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It's Tenacious Tony! - It's admirable how you tackle these frustrating little challenges that can come up.
I appreciate the confirmation that FF can't handle non-square pixels properly - that's exactly what the issue was. When I wrote these posts I was at the tail end of far too many hours working on the computer, and was frazzled. We all get there once in awhile.
When I returned to the problem fresh the next day, I looked online for the 16:9 formats which Flash files can handle, and produced a short test clip at 1280X720. The Flash copy then of course came out fine. It was a simple solution that I was just too tired to think of earlier, and it's just as you discovered for yourself.
So - Solved. Thanks for your reply, Tony.
Randy
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Hi Randy -
I've used FF quite a bit, but had never attempted to convert a 1440x1080 file before.
I have now! It would appear that FF cannot read the non-square pixel format properly.
I tried a number of custom profiles to try to trick it into giving me a correctly proportioned output file. It produced 4:3 files or 16:9 videos in a 4:3 frame. MediaInfo read every file as 4:3.
The only way I succeeded in getting a 16:9 flv file was to first produce the 1440x1080 video (in PD) to a regular 16:9 profile (1280x720 or 1920x1080) > the convert it in FF.
P.S. FF isn't the only coverter that had trouble recognising the 1440x1080 profile.
Cheers - Tony
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Ok - Since posting I figured out the routine of going to "All to Custom" in order to access saved profiles.
But I have 15 discarded attempts now to convert a 1440X1080 vid to FLV. None of the ratios work - they all squish the picture in, obviously the wrong proportions.
The clips I'm converting are 16:9 - surely there's a setting that will make these work right as FLV files?
Randy B.
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Carl was recently good enough to let me know about Format Factory. I'm now trying to use it to convert files to FLV format so I can stream files from my website.
One clicks on FLV, edits the options as wanted, and there's the choice to then save that profile. Fine, I save it. I drag in my video file to be converted - But over and over it's wrong, it doesn't come out in the format I just specified.
I look in Format Factory again - and I can't find where one loads a saved profile - just the pre-sets come up. If I click FLV again - it's the default settings - I do all the settings again, save -- But--same result.
How does one get a custom profile to be used in FF?-----??
Randy B.
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I do remember seeing that thread.
Cap'n Kevin, said he used a custom profile in Media espresso to convert the M2V files, but I don't think any of us on the forum have had access to a 8 GB M2V file to see if is is possible to convert in Media espresso.
Have you tried any of the many File Splitters on the Internet?
This one makes the claim that it will split files of any size:
http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/
If you could reduce the size of the files by splitting it into more manageable pieces, you should be able to maintain the maximum quality.
Thanks for the handy little splitter program, Carl. But it doesn't matter what size these files are, they can't be imported into PD - they have to be converted.
My initial conversion was to mpeg 2, but it was Way degraded. MP4 was the best, but still half the size of the originals.
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All I am suggesting is that if you want maximun quality, you have to start at the beginning and modifly the original file as little as possible.
Yes, of course, and that was my first concern when I got these. I spent two days trying everything under the sun to get high quality copies I could work with in PD. I don't understand why I can't change my "custom" file in Espresso to make it spit out a 25 bitrate like Tony did - I tried that a million times. I couldn't get Espresso to go higher than 13.
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Splitting does not change the quality of the original file, I just makes two or more of the original quality.
Right, but per what I said above, no matter how small the split bits are - they're still a format that needs conversion.
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How hard would it be to go to the original source of the Videos and have them break them into smaller pieces and provide you with a more universal format?
Unfortunately, it's impossible. Long story, but--impossible.
I've finished editing, behind schedule, and the finished product looks OK. - If I did manage at some point after this to find a way to maintain the full resolution of the originals, it would be a super major pain to start from scratch editing them again. There are hundreds of edits in the two project files these take up.
Anyway - Thanks for the splitter, even though it doesn't help in this particular case.
Randy B.
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Thanks for your input but it appears you're referring to PowerDirector while I'm using PowerProducer 5.0 so when I tried downloading music thru "video import it doesn't even bring up my music files. It just doesn't open the music files or even show them. Am I correct in assuming you're referring to PowerDirector?
Right, I didn't notice you were talking about PowerProducer. Hopefully Tony's info helped you out.
Maybe you didn't mean it literally, but it sounds like you're talking about downloading music from the internet directly into PP?-- With PowerDirector, I just use the "import media" button in the upper left corner, and the browser that pops up will take me to any folder on my computer. For a tidy project, I usually move a copy of music I want to use in the project's master folder. Through that import browser, anything that can be used in a video can be imported - video, music, still images.
I guess PowerProducer works differently?
Randy B.
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Jim, using original music for videos is the only thing I ever do. All you do is import a 16 bit .wav file the same way you import video files, then drag the audio to any audio track in the project.
If you're talking about using canned music, you can use the "Smart Sound" music files, but it's disappointing how few and short the free bits of music are. Most you need to pay for.
But you can drag in any music file you want. Use .wav files, not MP3s for better quality. Unfortunately, PD still only accepts 16 bit audio instead of the 24 or 32 bit that other video programs use, but at least basic medium quality music can be added that way.
Randy B.
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Oh, the NTSC vs PAL war.
Here is what I would do, take the M2V videos and convert them of NTSC Mpeg 2 files.
Are the M2V files standard definition (720x576)?
In order to do that you need a Video converter that handles both M2V Pal format and converts to NTSC video.
After you have the M2V converted to NTSC video you then edit with your preferences set to NTSC. Edit as you would you normal NTSC video, burn your NTSC DVD.
Hi, Carl - It's great to hear from one of PD's most active Forum members. Thanks for the reply.
This is a complicated situation, the one touched on in this new post you responded to. Earlier I went through quite an ordeal trying to figure out the best way to deal with these M2V files. Here's the thread where it was discussed, in case you'd care to wade through it:
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/21609.page;jsessionid=B863AC3C17898CB21F10B9680BFA179A
Basically, we were trying to figure out a way for me to import these Russian video files. Nothing tried managed to get the 8+gig files into anything better than 4 gig files - I settled on MP4s. That was OK, even though of course there was a noticeable degradation of quality.
In other words, the first step was just trying to get M2Vs to work in PD. It was a drag to discover that PD doesn't import them directly, like some other programs do.
Based on other info I found online, I went ahead and put the project together in Pal format, saving the final NTSC conversion for the last, rather than converting the files at the beginning--they'd already gone through a lot of beating up just getting them into PD.
The results aren't stellar - everything is noticeably fuzzier, but in the realm of adequate.
If you look through that thread I posted above, the most mysterious part is that Tony was managing to get Media Espresso to make 25 mg bitrate files - I never was. That's the reason my converted files are half the size of the originals - I could only get Espresso to go to 13 meg bitrate, and the originals are 25 meg bitrate files.
Anyway--It's been a crazy time, needing to get these 3 camera files produced as a DVD - I'm getting close to being finished, but a much lower quality than I would have hoped for. I'm sure the Russians who sent me the raw materials will be disappointed in the results - but it was the best I could do!
Randy B.
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This is related to my previous issue about trying to use M2V files, but it involves a different problem. However, the two things have to be related.
The raw video footage I've been working with is from friends in Russia. Besides the difficulty of the video tracks being in M2V format, they were obviously filmed in the eastern hemisphere, so they're in PAL format.
When I managed to make copies of the originals acceptable to PD 9 (I made MP4 copies with Media Espresso), I was informed that I was trying to import PAL footage and so PD9 would have to do a conversion which would reduce their quality. Since quality was a big issue with these, I went to the Preferences to change (temporarily I thought) the format to PAL. Great - I could import the clips without the conversion process.
I went about doing my edits. Then when I was ready to burn to a DVD folder, I set things up so I thought I'd be getting a NTSC final product. Wrong - apparently. The resulting folder plays fine on the computer, but a test disc I burned from the folder doesn't play on my DVD player. The error message is that the disc wasn't finalized. That's a generic error message which can't be taken literally - the player just couldn't handle the disc. I tried the disc on our computers, and it plays fine, because computers can play anything -theoretically.
But I'm bummed - I'm in the process of burning a new test, but I changed the Preference settings from PAL to NTSC, and of course I got the message that the clips would need to be converted resulting in a reduction in quality--the very thing I was attempting to avoid in the first place.
I suppose this disc is going to play on my DVD player - but it might not be acceptable in its quality. I'm typing this while I wait for the new folder to be burned because I'm very keyed up over this. It's already been a hassle of several days duration, just trying to make video files PD9 will accept - as several you already know.
So--maybe some of you have input on what the best thing to do is in a case like this--what I should've done--what I can do--
I wish the world could be in unison with one DVD format - just like I wish the world could be one happy, non aggressive family--right, when's that gonna happen? In the next world.
Randy B.
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Hi Randy -
You'll have to forgive my errors/typos or whatever they were. My apologies. You're right... one of the entries did say "I288000".
My blunder was that when I read the post by Lachbuster that Kevin linked it said:
This trick also works for customizing bitrates btw, much like with fps....you have to make two similar changes in the custom.prf file....if you saved the profile as 3 mbps, for example, you'll find 'I3xxxxxx' (where x corresponds to the saved audio bitrate), and 'I3000000' (the saved video bitrate). If you wanted 5.25mbps instead, substitute 5250000 (+ audio bitrate, ie 256000) for the first and 5250000 for the one that was 'I3000000'. Save and voila.
In checking out the mistake you pointed out, I found there were in fact three (3) occurrences of sg22 Ixxxxxxxx. Once I'd changed the 2 I found, I thought I was done. Apparently, not so.
So you can see what I mean, I've copied the text from the prf file into a Word doc & highlighted those entries in red. (attached)
Randy - I don't pretend to understand all the gobbledygook in those files. Just following instructions & trying to work out a possible solution.
I do know that I produced a profile that generated a video with a high bitrate, which is what you were after.
Anyway - it's a good day when I can learn something, even if it's because I've made errors.
Glad you're getting places with your production.
Cheers - Tony
Hi, Tony - I hope you understand I wasn't intending any criticism. Good heavens no, it's great that you've investigated this process of tweaking the Espresso profile settings, and tried to help me out.
I went again, this time making a notepad doc from your new Word Doc attachment, and testing it in my Espresso. I see the three "sg22" entries - I don't know why they say "25000000" instead of "25000 kbps" which is the bitrate for these m2v files, I'm just guessing that for some reason that's the way Espresso needs to list bitrates, with the extra zeros.
But I had the same results - 13 kbps is still the highest rate available.
One theory I have is that it doesn't work to share profiles. Maybe there's code in that mass of text which makes it unique to a user's registered copy of Espresso. --But I don't know! It just doesn't work for me.
I also looked again at my original profile, and the only "sg22" entry in it just says "I3"--as I said before.
Meanwhile, I've done massive editing on the project, and the results are more than just acceptable. I'm content.
Thanks again, Tony and Kevin.
Randy B.
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Randy, Kevin & Dave -
Using MediaEspresso, as Kevin has suggested, does allow you to convert an m2v file with a bitrate of 25MBps to mpeg-2 with the same bitrate.
MediaEspresso will not import the m2v file as is. I had to change the file extension to .mpg for it to be imported.
Following the steps in http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/14009.page#66168 & modifying the custom.prf file works.
Randy - the two entries you need are:
sg22
Ixxxxxxx (xxxxxxx being the bitrate previously selected)
Just change them to:
sg22
I25000000
Attached, please find (a) MediaInfo report of a converted .m2v & (b) a copy of the custom.prf I modified. (If you want you could simply drop it in your C:\Users\UserID\AppData\Local\Cyberlink\MediaEspresso\6.5 folder to replace the original - keep a copy, of course).
*** Hmmm - just noticed the bitrate data in MediaInfo states maximum BR as 25MBps, but average BR of 23.5 - might need to look at that again.
Cheers - Tony
Tony--Maybe there are some typos and/or errors in your post, and in the custom.prf file you posted?
I looked through my custom.prf line by line five times over, and there's only one line called "sg22," definitely not two, and it just says "I3."
