/OFF adjustment required at runtime
<>

<7/23/2017 12:13:02 PM>
START VIDEO ENCODING OPERATIONS
Video Encoding Profile: HCenc VBR 1-pass
Target Video FileSize: 4194.4 MB
Encoding Parameters: -ini "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_DVD.HCenc.ini"
HCenc ini file:
*INFILE C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_DVD_1.avs
*AVSRELOAD
*OUTFILE C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD.m2v
*LOGFILE C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_DVD.HCenc.log
*MAXBITRATE 9000
*1PASS
*BITRATE 5315
*PROFILE BEST
*ASPECT 16:9
*PROGRESSIVE
*TFF
*BIAS 50
*DC_PREC 9
*MATRIX MPEG
*AQ 1
*LUMGAIN 1
*SMP
*PRIORITY IDLE
*DBPATH  C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp
*WAIT 2
<>

<7/23/2017 12:28:38 PM>
END VIDEO ENCODING OPERATIONS
Video Source Filter: A2DSource (DirectShowSource)
Created File: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD.m2v (4193.1 MB)
OUTPUT VIDEO INFO: MPEG-2 Video - 5313 kbps - 720x576 - DAR 16:9 - 25 fps - Progressive (TFF) - 1:50:20 hours - 165498 frames
<>

<7/23/2017 12:28:38 PM>
START AUDIO ENCODING OPERATIONS (Track 1)
Wavi+Aften Parameters: "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_DVD_1.avs" - | "C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\Aften\aften.exe" -b 192 -pad 0 -dynrng 5 -bwfilter 0 - "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_1.ac3"
<>

<7/23/2017 12:32:06 PM>
END AUDIO ENCODING OPERATIONS (Track 1)
Audio Source Filter: A2DSource (DirectShowSource)
Created File: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_1.ac3 (151.5 MB)
OUTPUT AUDIO INFO: AC3 - 192 kbps - CBR - 2 ch - 48000 Hz - 1:50:20 hours (0 ms delay)
<>

<7/23/2017 12:32:06 PM>
DVD CHAPTERS CREATION OPERATIONS
Title 1 Input Chapters List: 7500 15000 22500 30000 37500 45000 52500 60000 67500 75000 82500 90000 97500 105000 112500 120000 127500 135000 142500 150000 157500 165000
Title 1 Output Chapters List: 7500 15000 22500 30000 37500 45000 52500 60000 67500 75000 82500 90000 97500 105000 112500 120000 127500 135000 142500 150000 157500 165000 
Created File: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_Chapters.txt (164 Byte)
<>

<7/23/2017 12:32:06 PM>
START DVD AUTHORING OPERATIONS
BatchMux Parameters: -arglist "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_BatchMux.ini"
BatchMux ini file:
-bmlog "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_BatchMux.log"
-d "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD\VIDEO_TS"
-mxp "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_MuxMan.mxp"
-l "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_MuxMan.log"
-muxman "C:\Program Files (x86)\AVStoDVD\MuxMan"
-prio LOW
-palette "C:\Users\USER~1\AppData\Local\Temp\DVD_Palette.txt"
-v "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD.m2v"
-vidmode LB
-a1 "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_1.ac3"
-a1lang en
-cellfr "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_Chapters.txt"
-progfr "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_Chapters.txt"
-chapfr "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD_DVD_Chapters.txt"

<>

<7/23/2017 12:33:48 PM>
END DVD AUTHORING OPERATIONS
Created Folder: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD (4429.3 MB)

CHECK DVD SIZE
DVD Folder (actual) Size: 4429.3 MB
vs Assets Size: 4344.6 MB -> OK
vs Estimated Size: 4449 MB -> 0.4% undersize
<>

<7/23/2017 12:33:48 PM>
START ISO IMAGE BUILDING OPERATIONS
ImgBurn (ISO) Parameters: /mode isobuild /buildmode imagefile /src "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD\VIDEO_TS" /dest "C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.iso" /volumelabel "DVD" /filesystem "ISO9660 + UDF" /udfrevision "1.02" /overwrite yes /noimagedetails /start /close
<>

<7/23/2017 12:35:48 PM>
END ISO IMAGE BUILDING OPERATIONS
Created File: C:\Users\User\Videos\DVD.iso (4.3 GB)
<>

<7/23/2017 12:35:48 PM>
AVStoDVD Project ended successfully.
<>

<7/23/2017 12:35:48 PM>
Log file created by AVStoDVD Release 2.8.6
<>

I thought that was supposed to appear in a smaller window one could scroll through.

Anyway, I went into Perferences\Video and selected NTSC. It was set to PAL, obviously. Let's see what happens.

[davexnet]

If you're in NTSC-land (USA, etc) it should definitely be set this way. AS you can see from the log, it created a PAL disk.

[RowRowYourBoat]

If you're in NTSC-land (USA, etc) it should definitely be set this way. AS you can see from the log, it created a PAL disk.

I suppose I should get a player that is region-free and PAL/NTSC capable.

The first MP4 I converted to DVD had brief, random pauses affecting video and audio simultaneously. Playback was never interruption-fee for more than ten minutes. Could this be related to VBR encoding of many MP4s?

[davexnet]

If you're in NTSC-land (USA, etc) it should definitely be set this way. AS you can see from the log, it created a PAL disk.

I suppose I should get a player that is region-free and PAL/NTSC capable.

