# New VideoReDo v4



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. We've just released a new version of VideoReDo which adds several new features. The major new feature is it ability to edit H.264, which is obviously not much use to TiVo users since they primarily use MPEG-2. However it also has an all new transcoding engine which allows you to open your .tivo files, edit them and save them directly to alternate formats. (H.264, MPEG-4 pt2, WMV and VC-1) So you can edit your .tivo file and save it directly to an iPod compatible .mp4 file in a single step. Or for those of you who are into archiving you can save to full resolution H.264 files which can be pushed to a S3 using pyTiVo and cut the file size down by 40-50%.

Anyway it's currently in a "pre-release" stage, so you can't find it on our main website yet. But if anyone wants to give it a try you can get it here on our forum...

http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/showthread.php?t=15759

Dan


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

A much anticipated and very welcome product!

And a ***new version of TVAP*** can automate the new features for TiVo users.


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## jmemmott (Jul 12, 2003)

Dan203 said:


> Or for those of you who are into archiving you can save to full resolution H.264 files which can be pushed to a S3 using pyTiVo and cut the file size down by 40-50%.
> Dan


I have already taken advantage of your offer to upgrade my license to the new version and have been very happy so far. However, I have been holding off archiving my MPEG2 collection because I was under the impression that the current release would not retain my TivoHD AC3 audio stream in the MP4 container with your current profiles. Does this comment imply that you have released a version from testing that will do this?


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

With VRD TVS4 current release it will convert audio to 2 channel AAC audio for MP4 container which is TiVo compatible but of course less than ideal since one would like to preserve multi-channel AC3 audio. It does support H.264 + AC3 in TS container but of course that is no good for TiVo HD compatibility.
I think AC3 in MP4 container is on the to do list and I think Dan even mentioned it's working in an unreleased version, but there is currently no released version with that capability.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

I am looking forward to DD5.1 support, as well as AVCHD authoring capability.

Dan -- what H.264 encoder are you using?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

AC3 support in MP4 is already coded, it's just going through some testing before we release it to the public. It should be enabled in the next release.

bkdtv - We use MainConcept encoders.

Dan


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## BankZ (Aug 16, 2007)

How much will VideoReDo v4 cost?


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

During discounted phase (upgrading to pre-release version of TVS4):
TVS3 -> TVS4 = $25.99
PLUS V3 -> TVS4 = $46.99

Non-upgrade cost I believe is $100


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## BankZ (Aug 16, 2007)

Wow, that's too much.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Note that if all you care about is mpeg2 and have no need for DVD authoring you can get VRD Plus 3 for $50. Considering it's the ONLY software that exists that can fix glitches in recordings from TiVos reliably (the Quick Stream fix utility) it's really very reasonable at that price and a must have if you download recordings from TiVos and do further processing of them such as cutting out commercials, encoding to other formats, etc.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

BankZ said:


> Wow, that's too much.


H.264 support took us almost 2 years to code, so we have a lot invested in this. In addition there are extra licensing fees that have to be paid for the new codecs (H.264, MPEG-4 and AAC). The price of this new version reflects both of those things.

That being said we plan to continue offering the MPEG-2 only versions of TVSuite and Plus for the same price we've always charged. ($50 and $75 respectively) So if you are not in need of H.264 editing or recoding, then you can still get a cheaper version to meet your needs.

Dan


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Cool ... will have to check this out (and consider upgrading).


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

How about support for OS X, even if it's just under VMWare Fusion? Right now my newest PC is about 9 years old, everything newer is a Mac.

Think of it as "quality improvement". I read comments such as this on your forums: _"I tried using wine version 1.1.35 videoredo version 3.1.5. Unfortunately it crashed when opening a vob file."_

Maybe it's bugs in Wine, but maybe there are bugs in your code such as not completely checking error conditions in system calls, etc?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

We've tested on a Mac using VMware and it works fine.

Wine is a little different. It tries to emulate Windows without actually loading a real copy of Windows. It pretty much has to be specifically tweaked for every program you intend to run on it.

We have had serious discussions about porting our entire product over to a cross platform API, such as QT, so that we could offer Mac and Linux versions. However it's a huge undertaking so it's probably going to take a few years to complete.

Dan

P.S. Sorry but MP4 w/ AC3 did not make it into the 595 release. Hopefully it'll make it into the next one.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

Dan203 said:


> We've tested on a Mac using VMware and it works fine.


Thanks for the info. You should probably have this in an FAQ on your site (maybe I haven't looked hard enough). Your product looks like just what I need to edit some shows I've had sitting on my TiVo for quite some time now.



> We have had serious discussions about porting our entire product over to a cross platform API, such as QT, so that we could offer Mac and Linux versions. However it's a huge undertaking so it's probably going to take a few years to complete.


Yes I understand it's a huge undertaking; I'm not suggesting you do that. Especially since 90% of the world's personal computers run Windows. And the Linux people are so accustomed to free software that you won't get too many dollars out of that crowd.


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## PaJo (Dec 17, 2001)

The biggest problem trying to test VideoreDo with wine is you run out of time, you need the key to fully test it but unless you can devote all your time to testing, the key expires before you get it properly setup. I have had some luck with wine 1.1.37 using the default settings (kubuntu karmic) and the Videoredo quickfix function but also had it where it works part way though the file then crashes. I have had the VideRedo quickfix working to where it seemed to be OK but at the very end there was nothing written. I never tried the other more extensive operations using VideoRedo. This appears to be an improvement over the results posted at Wine HQ http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=18053

mencoder also fixes the idx problems, but the idea of using VideRedo does sound better:

mencoder input.vob -ovc copy -oac copy -forceidx -o output.vob

You can also copy the vob from many commercial dvds and the resulting files will play on the HD Tivo, but newer copy protections will prevent it from working.

mencoder dvd://1 -ovc copy -oac copy -forceidx -o output.vob

Ubuntu users can use something like Tiv4tiny to copy the raw mpeg2 file to their computer and winff will convert it to ipod etc. Tivo4tiny does some conversion as well but I have never tried it. However, having a product like Videoredo that does it all sounds interesting. I do agree most linux users will not pay for a commercial program that does not add more functions than a commonly available "free" program.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

PaJo said:


> I do agree most linux users will not pay for a commercial program that does not add more functions than a commonly available "free" program.


 I have yet to find any open source solution that fixes glitches in digital cable recordings such as from series 3 TiVos. Recordings from certain channels for my headend always have such glitches. Without fixing those glitches, any attempt to further process the recordings to remove commercials and/or encode to a different format always result in A/V sync or worse issues. VRD QS Fix is the only tool that has been able to fix the problem in my recordings thus far. I tried a whole slew of open source solutions and none of them worked.


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

Which of the new formats in V4 should I encode to that would best allow transfer back to my Tivos (I have Desktop Plus), streaming to a PS3, burning to SD DVD (in a format playable on a BD player) and/or burning to BluRay disc in the future? 

I have done a couple of movies and they look great on my Tivos (stereo audio only for now) at standard mp4 encoding, but is this the best for all above scenarios?


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

I've tried twice to save a .TiVo file into MP4 format and both times, no audio.  And when I trimmed a .TiVo file and re-saved it, if I use the slider in WMP while the file is playing, WMP crashes (I can use the slider with the original .TiVo file just fine).

I like the idea of a single app to edit and transcode ... and it seems pretty quick about it. I might wait for a few more builds before deciding to upgrade.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

If your TiVo files have MP2 audio then that could be the issue. When using the generic MP4 profile VRD will retain the original MP2 audio in the MP4 file. We've discovered that some players seem to have an issue with these files. (VLC plays them fine, QuickTime will not play them at all. WMP depends on DirectShow filters which vary depending on what you have installed)

Anyway what I'm getting at is you may want to try clicking the Options button in the Save dialog and change the audio format to AAC instead of Automatic. This will make the files more universally acceptable to more players. If that works you can make the change permanent by clicking Tools->Edit profile list and editing the generic MP4 profile.

As for the TiVo files I'm not really sure what would cause that. Not much has changed from v3 with regards to .tivo output. I did recently find a small bug that required minor patching of the TiVo file header when outputting, but that would only effect playback if the source file was the new TiVo-TS format (currently only used in AUS/NZ) or if you recoded an HD .tivo file down to an SD .tivo file. (If you are not using TiVo Desktop Plus then this could also be a DirectShow filter problem)

Dan


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

larrs said:


> Which of the new formats in V4 should I encode to that would best allow transfer back to my Tivos (I have Desktop Plus), streaming to a PS3, burning to SD DVD (in a format playable on a BD player) and/or burning to BluRay disc in the future?
> 
> I have done a couple of movies and they look great on my Tivos (stereo audio only for now) at standard mp4 encoding, but is this the best for all above scenarios?


No one format fits the bill for all of the above scenarios. For PS3 and BluRay playback you need to save in the H.264 MTS format. For TiVo the files have to be in an MP4 container. You can transcode once and then easily reopen the file and save it in the alternate container, but there is no way to create a single file that will meet all of your requirements. (at least not that I know of)

Dan


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Dan203 said:


> Anyway what I'm getting at is you may want to try clicking the Options button in the Save dialog and change the audio format to AAC instead of Automatic. This will make the files more universally acceptable to more players. If that works you can make the change permanent by clicking Tools->Edit profile list and editing the generic MP4 profile.


Thanks Dan, that seems to have worked. :up:


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> No one format fits the bill for all of the above scenarios. For PS3 and BluRay playback you need to save in the H.264 MTS format. For TiVo the files have to be in an MP4 container. You can transcode once and then easily reopen the file and save it in the alternate container, but there is no way to create a single file that will meet all of your requirements. (at least not that I know of)
> 
> Dan


I am not at home right now, but aren't there multiple versions of mp4 containers there, or is it just the basic *.mp4 that should be used?

Also, assuming I go that way (I watch almost everything transfered to the tivos anyway), is it a minor (read: fast) recode to later save that file to H.264 in order to make a disc/save on a usb drive?

Last question, Dan, when should we see the AC3 5.1 added to V4- any soft date you can share?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

There are three MP4 options, but two of them are special cases for iPods and PSPs. The other one is a generic MP4 which is what you should use for TiVo.

If all you want to do is convert an MP4 to an M2TS then you can simply run the MP4 file through Quick Stream Fix and change the container. There is no need to recode anything.

AC3 in MP4 is a weird situation. Currently the muxer we use for output supports AC3, but the demuxer we use for opening MP4 files does not. This creates a situation where it's possible to create a file in VRD that VRD itself can not open. We don't like that so currently we have AC3 output disabled until we can get our vendor to add AC3 support to the MP4 demuxer. We're in contact with them now and should have a time frame shortly on when this will be available.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Dan--Customers who are members of TCF are likely to consider upgrading so we can create tivo compatable mp4 file. Lack of AC3 is kind of a deal breaker. 

I suggest giving us the option to enable AC3, with a warning VRD won't be able to play audio. Alternately offer a development (beta) version.

I'm waiting to upgrade. I used the developmental version. Doesn't make any sense for me to create mp4 files without AC3.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

To expand on what lew suggests, perhaps just make it an option (disabled by default) that when enabled warns you about demuxer issue. That is of course assuming the demux vendor plans for a fix are not imminent. Even though I already have TVS4 I'm sticking to ffmpeg for now because of this issue.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

We're waiting to hear back from our vendor on a time frame. If it's going to be a while then we plan to offer some sort of manual option to turn AC3 output support on/off. I'll let you guys know as soon as I do what the plan is.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Any progress with AC3/MP4?


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## psppsp (Sep 4, 2007)

I'm wondering about the AC3 status as well. I've been using a combo of VideoReDo & SUPER in the past to get the files the way I want them, and am excited about the prospect of using just 1 program. I'm ready to pull the trigger on upgrading, but want to make sure AC3 gets included first.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Unfortunately it's going to be a while before the developer of our MP4 reader adds AC3 support for input, and DanR is hesitant to enable AC3 output if we can't read the files back into VRD. I'm hoping that he'll at least add it as some sort of option, but I can't guarantee anything at this point. 

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Dan203 said:


> Unfortunately it's going to be a while before the developer of our MP4 reader adds AC3 support for input, and DanR is hesitant to enable AC3 output if we can't read the files back into VRD. I'm hoping that he'll at least add it as some sort of option, but I can't guarantee anything at this point.
> 
> Dan


Why not just offer it as a beta version? You had no problem generating files VRD couldn't read in many of your evaluation versions.

*YOU NEED FULL DISCLOSURE.* A customer should know the limiation prior to wasting time.

edited to add I'm sorry if my post reads as harsh but you previously posted


> for those of you who are into archiving you can save to full resolution H.264 files which can be pushed to a S3 using pyTiVo and cut the file size down by 40-50%.


 Sorry but for most of us archiving makes no sense if the process results in the loss of 5.1 audio.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

I purchased my V4 upgrade and am very happy with it so far. I like being able to edit, trim, and save directly to MPEG-4 from a single program instead of having to do everything separately. Keep up the good work!


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I'm sorry, but when I posted that I honestly thought we were going to enable it in the next release. Unfortunately DanR is my boss and it's his decision as to what actually makes it into the product. 

I still can't guarantee you anything, but I will try to sneak in some sort of back door in the next release. If I get it in I'll post here letting you know what needs to be done to turn it on.

Dan


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> I'm sorry, but when I posted that I honestly thought we were going to enable it in the next release. Unfortunately DanR is my boss and it's his decision as to what actually makes it into the product.
> 
> I still can't guarantee you anything, but I will try to sneak in some sort of back door in the next release. If I get it in I'll post here letting you know what needs to be done to turn it on.
> 
> Dan


 Really appreciated Dan, that would be great. A backdoor of some sort would be just fine with me.


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

Is the COM interface still supported?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Yes, the COM interface is still there.

Dan


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

Dan203 said:


> Yes, the COM interface is still there.
> 
> Dan


Great. I was using the COM interface with v3 to convert files generated by BryondTV to MPGs from "TP" files a while back while running XP. When I upgraded to Vista, it stopped working (the VideoRedo VBScript file just sort of hangs when the screensaver is on). Is the COM interface supported somewhere? I'd like to resolve this problem so I can move to v4 and convert things to H.264 (I've since upgraded to Windows 7 and have the same issue - my VBScript works fine EXCEPT when the screensaver comes on).

Thanks


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The COM interface hasn't changed much. We added a few functions to allow the recode profiles in v4 to be accessed from COM, but that's about it. All the documentation for the COM interface is in the help file.

Dan


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## psppsp (Sep 4, 2007)

Is there a way to use the custom outputs in the batch processing? I created an output template that saves the TiVo file the way I like it, but can't seem to select it on the batch processing area.

Here's another vote for a backdoor or something for AC3 support. I upgraded already, but did so with the assumption that this feature would be added in the short term based on your previous posts.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

There are actually two ways....

1) Open the file in the main UI, edit it and then click Save. In the Save dialog check the box that says Queue to batch and hit "Queue".

2) Use the new batch manager. It's not used by default right now because it has not had proper testing, but you can still access it by holding Shift+Ctrl when clicking the Tools->Start Batch Manager menu item. The new batch manager is profile aware so you can add files to and have them use any of your installed profiles.

Dan


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## psppsp (Sep 4, 2007)

The Queue in the save as seems to have worked, but I could not make the new batch interface work. I pulled it up, but it would not let me add a saved vprj file to the queue.


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## JeffKusnitz (Apr 9, 2008)

moyekj said:


> During discounted phase (upgrading to pre-release version of TVS4):
> TVS3 -> TVS4 = $25.99
> PLUS V3 -> TVS4 = $46.99
> 
> Non-upgrade cost I believe is $100


If I purchase the pre-release version, am I eligible for a free copy of the release version?

Thanks


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

JeffKusnitz said:


> If I purchase the pre-release version, am I eligible for a free copy of the release version?
> 
> Thanks


 Dan really needs to answer this since he works for VideoRedo, but my I'm pretty sure the answer is yes. You will be eligible for all future updated versions of TVS4 including the official release version and beyond when you purchase now. But don't take my word for it.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

I just saw that VRD version 596 just released today has a backdoor for allowing MP4 with AC3 audio output. The backdoor is a custom "allowAC3" encoder property in profile xml, so you need to also grab the template xml file: H.264 MP4 With AC3.OP.xml. (To import that template start VRD GUI and use Tools->Edit profile list... then click on Import button and point to this template xml file).
Obviously the VRD demuxer doesn't support MP4 with AC3 audio yet, so you still cannot open/edit MP4 files with AC3 audio with this release. Hopefully in a future release this will be supported Dan?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Attention everyone a new build, 596, has been posted....

http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/showthread.php?t=15759

This includes a back door to enable AC3 in MP4 during output. To enabled this feature you will need to install the attached profile. The "hack" is in the XML, so it wont be obvious in the GUI, but it should survive any changes you make to this profile and apply to any copies you make from this profile.

To install the profile unzip the XML file to your Desktop. Then open VRD and click Tools->Edit profile list. In this dialog select Import and open the XML file. Once it's in the list hit OK to save the list and you're good to go. Once you have imported the profile you are free to delete the XML from your Desktop as it is no longer needed.

Let me know if you have any trouble.



JeffKusnitz said:


> If I purchase the pre-release version, am I eligible for a free copy of the release version?


Yes if you bought any version of v4 then you will be eligible for free updates as long as the product is supported.

Dan

Edit: I updated the profile to use Smart deinterlacing


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

moyekj said:


> Hopefully in a future release this will be supported Dan?


It should be. The developer of the MP4 demuxer we use says it should be added as a feature by "mid 2010". As soon as they add it we'll add it.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Thanks. I'll give it a shot. Should any questions on this "back door" be posted in this thread, on VRD forums or should we consider this unsupported?

I don't care what the answer is. I don't want to abuse the courtesy you were able to extend to us.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Hope this isn't too much of a newb question, but I've been reading here and on the VRD board and haven't found the info yet - If there is a place that already discusses these points, I would be grateful if you could just point me to it without having to re-create the answers below!

I just started with VRD, downloaded Version 4. All of my video files are from either an S3 or HD TiVo, and they are all from digital sources; some are from SD channels, and some from HD channels. My primary goal at this time is to use VRD for two things:
1. Edit TiVo files and then burn DVD, but normal DVD and BR as appropriate for quality of the original recording.
2. Save some TiVo recordings to HDD in the most efficient format to conserve size and preserve original quality so that I can stream them to a media player. At this time I do not anticipate wanting to push them back to one of the TiVo boxes.

The first files I tried to edit in VRD caused crashes due to the Video Dimensions Changed error. I found the fix for this using Quick Stream Fix; it worked, but takes a LONG time to process some files (4 hrs to process a 5MB HD file).

So my first question is this: Should I expect to have to run EVERY TiVo file through QSF? Is this problem so prevalent that I should make sure to use QSF before I attempt to edit any TiVo file to save time and heartache on the errors?

Question #2: VRD and QSF have a large number of output file formats which are confusing to a video file newb, and I cannot find anything in the documentation to help me decide what I really want. I absolutely want to retain the AC3 audio where the original recordings have 6 channel output, so based on the other discussions in this thread, that seems to limit my options to .ts and potentially the mp4. Unfortunately, the program confuses me with options for MPEG-2 .m2ts, H.264 .ts, and H264 .m2ts, so I'm not sure if .ts is just .ts or some of those other options too! Are there obvious output file types I should use for each of the following needs?
SD program, 2ch audio, burn DVD - 
SD program, 2ch audio, keep on HDD for streaming - 
HD program, 6ch audio, burn DVD/BR DVD - 
HD program, 6ch audio, keep on HDD for streaming -

Thanx in advance for any guidence!
Goose


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I just realized there was a small error in the profile I posted. DanR made a minor change to the XML parsing code at the last minute which made it so it was looking for a value of either 'y' or 't' to enable the options, rather then 'true' which is what I was using. I've made the change to the XML posted above, so you'll need to redownload if you got the previous version.

lew - You can post here or over on the VRD forum, I check both regularly and don't mind answering questions on either one.

Dan


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

V7Goose said:


> The first files I tried to edit in VRD caused crashes due to the Video Dimensions Changed error. I found the fix for this using Quick Stream Fix; it worked, but takes a LONG time to process some files (4 hrs to process a 5MB HD file).


It should not take that long to process a file for a simple dimension change. Perhaps you chose the wrong output format and it caused a full recode? For TiVo files what you want to do is use the "MPEG2 Program Stream" output profile. This should allow the the file to be processed quickly, without recoding, and simply remove the frames with the alternate dimensions.



V7Goose said:


> So my first question is this: Should I expect to have to run EVERY TiVo file through QSF? Is this problem so prevalent that I should make sure to use QSF before I attempt to edit any TiVo file to save time and heartache on the errors?


Not necessarily. The new build we just posted should not crash when you edit these files. Instead if it runs into a new dimension it should simply pop up a warning and ask you to QSF the file first. If you're still experiencing the crash please let me know so I can look into it.



V7Goose said:


> Question #2: VRD and QSF have a large number of output file formats which are confusing to a video file newb,


In the US all TiVo files are MPEG-2 format, so if all you want to do is quickly output the edited file without recoding then you'll want to use the MPEG2 Program Stream option. If you want to reduce the file size then you'll want to use one of the H.264 options. However, since you are a "newb", these options could get confusing. You could try simply outputting to one of the preinstalled H.264 profiles, but depending on the encoding options used for the original video the H.264 file could actually end up being larger then the original. The only way to get precise control over the file size is to manually adjust the bitrate to meet your needs.

Dan


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> I just realized there was a small error in the profile I posted. DanR made a minor change to the XML parsing code at the last minute which made it so it was looking for a value of either 'y' or 't' to enable the options, rather then 'true' which is what I was using. I've made the change to the XML posted above, so you'll need to redownload if you got the previous version.
> 
> Dan


 That's odd. I generated a few sample encodings with the previous xml template (and variations of it) and it did generate AC3 audio in output file.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> Not necessarily. The new build we just posted should not crash when you edit these files. Instead if it runs into a new dimension it should simply pop up a warning and ask you to QSF the file first. If you're still experiencing the crash please let me know so I can look into it.


The only version I have used is 596, and I was getting two message windows about the dimension change, then the typical Windoze error that said videoredo.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. The module was videoredo4.exe 4.20.3.596 at offset 0012a934. This happened every time until I found the post about re-running QSF with filters.



Dan203 said:


> In the US all TiVo files are MPEG-2 format, so if all you want to do is quickly output the edited file without recoding then you'll want to use the MPEG2 Program Stream option. If you want to reduce the file size then you'll want to use one of the H.264 options. However, since you are a "newb", these options could get confusing. You could try simply outputting to one of the preinstalled H.264 profiles, but depending on the encoding options used for the original video the H.264 file could actually end up being larger then the original. The only way to get precise control over the file size is to manually adjust the bitrate to meet your needs.
> Dan


Thank you, this helps a little. Easy enough to use the .mpg output from QSF, but still leaves all those questions about what format I should use when I am done editing the file. Can you refer me to somewhere for research? I actually prefer to dig into those details, and I have the technical experience needed to understand, I'd just like a little help in pointing me to the best place to start.
Goose


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

moyekj said:


> That's odd. I generated a few sample encodings with the previous xml template (and variations of it) and it did generate AC3 audio in output file.


Me too.  It's my understanding it doesn't actually "generate" AC3 but just passes it through from the input, if present. (?)


