Hi,
My ProjectX (downloaded last week so should be the latest) does not launch showing TABS like any of the illustrations I have been able to find. I have tried selecting other Views but can't get any to stick.

I managed to do a demux which looks to be successful, but with no TABS I could not "Enable add frames" in Audio (as there's no Audio tab).

(As presently displayed there is a button called Prepare that I tried and that brought up a display where Demux was already selected and I clicked a Play button there to do the demux. There was no Audio option there that I could see either).

How can I get the familiar display please? I'm using WindowsXP-Home.

Sounds like an installation problem. Have you tried re-installing?

Thanks Lyle. That had occured to me but the GUI looks excellent i.e. no signs of corruption or similar and there is a ton of info. showing. Also, as I understand it, every time you launch ( by clicking ProjectX 9.4 .jar ) that does an installation.

I may end up deleting everything in the folder to which I unzipped the download then unzip again and see what happens. I should add that the ProjectX 9.4 .jar was associated with WinRAR originally (something another person put in the computer) and the first launch attempts didn't work. Perhaps that effort has left something messing things up.


Thanks Lyle. That had occured to me but the GUI looks excellent i.e. no signs of corruption or similar and there is a ton of info. showing. Also, as I understand it, every time you launch ( by clicking ProjectX 9.4 .jar ) that does an installation.

I may end up deleting everything in the folder to which I unzipped the download then unzip again and see what happens. I should add that the ProjectX 9.4 .jar was associated with WinRAR originally (something another person put in the computer) and the first launch attempts didn't work. Perhaps that effort has left something messing things up.

The ProjectX layout changed considerably between the 0.8x.x & 0.9x.x versions, and most of the guides around still show the GUI of the old version. All the settings are much the same but now located under the "PreSettings" menu ("PreSettings" => "PreSettings"), and the tabs are now arranged vertically down the LH side of the child window.

THANKYOU THINKINGBRAINDOG!!!!!

I had a quick look and all is clear now.


I still don't know why I can't make those other Views stick yet, but I don't really need to now. What a shame no-one mentioned this simple thing in the instructions I dutifully tried to follow. I will do my daily random act of kindness and suggest it.

I've found the quickest and most successful process to be

1. record the sd channel

2. use project x to split the files

3. use mplex1 to put them back together (it accepts ac3 files too)

4. use nero to cut out ads and make the dvd

Does anyone know how to make HD-DVD's using DVD-R media yet?

PS. I have an HD-DVD player "in the mail" from the USA.

"PreSettings" => "Save settings on exit"

Two good deeds in one day...

Thanks AGAIN thinkingbraindog. I actually have a day off today and will poke around in that Settings area thoroughly now that you have pointed me to it.

'thinkingbraindog' ......... HMM. One day someone will write a thesis on these names we use.

REPORTED AS SPAM!

... its never as easy as it should be

This is the method that I use:

From tv tuner card to DVD

1. Choose a sd channel and record your movie on your pc as a .tp file (eg mymovie.tp)
2. Using Projectx: open projectx and click on file-->add
a. browse to find mymovie.tp
b. click on GO to demux
c. this will produce 3 or 4 files on your hard disk
i. mymovie.log (log file)
ii. mymovie.m2v (video)
iii. mymovie.mpa (normal sound)
iv. mymovie.ac3 (only made if this dd sound available
3. Using mplex1: click on start-->run-->browse to find mplex1.exe on your hard disk
a. Add your file information so the instruction looks like this
i. mplex1.exe mymovie.m2v mymovie.ac3 mymovie.mpg
ii. or if there is no .ac3 file
iii. mplex1.exe mymovie.m2v mymovie.mpa mymovie.mpg
b. I usually change these filenames to something more simple like gp.m2v and gp.ac3 before using mplex1.exe so that I don’t need to type in new information every time I want to use it. Just go to start-->run and select the instruction (mplex1.exe gp.m2v gp.ac3 gp.mpg) from the dropdown box.
c. This will bring up a msdos command prompt box and will process the files to produce one called mymovie.mpg (or gp.mpg in my case)
d. You can now delete the following files as you will no longer need them
i. mymovie.log
ii. mymovie.m2v
iii. mymovie.mpa
iv. mymovie.ac3
v. mymovie.tp
4. Using Nero to burn: Load up Nerovision Express and click on make dvd -->dvd video
a. Click on add video files and browse to find mymovie.mpg
b. If you have a number of short videos you can add extra ones here. I have been able to load in 4 episodes of mythbusters.
c. Ignore the fact that it goes over the limit for a dvd and don’t allow Nero to compress it.
d. Click the mymovie icn and click on edit movie.
e. Click on the start position slider and slide it to the start of the movie.
f. Click on the end position slider and move it to the end of the movie.
g. Click on the pair of scissors and move the left slider to the start of the first bunch of ads.
h. Use the little up and down arrows near the digital timer to fine tune this position.
i. Move the right slider to the end of the ads again using the up/down arrows and the digital time to fine tune.(click on the timer to change from seconds to hundredths of seconds)
j. Click on the scissors again to cut out the ad and click on yes.
k. Repeat for all the ads
l. Save the file away.
m. Click on next
n. If you don’t want a menu click on more and untick the menu box
o. Click on next a few times to go to the burn menu
p. If the file will fit on one dvd then just burn to the dvd and you’re finished
q. If it is too big just click on write to hard disk folder and choose a location you can remember.
5. Using dvdshrink: load up dvdshrink3.2
a. Click on open files to find the videots folder created in the last step of the nero section
b. Click ok
c. Click on backup
d. Your dvd burner should be in the backup target section
e. Click ok
f. You’re done!

