Video Conversion
Introduction
I bought my Zune 80 primarily for it’s video playing capabilities (watching Video Podcasts and movie files), so I have spent a considerable amount of time researching this subject. Specifically, how to convert existing video files (e.g., avi, mpg, and vob files) for syncing and viewing on my Zune 80. Unfortunately, the Zune Software on your Desktop PC isn’t setup to easily process video files. There was a lot to learn, such as what video format to convert to, what video conversion tools are available, how to sync video files to my Zune, how to add description text and sort TV episodes to video files, etc.
So, instead of having a detailed guide describing the minute intricacies of video files for the Zune, I’m going to present a Quick Conversion Guide explaining how I create compatible WMV files for my Zune 80 device. Note, that there are lots of video converters available on the web (both freeware and shareware), but the method that I am works well for me and best of all everything I am using is absolutely free!
The Goal : To create a high quality WMV video file that can be quickly synced to the Zune
If a WMV file isn’t formatted to precise specifications, the Zune Software will convert it during the syncing process. This conversion is called “transcoding” which can take several hours to complete for a single video file. In contrast, a properly formatted WMV file will take 30 to 60 seconds to sync with your device. So the primary goal is to use the correct settings during the conversion process to avoid transcoding during syncing. The secondary goal is to have the highest quality video image and audio sound while minimizing the file size. The higher the bit rate for the video and audio data the large the file size, so using optimum settings is the key.
Getting the right tools for the job
Zune.net (the official Microsoft Zune site) recommends using the Windows Media Encoder 9 (WME) software for creating compatible WMV files for playback on the Zune. This software is full featured with lots of options and controls for the conversion process, and best of all it is free! To make the conversion process easier, I use a front-end to the WME software called Windows Media Batch Encoder (also provided free by Microsoft in their “Windows Media Encoder SDK kit”) which allows me to process multiple video files at one time. So to summarize, below are the applications and files that you will need:
- Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9
- Microsoft Windows Media Encoder SDK
- Media Encoder Profile Settings (a .prx file that I created)
(Note: If your intent is to convert video data that is stored on video DVDs, you’ll also need to first “rip” the data files from DVD and copy them to your PC’s hard drive. The page called “Ripping DVDs” explains how to do this.)
After downloading the above software and files, first install the WME software followed by the WME SDK software.
Converting a Video File
I normally use the Media Batch Encoder interface, which can be found here on your Desktop PC:
C:\WMSDK\WMEncSDK9\samples\vb\batcher\BatchEncoder.exe
Once you start up the Batch Encoder application, you should see a screen as presented in the image below.
- Drag all the video files that you want to convert to the file input area
- Define a prefix text for the output files (in my example, I used “Zune_”)
- Select the prx profile (which contains all the conversion settings) that you downloaded earlier (file called “zune_profile.prx”)
- If you want higher quality video, check the “2-Pass” option. It will take longer to convert, but you get a higher quality for the video (I always check it)
- Click the Add button to add this conversion to the batch list. You can continue to add as many files as you want to the batch list.
- When you’re ready to start the conversion, click the “Start” button
The time it takes to do the conversion will depend on the speed of your Desktop PC. I normally set up to batch process multiple video files and let it run overnight. Just make sure you have enough free disk space for the converted files.
Syncing Your Converted Video Files to Your Zune
Once you have your converted files, you can simply copy them to the video folder on your Desktop PC (which you’ve defined the Zune Software to monitor), and they should be synced to your Zune device when you make a connection. Since you used the conversion settings that I specified in the zune_profile.prx file, the WMV file will not under go “transcoding” during the syncing process.
Now the Gritty Details
Here are some details on the conversion settings that I used. On the Zune.net web site, the support page states that the recommended settings for the WMV file to play on the Zune is:
- Video Size: 320 by 240 pixels
- Frame Rate: 30 fps
- Video Bit Rate: 500k to 800k bps (Average value)
- Audio Bit Rate: 192k bps (Max value), 44.1 kHz Stereo, CBR
For the zune_profile.prx file that I provided, I used the following settings:
- Video Size: 320 by 240 pixels
- Frame Rate: 30 fps
- Video Bit Rate: 768k bps (Encoder: Windows Media Video 9)
- Audio Bit Rate: 128k bps (Encoder: Windows Media Audio 9.2)
These settings were chosen so that I would have a good quality video for playing back on my Zune 80, while keeping the WMV file at a reasonable size. Although I could have chosen a video bit rate of 500k bps, I decided to go with 768k bps to avoid “video tearing” or obvious pixelation during high-motion scenes in the video. The audio bit rate affects the file size dramatically, so I decided to use 128k bps instead of the maximum 192k bps (the audio still sounds great). You can reduce the file size further if you lower the audio bit rate even further (to 64k or 96k bps).
The most important setting, is to use the Windows Media Video 9 encoder. If you use the Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile encoder, you’ll see that transcoding will take place during syncing (which could take hours to complete the sync). Note: If you use Windows Media Video 7 or 8 for the video encoder, your resultant WMV file will undergo transcoding during syncing! You must use Windows Media Video 9 for the video encoder to avoid this.
If you intend to connect your Zune to your TV and play back video files on the TV screen, you may want to change the video size to 640 x 480 or larger. You can make that change by double-clicking on the zune_profile.prx file to bring up the editor and make the size change. Altering the size should not affect transcoding.
I’ve summarized the very detailed specifications for video files playing on the Zune on my Zune Video Specs page. If you stay within the max limits defined on that page, your converted video file should avoid transcoding during syncing.
Troubleshooting
The usual culprit when having problems converting videos, is either bad or missing codecs (Codecs are used to decode and encode video/audio data). If you’ve downloaded and installed lots of trial versions of various video converters, you’ve bound to have installed a bad or conflicting codec. The best thing to do in that case, is to remove all codecs that seem suspicious on your system (most notably, one called “K-Lite Codec”). You can do this using the usual “Remove Programs” method from your Windows Control Panel.
Also, missing audio in a converted video file can be attributed to not having a proper audio codec installed. For example, I didn’t have the AC3Filter codec installed on my system, so Windows Media Encoder couldn’t encode the audio from a VOB file that I ripped from a DVD to a WMV file. (Note: Most DVDs require the AC3Filter, so it’s a good idea to download and install it if you’re converting DVD videos).
Now, if you have trouble during the ripping or video conversion process, it might be that DVD Decrypter or DVDShrink just can’t process that particular DVD. In that case, you can try using DVDFAB HD Decrypter which is freeware. I believe the people that made DVD Decrypter make this product as well, and it has updated routines for processing the newer DVD formats. Note, that you may need to use a program called VOBMerge to merge the multiple VOB files that it rips from the DVD into a single VOB file for Windows Media Encoder to process. If none of those three DVD ripper applications work, you can also try using AnyDVD and CloneDVD which has more robust routines for processing DVDs. Both of these applications are commercial ware, but I think you can use the trial version for a certain number of days before having to purchase it.
Final Comments
Now, this is a simple guide to help people convert their video files to WMV format for playback on the Zune devices using free tools. If done properly, you won’t experience any “transcoding” during the syncing process. Note, that there’s lots of other topics to cover regarding video files (e.g., adding description text, categorizing, sorting TV shows, etc.) that I will cover in detail with individual blog postings.
Reference Links
Here are a few web pages that talk more about using the Windows Batch Encoder Utility:
If you want to read information on the profile settings for TV Output from your Zune, check out this link.
malcolm said,
December 31, 2007 at 11:34 am
hi thanks for the advice. i have a 30 and it wouldn’t sync my videos. it sync one video when i first connected it. but now it won’t even sync that video. the same goes for my brother zune 4. but now i’m have trouble with the batch encoder. i followed all of your details. but i put I:\zune video Zune as the output folder, its a external hard drive. and when i start to encode it reads error: encoder prepare - ATT. what have i done wrong.
zunetips said,
December 31, 2007 at 11:49 am
First, what kind of video file are you trying to convert using the WME batch encoder? Is it a avi, wmv, mp4, or vob file? Second, can you play this video file (before conversion) on your Desktop PC?
I suggest you first make sure your original video file plays on your Desktop PC, then try the conversion process (using WME), then try syncing the file to your Zune.
burma said,
January 2, 2008 at 12:23 am
Awesome guide - just what I was looking for. Thanks for posting it.
Look forward to future posts.
garyOBX said,
January 2, 2008 at 5:11 am
I had the same exact error message. If the OP is running Vista, then WM Batch Encoder *must* be run as administrator (right click on file or shortcut). HTH
Queen28 said,
January 4, 2008 at 7:56 am
Hey I just purchased a Zune 30gb for my boyfriend as a anniversary gift and want to have movies and music already downloaded but I don’t know where to begin. Where can I find free downloadable movies? Pleae advise.
zunetips said,
January 4, 2008 at 9:02 am
Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any sites where you can download free movies (other than YouTube videos). Most people either rip movies from existing DVDs or record TV shows and movies using a TV Tuner card in their PC.