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Hmmm... I looked at the current code base and DanR made a change where it was only looking for the parameter to be either 't' or 'y'. Perhaps he built the current release before making that change. In any case I updated the code to look for all 3 ('y', 't' & 'true') so the next version should work with any of them.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Dan--I must be doing something stupid. I open a DVD title, audio 
0x80 AC3 6 channel

I use your profile to save it as mp4. I use the defaults.

The resulting mp4 file:
1) vrd says is not a valid video file (OK we know VRD won't like it)
2) QT says error -02041 in invalid sample description was found won't open the video
3) Nero Show time will play the video but not the audio.
information says 
*Audio attribute :not available*


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Try VLC it should be able to play them. Unfortunately AC3 in MP4 is still not well supported, so there are only a few players out there that can actually play these files.

Dan


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

lew said:


> Dan--I must be doing something stupid. I open a DVD title, audio
> 0x80 AC3 6 channel
> 
> I use your profile to save it as mp4. I use the defaults.
> ...


 Very few players and utils actually like mp4 with AC3 audio.
To look at file information a useful tool is mediainfo
For playback on computer: videolan vlc

Of course the more useful thing to do is to push the file to your TiVo using pyTivo push.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

moyekj said:


> Very few players and utils actually like mp4 with AC3 audio.
> To look at file information a useful tool is mediainfo
> For playback on computer: videolan vlc
> 
> Of course the more useful thing to do is to push the file to your TiVo using pyTivo push.


Thanks for the help. I wanted to test the file before doing a pyTivo push  everything works.


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## RayvenSteven (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow thanks for this thread!


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

When I browse videoredo.net forums I see active discussion about this new version. However, I also see threads such as: "Infamous Crash on Save". I'm not too concerned about that, new software inevitably has bugs.

But I want something to edit my MPEG-2 files from my TiVo HD. Now. Not when the V4 bugs are worked out.

So, should I

1) buy V3 and then eventually pay an upgrade fee for V4 when the bits appear more stable?

or 2) buy V4 because the license key allows me to run the more stable V3 bits as well?

or 3) not buy, just go with trial versions for now, hope the new software gets more stable before the trials expire?

I'm probably dumb for even considering a purchase without trying first. But people seem mostly happy, and if I buy it I might put more effort into learning how to use it than if I just download some free demo.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

The "demo" is fully functional as long as you register for a trial key. Being that it's a 15 day trial, that should be plenty of time to see if you like it.

As far as which version, I would only buy v4 if you want the added functionality of H.264 support.

As to when to buy, feel free to buy now. The product is continously supported. Bugs are fixed and released in "beta" versions that you can get from the VideoReDo forums.

http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/index.php

And to answer your title question, yes. You can keep all versions on your computer.
I have all three versions on my computer, all "tweaked" to handle different editing situations.

Edit: I see you already know about the forums.


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## Phillip Chapman (Sep 9, 2003)

I'm a registered user of VideoRedo TVSuite version 3.

Will .ty files from a Series2 DirecTivo also work natively in the new version like a .tivo file would? Thanks for all the work in making VideoRedo an even better product.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

No VRD will not open .ty files natively, you must first convert them using TyToMpg.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

I'm not sure exactly how to describe my issue.
Use VRD4 to create a mp4 video. Push video to TivoHD(pyTivo).
Use Dan's profile.

I'm not sure exactly how to describe it.

Parts of the movie, lighter scenes, look jumpy. Almost like it was shot with a handheld camera. People walking look "jerky".

Doesn't seem to be an issue using VLC to view the same video on my PC.

I then used handbrake. I used GUI with the settings suggested here. No issue. Suggested handbrake settings were for a lower bitrate.

File size with VRD 3.29Gig, File size with handbrake 1.25 Gig. Other parts of the movie looked slightly better with VRD.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

lew said:


> I'm not sure exactly how to describe my issue.
> Use VRD4 to create a mp4 video. Push video to TivoHD(pyTivo).
> Use Dan's profile.
> 
> ...


Your encoded file sizes suggest you are using way too high a bitrate for your TVS4 encodings. Did you set that in the profile (which profile?) or just use the defaults?