Can someone show me the direct link to the english version of mpeg2schnitt?

Thanks!

Does anyone have tips for a Mac user?

(Apologies if this has come up before and I've missed it)

Perhaps I am expecting too much, but to me the mere existence of this whole guide is testimony to pathetic availability of technology in this day and age. The steps everyone is going though just to copy a FTA TV show to a DVD! It should be possible at the press of one button. Everyone is spending their life at a computer, instead of being more productive and having fun. Correct me if I am wrong, but a DVD recorder can copy FTA from its tuner to hard drive, and burn to DVD at the press of one button. So the technology is there. Yet, when one wants to do the same thing on a HTPC, the steps are ridiculous. I've therefore got to ask, why isn't this technology available to those using a computer to do the same thing? I suspect there is something fishy in Denmark. I was all set to buy a Mac Mini - and the advantages of genuine computer grunt, internet access and wonderful slide show capability for pictures would be a big advantage over a DVD-recorder - but the hassles of recording FTA compared to a Panasonic DM REX75 (SD digital tuner, HDD, DVD-recorder) are not worth it, unless I am misinterpreting.

Have I got it wrong?

Stephen

No, you're right. Capturing, editing and burning a FTA SD recording is a multistep process. If you want to edit out advertisements, split recordings etc. it can involve many programs and a lot of time. Finding out what programs work for you is the most time consuming part and for a person who doesn't have a lot of time to learn or isn't tech-minded it can be a steep learning curve. I personally use a chain of 6 (sometimes 7) applications to burn my FTA SD footage onto DVD - and it works very well - but it doesn't have to be that complicated.

If you just want to put a couple of episodes of 'Home and Away' onto a DVD, then it can be quite simple.

1. Set your recording software (ie. DNTV Live!, WebScheduler) to record in the MPG format.
2. Import your MPGs into an authoring program such as DVD Lab (www.mediachance.com).
Here you can add chapter points and create a basic menu and then press "Compile DVD" and DVD Lab will generate a VIDEO_TS folder.
3. Use Nero Buring ROM or Nero Express (or whatever burning program you use) to burn the contents of the VIDEO_TS folder to disc (be sure to use the DVD-VIDEO option in Nero).

None of these programs will re-encode your video and it should be quite a quick process. Step 2 will take 10-15 minutes and Step 3 is dependent on how fast you burn your disc.

Thanks pluto - I was beginning to think that no one would reply to my (depressing) query.
Do you think your 3-step process would be even easier in a Mac environment, using Egalto tuner and Mac Mini +/- Toast?
Stephen

Sorry Stephen, I have no experience using Macs or any Mac software. But I would imagine that Apple has software that would make the whole process simple...

Another depressing aspect is that this whole problem with burning HD audio hasn't gone away after 3 years. It was originally recommended that AC3 be converted to MP2. Why? AC3 is actually the DVD standard. OK, so some authoring packages didn't used to like AC3, or wouldn't do it for free, but that has largely sorted itself out now. The requirement to demux the video and audio still seems to endure, regardless of whether any edits are needed, and regardless of whether there are synch problems. As far as I can tell, no-one has actually proposed an explanation here, it is all based on trial and error. Enquiring minds could use an explanation.

What I have discovered by trial and error is that the audio on the HD MPEGs output by my AverTV USB2.0 card won't playback on any of my PC applications. GSpot says the audio is stereo AC3 48 kHz, so in theory it's OK. But demux with PVAStrumento and, voila, we suddenly have sound. Feed the original MPEG into !@#$% applications like Nero 6 or EZ Producer, and the audio gets silently converted into a format that is nominally MP2, but unplayable once again. Yes there are workarounds, but this is hardly what commercial authoring applications should be doing. The whole area is still a mess as far as I am concerned, and the question remains what these TV cards are doing that is throwing other applications out?

