Windows MCE 2005 and Xbox 360 DVD Encoding

Tabish posted the following in the other thread. The walk-through looks promising... and the level of detail is quite good:

I'm finding a lot of programs that seem to do VOB to WMV, I just don't know which is the easiest.

Check out: http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/B...-wmv-free.html
and http://www.avsmedia.com/

Some of these are free and some are not, but if I knew which was the best/easiest, i would gladly pay for it.

Just food for thought because the WMV 9 Encoder program is a bit tricky to get right, i hear.

In my experience, this is true only for hidef encoding, not DVDs.
I posted this on doom9:
************************************************************
This is the sequence I'd try:
1. Uninstall all players/codecs you have installed
2. You must have WinXP and SP2 with latest updates and DirectX
3. Install WMP10
4. Install WME
5. Install SDK 9.5
6. Install Elecard v.3 player/codecs
7. Make sure they are the default codecs for openning the files you want to encode (drop on GraphEdit).
************************************************************
This is for hidef encoding. It will work for VOBs as well.
For VOBs, I don't think Elecard codecs are really the only ones that work - NVidia
worked for me as well (it's been over a year last time I did this with VOBs).
Miriad of installed codecs is usually the reason for WME problems.

EDIT: First, I'd rip the DVD into one VOB dropping all extras, Macrovision, region and keeping only one soundtrack (AC3 or DTS).

Diogen.

There is one on your list there-Convertmovie-that seemed to be perfect. Unfortunately, correspondence with the author didn't completely verify that DD 5.1 would convert to wmapro 5.1. This is really the key-isn't this why AC3filter is in the mix with Movie Pro? Do if something isn't using AC3 filter, its probably not going to give us the output we want for a 360.

I am trying a 30 minute max way. I dont want to have to re-encode into any other file format


1) Rip dvd with video ts folders
2) Use tmpeng mpeg editor and convert file to 1 vob with 2 channel stereo sound.


Thats all there is to it. However I can't get tmpeng to open my audio files. It says it doesn't know the file format.

I'm so irritated.

Does your VOB have a stereo track? If not, did you install the AC3 plugin?
TMPGEnc can't handle AC3 in its default configuration, I think.

Diogen.

yes I have that installed as well. You know what I didn't have checked? The option for video & audio ES or Video & audio (system)

Im testing different settings now. Ill let you all know which one works best.

Hi All,
Here is my post in the other Xbox 360 thread about encoding VOBs to WMV.
Regards.

I think I did, it's been a while ago.
I remember reading: what can be played using WMP, can be encoded using WME.
(This doesn't work with WinXP x64 anymore, but that's a different story).
If you have the right audio codec capable of handling DTS, you should be able to use WME.
I'll have to check this.

Diogen.

diogen,

What does your AC3 encoding? I cannot get the NVidia PureVideo decoder to work for AC3 encoding. When I install AC3Filter, and encode using it, the volume on the resulting .wmv file is REALLY LOW.

Thanks,

Frank

WME can only encode audio with WMA or PCM. The only way to get DTS or AC3 is to use the VCM with a third party application and a different container (such as AVI). Of course, those files will not be playback on an Xbox 360.

You could exact the AC3/DTS, then seperate it to 6 seperate WAV files, then encode that within WME to WMA Professional (5.1)

Excellent thoughts, much appreciated.

- I guess I should try uninstalling the nVidia mpeg codecs to see if that makes things work better. I thought I needed them for playing back HDTV recorded on media center, which was the reason I installed them in the first place. It's funny, sometimes the .ac3 files cause a crash, and other times I get it to work just fine. I end up messing with so many settings I'm not sure what happened!

- It seems you're absolutely correct about the slow encoding speed with WME I was complaining about. I think I've found a way to make WME encode manually just as fast as Moviepro. This is really obvious -- now -- but just go grab the .wme profiles from Moviepro and open them up manually. Then you can change the input & output files manually and everything works fine. It even worked with my .ac3 files from the crashed moviepro session.