Without any details on the input video or the settings used in either TVS4 or Handbrake, it would be hard to say anything beyond that.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

dlfl said:


> Your encoded file sizes suggest you are using way too high a bitrate for your TVS4 encodings. Did you set that in the profile (which profile?) or just use the defaults?
> 
> Without any details on the input video or the settings used in either TVS4 or Handbrake, it would be hard to say anything beyond that.


For VRD I used the defaults in the profile Dan posted. SD video is set for avg bitrate of 4000 kps with a maximum of 3000 kps. Single Pass.

For handbrake I used the settings suggested on TCF. Double pass. bitrate of 1500

I'm encoding to MP4 for improved transfer speeds. I really don't care about file size.

Video program info screen on VRD suggests my source has a bitrate of 6.032 Mbps

File Size: 5411559424 ( 5.04 GB )
Program Duration: 01:48:13.18
File Type: PS - MPEG2
Encoding: MPEG2
Video stream Id: xE0
Encoding Dimensions: 720 x 480
Display Size: 720 x 480
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 29.97 FPS
Bit Rate: 7.500 Mbps
VBV_Buffer: 224 KB
Profile: Main/Main
Progressive: Prog or Int
Chroma: 4:2:0
Audio Format: 5.1
Audio Stream Id: AC3: 0 (x80)
Audio Bit Rate: 384 Kbps
Audio Sampling Rate: 48000 Hz
TS Mux Rate (bps): -1
Est. video bit rate: 6.032 (Mbps)


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

Handbrake is likely processing the video with IVTC. VRD does not. Perhaps the jerkiness that is being described is telecined frames?


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

I'm trying to determine a way that gives me the results I'm looking for. A mp4 file that can be pushed with pytivo. I'm willing to trade off a larger file size (higher bitrate) in exchange for better quality and faster encoding. 

I've attached a mediainfo log which shows what options were used.

Does anyone have any suggestions?


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

Your log file indicates that Handbrake did indeed IVTC (inverse telecine: reverse the 3:2 pulldown process). The framerate is listed as 23.976fps. VideoRedo does not perform IVTC. The telecined frames is likely what you are describing.

What is your de-interlacer set to in VRD? I don't have VRDv4, just VRD+v3. Perhaps you can find a mode that fixes it sufficiently for you. I use VRD to do whatever cuts I need in my source material and then encode with different programs.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

de-interlace mode defaults to none.

Options are for:
Auto
BOB
WEAVE
Smart

Any idea as to which option is likely to work the best with a video that's going to be "pushed" to tivo?


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

lew said:


> de-interlace mode defaults to none.
> 
> Options are for:
> Auto
> ...


I have been using "smart" very successfully.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

larrs said:


> I have been using "smart" very successfully.


I would also suggest Smart DeInterlace mode.
If you're using Build 596, be aware of **this**:



> There is a bug in 596 that prevents the deinterlacer from working properly on sources with 3:2 pull down. It'll be fixed in the next release.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Yeah v4 is still in flux so for now you should keep up with the betas so you always have the most recent fixes. As of this moment 599 is the newest build.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Changing the de interlace option to "smart" solved the problem.

Dan, maybe that should be the default in the profile you're providing.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

It actually is the default in all the recode profiles we provide with the product. I just forgot to set it in the profile I posted. I'll fix it now.

Dan


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Dan--Any other changes? I already made the change but will D/L a new profile you're making other changes.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

No that was the only change I made

Dan


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## jrswartz (Nov 7, 2003)

Do I need VideoReDo V4 to process Tivo Premiere HD recordings on a PC or just VideoReDo V3? I am talking about Tivo Premiere HD recordings being downloaded to a PC and then edited in VideoReDo.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

jrswartz said:


> Do I need VideoReDo V4 to process Tivo Premiere HD recordings on a PC or just VideoReDo V3? I am talking about Tivo Premiere HD recordings being downloaded to a PC and then edited in VideoReDo.


To just edit them, all you need is VideoReDo Plus.
To edit and make DVD's, VideoReDo TVSuite (3)
To edit, make DVD's or transcode to MPEG-4 you need TVSuite 4.


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