I tried replacing my custom with the one you posted, but it didn't work. When I tried to use it, 13 was still the maximum bitrate available. -- I looked at your text, and instead of "I25000000" as you said in your message, the file has "I288000"-- ?---
I put my original custom back, and so I have my pre-sets again - but nothing's changed.
I don't know! Except I do know that you guys, Kevin and Tony have gone way beyond the call of duty. Thank you-- I'm being very careful as I try things, but they just aren't working for me. I'm going ahead with the MP4 files - I made those in Espresso, changing the original m2v extensions to mpg so I could import, then I cooked up the highest Mp4's available--half the size, but very decent looking. I'm moving on--I have to!
Thanks again.
Randy B.
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Hey Randy,
I have been fiddling around with Media Espresso. Have you tried to create a new custom profile and then select mpg-2, then select 1920x1080? It converted a mov video file very respectably. The original file size of the mov file was 107.2 MB and the resulting mpg-2 file was 102 MB. So there was a little drop, but not that much. The quality looked great to me!
See the attached picture of the setup in Media Espresso.
So my question is: Did you try this setup yet in Media Espresso?
Kevin
Well, I'm just not having any luck. Following the instructions for the Espresso "hack," the custom profile text I get is very long - I have 3 custom profiles, and can't figure out what to edit. All the profiles are in that one text file, but with no differentiation that's clear to me. Like the original post said, this fix is easier if you have only one custom file. I do see a figure in the list, "I130000"--but it's not listed under bitrate. Must be it, but--?
I looked at your screen shot, Kevin. That's a different version of Espresso than I have. Yours is called "MediaShow Espresso - Video Converter" and mine's called "MediaEspresso - Media Converter." I don't know which is newer, or if they're maybe totally different products. But when I try to do a custom profile for mpeg-2, 1920X1080, 16:9 - the highest bitrate available is still just 13.
So. Hmmm.
Randy B.
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Texas - Thanks for that. I saw it, but haven't wanted to deal with the proprietary Cineform format - I'm just not sure about all that.
But Kevin--I looked at the thread, thanks for posting it. And hey now then there, that looks like the ticket. I've never done anything quite like that, but the instructions seem clear. I'll try it out!--and if I can get files at the bitrate of 25MB I'm looking for, then I'll swap the vid clips out in my project.
Thanks, both of you!
Randy B.
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...When testing, is it necessary to convert the whole video? Would it save time to try a short clip of the video? But now that I've typed this, I'm thinking that maybe you don't have the means to make a short clip.  Good luck.
Thanks for the post, TexasCityDave - Yes, it would be nice to test just a few minutes, but you guessed it, I don't have a way to slice up one of these files and keep it at its original full resolution.
Update: I kept trying different programs all day yesterday and nothing did the job.
--"Super" apparently seemed suspicious to my computer - Avast tried to block it, then when I ran it after installation, I had the first honest-to-goodness BSOD that I've ever had on this computer. ----grrrrr.
--Handbrake couldn't maintain the high bitrate.
--"EM Total vid converter" made tiny copies of the vids, total garbage. I tried that one several times, am positive all the settings were right.
--I installed and tried Aura Video, a free video editor, but it couldn't import m2vs.
--I tried Muvee Reveal X - it CAN import m2vs--but that program only has one video track!--I need three for this project.
--I BOUGHT another full video editing program that looked promising, because the site said it can import m2vs--and it indeed it can--BUT, it only has ONE video track also!-- How the heck are people supposed to do any real work with just one video track? They may as well use the free Microsoft Movie Maker. -- Very bummed that I paid money (the cost of PD9) only to discover that it's just meant for jumbling up snapshots and home video into "instant vacation" videos.
I've been trying so hard to keep the full resolution of these 8 gig m2v files because they are of a stage show I wrote which is running in Moscow, Russia. But, I have to get on with the project, so I'm settling for mp4 files done with Media Espresso. The bitrate is half of the original, so they're 4 gig files, and they look pretty good- just not as beautiful and sharp as the original. Oh well!
Frustrating - But at least I've now started to edit the 3 camera coverage of the show.