I did come across one web site that I mention in a recent blog posting where you can purchase movies for the Zune at low cost. I haven’t tried it yet, but it does look legitimate.
Scott Moss said,
January 5, 2008 at 8:56 am
This is an awesome resource. Your directions were direct and worked the first time. Thx for sharing your findings
Rod Trent said,
January 5, 2008 at 9:00 am
Does this work for Amazon.com Unbox wmv’s?
zunetips said,
January 5, 2008 at 9:06 am
I’m glad you found this information useful. I tried to make this guide somewhat simple, but detailed enough to get the job done. The biggest problem you might run into is having the right Codecs installed. If WME bombs out or doesn’t work, then it’s probably a Codec issue. Since this is a big mystery topic, I’ll create a posting that describes Codecs a bit better and give everyone some suggested links to “good” Codecs to download.
Rod Trent said,
January 5, 2008 at 9:23 am
You really don’t have to use Amazon.com’s player. Both Windows Media Player and the Zune software will play the wmv’s downloaded from Amazon.com — yet it won’t transfer to the Zune device. More here:
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/rtrent/archive/2008/01/04/amazon-com-unbox-and-zune.aspx
zunetips said,
January 5, 2008 at 9:54 am
Rod,
What happens when you try to convert the wmv file using the Windows Media Encoder software? Do you get an error message? Is there a sample unbox wmv file that I can download and test out?
[Update]: I found the following on the zunescene.com forum:
I’ll check to see if there’s a way to convert from the PlaysForSure format to a conventional WMV format for the Zune.
Rod Trent said,
January 5, 2008 at 10:10 am
During your conversion steps it tells me that a license is required. Not sure where the license is stored for Unbox…definitely some sort of DRM issue.
Rod Trent said,
January 5, 2008 at 11:33 am
Wow…it indicates that you need to uninstall Windows Media Player and never perform updates on it afterwards. Not sure it’s worth all of that. Plus, I don’t want to do anything illegal. Just want my purchased movie to play on my Zune.
zunetips said,
January 5, 2008 at 11:47 am
Apparently, you can’t use that utility unless you have a legal license for watching the movie file (which you can only get if you buy the movie from Amazon.com). Since you have the license, you should be able to use the utility to remove the DRM. Their reasoning is that since you bought the video you should have “fair use” and be able to play it on other devices you own such as your Zune.
I’m with you, in that I don’t want to do anything illegal (it’s just not worth it). Recording TV shows with a TV tuner card or DVD recorder is probably the safest way to go.
In the meantime, I’d wait for Microsoft to update the Zune Marketplace so users can purchase movies that will play on the Zune. Another alternative that I found is a site called ZuneDVDMovies.com that does have movies for purchase that should work on the Zune. It appears legitimate, but I haven’t tested it yet.
ceallachan said,
January 7, 2008 at 9:36 pm
i must be stupid or something, but how do i launch the application to convert the video file
zunetips said,
January 7, 2008 at 9:38 pm
After you install all the noted software, using File Explorer go to this location on your PC:
C:\WMSDK\WMEncSDK9\samples\vb\batcher\BatchEncoder.exe
This is where the batch encoder executable is. Double click on this exe file to start the batch encoder. What I did, was right-click on it to create a shortcut icon, then copy the shortcut icon to my Desktop screen.
ceallachan said,
January 7, 2008 at 9:42 pm
thanks i was trying to go to that location directly i had to go the folder back and then execute the file
ceallachan said,
January 7, 2008 at 10:36 pm
when i try to do some of the files i ripped from dvd it tells me
system.overflowException: Arithmetic operation resulted in an overflow at BatchEncode.Form_BatchEncode.sReportPercentComplete()
what the hell do i do?
zunetips said,
January 8, 2008 at 11:57 am
How did you rip the DVD? Did you use DVDShrink or DVD Decrypter? If you change the ripped file’s extension from .VOB to .MPG, can you play it using Windows Media Player?
ceallachan said,
January 8, 2008 at 12:35 pm
wow i just did the change from .vob to .mpg it played it, that was awesome thanks for that
Jeff Rivera said,
January 9, 2008 at 8:32 am
I’ve got my Zune coming today and I’m reading up on stuff so I can be ready when it shows up. Thanks for the tips! The posts here are going to be pretty much my personal reference guide for the coming days until I get this figured out.
zunetips said,
January 9, 2008 at 8:37 am
Jeff,
I hope my postings will help. I was a bit overwhelmed at first since the Zune comes with very little documentation, so I started this blog to summarize my findings for others. Video conversion is the most asked question on the different forums, so I tried to explain my procedure in simplified terms as it seems to work well.
I’m sure you’ll love your Zune. Good luck with it, and have fun!
xc_shadows said,
January 9, 2008 at 11:08 pm
quick question when i try to use the batch encoder on a dvd i ripped i only get 1hr 7min out of it and it’s 1hr and 44 min long, what’s up with that?
Brandin said,
January 10, 2008 at 6:46 am
Okay, first off, I would like to say I am very impressed with your site. A lot of very useful and seems hard to find information about the Zune. Second, I have a problem. I just received a 30 gig Zune for a christmas present. I was using Cucusoft to convert my .avi movie files into wmv. Well, after about 10 minutes it started skipping. So I looked around and found your guide. I believe I followed every instruction correctly, but the video won’t work. There is nothing there lol. You press play, and it just sits there, blank screened. Any ideas?
zunetips said,
January 10, 2008 at 7:09 am
xc_shadows,
How many VOB files are you selecting from the DVD? In most cases, movies on DVDs are broken up into several VOB files, so your 1hr and 44 min movie might be contained in two or more VOB files. Did you rip all of the necessary VOB files off the DVD into a single VOB file on your PC’s hard drive? Then, use WME to process that single VOB file?
zunetips said,
January 10, 2008 at 7:16 am
Brandin,
I suspect that the DVD you are trying to rip from may have a protection scheme in place to prevent ripping. Is it a movie by Sony Pictures? I’ve heard their protection scheme causes skipping when ripping to a PC.
There’s lots of reason why WME may not have created a viewable video from the ripped VOB file. First, check the file size of the WMV file you created. Is it about 300 or 400 MB in size? Or, is it smaller than 100 MB? If so, then most likely the conversion process failed for some reason.
Second, you may not have the proper video codecs installed on your system for WME to decode the video from the DVD. In that case, WME has nothing to process. Try this: Take the VOB file that you’ve ripped off the DVD on your hard drive, and rename the extension from .VOB to .MPG and see if you can play it in Windows Media Player. If you can’t, then you’re missing a codec.
Also, download the program called GSpot (Google it) and run it on the VOB file you ripped to help identify the required video and audio codecs. It will also tell you if the codecs are installed or not on your system.
Finally, if you have a 2nd computer available, try using WME on that machine. If it’s a video codec issue, the 2nd computer might have them loaded already.
Brandin said,
January 10, 2008 at 10:25 am
Okay, I went back and changed some things. And it seems that for some reason when i select the Two Pass Encoding, it doesn’t work right. It ends up being only like a 5 mb file. But if I don’t select it, it works fine.
xc_shadows said,
January 10, 2008 at 11:00 am
i changed the .vob to .mpeg and played it to see how long it played, and i tried to convert the one that actually played the whole movie………or should i select all the vobs
zunetips said,
January 10, 2008 at 3:56 pm
xc_shadows,
You only need to convert the VOB file that contains the entire movie. I was thinking that the missing part of your converted movie may have been contained on a separate VOB file, but from what you’re saying the entire movie is contained on a single VOB file.
I’m not sure why you’re not getting the entire movie converted. How big is the WMV file that is currently being generated?
boobiemiles6 said,
January 10, 2008 at 6:28 pm
i can not get the media profile to download the .prx file. i go to the site but there is no download button that i can find
zunetips said,
January 10, 2008 at 7:15 pm
boobiemiles6,
When you click on the link for the .prx file, you should be directed to a free fileserver page that has a big green button labeled “Free Download” about half way down the page.
combatnormal said,
January 10, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I got the video finally into my Zune, but the video is green and has no sound. I followed your directions to the T. How can I fix this? The DVD shrink works and I can play the videos fine on WMPlayer. It just goes green when I use the WMBEncoder to change the file.
zunetips said,
January 10, 2008 at 9:02 pm
combatnormal,
That’s really strange. I’ve never experience the “green screen” issue before, but I’ve read about it in some postings. How about this: Can you Google “WM Converter 2″ and download/install that converter. Then, try to convert your ripped VOB file and see if it produces a WMV file that has a green screen? Make sure you select “Zune” when you do the converting.
