


	AVANTI - Version 0.2.9 - FFmpeg/Avisynth GUI
	============================================


	Avanti has its home at "http://avanti.arrozcru.org".
	
	You can post comments, questions and bug reports at the Avanti support thread at
	"http://forum.videohelp.com/topic343287.html".


	A detailed description on how to setup the Avanti environment can be found
	in the included "Avanti-help.chm" file.



	Before you continue.
	====================

	Avanti doesn't offer single-click solutions for end-users. It is however highly user
	configurable and uses a powerful concept. It comes with over 130Kb of compressed
	context sensitive help and we advice to read this to take advantage of all its features.
	Avanti is recommended to those who are looking for a convenient tool to learn more about
	the capabilities of FFmpeg and Avisynth. Avanti expects some basic knowledge of audio and
	video encoding but its automatic options and included templates offer a fair start point
	for less experienced users.  
	
	
	
	Note for Windows 2000 users.
	============================

	If you want to keep more FFmpeg versions available, you need to rename them. We found
	that file names longer then 11 characters (excluding file extension) are not recognized
	by Avanti running under Windows 2000.
	
	

	Notes for Avisynth experts.
	===========================

	-1-
	
	If you have a number of plugins in the Avisynth plugins folder, Avisynth "auto-loads"
	these plugins each time you run a avs script. Very convenient, but the drawback is that
	this procedure is rather complicated and delays the Avisynth startup.

	There are a number of plugins (C plugins) that even increase the Avisynth startup delay
	dramatically if they are located in the Avisynth "plugins" folder.
	
	Note that these plugins can be very useful and that it only concerns a Avisynth plugin
	load problem. We advice to move all "C plugins" to a separate plugins folder and use the
	"LoadCplugin()" command if you need to use them.
	
	-2-

	When you "preview" the AUTO Avisynth scripts created by Avanti, you will notice that they
	always put the sources into the A and V variables even if there is no necessity for it.
	This is because Avanti compiles the scripts from standard lines that can be used for both
	combined and separated AV sources.



	Example Templates.
	==================

	When you load one of the example templates, a message box may appear showing:

		This template contains the following
		(possibly removed) user options:

	followed by a non-predefined setting (e.g. Codec: Flash Video). To use the template with
	success, you have to select the restore option on this message box.     



	The on your system available codecs.
	====================================
	
	With the Avanti/Avisynth/FFmpeg combination you can encode to a large number of audio and
	video formats. To decode/playback these formats, your system need to have compatible codecs. 
	Basically only a limited number of audio/video codecs is installed with the Windows OS.
	Which codecs actually are registered on your system often depends on the installed video
	related software. E.g. Nero installs audio/video codecs. If you use Pinnacle soft/hardware
	a large number of codecs are installed etc.

	To use the "Preview" and "Avisynth" options of Avanti with success you need to install
	additional (DirectShow) codecs for the file/container formats you wish to decode or play.
	Often you need to only install codecs for DivX/XviD, h264, Matroska, Vorbis, AAC etc.,
	if you use these formats.

	The best you can do before you install codecs is to check what's already on your system and
	works properly. You can use "Direct Show filter Manager" and "GraphEdit" (free available at
	www.videohelp.com) to manage the job.
	Drop media files on the "GraphEdit" window to see what codecs your system uses for playback.
	Use "Direct Show filter Manager" to change the "merit" (priority) of certain codecs.

	We use FFdshow with success in conjunction with the Avanti "Preview" options.
	You may also need to install a number of splitters for e.g. mp4, flv, mov etc.
  


	Recommended Video Player.
	=========================

	We prefere the build-in video player for Avisynth script preview. It is based on MCI and we
	experienced it plays often more smoothly with Avisynth options selected (color correction,
	crop.scale/pad, audio transcode, etc.). This player also allows Avanti to offer much more
	control over the available "Preview" options. 



	Known bugs and limitations.
	===========================

	In case of persistent errors, delete the "avanti.ini" file in your Avanti install directory
	and restart Avanti. This will restore the default settings.

	Avanti is still under development and the GUI occasionally will show unused elements which
	are reserved for future expansion.

	Avanti doesn't scale its windows when you use a Windows OS system font other then the
	standard 96 dpi. 
 
	Most NTSC template examples are only applicable on NTSC "film" sources. We tested the PAL
	to 29.970 fps NTSC "video" example with a interlaced source on a DVD player and TV set that
	support multi TV standards and it played fine (we live in a PAL area). We hope to add more
	approved NTSC "video" templates based on (Avisynth) user feedback in future Avanti versions.

	From FFmpeg version SVN-r9260 up, some codec names are changed (e.g. mp3 became libmp3lame).
	If you switch over to older FFmpeg versions you have to ensure that you have codec labels
	to both mp3 and libmp3lame. This is also applicable to other codecs (xvid, h264, aac etc.). 

	Some older FFmpeg versions generate a error at Avanti startup when the install path is less
	then eight characters. If you want to use the name "Avanti" for your install directory, please
	choose "Avanti GUI" or anything longer then seven characters. Most FFmpeg versions used for
	testing didn't had this error.

	Some older FFmpeg versions (probably the same as mentioned above) can't be renamed to file
	names longer then seven characters. If so, they work fine when you run them from the command
	line but they are not recognized by the Avanti system. Most FFmpeg versions used for testing
	didn't had this error.

	The aspect ratio options of the Avanti Video Preview are not applicable on the "Full-screen"
	option. In this case MCI takes over control and for mpeg2 video it will display properly at
	the ratio it finds in the file. AVI video is always stretched regardless of the aspect ratio.
	Note that Avanti has a semi full-screen option that doesn't have these restrictions.
	
	For the preview option of the Avisynth SuperEQ editor, Avanti creates a temporary preset and
	avs script on disk and plays this. This is a heavy job and on slower systems this might
	introduce some delay and stutter when you move the position bar or press the "move all"
	up/down buttons. 
	

	October 2008 - Chris Kevany



