Video Recording/Playback/Editing/Converting/etc.

cori wrote:I tried ConvertXtoDVD and when I viewed the DVD on a standalone player, the picture kept on scrolling down quickly and the picture (what I could make out in between the lines) was all in black and white. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

After that disasterous 2+ hour effort, I tried following the instructions here: http://www.bitburners.com/Guides/DVD_Movie_Backups/ConvertXtoDVD/
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the "Image Processing" tab that is described on the bottom part of the guide, which may solve my problem. I hope someone (AD?) can help me out.

Not familiar with the program, but could it be that you created the DVD in PAL format rather than the NTSC format that the U.S. and Japan uses?

Earlier projects? Wow, it was really good work. I hope I can get half as good as you are, but I think it'll take a while since I'm ditzy when it comes to new programs. :(

It all comes down to practice and determination. :)

What beem said.

Although now that I think of it, I don't remember setting the output as NTSC or PAL on the ones I did. Most modern players can handle both anyway.

I'm at work now, so I don't have access to my copy of the prog. Perhaps the later versions have the "Image Processing" thingy?

Anime Dad wrote:What beem said.

Although now that I think of it, I don't remember setting the output as NTSC or PAL on the ones I did.

Is there a Default or Automatic mode?

Most modern players can handle both anyway.

Uh, most modern off-brand players can handle both... DVD players from the big name companies (Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc.) are locked into NTSC-only... At least in the U.S... That's part of the Region thingy as well. :bleh:

^ I think I made it set to "automatic" because when I first started using the program that AD sent me, half of it was in English and half was in unreadable Japanese and I was just guessing what to do. :P: http://www.corichan.com/Images/convertxtodvd.jpg

I got it to be all English after I shut down my computer, so all is well, but it was amusing when I had to deal with the English/awful Japanese.

I'll try to do the NTSC setting when I have more time tonight.

I'm curious about something though--do you guys save/make backups of the files after you finish encoding them? I'm wondering because it sure would be hell to waste 2+ hours encoding it again if you wanted to make a copy for someone in the future.

cori wrote:^ I think I made it set to "automatic" because when I first started using the program that AD sent me, half of it was in English and half was in unreadable Japanese and I was just guessing what to do. :P: http://www.corichan.com/Images/convertxtodvd.jpg

I got it to be all English after I shut down my computer, so all is well, but it was amusing when I had to deal with the English/awful Japanese.

I'll try to do the NTSC setting when I have more time tonight.

Japanese? That's odd.

I'm curious about something though--do you guys save/make backups of the files after you finish encoding them? I'm wondering because it sure would be hell to waste 2+ hours encoding it again if you wanted to make a copy for someone in the future.

I typically save the raws and config files, but not the encoded ones, since I can make copies of the burned discs and/or extract the mpeg files from the burned discs...

Now if the burned discs were to go bad or get damamged, then I'd have to re-generate the whole thing... Which is why I save the config files... :sweat:

Like beem, I always burn the original files to CD or DVD, in case I need to re-do them. With a 200G HD, I don't have the space to keep them all on my comp :sweat:

Ok, I'll burn the originals and the configs (whatever that may be--I'm so clueless, so I'm burning everything) to back them up.

I'm trying to encode 6 episodes now, but it says that it'll take 15 hours to do! Wow, maybe I should just buy dramas rather than download them and burn them myself. Sure would save me a lot of time and effort and it would sure save my poor computer from overheating during this hot weather since I've been leaving it on for days at a time. :(

Anime Dad wrote:Like beem, I always burn the original files to CD or DVD, in case I need to re-do them. With a 200G HD, I don't have the space to keep them all on my comp :sweat:

I got a 30GB C drive and a 100GB D drive on my computer, so that's probably why it's so damn slow. :( Luckily I bought a 500GB external HD a month ago just for the hell of it. :D Now to transfer stuff to it...

15 hours? What's your comp like? Mine is no flyer, but it encodes and burns a full DVD in a few hours ... Sounds like your comp might be an old one?

cori wrote:Ok, I'll burn the originals and the configs (whatever that may be--I'm so clueless, so I'm burning everything) to back them up.

Not sure if ConvertX has any config files... TMPGEnc and TMPGEnc DVD Author have config files so that you can recreate stuff if need be.

