VidCoder Destination Folder/File?

[dr_ml422]

So I'm having issues with picking a destination Folder/File w/the latest VidCoder. There seems to be several options available. On the main window and in Tools settings. What is the proper procedure because it keeps going back to a original destination, which I already have deleted. How could the destination be a file now if the output is a .mp4 and or .mkv file as well? The guide doesn't really go too much into this on the main site at DD. I never heard of sending a file to a destination that was also a file. If the auto-renaming feature is still working then why did one of my output .mp4 files end up under the dfestination file w/the same name as the destination file? Doesn't make sense if you're using a queue to have to set the destination as a file if all the flics in the queue have different names.

[admin]

You need to go into options -> file naming and set the "default folder" - this will be the folder that VidCoder automatically sets the output to every time you load a new file. If after loading, you need to change the destination, just edit the destination text box or use the "browse" button to specify where to put the output file + the filename.

The auto-renaming feature is only enabled if you use the "Custom format" option on the option -> file naming screen (if you chose "Default format", the output file name will simply be the same as your input file, plus the extension of the format you converto to - mp4 or mkv).

Here's a quick example of what's going on:

1. You go to options -> file naming and set the "default folder" to "c:\mynewmovies\". You use the "Default format" option.

2. You load in the file "myvideo.avi", the "Destination" is now automatically changed to "c:\mynewmovies\myvideo.mp4" (assuming you're converting to MP4)

3. If you want to change the output destination, you can edit the "Destination" text box, or click on browse, go to whatever folder you want to go to, and then enter a filename to save the file (changing the destination *overrides* any auto-naming/default-naming options, so that's why you have to manually enter a filename). Let's say you changed it to "c:\temp\mynewvideo.mp4" and add the encoding to the job queue.

4. You load in a new file "myvideo2.avi", the "Destination" is changed back to "c:\mynewmovies\myvideo2.avi" (as "c:\mynewmovies\" is your "default folder")

The "Destination" box on the main screen should be the output file location, not the output directory location (I think this behaviour changed in the last few versions).

[dr_ml422]

Excuse the delay. Not auto-subscribing. So on the main screen if one changes the file location for lets say the 1st queued item, then you load in another source file and just queue it, would VidCoder send the 1st queued file to the changed destination, and the 2nd queued one to the default folder? If not then that main window change destination option is only good for 1 queued file and not multiple. Correct?

[admin]

Once you add a job to the queue, it will retain whatever setting that was there when you added it, independent of future jobs. So if you load another file, the destination will change to the default, but it would not affect any jobs already added to the queue, only the current (unadded) job.

If you want to output a bunch of files to the same folder (and it's not the current default folder), then just change the default folder option when you begin.

[dr_ml422]

One thing I did notice and it did happen is that I manually set the output file size for 3 videos to 1000mbs., and the last one to 700mbs. because it was not even 80 mins. or so at the source. The last file was output just like the other 3 to 1000mbs.. Not a bad thing as it came out ok obviously as more in this case is fine, though it didn't keep that last file's settings after adding it to the queue.

Right now I'm playing with files that I really won't make a rukus about if the quality doesn't pan out or it just disappears etc... Though when I decide to encode my best of the best I want to make sure I'm using VidCoder correctly and it's responding accordingly. Have you tried this on your own yet?

VidCoder is very useful right now as my entire collection is .iso via ImgBurn on a regular 1000gb hdd in a 3.0 USB external docking station. I would have to re-rip the .isos to vob files if I want to use the chapter selection option as with the .iso I can't see what's what. The preview window also shows you what it says, 10 preview clips. I turned it up to 30 seconds though that's not even a chapter. If I'm wrong about not being able to use the chapter option via .iso let me know. I would just like to get rid of the beginning credits. I presume though that these also don't equate to a full chapter so I'm prolly stuck as is. Thnx

[admin]

The file size thing would be the profiles. That I think does get kept from source to source (it will display the profile name + "Modified" to indicate any modifications you made to the saved version of the profile - in other words, it's a "custom" profile setting). This doesn't get reset unless you actually select the original, saved version, of the profile again (at that time, you may be asked if you want to save the modified profile).

A handy tip - if you right click on the 'queue' area, you can customize the columns, and you can enable the "video quality" column, that will show you the video output filesize/CQ setting for each job, so you can make sure each job has the right setting before proceeding.

But if you're concerned about quality, use CQ encoding, instead of target size, since a one size fits all approach to file size/bitrate isn't going to cut it for quality, especially if you don't use 2-pass encoding.

For the ISOs, can you mount them as a virtual drive, using Daemon Tools for example? I think this would then allow VidCoder to open them up as if it were a regular DVD (or a DVD folder on a hard-drive, at least).

[dr_ml422]

You mean by saved profile the ones already preset by VidCoder? I'm using the High profile setting and just changing the target file size to 1000mbs.. I'm doing this for not so concerned files, and for practice as well. Now by modified do you mean anything away from the presets, or from my target file change? VidCoder will keep the 1000mb setting even on startup without saving it as a new profile. So I don't know why if I'm individually adding the files to the queue, and my last file is say 700mbs. it will output it@ to 1000.
Basically are you saying that anything other than what's been set in the previous file has to be saved before loading into the queue? Defeats the supposedly keeps individual settings automatically from queued file to queued file.

I'll use the CQ setting on my favorites, and after locking VidCoder's settings down some more. Thnx.

[admin]

Saved profiles can be the profiles that come with VidCoder, or the ones you save yourself. But if you make changes to a saved profile and don't actually save the changes, it will show up as "Profile name (Modified)" in the profile select drop down box. The modified profile is not reset after loading a new file, it is kept from file to file (even if you don't save it - technically, it's saved as a "custom" profile).

But I'm pretty sure it doesn't really matter if you save the profile or not, the settings used for each job will be the setting that was selected at the time you pressed the "add to queue" or "encode" button (once the job is added to the queue, its settings can no longer be changed - at least that's the way it is supposed to work).

I've just run a test, on the latest version of VidCoder, and setting individual output file sizes works, this is what I did:

1. Load file 1
2. Set output size to 30MB in Settings, close the settings window
3. Add to queue
4. Load file 2
5. Set output size to 50MB
6. Add to queue
7. Load file 3
8. Set output size to 100MB
9. Add to queue
10. Press Encode

And all 3 files were roughly the size they are supposed to be (note that if you choose target size or average bitrate, without choosing 2-pass, the output size is actually not going to be exactly what you chose, but it should be within 10%. If you want exact file size, you need to use 2-pass. This is why I recommend CQ, since if the file size is going to be unpredictable, might as well get the best quality out of it)

[dr_ml422]

Ok I got you. I'm using CQ now and making sure the destination file size is not larger than the 4GB limit for .MP4. I ran a DVD-( file through CQ and the output was over 5GBs making it useless in both MPC and of course the slim. So something to watch out for if using CQ on a full disc.