Rumispot

2020-04-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

S L E E P I N G S O U N D S 🎼 🎙

Song : Rasathi
Movie : Aravindante Athidhikal
Music : Shaan Rahman
Singers : Vineeth Sreenivasan and Liya Susan Verghese
Lyrics : B K Harinarayanan
Language : Malayalam

இன்னைக்குதான் இந்த படம் பாத்தேன். ரெம்ப touching இருந்துச்சு. இதுதான் கதை.

சிறு வயதில் தன் தாயால் கைவிடப்பட்ட அரவிந்தன் (வினீத் சீனிவாசன்) கொல்லூர் மூகாம்பிகை கோயிலின் அருகில் இருக்கும் லாட்ஜ் ஒன்றை வைத்திருக்கும் மாதவனால் (சீனிவாசன்) வளர்க்கப்படுகிறான்.தன் தாய் தன்னை விட்டுச் சென்ற இடமாக அவன் அந்தக் கோயிலைக் கருதுவதால் வளர்ந்த பின்னரும் கோயிலின் உள்ளே செல்ல மறுக்கிறான்.
ஒரு நவராத்திரி தினத்தில் தொடங்கும் படம் மற்றொரு நவராத்திரி தினத்தில் முடிகிறது. இடைப்பட்ட நாள்களில் அரவிந்தனுடைய விருந்தினர்களுக்கும் அவனுக்குமான நெகிழ்ச்சியான உறவாடல் கிளைக்கதை, அரவிந்தன் தொலைத்த தன் தாயை அவன் மீண்டும் காண்கிறானா, அவன் கோயிலுக்குள் சென்றானா என்பது கதை.
தளபதி மற்றும் கர்ணன் கதையை நினைவுகூராமல் இருக்க முடியவில்லை.

மூகாம்பிகை கோயில், கொடச்சேரி மலையின் பிரமாண்டம், உடுப்பி, கும்பகோணம், பரதநாட்டியம் போன்ற காட்சிகளில் ஒளிப்பதிவு படத்தின் முக்கிய பலம். அதிலும் கொடசேரி மலையின் பிரமாண்டத்தை காட்சிப்படுத்தியது அட்டகாசம்.

வினித்தின் நெருங்கிய நண்பரும் சமீபத்திய வைரலான ஜிமிக்கி கம்மலின் இசையமைப்பாளருமான ஷான் ரஹ்மானின் இசை படத்தின் பெரும் பலம். வசனங்களே இடம்பெறாத முதல் மற்றும் இறுதிக்காட்சிகளை இசை முழுக்க முழுக்க தூக்கிச் சுமக்கிறது. படம் நெடுக இசைக்கு முக்கியப் பங்குண்டு. வினித்தின் குரலில் தாயைப் பற்றிய வரிகள் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் பல இடங்களில் ஒலித்து காட்சிகளுக்கு வலு சேர்க்கிறது. அந்த பாடல் இங்கே 👇
Here

இந்த படத்தை online free யாவே பார்க்கலாம். Link இங்கே

https://www.hotstar.com/in/movies/aravindante-athidhikal/1000217517

Sleeping Sounds - 20-03-2019

2019-03-20T08:45:00.003-07:00

Song : Nizhal Thedi Vanthen
Movie : Pournami Alaigal (1985)
Music : Sankar Ganesh
Lyricist : Pulamai Pithan
Singers : S.Janaki,K.J.Jesudass

பாடல் : நிழல் தேடி வந்தேன்
திரைப்படம்:- பௌர்ணமி அலைகள்
ரிலீஸ்:- 1985;
இசை:- சங்கர் - கணேஷ்;
பாடல்:- புலவர் புலமைப்பித்தன்;
பாடியவர்கள்:- ஜேசுதாஸ், S.ஜானகி;

நிழல் தேடி வந்தேன்
நிஜம் ஒன்று கண்டேன்
நிழல் தேடி வந்தேன்
நிஜம் ஒன்று கண்டேன்
சருகான பூவும் மலரானது
மேகமே வா, தேன் மழை தா
தென்றல் காற்றே தேர் கொண்டுவா

இருமனம் வேறாய் இருக்கின்ற வேளை
திருமண வாழ்க்கை சிறைவாசமே
இருமனம் வேறாய் இருக்கின்ற வேளை
திருமண வாழ்க்கை சிறைவாசமே
மாலையில் கங்கையாய்
சோலையில் கானலாய்
மாலையில் கங்கையாய்
சோலையில் கானலாய்
வேறிடம் மாறலாம்
ஓரிடம் சேரலாம்
வேறிடம் மாறலாம்
ஓரிடம் சேரலாம்

இலக்கணம் பார்த்தால்
இலக்கியம் இல்லை
சகுனங்கள் பார்த்தால்
பயணம் இல்லை
இலக்கணம் பார்த்தால்
இலக்கியம் இல்லை
சகுனங்கள் பார்த்தால்
பயணம் இல்லை
சூழ்நிலை கைதியாய்
வாழ்வதே நீதியா

Sleeping Sounds - 19-03-2019

2019-03-19T08:33:00.002-07:00

Song Name : Ilanjolai Poothadhaa Enna
Movie Name : Unakkaagave Vaazhgiren – 1986
Music : Ilayaraja
Singer : SP Balasubramanyam
Lyricist : Vairamuthu
Raagam : Dharmavathi

பாடல்: இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
திரைப்படம்: உனக்காகவே வாழ்கிறேன்
இசை: இளையராஜா
பாடியவர்: எஸ்.பி.பாலசுப்ரமணியம்
கவிதை : வைரமுத்து
ராகம்: தர்மவதி

ஆஆ ஆ..ஆஆ ஆஆ..ஆ ஆ
ஆஆ ஆ ஆஆ ஆஆ ஆஆ ஆ
ஆஆ ஆஆ
ஆஆ ஆஆ

இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
என்ன ஜாலம் வண்ணக்கோலம்
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
என்ன ஜாலம் வண்ணக்கோலம்
ஒரு பூந்தென்றல் தாலாட்ட
சில மேகங்கள் நீரூற்ற
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா

எந்த சொந்தங்கள் யாரோடு என்று
காலம் தான் சொல்லுமா
பூக்கள் சொல்லாமல் பூத்தூவும் மேகம்
தேதி தான் சொல்லுமா
சோலை எங்கும் சுகந்தம்
மீண்டும் இங்கே வசந்தம்
நெஞ்சம் ஏன்தான் மயங்கும்
கண்கள் சொன்னால் விளங்கும்
ஒரு மௌனம் தீர்ந்தது சுதியோடு சேர்ந்தது
ஒரு தாளம் ராகம் சொல்ல
சந்தம் பொங்கும் மெல்ல
மாயம் அல்ல மந்திரம் அல்ல
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா

ஊமையாய் போன சங்கீதம் ஒன்று
இன்று தான் பேசுதோ
மேடை இல்லாமல் ஆடாத கால்கள்
இன்று தான் ஆடுதோ
கண்ணில் என்ன கனவோ
நெஞ்சில் என்ன நினைவோ
நம்மை யார்தான் கேட்பது
விதி தானே சேர்ப்பது
இந்த பாசம் பாவம் இல்லை
நேசம் மோசம் இல்லை
கங்கை என்றும் காய்வதும் இல்லை
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
என்ன ஜாலம் வண்ணக்கோலம்
ஒரு பூந்தென்றல் தாலாட்ட
சில மேகங்கள் நீரூற்ற
இளஞ்சோலை பூத்ததா
என்ன ஜாலம் வண்ணக்கோலம்

Sleeping Sounds - 18-03-2019

2019-03-19T06:28:00.002-07:00

Song : Unnai naan ariven

Movie: Guna (1991)

Lyricist:Vaali

Singers: S.Janaki, S. Varalakshmi, Kamal hassan

Music Director: Ilaiyaraja

உன்னை, நான் அறிவேன்! என்னையன்றி யாறரிவார்?

கண்ணில், நீர் வழிந்தால், என்னையன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்?

யார் இவர்கள் மாயும் மானிடர்கள்!

ஆட்டிவைதால் ஆடும் பாத்திரங்கள்!

உன்னை, நான் அறிவேன்! என்னையன்றி யாரறிவார்?

கண்ணில், நீர் வழிந்தால், என்னையன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்?

தேவன் என்றால், தேவனல்ல, தரைமேல் உந்தன் ஜனனம்!

ஜீவன் என்றால், ஜீவனல்ல என்னைப்போல் இல்லை சரணம்!

நீயோ, வானம் விட்டு மண்ணில் வந்த தாரகை!

நானோ யாரும் வந்து தங்கி செல்லும் மாளிகை!

ஏன் தான் பிறந்தாயோ?

இங்கே வளர்ந்தயோ?

காற்றே நீயே சேற்றின் வாடை கொள்ள வேண்டும்!

உன்னை, நான் அறிவேன்! என்னையன்றி யாரறிவார்?

கண்ணில், நீர் வழிந்தால், என்னையன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்?

உன்னை, நான் அறிவேன்! என்னையன்றி யாரறிவார்?

கண்ணில், நீர் வழிந்தால், என்னையன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்?

தாய்ப்பறவை, மிதித்தால் சேய்ப்பறவை, நோவதில்லை, காயம் ஆவதில்லை!

உன்னை, நான் அறிவேன்! என்னையன்றி யாரறிவார்?

கண்ணில், நீர் வழிந்தால், என்னையன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்

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Sleeping Sounds - 17-03-2019

2019-03-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

திரைப்படம்:- கவிக்குயில்;
ரிலீஸ்:- 29th ஜூலை 1977;
இசை:- இளையராஜா;
பாடலாசிரியர்:- பஞ்சு அருணாச்சலம்;
பாடியவர்:- சுஜாதா மோகன்;
நடிப்பு:- ஸ்ரீதேவி;
தயாரிப்பு:- S.P. தமிழரசி;
கதை:- R. செல்வராஜ்;
டைரக்சன்:- தேவராஜ் மோகன்

காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ
மனசோலையின் காவியமே உன்னை நாளும் நாளும் வேண்டுகிறேன்
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ

மாமர தோட்டத்து நிழலில் ஒரு மாலை பொழுதினிலே
மாமர தோட்டத்து நிழலில் ஒரு மாலை பொழுதினிலே
ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே ஹே
மாமர தோட்டத்து நிழலில் ஒரு மாலை பொழுதினிலே
அந்த மாறன் அருகினிலே பூந்தென்றல் கமழ்ந்து வர
நான் என்னை மறந்தேனே
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ

கூந்தலில் வாசனை மலர்கள் அவன் சூடும் அழகினிலே
கூந்தலில் வாசனை மலர்கள் அவன் சூடும் அழகினிலே
என்ன சுகமோ தெரியவில்லை
என் தோளை தொடுவதென்ன பொன் மேனி சிலிர்ப்பதென்ன
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ

மார்கழி மாதத்து பனியில் என் தேகம் கொதிப்பதென்ன
மார்கழி மாதத்து பனியில் என் தேகம் கொதிப்பதென்ன
அவன் பார்வை குளிர்வதென்ன ஒரு பாசம் பிறப்பதென்ன
அங்கு நானம் தடுப்பதென்ன
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ
மனசோலையின் காவியமே உன்னை நாளும் நாளும் வேண்டுகிறேன்
காதல் ஓவியம் கண்டேன் கனவோ நினைவோ

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25 best food films of all time

2014-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Cinematic Cravings: 25 best food films of all time

LEIGH PAATSCSH AND SIMON PLANT
HERALD SUN
AUGUST 16, 2014 12:23PM

Watching Babette's Feast is enough to make any foodie hungry.

LEIGH Paatsch and Simon Plant hand pick their 25 best food films of all time and where in Melbourne they can satisfy their movie-induced hunger.

1. Babette’s Feast (1987)

“Every evening, I shall sit down to dine with you. Not with my body, which is of no importance. But with my soul.”

Stars: Stephane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel.

Signature dish: Baba au rhum avec les figues (rum baba with figs).

Local version: Turtle soup is a no-no. Buckwheat cakes with caviar are hard to do. And stuffed quails in puff pastry, with foie gras and a truffle sauce, sounds impossibly rich.

