EncodeHD – Another video conversion utility
EncodeHD is another video conversion tool that you might consider for your video needs. It is basically a simple front-end interface for FFMPEG, which does all the heavy lifting for the conversion process. You simply drag your source files into the main area of EncodeHD, select the output type, and click the “Start” button. Very easy to use, however, you don’t have a lot of control over the settings used (unless you already know the FFMPEG command line flags, in which case you can enter them under the “Advanced” screen).
Here’s a list of target devices that EncodeHD can create videos for. As you can see, there is an entry for “Zune” and “Zune HD”.
As a test, I converted a DVR-MS file (which is basically a container for MPEG2 video and audio) to a Zune HD output, and EncodeHD generated an MP4 file. So, EncodeHD only creates Mp4 formatted video files, not WMV files for the Zune. When I check the details of the generated MP4 file, I see the following attributes:
The video bit rate seems pretty high (which is good) but the frame rate doesn’t seem correct to me. In any case, this might be a good simple tool if you want to do some quick conversions. EncodeHD also uses other freeware utilities such as AtomicParsley to embed some meta data tags (e.g., video title, description, etc.), however, none of those tags are read by the Zune media player.
Microsoft Expressions Encoder 3
Microsoft Windows Encoder 9 has been my workhorse for encoding videos to WMV format for my Zune. It has a graphical user interface as well as a command line interface (which I mainly use), along with its own SDK that can be tied into custom applications (like the VisualBasic code, Media Encoder Batch). Unfortunately, in 2003 Microsoft decided to stop development to WME9 in favor of its replacement, Microsoft Expressions Encoder.
This evening, I decided to check out Expressions just to see how it compared to its predecessor, WME9, particularly for creating high-quality WMV files for the Zune HD. As it turns out, Expressions is designed to generate such files for the Zune HD. Below is what the main interface looks like with Expressions. It is actually a much cleaner GUI than WME9, in my opinion.
Among the various predefined output settings, was one for the Zune HD and another for the Zune HD playback on a AV-Dock. The settings were defined as:
One nice thing, is that Expressions can convert native WTV files (recordings generated by Windows 7 Media Center) which WME9 could not do. Also, you can use the Expressions to cut out commercial segments manually if you wish before the conversion process. As a test, I tried converting a WTV file which was in standard 4:3 format, and the default Zune HD conversion settings generated a 480×272 WMV file with black bars to the sides of the video (preserving the aspect ratio of the original 4:3 source). The quality of the playback was very good.
The only bad thing I see with Expressions, is that the version 3 does not have a command line interface. So you either use the GUI they provide or write your own code to interface with the Expressions SDK.
Most importantly, Microsoft Expressions Encoder 3 is free. You can download it from this link and run it on your Vista or Windows 7 system.
So if you want to use Microsoft’s latest free encoder software to create WMV files for your Zune, here it is.
Perfecting video conversion for the Zune HD
For you diehard videophiles who want the perfect video conversion, I think I’ve finally perfected the process of taking TV show recordings and turning them into WMV files for the Zune HD. There were lots of challenges to getting this to work, especially finding the right combination of tools and settings.
Now, the objective is to convert a TV show recording (WTV file from Windows 7 Media Center) into a WMV formatted file for my Zune HD media player. My TV recordings are in standard NTSC format (4:3 ratio) which is a squarish picture. The Zune HD has a wide-screen display (16:9) so I need to configure the conversion to handle this situation. One option is to stretch the picture side ways to fill the screen, but then the displayed image is distorted. Another option is to crop off part of the top and bottom of the TV image to create the 16:9 size. For my process, I decided to do the cropping option.
So, my first step is to convert the WTV file to the older DVR-MS format because most of the available conversion tools are compatible with DVR-MS and not WTV format. This is done by using a conversion program (wtvconverter.exe) that is supplied with Windows 7. Note, that the TV video resolution is 720×480, so we need to do some cropping to get it down to the 16:9 ratio size.
For this operation, I chose to use a freeware program called FFMPEG which is designed for video conversions. My goal in this step is to crop off 38 pixels from the top and bottom of the image, and then shrink the image down to a final size of 480×272 (which is the Zune HD screen resolution). I also want to convert the DVR-MS file to MPEG2 format at the same time. To do all this, I use the following command line with FFMPEG: Read the rest of this entry »
My video conversion process
On a daily basis I record TV shows with my TV Tuner card and convert them for viewing on my Zune HD media player, so I automate the process using a wonderful utility called DVRMSToolbox (DTB). In conjunction with another great tool called ShowAnalyzer, I have a process of scanning through a recorded TV show file to find commercials, strip them out, and then convert the edited video file to WMV format for my Zune HD. All completely automatic.
