DVD to WMV using AutoMKV

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DVD to WMV using AutoMKV

Baldrick posted 2007 Jan 11 11:41

This guide will show you the basics step to convert a DVD to WMV with WMV9 or WMV7 or VC1 using an all-in-one converter.

Tools required
.NET Framework 1.1
Avisynth
Windows Media Encoder 9
AC3 Filter or ffdshow to decode Dolby AC3 Audio
AutoMKV

Guide
Install .NET FrameWork, ac3filter/ffdshow, AviSynth and Windows Media Encoder. If you want to convert to VC1 be sure to install latest Windows Media Player 11 as well.
Download AutoMKV and extract all files in the rar archive with Winrar and then launch AutoMKV.exe

Select DVD
You can convert directly from a commercial DVD because AutoMKV will automatically rip the DVD.
Select your DVD Drive and click Check DVD Drive. Wait.
Select the main movie PGC, usually the longest video clip
Set the Output Folder, be sure that you have a lot of free space (up to 8GB for a commercial DVD)

Choose Container, Codec and Profile
Set Container to WMV
Set Codec to WMV
Select Profile,
1_Pass_CBR_Ultraquick for WMV7 - Decent quality but fastest encoding.
1_Pass_CBR_Veryquick for WMV8 - Good quality but faster encoding.
1_Pass_CBR_Quick for WMV9 - Very good quality but slow encoding.
1_Pass_CBR for WVC1 - Perfect quality but very slow encoding and works only with latest Windows Media Player 11.
(You can also test the 2-pass_VBR profile(slower encoding but a bit better quality) or 1_Pass_Quality profile(you can not control the output file size exactly).

Audio and Subtitles
Select Audio Track 1
Set it to WMV
Select optionable Subtitle track (The subs will be external and not permanent and to play with subs you need VSFilter installed)

File Size options
Choose output file size by CD or DVD size or type size in MB. Bigger size means better quality. A 90 minute movie should fit on a CD/700MB with decent quality.
Set the movie name

Convert!
Start the converting. A lot of windows will popup. Check the Output folder and a .wmv should appear after a while and it should increase in size. Wait and wait and wait...go to sleep...and hopefully should it be done after you wake up. :)

Other methods
If this sounds too complex you can also use Windows Movie Maker or Windows Media Encoder, import the VOBs directly or use VOB2MPG on the DVD and then import the new MPG. But it wont work with all DVDs. If you have commercial DVD you must first rip and copy it to your HD using for example DVDFab Decrypter and then import the VOBs or use VOB2MPG.

dlflannery posted 2007 Jan 12 09:44

@Baldrick,
The AutoMKV "instructions" specify .NET Framework 1.1 while your guide says 2. I was under the impression this could make a difference, no?

Baldrick posted 2007 Jan 12 09:57

Updated. Thanks.

buzzqw posted 2007 Jan 13 03:15

i suggest to upgrade latest build (actually 0.68)

In 0.68 i added to wmv profiles even the WMV 8, quicker then 9 better quality then 7...

Also, a BIG NOTE, if you use a QUALITY PROFILE (with wmv) i cannot control the final file size perfectly, will be surely some under/over-size.

Only the 2 pass or the 1 pass can garantee the exact file size

BHH

Baldrick posted 2007 Jan 14 04:16

Okey..updating the profile information. Thanks for a great tool!

reallycheap posted 2007 Jan 28 09:32

I'm having a bit of trouble getting AutoMKV to do what I want. Basically, I'm trying to re-encode VOBs to WMV, while preserving multichannel sound. AutoMKV properly identifies the AC3 6ch soundtrack in the VOB, however when I specify WMV as the desired format for Audio Track 1, the adjacent drop-down contains the choices "Stereo" or "Original" or sometimes even both. I haven't been able to figure out why sometimes I see "Original" in this drop-down and sometimes I don't. On my last attempt I chose "Original" but the movie didn't encode and I got the logfile which I've attached to this post. I haven't tried playing too much with the options in the window that opens when you click on the "!!!" button because I'm not sure what they do.

I have been able to successfully encode movies in WMV, but I always end up with a 2 channel soundtrack. I know that WMV allows for multichannel sound, but I can't figure it out and if anyone has any suggestions I would be greatly appreciative!

automkv%20log%2020070128.txt

reallycheap posted 2007 Jan 28 09:49

Thanks for the quick reply. I had looked at that thread earlier, however, it's not clear to me which part of or option within the FFDShow configuration window is relevant to this situation. Also, the configuration window in my version of FFDShow (which I believe to be the most current) looks slightly different. The attached file shows the configuration options as displayed in the thread you referenced, and below that, the configuration window that I see.

Any thoughts? Sorry if I seem dense but I'm kind of new to this.

Baldrick posted 2007 Jan 28 09:53

I haven't tried...and I'm not sure if it's just for wmv sources with 5.1 audio or convert to 5.1.

Maybe try another method like http://forums.xbox.com/8455620/ShowPost.aspx

Tooncis posted 2007 Jul 20 13:50

It works fine if I use a separate DVD ripping program to rip to one single VOB file. If I have it convert direct from a DVD it has a problem once it starts to render the video (audio finishes fine).

I end up with a file that is 52Kb. I have tried with 5 different DVDs.

movie.log

COMEONPROD posted 2007 Sep 05 16:26

Hello for the last few days I have been trying to to even open AutoMKV-I have downloaded everything-I think. I followed the directions and then when I try to oepn AutoMKV it gives me a list of programs to open with and I've tried everything. What am I doing wrong :o

Baldrick posted 2007 Sep 05 16:38

Have you downloaded the automkv.rar archive? Extract all files in the rar archive with winrar to a folder and you can then start the automkv.exe program.

COMEONPROD posted 2007 Sep 05 16:48

I Have you downloaded the automkv.rar archive, but how do I extract files with winrar? This is stuff is very new to me-sorry

Baldrick posted 2007 Sep 05 17:06

Open the rar with winrar and click on extract or extract to button. Read the included HELP and google for winrar tutorial.

COMEONPROD posted 2007 Sep 05 17:25

got it, it works now! Thanks

Bilar Crais posted 2007 Dec 28 03:12

Tooncis :

I'm getting the same thing here. Ideas anyone?

Thank you!

wakesk8tr posted 2008 Feb 19 21:16

hi i am very new to this. i was wondering what settings i should use in autoMKV095 to use with my Zune? thank you.

dryden posted 2008 Feb 27 18:34

Bilar Crais :

Tooncis :

I'm getting the same thing here. Ideas anyone?

Thank you!

I got the ~52KB output file as well. I was encoding into xvid/ogg, from an IFO/VOB set ripped with DVDDecrypter, using custom crop and resize settings. After a while, AutoMKV would start its video interlacedness analysis using x264.exe, and then stop with an "all jobs done". It would give no errors. I then made three changes: (1) I installed the latest AVISynth (2) I queued the job first before starting it, and (3) I didn't set any FFmpeg encoder in the Advanced Settings tab. Right now, it's encoding my video.

Perhaps any of these may help you get AutoMKV into the next phase.

JoeK posted 2008 Mar 19 16:26

I have a 15 minutes film, the original container was .vob and i tried to make it into .avi. For a 15 film i think the proper disk space should be 1/4CD (175MB) or less, well i selected that option in AutoMKV and the movie turned out to have 700MB. What did i do wrong?

poisondeathray posted 2008 Mar 19 17:34

JoeK :

Are you using the newest version?

You might want to post your details here http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=134478
because the author (buzzqw) reads & helps out almost daily there

buzzqw posted 2008 Mar 21 14:37

What did i do wrong?

i bet you select a constant quality encoding or selected Don't care about size...

BHH

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 08 22:17

WMV is not an opition when I select the drop down audio track options. It is there if I haven't selected an Input file, but as soon as I select a DVD, either from a disk or ripped to the HDD, WMV is no longer an option. Any idea why?

Never mind, I found it.

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 10 09:44

Ok, so I thought i finally had everything figured out and working with the following settings:

The whole process completed, but when i go to view the video, i get 1sec of a perfect image, then nothing but garbage. If i click anywhere on the time bar, to go forward or back, i get the same thing - one second of clear image, then garbage. I've run this on two different computers, with two different discs (Rome Season 1 Disc1 and Disc 2) and both exhibit the same behavior. What did I miss?

Baldrick posted 2008 Apr 10 09:46

You could start with a bigger screenshot...:)

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 10 09:48

yeah, i grabbed the wrong link. all better now.

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 10 09:51

ok, wtf? i did a preview and it was there, now nothing at all? sorry, i'm a nube at the whole image in forum post thing. i'll get it figured out.

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 10 09:53

CrashMonkey posted 2008 Apr 10 14:37

I just tried one more pass by using DVDShrink to rip and decrypt the DVD to the HDD first. Same issue.

vamp9190 posted 2008 May 20 14:47

I just bought a Creative ZEN 2.5" Black 16GB MP3 / MP4 Player, so hopefully this process will work for converting a DVD to put onto the player ?

I have used DVDFab Decrypter and HD Decrypter (free versions) for years to rip full DVDs to my Hard Drive (and also know how to use DVDShrink to get fullsize 7+GB ripped disks to 4.2GB in a folder with VOB files) (if I want to backup to a blank DVD+R I use 'Copy to Dvd' since it can look for the VOB/ISO files and burn the raw VIDEO_TS folder and make a perfect backup).

Now I am looking to take the same DVD and rip/encode it so it plays on the Creative ZEN (not Microsoft Zune). I have never used AutoMKV, but I will test it to see the results.

Am I on the right track?

My first priority is the conversion to a playable format for the ZEN, Oh, I also have a Blackberry Curve 8310 phone and got a 8GB micro-SD mem. card....hopefully this process can also make video files playable on that phone?

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

ejmiranda posted 2008 Jun 22 23:38

I am having a problem with AutoMKV 0.95c. When I open up the program it won't let me check my dvd drive, it is greyed out. I have unpacked the files to a folder on my c drive. It just wont let me load a dvd disc from my dvd drive, is there some kind of setting that i am missing?

ejmiranda posted 2008 Jun 23 01:15

Nevermind. I figured out what the problem is, I'm just stupid. I downloaded the version without DVD Decrypter because I already had the program and didn't think I needed it, so I downloaded the version with DVD Decrypter and it works fine.

Anyway Thanks!!

Ratt posted 2008 Aug 11 01:56

Uhm actually I figured out the problem so never mind haha.

But actually I got an issue still. I'm making a video in Windows Media Player, and imported the movie from a dvd that i'm getting clips from for my video, but for some reason only about 27 minutes of the dvd imported. Did I do something wrong? Does W.M.M. only upload a certain amount of video or something? I just got to know how to upload the whole movie, or at least how much I want. Thanks

buzzqw posted 2008 Aug 11 04:26

in automkv you can select the pgc where is the video... but i suppose i don't understand well you problem

BHH

Ratt posted 2008 Aug 11 16:36

Well I redid it, using DVD fab 5 to convert it and upload it like before, and it worked fine this time and uploaded everything I needed.

Anyways, thanks for this guide and the help! It's great

scarr105 posted 2008 Sep 19 19:34

Can someone tell me why AutoMKV 0.95 is only doing half my video. I have a dvd that is 25 minutes long but AutoMKV will only grab 14 minutes of the video. That 14 minutes looks great but I need the whole 25 minutes. I walked through the tutorial and make all the settings match. I'm trying to go from DVD to WMV. Any help would be great.

Edit - I'm pulling the DVD straight from the DVD drive and not the hard drive, not sure if that is a problem.

Problem fixed!!!!!!!!
I didn't realize there were more than 1 VOB file on the DVD, so I was only doing the VOB file that was the biggest but it turns out I need to do all of them and then join the wmv together. there may be a easier way but this should work for me.

Baldrick posted 2008 Sep 20 13:27

scarr105: Open the ifo instead of the vobs and automkv will load the entire dvd.

salmon800 posted 2008 Oct 12 22:49

Hello everybody. I need help with my settings in autoMKV. Forgive me if this is a redundant post, but I could not find an answer anywhere.

I am getting vertical black bars when converting a widescreen file from disc (.vob) to .wmv. I am using the default settings for the program. The wmv turns out great except for the vertical bars and being squashed from the sides. The horizontal bars are almost gone as well. I do not want to resize the final wmv at all, and I cannot find the right settings for the task.

Can anyone help? Thanks in advance, this is an awesome program!

Baldrick posted 2008 Oct 13 03:02

Do you see the black bars in the vob also? No crop settings in AutoMKV?

salmon800 posted 2008 Oct 13 09:41

thanks Baldrick,

VOB has widescreen "letterbox" bars, and there are no bars on the sides in the VOB. No crop settings that I can see. Here are my advanced settings:

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