Of all the glorious dishes in Babette’s Feast, baba au rhum avec les figues sounds the most approachable. And just wait till you try one at Burch and Purchese Sweet Studio (647 Chapel St, South Yarra, burchandpurchese.com).

Owner-chef Darren Purchese has deconstructed Babette’s famous dessert and distilled its essence into one of his studio’s trademark test tubes.

“I wanted to play with the idea in a 21st century way, not replicate the way it was once done,” Purchese says. Put it to the taste test. Burch and Purchese is selling its rum-soaked baba with fig cream tubes this weekend ... until sold out.

Burch and Purchese Sweet Studio’s owner-chef Darren Purchase inspects his baba au rhum avec les figues. Picture: Nathan Dyer

2. Big Night (1996)

In Big Night, it’s all about the shrimp.

“Give people what they want, then later, you can give them what you want.”

Stars: Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci.

Signature dish: Seafood risotto.

Local version: In the movie, it was all about shrimp. But Joe Vargetto at Mister Bianco (285 High St, Kew, misterbianco.com.au) is more of a prawns and scallops man and both play starring roles in his creamy seafood risotto.

“They need to marry with the carnaroli rice and work ‘as one’, with parmesan, dill and basil,” Vargetto says. Bring it on.

Get your fix of seafood risotto at Mister Bianco on High St, Kew. Picture: Nicole Cleary

3. Like Water for Chocolate (1992)

Rose petals are used in several of the romantic dishes cooked in the 1992 film Like Water for Chocolate.

“If all you do in the kitchen is open a can, there can be no love.”

Stars: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos.

Signature dish: Roasted poultry in rose petal sauce.

Local version: Rose petals often pop up in the meli melo at Brooks (basement 115-117 Collins St,brooksofmelbourne.com.au) but this medley of vegetables, herbs and flowers always includes edible flowers among its 40-odd components, many of which are foraged and locally grown. Brooks chef Nicolas Poelaert is skilled with intricate dishes and this one shows off his supreme handling of different textures and temperatures.

A Meli Melo of vegetables, herbs and flowers, at Brooks on Collins St, Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

4. Julie and Julia (2009)

Meryl Streep as Julia Child in the 2009 film Julie and Julia.

“You are the butter to my bread. You are the breath to my life.”

Stars: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams.

Signature dish: Beef bourguignon

Local version: Julia Child is synonymous with a slow-cooked burgundy stew simmered in red wine, and Bistro Thierry (511 Malvern Rd Toorak, bistrothierry.com.au) serves a robust version, with beef braised in red wine with onions, mushrooms, and served with mashed potato.

Boeuf bourguignon en croute on the menu at Bistro Thierry on Malvern Rd, Toorak.

5. Tampopo (1985)

Tampopo is all about the noodles.

“Before you eat, apologise to the pork and tell it you will see it soon.”

Stars: Ken Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto.

Signature dish: Ramen noodles.

Local version: Served in a minute and devoured almost as quickly, Japanese ramen noodles are making a splash in Melbourne.

Nowhere more so than at Fukuryu Ramen (22-26 Corrs Lane, city, fukuryuramen.com) in deepest Chinatown.

Chow down on ramen, both modern and traditional (the full-bodied Tonkotsu is a classic). And remember, slurping is not only encouraged at Fukuryu. It’s expected.

Chicken Tonkotsu Ramen at Fukuryu Ramen on Corrs Lane, Melbourne is a hit. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

6. Chocolat (2000)

Juliette Binoche serves up a sweet treat in Chocolat.

“And it melts ... it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure.”

Stars: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp.

Recipe for success: In a devoutly religious picture-book village in France, the mysterious Vianne

Signature dish: Chicken mole (Mexican chocolate casserole).

Local version: Mexico’s national dish, a sauce combining chillies with chocolate, is a rarity in Melbourne because it takes hours to make.

Los Amates (34 Johnston St, Fitzroy. losamates.com.au) makes the effort. This “authentic’’ Mexican diner takes pride in its pollo con mole poblano ($24.50) with owner-chef Arturo Morales alert to every last detail, from the peanuts and sesame seeds to the tomatillos and dark cacao.

Mexican casserole chicken mole at Los Amates, Johnston St, Fitzroy. Picture: Laura Alicia González

7. The Lunchbox (2014)

Irrfan Khan in a scene from The Lunchbox.

“Sometimes taking the wrong train will still get you to the right station.”

Stars: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur.

Signature dish: Paneer (Indian cheese).

Local version: Homely and comforting, paneer is the very essence of Indian hospitality. At Babu Ji (4-6 Grey St, St Kilda. babuji.com.au), Jessi and Jennifer Singh marinate the cheese overnight in yoghurt, ginger, garlic, chilli, crushed pomegranate and dried green mango powder.

They char it in the tandoor with little logs of capsicum. And the result? A perfect Paneer Tikka.

Try this delicious Paneer Tikka dish from Babu Ji on Grey St, St Kilda. Picture: Albert Comper

8. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Food plays a central role in Eat Drink Man Woman.

“Raising daughters is like cooking a meal. You lose your appetite by the time you’re finished.”

Stars: Sihung Lung, Chin-Cheng Lu.

Signature dish: Shanghai spring rolls.

Local version: Stepping into David’s (4, Cecil Place, Prahran. davidsrestaurant.com.au), you can almost hear the hard slap of mahjong tiles. David Zhou’s hip laneway diner channels the rowdy, casual atmosphere of many an eatery in old Shanghai. But you really know you’re in the Far East when they send out spring rolls — plugged with pork, deeply tanned and impossibly crisp.

Delicious Shanghai spring rolls from David's on Cecil Pl, Prahran. Picture: Supplied

9. Ratatouille (2007)

Sure the chef is a rat, but we dare you to watch Ratatouille and not crave the classic vegetable dish.

“Good food is like music you can taste, colour you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savour it.”

Stars: The voices of Patton Oswalt, Peter O’Toole.

Signature Dish: Ratatouille.

Local version: France-Soir (11 Toorak Rd, South Yarra. france-soir.com.au) is your go-to place for this classic French Provencale dish. Chef Geraud Fabre thinks it best suits a summer’s day, when tomatoes, zucchinis and peppers are ripe. But meeting consumer demand, France-Soir is keeping ratatouille on as a winter “special”.

Get a Ratatouille fix from France Soir on Toorak Rd, South Yarra. Picture: Nicole Cleary

10. Chef (2014)

Emjay Anthony and Jon Favreau in a scene from the film Chef.

“I may not do everything great in life, but I am good at this.”

Stars: Jon Favreau, Scarlett Johansson.

Signature dish: Cuban sandwich.

Local version: The Cuban sandwich has a home in Melbourne ... and it’s on wheels. Dos Diablos Mobile Cantina (dosdiablos.com.au) roams city streets with a mouth-watering menu of American street fare and its range of “tortas” (hearty sandwich rolls) includes the Torta Cubana. “Our version takes a crusty roll slathered with chipotle mayo and stuffs it with slow roasted pulled pork, cheese, jalapeños and slaw,” devil-in-chef Bill Jacobs says. “Delicioso!” So delicioso, Dos Diablo is putting another truck on the road — a little one dubbed El Diablito.

Try a delicious sandwich from Dos Diablos Mobile Cantina.

11. My Dinner with Andre (1981)

Watching My Dinner with Andre makes you hungry for roasted quail.

“If you’re just operating by habit, then you’re not really living.”

Stars: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn.

Signature dish: Roasted quail with raisins.

Local version: Fish pate, potato soup, a small green salad ... it’s all on the menu in this arthouse favourite but the standout dish is roasted quail with raisins. Bottega (74 Bourke St, city.bottega.com.au) comes close to replicating it with an entree special combining “crispy quail”, chard leaves, goats cheese, spicy walnuts and beetroot salad. Raisins added on request.

Crispy roasted quail with raisins from Bottega, Bourke St, Melbourne. Picture: Nicole Cleary

12. Dinner Rush (2009)

Dinner Rush was directed by a restaurateur.

“Only in New York will a double murder triple your business.”

Stars: Danny Aiello, John Corbett.

Signature dish: Salsiccia e Peperoni (sausages and peppers).

Local version: Like the Italian restaurant in the movie, Valentino (517 Malvern Rd, Hawksburn.valentinorestaurant.com.au) dishes up rustic, heartfelt food. Owner-chef Riccardo Momesso includes sausages and fried peppers in that and made sure star Italian chef Antonio Carluccio got a big serve when he visited Melbourne. Dig in.

Salsiccia e Peperoni from Valentino on Malvern Rd, Hawksburn.

13. La Grand Bouffe (1973)

“If you do not eat, you do not die.”

Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli

Signature dish: Suckling pig.

Local version: Master of all things meaty, Adrian Richardson has special affection for suckling pig. So when he turns it on at La Luna Bistro (320 Rathdowne St, Carlton North. lalunabistro.com.au), expect a knockout specimen: crisped and bronzed to porcine perfection. Always ring ahead: La Luna’s suckling pig is a “special”, cooked to order.

Adrian Richardson with a suckling pig from La Luna Bistro on Rathdowne St, Carlton North. Picture: Nicole Cleary

14. Mostly Martha (2001)

A scene from Mostly Martha.

“It’s your restaurant, but her kitchen. Without her, it’s just a pile of metal.”

Stars: Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellito

Signature dish: Homemade gnocchi.

Local version: There is gnocchi ... and then there is gnocchi gorgonzola at Lupino (41 Lt Collins St, city. lupino.com.au). Pasta master Marco Lori serves a voluptuous version that dances on the tongue, sometimes melding his piquant gorgonzola sauce with some porcini. “The less flour you use, the softer the gnocchi,’’ he tells us. The proof is on the plate at Lupino.

Gnocchi Gorgonzola from Lupino Restaurant.

15. No Reservations (2007)

Aaron Eckhart with Catherine Zeta-Jones in scene from the film No Reservations.

“I wish there was a cookbook for life, you know? Recipes telling us exactly what to do.”

Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart.

Signature dish: Scallops in saffron sauce.

Local version: If it’s good enough for Zeta-Jones and Eckhart, then scallops in saffron sauce is good enough for us. Tricky thing is, this dish is hard to find in Melbourne. Bacash (175 Domain Rd, South Yarra. bacash.com.au) comes closest with its entree, seared sea scallop with jerusalem artichoke, candied bacon and apple puree. Bound to be beautiful if seafood specialist Michael Bacash designed it.

If they’re good enough for Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart, then scallops in saffron sauce are good enough for us. Picture: File

16. The Trip (2010)

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon pile on the funny in The Trip.

“To bed! Tomorrow we ride! We leave at ... 10-ish.”

Stars: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon.

Signature dish: Fish pie.

Local version: Lunching long and hard in fine dining rooms across the north of England,

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon were furnished with a considerable expense account. But,

closer to home, it is possible to get a taste of The Trip by ordering fish pie at the Builders Arms Hotel (211 Gertrude St, Fitzroy. buildersarmshotel.com.au).

Andrew McConnell’s brigade lay in smoked trout, rockling and prawns under a golden hat of flaky puff. Very British ... in a Michael Caine sort of way.

Try a fish pie at the Builders Arms Hotel on Gertrude St, Fitzroy. Picture: Supplied

17. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2009)

Jiro at work at the sushi bar with his son Yoshikazu is at his side.

“I’ve never once hated this job. I am 85 years old. I won’t be retiring. That is how I feel.”

Stars: Jiro Ono.

Signature dish: Sushi.

Local version: At Shira Nui (247 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley) you get very close to the sushi Jiro dreamt about. Don’t bother with a menu. Put yourself in the safe hands of owner-chef Hiro Nishikura — the man with the flashing blade — and let him send out exquisite raw fish delicacies. Fresh cod and flying fish roe here, daikon-coddled mackerel there.

Try the sea urchin sushi at Shira Nui on Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley. Picture: Supplied.

18. Soul Kitchen (2009)

Things get tense in the 2009 film Soul Kitchen.

“No junk food here. I am an artist, not a whore.”

Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Adam Bousdoukos.

Signature dish: Schaum torte.

Local version: The daily bake at Monarch Cakes (103 Acland St, St Kilda. monarchcakes.com.au) can run to Polish cheesecake and gingerbread men, cherry crumble and poppy seed kugelhopf. This weekend, those beloved favourites will be joined by Schaum torte — a frothy, strawberry-plugged dessert bearing a striking resemblance to Australasia’s venerable pavlova.

The Schaum torte on offer at Monarch Cakes.

19. Waitress (2007)

“First, the flavour of an exotic spice hits ya … and then you get flooded with chocolate, dark and bittersweet like an old love affair …”

Stars: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion.

Signature dish: Pecan pie.

Local version: What with Reubens flashing past and lox salmon and wagyu patty melts, it’s easy to overlook sweet treats at Bowery to Williamsburg (16 Oliver Lane, city). But you’re missing out on pecan pie if you do. The Bowery’s version of this American beauty is a work of art with fine, shortcrust pastry enfolding crunchy Australian pecans. The maple glaze over the top is so glossy, you can almost see your own reflection in it.

Get a fix of American pecan pie at Bowery to Williamsburg on Oliver Lane, City. Picture: Supplied.

20. Jamon, Jamon (1992)

Try the Jamon at Fitzroy’s Casa Iberica.

Penélope Cruz in the 1992 film Jamon Jamon.

“The way she walked was like an invitation to dinner.”

Stars: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem.

Signature dish: Jamon (Spanish ham).

Local version: We can’t guarantee their funky, porky flavour will set passions aflame, the way they did for Penélope Cruz’ suitors in Jamon Jamon. But the glorious Spanish hams displayed at Casa Iberica Deli (25 Johnston St, Fitzroy. casaiberica.com.au) are bound to stir thoughts of sunny Spain.

21. The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

Manish Dayal and Helen Mirren in a scene from The Hundred-Foot Journey. Picture Francois Duhamel/ DreamWorks

“We cook to make ghosts. There are spirits in the ingredients. Can you taste them?”

Stars: Helen Mirren, Om Puri.

Signature dish: Indian omelet.

Local version: If you hanker for a first-class omelet with an Indian edge, look no further than Conservatory at Crown (Crown Melbourne, Southbank. crownmelbourne.com.au). Its chefs will gladly burnish your order with green chillies, capsicum, tomatoes, turmeric and coriander leaves.

A first class omelet with an Indian edge can be found at Crown, Southbank. Picture: Supplied

22. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Julie Dawn Cole’s Veruca Salt loses her temper in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

“Rainbow drops: suck them, and you can spit in seven different colours!”

Stars: Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum.

Signature dish: Colourful confectionery.

Local version: It’s not easy finding lickable wallpaper and Everlasting Gobstoppers in this town. But a river of chocolate? No problem. The Langham, Melbourne (1 Southgate Ave, Southbank.melbourne.langhamhotels.com.au) offers a Chocolate Bar High Tea ($75 pp) that would do Willy Wonka proud.

The Langham offers a Chocolate Bar High Tea that would make Willy Wonka proud. Picture: Supplied

23. Step Up to the Plate (2012)

Delicate dishes are on the menu in the 2012 film Step Up to the Plate.

“Never give customers long explanations. By the time you finish, the dish is cold.”

Stars: Michel Bras, Sebastian Bras.

Signature dish: Foie gras.

Local version: Bistro Vue (430 Lt Collins St, city bistrovue.com) serves foie gras baked in brioche ($38). Head chef Chris Bonello reports consistent demand for this elite treat made from the livers of specially fattened ducks.

Try foie gras baked in brioche at Bistro Vue on Little Collins St, City. Picture: Supplied

24. Haute Cuisine (2009)

Sadly, we could not find a Melbourne restaurant serving choux farci au salmon. Picture: Supplied

“He runs the country. She runs the kitchen.”

Stars: Catherine Frot, Jean d’Ormesson.

Signature dish: Choux farci au saumon (salmon and cabbage).

Local version: Delpeuch showed how this dish was done on a visit to Australia last year. But no Melbourne restaurant seems to be serving choux farci au saumon — salmon artfully stuffed between layers of cabbage. Your second-best option may well be at Bistro Guillaume (Riverside at Crown. bistroguillaume.com.au) where king salmon is joined with very Gallic-sounding confit of leek and fennel.

25. The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)

A scene from The Scent of Green Papaya.

“If you let the food breathe, you will be able to breathe in the food.”

Stars: Tran Nu Yen-Khe, Trong Thi Loc.

Signature dish: Green papaya salad.

Local version: Watching The Scent of The Green Papaya, chef Kim Un felt “so inspired”, he invented a dish served at Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant (201 Faraday St, Carltonshakahari.com.au) and its South Melbourne satellite. Un marries tropical fruit with raw vegetables, roasted cashews, organic tempeh and fresh herbs, then aligns that with a mild chilli-tamarind sauce. Its name? Scent of the Green Papa.

Head to Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant on Faraday St, Carlton for a green papaya salad. Picture: Supplied

Tamil Dictionary - Online English Tamil Dictionary

2010-02-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Tamil Dictionary - Online English Tamil Dictionary

Ripping Subtitles to SRT with SubRip

2009-11-01T09:54:00.001-08:00

Ripping Subtitles to SRT with SubRip
by Michael Healy @ 9:15 am on April 25th, 2009 in codecs, movie library, subtitles with No Comments and Permalink

SubRip So you forgot to include subtitles while ripping your movie collection, what do you do now? Luckily, the solution isn’t to go back through the entire process and do it over again. You will need to break those DVDs back out of storage, however. Today we’ll use a program called SubRip to analyze the subtitles of each movie and save them as a text based file called an SRT. This SRT file is readable by most decoders including FFDShow and DirectVobSub.

Before we get started we need to have a few tools ready. First off you’ll need to have a way around any disk encryption present. The easiest and most expedient way to do this without having to rip the entire disk over again is to use AnyDVD. AnyDVD is a tool that any Media Center enthusiast should have available and is well worth the price. We’ll cover this tool more in-depth at a later time.

For now, we’ll obviously also need to have SubRip downloaded and installed. Download the latest version of SubRip and extract the files to your hard drive. Upon launching SubRip you’ll quickly notice that the interface is somewhat less than intuitive.

SubRip Interface

With the DVD in the drive and AnyDVD running press the VOB button in the toolbar. This will bring up a dialog allowing you to choose the file to rip subtitles from. Press the Open IFO button and browse to the DVD drive, then into the Video_TS folder. Each set of files in this directory corresponds to a track on the DVD, select the IFO file of the track that you ripped your movie from. If you’ve selected a track that contains subtitles an information dialog should appear and the language stream dropdown box will be populated.

Select Subtitle Track

SubRip will also automatically select all the matching VOB files from the disk that go with this track. Before beginning it’s worth noting that after running SubRip successfully you’ll be given the option to save a character matrix file. Subtitles do not exist as text on the disk and are instead images that need to be translated into text by SubRip.

During processing SubRip will prompt you to help it with deciphering the images into text and will “learn” as the process goes on. Loading this file each time will result in SubRip becoming more efficient in processing your DVDs’ subtitles saving you quite a bit of time. For now press “Start” to begin processing subtitles for this track.

SubRip Output

For complete subtitles be sure to uncheck the “Forced Subtitles Only” checkbox under Options –> Global Options. Enabling forced subtitles will only extract subtitles for sections of the movie which would display subtitles regardless of the subtitle setting of the player. For example, foreign dialog in an otherwise native language movie would be forced subtitles.

As mentioned above, during processing you’ll be prompted to correct any characters that SubRip can’t decipher into plain text. A small dialog box will appear where you will be required to enter all the letters inside the highlighted area. Only enter the highlighted characters from inside the red box into the input box then press “OK”.

SubRip Character Correction

During processing you’ll notice that SubRip has learned these characters and no longer asks you to verify them manually. Once the process has completed you’ll be given the option to save these manual entries to a character file which you can load next time, saving you from having to enter them again.

Once the movie has finished save the text output by pressing the floppy disk icon in the Subtitles window. Choose you desired font and size then save the SRT file to your movie’s directory.

Save SRT File

Most decoders will now pickup the SRT files contained in the movie directory. If you still don’t receive subtitles you may want to check your codec setup. FFDShow by default will load the file that comes first alphabetically if multiple files are in the same directory which is something you may want to keep in mind if you are using multiple subtitle files.

Making your own DVDs

2009-10-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

John Beale (July 2001- April 2004)

I got a Pioneer DVR-A03 from profeel in July 2001. After that (Dec. 2002) came the DVR-A04 and DVR-A05, which are similar except the A05 can write at 4x (but only on DVD-R blanks marked as "4x" speed). In May 2003 Pioneer announced the DVR-A06 drive, which also features DVD+R and DVD+RW, and in Nov 2003 they announced the DVR-A07 which can write DVD-R at 8x speed. I got an A06 drive which works well.

Warning: In June 2004 I got a Sony DRU-700A burner which consistently produces unreliable DVDs (5 for 5) using premium 4x Taiyo-Yuden DVD-R media, even with the latest firmware (VY05). Each one freezes in the same spot on my Yamakawa DVD-218. Same program, same media, same player is perfect (3 for 3) when burned with the Pioneer A06. I recommend you avoid the Sony drive (actually a Lite-On SOHW-832S).

You can buy a DVD writer from videoguys, meritline or most local computer stores, and they're a lot cheaper than they used to be.

The A03 and later drives write on DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. The unit goes into your computer just like a IDE-interface CD-R drive (which in fact it is; in addition to DVD-R/RW it also writes CD-R and CD-RW). Installation of the drive was easy and fast, and the hardware works flawlessly. However, the process of preparing files in the necessary format for writing a valid DVD (the so-called "authoring" process) is not so simple.

So far I have made several 1.5 hour-long DVD productions of dance performances, and also some compilations of shorter projects I had done earlier. For a description of the DVD format and what is capable of, see the bottom of this page. I describe the steps involved in my own DVD production process below.

Note: The files on a DVD disc have the same format regardless of the operating system you use to create them, and also what media you write them on (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R etc). I am using a PC running Windows 2000. If you are using a Mac, from what I've heard, the Apple DVD authoring software is much less complicated to get working than what I have illustrated here. I am not familiar with Macs but there is a Mac-specific DVD authoring forum on 2-pop.com. Apple also used the Pioneer DVD-R drive (then called the DVR-103 in the OEM version) in its first DVD-capable computers in 2001, and as far as I know is continuing to use the Pioneer brand DVD-R drives.

How to Make a DVD

0) Shoot your video. Use the best camera you can, because any noise in the video image will be accentuated by the MPEG2 encoding process. If you can, reduce the "sharpening" in the camera. Most consumer cameras have fixed, built-in sharpening process which looks fine when you make VHS copies, but is less desirable when encoding for DVD.

1) Transfer video on MiniDV tape from camera to computer over Firewire (I use the Canopus DVRaptor card, although cheaper options exist). Large hard drives are useful here; I have two 80 GB Maxtor EIDE drives in a Promise FastTrack100 TX2 array. I see about 50 MB/sec read and write using the Canopus drive test utility.

2) Edit various camera angles together with your video editing software. I used to use Adobe Premiere, but now I prefer Sonic Foundry Vegas 4. Another possibility is Ulead MediaStudio Pro. Most of the new NLEs (non-linear editor = computer video editing) permit you to export your video as a MPEG2 directly using a built-in encoder. This can be convenient, however I prefer the flexibility and control of saving the file as a DV AVI format, and encoding separately. Previously, I had to save each AVI block of about 8 minutes separately, due to a limit of 2 GB per each AVI file. On Windows 2000 with NTFS filesystem (and type 2 AVI files) this is not necessary.

For MPEG2 encoding I use a separate encoder program, see (3) below. It is possible to use external encoders as if they were built-in to your NLE using the Debugmode PluginPac Frameserver for Vegas, Premiere, and MediaStudio Pro. There is also a "bridge" program called Premiere Video Server, described here.

In general I have found the built-in MPEG2 encoders with most NLE software are reasonably fast, but do not generate optimum quality. The program bundled with the DVR-A03 (Sonic MyDVD) can encode MPEG2, but generates disappointing quality video, and is extremely slow as well.

A note on contrast: DV from a MiniDV camcorder, MPEG2 for DVD, and the ITU-R BT.601 (formerly CCIR 601) standard they are based on all specify a digital video brightness level of 16 for black and 235 for white, rather than the 0..255 levels common for computer graphics, JPEGs from digital still cameras, etc.

In CCE, under "Encoder setting->Advanced [Video...]-> "Luminance" you can select [16 to 235] or [0 to 255]. The first setting reduces contrast; the second setting makes no alteration to your levels. For DV material, choose the second setting [0 to 255]. If you choose [16 to 235] the program will assume you've got the full input range (black = 0) and will compress your contrast so your output black = 16, but if you had DV to start with your output blacks will be too light. TMPGEnc has a similar feature: MPEG Setting->Quantize matrix->"Output YUV data as Basic YCbCr not CCIR601" which should be checked assuming DV input source. You can also manually tweek levels with a fine degree of precision using a filter within the TMPGEnc encoder: here's how. With other encoders you're on your own. For more technical detail see the pages at adamwilt.com on Black Levels and White Clip.

3) Convert AVI to MPEG2 with an encoder. (As noted, you can skip this step if you use the built-in encoders.) Warren Young has a review of MPEG2 encoders and other useful information. I have used a few encoders I like: TMPGEnc, CCE Basic, MainConcept, and Ligos LSX-MPEG. The Canopus Procoder does a very good job, but it is about 10x as expensive. TMPGEnc is a standalone program, as is Cinema Craft CCE Basic and MainConcept. LSX-MPEG is sold as either a standalone encoder or an Adobe Premiere plug-in, and is also bundled into Ulead MediaStudio Pro 6.5. The MSP version I have has very few options, so there is little more to describe.

The TMPGEnc program has a huge number of configurable options, start with the provided DVD profile and tweek to suit. vcdhelp.com has some explanation of the parameter settings, and here is a paragraph about the noise reduction filter. The TMPGEnc noise reduction - time axis (temporal filter) does not visibly affect any single frame much, but enables a more efficient MPEG2 encode for noticibly better output quality at any given bitrate. Highly recommended. You can also use an external pre-filtering program if your encoder doesn't offer it, for example virtualdub is quite useful. avisynth is even more powerful, but takes some time to learn.

Bitrate of the encoded video is the most important factor for video quality. Too small a bitrate will give bad quality, but too high may give you a file too large for the DVD. Here is a bitrate calculator from dvd-hq.info to help (that page has quite a bit of useful information). I suggest you avoid maximum bitrates above 8000 kbps for best compatibility. For example 8500 kbps can cause rough-looking playback with many small glitches, if it doesn't actually lock up the player. Yes, if you are making a "replicated", pressed commercial DVD you can go up to 9800 kbps, but DVD-R or DVD+R media is simply not reliable at the higher rates on many players, especially older ones.

TMPGEnc has the option to de-interlace, but I keep the video in interlaced mode, for best playback on an interlaced TV. One person said that only the older TMPGEnc 12a from jamsoft.com worked with their DV AVI files, but the current TMPGEnc from the official site works well for me.

Note May 1, 2002: The Ligos LSX-MPEG plug-in for Premiere is much faster than TMPGEnc and the quality is at least as good IF you don't tweek TMPGEnc's settings. In Ligos I set VBR mode with 8000 kbps max, and 7000 kbps average (or less, depending how much video I have to fit on the DVD). If you do tweek settings, in particular brightness/contrast and temporal filtering, I find TMPGEnc can look better, and with the video server program it can be used like a Premiere plugin also.

Audio. DVD audio is always sampled at 48 kHz, either uncompressed 16-bit stereo PCM (1.536 Mbps), or compressed (MPEG1 layer 2 or AC-3) with a maximum bitrate of 384 kbps. Technically, a NTSC DVD title must have at least one PCM or AC-3 soundtrack to be compliant with the DVD standard, but in my experience, any DVD players that you can buy today can play MPEG1 audio. I have been told that a few DVD players do exist which don't support MPEG1 level 2 audio. I find that Linear (uncompressed) PCM takes too much of the available bitstream, affecting achievable video quality and playback time. Before 2003 I used MPEG1 layer II audio on my DVDs, but no longer. AC3 (Dolby Digital) encoding is better for playback compatibility as well as audio quality for any given bitrate, but it was too expensive for consumers. Fortunately, now Vegas4+DVD offers AC3 as well as Ulead DVD-Workshop through a separate AC3 plugin. There is a freeware program called BeSweet that generates AC3, but I found its output had playback errors. If you want to try it, there is a guide at dvdrhelp.com.

Here is the TMPGEnc parameter file I used for one DV->MPEG2 encoding project for DVD. You will need to adjust the noise reduction filters and brightness and contrast settings to suit your own material. This is quite important; it makes the difference between mediocre and superior video quality. This page about SVCD encoding has some generally useful information about TMPGEnc as well.

4) Optional. If you encoded many separate files, you can combine individual MPEG2 files into one longer program, using the TMPGEnc command
File->MPEG Tools->Merge & Cut.

5) Authoring. Use a "DVD Authoring Tool" to make the final DVD image on your hard drive. In the past this has been tricky, but the authoring software has been improving a lot recently.

I have tried Sonic MyDVD and DVDit, Spruce Technologies SpruceUp, MTC2000 DVD-Motion, Authoringware DVD Junior, ULead DVD Workshop and DVD Plug-In, Sonic Foundry DVD-Author, Mediachance DVD-Lab and Pegasys TMPGEnc DVD Author. I believe that DVD Workshop is currently the best choice among these programs for most users. It has a good user interface and comes with a number of pre-built menu and background templates. It has a built-in preview mode to test-play your disc, navigate menus etc. prior to encoding. It also has a built-in video capture mode and MPEG2 encoder, which works well (but normally I use TMPGEnc or CCE as described above). The current DVDWS ver1.3 can play back AC3 audio (see this note) but you need a separate AC3 plugin pack to encode your own AC3. As of Summer 2002, DVD Workshop was available for free 30-day trial at Ulead's website.

The other choices: DVD-Lab is the new kid on the block- inexpensive and many powerful features, but may not be 100% debugged yet especially with PAL DVDs. If you don't mind testing out beta-level software, definitely give it a try. SpruceUp was basic but quite nice, however, due to corporate acquisitions, neither SpruceUp nor the more primitive DVD-Motion are available anymore. MyDVD has a slick interface but it is functionally quite limited, eg. won't let you use MPEG1 Layer2 audio so it's a non-starter in my book. Ulead has a DVD plug-in, bundled with MSP 6.5. I made a DVD using MSP 6.5's built-in encoder (Ligos LSX-MPEG) for conversion to MPEG2 (good quality) plus the DVD plug-in: it is easy to use, but limited: it permits only one video title with one menu to select chapter points, plus a separate first-play title (with no menu or chapters). Also, the plug-in's chapter-point selector seems buggy: you can manually enter timecodes ok, but it just freezes (permanently) if you try to interactively scroll the slider to select a chapter point. DVD-Lab came out of beta in May 2003 and is an inexpensive option, but check for compatibility before releasing a title with it. TMPGEnc DVD Author is rather basic and does not give you full control over menus. The most complete, full-featured DVD authoring tools are Sonic Scenarist (the professional standard- stunningly expensive, not a consumer item), and Spruce DVD Maestro (also pricey, and no longer sold). Sonic also sells some intermediate tools (below full Scenarist but above consumer-grade): ReelDVD and Scenarist Studio.

In the past I made my DVDs with AuthoringWare DVD Junior which has useable, but quite basic user interface (not as "slick" as some others). Before Ulead's DVD Workshop came out, DVD Junior was my choice of software. The full version of DVD Jr does have additional audio tracks (eg. director's commentary, or second language) and subtitles which DVD WS v.1.3 does not feature. Note, due to FAT32 filesystem limit of 4.2 GB (?) you cannot use quite all of the 4.5 GB of space on a DVD. If you use Windows 2000/ME/etc. with NTFS filesystem, this limit does not apply to you.

6) Having finished authoring your title by inserting chapter points, creating and linking menus and buttons with chapters, you export your finished video program from the authoring software. This creates a DVD file set on one of your hard drives: you will see VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders. AUDIO_TS contains nothing, it would be used in a DVD-AUDIO type disc. The authoring software converts your MPEG2 files (either elementary audio and video streams, or a pre-multiplexed system stream) to a program stream type with the VOB extension ("video object"), plus some other indexing files (IFO, BUP), all of which go in the VIDEO_TS folder. Many authoring programs are now offering the capability to burn a DVD directly but I wouldn't recommend that. I'd rather test-play my title from the hard drive first before taking the time to make an actual DVD.

7) Use a software DVD player (I find WinDVD is the best) to play your DVD production from disk, testing each menu, title and chapter to ensure your disc will work according to plan. WinDVD 4.0 can play the DVD from a VIDEO_TS folder directly. A player opening just an individual MPEG or VOB file will not show you the menus or correct chapter points.

8) Record the disc. Dust causes errors so make sure the disc is clean before putting it in the DVD burner. Using the Prassi PrimoDVD data writer utility which was bundled with the Pioneer drive, burn the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders onto a DVD-R or DVD-RW disc. Prassi offers two variants of UDF Bridge filesystems for writing DVD-R discs, and I believe they both work. The A03 is a true 2x speed drive writing DVD-R, and it takes 28 minutes start to finish, to burn my larger DVD project (which used about 90% of the full available space on the disc). It is only 1x speed when writing DVD-RW, and 8x speed writing CD-R. Note that it is apparently only 1x if you use unapproved off-brand (cheaper) DVD-R media. I know it does work at 2x speed on Apple and Pioneer brand.

9) Insert finished disc in your DVD player and cross your fingers. So far I've burned about 60 DVD-R discs, mostly for my dance group. The home standalone DVD players generally work, even several year-old ones. Several older laptop DVD drives did not play. All the standalone players I tried at the local Fry's Electronics store worked on DVD-R (about 10 different models). Many players do show a brief glitch, for example a small blocky area for a few frames on any given disc, typically the areas with highest bitrate (fast motion). Often this is acceptable but be forewarned. You may be able to avoid this by restricting yourself to lower bitrates, for example 7 Mbps max.

This page has a list of players reported to be compatible with DVD-R, DVR-RW and DVD+RW media. The DVR-A03 writes DVD-R and DVD-RW (plus CD-R and CD-RW) but not DVD+RW or DVD+R. There is a review of DVD format and player compatibility published in the July 2002 issue of DV Magazine. They note that brand-name discs are more widely compatible than the cheaper no-name type, and DVD-R is more widely readable than DVD-RW or DVD+RW.

10) Labels: I would like to make nice printed labels to give a professional appearance to the product, but there are several problems. One, the manufactures of blank discs don't recommend it, claiming potential readback problems. Two, the clear labels I tried had a problem. There are several possible approaches, including a surprisingly inexpensive printer from Casio, see (see these notes). [4/2004] Epson now makes several printers (Photo 900, Photo 960, R200, R300) which can print directly on white coated "inkjet-printable" CDs and DVDs and the results look very good. But be careful, a damp finger can smudge the ink.

DVD Media: There is a difference.

NOTE! (05-31-2003) According to a Maxell representative, the "Maxell unbranded 2x DVD-R" media sold in 2003 by Meritline is not a genuine Maxell product. I have some more details here.

NOTE! (9-17-2002) If you have a Pioneer DVD drive including the DVR-A03, DVR-A04 and the "Superdrive" used in Mac computers, you must install this firmware update before using any 4x DVD-R or 2x DVD-RW media in your drive, or risk permanent hardware damage. This does not apply to the earlier 1x or 2x DVD-R media.

Ralph LaBarge, writing in DV Magazine did an excellent compatibility test using many different vendors of DVD-R and many different DVD players. He found DVD-R blanks from Maxell and TDK had the best compatibility with players, and generally speaking the cheapest brands (or no-name discs) were the worst performers. The full DVD Compatibility Test is online (free registration required.)

I have tried Taiyo-Yuden, Pioneer, Apple, Mitsui, Maxell, Ritek, and Meritline DVD-R media. The Mitsui brand did not work in most DVD drives I tested, the others worked almost everywhere. When you're testing different brands for playback, make sure that dust on the disc is not an issue. You can buy DVD-R media online from places like supermediastore or meritline.com.

Note, the Pioneer 103 and A03 DVD-R writers will only work at 2x speed with those specific brands of DVD-R media present on a list encoded in the firmware as acceptable for 2x speed writing. Apple and Pioneer brand work at 2x, many others (typically the "cheap" brands) are actually written at 1x speed. Pioneer does have a recommendation on which DVD-R brands to use for 2x burning: as of June 2002 they are: Pioneer, Verbatim, TDK, Mitsui, Maxell, Taiyo-Yuden, and Panasonic.

Note that Apple's new version of their DVD-R which I discovered on June 22 2002, needs updated firmware on the A03 to burn at 2x. The exterior packaging of a box of 5 is identical to the older version. I hate it when manufacturers do that. Anyway with the new firmware it burns at 2x and so far, it seems to play back just as well as the older type.

There are two types of DVD-R discs: General and Authoring. The Pioneer DVR-A03 drive writes only to DVD-General disks. The earlier, much more expensive Pioneer DVR-S201 drive writes to DVD-Authoring discs, which permit writing of extra data that a DVD replication house can use to generate the CSS (content scrambling system) data on the final discs.

DVD Compatibility: not perfect.

After making about 60 DVD-R discs and playing them on a number of different systems I have observed that about 90% of the players will work. That is to say, they appear to play the disc normally. BUT, half of those players will very occasionally show some blocky "glitches" on the video, due to playback errors. DVD-R media is not as reflective as standard silvery commercial DVD discs so the player has to work harder to read it, and there is a greater liklihood of errors particularly with fast-scan FF or REV play modes. Some players are "marginal" in that they play maybe half the DVD-R discs loaded and refuse to play others, even identical DVD-R media from the same box burned with the same video using the same program on the same hardware, or sometimes refusing to play the very same disc they played before. Go figure. For some reason, laptop computer DVD drives seem to have the most problems. Desktop PC DVD drives and standalone players seem better. I have found Pioneer brand DVD drives and standalones to be the most reliable (Pioneer was also the first to make a consumer DVD-R burner.)

DVD Quality. How good is it, really?

This is entirely dependent on your source material and your MPEG2 encoder. Noise does not compress well, so the video noise-reduction filter in TMPGEnc can help. Many encoders, for instance the one bundled with the A03 drive, produce disappointing quality. TMPGEnc at the 8000 kbps rate provides good results. With close attention you can see some difference and occasional slight artifacts on the DVD as opposed to the original DV material. Examining individual freeze-frames from fast motion sequences, the difference is quite obvious. Any time you change compression formats, you will have loss, but from the standpoint of a casual observer, I would say there is really little difference from DV original to MPEG2 on DVD.

My DVDs are clearly not as good as a Hollywood product. Apart from the production values and film quality itself, a 24 frame/sec image compresses better than a 60 field per sec. image. I have not done any hard-edged graphics, everything was slightly blurred for a cleaner look in the original DV. In general, still frames on the DVD look great; it's fast motion that shows the limits. It is definitely better than SVHS.

You can find out exactly how good a DVD will look (on a computer player, at least) right now, without spending any money. Just download the TMPGEnc encoder and compress some of your favorite DV footage to MPEG2, limiting yourself to 8000 kbps video bitrate. You can use the free trial version of WinDVD for display. It will only play back 5 minutes at a time but that's fine for this purpose. (WinDVD does on-the-fly deinterlacing for computer display, which works pretty well.)

Again, all the encoding affecting image and audio quality is done by TMPGEnc (or other MPEG2 encoder). The authoring software really just does stream multiplexing, formatting and menus in compliance with the DVD spec, and the DVD writer, while expensive, is simply a data transfer device. Video does show better colors on a good video monitor than a computer monitor, but if you have a S-video output on your PC card, you can connect a television monitor directly.

Can I use the DVR-A03 for general data backup, not just DVD video?

Yes, the Prassi PrimoDVD 2.0 application works just like (and in fact, is) a CD-R burner utility, which can also write DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. You can select any files and folders on your hard drive, or drag-and-drop them onto the program. DVD-R and DVD-RW discs each store 4,489.25 MB (that is 4,707,319,808 bytes, because 1K = 1024 bytes). The DVR-A03 also writes CD-R and CD-RW media, which stores about 650 or 700 MB per disc depending on the type.

My Pioneer DVR-A03 or DVR-103 is giving me strange errors when writing a disk.

Is Prassi PrimoDVD or other CD-R/DVD-R burning software giving you errors like these?
Data Job Untitled1 Terminated with errors. Error -10 at Sector 288 - Command: 2A Sense: 04 ASC:08 ASCQ:01
Data Job Untitled1 Terminated with errors. Error -10 at Sector 1376 - Buffer Underrun - Command: 2A Sense: 05 ASC:21 ASCQ:02
Check to see if you have DMA enabled for the DVD drive. My Athlon 1.5GHz machine would not write a CD-R disk at 8x speed in polled mode (PIO); a few MB into a write I'd get errors such as those above. Everything worked fine as soon as I turned on DMA on that IDE channel (Win2k). With Windows 2000, this is in Device Manager under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, for the IDE channel you're using. With Windows 98, the DMA checkbox is set under My Computer/Properties/Device Manager/ CDROM/Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-103.

DVD Technical Info

Broadly speaking, the DVD format offers the best audio and video quality generally available to the consumer, and also provides menu features not possible with tape-based media. This paper describes the features of the DVD format in general, but only a subset of these are currently available using authoring software affordable to consumers. There are two books often recommended for detailed DVD information: "DVD Demystified" by Jim Taylor and "DVD Authoring and Production" by Ralph Labarge.

The help file for "Mark's DVD Tray Player" contains an excellent reference for DVD structure and navigation commands, aimed at the DVD author, and Mark's Player itself is useful for testing and analysing your DVD. You can read about this software here. The dvd-replica.com site has a detailed view of DVD internal structures useful if you are doing complex authoring tasks. The DVD FAQ has a section on recordable DVDs and writers. In April 1996, Chad Fogg posted some technical notes to several newsgroups on the DVD specification and file formats, which are still the most detailed I've seen. You can find mostly the same information here at www.mpeg.org. dvdpro.com describes the packet structure of the DVD VOB files. This Pioneer website has a high-level overview of the DVD format.

Get answers to your DVD authoring questions at the Creative COW forum. You can find DVD authoring guides at dvdrhelp.com. The mpucoder site has some detailed information on DVD stream coding and also the freeware programs IfoEdit and VobEdit, which can display and even alter finished DVD project files at a very low level (the interface is similar to the Windows Registry Editor, and about as opaque if you aren't well versed in DVD file structures). At the lowest level, the flow of a DVD presentation is controlled by a command set which tells the player what video segment to present next. This site has a handy table of the DVD command set.

HOW TO: Autoplay Video CD (VCD) in Windows

2009-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2002 The Navas Group^SM, All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted to copy for private non-commercial use only.

Posted as <http://navasgroup.com/tech/autoplay_vcd.htm>. Updated: Saturday, October 17, 2009.

GENERAL NOTES:

This information was compiled by the author and is provided as a public service. The author is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any consequential problems that might result. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Email comments and suggestions to John Navas

Introduction

A pure Video CD (VCD) will not Autoplay (automatically play the video on an inserted disc) in Microsoft Windows without some sort of "helper" application. Although there are several ways to create a Video CD that will Autoplay without a "helper" application, the following procedure, based on Windows Media Player, is arguably the simplest, easiest, and cleanest.

Requirements (player computer):

Windows Media Player (6.4 or above; 7 or above recommended).
Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP (or later), or earlier versions of Windows with Internet Explorer 5 (or above).

Method

Use an .ASX Windows Media Metafile (named VCD.ASX in this document, but any valid filename could be used) to control Windows Media Player.
Use an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically launch the .ASX Windows Media Metafile.

Both of these two files must be placed in the root directory of the Video CD, as described below. They should not interfere with playing the Video CD on a Video CD or DVD player.

AUTORUN.INF

The contents of the AUTORUN.INF text file are always (assuming the .ASX file is named VCD.ASX):

*Method 1*	*Comments*
[autorun] ShellExecute=VCD.ASX	The 2nd line (ShellExecute) uses the registered .ASX file association to process the .ASX Windows Media Metafile. The registered application is usually (but not necessarily) the current version of Windows Media Player; if so, playback begins in a default window. Method 1 is preferred unless you want playback to begin full screen, in which case use Method 2.
*Method 2*	*Comments*
[autorun] ShellExecute=mplayer2 /fullscreen VCD.ASX	Method 2 is used to begin playback full screen. It should explicitly invoke the older version (6.4) of Windows Media Player, which (unlike the latest version) supports the "/fullscreen" parameter. The older version apparently remains installed even when the newer version is installed (on Windows XP at least).

.ASX file

The .ASX file contains text commands that allow you to control Windows Media Player. Simple examples:

*Play single video clip*	*Comments*
Name of my Video CD My Video Clip #1	The first Title line (with "Name of my Video CD" as an example) is optional; if present, Windows Media Player will display your framed text as a title for the entire Video CD. The lines from to play a single clip; repeat those lines if there are additional clips to be played, as in the 2nd example. The Title line in a given Entry ("My Video Clip #1" and "My Video Clip #2" in the examples) is also optional; if present, Windows Media Player will display your framed text as a title for the clip. The Ref line tells Windows Media Player where to find the clip. When a Video CD is created, your clip(s) will placed in the "MPEGAV" root folder (directory) on the CD. The particular clip names depend on the CD authoring software you use; the example above is for ahead Nero Burning ROM (highly recommended for Video as well as other types of CDs and now DVDs). The file extension is usually .DAT, rather than (say) .MPG, but Windows Media Player will still recognize the format and play the file (if the correct codec is installed). For complete documentation on Windows Media Metafiles, see the Windows Media Player SDK.
*Play two video clips*
Name of my Video CD My Video Clip #1 My Video Clip #2

Creating the Video CD

Getting the .ASX Windows Media Metafile and the AUTORUN.INF file into the root directory of a Video CD can be easy or hard depending on the CD authoring software you use. In Nero Burning ROM (version 5) it's easy: after a Video CD compilation (layout) has been created, use the clip names in the "MPEGAV" folder (directory) to create the .ASX file, drag and drop the .ASX and AUTORUN.INF files into the upper right pane of the compilation window (set to "\" root), and then burn.

My Playlist

2009-10-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Create your own FREE music playlist for your profile!

Video basics

2009-10-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Video basics

When trying to understand how video is being stored and displayed we have to go back in time and look at a very outdated technology: The cathode ray tube television. Without giving a physics course a TV tube is a big piece of glass and no air inside. Inside we have a cathode emitting electrons when you heat it up (that's why it takes a while for the picture to show when you turn on your TV, the cathode first has to be heated up to the appropriate temperature to emit electrons). There also is a strong electromagnetic field which accelerates the electrons towards the front of the tube and the same electromagnetic field is also used to position the electron beam (there's a lot of electrons being fired towards the front of the tube). The front of the tube is phosphor-coated and when electrons hit it light will be emitted on the other side (that's the side where you're sitting on). Below you can see a schematic of a CRT.

At first TVs were only black and white so one electron beam was enough. Now, in order to display a picture you have to write it all over the screen so the electron beam has to sweep over the whole screen. The sweeping frequency is commonly known as refresh rate. The refresh rate was chosen according to the cycles of the electric systems being used: North America and part of Japan use 60 Hz, Europe, the middle East and parts of Asia use 50 Hz. This resulted in 2 competing TV systems:

NTSC: National Television Standard Committee. Also nicknamed Never the same color because no two NTSC pictures look the same. The NTSC system has 525 horizontal lines of which roughly 487 can be seen on screen and has a refresh ratio of 60 Hz interlaced (I'll get to that later on).

PAL: Phase Alternating Line. The PAL system has 625 horizontal lines of which roughly 540 can be seen on screen and a refresh ratio of 50 Hz interlaced.

Now, at the time when TVs first came to the market the technology to write 525 or 625 lines 60 respectively 50 times per second was prohibitively expensive and not suited for the mass market. Reducing the refresh ratio would have required more complicated circuits and wasn't an option either - plus the human mind has a lower limit as to what it accepts as fluent motion. But the TV engineers had an idea: What if we only wrote every second line of the picture during a sweep, and wrote the other half during the next sweep? Doing that we only need 25 respectively 30 pictures per second (meaning less bandwidth used meaning more TV stations in the same frequency band), and the human eye will still accept it as fluent motion. This idea of splitting up the image into two parts became known as interlacing and the splitted up pictures as fields. Graphically seen a field is basically a picture with every 2nd line black (or white, whatever you like better). But here's an image so that you can better imagine what's going on:

During the first sweep the upper field is written on screen. As you can see the first, 3rd, 5th, etc. line is written and after writing each line the electron beam moves to the left again before writing the next line.

As you can see on the left currently the picture exhibits a "combing" effect, it looks like you're watching it through a comb. When people refer to interlacing artifacts or say that their picture is interlaced this is what they commonly refer to.

Once all the odd lines have been written the electron beam travels back to the upper left of the screen and starts writing the even lines. As it takes a while before the phosphor stops emitting light and as the human brain is too slow instead of seeing two fields what we see is a combination of both fields - in other words the original picture.

When TVs finally got colored the interlacing technology stayed the same, but a more sophisticated cathode ray tube was required. Instead of emitting just one electron beam 3 electron beams in the colors red, green and blue are being emitted. When you place dots of different colors close enough together the human eye will no longer see individual dots but one single dot and will add the colors to create a new color. Below you can see the schema of a color CRT.

TVs use an additive color system to display all kinds of colors. For more information on additive color mixing please refer to the RGB World Color Info article.

In the NTSC world the switch to color required another change: The refresh rate had to be slightly lowered from 60 Hz to 59.97 Hz (resulting in 29.97 pictures per second) to accommodate the colors - that's why we have this strange framerates in the NTSC world today.

Now before we proceed to look how they shoot Hollywood movies let's have a look at PC monitors. The traditional PC CRT displays are fundamentally different from TV screens. When PC first came to the market it was finally possible to write a whole picture per sweep - also known as progressive scanning (scanning because the electron beam "scans" each line from left to right). Early PC monitors still supported interlaced modes but the higher contrast and bright backgrounds gave us such a headache that these days we are fortunate enough that most screens don't even support interlaced mode of operation anymore. Today all PC screens write a picture like this:

Recently there have been TV screens which support a progressive scanning mode. These models are very rare though and require that they are fed a different signal as the traditional ways of connect your VCRs, DVD players or cameras to the TV does not support progressive images. LCD and plasma displays can only write progressive images - when you feed them an interlaced image it requires some technical tricks to display a reasonable picture. These techniques are commonly referred to as deinterlacing.

A last word about TVs before we proceed: As you might recall older TVs had tubes that were far from being flat. As it gets more and more complicated to write a geometrically accurate and precise image the farther away you are from the center of the tube (the point where the electron beam would go straight to the phosphor layer without any deviation) even today you won't see the full tube, the last few inches are hidden behind the TV casing. That's the reason why both TV formats have more lines than you can see, the rest of the lines is and will always stay hidden. But these lines are still used: TV channels transmit text pages in these lines, they can contain signals that screws the automatic gain controller of your VCR (the Macrovision analogue copy protection system), etc.

Before we can go into deinterlacing there's a few things you should know about how movies are being shot.

Most movies destined for a movie theater audience are shot on a material similar to what we use for traditional photography. In a second 24 pictures are made from a scene. So, theoretically you can shoot a movie with your photo camera, except that you have to switch films every 1 or 1.5 seconds (and photo cameras usually don't support making 24 photos per second;). When we watch these movies in the movie theater we get to see 24 pictures (also known as frames) per second. But when we buy these movies on VHS tapes or DVDs to watch them on our crappy TV screens we have a problem. PAL screens require 25 pictures per second and each picture has to be split into 2 fields. But as 25 isn't so much higher than 24 what we commonly do in PAL countries is that we take the original 24 fps (frames per second) movie and speed it up to 25 fps. This means that voices and music has a higher pitch and that the movie is somewhat shorter but unless you do an one to one comparison hardly anybody notices.

Now enter NTSC. Here we need 29.97fps. Speeding up the movie is no option as the speed difference would be too large for people not to notice. So what's being done is that after splitting up frames into fields certain fields are being repeated to obtain the higher framerate. Basically 4 frames are turned into 10 fields as shown below:

So, as you can see from the image contrary to what you might think a higher framerate doesn't mean more fluent motion - quite to the contrary NTSC is a bit more jerky as some fields are being displayed twice (the first field of frame 2, and the 2nd field of of frame 4).

On the TV this isn't so much of a problem as crappy quality prevents us from noticing that something isn't quite right. But things change when we switch into the progressive world.

In order to display things progressively your display or playback device somehow has to turn the interlaced picture back into a progressive one. The easiest way to do that is to combine fields.

From the 10 fields you put the first two fields together to reconstruct frame 1, then the 3rd and 4th field to reconstruct frame 2. But then if you put the 5th and 6th field together you get neither frame 2 nor frame 3. This isn't so bad if there was no change from frame 2 to 3, but if the camera moves you'll be able to see some combing lines in the picture. And it can get even worse. Imagine there's a cut in between the two frames and frame 3 shows a completely different scene than frame 2. If you combine a field of one scene with a field of another scene what you have is a disaster. So, by simply combining fields back to frames not only would we get 2 out of 5 frames that are screwed with high probability, we also have a 29.97fps picture instead of the original framerate of the movie. Now, if we know how this process works we can undo it by simply discarding the duplicate fields. This process is called IVTC - InVerse TeleCine (thus the process of inserting duplicate fields is called Telecine). There are two good articles which explain telecine and IVTC in more detail: Video and Audio synching problems by Robshot which explains the creation of telecined content in more detail, and Force Film, IVTC, and Deinterlacing - what is DVD2AVI trying to tell you and what can you do about it by hakko504, manono and jiggimi. There's also my own guide on Decomb, the probably most popular IVTC utility.

Now that we have IVTC out of the way let's have a more detailed look at deinterlacing. First let me present the problem once again:

First we have two fields from an interlaced video scene:

As you can see - no interlacing artifacts visible. Now the corresponding frame:

Despite the low quality JPEG you can see that there are same interlacing lines visible, especially on the guy's clothes and arms.

And here's the even worse example where we have one field from one scene and the 2nd field from another scene:

And the corresponding frame:

As you can see that's not something we want to experience. What's also interesting is the size of these images. The one on the left is more than 3 times as large as the rest, and it still looks worse.

This also explains why storing interlaced pictures in progressive mode isn't a good idea. Lines take up a lot of space.

VCD and common MPEG-4 codecs (except XviD) support only progressive content. Thus storing something interlaced as shown on the left using such a compression technique isn't very efficient and we rather look for ways of turning interlaced material into progressive in a more efficient way than just combining the next 2 fields to a frame.

MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 advanced simple profile do have a special interlaced mode. In that mode all the lines from one field are taken together (leaving out the blanks) and compressed that way which saves a lot of bits that would otherwise be wasted to store the missing lines.

A last note on these screenshots: As this was taken from an interlaced DVD source and stored in interlaced mode the screenshots of the fields had to be stretched to their original size (remember that in interlaced mode we only encode the actual lines, and dump the blank ones) - in reality the fields would be half the vertical size of the frames.

Now that we have visually established our problem let's have a look at the possible solutions. As illustrated taking the first two fields and combine them to a frame isn't always possible. This is especially true when you're dealing with content that has been edited when it was already in interlaced mode (that's also problem number one when trying to IVTC, especially Anime content is cut after telecining the film parts which results in almost insolvable IVTC problems).

One simple and quick way to get rid of the interlacing problem would be to take the field based content, resize the fields to full frame size (remember that a field has half the vertical resolution of a frame) and then dump every second field. This method is for instance used when you select Separate Fields in GordianKnot. But as a field has only half the vertical resolution of a frame we give up half of the vertical resolution in the process.

Now let's have a look at different deinterlacing techniques:

Weave: Takes 2 consecutive fields and puts them into a frame. This reduces the framerate by two but doesn't solve the problems shown above, the frame which has fields of two scenes overlayed remains the same.

Then we have blending: Here we take two consecutive frames, resize them to frame size, then put them on each other. If we have no motion this looks perfect but as soon as there's movement it starts to look unnatural and unsharp and it can leave a "ghostly trail".

Bob: In bob you enlarge each field to frame size and display it twice. As the first and second field do not start at the exact same position (remember that when we start at line 1 for field 1 and line 2 for field 2) the picture slightly bobs up and down which can be seen as a slight shimmering in stationary scenes.

There are a few more methods, like area based deinterlacing, motion blur and adaptive deinterlacing. Each has its pros and cons. 100fps.com has a nice comparison on all methods including good samples that show you the effects each filter has and has a nice feature comparison matrix. The site also guides you to create true 50fps progressive material from interlaced sources. If the site is too much to read for you (I doubt any Doom9 reader could ever say that but be that as it may) Gunnar Thalin's area based deinterlacer and DeinterlacePALInterpolation which is based on Thalin's filter are pretty good solutions when you need 25fps output. Then there's also Decomb's field deinterlace which proves to be quite effective.

Though before you deinterlace try swapping the field order first. DVD2AVI has a function for it (Video - Field Operations - Swap Field order) and so does AviSynth (SwapFields). Quite often that can solve your interlacing issues, especially when the main movie appears to be interlaced.

Parting words: This is by no means a complete technical description and it was written trying to recall all the classes in physics and video compression I have taken in high school and college. I hope my memory hasn't failed me too miserably.

what is Telecine

2009-10-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

1. Do NOT use Panasonic to individually encode .wav to .mp2. The resulting .mp2 will not sync with intended video. Using DVMPEG to encode .wav to .mp2 (albeit quality is not as good as Panasonic), will create .mp2 audio that sync with video. But, if you put .avi and .wav to panasonic together, resulting .mpg will sync. Strange, eh?

Video and Audio Syncing Problem: Why and How.

Since the first release of Powerip in mid-1999, people have been experiencing the problem of determining the correct speed of video and audio when converting an NTSC mpeg-2 video/audio stream to any other format possible (e.g. mpeg-1, avi, asf, or divx) to get a perfect video and audio syncing.

This video and audio syncing problem is the result of an incorrect conversion of the mpeg-2 video stream (either using Powerip, mpeg2avi or any other conversion utility out there). This document is not meant to discard Squeezer or Flask, but it is in fact can be considered as a support so PERHAPS, the explanation can be applied to perfect-ize both Squeezer or Flask -- or even the AGrabber plugin. To be of note, there have been a lot of successful "synced" conversion made using utilities such as "SQUEEZER" and "FLASK". But there are some cases, where none of the conversion utilities produce a total "synced" video and audio.

Why? Let's see the process of transferring a 35mm film format to an NTSC video format, to see the root of this evil.

35mm Film to NTSC Video Conversion

Movie is usually made on a 35mm Film Negative. This format has a 24 FRAME per second speed. A Frame is the smallest unit of a FILM format. NTSC Video is a "field-based" format of 59.94 FIELD per second. A Field is the smallest unit in Video format. 2 Fields made up into 1 FRAME. So, this 59.94 FIELD per second equals 29.97 FRAME per second. Now we can see the difference. 1 second in FILM (24 frame) is NOT equal to 1 second in NTSC Video (29.97 frame).

To be able to "match" the speed of an NTSC Video, conversion from a FILM format to an NTSC Video format undergone a process called "2:3 pulldown" or TELECINE. This process, in its simplest term, means "to add 6 frames so that a 24 fps becomes 30fps -- which is VERY close to 29.97fps". The problem that rises when doing this TELECINE transfer, is to decide WHICH 6 FRAMES to be added - or REPEATED?

Some kind of community of film/moviemaker/videomaker/engineers created a STANDARDIZATION of this TELECINE conversion. Since a Video FRAME consist of 2 Fields, why not make the FILM format into Field first, so that the smallest unit of both formats is the same? Let's see the process:

1. 24 FRAMES becomes 48 FIELDS

Atop

Abottom

Btop

Bbottom

Ctop

Cbottom

Dtop

Dbottom

Frame A becomes 2 fields: Atopfield +Abottomfield. Thus, 4 Frames becomes 8 Fields, and 24 Frames becomes 48 Fields. This "field-based" material is then TELECINED into an NTSC Video signal. As TELECINE is a STANDARDIZED conversion, we have to follow the rules of engagement ;). The rule is to do a REPEAT_FIRST_FIELD in a 2:3 sequence.

2. 4 FRAMES (8 FIELDS) becomes 5 FRAMES (10 FIELDS)

Atop

Abottom

Atop

Bbottom

Btop

Cbottom

Ctop

Cbottom

Dtop

Dbottom

If we look closely, we can see a sequence of At Al At followed by Bl Bt then Cl Ct Cl then Dt Dl. But, since 1 FRAME consists of 2 FIELDS, then the sequence becomes AA ABBC CC DD. What we have now is a conversion from 4 SOLID frame into 5 FRAMES consisting of 3 SOLID FRAMES and 2 INTERLACED FRAMES. By INTERLACED I am referring to a FRAME that's made-up from 2 FIELDs of DIFFERENT FRAME source. The AB frame is the example.

So, 4 FRAMES becomes 5 FRAMES, thus 24 becomes..... 30, DONE! Done? Nope, not by a longshot. The NTSC Video is 29.97fps, so PLAYBACK of 30fps must be slow-down into 29.97fps, which brings us to the term DROP_FRAME.

Don't get a wrong concept of DROP_FRAME as "FRAMES being REMOVED or DROPPED". In a 30fps Video sequence, a DROP_FRAME time code counts video frames accurately in relationship to real time. DROP_FRAME time code counts each video frame, but, when that .03 finally adds up to a video frame, it skips (or drops) a number. It does not drop a film or video frame, it merely skips a number and continues counting. This allows it to keep accurate time. So if you're cutting a scene using drop frame time code, and the duration reads as, say, 30 minutes and 0 frames, then you can be assured the duration is really 30 minutes. Confusing? Well, to put it in simple term, DROP_FRAME here is in essence EQUAL a SLOWED_DOWN playback from a pure 30fps into the correct NTSC 29.97fps SPEED. In an MPEG-2 domain, this means that the 00 and 01 frames are dropped or SKIPPED from time code, at the start of each minute except minutes which are even multiples of 10.

NOW, it is DONE.

Telecine in MPEG-2 Video

In an Mpeg-2 Video, storing a 30fps frames in 1 second will create a much bigger files than storing a 24 frames. If you do your calculation, a 1 second of 24 frames is 20% SMALLER in SIZE than 1 second of 30fps. But, as we have already discussed, NTSC video should be 29.97fps. It would mean that ALL movies that's created from 35mm FILM should be TELECINED, then ENCODED to 29.97fps Mpeg-2 Video stream, right? ..... NO!

A good thing about Mpeg-2 Video is that it can contain some FLAGS or PROGRAMMING, that would tell a SOFTWARE or HARDWARE to perform a TELECINE when playing the Video. Since the INTERLACED FRAMES that made-up the 29.97fps is a REPEATED field(s), it is REDUNDANT, and TRASHABLE. Just let the FLAGS tells the player to perform the TELECINE. Really, it CAN do that ;). The benefit of this that the movie CAN be stored in its original 24 FRAME per second, and thus SAVE 20% of total filesize!.

The FLAGS related to this are: REPEAT_FIRST_FIELD, TOP_FIELD_FIRST. The rules of applying these FLAGS follows the STANDARDIZATION. So you don't have to worry about the process not meeting the standard :). Let see some example:

3. Adding T_F_F and R_F_F Flags

Top Field First 1	Top Field First 0	Top Field First 0	Top Field First 1
Repeat First Field 1	Repeat First Field 0	Repeat First Field 1	Repeat First Field 0

Atop

Abottom

Atop

Bbottom

Btop

Cbottom

Ctop

Cbottom

Dtop

Dbottom

As the we can see, a Value of 1 for both T_F_F and R_F_F will ORDER the player to DISPLAY FRAME A in a sequence of Atop Abottom Atop, and the Value of 0 both T_F_F and R_F_F will ORDER the player to display FRAME B in a sequence of Bbottom Btop.

When T_F_F is 0 and R_F_F is 1 (FRAME C), the player will display FRAME C in a sequence of Bbottom Btop Bbottom and so forth. Since it is a STANDARDIZED conversion, we can see a repeating Value of T_F_F and R_F_F as the following:

T_F_F sequence: 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

R_F_F sequence: 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

So, now we have an Mpeg-2 Video stream CONTAINING 24 FRAMES per second and TFF and RFF flags in action. This will create a CONFLICT between 24 fps versus 30fps and the VERBATIM 29.97fps NTSC Video standard. To solve this, there are 2 other advantages of Mpeg-2 Video stream than can be applied, the FPS flag and the DROP_FRAME flag.

When the FPS flag value is PROGRAMMED in the header of an Mpeg-2 Video stream, it will ORDER the player to PLAY this Video stream at an exact SPEED. So, if the FPS flag is set as 29.97fps, the Video stream will play at exactly 29.97 frames per second.

When the DROP_FRAME flag value is 1, it will ORDER the player to REMEMBER that the 00 and 01 frames are dropped at the start of each minute except minutes which are even multiples of 10. The result is much the same as applying the 29.97fps value.

So, THAT is how we make an Mpeg-2 NTSC video stream as 24 FRAME stored, but 29.97fps playback speed. Now that we understand the the process, we are ready to REVERSE it, in order to achieve total Video and Audio syncing when converting BACK from a 24-stored-29.97-fps Mpeg-2 Video stream into any video format we want.

How? Let start with "mpeg2avi", an utility that converts an Mpeg-2 Video stream into .avi format (with codecs of your choosing).

4. Mpeg2avi, VideoMatrix or Graphedit

After a careful reading to the readme.txt that comes with this utility, we can convert the Mpeg-2 Video stream into EXACTLY 24fps .avi. I am ASSUMING that mpeg2avi converts the FRAMES in DISPLAY_ORDER and not in CODED_ORDER. If the conversion is based on CODED_ORDER, then we are totally screwed.

Another way is to use VideoMatrix utility, that will convert an Mpeg-2 Video stream into .avi format BASED on the PLAYBACK of the Mpeg-2 Video stream. This utility ENSURES that the conversion is done in DISPLAY_ORDER.

Or, if you are quite familiar with Graphedit, you can use this utility to convert Mpeg-2 Video into .avi too. All of these three utilities MUST give you a full 720x480 .avi of 24 FRAMES per second. This 720x480 24fps is a REQUIREMENT.

5. M2VInfo

This utility is written to help analysing the FLAGS behaviour and values in an Mpeg-2 Video stream. It is a DOS command utility with usage as follow:

C:\M2VInfo filename.m2v > dump.txt

You can stop the process, because actually only the first GOP information is needed to determine the pattern of the FLAGS values and behaviour.

A sample of the dump.txt is as follow:Type 1 tff 1 rff 1 temp_reference 2
Type 3 tff 0 rff 1 temp_reference 0
Type 3 tff 1 rff 0 temp_reference 1
Type 2 tff 1 rff 0 temp_reference 5
Type 3 tff 0 rff 0 temp_reference 3
Type 3 tff 0 rff 1 temp_reference 4
Type 2 tff 0 rff 1 temp_reference 8
Type 3 tff 1 rff 1 temp_reference 6
Type 3 tff 0 rff 0 temp_reference 7
Type 2 tff 0 rff 0 temp_reference 11
Type 3 tff 1 rff 0 temp_reference 9
Type 3 tff 1 rff 1 temp_reference 10

Notes:

Type-1 = I Frame
Type-2 = P Frame
Type-3 = B Frame
temp_ref = DISPLAY ORDER
rff = Repeat_First_Field flag
tff = Top_Field_First flag

Now, what we need to do is to reconstruct the DISPLAY ORDER. I do this from the dump.txt above by rearranging the Frames according to the temp_ref. order
B B I B B P B B P B B P

Then, let's put the T_F_F and R_F_F in order too

0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0

Now we have the following sequence in DISPLAY_ORDER:

B B I B B P B B P B B P
0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0

Now, since we only want to know the CORRECT TELECINE sequence... just take the first 5 frames from the sequence above, and assume its an A B C D E sequence:

A B C D E

Apply the T_F_F and R_F_F values to the sequence above, and correctly follow the first T_F_F value, so we know which STARTING FIELD. I got this:

AlAu AlBu BlCu ClCu DlDu ElEu El

The STARTING_FIELD from above sequence is Al = Frame A lower field. Separate the sequence above into 1 frame (containing 2 fields), and we can calculate the TELECINE sequence within this .M2V as follow:

W S S W W W

So, the WSSWW sequence is the EXACT TELECINE sequence taking place in this particular .M2V

The rest of the flags are also included, like FPS, DROP_FRAME etc. These are the determining factors to calculate the correct TELECINE Sequence used in a particular Mpeg-2 Video. There are 5 valid TELECINE sequences: WSSWW, SSWWW, SWWWS, WWWSS, WWSSW.
W = Whole Frame
S = Separate Field

From the dump.txt, we can now determine the TELECINE sequence to reconstruct the 2:3 pulldown into the 24fps avi. By this we MIMIC the actual DISPLAY_ORDER of the Mpeg-2 Video PLAYBACK into the AVI domain. In short, we CONVERT the 24fps avi into 29.97fps NTSC avi. It is important to apply the specific TELECINE sequence AND the correct STARTING FIELD. When the reconstruction gives lower_field as the BEGINNING of the DISPLAY_ORDER, we have to conform the conversion AS IS. Both the SPECIFIC TELECINE sequence and STARTING FIELD is IMPORTANT to create a 100% video and audio sync.

At the time of writing this document, I can only use Adobe After Effects to correctly convert the 24fps into 29.97fps while at the same time apply both determining factors above. Yes, you can do this directly in any ENCODER, but the applied conversion DOES NOT conform to the STARDARD TELECINE transfer. Encoders will apply a "4th frame repeated" calculation to get from 24fps to 29.97fps (30fps drop frame). Such conversion will be like this:

Current Encoders TELECINE creates: AA BB CC DD DD EE FF GG HH HH

Correct TELECINE Tranfer would be: AA AB BC CC DD EE EF FG GG HH

As you can see, even the STARTING FIELD factor is nowhere to be applied (panasonic encoder has this option, though). If this error is added to the whole 1 hour of Video conversion, Audio syncing WILL be screwed. This stated, I prefer to use Adobe After Effects (albeit it's a difficult program), UNTIL a new method can be found.

6. Adobe After Effects

This is the stage where I really can't explain much. You have to KNOW how Adobe After Effects works. That's why I really want to find a way to simplify this stage, or to put simply, NOT USE THIS ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS. But, as a quick referrence, what I do in After Effects is like this:

Load the 24fps .avi
Make a new composition of 29.97fps
Import the 24fps .avi into the new composition.
Set the determining factor of STARTING FIELD (top or bottom - in Adobe its UPPER or LOWER), and the correct TELECINE sequence (one of the following sequences: WSSWW, SSWWW, SWWWS, WWWSS, WWSSW).
Render movie

All this steps are done in the 720x480 domain. The resulting rendered avi will be 29.97fps, accordingly conform to the SAME TELECINE transfer sequence that is programmed within the Mpeg-2 Video -- THE DISPLAY_ORDER. This avi will then become the source of the conversion to OTHER format, or if you choose DIVX codec from the start, you are now left with adding the Audio stream.