Just noticed that some of my whinges about HD audio are discussed here: http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=31520

http://www.xpert4u.co.uk/digital-tv/digital-tv.html has all the information about digital tv all features and specifications of different models of different brand companies of electronic item manufacturers visit on the site and update your knowledge and know new techniques use in digital tv

eyetv + toast

Gives you one-click conversion to DVD with auto-scaling and compression to fit on a DVD, or you can do as much as you want to manipulate the recording, such as adding menus etc.

Only downside is that you are supposed to pay for it.

Josh

hi, can you help me. How can I convert my DVD back to Mpeg TS? I'd like to get 1 mpeg file with all sound tracks, titles etc.

Thenks

somebody help...I cant find any information in internet...

somebody?!

DVD Shrink - create vobs on hard drive
VideoRedo - join vobs.

Try the search for more info (top right of the page)

thanks, but is it possible with videoRedo to leave all the sound tracks?

There are solutions to all issues encountered by the following but this is PC centric ony not for the MAC environment:

Topic 1

1. HD recording of DTV is a NON-issue provided there is some understanding of AC3 sound.

a. I recommend forgetting all programs and just go and purchase VideoREDO - the solution is staring everyone in the face. What VideoRedo can do is simply FLAG the AC3 track correctly for DVD authoring. HOWEVER please be aware the LIMITATION is on the VIDEO bit rate and resolution - NO DVD compatiblity exists in any HD MPEG format or otherwise.
b. Once the VideoRedo fags the AC3 for DVD authoring you also select the relevant Video Stream - in this case CHOOSE only SD or simply the 576i format. SAVE.
c. Now ANY DVD authoring package can suffice BUT only if that PACKAGE is AC3 / DD aware within the audio multiplexing for DVD authoring. In this case I have used Nero 7 on TONS of DVDs that ALL WORK FALWLESSLY in a DVD player in DD or PCM or whatever. IF nero 7 has to handle AC3, it handles it very very well. If the MPEG DOES fit to a DVD R disk (SINGLE layer) it will SHRINK down the MPEG to fit like DVD shrink. In fact Nero 7 incorporates the DVD Shrink into its DVD authoring engine.
d. It is also a great time to remove all ads in Videoredo well before authoring.

It would appear that some DO not understand that you what a TS ENTIRE STREAM is and a partial STREAM.

Here's the most important part - YOU must use a program that decifers and understands all those video streams along with Titling**, along with Sound streams.

A FULL TS stream from Nine Netwrok MAY consist of the following:

1. SD 576i Video
2. HD 1080i Video
3. AC3 in ANY flavour - Dolby Logic OR Dolby Digital 2 OR dolby Digital 5.1
4. PCM - MPEG based sound.
5. The teletext stream for subtitles
6. The program guide data
7. The program guide channel

A simple TS stream from Nine Network may consist of only the SELECTED VIDEO SD or HD and all the above.

Some softwares allows the simple TS to be recorded but with some modification to make the stream slightly more in line MPEG compatibility.

Topic 2

DIRECT BURN or DIRECT DVD authoring of Digital TV or DIRECT to DivX etc..................

Pinnacle Media Centre* and few others non specified (I cannot test every program) have the facility to EITHER burn DIRECTLY to a DVD RW in PVR format OR direct AUTHORED DVD to Hard drive. But the choice is limited to your resources. For example if an attempt is made to choose a HD TV channel to re-encode to DVD compatiblity you are asking your computer to chew up huge resources in that process. Recording a SD channel diorectly to DVD authoring is easy for most faster sepcced machines these days.

I sopmetimes wonder whether some under the significance of 576i MPEG, 1080i MPEG, 720p MPEg and 576p MPEG.

Presently here in Brisbane the formats are as follows:

HD SBS 576p
SD SBS 576i
HD Nine 1080i
SD Nine 576i
HD Seven 1080i <--- this is not a typo as Seven has now switched from 576p to 1080i !
SD Seven 576i
HD Two 720p
SD Two 576i
HD Ten 1080i
SD Ten 576i

Australian HD digital TV transmissions DO not always carry AC3 streams.

* Pinnacle Media Centre comes bundled with Pinnacle Digital Tuner devices (USB, PIC and PCI Express)


** VideRedo DOES NOT DO and is NOT capable in grabbing subtitles at this point in time as Australia. We use a TeleText stream (801) page for the hearing impaired. This is because the teletext format requires fair amount of encoding by a specialised coding technique not in the program at present. This has to be done to turn Teletext into a DVD compatable subtitling file. A version has been promised to handle this issue and so far has not eventuated.

