Hi, this question concerns compressing and editing TV programs recorded in Windows 7 Media Center. My library is generally in XviD AVI format so this is what I am trying to achieve. After a lot of tinkering and messing around with various software, the best process I have come up with is the following... 1) Convert WTV to DVR-MS using Windows 7. 2) Convert DVR-MS to MPG using DVRMSToolBox. 3) Convert MPG to XviD AVI using AutoGK. 4) Remove ads using AVIDemux or VirtualDub. However, where this process works perfectly with some files, it doesn't with others and I get audio sync issues about 25% of the time. Generally speaking the audio problems happen at Step 3. This doesn't surprise me as this is the main encoding stage, but it is frustrating that some files work and some don't when all the files are recorded on the same computer using the same format and settings. I cannot for the life of me figure out a pattern as to which ones have problems. It isn't files recorded from a specific channel or anything like that. All processing is done on the same computer so it isn't a hardware issue. My question is two-fold: 1) Has anyone got any idea why the results are haphazard? 2) Can anyone suggest a better, more reliable, process? Many thanks in advance.
Hi stonemike, I have EXACTLY the same problem that you have, and i'm using EXACTLY the same software as you do. Unfortunately I don't have a solution. So if anyone can provide us a proper solution, this would be appreciated. Greetings, Frédéric
what is this codec Dave? I have come across it a couple of times now and I'm none the wiser.. some vc1 variant or what??
I just purchased a new HP 17" laptop that has Media Center in it. It is creating the recorded files in the WTV file format. I found that my computer also has a program called HP Media Smart that will open, play and do some minor editing to the file. I can correct the lighting and also increase the color saturation, which I seem to always need to do. The beauty of this program is that when it saves the changes, it becomes an mpeg file. You can then send it over to any editing or file conversion program you already have and cut out the commercials and convert to any format you might require.
here's what works fo rme about 95% of the time: background: I used to use the PVR S/W supplied with my video card, used to get MPEG2s, used VirtualDubMod to make into XVID and at the same time clip out the ads. I used to get audio sync issues on long recordings quite often, but got around it by breaking the record into 1GB chunks, and anyway, after having the PVR SW crash a lot, I got completely peeved with it, so started using Windows 7 MC instead. But, then I found I couldn't use VirtualDubMod as it no longer recgnised MS Win 7 .wtv format, that's when I started looking a little further, and found the AMD video card I have (an HD5770) could run the Avivo software. It was not installed with the usual catalyst interface, you have to download it separately and install after the catalyst gadget, but once installed you just get to it using the graphics / video converter menu, (I've checked the box for Enable Acceleration) anyway , click "Start Video Converter" button and voila,another windows. The app itself has sucky menus, the slider that gives estimates of trasncoded size also is out, so I set the transcode record format to DIVX (sorry no XVID) and when I do this from drive C: to D: (different physical drives) or across the LAN to save drive thrashing, I get results liek a 3.5GB WTV file converted to highest quality DIVX (becomes 1.1GB) in about 7 min 11 secs (ok, so I have an i7-860), but most of the work is done in the GPU of the video card. To do this in VirtualDubMod before was about 3-5 x more, often 30 mins converting per 30 mins record time. once converted to DIVX I then use ordinary Virtual Dub to clip out the ads. ... (I have ver 1.9.9, build 32817/AMD-64 release, as I use Win 7x64) .... altogether 2 steps, the first from WTV to AVI/DIVX is one by one, but is pretty painless (one day I'll see if I can automate it), the other VirtualDub vs VirtualDubMod is much the same, though now I see why I should have used VirtualDub a long time back - as it is easy to skip past the ads. and the 5% or so that don't work, some TV shows (some channels) audio formats appear to be not supported in Avivo, once transcoded to divx/avi I get the video but no sound... even if I find something else, for the 1-2 that gripe me, I am not sure I'll change too quickly, as I like the set up now..