TG said,
January 11, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hi!
I have followed the methods you described, after converting a 21mins video (xvid-avi format) into wmv format, I realised the first 5 mins of video is missing. I tried to convert other file but experience the same issue. Any idea what should i do?
Thanks
zunetips said,
January 11, 2008 at 8:53 am
TG,
I haven’t had that issue. Can you play your original video in windows media player on your PC just fine? What happens if you turn OFF the 2-pass encoding option in WME?
TG said,
January 11, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Hi, It works perfectly fine when I turned off the 2-pass encoding option. Thanks for your help!
Mark B said,
January 13, 2008 at 2:46 am
hey your site is great im trying to use batch encoder right now but when i start it up it says i need one or more codecs and it also says “Error: Encoder Prepare - Attempted to read or write protected memory. This is often an indication that other memory is corrupt.”
when i rip the dvd with DVD shrink is it supposed to make 3 types of files? i have an IFO file, a BUP file and a VOB file. is that normal?
hopefully you can help. thanks
JP said,
January 13, 2008 at 6:22 am
Any idea why I get this error:
Error: Encoder Prepare-Attempted to read or write protected memory. I used DVD Encrypter and the file plays great on the PC with WMP9.
Thanks.
Adam said,
January 13, 2008 at 7:58 am
First off, nice job on this site! I really appreciate what you’re doing here.
Have you ever tried to use WME for dvr-ms files (recorded TV from Windows Media Center)? I get the following error “one or more codecs required to open this content could not be found (0xC00D1B83)”.
I can use Windows Movie Maker to convert dvr-ms files to wmv, but the encoding/bitrate settings are so limited that I end up with wmv files that are too large and require transcoding at sync.
I have been successfully using DVD Decryptor and WME for DVDs though
Thanks,
Adam
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 8:23 am
Adam,
I’m not sure about DVR-MS files, as I’ve never converted that format before. What is the file extension for those files? Either WME doesn’t have the ability to translates such files, or you simply need to have the right codec installed on your system. If you run the freeware program called GSpot and use it to examine this video file, what does it show for the video and audio codecs? Does it indicate that they are installed on your system?
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 8:26 am
JP,
Can you use WMP9 to view the ripped contents of the DVD (not the DVD directly)? I’m guessing it’s a DVD protection scheme that is causing that error. How about using DVDShrink to rip the VOB files from the DVD and create a single VOB on your system?
Also, try turning OFF the 2-pass encoding and see if that helps the conversion process.
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 8:28 am
Mark B,
Try using some of the comments that I just made to Adam’s posting. I do think this is probably a protection scheme issue.
Yes, DVDShrink will create those additional files (the are necessary for the DVD to play in a DVD player), but you only need the VOB file for the conversion. Note, that the VOB file is actually in MPEG format, so you could rename it to MPEG and it should play in Windows Media Player.
Adam said,
January 13, 2008 at 9:09 am
The extension is dvr-ms. I figured I have the codecs since the files play and since I can convert them with Windows Movie Maker. I did try GSpot, and confirmed that I have the necessary codecs. I think dvr-ms is just a container for standard Windows encoding formats. I think WME is just having a problem recognizing the files…which is strange given that dvr-ms is a standard Microsoft format.
JP said,
January 13, 2008 at 9:49 am
Yes I can view the movie in WMP9 after ripping. I tried unchecking the 2-pass recording but that didn’t help. I also downloaded the Shrink product and ripped one with it. Got the same error message afterwards. One positive thing though- I like DVD Shrink much better as it is faster than the other product!
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 10:33 am
JP,
Can you try using WM Converter 2 and see if that program can convert your VOB file? I believe it’s based on the ffmpeg encoding software, so it might process the VOB file when WME can’t. Just curious to see if that tool will work.
JP said,
January 13, 2008 at 12:05 pm
OK it will convert using WM Converter 2. Does that offer any clues?
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Adam,
With regards to the conversion of dvr-ms files, I came across a forum posting that said this: “If you are recording them yourself via Windows Media Center then try one of the MCE plug-ins like dCut. That’s what I use… go directly from DVR-MS to Zune-optimized wmv.”
You might check that out, as it sounds like exactly what you need.
combatnormal said,
January 13, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Thanks that WM Converter 2 worked. I just had to change the file extension. Thanks
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 5:05 pm
You are right. WM Converter 2 will create an ASF file, which is a basic “container” for the video content. You just need to rename the ASF extension to WMV and you’re good to go. I’m not sure why Windows Media Encoder was giving you the green screen… it must be the video codec that it is using.
JP said,
January 13, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Re the “attempted to read or write protected memory” error I was getting on my PC, this all worked exactly as you said it should on my wife’s HP computer!
Adam said,
January 13, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Thanks for the tip - I’ll check it out.
Adam
zunetips said,
January 13, 2008 at 6:14 pm
JP,
So the procedure I outlined on my blog page worked for your wife’s computer, but not for your computer using WME? If so, then the problem is the video or audio codec installed on your PC. As I stated in my blog, having the wrong or conflicting codecs installed can cause conversion problems. What’s even harder, if figuring out how to fix the situation.
Erik said,
January 15, 2008 at 8:50 pm
After I choose my input (AVI) and output (WMV) files on my Windows Media Encoder series 9 … I get this message: Select a distribution method.. The method you select will determines the encoding settings that are available in this session and these are my options: File download (computer playback)
Hardware devices (CD, DVD, portable)
Windows Media server (streaming)
Web server (progresive download)
Windows Media hardware profiles
Pocket PC
File archive I dont know which one to choose please help
zunetips said,
January 15, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Erik,
To make things easier to use, I suggest you download the Windows Media Encoder SDK (which was item (2) on my download list) and install it. I reference a free program that has a simple GUI to use (which I explained in the tutorial) which makes it very easy to use the profile that I’ve provided.
Yipcanjo said,
January 16, 2008 at 10:00 am
So… I ripped a DVD so that I have a collection of VOB files. In this case, there are about 6 VOB files that make up the full movie. No bother. I used VOB merge to create a single VOB file of the whole movie. I changed the file extension to .mpg and could watch the movie in Windows Media Player. Everything seems fine!
Anyhow, I launched the Batch Encoder, selected the MPG file, loaded the Zune profile that you provided, and converted the movie. It finished fine with no errors, but I get no audio. I have installed the AC3Filter.
Any ideas? The movie is Ratatouille, if that means anything.
Thanks.
zunetips said,
January 16, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Yipcanjo,
Try using WM Converter 2 to convert the mpg file you have to a wmv file (note, you’ll need to change the extension of the created file from .asf to .wmv). Then, try to play that wmv file on your PC. If it works, then the issue is definitely an audio codec that WME doesn’t seem to have.
[Update]: Here’s a link to a forum posting describing how one person was also having trouble converting the Rattoullie movie, and how he resolve the issue. You might try his solution.
jair said,
January 17, 2008 at 1:02 am
thanx for all the help. but i still have one problem. i cant find a way to convert multiple files. i already downloade the files that you mentioned but the batch part is not working. wher can i find it, or what do i need to do so i dont have to convert every single file by itself???
zunetips said,
January 17, 2008 at 7:55 am
What happens when you try to use the batch utility as I’ve described on this page? Do you get an error message? Have you installed the WME SDK?
Erik said,
January 17, 2008 at 8:17 pm
im having problems with the audio matching the video when converted to wmv…. I uninstalled the k-lite codec,, what codec do you suggest? please help ..and thank you for all this great info
zunetips said,
January 17, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Is the audio and video out of sync by a few seconds? Where did you get the file you’re trying to convert? From a DVD or did you download it from somewhere?
Erik said,
January 18, 2008 at 7:14 pm
downloaded from torrent
Erik said,
January 18, 2008 at 7:17 pm
though plays perfect on windows media player
zunetips said,
January 18, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Is the audio and video out of sync by a few seconds? What kind of file is it (i.e., AVI, MPEG, etc.)?
JP said,
January 19, 2008 at 6:21 am
Thanks for the link to VOBMerge and your guide! It’s great!
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 7:40 am
its avi
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 7:40 am
and no its not out of sync
zunetips said,
January 19, 2008 at 8:17 am
Erik,
I’m confused now. I thought you wrote, “im having problems with the audio matching the video when converted to wmv”, and I thought that meant the audio was our of of sync with the video. If not, what exactly is the issue when you try to use WME to convert the AVI to WMV format?
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 8:44 am
the issue is that it plays perfectly on windows media and when converted with your instructions and the media batch… the sound does not match the video on my zune
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 8:44 am
is this a codec problem
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 8:45 am
and the audio is totally out of sync with the video
zunetips said,
January 19, 2008 at 9:58 am
Ok, so there is audio in the WMV file, but it’s out of sync with the video, correct? Is it out of sync by two or three seconds, or is it totally not in sync?
Can you try using WM Converter 2 to convert the VOB file to a wmv file and see how well it plays in Windows media player? If using WM Converter 2 the wmv file looks good, then it must be a codec problem for WME that needs to be fixed.
Erik said,
January 19, 2008 at 2:18 pm
It appears to be a codec problem…. I tried the wm 2 converter and get the same results.. It looks good on wm2 converter.. What codec do you suggest? Can the problem be with the file I downloaded? I dont see why it plays normal on all my players ( wm and nero) but has an audio problem when I converted… I just tried to convert like three videos and on my zune the video starts like way ahead of the audio.. The audio starts from the begining but the video starts like half an hour ahead. Only one of my converted videos were perfectly synced in which I individually converted last night.
zunetips said,
January 19, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Your video players on the PC may be using it’s own internal video/audio codecs, and that is why it plays ok. Use the program called “GSpot” to identify the exact video and audio codec for the troublesome AVI file you are trying to convert. Then, search the Internet for those particular codecs, download and install them on your PC, reboot, and try WME again.
Also, if you have a different PC available, try using WME on that machine to do the conversion (if it works, then that tells me that you have conflicting codecs on your 1st PC).
Erik said,
January 20, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Thank you for all your support,,, I really appreciate it,,, everything worked out
zunetips said,
January 20, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Erik,
So how did you resolve the issue you were having?
Squad said,
January 20, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Hi,
I read the instructions you perfectly wrote in the post, and everything worked fine: videos were encoded, and sync with zune. The thing is that a 9min video is shorten to 1min and sthg; the same happens with all the other videos (one of them is just a second long) I dont know what I´m doing wrong… The videos were downloaded from youtube…
zunetips said,
January 20, 2008 at 7:54 pm
What format was the YouTube video? If you use the program “GSpot” to examine the YouTube Video, what does it show for the video and audio codec?
Squad said,
January 21, 2008 at 4:06 am
Initially the videos were .flv. Then, I converted them into .wmv with Media Converter, in order to watch it with windows media player. After enconded them, the videos has these features: Format: windows media; Bitrate: 280Knps; Video Codec: S-Mpeg 4 v3; Audio Codec: WMA2…
JD said,
January 21, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Thank you for this guide, this is the best zune conversion guide I’ve seen yet. This gives the best quality and the best price (free) of any guide I found.
The only thing is, I’m having the same problem as many others mentioned, being unable to do two passes, it seems to only want to do about 40% of the video on the second pass, and I do not know why. I’ve checked MS but information on Windows Media Batch Encoder seems to be pretty limited.
Windows Media has a forum on the MS site, but it’s been down all day, so I’m waiting for it to come up, so I can check any information there might be on there.
zunetips said,
January 21, 2008 at 6:01 pm
The encoded video file needs to have the following properties:
Video Codec: Windows Media Video 9
Audio Codec: Windows Media Audio 9.x
zunetips said,
January 21, 2008 at 7:15 pm
JD,
I’m not sure why people are having trouble using the two-pass encoding option. The creator of the batch utility has a web blog here: http://blog.retrosight.com/default,date,2007-02-16.aspx but he doesn’t say anything on the two-pass issue. I’ll look around and see if I can find an answer.
Spartacus said,
January 21, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Great blog!
Quick question. I’m using DVD Shrink 3.1 to rip my DVDs. I followed your steps where you say to save as 1 VOB file (instead of the 1GIG increments it suggests for you).
But say the video is 2 hours long. The file I get out of DVD Shrink ends up only being 1.23 hours? I originally tthough this was happening when it came out of the Encoder, but I went back to check the original file from DVD Shrink and that’s when I found it was happening there. I’ve tried it on several of my DVDs and I keep seeing this reduced size.
Any suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong?
Thanks again!
zunetips said,
January 21, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Are you sure you selected all the VOB files for the movie? Maybe you’re missing a few of the VOB files near the end? Another issue might be that DVDShrink can’t get around the DVD’s encryption. You might try DVDFab HD Decrypter (free version) to rip the VOB file.
Spartacus said,
January 21, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Yeah, I shrunk it into 1 big VOB (6 GIG) instead of the 4-5 1gig files that I normally put it in. So it is only the one VOB file that I am sending through the Encoder.
Of course in the past I’ve only worked with the the Video/Audio TS folders that DVD Shrink creates. I’ve created these off of the same DVDs and never had a problem. That’s why I’m wondering why, now that I’m putting them into one VOB, I’m missing parts? I’ve always had great success with DVD Shrink. I guess I will try the DVDFab HD Decrypter. I’m not familiar with it . . . any suggestions on where to get it?
Thanks.
zunetips said,
January 22, 2008 at 6:23 am
Look up in the troubleshooting section on this page for the link to DVDFab HD Decrypter, and give that one a try. You can also try using the program WM Converter 2 to convert this single VOB file and see if it creates the entire movie. I had a problem recently like this, and I tried everything without success. I ended up converting the movie in two halves, and recombining it using Windows Movie Maker. It was the only way I could convert the entire movie.
Alberto said,
January 24, 2008 at 5:33 pm
First off, amazing site, I’ve learned tons about the Zune from here. I think that what you are doing for the community is awesome!
I have the same problem that Marcus, the first person to reply, had. I get an error message reading: “error - encoder prepare ATT”. I was wondering if you knew what that is about? I followed your instructions to a T, so I do not know what is happening. Gary said to right click>run as administrator on the file if Vista was the OS I’m using. Tried that, but I still get the same error. I was wondering if you would be able to help me. I have a pretty huge amount of movies on my computer and this is driving me crazy!
zunetips said,
January 24, 2008 at 6:51 pm
FIrst, can you try converting one of your movies on a different computer system? Second, can you use the program called “GSpot” and have it query your test movie file, and report back what it shows for the Video and Audio codecs?
Tony said,
January 25, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Hey, first of all, great site, its people like you who are keeping a bunch of us from losing our minds. Quick, and possibly stupid question, how do I rename an .asf file to a .wmv?
zunetips said,
January 25, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Tony,
Just like you would rename any file in Windows. Using File Explorer, click on the file you want to rename, when it is highlighted click on it again, then highlight the “asf” part and type in “wmv” to rename it.
mados123 said,
January 26, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Regarding renaming files asf to wmv:
To be able to see the extension that needs to be changed, you have to make sure the option under File Explorer is unchecked that will “hide extension for known file types”. It’s under tools, options, view, “hide extension….”
BTW, zunetips, excellent weblog!
zunetips said,
January 27, 2008 at 12:01 am
Very good point. I didn’t think that the extension would be hidden in File Explorer.
Anthony said,
January 27, 2008 at 9:34 am
When i use Windows Media Branch Encoder, i add the video i want to encode. My output folder is my shared folder with all my other videos and music. I put my string as “Zune”. For profile, i have the “zune profile.prx” thing i downloaded from your list. Preprocessing is standard. I enable 2 pass encoding. When i encode it, it always comes out as like 10kb and the duration is 0:00:00. Why does it do this?
Anthony said,
January 27, 2008 at 10:00 am
ok now i’m under the impression that i can only encode wmv videos. Say i have an mp4 video. Where should i convert that to wmv, since i can’t encode that?
zunetips said,
January 27, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Anthony,
What is the format of the video files you are trying to convert? Are they AVI, or MPEG2? If you use the GSpot program, what are the video and audio codecs for these files?
Yes, WME won’t encode MP4 files. You’ll need to use a different program to create WMV files. I would suggest trying WM Converter 2 to do the conversion to WMV format. It will generate a ASF file,which you can simply rename to WMV. The only issue, is that the WMV file created by WM Converter 2 uses an older video Codec so the Zune software will transcode it when syncing to your Zune. I would then suggest using WME to convert the WMV file to a new WMV file with the zune_profile.prx settings.
Anthony said,
January 27, 2008 at 4:06 pm
alright thank you
Anthony said,
January 27, 2008 at 5:34 pm
ok i converted a movie to wmv. now im encoding it. is this going to take as long as the movie to play all the way through?
zunetips said,
January 27, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The conversion speed depends on your computer CPU speed, but in general it might take about as long as the movie would play. If you selected two-pass encoding, it could take twice as long.
Anthony said,
January 27, 2008 at 7:28 pm
what does 2 pass do anyway?
zunetips said,
January 27, 2008 at 7:30 pm
The two-pass encoding is used to create higher quality video conversion. The first pass will examine the entire video file and make adjustments to certain setting values. The second pass will do the actual encoding. I normally queue up all my video files using WME (as I showed on this tutorial page) and let it go overnight with the two-pass encoding.