I'm having much success using MoviePro

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MoviePro/

It converts the movie into a single WMV9 file with 5.1 audio. Totally transparent in all of my tests. The file ends up being between 1.5-3GB and encodes very close to 1:1 on my AMD 2600+ system. Once its all setup (which can be a pain), I simply put a movie in, push a button and walk away. 2 hours later its done.

If it does crash (rarely happens to me, can happen if not setup correctly), its very simple to finish the encode on your own. If it crashes on me, its always after it rips the .ac3 and .vob file (and after it ran a few processes on it). Then its as simple as loading a AVS script into Windows Media Encoder

Edit: MoviePro encodes fast because it uses "WMV VBR Quality" encoding. Not CBR or normal VBR.

Edit again: Sorry I didn't fully read the posts...give me a few minutes to repond.

Here is Brian Wagner's post from the MoviePro forums, fully listing everything that MoviePro does, so you can do it yourself. Again, for me, MoviePro only crashes after I get all of the files, and it runs DVD2AVI and everything else. I copy and pasted the .avs files that MoviePro creates into my own .avs files. MoviePro uses 2 different files, 1 to get rid of black bars that are embedded in the video, and 1 that doesn't.

So lets say I'm using MoviePro to convert a movie WITH black bars embedded in the video file, and it crashes. I double click on the WME profile I setup that points to my own .avs file and click on Start Encoding. Its that simple. Since MoviePro always uses the same filename for the files, I don't have to change a thing.

Brian Wagner's post:

This can be used on those stubborn movies that will not convert

I will list the steps needed to recreate the MoviePro process,
without MoviePro (with the exception of the meta data from imdb).

1) Open DVDDecrypter the DVD is probably already in the drive, click
on Mode and make sure there is a check mark by IFO

2) Click on Tools -> Settings -> IFO Mode (Tab) in Options change
File Splitting to None click OK

3) Click on the destination icon and save to **C:\\Documents and
Settings\\\\Local Settings\\Temp
** this path is what the WME's will use later

4) Click on the Disk>HD icon and save the VTS file

Wheh so far so good, ok now to created a few files using some of the
installed software.

5) Find C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\DVD2AVI\\DVD2AVIg.exe and
open, Click File Open and locate the VTS file you created in
C:\\Documents and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\VTS_01_1.vob click Ok then Ok again. Now click on
File -> Save Project save it with "encode" as the file name leave
the extension alone. It will create 2 files in the C:\\Documents and
Settings\\\\Local Settings\\Temp

encode.d2v and encode to 3_2ch 448Kbps Delay 0ms.ac3

Close DVD2AVI when it is finished.

6) Find C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AC3Delay\\Ac3 Delay
Corrector.exe and open. Click on Source File "..." to the right and
find C:\\Documents and Settings\\
here>\\Local Settings\\Temp\\encode to 3_2ch 448Kbps Delay 0ms.ac3, the
target filename and path will be generated automatically. Now click
on WRITE, when complete close the program. This corrects any
syncronization issues and creates the encode.ac3 file.

7) Find C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\WMEFiles\\Quality VBR.mwe and
open in notepad first and change the following 3 paths

7a)InputSource="D:\\dvd\\In\\encode.ac3" > -> InputSource="C:\\Documents
and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\encode.ac3" >

7b) InputSource="D:\\dvd\\In\\encode.avs" -> InputSource="C:\\Documents
and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\manuencode.avs" or manuencodeblackbar.avs

7c) LocalFileName="D:\\Movies\\Out\\output.wmv" ->
LocalFileName="C:\\Documents and Settings\\
here>\\My Documents\\My Videos\\output.wmv"

7d) I would create a .WME file for both standard and blackbar, these
are the pointers for the source paths. Then use the appropriate file
as needed.