I'm trying to encode 6 episodes now, but it says that it'll take 15 hours to do! Wow, maybe I should just buy dramas rather than download them and burn them myself. Sure would save me a lot of time and effort and it would sure save my poor computer from overheating during this hot weather since I've been leaving it on for days at a time. :(

I usually run the encoding at night while I'm asleep or from night to when I get back from work... Depending on the drama I'm working on, I can get the hardsub>encode>author tasks done in about a week... It should be quicker with ConvertX since it does it all for you...

Anime Dad wrote:15 hours? What's your comp like? Mine is no flyer, but it encodes and burns a full DVD in a few hours ... Sounds like your comp might be an old one?

Mine is pretty old, I guess. I think I got it around the year 2000. Is there any way to make it quicker (addng ram, HD space, etc)?

bmwracer wrote:
I usually run the encoding at night while I'm asleep or from night to when I get back from work... Depending on the drama I'm working on, I can get the hardsub>encode>author tasks done in about a week... It should be quicker with ConvertX since it does it all for you...

Yikes, if you leave it on overnight or on all day to do the encoding, when do you find the time to download things?

You can save the "project" with ConvertX, but that just remembers the preferences you used - NTSC/PAL etc, which fonts and images you used, and the location of the video and subtitle files.


I usually burn DVD's overnight too, since it takes a few hours and is pretty processor-intensive. Click the "Convert" button, turn off the monitor and go to bed ;)

cori wrote:Yikes, if you leave it on overnight or on all day to do the encoding, when do you find the time to download things?

I have two computers: an old one that just does the downloading and temporary storage of the raws and my main computer which does the number crunching for hardsubbing, encoding, etc... Works out pretty well. :)

No wonder the poor thing is struggling :nut:

I wouldn't bother trying to upgrade a 7-year old comp - time for a new one. Then you can do what beem does, and use the old one for downloading :) My 2nd comp doesn't have the HD space even for that :(

cori wrote:Mine is pretty old, I guess. I think I got it around the year 2000. Is there any way to make it quicker (addng ram, HD space, etc)?

How much RAM do you have now? Are you running XP?

Hmm, when it comes to hardsubbing/encoding it's more about CPU power than anything else... Authoring isn't nearly as CPU-intensive, nor is burning....

Anime Dad wrote:My 2nd comp doesn't have the HD space even for that :(

Didn't you buy that external drive? You could plug that into your second PC.

Nope, it's on the list of things to buy :bonk:

This is what my next purchase will hopefully be:

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1239)-SanDisk_VMate_Video_Memory_Card_Recorder.aspx

Goes in between the DVD player/VCR/Digital set top box and the TV and captures whatever's playing on to a memory card :) You can set the output file type too :)

bmwracer wrote:
I have two computers: an old one that just does the downloading and temporary storage of the raws and my main computer which does the number crunching for hardsubbing, encoding, etc... Works out pretty well. :)

I have 2 computer (this old rusty one and my laptop, which I use for my site), but I'm not sure if it's worth it to buy another one just to burn dramas. :(

Anime Dad wrote:No wonder the poor thing is struggling :nut:

I wouldn't bother trying to upgrade a 7-year old comp - time for a new one. Then you can do what beem does, and use the old one for downloading :) My 2nd comp doesn't have the HD space even for that :(

Haha, I just spoke to my brother about 5 minutes ago and he said it's not worth it to upgrade my old computer either. Maybe I'll just buy my dramas as I have been doing for a while.

bmwracer wrote:
How much RAM do you have now? Are you running XP?

Hmm, when it comes to hardsubbing/encoding it's more about CPU power than anything else... Authoring isn't nearly as CPU-intensive, nor is burning....

The desktop has 128 RAM. :( Not sure about the laptop though. And both are on XP.

bmwracer wrote:
Didn't you buy that external drive? You could plug that into your second PC.

I know that was towards AD, but that gave me an idea to move all my site related stuff to the external and possibly do the encoding/burning on my laptop..

Thanks for all the ideas, AD & beemer! Hopefully one day (soon?) I'll be able to do the DVD making myself instead of spending tons of money to get the dramas.

Your other one might be the best bet then :)

cori wrote:Maybe I'll just buy my dramas as I have been doing for a while.

You can always trade with us and some of the others here... We're nice people.... :)

And I'm really dying to get a pineapple. ;) :hehe:



And it's cheaper than buying the DVDs from those people who're basically doing what we're doing (hardsubbing/encoding/etc.) and selling them... :shakehead: