AVANTI - FFmpeg/Avisynth GUI (support thread).

Originally Posted by pgriffet

BTW, my hardware config is old (AMD 400 with 192 MB RAM) but your program works fine. I mention it because there is a minimum hardware requirement in your help file which is much higher than my PC.

It's not unlikely this could also be part of the FFmpeg crash problem. Assumed your CPU is close to this one...

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K6-2/AMD-K6-2%20400%20-%20AMD-K6-2-400AFR.html

It supports MMX and 3DNow but not SSE while some libraries of newer FFmpeg builds seems to rely on this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_SIMD_Extensions

I use a AMD Athlon XP 2000+ which only supports SSE (not SSE2 or higher) and had crash problems with some builds that were probably compiled with a fixed SSE2 configuration. In general SSE only seems enough because I have no crash problems with 0.5 and the latest builds from the main FFmpeg providers.

If you still have the same problem with autobuilds, try SVN-r10464 which is one of my favorite oldies.

http://tirnanog.fate.jp/mirror/ffmpeg/

You can rename FFmpeg versions like e.g. "ffmpeg_10464.exe" and keep a few available. Then use a new build for everything that appears to work without crashing and a older one for e.g. xvid encoding.

... or consider to upgrade to a bit newer CPU. Doesn't have to be the latest technology as you can see with my XP 2000+.

Ran into something odd/excellent today. There's a video file I wanted to watch on my TiVo HD that is only available in WMV format. Normally I use pyTivo (which uses FFMPEG) to convert and move over MKV or AVI files. I was pretty sure that FFMPEG couldn't convert WMV, but I haven't used that format since I stopped using my Xbox 360 to watch videos, so I couldn't remember. Nope, pyTivo couldn't convert it. As a last ditch effort, I thought I might try Avanti, which I normally use to convert soft-subtitled MKV or AVI to hard-subtitled MPG to watch on my TiVo HD.

Well, it was a little slower than usual, but it worked just fine! While I was checking the converted MPG file, I noticed that I had accidentally left the ASS subtitles from my last job enabled. So I grabbed the full WMV file I wanted to convert, disabled subtitles and let 'er rip. Whoops, error:

Code:

Decoder (codec id 86056) not found for input stream #0.0

Now I was confused. I checked the codec properties of the sample and the full file and they were the same:

General
Complete name : D:\sample.wmv
Format : Windows Media
File size : 45.5 MiB
Duration : 1mn 0s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 6 322 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 14.8 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2009-01-02 20:33:38.140

Video
ID : 2
Format : VC-1
Format profile : AP@L3
Codec ID : WVC1
Codec ID/Hint : Microsoft
Description of the codec : Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile
Duration : 1mn 0s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 8 888 Kbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 800 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.40:1
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.241
Stream size : 63.8 MiB
Language : English (US)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : WMA3
Format profile : M2
Codec ID : 162
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Audio 3
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 10 Professional - 768 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit 1-pass CBR
Duration : 1mn 0s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 768 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Resolution : 24 bits
Stream size : 5.52 MiB (12%)
Language : English (US)

So I loaded the sample back in and tried to convert it again. Nope. Same error. So I thought, "Hmm, what changed?" The subtitles! So I edited the ASS subtitle file, leaving the various script setting, but removing the actual dialogue. I loaded the edited ASS file in and then the full WMV file and tried again. Presto! Converts fine!

I suspect that this has something to do with Avisynth and how it handles subtitles. Something must be different in the process when subtitles are enabled or disabled. Aw, heck, I don't really know why it works, but it does!

FWIW, I tried loading a empty TXT file named with both SRT and ASS extensions, but that caused a different error and didn't work. I had to use an ASS file that had the script stuff, but no actual dialogue, like this:

Code:

[Script Info]
; Script generated by Aegisub 2.1.7
; http://www.aegisub.net
Title: Default Aegisub file
ScriptType: v4.00+
WrapStyle: 0
PlayResX: 1280
PlayResY: 720
ScaledBorderAndShadow: yes
Last Style Storage: TokyoM8
Collisions: Normal
Video Aspect Ratio: 0
Video Zoom: 7
Video Position: 2256
Export filters: Transform Framerate|Clean Script Info|Fix Styles
Audio File: tm805.mka
Keyframes File: keys.txt
Video File: tm805.mp4

[V4+ Styles]
Format: Name, Fontname, Fontsize, PrimaryColour, SecondaryColour, OutlineColour, BackColour, Bold, Italic, Underline, StrikeOut, ScaleX, ScaleY, Spacing, Angle, BorderStyle, Outline, Shadow, Alignment, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Encoding
Style: TS,Kozuka Mincho Pro B,60,&H00FFFFFF,&H000000FF,&H00FFFFFF,&H00000000,0,0,0,0,100,100,0,0,1,0.15,0,1,20,20,50,1
Style: TokyoM8,Constantia,55,&H00FFFFFF,&H000000FF,&H00000000,&H4B000000,0,0,0,0,100,100,0,0,1,2.5,1,2,15,15,50,1

[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text













Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.08,0:01:37.05,TokyoM8,,0000,0000,0000,,{\be1}

Isn't it nice when a mistake (accidentally leaving subtitles enabled) produces something positive (I can use Avanti to convert WMV to MPG)!

Originally Posted by KevinSartori

As a last ditch effort, I thought I might try Avanti, which I normally use to convert soft-subtitled MKV or AVI to hard-subtitled MPG to watch on my TiVo HD.

Well, it was a little slower than usual, but it worked just fine! While I was checking the converted MPG file, I noticed that I had accidentally left the ASS subtitles from my last job enabled. So I grabbed the full WMV file I wanted to convert, disabled subtitles and let 'er rip. Whoops, error:

Code:

Decoder (codec id 86056) not found for input stream #0.0

Hi Kevin,

It looks like FFmpeg still can't but you probably have the proper WMV DirectShow decoding available on your system. Then leaving on the subtitle option forces to use Avisynth which makes use of that decoder.
I expect if you disable the subtitle option but enable the Avisynth FORCE mode, which creates kind of a dummy script, this will also has the effect that FFmpeg accepts it.

Can you try this and let me know ?!.

I must admit I don't follow your workflow exactly but if it's more complicated than I mentioned above, it could indeed have something to do with the VSFilter.dll. When you use it for srt files it optionally expects a SSA header to set a global style.

; SSA style generated by AVANTI 0.3.5 on 03/04/2009 at 11:36:06

[Avanti Info]
sw_stys=Style: Default,Arial,28,&HFFFFFF,&H000000,&H000000,&H0000 00,0,0,1,2,2,2,50,50,40,0,0
sw_styx=640
sw_styy=480
sw_styc=0
sw_sheight=576

[Script Info]
ScriptType: v4.00
Collisions: Normal
PlayResX: 640
PlayResY: 538
Timer: 100.0000

[V4 Styles]
Style: Default,Arial,28,&HFFFFFF,&H000000,&H000000,&H0000 00,0,0,1,2,2,2,50,50,40,0,0

This is one of them created by Avanti for srt subtitles (the [Avanti Info] section is a addition, skipped by the filter). They are written to the same folder where the subtitle resides like;

c:\subtitle_name.srt
c:\subtitle_name.srt.style

What you describe is for the VSFilter.dll kind of a situation as when it uses that style file for srt.

Chris

Chris, you're right! WMV files convert fine in FORCE mode! Subtitles don't need to be enabled. So the key in getting FFMPEG to convert WMV to MPG is using Avisynth. I knew you would be able to figure out why my clunky method worked, as well as find a simpler way to do it!

Thanks again for your excellent GUI!

Originally Posted by KevinSartori

So the key in getting FFMPEG to convert WMV to MPG is using Avisynth.

I depends on the WMV audio/video versions. The clip you were dealing with uses about the latest...

Code:

Description of the codec : Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile 
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 10 Professional - 768 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit

You can always first give it a try without Avisynth. This is what FFmpeg currently supports...

Code:

D A    wmapro          Windows Media Audio 9 Professional
DEA    wmav1           Windows Media Audio 1
DEA    wmav2           Windows Media Audio 2
DEVSD  wmv1            Windows Media Video 7
DEVSD  wmv2            Windows Media Video 8
 D V D  wmv3            Windows Media Video 9

It supports Video 9 but I suppose not "Advanced Profile" and FFmpeg would fail anyway on the audio.

In general; if FFmpeg doesn't support a format but you can play it in WMP, then Avisynth should be able to decode it.

Originally Posted by ricardouk

...and now we can create ready to stream mp4(h264) videos

Hi Ricardo,

I knew you would like this option

If you find issues with it, please let me know. It's new and might still need some polishing.

Cheers,
Chris

Originally Posted by ricardouk

only thing i dont understand is that when i select mp4box i get 2 files at the end...before and after the mp4box muxing.... we only need the last one...

Yes, it creates a copy of the file you encoded. This is done for security reasons. If you make a mistake and let MP4Box process e.g. an mpg or divx avi, it leaves you a file of 116 bytes and you can start encoding all over again.

I wrote this in the Avanti help at the user tools section...

Some applications (like the MP4Box version we used) may corrupt or even destroy your source if it isn't the proper file type.

But if you don't expect to make mistakes, you can change the command line at the "User tools menu manager". It now reads;

-inter 500 "@destination" -out "@destination.web.mp4"

then leave off the last part like this;

-inter 500 "@destination"

It's all in the chm help at index "User tools (how to add).

Avanti can convert many formats into something else but can I get an uncompressed AVI file out of it? How?

I want to use a *.flv file in Premiere/After Effects and these don't support *.flv video.
Converting a highly compressed *.flv to a compressed format that Premiere and After Effects can read degrades the quality even more.

Hi,

I could do it with a flv but I don't know if After Effects will import it.

There are "DV standard definition" templates available for both PAL and NTSC (top left button menu).
Actually I think you could use these already without any noticeable degradation but after loading it,
you can try to put this on the command line...

-vcodec rawvideo

It worked for me on a decent flv but another one gave me out of sync audio.

Strangely enough MediaInfo sees it as h263 but FFdshow which is able to decode
it says "Decoder: Uncompressed". Gspot says "RAW I420"

Because x264/aac encoding is a hot item, I like to post some notes about the latest FFmpeg builds in conjunction with these codecs.

After SVN-r18709 "libfaac" was removed (license issue) and later on replaced by a experimental AAC encoder.
-acodec libfaac now must be entered simply as -acodec aac.
This encoder seems to have problems with multi channel encoding, especially the LFE channel.

After SVN-r19439 the FFmpeg default settings for "libx264" are broken which means you have to enter a full set of x264 commands on the command line. Simply tweaking with a few commands isn't possible anymore. It's not likely this will change in the near future.

Overall this means that builds after SVN-r18709 aren't very useful for x264/aac encoding.

I assume that users who need decent x264/aac encoding will stick to an older FFmpeg build.

Therefore I decided not to adapt the Avanti x264/aac templates to the latest FFmpeg builds but to let them still refer to the "libfaac" codec. Some will be adapted to recent x264 changes to ensure they work with all builds.

Avanti can run renamed FFmpeg executables as long as their name starts with FFmpeg (e.g. ffmpeg18709.exe). You can easily switch between different renamed versions.

Until there is more positive news to report, I suggest to keep a copy of SVN-r18709 for x264/aac and use one of the latest builds for everything else. Recent builds may still have improvements on other codecs.

http://ffmpeg.arrozcru.org/autobuilds/ffmpeg/mingw32/static/

Chris

Hey Chris K,

just back to say thank you, again!

This programme rocks! Careful set-up GUI, great possibilities and very reliable/stable function.
It's my 'encoder of choice' in 99,9% of any video conversion I have to do!

Keep up the good work!

Originally Posted by nbarzgar

Keep up the good work!

I will try, as long as possible. At least keep up maintenance i.e. bug fixes and adaptions for FFmpeg changes if required.

Nice to hear you still find it a useful tool. Feel free to post suggestions for improvements.

Cheers,
Chris

Hi, I need help here...

I couldn't get AVANTI to process my video conversion (MKV to AVI). It shows a message/warning : Unknown encoder 'Xvid'
I've installed several ffmpeg's (most are the latest).

It seems like a really effective tool, judging by the lots of good comments, but, why isn't mine working?
Please help...

Hi,

On the video codecs dropdown list are two xvid options which are "xvid" and "xvid (Lib)".
You have to use "xvid (Lib)" for recent FFmpeg versions.

Actually "xvid" is for very old FFmpeg versions and only there for compatibility.

This also is applicable on mp3 ... "mp3" = old, "mp3 (Lib)" = new.

BTW; On the top left button menu, you can load templates that do the proper setup.

Chris.

^
^
Thanks for the quick reply man, appreciate it,..I'll give it a try & let u know the results..

hey chris,

it finally processed the conversion with 2 passes in 1hr 23min (quite fast for me), but, the result when played with WMP 11 the audio & video are not in sync, the video looks 'accelerated'/fast forwarded (leaving the audio waaay behind, if you know what i mean)

now, i'll try using the templates as you advised...i'll post result later..

Originally Posted by dnovice

now, i'll try using the templates as you advised...i'll post result later..

I'm not sure if that helps for audio sync problems.

What audio codec do you use for the divx (xvid) avi?

You can use MediaInfo to see what audio and video formats are exactly in the mkv.
Could be vbr audio which often gives problems.

Hi, Started using this app recently and I'm using it all the time now. Version .42 is flawless (for me at least) but the latest .43 version introduced an error message which was not there before, See the attached image.

It comes up every time I use the 'Job Control Manger' and right-click to Add Media File.
Whichever option I take following the error message it still presents a folder for me to choose files from.

Best regards, Gideon.


avanti.bmp

Hi Chris,

I love this program but I'm confused about one thing. On all my systems, the .MOV extension is not included in the supported formats. I have to select "all files" to get MOV files to display so that I can load them. Is there a switch somewhere I can invoke?

JC

PS. I just downloaded version 4.3 - It runs in Task manager but doesn't show on the desktop.

Originally Posted by GideonK

It comes up every time I use the 'Job Control Manger' and right-click to Add Media File.
Whichever option I take following the error message it still presents a folder for me to choose files from.

It's a problem with the Gui4Cli interpreter on which Avanti runs. It should only show up when you have a floppy drive installed on you system. If so, there's a workaround by simply keeping a floppy in that drive.

I have one and because I hardly ever use it, I disabled floppy support in the MOBO setup. Then the message box doesn't show up. You can also cancel at the message box, then select a folder and load a clip in the job manager. This should set a path in the ini file at which the dialog opens the next time.

It could be something else if you don't have the problem with the source and destination dialogs on the main gui because they use the same dialog code.

If you confirm you have a floppy drive, I will enable it again on my system and try to find another solution.

Originally Posted by merlin2004

On all my systems, the .MOV extension is not included in the supported formats. I have to select "all files" to get MOV files to display so that I can load them. Is there a switch somewhere I can invoke?

If you run a version older then 0.4.3 there's a filter limit (in the Windows OS) of about 34 file types. For that reason you can set a file extension priority in the formats database.

1. Click twice on the 8th toolbar button (opens formats database).
2. Search in the left column for the mov extension.
3. At the 5th column (P) change the value 3 to 1.
4. Exit and restart Avanti to activate the changes.

If mov still doesn't show up, set some 1 values at the 5th column to 3 (of file types you never use).

EDIT: 5th column is for versions 0.4.1 or earlier (for 0.4.2 up it's the 7th column).
EDIT3: Aded step four to the list above.

PS. I just downloaded version 4.3 - It runs in Task manager but doesn't show on the desktop.

That's bad! I thought I fixed that startup problem. Version 0.4.3 also fixes the file extension limitation above.

You can have Avanti in several install dirs at the same system (but only run one instance at the same time).
Can you try a clean install in another directory. Total path length and location shouldn't but could still make a difference.

For 0.4.3, I run test installs at "C:\program files\avanti", "G:\avanti", "G:\avanti 0.4.3 test" and other long and short install paths without any startup issues.

EDIT2: If you running on Windows 7 (as from your profile) can you try to set XP compatibility mode?

Chris K. wrote:

If you confirm you have a floppy drive

Right on Chris. I have a floppy drive and when I disabled the drive in the BIOS, the error went away. I still use the floppy although not frequently.
Keeping a floppy in the drive is not a good solution for me because Norton Anti-virus pops up a message about the floppy whenever I shutdown the PC.

What I still dont understand is that in the previous version (.42) this error does not appear even though the floppy is there and enabled.
Regards, Gideon.

Hey Chris,

It was a compatibility issue with Windows 7.
And interestingly 4.3 sees MOV natively.
I changed the priority in 4.2 and it now sees MOVs too.
So thank you very much on both counts.

JC

Hi Gideon,

Originally Posted by GideonK

Keeping a floppy in the drive is not a good solution for me because Norton Anti-virus pops up a message about the floppy whenever I shutdown the PC.

Pity! In the mean time I enabled the floppy on my system again to check things out. I have AVG 9.00 free installed and it sees no harm in the floppy. But it would only be a temporary solution anyway. I reported the problem to Dimitris Keletsekis (author of the Gui4Cli script language) and hope he comes up with a solution.

What I still dont understand is that in the previous version (.42) this error does not appear even though the floppy is there and enabled.

Version 0.4.2 uses standard Windows OS load/save dialogs which have the file extension limitation as I mentioned in the reply on merlin2004 post. Version 0.4.3 uses a custom dialog to solve this problem but introduces the floppy drive problem.

If you use to drag & drop files, note that the "Job Control Manager" also allows to drop selections or complete directory contents on it. Perhaps a way to still use version 0.4.3 until it's fixed.

Chris

Hi Merlin2004,

Originally Posted by merlin2004

It was a compatibility issue with Windows 7.

Nice to hear the program runs on Windows 7 I haven't been able to test that yet. Should you find other issues, please let me know.

And interestingly 4.3 sees MOV natively.
I changed the priority in 4.2 and it now sees MOVs too.

Yeah, the custom dialog as mentioned above has already 131 by FFmpeg supported file types stored and should you still need to add one, then at "All files...", select a file with the desired extension, right-click for the menu and select "Add to supported".

Note that the "Windows OS" limitation to only filter out approx. 34 file types (way to little for FFmpeg) is known for W2K and WXP. Someone told me Vista (and probably Win7) doesn't have this limitation anymore. But there are a aweful lot of people still running XP, that's why I added the custom dialog.

Chris