Escalation Engineer Chris F Posted August 29, 2017 Escalation Engineer Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2207[/ATTACH] Ipro (inData) Video Utilities: Transcoders and DVD Extractor usage.​ Ipro products receive a variety of video formats to work with. Some formats cannot be ingested properly into all programs. For this​ issue, ​Ipro created a set of utilities and extractors to convert media into a usable format. The utilities covered in this article are as follows: [TABLE=align: left, border: 17, cellpadding: 17] [TR] [TD]MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ (Transcoder)​​​[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*DVD Extractor Utility​[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Accessing all Ipro Utilities TimeCoder Pro 6 clients have exclusive access to all of our utilities via our TimeCoder Pro 6 Administrator Portal. Clients would login at timecoderpro.indatacorp.com as seen on the page below: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2208[/ATTACH] ​​​ Once the client logs in, the utilities can be accessed from the resources tab (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2209[/ATTACH] ​For our non-TimeCoder Pro 6 clients, they also have access to the utilities via Technical Support. If a client requests a link, they can be emailed on demand. In regards to Technical Requirements, all utilities require installation of Microsoft.NET versions 2.0 to current (4.7 as of this article) to function properly. If .NET is not installed or not working properly, the user may have issues such as non-responsive fields or the utilities will just not open. The utilities may also prompt for install of Microsoft.NET related components before launching. ​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding ​Utility​​ (Transcoder) Of all our utilities, the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility (Transcoder)​ is used about half the time. MPEG-4 is emerging as the format of choice though as it's more compatible with newer operating systems. After opening the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility, the user would simply fill out the fields (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2210[/ATTACH] ​ ​ As one of the final steps, the user needs to choose an output format. If the user wants to get technical specifications of the output file, they can hover over any of the bullets for more details (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2211[/ATTACH] ​ ​ If the video provided is usable, the progress bar should should move along after pressing "Begin". Status and parameters are listed at the very bottom of the utility (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2212[/ATTACH] ​​ Extended troubleshooting on the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility: The user can transcode most filetypes from source to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, however, if the file itself has bad headers or incompatible structure - the utility may hang. If the progress bar suddenly stops or goes to a (Not Responding) status, the transcoder may be navigating a part that requires more time. If the transcoder stays on the (Not Responding) status for a very long time and is stuck on "Initializing...", it could mean that the media supplied is not usable (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2214[/ATTACH] In this case, the user would have to end task on the "MPEG Video Transcoder (32 bit)" in the Task Manager (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2215[/ATTACH] ​ By ending the MPEG Video Transcoder (32 bit) task, this may cause the Transcoder to continue building the file in the background. The user can monitor this by refreshing Windows Explorer where the file is located. If the file is not building, the user should be aware of a secondary task that could leave the utility in limbo. That task is "MPlayer - Movie Player (32 bit)" and the user should end task on it before attempting another transcode or if there's no file build progress (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2216[/ATTACH] Notes on ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ data entry: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​ have to do with file extension. For the Output Filename field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mpg",the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out.​ MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility​​ ​With more high resolution video formats, MPEG-4 (MP4) is the clear choice for trial presentation today and in the future. This format provides users with HD quality, 16x9 ratio and picture in picture options. In most cases an MP4 provides better quality and smaller filesize over an MPEG-2. MP4's will also cooperate with 64-bit codec layers which is important in modern operating systems like Windows 10. The image shows how a user would fill out fields in the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility (shown below)​: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2229[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2937[/ATTACH] The MPEG-4 Encoding​ differs a little from the other utilities as in where the user presses the "Begin" button - a dialog box appears before moving to the progress bar. Parameters are displayed on this dialog box as informational and are not able to be changed directly. The dialog box parameters are listed (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2241[/ATTACH] ​ The progress bar shown is similar to other utilities. The user will not only see that the encoding finished but they will also get a dialog box showing completion (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2242[/ATTACH] Notes on MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​ data entry: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​​ have to do with file extension. For the Output Filename field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mp4", the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out. ​ DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility DV-AVI or AVI container in general is going to be an uncompressed format. While suitable for presenting directly from a camera or video editing program, these files are very large in size and may not be suitable for playback in TrialDirector. The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility will convert the source file AVI to a format with smaller size and greater compatibility. Below is an example of all fields filled out in the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility (shown below):​ [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2243[/ATTACH] ​The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is our least used of all utilities. ​Most videographers will already have software to convert non-compliant source video to a format that works with our products. The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is provided as a courtesy for users that do not already have a conversion solution. Parameters are listed by hovering over any of the bullets or lines within Step 3 section of the utility. Notes on DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​​ have to do with file extension. For the "Filename for transcoded MPEG file" field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mpg", the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out.