[Xoom General] e.mote:
FAQ

Q #1: How long does it take to convert to MP4?

For a simple remux, seconds. For audio-only recoding, about 15X (1min processing per 15min run-time). For both audio & video recoding, between 1-5X, depending on host PC and input/output resolutions.

Q #2: The script ran for a bit and disappeared.

It crashed. A common reason is that the filename has special characters: exclamation point (!), ampersand (&), or carot (^), among others. Temporarily rename using simple alphanumeric characters. Note: Script is designed to handle Unicode (UTF-8) characters.

Q #3: It still doesn't work!

The majority of problem videos stem from the weird muxers used to create them. A possible solution is to remux the video to MKV (even if they're already in MKV) if possible. Run MMG.EXE in \MKVTOOLNIX folder, drag-drop video onto app, click 'Start Muxing'. The MKVToolnix app can remux many common formats to MKV.

Q #4: Still no joy!

Drop the video on the script and select the 'View Specs' option, then Start. This will dump the video specs into a text file. Post the specs dump, along with whatever error msgs you encountered (or if the console crashes and simply disappears). As a last resort, post a sample clip of the video.

Q #5: What are the best settings for the [insert device name]? My converted videos don't play smoothly!

The on-demand CPU governor for Android may not be optimal for playback. You can manually set CPU speed for movie playback per this discussion thread, http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1111156

By default, the script does not recode H.264 720p high profile or 1080p baseline profile. If your device can't play a video smoothly after trying the above, then you need to recode it (see TIPS section below).

Q #6: My videos convert, but the sound is out-of-sync (OOS), or playback is too fast/slow.

Some animes, digicams, and hybrid contents use variable framerate (VFR). The script encodes in constant framerate (CFR) by default. If audio is OOS, enable VFR encoding in Advanced Options. VFR encoding is automatically enabled for RM/RMVB videos.

There may be other OOS instances. VFR aside, many videos are simply badly created, and require specific workarounds that lie outside the scope of the script.

Q #7: My video has 10 subtitle tracks. Why doesn't the script extract them all?

Only subtitles in the designated preferred or alternate language are extracted. Only text subtitles (SRT/ASS/SSA) are extracted.

The script can process up to 8 sub tracks. If the desired sub tracks lie outside of this range, remux to MKV (cf. Q #3), and remove extraneous tracks beforehand.

Q #8: The sub doesn't show up in playback!

Check your media player to see if it can make use of external subs; some do. Don't forget to rename the sub track to be the same as the video.

Q #9: The ASS/SSA sub doesn't display properly (or not at all).

Some Android players support external ASS/SSA subs. But if the sub requires an embedded font and there isn't a system font substitute, characters will display as blocks. The script extracts embedded fonts, but current players cannot make use of them. A workaround is to enable subtitle burn-in from Advanced Options.

Q #10: I'm confused with how the audio and subtitle tracks are chosen.

If a subtitle in the designated preferred/alternate language is available, the first audio track is selected, as it's preferable for foreign-language videos to be subbed than dubbed. If the first audio track is in a different language than the pref/alt settings, and no subs are available, then a dubbed track is selected if available. The script can process up to three audio tracks.

Q #11: I changed the default output path, but the output never shows up there!

Do not put quotes around the path. Also, if the path has special characters like exclamation point (!), ampersand (&), or carot (^), among others, the script will get confused. Stick to basic alphanumeric characters. This applies to filenames as well.

Q #12: Can I use this script to convert my DVD/Blu-ray?

The script does not process DVD (IFO/VOB) or Blu-ray (M2TS) files. You can try my DVD script here, http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=978529

Q #13: I'm running Win XP/Vista, how do I get WMP 11 to recognize my MP4 so I can stream to my device?

Win XP & Vista require a registry patch for WMP 11 to recognize MP4. Win7 supports MP4 format natively.

32-bit: http://hardcoreware.net/files/v8-WMP11-MP4-M4V-M4A.reg

64-bit: http://hardcoreware.net/files/v8-WMP11-MP4-M4V-M4A-x64.reg

TIPS:

. Tegra 2 on Android 3.1: If playback isn't smooth, set Recode=YES. Suggested settings are Quality 22, High profile, and VeryFast or Medium speed. To ensure smooth playback, you can try Quality 23, or Baseline profile, or a smaller resolution, or a combination thereof.

. If running 64-bit Windows, grab the 64-bit x264.exe executable at (http://x264.nl) and copy over the existing file (get the 8bit-depth exe, not the 10bit one). This'll net 10-15% faster speed.

. Don't use a video quality number lower than the default (lower number means higher bitrate), unless you are sure you can see the difference. Higher bitrate means higher playback requirement, which can result in playback stutter. 21 is a good default; you can also try 22 or 23.

. If there are many videos to convert, especially if video recoding is involved, put them all in a folder and drop the folder onto the script. Let the script run overnight.

TECH NOTES:

. For most operations, the script is self-contained, ie it uses ffmpeg and doesn't require the installed software packages. Two exceptions: a) RM/RMVB isn't supported by ffmpeg and uses DirectShow; b) audio tracks w/ 7+ channels can't be downmixed by ffmpeg, and also uses DirectShow.

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