MovieConverter 1.501

An encoding software for DVD (and DV), managing telecine and interlaced.
Command line tools are briliant, but they're not very pleasant, unless you like to dive into updates, data sheets, and bug reports. Moreover, if you know nothing about neither video technology nor standards specifications, the result of your work will.

MovieConverter offers you an other way: Able to read? At least, able to click on the default button of a warning window? Congratulations, you've just became an expert in video.

Everything is automatic (but could also become manual for "those who master"). MovieConverter proceeds your files - either interlaced (as iMovie projects) or not - and outputs them according to your country's DVD or DV standards.

Easy steps:
1 - Select a source file
2 - Choose the format of your tv screen
3 - Choose your video standard (NTSC for North America & Japan, PAL everywhere else)
4 - Select a destination folder
5 - Click on "Go"


Main features of MovieConverter:

The same quality as (or even better than) iDVD

decodes the integrality of your iMovie's files

but any other type of files too (avi, wmv, etc).

Ability to pause the video encoding.

Fully automated (detection of the interlaced files, their readout order, etc).

Entirely disengageable (for those which do not like the automatisms).

Automatic adaptation of the aspect for any video (even the anamorphous ones).

Ability to transform any video in 16/9 or 4/3 PanScan (whatever its original size or its interlacing).

Live preview before encoding.

Convert any video in PALNTSC, without jerk nor loss of quality.

MovieConverter does not make: coffee, Radiator microwave, Thermonuclear power station.

besides that (and take a look to the options if that's not yet enough for you)


Requirements of MovieConverter:

QuickTime 7.1.3 or later.


What's New in This Release:

FontExplorerX compatibility: MCS could not even get started if FontExplorerX had deleted the fonts in the system.

HD Module: For all: bug fix of AVCHD sources with many images per second (50 or 60): the video was slowed down.

For all: compatibility with new cameras:

TOSHIBA GigaShot A40FE

PANASONIC TM300

PANASONIC Lumix ZT7

SONY EX1

SANYO Xacti HD700

"Comfort options" for registered users:

Batch mode

Option to convert the AVCHD files 3 times faster without quality lose (see web site, Studio chapter).

Encoding module: for all registered users:

DVD and LCD/Plasma TVs: better quality/compatibility with flat screen televisions, but remaining 100% compatible with cathode televisions and DVD-Video specification.

Non-interlaced videos are automatically written as "progressive contents" (like the sticker on your DVD players ;-))

In Practice: the DVD-Video norm requires some subtleties, sometimes incompatible with display automatisations of your LCD or Plasma television (especially if your DVD player is not correctly set/plugged). MCS now informs your DVD player about your video content. So, your TV always displays it at its best. You do not have to play with remote controls of your TV / DVD player to display the best quality.(Bonus: encoding of these sources will be faster :-))

Encoding module: for a not "personal & private use" (Pro, …):
3 new modes to force a progressive output (if interlace is not compatible with your needs):

1 - Non-interlaced sources: Ability to force output as progressive, even if conversion of standard (ie PALNTSC VIDEO).

2 - Interlaced sources: Adding a method of selective deinterlace: only deinterlace interlaced parts of each frame, and preserves the remainder (eg of use: a video with content both progressive and sometimes interlaced).

3 - Interlaced sources: Adding a method of full deinterlace: deinterlace systematically (this mode is not very subtlety, but if you need it…)

Better h264 decoding, new version of FFmpeg: you could read h264 videos that QuickTime can not handle (DVB-T HD for example). Same kind of version as used by VLC and Handbrake.

"For DVD", new version of mpeg2enc: quality and compatibility, a great one! You can enable it in MCS preferences window as default encoder:

with a quantizer set to 7 (new default value), resulting encodings will be approximately 10% larger on disc than with FFmpeg,

a little slower than FFmpeg, setting: "quality good",

BUT equivalent to the FFmpeg "quality superior", on optimizing images (motion estimation and size of the GOP),

AND with a better bitrate regulation, better conformity with DVD-Video specifications (mpeg2enc directly encode "double pass" ;-)).

Encoding module:

FFmpeg encoding was often restrained, oops! (if your processor was powerful enough you could now encode faster than real time).

Some DVB-T (h264 + aac) are now synchronized.

Ultimate(?) anamorphic detection: geometry of your videos will be better respected (bonus: encoding from 16:9 to 4:3letterbox should be always available).

Some interlaced files decoded by QuickTime were deformed.

The "PanScan" aspect was broken (personal opinion: this aspect has no real interest, I'm not surprising that nobody reported it to me, I guess nobody uses it ;-)).

Audio extraction of .mov files with audio mono/8bits could fail.

Encoding of AVCHD files from camcorder (.MTS) did not work if the field order (auto or forced) was set to "progressive" (eg: shoots from Canon-HG21).

Encoding of AVCHD files from camcorder (.MTS) was buggy in 'Demo-mode' (and we don't care, the conversion process has been completely rewritten ;-)).

Failure during mux if MCS window was "Minimize" in the Dock.

Encoding module & HD: preview will be a little more fluid on small configurations (PPC for example).

Encoding module & Mux: fixed a bug with character "%" in the name or path of the file (it was blocking the batch).

Mux module:

fixed a bug with image subtitles.

fixed a stupid alert if you muxed more than one video in an mpeg.

DVD-Video module:

Now you could include a subtitled video as DVD-Video introduction (before, this subtitle appears in black on black ;)).

Fixed a bug according to the size of some "background images" for menus.

For those who still have an old mac: if your graphic card is too old, an alert will prevent you. Follow the instructions that will be displayed, and you will access to nice menus and sub-menus for your DVD-Video, too.

Miscellaneous: the switch from encoding module to Studio modules, works with a monitor away from the central unit by 15 meters of cableo (very rough but it does it job ;-)).

And lots of other stuff that I forgot to note…