I know some have stated the ongoing issues but I would consider spending a bit of your dosh on VideoRedo and Nero 7 that resolve these many issues. DVD authoring program - can be EXPENSIVE when it comes to EXTRAS you need like AC3 to encode to your DVD compatible disc.

DA

I have never had any problem using the original AC3 audio when converting to DVD. I simply use projectx and muxman (or rejig), for SD TV. I use projectx only, so I can make use of the captions.
For HDTV I use projectx then convert the files to xvid using automkv and I still use the original AC3 file.

I would like to convert 2 56 minutes program recordings from the ABC, from it's original size to about 400-600MB. I use DVDX to do most of my recordings, but unfortunately it does not convert the full 56 minute program itself and stops at the 26 minute mark into the program.

Apart from DVDX can anyone recommend me any other video software that will allow me to compress 2 gig file recordings?

At the moment doing a google search, so any suggestions from here will be greatly appreciated.

Burning to DVD is not an option.

Cheers
Dan

Sometimes there are bad frames in the MPEG recorded. I find that VideoRedo can fix with Quick Stream fix these issues, SOMETIMES.

If it is really a bad section of frames on which it hangs should be chopped out and removed with VideoRedo. By removing the offending corrupted frames sometimes you then can recode okay.

You could try Nero 7 or 8 to compress to H.264.

A free alternative to RECODE the whole lot is called SUPER

Web site: http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

I had a recording that would NOT master to DVD so I encoded with Super and it worked. I used Nero 8 to burn / author.

Super not only encodes to encoders in native MPEG 2 containers but also a myriad of other encoder codecs such Divx.

DA

Cool thanks for the info mate I will give Video Re-Do solution a try first and see how I go then give Super a shot. Thanks for the help. Will let you know how it turns out.

Just an update now, even though it sort of fixed the bad frames, DVDX still stopped at the 26 minute mark , anyway I just tried out that Super program and it works like a charm

I've done the first Standard digital recording and converted it to 414MB which is a decent size. What about the HD recordings, I have the Great outdoors repeat from 7HD that I recorded and that's a 5GIG file, will edit out the commercials. What setting would I need to have that on so that it encodes probably? Is that where H.264 setting comes in that I see in the encoding area?

Top program. Bye bye DVDX
Regards
Dan

I am a newcomer and whilst this discussion is on converting video files to DVD, I want to find about the reverse action
I would like to store my DVDs on a Hard disk with the best format and least space occupying-I know the concept of AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders etc. But is it better to backit up in ISO format (DVD shrink allows that)or is there something better format? Also advice me the program to be used to create this format
I have added the same question in another thread in the hope I shall get an answer to this

These two concepts are pretty much at complete odds. Generally speaking, higher quality means more space and vice versa. The other question is what are you playing these files back on? Ultimately the "best" way to go about it depends on what you're viewing the files on and how small you want to make them.

If you are looking to re-encode DVD MPEG2 to something else (ie MPEG4 or H264) then you can use something like Handbrake which will give you a multitude of options that will vary the size (and quality) of the file and let you chose from a number of advances video encoding tools. Again, generally speaking, the larger the screen the more you'll see the loss of quality from compression. By the same token, if you have a small screen you might not notice the compression so much, so you might find you can compress the file down to something that's quite small.

If you want to keep the DVD structure and keep it in the same MPEG2 format you can use DVD Shrink to delete the parts of the disc that you don't want (extras, soundtracks, subs etc). This will let you maintain the quality of the picture and audio but isnt going to make a massive difference to the size of the file.

Basically, to answer your question you might want to have a think about what you want at the end of the process.

I certainly will be watching them on 42"+ LCD TV
So what you are saying is using the standard video audio folder is the way to go?
What about ISO-If I kept that it will play OK? Right? That way I just have to back up as an ISO image and then drag and drop it to the hard disk

What about MKV files? Are they smaller/better quality?
Don't want to spend time recoding etc....too many DVDs to do that
SD

85 spam posts and counting - ary.zhao is on a rampage!!

Who on the board uses small digital
Point & Shoot cameras, either
as their primary digital device or
perhaps as a secondary back-up camera?

And which models and why?

Bryce

I Strongly recommend you create your DVD movie on hard disk, play it and jump ahead to make sure the sound is OK and the lips are in sync. Then burn it to a dvd as a separate step. That would be nice.



yours,
chloe

_______________
Simulation pret