Automated Cutting and Transcoding Guide Using Mencoder

[-stattik-]

Sorry for the cryptic title, I played with your script a little more and I found that the twopass_30_min_size is only evaluated in integer multiples - what I mean is a 40min show is reduced to the twopass_30_min_size value and not to something like 40/30*twopass_30_min_size.

I originally created the 30 min boundaries so the final file sizes would conform with the popular online scene releases where two 60min shows or four 30min shows would fit on a CD (minus the commercials). Typically a 40min show would be an hour long with commercials so the script would process it as a 60min show. If the commercials were removed beforehand then it would get processed as a 30min show. If you're looking for 30 min rates scaled to a 40 min show, using a fixed bitrate might work better. Of course, I apologize if I misread your post.

While looking for the time discrepancy I created a logfile and found something you might also look into. The following is the end of that logfile:
If you need it I can attach the full logfile.

I forgot to disable the move function when I released the script. Unless you have a t:/video/ directory, that's probably the problem. If you do have a t:\video directory, then send me the output and I'll take a look at it.


What program do you use to create the diff files? That could be useful to me.

Thanks Volker for all the input.

[vmq]

I originally created the 30 min boundaries so the final file sizes would conform with the popular online scene releases where two 60min shows or four 30min shows would fit on a CD (minus the commercials). Typically a 40min show would be an hour long with commercials so the script would process it as a 60min show. If the commercials were removed beforehand then it would get processed as a 30min show. If you're looking for 30 min rates scaled to a 40 min show, using a fixed bitrate might work better. Of course, I apologize if I misread your post.

Yes, I guess I could use fixed bitrates, but I liked the idea of just providing a size for 30min and the script would calculate them for me. Just ignore that part of the patch.

I forgot to disable the move function when I released the script. Unless you have a t:/video/ directory, that's probably the problem. If you do have a t:\video directory, then send me the output and I'll take a look at it.

The move problem is gone in the current version, at least I didn't see it again.

What program do you use to create the diff files? That could be useful to me.

Thanks Volker for all the input.

I use diff -u oldfile newfile to create the diffs It is a tool from the unix world and it is provided by my cygwin (http://www.cygwin.com) installation, but there should be native W32 versions of it available. You could try DiffUtils from here (untested, I just asked google). The nice thing about these diffs is that the counter patch program can apply these patches for you.

Volker

[linfor]

Does the file sound/look ok before you run it though virtualdub? What's the error message?

Out of curiosity, what kind of files are the subtitles in?

The file looks and plays fine before I run through virtualdub. When I go to run it through virtualdub I get a message saying that the audio is messed up - see the attached.
If I choose to proceed it put a warning in huge letters at the beginning of the video.

The subtitle file is a srt file and a logo file but the error before I can get to that point.

[DrDDT]

Ok, try this:

Find "7000" (there should be two.)
Replace both with "6100"

Test it out and see if letterboxing gets flagged.

I already tried that, works fine!

[-stattik-]

The file looks and plays fine before I run through virtualdub. When I go to run it through virtualdub I get a message saying that the audio is messed up - see the attached.
If I choose to proceed it put a warning in huge letters at the beginning of the video.

The subtitle file is a srt file and a logo file but the error before I can get to that point.

Sounds like virtualdub doesn't like ABR encoded audio files. mencoder's VBR audio creates 150-170kb'sec audio tracks which are a little too big for my use so I use ABR to sqeeze out a little more quality versus CBR. (At least in theory)

If you want to try cbr audio do this.

Find "abr" and replace with "cbr"

Also, mencoder has the ability to add subtitles from srt files as well. That way you would only have to encode once. Tell me if you're interested.

[-stattik-]

I already tried that, works fine!

Great, I'll update the script.

[-stattik-]

* initialize the debug variable to be empty. This might be needed if the script is run with debugmode=yes and the script is stopped with CTRL-c. After this debugmode=no would not reset debug.

Could you explain this a little more please? If I set the debug variable to be empty, the script errors out because

Code:

IF /I %debugmode% == yes

becomes invalid. I guess I'm confused about the "if the script is run with debugmode=yes and the script is stopped with CTRL-c. After this debugmode=no would not reset debug."


Thanks

[vmq]

Could you explain this a little more please? If I set the debug variable to be empty, the script errors out because

Code:

IF /I %debugmode% == yes

becomes invalid. I guess I'm confused about the "if the script is run with debugmode=yes and the script is stopped with CTRL-c. After this debugmode=no would not reset debug."

Thanks

This is about placing the

Code:

SET debug=

right in front of

Code:

:startdebug

Two things:

* If you don't use your script from a cmd.exe shell, but just drop files on it with your mouse, %debug% will always be empty, so you don't need the patch at all.

* If you operate in a cmd.exe pass a file as a parameter

Code:

D:\video\script>stattik_transcode_0.5.5crop3.bat h:\myrec\something.mpg

you might run into the problem that debug is still set to pause after you press CTRL-c (this makes the script never reach the ENDLOCAL), and then the fact that you set debugmode=no afterwards (I mean change the script, save and run it again) is just ignored. The debug variable is still set to pause.

So if you do not work from a command shell or you do not press CTRL-c you will never see this problem.

I don't understand why

Code:

IF /I %debugmode% == yes

should become invalid, unless you do

Code:

set debugmode=

, but that is not what I (or the patch) meant.

Maybe I am not understanding your problem correctly, just ask if you need more information.

Volker

[-stattik-]

This is about placing the
you might run into the problem that debug is still set to pause after you press CTRL-c (this makes the script never reach the ENDLOCAL), and then the fact that you set debugmode=no afterwards (I mean change the script, save and run it again) is just ignored. The debug variable is still set to pause.

Ok, I got it. I misread it. I added the patch.


Thanks.

[linfor]

Sounds like virtualdub doesn't like ABR encoded audio files. mencoder's VBR audio creates 150-170kb'sec audio tracks which are a little too big for my use so I use ABR to sqeeze out a little more quality versus CBR. (At least in theory)

If you want to try cbr audio do this.

Find "abr" and replace with "cbr"

Also, mencoder has the ability to add subtitles from srt files as well. That way you would only have to encode once. Tell me if you're interested.

I only found one instance of abr and I replaced it.
It would be great to be able to add subtitles and logo at the same time I convert to avi. Thanks