​ DVD Extractor Utility​​ The DVD Extractor Utility​ differs from all other Utilities because it relies on an authored source. This means the file structure has to match chapters and indexes like one would find in an authored DVD. Browsing the contents of an authored DVD in it's most purest form would show an "AUDIO_TS" folder and a "VIDEO_TS" folder on the root of the DVD. Most of the time, only the VIDEO_TS folder will have files in it. It's important to note that the files need to be in a structure that the DVD Extractor Utility​ recognizes and can work with. The ​DVD Extractor Utility can browse for a source Digital Video Disc two different ways. The most common way is via disc drive. ​Shown in the picture below, the "Step 1" field is pointing to "D:" as the example (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2244[/ATTACH] ​​A user could also copy the entire VIDEO_TS folder to their desktop. The path for the "Step 1" field would look like the path in the picture (shown below): [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2245[/ATTACH] Manually copying the VIDEO_TS folder is also a great troubleshooting tool. (VIDEO_TS folder example shown below) If the DVD Extractor Utility​ has issues converting directly from the disc, the user could manually copy the VIDEO_TS folder from disc and then point to the directory above the VIDEO_TS folder where it resides on the computer. (Example: Copy the VIDEO_TS folder to the user desktop) If the user cannot copy the VIDEO_TS folder manually in Microsoft Windows without getting a CRC error or equivalent, then it's a problem either with the DVD Disc or the DVD Optical Drive. At this stage of troubleshooting, the user took Ipro products out of the equation and will need to seek other solutions outside of Ipro support scope. ​ [ATTACH=CONFIG]n2246[/ATTACH] As noted in the DVD Extractor Utility, it may not work with copyright-protected DVD's because the structure is secured. Notes on DVD Extractor Utility: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​DVD Extractor Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. Summary / Recap:​ ​TimeCoder Pro 6 clients can find all these utilities at timecoderpro.indatacorp.com​. They are found under Resources > Utilities.Out of all Ipro (inData) utilities, The MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ (Transcoder)​​ is used the most. MPEG-1 has best compatibility, however, it's the lowest quality.MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility​​ is the only one that shows a parameters popup window before actually performing the encoding.DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is the least used as most users should already have a program to encode their camera video to a usable format.The DVD Extractor Utility​​ requires an authored DVD or usable VIDEO_TS source folder in order to extract and encode to a valid format for TimeCoder or TrialDirector.None of the fields in any of the utilities will accept CTRL+C or CTRL+V. Most keyboard commands are ignored. Users will have to right click to copy and paste.Almost all of the utilities require the user to write out the file extension. Example: The correct format would be "Filename.mpg" instead of just "Filename". Please be advised that the Ipro Utilities mentioned in this article are provided as a courtesy to the client. Every video has different needs and may require additional processing outside of the Ipro Utilites to make them compatible. The Ipro Utilities are not a fix-all solution. Edited June 1, 2018 by Chris Friedel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escalation Engineer Chris F Posted August 29, 2017 Author Escalation Engineer Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) Ipro (inData) Video Utilities: Transcoders and DVD Extractor usage.​ Ipro products receive a variety of video formats to work with. Some formats cannot be ingested properly into all programs. For this​ issue, ​Ipro created a set of utilities and extractors to convert media into a usable format. The utilities covered in this article are as follows: [TABLE=align: left, border: 17, cellpadding: 17] [TR] [TD]MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ (Transcoder)​​​[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]*DVD Extractor Utility​[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Accessing all Ipro Utilities TimeCoder Pro 6 clients have exclusive access to all of our utilities via our TimeCoder Pro 6 Administrator Portal. Clients would login at timecoderpro.indatacorp.com as seen on the page below: ​​​ Once the client logs in, the utilities can be accessed from the resources tab (shown below): ​For our non-TimeCoder Pro 6 clients, they also have access to the utilities via Technical Support. If a client requests a link, they can be emailed on demand. In regards to Technical Requirements, all utilities require installation of Microsoft.NET versions 2.0 to current (4.7 as of this article) to function properly. If .NET is not installed or not working properly, the user may have issues such as non-responsive fields or the utilities will just not open. The utilities may also prompt for install of Microsoft.NET related components before launching. ​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding ​Utility​​ (Transcoder) Of all our utilities, the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility (Transcoder)​ is used about half the time. MPEG-4 is emerging as the format of choice though as it's more compatible with newer operating systems. After opening the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility, the user would simply fill out the fields (shown below): ​ ​ As one of the final steps, the user needs to choose an output format. If the user wants to get technical specifications of the output file, they can hover over any of the bullets for more details (shown below): ​ ​ If the video provided is usable, the progress bar should should move along after pressing "Begin". Status and parameters are listed at the very bottom of the utility (shown below): ​​ Extended troubleshooting on the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility: The user can transcode most filetypes from source to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, however, if the file itself has bad headers or incompatible structure - the utility may hang. If the progress bar suddenly stops or goes to a (Not Responding) status, the transcoder may be navigating a part that requires more time. If the transcoder stays on the (Not Responding) status for a very long time and is stuck on "Initializing...", it could mean that the media supplied is not usable (shown below): In this case, the user would have to end task on the "MPEG Video Transcoder (32 bit)" in the Task Manager (shown below): ​ By ending the MPEG Video Transcoder (32 bit) task, this may cause the Transcoder to continue building the file in the background. The user can monitor this by refreshing Windows Explorer where the file is located. If the file is not building, the user should be aware of a secondary task that could leave the utility in limbo. That task is "MPlayer - Movie Player (32 bit)" and the user should end task on it before attempting another transcode or if there's no file build progress (shown below): Notes on ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ data entry: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the ​​​MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​ have to do with file extension. For the Output Filename field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mpg",the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out.​ MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility​​ ​With more high resolution video formats, MPEG-4 (MP4) is the clear choice for trial presentation today and in the future. This format provides users with HD quality, 16x9 ratio and picture in picture options. In most cases an MP4 provides better quality and smaller filesize over an MPEG-2. MP4's will also cooperate with 64-bit codec layers which is important in modern operating systems like Windows 10. The image shows how a user would fill out fields in the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility (shown below)​: The MPEG-4 Encoding​ differs a little from the other utilities as in where the user presses the "Begin" button - a dialog box appears before moving to the progress bar. Parameters are displayed on this dialog box as informational and are not able to be changed directly. The dialog box parameters are listed (shown below): ​ The progress bar shown is similar to other utilities. The user will not only see that the encoding finished but they will also get a dialog box showing completion (shown below): Notes on MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​ data entry: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the MPEG-4 Encoding Utility​​ have to do with file extension. For the Output Filename field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mp4", the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out. ​ DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility DV-AVI or AVI container in general is going to be an uncompressed format. While suitable for presenting directly from a camera or video editing program, these files are very large in size and may not be suitable for playback in TrialDirector. The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility will convert the source file AVI to a format with smaller size and greater compatibility. Below is an example of all fields filled out in the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility (shown below):​ ​The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is our least used of all utilities. ​Most videographers will already have software to convert non-compliant source video to a format that works with our products. The DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is provided as a courtesy for users that do not already have a conversion solution. Parameters are listed by hovering over any of the bullets or lines within Step 3 section of the utility. Notes on DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. If the user wants to convert a non-listed filetype with the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​​, they can use a wildcard in the browse dialog box such as *.* (enter). Some of our top call drivers for the DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​​​ have to do with file extension. For the "Filename for transcoded MPEG file" field -- if the user writes out "Filename" instead of "Filename.mpg", the utility may produce a blank file that can't be used. For the best user experience, we need to instruct that the filename and extension be written out.​ DVD Extractor Utility​​ The DVD Extractor Utility​ differs from all other Utilities because it relies on an authored source. This means the file structure has to match chapters and indexes like one would find in an authored DVD. Browsing the contents of an authored DVD in it's most purest form would show an "AUDIO_TS" folder and a "VIDEO_TS" folder on the root of the DVD. Most of the time, only the VIDEO_TS folder will have files in it. It's important to note that the files need to be in a structure that the DVD Extractor Utility​ recognizes and can work with. The ​DVD Extractor Utility can browse for a source Digital Video Disc two different ways. The most common way is via disc drive. ​Shown in the picture below, the "Step 1" field is pointing to "D:" as the example (shown below): ​​A user could also copy the entire VIDEO_TS folder to their desktop. The path for the "Step 1" field would look like the path in the picture (shown below): Manually copying the VIDEO_TS folder is also a great troubleshooting tool. (VIDEO_TS folder example shown below) If the DVD Extractor Utility​ has issues converting directly from the disc, the user could manually copy the VIDEO_TS folder from disc and then point to the directory above the VIDEO_TS folder where it resides on the computer. (Example: Copy the VIDEO_TS folder to the user desktop) If the user cannot copy the VIDEO_TS folder manually in Microsoft Windows without getting a CRC error or equivalent, then it's a problem either with the DVD Disc or the DVD Optical Drive. At this stage of troubleshooting, the user took Ipro products out of the equation and will need to seek other solutions outside of Ipro support scope. ​ As noted in the DVD Extractor Utility, it may not work with copyright-protected DVD's because the structure is secured. Notes on DVD Extractor Utility: The CTRL + C and CTRL + V funtionality will not work in the ​​​DVD Extractor Utility​. The user must right click copy or right click paste within the fields if they were pasting in a path or filename as an example. Summary / Recap:​ ​TimeCoder Pro 6 clients can find all these utilities at timecoderpro.indatacorp.com​. They are found under Resources > Utilities.Out of all Ipro (inData) utilities, The MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility​ (Transcoder)​​ is used the most. MPEG-1 has best compatibility, however, it's the lowest quality.MPEG-4 Encoding ​Utility​​ is the only one that shows a parameters popup window before actually performing the encoding.DV-AVI to MPEG-1 and 2 Encoding Utility is the least used as most users should already have a program to encode their camera video to a usable format.The DVD Extractor Utility​​ requires an authored DVD or usable VIDEO_TS source folder in order to extract and encode to a valid format for TimeCoder or TrialDirector.None of the fields in any of the utilities will accept CTRL+C or CTRL+V. Most keyboard commands are ignored. Users will have to right click to copy and paste.Almost all of the utilities require the user to write out the file extension. Example: The correct format would be "Filename.mpg" instead of just "Filename". Please be advised that the Ipro Utilities mentioned in this article are provided as a courtesy to the client. Every video has different needs and may require additional processing outside of the Ipro Utilites to make them compatible. The Ipro Utilities are not a fix-all solution. Edited June 1, 2018 by Chris Friedel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now