The first MP4 I converted to DVD had brief, random pauses affecting video and audio simultaneously. Playback was never interruption-fee for more than ten minutes. Could this be related to VBR encoding of many MP4s?

Is this on your standalone player? What about if you play it on the PC ?

[RowRowYourBoat]

Is this on your standalone player? What about if you play it on the PC ?

The PC does not have the same problems.

[davexnet]

Is this on your standalone player? What about if you play it on the PC ?

The PC does not have the same problems.[/QUOTE]

If the disk plays fine in the PC but not in your standalone player, I would suspect the standalone player
is having an issue with the particular media you are using, resulting in unreliable reading of the data.

This is a tool you can run on the PC that gives a indication of the burn "quality"
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nero_discspeed.html

[RowRowYourBoat]

If the disk plays fine in the PC but not in your standalone player, I would suspect the standalone player
is having an issue with the particular media you are using, resulting in unreliable reading of the data.

This is a tool you can run on the PC that gives a indication of the burn "quality"
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nero_discspeed.html

The burners operate satisfactorily. The "area restriction" problem step from AVStoDVD defaulting to PAL; I fixed that in AVStoDVD Preferences.

If the pausing and hitching occurred on every disc I made, or even with most of them, I would image the burner was suspect. However, the opposite is true. I have no trouble with most videos I burn. However, MP4s, converted with DVD Flick or AVStoDVD frequently exhibit pausing and hitching.

There is an opportunity for me to learn more about conversion, but I certainly need help. I did not go to school for this. It is not my full time job. I am a novice.

[davexnet]

If the disk plays fine in the PC but not in your standalone player, I would suspect the standalone player
is having an issue with the particular media you are using, resulting in unreliable reading of the data.

This is a tool you can run on the PC that gives a indication of the burn "quality"
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nero_discspeed.html

The burners operate satisfactorily. The "area restriction" problem step from AVStoDVD defaulting to PAL; I fixed that in AVStoDVD Preferences.

If the pausing and hitching occurred on every disc I made, or even with most of them, I would image the burner was suspect. However, the opposite is true. I have no trouble with most videos I burn. However, MP4s, converted with DVD Flick or AVStoDVD frequently exhibit pausing and hitching.

There is an opportunity for me to learn more about conversion, but I certainly need help. I did not go to school for this. It is not my full time job. I am a novice.

It's difficult to understand exactly what pausing and hitching means. If it's not a problem with the unit reading the disk,
then some kind of frame mismatch occurred. Post a sample of your source (you can trim off a piece with Avidemux) and the corresponding AvstoDVD log
where the problem shows up.

[manolito]

However, the opposite is true. I have no trouble with most videos I burn. However, MP4s, converted with DVD Flick or AVStoDVD frequently exhibit pausing and hitching.

So you think that the source MP4 files are to blame? You really should upload a segment of such a source file which shows this behavior... Even more so since you indicated that the original MP4 files play without any issues.

Let's take the whole conversion process apart:

1. The source file needs to be decoded. This is done by the "source filter". The A2D default is "A2DSource" which is just a wrapper which selects one of the following source filters: AviSource, DirectShowSource (together with LAV Filters) and FFmpegSource. For your source MP4 it will most likely pick DirectShowSource. For troubleshooting you should force FFmpegSource (for video and audio) under "Preferences" and see if the problems disappear.

2. The decoded frames are processed by AviSynth (resize, frame rate conversion, maybe additional filters) and frameserved to the encoder software. It is very unlikely that your issues come from this stage.

3. To generate DVD output the encoding results need to be multiplexed and authored. A2D uses Muxman for this stage, and this is the most reliable free software you can get. If Muxman does not throw errors at this stage then you are fine.

4. The authored result gets burned to a DVD blank. All kinds of bad things can happen here. A misaligned or dirty laser in your burner, the burner firmware does not recognize your blanks and burns using bad parameters, a bad batch of blanks, the standalone DVD player has problems with your blanks (some older burners or players work better with +R blanks, others prefer -R blanks). Troubleshooting such problems means a lot of trial and error.


But when you say that the issues only occur with MP4 source files then most likely the first decoding stage is to blame. So please post a sample...


Cheers
manolito

[RowRowYourBoat]

But when you say that the issues only occur with MP4 source files then most likely the first decoding stage is to blame. So please post a sample...

I will, but it has been a hectic week.

Green diagonal lines:

Converting an MP4 video into DVD Folder Structure, I end up with green diagonal lines (slanting downward right to left at about 15°) dividing the picture—which I can still see, but not enjoy.

That was one of the first problems I ran into with AVStoDVD. There I was converting an MP4 to DVD. I solved it by switching from the Microsoft filters to the LAV filters.

However, something I've never seen before is happening to DVD Rebuilder—and I've been using that software for eight years or more. I'm getting green lines across the screen of DVD's I am trying to rebuild (shrink from DVD9 to DVD5). Again, I've been using DVD Rebuilder for many years, and never once saw this problem, until installing AVStoDVD.

I processed the same DVD on another PC that has never had AVStoDVD installed, and the output was fine—no green lines. This installation of DVD Rebuilder works as it has for years.

I reinstalled DVD Rebuilder on my primary PC, but the green lines remain. I suspect the installtion of AVStoDVD changed something in one of the components installed by DVD Rebuilder.

Any ideas?