Save and close notepad

Ah good question where the hell did this .avs file come from, well
when MoviePro works it actually generates it for you autmaticlly.
And for when it doesn't work, I have supplied you with 2 that you
can substitute (found in the files section). Just save them to the
C:\\Documents and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\ directory

manuencode.avs - this is to be used for 4:3 and 16:9 (without black
bars top and bottom)
manuencodeblackbar.avs - 16:9 (with black bars top and bottom)

You will need to open them in notepad and change the
user directory here> then save them. (save these files to
C:\\Documents and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\)

"C:\\Documents and Settings\\\\Local
Settings\\Temp\\encode.d2v"

Whew getting closer to actually compress the file to WMV, damn this
is a lot to type.

With the .avs, .wme and .ac3 files generated and corrected, you can
now select the WME file that you want and open it with WME9. If
everything is correct it will open with no errors and you can start
to encode the video. Click on Start Encoding and depending on the
speed of the machine it should be complete in 1~1.5 hours. Now all
you need to do is change the name of the output.wmv file to
Movie Here>.wmv and you will have WMV9 with 5.1 dolby.

DodgeV83 --

Thanks for your contributions here and in the Yahoo! group. MoviePro has provided generally excellent results for me, as well. I did run into some hiccups with DVDs with protected sectors, and later some issues with DVD-Decryptor. On the whole, however, MoviePro provides good results.

A couple questions:

- last night I played back Kingdom of Heaven straight from the .mpg file (.vob renamed .mpg). It played perfectly (almost...) with what I would swear was 5.1 sound. Does this sound right? I was getting 5.1 channels, to be sure.

- what is the program you use to look at your installed codecs? Any suggestions here?

I use AC3Filters and haven't noticed problems with volume.
I also use AC3Filter for playback, so just one digital cable is needed to the receiver.
I have to clarify:
When I was encoding DVDs (a while ago) I used VCM and encoding in VirtualDub to preserve the AC3 track. Don't do this anymore.
For the last month I encode satellite hidef with AC3 track. Using WME, Elecard codecs and AC3Filter. Works very acceptable.
I still haven't settled on what to use: CBR+AP (with B-Frames, Denoise, etc.) or 2-pass VBR peak. Work in progress.

Diogen.

Ok, and here are the .avs files that MoviePro creates. As long as WME can handle .vob and .ac3 files, this will be ok. If not, you can use FilterManager to deregister ALL mpeg-2 sound codecs besides AC3Filter, and ALL mpeg-2 video codecs that aren't compatible (thats what I do anyway).

Also, this has been noted before but I'll say it again just incase . I'm using WMV9 VBR Quality 90 and WMA Pro VBR Quality 90 5.1 48kHz 24bit. Keep the video resolution "same as source" and put the frame rate to 23.976

So when I encode a video that doesn't have black bars embedded in the
video, I click set autocropping to OFF. MoviePro uses this script to
do this.

LoadPlugin("C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AviSynth\\mpeg2dec3dg.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AviSynth\\undot.dll")
mpeg2source("F:\\New Folder\\encode1.d2v")
Undot()


If the movie is 4:3, it'll come out 4:3, if its 16:9, it'll come out
16:9, and it'll always have the full 720x480 resolution.

Here is the script that MoviePro uses to autocrop the blackbars out of
the video

LoadPlugin("C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AviSynth\\mpeg2dec3dg.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AviSynth\\autocrop.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\\Program Files\\MPDev\\MoviePro\\AviSynth\\undot.dll")

function getOrder(clip c) {
order = GetParity(c) ? 1 : 0
return order }

movie = mpeg2source("F:\\New Folder\\encode1.d2v")
cropclip = autocrop(movie, mode = 0, wmultof = 4, hmultof = 4, samples
= 10, aspect = 0, threshold = 30)
c_width = Width(cropclip)
c_height = round(Height(cropclip) / 1.21518987341772)
input_par = float(c_width) / float(c_height)
fixed_aspect = input_par > 1.4 ? 1.21518987341772 : 1.18518518518519
c_height = round(Height(cropclip) / fixed_aspect)
input_par = float(c_width) / float(c_height)
out_width = 720
out_height = round(float(out_width) / input_par)
hmod = out_height - (floor(out_height / 16) * 16)
out_height = (hmod > 8) ? (out_height + (16 - hmod)) : (out_height - hmod)
new_aspect = (float(out_width) / float(out_height)) / fixed_aspect
autocrop(movie, mode = 0, wmultof = 4, hmultof = 4, samples = 10,
aspect = new_aspect, threshold = 40)
Undot()
LanczosResize(out_width,out_height)