Now, with a video conversion there’s lot of different converters, options, and settings you can use. For the Zune, I have the option of generating WMV or MP4 formatted files. I prefer using the WMV format, since it is designed to run on Microsoft OS devices. The MP4 is equally good, and is more universal as it can run on the Zune as well as the Apple iPod and other video media players. I opted for WMV because I can add more metadata (e.g., TV Show title, category, etc) than with the MP4 format.
With regards to playback quality, I’m not sure which of the formats (WMV or MP4) is better. That is one thing that I want to investigate in the future. Along with picking a format, there is a multitude of settings you can use. Video bit rate, Audio bit rate and frequency, frames per second, smoothness settings, keyframe rate, etc. are some of the different settings you can use. Each setting will affect the video playback quality as well as the final file size, so there’s a trade off. If you don’t care about file size, you can jack up the settings for the best quality. If generating a smaller file size is important, then you need to dial down these settings.
Being the stickler that I am with my videos, I’ll sacrifice having a larger file size if I can get better video quality. It really annoys me when the video I’m watching has a lot of video tearing, pixelation, bluriness, or jumpiness. I want a really smooth and high quality video for playback on my Zune. Read the rest of this entry »
SOLVED: Issues with running Windows Media Encoder
After doing a clean install of Windows 7 on my main desktop PC, I installed Windows Media Encoder 9 to assist in video file conversions to WMV format for my Zune. When I tried to run this command to do a batch conversion,
c:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe “C:\Program Files\Windows Media Components\Encoder\WMCmd.vbs” -input “C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV\ER_TNTP.mpg” -output “C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV\ER_TNTP.wmv” -loadprofile “c:\Dave’s Files\VideoTools\zune_profile_hd.prx” -v_clip 0 2 0 0
this error message dialogbox appears on the screen,
This error is related to the Data Execution Protection feature in the Windows OS, and the system won’t run the VisualBasic script to do the conversion. The proper corrective action is to use this HotFix supplied by Microsoft titled, “Hotfix entitled: FIX: You may experience issues when you use Windows Media Encoder 9 Series on a computer that is running Windows Vista”. After installing this HotFix (originally designed for Vista), I can run this conversion script with no issues.
So if you’re running Windows 7 or Vista and you see this error when trying to use Windows Media Encoder in batch mode, here’s your fix! 
Zune Software 3.0 will convert WTV files automatically
One thing that I learned with all the video conversion investigation I did today, is that the latest Zune Software (3.0) will automatically convert your recorded TV shows to Zune format for your Zune. What you need to do, is add your “Recorded TV” show folder as a monitored video folder in the Zune Software settings. Then, whenever a WTV file (new format for Windows 7) is found in that folder the Zune Software will automatically begin the conversion and syncing process. Easy!
It actually converts the video in a reasonable amount of time, especially if you have two or four processors in your machine. I know that some users in the past have complained that the background conversion program (ZuneEnc.exe) is running with a very low priority (and thus runs slow), I didn’t see much slowness on my system. Of course, I have an Intel Quad Core processor so that may be the reason. So if you aren’t in a big hurry and do most of your TV show conversions over night, that may be the easiest way to get your TV shows on your Zune.
Now, if you want to have the commercials stripped from your shows before converting and syncing to your Zune, you’ll need to use a different process (like I do, using DVRMSToolbox) and some procedure scripts.
Video Conversion Issues with Win 7 Install
As you’ve read in my previous postings, I use a utility called DVRMSToolBox (DTB) to convert my recorded TV shows from DVR-MS format to WMV format for my Zune HD. My previous Vista 32-bit system worked great using this conversion process, but since upgrading to the Windows 7 64-bit OS I’ve had a slight problem with my video files.
First, Windows 7 Media Center now creates WTV files instead of DVR-MS, so I need to add in an extra step in my conversion process to convert the WTV files back to the DVR-MS format for my utility to process them into WMV format. That seems to work ok, using the converter called “dtvconverter.exe” provided with Windows 7.
The issue, is that the created WMV file has a slight audio delay when I play it back on my Zune HD. The audio is out-of-sync with the played video by about 2 seconds, which is really annoying. Now, the same video file plays ok on my Windows 7 desktop PC, but it has the 2-second audio delay when I play it on my Zune HD.
So, I’m not sure what the problem is, as it could be a number of things. To rule out the converter program, I tried using several different methods at my immediate disposal (e.g., Windows Media Encoder 9 x64-bit, Microsoft Live Movie Maker (that came with Win 7), DVRMStoWMVHD (supplied by the makers of DTB), and also the ConvertToFile action included in the DTB utility). None of them created a WMV file that didn’t have the 2-second audio sync problem.
I’m now thinking the problem might be with the Audio or Video Codec that is installed on my Win 7 system. Since installing codec packs can be troublesome, I was trying to use whatever was installed on my Win 7 by default. But, that may be the issue. So, I’ve installed AntiPack, which is a set of codec filters by the maker of DTB which I hope will fix the problem. I’m currently running some conversion test cases now, so I’ll report back if I’m successful.
Changing the Cover Art for a WMV Video File
As you may have read from my previous postings, I use my Zune primarily for watching TV shows that have been recorded on my desktop PC in DVR-MS format, and then converted to WMV format for my Zune. I’ve got the entire process automated using the wonderful utility called, DVRMSToolbox, along with a commercial-cutting utility called ShowAnalyzer.
The only small issue I have, is that the cover art for the generated WMV file (or “Thumbnail” image) is obtained from a randomly selected frame image from the video file. Since this frame image is selected before all the commercials are cut out, sometimes it will use a image frame from a commercial and thus looks bad as a cover art for the video file. As such, there isn’t an easy way of defining a different frame or image to be used as the cover art. You can use the File Explorer add-on utility called AudioShell to define the cover art, but that’s a very manual process and I want something that can be done on a command line for use with my DVRMSToolbox setup.
Thus, I created a small utility called setWMVThumbmailImage which will modify the WM/Picture attribute of WMV video file container and set the cover art to a specified jpg file. To use it, you run the following from a DOS command window:
setWMVThumbnailImage (input wmv file) art (cover.jpg)
So as an example, if I have a video file called, “fringe.wmv” and I want to change the cover art for this video to use the jpg image file, “fringe_show.jpg” I would use the following command,
setWMVThumbnailImage fringe.wmv art fringe_show.jpg
Note, that “art” is a required keyword that tells the application to insert the jpg as the cover art.
With this utility, I can now use it to insert a jpg image as the cover art for my converted DVR-MS file to WMV format. So, I can change the cover art, but how do I extract an image from the video file to be used as the cover art? The makers of DVRMSToolbox also have a utility called DSSnap which is suppose to extract a specified frame from a DVR-MS video file into a jpg file, but it doesn’t seem to work on my Vista OS system. As such, I discovered that I can use the well known video converter tool called FFMpeg to extract a specific image from a WMV video file to a jpg file. Here’s how I would extract the video frame image at 1 minute, 10 secs into the video playback,
ffmpeg -i “fringe.wmv” -an -ss 00:01:10 -t 00:00:01 -f image2 -vcodec mjpeg “fringe_show.jpg”
So I can use the above operation to get the desired jpg cover art from the video being processed, and use my utility to insert this jpg image as the cover art for the WMV video file. I’m going to test this a bit with my automated conversion system and if it works ok, I’ll make my cover art utility available on this web site in the near future. Stay tuned!
Fix your Video Codec Problems with AntiPack
Andy Babgvant (famed DVRMSToolbox developer) has recently put together a freeware package called AntiPack, which is a set of video codecs and tools to help those having issues with video conversions. As you may have read in some of my previous postings, using bad or inefficient video/audio codecs can be root of most video conversion problems. AntiPack was designed to avoid this, give the user a concise set of codecs that work on a PC system (ranging from Windows XP to Windows 7). Now, I trust that Andy knows the process of video conversions, so I’m sure that AntiPack will work on your system. Personally, I haven’t tried out AntiPack as of yet since I’m trying to diagnose an issue with the USB controllers on my home PC. I’ll definitely give AntiPack a test run when I get Windows 7 installed on my system in October.
Can’t Convert AMC TV Recordings
The other day I recorded “The Searchers” (old John Wayne movie) using my TV Tuner card in my PC with Vista Media Center, and I noticed that DVRMSToolbox had difficulty converting the recorded DVR-MS file to WMV format for my Zune. Upon inspecting the generated log file, I noticed that the conversion software crashed. I then tried several different methods for converting the DVR-MS file (to WMV format, to MPEG format, etc) but everything I tried failed.
I then did a Google search on the topic, and discovered that the AMC (American Movie Channel) broadcast must have DRM protection enabled. As such, I can watch the recording on my PC but I can’t convert the video file to any other format. What a bummer! So, there’s not much I can do to get this video on my Zune, so “The Duke” will have to wait until I have time to watch it on my PC screen. 