Anthony said,
January 28, 2008 at 7:09 am
when i do 2pass, at the bottom there are dots that pop up in a row, like its loading. a status bar, and it probably means its encoding. but the preview is stuck, even though i have “show” checked. why is this? and one of the movies, when i only do 1 pass, it stops at %1.
zunetips said,
January 28, 2008 at 7:20 am
It could be a lot of things. One, your DVD might use a protection scheme that the DVD ripper software couldn’t get around. In that case, you should try using DVDFab HD Decrypter (freeware) to rip the movie VOB files to your PC. If you’re converting an existing video file, it might be that the video codec used for that file is missing from your PC, or you might have a “bad” codec or one that simply doesn’t work very well. That is why you should use the program called “GSpot” to open your video file and examine what video and audio codec to see what was used for that file.
Try these two things:
(1) Try Windows Media Encoder and don’t activate the two-pass encoding option. See what it does.
(2) Try using Windows Media Encoder on a different computer and see if that works.
(3) Try using the program “WM Converter 2″ (freeware) to convert your video file and see if that works.
All of the above will help identify why the video conversion is not working. Make sure you use the GSpot program and report back what the video and audio codecs are.
Anthony said,
January 28, 2008 at 7:36 am
size: 857 mb
stat: file is asf (.wma/.wmv)
type: wideo/x-ms-asf
imrr: n.a.
i/l: n.a.
video
4cc: n.a.
name: n.a.
runtime: n.a.
x:y: n.a.
the rest is n.a. until the “direct show render”
video src type: wmv2
audio src: mpeglayer3 (mp3) (0×0055)
video path: (s) –> wmvideo 8 decoder dmo –> (r)
audio path: (s) –> mpeg layer-3 decoder –> (r)
zunetips said,
January 28, 2008 at 9:34 am
Anthony,
Is the video file you presented above for the video file you are trying to convert, or the one you already converted using WME?
Anthony said,
January 28, 2008 at 9:39 am
i used magic video converter on that, to make it wmv from avi. then it just gets stuck encoding or something
zunetips said,
January 28, 2008 at 1:31 pm
If you’re having issues using Magic Video Converter for creating WMV files, then I can’t help you with that. I’ve only used Windows Media Encoder 9 (as I’ve discussed on this page), and I know nothing about how that particular converter works.
Giuliano said,
January 29, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Awsome blog.
Question, the converter is converting the video upside down and in the wrong direction, what do I do?
zunetips said,
January 29, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Wow, I’ve never heard of that one before. Are you trying to convert a file ripped from a DVD, or a video file you downloaded? If so, what are the attributes of the video file? You can use GSpot to determine the video and audio codec used in the original file.
Giuliano said,
January 29, 2008 at 5:25 pm
video files i downloaded
video: XVID (XviD 1.2 SMP), MPG-4
audio: 0×0055 MPEG-1 Layer 3
another one,
video:DX50 (DivX 5.x/6.x). MPG-4
audio:0×0055 MPEG-1 Layer 3
zunetips said,
January 29, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I’ve converted DX50 (DivX 5.x/6.x) files recently using WME and they came out fine. Can you try converting on a different computer as a test? I suspect that the problem may be either the DivX codec or the WMV codec installed on your system. Do you remember where you downloaded the DivX codec for your system?
harry said,
February 1, 2008 at 8:27 am
You said that, “If you intend to connect your Zune to your TV and play back video files on the TV screen, you may want to change the video size to 640 x 480 or larger. You can make that change by double-clicking on the zune_profile.prx file to bring up the editor and make the size change. Altering the size should not affect transcoding.” I did change it to 640 x 480 and, yikes, it had to be transcoded by the Zune software before it would load it onto my Zune. It was an .avi .
zunetips said,
February 1, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Harry,
So, if you double-click on the zune_profile.prx file and then set the resolution to 320×240, does the generated wmv file require transcoding?
Carmen said,
February 2, 2008 at 10:09 am
ok i have no clue what to do, my movies are in rmvb, they look good, i can play them in wmplayer! and everything, i bought the license to convert them with WinAvi, to Wmv! and even they are in Wmv still i cant put them in my Zune! they are in my collection, i can play the converted files in my zune collection, but i just cant sync them….i used the same settings to convert, and still cant….please, gime me an advice, thanks
zunetips said,
February 2, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Carmen,
If you go to my “Determining Video Attributes” Page and use the GSpot program, what are the video and audio codec settings?
harry said,
February 4, 2008 at 9:46 am
No, the file doesn’t go through the zune transcoding when it is set at 320 by 240. In fact, I set it back to your default profile in order to avoid it. No biggie. Just thought you might want to edit this guide.
William said,
February 5, 2008 at 8:38 am
Thanks for this awesome tutorial! I went through the steps last night and created my first file. However, I noticed that there is a watermark that looks like little building blocks in the upper right hand corner of the movie. Is this part of the encoding or did something go nuts during the encoding process?
zunetips said,
February 5, 2008 at 4:38 pm
William,
The tools that I mentioned on this page shouldn’t create a watermark image. Did you rip the video data from a DVD (if so, what ripper software did you use)? Or, are you converting an existing video file?
William said,
February 6, 2008 at 9:52 am
It was the DVD Saving Private Ryan and I used DVD Decrypter. The DVD Decrypter rip is fine…there is no watermark. It’s after the encoding via the WM encoder that I get the watermark.
zunetips said,
February 6, 2008 at 6:51 pm
After you decrypt the DVD to a single VOB file on your desktop pc, try renaming it from VOB to MPG and play it using Windows Media Player. Does it play ok without the watermark?
Are you using the .prx profile that I provided for download? Also, what happens if you use the program WM Converter 2 to do the conversion?
Uhlisuh said,
February 7, 2008 at 8:52 am
Okay. So. I’ve gathered that I am missing codecs. And I downloaded the GSpot and it confirmed that.
How do I know what I am missing?
How do I fix it?
zunetips said,
February 7, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Uhlisuh,
GSpot should tell you what video and audio codec you need to decode a selected video file. Once you find out what the codec is, you will need to search the internet for a free one to download on your system.
I suggest you check out http://www.afreecodec.com and http://www.free-codecs.com for possible codecs. Suggestion: If you download one of their codec packs, don’t install all the codecs. Only install the one that you need for your video file.
rustycage24 said,
February 9, 2008 at 9:58 am
I’ve had codec trouble with using the SDK, but when I use Windows Media Encoder 9 it blows up when I try to add your zune_profile.prx or any profile at that. Have you experienced WME blowing up like this? What should I do?
zunetips said,
February 9, 2008 at 2:51 pm
rustycage24: What video codec was used to encode the video file you are trying to convert?
Cobra said,
February 10, 2008 at 8:21 am
First of all thanx for the great tips……….I followed your guide but seem to be having a “time-out” issue!! Please see below for the problem I am having.
I get the DVD ripped no problem, and convert it using the Windows Media Encoder. It seems as it will not convert the whole movie, almost like it times out before the movie is finished. I watched and it has gone to like 115% finished, and then stops. It’s like I said it almost times out. I get a good file and can sync it to my Zune no problem.
I know the VOB file is good, and that the whole movie is there, as I can play it on numerous playback programs on my computer and even did on another to make sure it was good. I have not changed any settings in the profile you provide, nor has anything on my system changed. Any Ideas???
zunetips said,
February 10, 2008 at 8:27 am
Cobra: Does this happen with just one particular DVD, or with other DVDs that you own as well? I had this problem with one specific DVD (where it wouldn’t convert the entire VOB file), and the only solution I could come up with is convert the video in separate VOB files, then take the resultant WMV files and combine them using Windows Movie Maker (on my Vista machine). I’m not sure why this is happening, but I can only suspect that it may have something to do with the protection scheme.
What happens if you use the program called “WM Converter 2″ to do the conversion for the single VOB file? Does it convert the entire movie?
Cobra said,
February 10, 2008 at 8:59 am
Hi, Actually it has happened with several different movies, older ones and newer ones. I will try making seperate files and combining them. After doing the combining do I then still run it through media encoder?? Thanx for the answers……..
zunetips said,
February 10, 2008 at 9:14 am
Cobra: Windows Movie Maker is designed to take several WMV files and combine them into one. If you use the same video settings for all the WMV files, it shouldn’t need to reconvert the files.
Cobra said,
February 10, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Hi, I used dvdfab to rip, used vobmerge to create 1 file, and then tried to use WM Converter 2 which it converted the movie into an .ASF I then renamed it to .WMV but could not even get it to sync with my Zune. I could get the video to play but could not “seek” into it to see what exactly was converted because the file size only eneded up being like 160mb……….I even redownloaded your profile and tried everything over again. Same thing will not encode whole movie. I will give up on the particular movie I have been trying and move to a different one. I have XP and it does have movie maker but it told me that the .VOB files are not supported…..Did I do something wrong? Anyway thanx again for all the help and I will see if I can process a different movie. The movie I am trying is an older one……so I do not think it has to do with copy protection at all. I appreciate your comments.
zunetips said,
February 10, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Cobra: It may be that the single VOB file you are trying to convert is too large. Is it over 2 hours in length? Most of my videos are under 1 hour, 45 mins and I can convert them with no problems.
The WM Converter 2 asf file uses an older video codec, and your Zune Software will transcode it when you sync it to your Zune device (which could take 2-3 hours to complete). I asked you to try that converter just to see if the entire movie could be converted successfully.
I would try to convert individual VOB files to WMV files, and find a program to combine the WMV files into a single one. That’s what I did using Windows Movie Maker.
Giuliano said,
February 11, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Hi i posted a little while ago about my problem with the videos converting upside down and in the wrong direction. I just fixed it, i needed the xvid codec from the free codec website you posted a couple of posts up. Thx.
rustycage24 said,
February 11, 2008 at 7:43 pm
It was the MPEG2 codec. I got it all working the other night, finally, but I noticed that each video I converted had a rubik’s cube-like emblem in the top right hand corner of the screen. Is that a BatchEncoder thing or a codec thing? Also, I used your profile for encoding but noticed a little bit of blocking. Have you found a way to totally remove blocking? The picture was awesome, but I’m a perfectionist, so
Victor said,
February 11, 2008 at 9:23 pm
hey man!
Your prx file works as well on zune first gen 30G?
if changing 320X240 to 640 x 480 doesn’t cause transcode to happen… this means that both sizes look the same on the zune’s screen?
Any tip for increasing conversion speed? obviously, i don’t want that transcoding to happen. thnx
Victor said,
February 11, 2008 at 9:31 pm
U said:
“…Although I could have chosen a video bit rate of 500k bps, I decided to go with 768k bps to avoid “video tearing” or obvious pixelation during high-motion scenes in the video…”
If i set arbitrarily a bitrate between 500 - 800, and i respect the rest of the settings u suggested, zune software won’t transcode the video?
zunetips said,
February 12, 2008 at 6:23 am
rustycage24: The BatchEncoder does not put that small cube icon on the screen during encoding, so it isn’t creating it. I’m not sure where it’s coming from (unless it’s something with the protection scheme of the DVD). To eliminate video tearing or pixelation, you can experiment by increasing the video bit rate. I normally use 700kb, but you can go higher if you want (if you go too high, the Zune Software may transcode the file during syncing).
zunetips said,
February 12, 2008 at 6:25 am
Victor: The Zune Video Specs page describes the limits for the Zune video files to avoid transcoding. If you stay within those limits, I think you should be safe.
The prx file that I supply should work fine for creating videos for the 1st and 2nd gen Zunes.
Faith said,
February 22, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Hello, I just got my 30gb Zune and I’m discovering the ways to put video in it. It’s been a little frustrating, since I could instantly add almost any type of video to my Creative Zen Vision:M and if it wouldn’t accept it, it would encode it itself and then add it automatically. It also had a folder feature too. Zune would be perfect with these features. But, I am happy with my Zune and its larger screen and smoother functionality.
Now, I don’t know if you know about Videora. I read about this way of encoding videos to mp4 (aka iPod format) format and then letting the Zune software transcode it. I was wondering if that process was faster than yours. It seemed like Videora enconded it faster than WMBE. Does anyone know which method is faster?
zunetips said,
February 23, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Faith: The Zune 30 requires WMV files, so the MP4 files produced by Videora will require transcoding when you sync to your Zune. You always want to avoid transcoding, since it could take a few hours to complete. Creating WMV files directly using Windows Media Encoder is the more efficient (and faster) way, in my opinion.
rustycage24 said,
February 26, 2008 at 7:21 am
I downloaded some videos from stage6 and I am trying to convert them to wmv from divx. I’m not getting an error message, but it takes like a second to encode the file and the file contains nothing when it’s done. It’s about 8k when it does this. Any suggestions?
cohoman said,
February 26, 2008 at 7:55 am
Can you play the divx file on your PC? You might be missing some necessary video codec.
rustycage24 said,
February 26, 2008 at 4:37 pm
yes I can play the divx file. I can even switch the extension to .avi or .wmv and it still plays.
zunetips said,
February 26, 2008 at 5:59 pm
rustycage24: I actually had some problems converting a few stage6.com files to WMV format, but the majority of divx files converted with no problems. I’m not sure why you’re having issues. How many divx files are you having problems with? All of them?
rustycage24 said,
February 26, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I only tried a few. Nothing less than 50mb.
zunetips said,
February 26, 2008 at 6:22 pm
rustycage24: Are you using the Windows Media Batch Encoder (as I described on this blog page)?
rustycage24 said,
February 26, 2008 at 7:02 pm
yes
A Turtle said,
February 26, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Ok, well this seems helpful, but I’m stuck. My friend uploaded his movie from his ipod to my computer. It is a .mp4. I tried converting it to WMV using the steps you have provided, but ran into the same error that the first post said. Do you know what to do?
bimmer said,
February 27, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I have an 80G and have been trying to get movies converted as you have described. Batch encoder keeps saying “error: encoder prepare- ClassFactory cannot supply requested class”. I have tried using just encoder 9 with your profile and it converts the 6Gb vob to a 14 - 29mb file which is about a 4 min clip of different sections of the movie. Gspot says the codecs are there and there are no issues. I have uninstalled and re-installed everything plus installed the .Net Framework (not sure how that works and don’t know if I have everything I need there) But still get the above error. The movie plays on WMPlayer. Any clue?
zunetips said,
February 27, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Bimmer: I’m assuming you ripped the VOB file from a DVD. I would guess that the VOB file has some protection scheme that the DVD ripper software you used couldn’t defeat. You could try using a different DVD ripper.
Can you try using WM Converter 2 to see if that can convert your VOB file? Also, try MediaCoder to see if that works. If both of those converters work then there must be a problem with WME9.
A Turtle said,
February 27, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Bimmer that is the error I get when I try to make my mp4’s convert into wmv following this guide. I just started converting my AVI files and they seem to be working.
Does this not have a timer thing?
And Mr. Zunetips do you have any clue why taking an mp4 to a wmv would be a problem?
zunetips said,
February 27, 2008 at 7:04 pm
A Turtle: You can call me Dave (Mr. Zunetips is my father)
Unfortunately, WME can’t convert MP4 files. Only WMV, AVI, and MPEG (VOB) files. You’ll need to find another converter which can convert to MPEG2 format, then you can use WME (a real round about way to get a WMV file).
A Turtle said,
February 28, 2008 at 4:10 am
Ok, thank you.
bimmer said,
February 28, 2008 at 4:56 am
Yes it was a DVD and I used DVDShrink. I’ll try the other converters and also rip another DVD. What do you know about this .NET Framework as far as which versions batch encoder needs to run? This is all new for me. Thanks
zunetips said,
February 28, 2008 at 11:12 am
bimmer: I’m running WM Batch Encoder on my Vista system, and I don’t remember having to install any special .NET Framework files. The Batch Utility is written in Visual Basic, and you’re running the compiled version (so you don’t need VB). Note, that you need to have Windows Media Encoder 9 installed as well as the WME SDK files (where the batch encoder is located).
Mertzin said,
March 3, 2008 at 9:53 am
Hi, excellent guide!
I do however have a problem. I try to convert a couple of .avi files, but after 1 sec it says “encoded” and the file is done. It’s only 5,33kbs big, so i don’t think it’s right =D.
I’ve followed all of your steps, tried multiple files (all .avi though), but still nothing. What’s left to do is to try on another computer…
I have Windows Vista 32bit btw… Do u have any clue to why that’s happening? I tried to search for an answer in all the comments, but no luck…
Cheers for a great site!
bimmer said,
March 3, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I used WM Converter 2 and used WMV to Zune in the “Convert to” section but it converted to an .asf ext. What am I doing wrong? Again I’m new at this.
zunetips said,
March 3, 2008 at 7:29 pm
bimmer: the ASF extension is just a “container” for windows media files. All you need to do, is change it to WMV and it should play. I suggested you try using WM Converter just to see if it could convert your source file. Note, that the video codec used by WM Converter is WMV8. Since the Zune requires WMV9, syncing this file to your Zune will result in transcoding during syncing.
zunetips said,
March 3, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Mertzin: First, can you play this AVI file on your Desktop PC system? Second, when you use the application gSpot and open this AVI file, what does it show for the Video codec?
Mertzin said,
March 3, 2008 at 10:21 pm
The avi-files plays perfectly on my PC and on my PS3… I use VLC for playback though!
It says codec Xvid when i open it in GSpot.
Thx for the help!
zunetips said,
March 4, 2008 at 7:22 am
Mertzin: Can you try playing that avi file using Windows Media Player?