No problem! Love to help other people out

The .mpg file (renamed from vob) has 5.1 in it. The reason (I believe) that MoviePro takes out the .ac3 file, is so it can run the AC3Fix it program, ensuring everything is in sync. If you encode movies without that, you run the risk of having your audio and video out of sync. Even a small delay (hearing words but not seeing mouths move) can make a BIG difference in your movie experience!

I'm using FilterManager to look at my installed codecs. I have posted on this alot on the MoviePro forums, but here is where you can find it. Look under your DirectShow codecs.

http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=...Filter_Manager

Go to Control Panel and click on the AC3Filter settings. You can increase the volume there, though I've never had to do it. I'd make sure that AC3Filter is actually the codec being used. You can check this (easy way) by playing the .mpg (renamed from .vob) file in Windows Media Player, clicking on File, then properties and seeing what codecs it says its using. It might not say "AC3Filter", but as long as it doesn't say the name of another program (anything not generic) you should be alright.

You could also install procexp and see which files and keys that WME is using during the encode, and make sure you see AC3Filter in there, but I'd try the other things first.

Edit: Platbr answered this perfectly in the other thread.

Hmmm...
You mean as a player or as an extenter (or both)?
Since Windows MCE can have TheaterTek as the player, and TT can be made using ffdshow and AC3Filters (eveb WMP can be, I think),
why will Xbox360 (as extender) refuse to accept a stream from MCE?

Diogen.

Either, I was taking about encoding (Windows Media Encoder).

Windows Media Player can play just about anything, just have the correct DirectShow filters installed. WMV+AC3 in AVI will play just fine in WMP.

Extenders don't support AVIs, only WMV and MPEG-2. Audio playback (supported) is limited to WMV w/ WMA, MPEG-2 w/ MPEG audio, and MPEG-2 w/ AC3 audio. They are all decoded onboard, so it will reject anything but what's above.

Not sure what you mean by the Xbox360 not accepting the stream, but you can use WME to encode the .ac3 into WMA Pro 5.1 no problem.

WME can encode the AC3 into WMA Pro 5.1 directly without converting to 6 WAV files. I've never had to do that and I get perfect 5.1 audio.

Thanks, Chris.
Didn't know that.

Dodge, I think it would help if you read this thread from top - just one page.

Diogen.

Hi Chris,

I don't quite understand your post. WME encodes .ac3 files for me after installing the software that comes with MoviePro, and those files do play fine on my Xbox 360. I think I'm missing the point of your statement, though. Are you saying that WME doesn't support AC3 by default?

Also, I keep seeing the reference to making 6 separate WAV files... I've never had to do this, either. What benefits are their to making and encoding 6 separate WAV files, over simply selecting and encoding the .ac3 file?

I was talking just using WME to encode (eg, no MoviePro). To encode 5.1 WMA Professional using just WME, you generally start with 6 Mono WAV files. Those can be made using something like BeSweet, then input into WME for encoding to WMA Pro. Using MoviePro, that doesn't apply (I guess).

Ha, I was right! My initial guess of what you meant was correct. You do not need to split up a .ac3 file into 6 WAV files when using WME alone. After re-reading it looked like you were saying that you only needed to do that when dealing with a DTS file or something (I don't think I've ever dealt with those. Can .ac3 files have DTS in them? AC3 = Dolby Digital right?)

Again, I've manually encoded quite a few movies with WME and this is not necessary. What happens when you try it ChrisL01?

I'm not planning on trying to encode using an .ac3 file. Part of the reasoning for exacting to seperate WAV files is so that the audio sync is correct. While there are ways to fix this, why I encode using WMV and WMA Professional I like to do it the correct way and always yields the correct and desired results. I don't spend any time re-encoding content when I can just make sure the first time that I do it right.