Thanks, everyone, for trying to help me out.
Randy B.
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Well, unfortunately none of that worked.
It's taking time to test things, because each vid is 45 minutes long. Over 8 gigs each in their original form.
TSmuxer won't accept these m2vs, unsupported format, even if I re-write the extension as mpg.
I've done four tests with FormatFactory, and they're all the same tiny size - 400 megs--compared to 8 gigs. They're totally unacceptable. I made a custom profile, but it has a similar limitation as Media Espresso does - it's highest bitrate is 16000, and these are 25000. When I set it to default, I'm not sure what it's doing--but the results, as I said, are these small 400 meg files.
So - I need to find yet another converter for m2vs. Darn it.
Thanks for the help, guys, even though the ideas didn't work for me.
Randy B.
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Nice! Thank you both, Tony and Jeff with more info and advice - Off I go to wrestle this down to something I'm happy with. Much appreciate your posts.
Randy B.
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Use MediaInfo to look at the properties of your m2v video files. If you don't want to mess with the quality, create a conversion profile that mimics the details of the m2v formats (bitrate, resolution, codec) in a container that is suitable for PD editing.
m2v is not listed as a format the PD10 supports.
Jeff
Thanks much for your reply, Jeff -
It looks like I can't use Media Espresso to create that profile, because the bitrate of the original files is 25 megs, and ME only goes up to 13.
When you say "in a container"--you just mean using a converter, or --?
The MP4 test copy took over an hour to make, but it's the best one so far. It's 4 gigs, the largest of these converted copies, but that's still half the size of the original. That makes sense, since its bitrate is about 1/2 that of the original.
There must be a converter I can get that can handle higher bitrates, so I'll look for one--Unless there's something I'm not getting here..
Randy
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I have folders of raw video files from friends in Russia. I'm to edit together footage from three cameras done at a live performance.
The videos are in the m2v format. Those can't be imported into PD9, even if the extension is re-named "mpg" or "mpeg." The m2vs play in media players and look gorgeous, but that doesn't help me. For one thing, I need to sync up separate audio .wav files with the footage - m2vs can only contain video.
My dilemma now is the best way to use these m2vs in PD9 without degrading the image quality any more than needs be.
At first I did a straight conversion with Media Espresso to mpeg. The test m2v is 8 gigs, the converted mpg copy is 1 gig. I don't need to tell you - that doesn't look so good.
Tweaking up the parameters for a new conversion profile in Media Espresso, I managed to get a 3 gig mpg, which was a big improvement, but obviously is still way degraded from the original.
I'm sitting out the hour long conversion to an MP4, highest quality settings available in Media Espresso--don't know yet what size and quality it's going to be.
If that one is also unacceptable - any ideas of what to use for conversion? Dang - I sure wish these would just import as-is into PD9. Bugs me that the codec is obviously on this machine, since these play in Windows Media. Does PD10 handle m2v files? If so--I'd consider upgrading just for that--haven't yet because of all the horror stories about the upgrade.
Randy B.
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Yes, remove from library is fine, it's just a holding area. You can even remove clips in the library that are currently in the timeline if you wish. You can also manage your media libary with the folders feature to keep stuff available but out of site if you wish.
Jeff
Thanks much, Jeff, for the reassurance. I suddenly broke out in a sweat worrying that I could screw things up. I should probably use folders, since this is a series of related videos - they could each have their own folder, and things would be tidy. And I could more easily find something from another project if I ended up needing it.
Great--Thanks again!
Randy B.
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I'm using a previous project as a template since the new project needs the same intro and outro. It's easiest to leave those clips and FX in place in the time line.
But of course the media bin is full of clips from the previous project that I don't need. It's safe to "remove from library"--right?--without those clips and pictures being removed from the original project?
Randy B.
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WOW!! rbowser you are so right!! so simple. Thanks for the reply.
Have a nice week..
Thanos
Hey, good deal. Glad I helped. Happy Holidays!
RB
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Are you sure you're not looking at just your downloaded titles instead of the defaults? There's a menu filter for displaying available titles.
Randy B.
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