Frameserving to Image Converter

[Yuriv]

Hi, my TH55 has not yet arrived, but I am already playing around with the Image Converter software to see what I can do (checking the results via Quicktime).

Intially, I was impressed to discover that ImageConverter will accept framserving directly from Virtual dub. This is great, as it means I can feed virtually any AVI file straight to IC even if the video and/or audio codecs are unsupported by IC. Also, I can apply any Virtualdub filter that I want "on the fly" (ie, brighten the video or boost the contrast).

Based on this finding, I was hoping that I would be able to use AVIsynth to frameserve directly from DVDx to IC (I have read the other thread on DVD to MQV without middlesteps, and while I realize it will work, going directly from DVDx would be much simpler). Unfortunately, however, DVDx does not seem to care for this setup. After setting up DVDx and launching the frameserver, IC accepts the dummy AVI file with no problems, but when I try to begin the conversion, DVDx gives me the error message "FIXME:backward pass not supported".

This suggests to me that DVDx does not like the intial frame request that it is receiving from IC. Has anyone else tried this with success?

Thanks a lot

[Egalus]

Which settings did you make in DVDx or Virtualdub to use them for frameserving? I never heard of that option to directly frameserv from them and for sure want to try it.

[Yuriv]

Hi Egalus,
Framserving from Virtualdub is pretty easy, and eliminates a lot of the fuss of making avi files palatable for Image Converter.
1) Load up your AVI file (any format Virtualdub will accept regardless of what image converter wants).
2) Select full processing mode for audio and choose PCM as the compression format (ie, no compression)
3) Select full processing mode for video and select "uncompressed RGB" as the compression type (again, no compression)
4) Apply any filters that you want (brightness, contrast, etc)
5) Under the File menu, select "start frame server". (Note, if this command does not do anything, you will have to run the "Auxsetup.exe" file from the virtualdub folder on your harddrive and select "install handler" to install the frameserving function).
6) Enter the name that you want the video clip to show up as on your Clie in the next window (or just hit start to accept the default).
7) ***THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT***: When you hit start you will be given a save box asking you to "save .VDR signpost for AVI file handler". Enter a file name you will remember, but don't let it assign the default .VDR file extension. Instead, WRITE IN YOUR OWN AVI FILE EXTENSION -> I usually use "frameserve.avi". The frameserver will start now.
8) Open ImageConverter and select the AVI signpost you saved in step 7, and proceed with conversion as you would for a regular file. Don't forget to shut down the frameserver when the conversion is done.

I must admit that I have not gotten great audio sync so far (similar to the files hosted on the FTP site listed on CLiesource), but I assume that this is because I can't get IC Prefs to work properly, and am thus not using the right framerate in IC.

As for using DVDx with a frameserver, I won't go into as much detail as I can't get it to work! However, if you can find a copy of the guide for using DVDx and TMPGEnc together via AVISynth to make VCDS, it is the same process (I don't know if this guide has been available freely since LabDV became a pay site).

Basically, you have to install AVIsynth and place the AviSynth premier plugin in your DVDx directory (I forget where I got this plugin, it was way back when I was making VCDs, sorry). Next, after setting up DVDx, you select premier plugin on your output window and select AVIwrapper as your handler. Now, when you press start, the frameserver will be launched instead of actual encoding beginning.

Unfortunately, when you try to begin converting the frameserved file in IC, an error pops up (see my first post). Any help on this would be appreciated, as this would be the easiest way imaginable to go from DVD to MQV in one step.