Mertzin said,
March 5, 2008 at 11:16 am
Yepp, that works just as it should…
zunetips said,
March 5, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Mertzin: All I can think of is that the video codec you have installed for xvid format is not compatible with WME9 or conflicting with another installed codec. Can you try using WME9 to convert a test AVI file on a different computer or laptop machine?
Kilroy said,
March 9, 2008 at 5:55 am
zunetips: I downloaded a couple of Youtube videos with the Youtube Downloader software and converted them with the same. They synced up just fine but man do they look and sound bad on the Zune 80. Looking at the attributes I see that the audio and video bitrate is 64 kps. If I run it through the software you recommend will I be able to increase these bitrates and end up with a viewable video?
Thanks for the site. Very well done and technical.
Kilroy said,
March 9, 2008 at 6:47 am
Well, I downloaded all the recommended files and installed them. When I tr to run the BatchEncoder (in admin mode) Vista says it stopped running. No matter what security or compatibility settings I change I get the same error.
Suggestions?
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 7:09 am
Kilroy: You can’t effectively increase the video bit rate of a video beyond it’s original rate. You can decrease a video bit rate during the conversion process, but you can’t increase it.
Now, I’ve got Vista Home Premium on my system and WME9 and the batch encoder works fine. I’m not sure why the batch encoder fails on your system. Can you run WME9 ok (outside of the batch encoder)?
Kilroy said,
March 9, 2008 at 7:18 am
I’ve looked through the the entire folder structure under WMSKD and the only other executable was the “scheduler” It works.
Where’s the WME9 executable?
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 9:31 am
Kilroy: You need to install WME9 using the (1) link under the “Getting the right tools for the job” section of this web page. So, you need both WME9 and the WME SDK installed.
Kilroy said,
March 9, 2008 at 11:43 am
All three files are installed. Is it possible that I don’t have enough horsepower on my laptop to do the job? I tried to install SUPER and it stated I had inadequate processor speed to run the program. Weel, it said it could run, but there could be errors.
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Kilroy: If you’ve installed WME9, you should see an entry in your start menu that says, “Windows Media Encoded” and inside that, “Windows Media Encoder”. If you select that, it will bring up WME9 with the Windows-interface. I’m wondering if you select your video source using this method, can you convert your video?
Kilroy said,
March 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Well, I don’t know what happened, but I somehow installed the incorrect file. I went and double checked after your suggestion and it went smooth as glass. I was able to make a perfect conversion to a WMV file.
Thanks for your time one this one…it’s always the simple stuff.
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Kilroy: I’m glad it”s working now.
Chaos said,
March 9, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Well, zunetips I have tried everything and wme just reports an error and shutsdown. It happens when I apply the settings in wme. When I used sdk and started to convert it stops and gives an error. Any ideas what is wrong?
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Chaos: What is the format of the video file you are trying to convert? Is it AVI, MPEG, etc? Can you play this video file in Windows Media Player?
Can you use the GSpot program to identify what video codec was used for this video file? Also, can you try converting a different video file and see if that works?
Chaos said,
March 9, 2008 at 3:55 pm
It is a VOB and I have tried a few different movies. They have been ripped with DVD Decrypter. I changed one of them to MPG and yes it played and looked great on WMP. When I use WME9 and try to apply settings with your profile it just says encountered a problem and shuts down. When I use WME sdk and use your profile it starts then stops pretty quickly and says in status window Error:Encoder Prepare-Attempted to read or write protected memory. Just ran gspot and it says video codec is mpeg2; audio codec is ac3.
zunetips said,
March 9, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Chaos: First, I would try rebooting your PC just to make sure all available memory is free. Also, I’d check to make sure I had sufficient disk space for creating the converted file.
Finally, how much memory do you have on your PC? If you only have 256 MB or less, it might be that you don’t have enough memory to do the conversion.
Chaos said,
March 10, 2008 at 9:00 am
Its none of that. Brand new laptop with 1gb ram, plenty of HD space. If WME didnt install correctly would SDK also not work right? Guess I could uninstall them and try reinstalling them. Or is it still possibly a codec problem?
zunetips said,
March 10, 2008 at 9:19 am
Chaos: I would make sure WME9 was installed correctly, and try to use it to convert a VOB file. If that works ok, then go back and try the batch encoder.
So far as a codec issue, that is a possibility. Unfortunately, diagnosing codec issues is somewhat difficult…
Chaos said,
March 10, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I do have a couple other converter prorams installed. Handbrake and Videora I-pod converter. And a couple Roxio programs. Would any of those conflict with WME? Videora is made for Ipod but it works to convert so Zune can sync it. I have used it on some movies, but it does have to transcode it during sync. I would like to get this WME to work because Videora doesnt give you as much control as WME. Havnt used Handbrake yet. Let me know if you think any of those are making WME shut down before it has a chance to do anything. Thanks.
zunetips said,
March 10, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Chaos: Both Videora and Handbrake will create MP4 files, but they both need an MPEG2 codec to decode the video from a DVD. Most likely, they both install their own MPEG2 codec which could be causing the problem. That is why I suggested you try to convert a sample file using WME9 directly instead of the batch interface.
Also, you should try to convert an AVI file to see if you get any errors. AVI’s use a different codec than MPEG, so that could be an indicator that you have conflicting codecs installed.
That is why I always suggest trying the conversion on a different PC, since most likely multiple video converters were not installed, removed, etc.
Chaos said,
March 10, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Thank you very much for the help zunetips. Best help I have found in messing with this Zune. Great blog and it will be highly recommended by me.
zunetips said,
March 10, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Chaos: Hope everything works out, and have a good time with your Zune!
Chaos said,
March 10, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I couldnt get WME9 or the SDK to work. But got WM Converter 2.0 and it worked to convert to .wmv, except that zune software will not add it to my video library?? WMP plays it fine but playing it in zune software is kinda choppy. It has settings just right and the setting even says for WMV/Zune but it wont add it to the library. Got any suggestions why? Videora seems to work best even though it is made for Ipod. Zune adds converted video from Videora to library and it syncs to zune but takes forever because it has to transcode it and I don’t think you can customize the settings in Videora like if you want to enlarge for TV output. Was hoping WME9 or this WM converter 2.0 would have it ready to sync without transcoding.
Grim Reaper said,
March 11, 2008 at 4:26 am
Greetings All, I Have The Black 30Gig Player, I had Bought for my Girlfriend as a Bithday gift for her, Now she wants to try and add Video to her player, I had told her to follow the instructions that came with the player, So Far Now Luck. I was wondering, If I follow the Tips that you have placed in here would that help??
(I Had Updated the ZunePlayer’s Software, I really don’t like the updated,but it is what it is, How easy is the converter to use??)
Thank you for time & patience
zunetips said,
March 11, 2008 at 6:10 am
Grim: For the Zune 30, you need to create WMV video files. If you follow the instructions on this page, it should work for your girlfriend’s device.
zunetips said,
March 11, 2008 at 6:22 am
Chaos: WM Converter creates ASF files (which you simply rename to WMV for your Zune), however, it uses the WMV8 video codec which does require transcoding when syncing. So, it isn’t the best solution. Also, if you select the ‘Zune’ option, I believe the video bit rate is pretty low. I prefer to use 700 kbps with 30 fps as it gives reasonable smooth video. You can specify the exact video bit rate you want to use, but then again it creates a WMV file that still requires transcoding.
WME9 is still your best bet, but I’m not sure why it isn’t working. You can try a different converter called DVD-WMV which might work better for you.
Grim Reaper said,
March 11, 2008 at 11:31 am
Greetings All, I Would Like to Thank you All For This Site.
It Worked…It Worked..It’s Alive!!!!!!!
Please Keep up The Good Work!!!
Bones said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I used DVD shrink to rip a Sister Hazel concert DVD, it worked great. my output file has multiple files, 2 MPEG files that correlate with the two parts of the movie I ripped. 4or 5 IFO files and 3 bup files. I use the batch converter suggested by this site to try to encode the MPEG files, settings as suggested. I recieve the following error code:
“Error: Encoder Prepare - object referance not set to an instance of an object.”
what the heck does that mean and where do I go from here?
I have used pre reg versions of Avex and the like to rip from DVD straight to Zune and it worked great, but I do not want to pay for them.
Please help.
XBonesX
zunetips said,
March 12, 2008 at 8:01 am
Bones: DVD Shrink should create two VOB files (in your case). Is that true? You then supply the VOB files as input to the Windows Media Batch Encoder (as I described on this page). You don’t need the other files (IFO, BUP, etc). When you do this, do you get that error message?
SerferJ said,
March 14, 2008 at 7:41 am
I was having the problem some others were having…in regards to the video starting half way through with the audio starting from the beginning. I tried single pass but the videos were extremely choppy. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the programs, which now brought me to this problem. 1 video is taking over 12 hours to get 40% encoded when earlier it would do 4 files overnight. How am I screwing this up? Thanks.
zunetips said,
March 14, 2008 at 11:19 am
SerferJ: The speed of your computer can contribute to the slowness, but most likely the problem is with the video codec installed on your system. If you’re trying to convert a VOB files (extracted from a DVD), then the MPEG2 Video Codec that you have installed on your system may be bad or inefficient. Also, you might have multiple video codecs installed for MPEG2 (caused by installing and testing out various trial versions of converters) that are conflicting with each other.
SerferJ said,
March 16, 2008 at 9:30 am
Zunetips: I did a fresh install of XP…which although being a huge pain fixed the problem…The problem was definitely from testing many trial versions. In the future how can I manage the codecs my computer has?
Thanks for posting this bad to the bone tutorial!
zunetips said,
March 16, 2008 at 8:32 pm
SerferJ: If everything is working now, I’d set a System Restore Point in WinXP. In fact, I would set a System Restore Point whenever I was worried that I might mess up my system with a new software installation. That way, you can roll back to a previous point on your system that has a good working setup with a saved registry file.
You can also check out the following link, which will show you how to identify your currently installed video and audio codecs:
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-to-remove-or-uninstall-audio-video.html
This will only work for WinXP, as Vista doesn’t have such a feature.
Aaron said,
March 17, 2008 at 2:42 pm
First of all, very helpful and informative site. I’ve been using your methods to rip and convert my dvds to my zune and so far have done about 4 seasons of tv shows but recently tried to convert a .vob movie and the batch encoder would not convert it. Once I tell it to start an error message comes up displaying this: System.OverflowException: Arithmetic operations resuted in an overflow.
at BatchEncode.Form_BatchEncode.sReportPercentComplete()
I have no idea what that means and after some trials, about half of the videos I tried to convert showed this and half worked just fine. (all .vob’s) I used Gspot and it tells me I have the correct codecs installed. Maybe I have an interfering one? But I have so many mpeg2 codecs I dont know which ones to get rid of. And could it really be the codecs since it converts other videos of the same format just fine?
any help is much appreciated.
zunetips said,
March 17, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Aaron: I’ve seen that issue a few times. It is as if the batch encoder program is overflowing the “percent done” variable with a really large number (if you watch the % done in the lower status bar window, you’ll see what I mean). Try using a different DVD ripper software (either DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter HD). It might be that the DVD you are ripping has a protection scheme that is causing this, or that the MPEG2 video codec you have installed is bad or inefficient.
Aaron said,
March 17, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Yeah I had actually noticed on the videos that did work the percent complete was very high, like %80,000. Im currently using Dvd shrink so I will try dvd decryptor which I also have installed. Although you said DVD Decrypter HD. Is there any reason to use that instead of regular DVD Decrypter?
Aaron said,
March 17, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Ug. I just ripped the dvd using DVD Decrypter and it wont let me watch it or convert it. At least with DVD shrink I could watch it, just not convert it. So I guess the only thing left is that an mpeg2 video codec I have is bad. But I have so many installed I dont know which to delete and which to keep. I took a screen shot of my mpeg2 video codec list and was wondering if you could give me some advice. Heres the link to the photo: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/mouse3773/Untitled-1-1.jpg
thanks a lot
zunetips said,
March 17, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Aaron: I would remove the Nero stuff (in red) since it’s probably a remnant from a trial version of Nero that you may have installed. You can probably go through and find other such items that show missing files to remove.
zunetips said,
March 17, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Aaron: I believe DVD Decrypter is newer than DVD Shrink, so the protection decrypting routines are probably more up to date. That is why I always suggest to try one of the other DVD rippers to see if it can decrypt the DVD successfully.
Aaron said,
March 17, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Ok so I went to uninstall programs and removed the Nero trial that I had but I cant figure out how to remove codecs. No codecs are listed in the uninstall programs and I cant find any place to remove them.
zunetips said,
March 17, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Aaron: Do you have WinXP or Vista? If you have WinXP, you can bring up “Device Manager” for your system and look under “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers”. You should see “Video Codecs” which will allow you to remove registered codecs.
If you have Vista, there’s a freeware program called “Codec sniper” which will allow you to delete codecs. You need to be careful and not delete codecs indiscriminately as it may case your system to not work properly. Also, do a reboot after you remove the codecs to see if it fixes the problems you’re having.
Aaron said,
March 18, 2008 at 4:39 pm
So since I have Vista I downloaded codec sniper from three different sources in which each time I tried to use it the result was an error. So I tried DVDFab HD Decrypter 4 which split to rip the troublesome video onto my computer, although into 3, 1 gig sections. The converter worked fine with these files. So then I used Mergedizer to merge the vob’s into one. Of course the converter wouldnt work with that file. Then I tried merger just two of them and it worked. But mergering the three wouldnt work. I guys Ill just have to live without cetain videos on my zune
zunetips said,
March 18, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Aaron: I’m not sure what more you can try. It seems that your system can’t process a 3+ GB file. Maybe you don’t have enough memory on your system? I’ve got 2 GB of RAM, which seems to be enough.
Aaron said,
March 18, 2008 at 5:29 pm
thanks for the concern. The only thing is that I’m using a laptop with 2 gigs of ram and a core 2 duo at 2 ghz and I know it can convert large files because I also thought it might be a file size constraint but I shrunk the troublesome video from 2.8 gigs to under 2 gigs and still no luck. It seems the only remaining option would be to pay for the full DVDFab Decrypter HD which should allow for the video to be ripped as one large .vob since that is the only program that rips files that can be successfully converted for me. Anyways thanks for the help
zunetips said,
March 18, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Aaron: You might try the freeware application called “DVD-WMV” which will do the DVD ripping and conversion in one step. I tried this application a while ago, and I decided to not use it because it seemed to load a lot of other freeware programs to do the conversion job, and the fact that I don’t convert a lot of DVDs. It might work for you, and it’s a free alternative to DVDFab Decrypter HD. Of course, if you plan to convert lots of DVDs in the future, it might be worth buying a good converter for that purpose.
Mfamuz1 said,
March 18, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Ok I tried the gspot and got the message that an error had occured but I was able to see what codec was missing (#7) but in the ffdshow I was unsure of what to do after that I had no options on how to input what I needed any help?
zunetips said,
March 19, 2008 at 7:00 am
Mfamuz1: If you know the name of the missing Codec, then you should be able to install it from the ffdshow codec pack. Just start the fddshow installation procedure, and there will be one point where you can check off what exactly you want to install. Search through there for the desired codec. Check off that particular codec, and continue with the install procedure. When you’re done, reboot your system and see if it works. Also, check GSpot again to see if it shows the codec installed for that particular video file.
sharlet said,
March 22, 2008 at 3:48 pm
not very computer savy and i am having a hard time down loading my dvds to my zune.
I cant seem to find the list thing i was suppose to down load the Media encoder Profile Setting please give me some advice on what i am doing wrong or how to find it thanks
zunetips said,
March 22, 2008 at 4:09 pm
sharlet: To convert DVDs to video files for your Zune, you need to follow a two step process:
1) “Rip” the video data from the DVD to a file on your Desktop PC
2) Convert the video file from a VOB format to WMV format for your Zune.
The page called “Ripping DVDs” explains step (1). This page explains step (2). At what step are you having problems? Can you be more specific to what you’re having problems with?
sharlet said,
March 23, 2008 at 7:06 am
i have already did the first part which was the ripping the dvd to the hard drive. when i came to the second part of converting the ripped dvd i got stuck. i was able to download the media encoder 9 and the encoder sdk but i could not find the encoder profile setting to download that. hopefully after i get/find the media encoder profile setting file i will be able to do everything else. thanks in advance for you help and such a quick response.
sharlet
zunetips said,
March 23, 2008 at 8:26 am
sharlet: There’s a link on this page where you can download the WME9 profile (.prx) file that I use. Here’s the link again.
micki said,
March 23, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Hi - this is a nice guide - thanks for writing it and supplying the .prx file. I use this guide to transfer TiVo recordings to the Zune. I purchased the Tivo Desktop Plus program in order to automatically convert recordings to a portable format, but it doesn’t have a Zune profile nor can you add/edit the supplied encoding profiles. So after the Desktop progam converts the file, it then goes thru transcoding with the Zune software. Sure, it’s automatic thru watched folders but it just takes too long and the quality is not that great. No need to spend money on the Tivo Plus version because with your guide all one needs is the free version of Tivo Desktop and the wmenc.
zunetips said,
March 23, 2008 at 12:46 pm
micki: I’m glad you found the information presented here useful. Creating a .prx file isn’t too difficult, because you can use the utility called “Windows Media Profile Editor” (which is supplied with the WME9 installation). The trick, is knowing the cor