7. Converting the Audio

Use Graphedit to load any audio format. You have to edit the connection of the boxes in the Graphedit.

Delete the RENDERER box
Insert filters -- Audio Decompressor -- PCM
Insert filters -- Directshow filters -- WAVE DEST
Insert filters -- Directshow filters -- FILE WRITER (name it AUDIO.WAV)
Connect the existing boxes to --- PCM --- WAVE DEST --- FILE WRITER
Hit PLAY button

When it is finished, you now have 2 files: VIDEO.AVI and AUDIO.WAV. Now you decide what to do with it. You can:

8. Converting to Mpeg-1 with VideoCD compliant stream

Load Panasonic Mpeg-1 encoder
Input VIDEO.AVI and AUDIO.WAV
Set conversion to VCD NTSC standard/template
Set the MERGE/BLEND FIELD accordingly to the STARTING FIELD factor. If the original Mpeg-2 Video started with LOWER field, set the LOWER FIELD as the base of FIELD BLENDING in Panasonic. If the source Mpeg-2 Video is Anamorphic, add approriate BLACK BARS on TOP and BOTTOM of the VIDEO (66 and 67 is a good value).
Hit start encoding.

At the end of the conversion, you will have a 29.97fps Mpeg-1 VCD Compliant (352x240), and to be of note: the panning video sequence will pan smoothly!

The advantage of a 29.97fps Mpeg-1 Video/Audio stream is that I can edit it in IFilm Mpeg-1 editor, while a 23.976fps Mpeg-1 cannot.

By writing this document, I am describing the situation as closely as I could to help answer the questions of Video and Audio syncing problem, and hope that a coder can help SIMPLIFYING the process. I know that SQUEEZER or FLASK have been reported to be able to create a TOTAL SYNC. But since there are some reports that tells otherwise, PERHAPS this document could help pointing the reason, and thus we can come up with a solution or two for PERFECT A/V syncing for ANY conversion.

Some of the ideas to jot down are as follow:

Re-write mpeg2avi (source available) to NOT ONLY convert the CODED FRAMES in an Mpeg-2 Video. Meaning, that it should also take into account the TFF and RFF and DISPLAY_ORDER Values, so the conversion from 24 FRAMES Mpeg-2 Video into 29.97 fps avi can be achieved in 1 STEP. This will ensures less quality degredation. With the current conversion method I presents in this Document, from an Mpeg-2 Video to Mpeg-1 Video needs to go through 24fps avi --- 29.97fps avi -- then Mpeg-1.
If the above is not possible, a guy has informed me about Frameserver capability in latest VDUB (v. 1.3a). With this, perhaps someone can write a 2:3 pulldown re-construction filter for VDUB, which will do a correct TELECINE reconstruction in VDUB. Such filter should includes a STARTING FIELD and TELECINE SEQUENCE options to be used to reconstruct a 24fps .avi into 29.97fps .avi according to the calculation from M2VInfo. Add this filter with the RESIZE filter currently available in VDUB, we can then START FRAMESERVING the avi, and then RUN LSX Mpeg Encoder by opening the FRAMESERVED .avi. With this, we can make CBR Mpeg-1 VCD compliant or CBR (and VBR) Mpeg-2 SVCD compliant Video. Note: This frameserver capability of VDub resides only in Win2K and NT operating system. I failed on Win98
Write a 2:3 pulldown re-construction directshow filter for Graphedit, so we can go 1 step from Mpeg-2 Video Audio to DIVX or AVI.

Anyone up for the task?

regards,

robshot

DVD Ripper comparison

2009-10-06T21:26:00.001-07:00

DVD Ripper comparison
There's currently a lot of DVD decryption programs "on the market". One of the favorite questions of a newbie is "Which ripper should I use" and everybody has its own opinion about that. Everybody has its own explanation why his particular choice is best, but there was no comprehensive comparison between the various ripping programs till now.
I have contacted each of the authors of these programs if possible, to ensure that the info about their program is as accurate as possible. Furthermore I've suggested some improvements, many of which you can already see in the current releases of the respective programs.
Since my first test there have been many updates to the program involved so I decided it was about time to have another comparison. As you'll see, there's many issues which toady's rippers now can deal with.. but there's new problems to be solved as well.
The participants
cladDVD XP 1.1
DVD Decrypter 3.1.1.0
SmartRipper 2.41
vStrip 0.8e_css
Where's the rest of the pack? Both DeCSS and DOD Speed ripper can't be used for most of the reasonably new discs. In the case of DeCSS we also have legal considerations to consider. Then there's vobdec and decss_plus which still are available on my page, but only listed on the source code page because nobody uses them anymore. But, keysearch algorithms from these 2 programs can be found in almost any modern ripper. I wanted to include DVD Decoder 0.3 but the program will crash upon starting up every time I tried it.
Test Setup
I've chosen a particularly tough setup, designed to push the programs to their limits. I have tested the programs with the following 8 DVDs:

Death Row Uncut, R0, not encrypted
Raw Deal, R1, encrypted
The Blair Witch Project, R1, encrypted
Just Cause, R1, encrypted
The man with the golden gun, R1, encrypted
Scary Movie, R1, encrypted
Independence Day, R1, encrypted
Sneakers, R1, encrypted
Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition, R1, encrypted.

The regions have nothing to do with the results, but I've indicated it because certain R2 releases of the same movie don't have problems with ripping programs, or the other way round.
My choices are based on the following:

In order to correctly deal with unencrypted movies the ripping program should incorporate some sort of CSS detection in order not to search all VOBs for keys.
VobDec is unable to detect a key in vts_01_1.vob, vts_01_2.vob, vts_01_4.vob and vts_01_5.vob of Raw Deal
VobDec is unable to detect a key in vts_01_2.vob and vts_01_4.vob of Blair Witch Project. Furthermore DeCSS+ only finds 4 key occurrences in vts_01_2.vob and exactly 20 in vts_01_4.vob.
VobDec is unable to detect any key in Just Cause
The man with the golden gun has a mastering error: At the layer change the VOBs use a different CSS code. To make things worse the key changes not between VOBs but within a VOB file.
Most Disney titles have title and end credits in at least 2 languages interleaved with each other resulting in a few seconds English, then a few seconds of French/Spanish titles. Here I was looking to get the French end credits.
Independence Day is a seamless branching title and contains both the special edition and the theatrical version on the same disc. A good ripper allows you to select either of these versions.
Sneakers has one VOB file which is exactly 1.00GB large (Explorer shows it as 1.00GB, not 0.99GB like the others) and the Windows UDF parser can't read that kind of file.
Terminator 2 UE has 3 different versions of the movie on the disc. The goal is to be able to select the longest of the 3 cuts.

After each test I removed the DVD and inserted it again, in order to ensure that the drive was not authenticated. I also had no auto-run enabled for the DVD drive, in order to ensure that any auto-run DVD player would activate and authenticate the disc.
The results
Death Row uncut:
Here I basically expect that the program detects that there's no CSS and immediately starts ripping instead of searching for a key. All programs were able to do so.
Raw Deal:
Here I tried to rip only the VOBs where vobdec keysearch will fail in order to ensure that another keysearch has been implemented that's able to take care of the problem. All the programs tested were able to find a key in every VOB file.
However, cladDVD XP can only rip full PGCs or the whole set of main movie files.
The Blair Witch Project
Here I tried to rip VOB2 and VOB4. I expect a key to be found as soon as possible. SmartRipper and DVD Decrypter have been able to find a key immediately. cladDVD XP can only rip full PGCs or all the main movie VOBs so this couldn't be properly tested but since it uses vStrip I would assume that it works anyway. vStrip did crash in the GUI mode, but worked in the command line mode, though it took rather long to find the key in the 2nd VOB.
Just Cause
Basically the key should be found in every VOB file as fast as possible. All application could do that, but once again with cladDVD XP we have the problem that we can't rip single VOBs.
The man with a golden gun
All the tested rippers were able to handle this movie properly when using the correct options which differ from the default options. In the case of cladDVD XP this was activating the mastering error option and using intense keysearch, for DVD Decrypter it was checking mastering errors, for SmartRipper it was setting keysearch to occur on each VOB ID and forcing the file access mode to ASPI and for vStrip setting the keysearch to occur at every VOB ID change (-r1 on the commandline).
Some more info about that title: The main movie is contained in vts_03_1.vob - vts_03_5.vob. In title1, chapter 21, cell 2 the key changes from C1 87 79 74 EE to C1 87 79 74 ED. That position can also be seen as VOB ID15, Cell 1, LBA 521277. vts_03_4/5.vob use the new key. The key change occurs at the layer change and all PC based DVD players are unable to play discs with such mastering errors. At the moment only vStrip_css, DVD Decrypter and SmartRipper will properly decrypt that title and only if you enable keysearch by VOB / Cell id. I was even unable to play the disc on my standalone. Interestingly PowerDVD 3.0 can play the disc, even tough there will be a couple of seconds of scrambled picture but at the VOB change it'll descramble with the new key, the same applies to WinDVD 2.4 and later.
Scary Movie
All rippers were able to give me the French credits when selecting the 2nd angle.
Additional info: The title contains 4 VOBs: vts_01_1.vob - vts_01_4.vob. The movie consists of VOB IDs 1-20, where ID 17 are the English credits and ID 18 are the French credits.
ID4
All programs gave the right output in both cases. I even crosschecked with older tests and the file were identical to the last byte.
A bit of additional information on that title: The movie consists of 8 VOBs: vts_04_1.vob up to vts_04_8.vob. It contains 106 cells and 34 VOB IDs. The special edition contains VOB IDs: 1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11,13,14,16,17,19,20,22,23,24,26,27,29,30,32,33 and the regular edition VOB IDs: 1,3,4,6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16,18,19,21,22,23,25,26,28,29,31,32,33. I split up the output of each program into cell IDs and compared them cell by cell (for size and name).
Sneakers
The UDF parser in WindowsXP can handle 1.00GB files so the test results may not apply for everybody but XP is getting more and more popular... All rippers were able to read the first VOB file despite its size.
Additional information: The first VOB file on the disc (vts_01_1.vob) is slightly larger than a regular VOB (explorer shows it as 1.00GB instead of the regular 0.99GB). As the Windows UDF parser cannot read such large files every program that uses that parser will fail to read that file. All programs that have their own UDF parser will succeed (assuming that it has been properly implemented).
Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition
All programs managed to extract all the different cuts of this movie.
Additional information on this title: The movie has 60 VOB IDs. The theatrical release comprises VOB IDs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 3, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57 and 59. The director's cut is contained in VOB IDs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59. Finally the third cut just has a different ending than the director's cut so it is contained in the same VOB IDs as the director's cut but it contains VOB ID 56 instead of 55 as the other two releases.
Or here's the short version of the test

	cladDVD XP	DVD Decrypter	SmartRipper	vStrip
Death Row Uncut	x	x	x	x
Raw Deal	(x)	x	x	x
The Blair Witch Project	(x)	x	x	x
Just Cause	(x)	x	x	x
The man with a golden gun	x	x	x	x
Scary Movie	x	x	x	x
ID4	x	x	x	x
Sneakers	x	x	x	x
T2UE	x	x	x	x

As we can see, the programs managed to handle my test discs admirably well. The only problem was that cladDVD XP didn't allow me to rip single files and screwed up the seamless branching titles.
Features overview

	cladDVD XP	DVD Decrypter	SmartRipper	vStrip
detects CSS	x	x	x	x
VobDec keysearch	x	x	x	x
DeCSS+ keysearch	x	x	x	x
Demacro	x	x	x	x
Regionfree	x	x	x	-
adjustable keysearch	x	x	x	x
drive authentication	x	x	x	-
selects main movie	x	x	x	x
copies ifo of main movie	-	x	x	-
multiangle processing	x	x	x	x
multiangle disable	x	x	x	x
one button movie rip	x	x	x	-
IFO parsing	x	x	x	x
standalone program	-	x	x	x
stream processing	-	x	x	x
UDF parser	(x)	x	x	x
ripping by chapter	-	x	x	(x)
calculate stream delays	-	x	x	x

And there are a few noteworthy special features:
DVD Decrypter can rip the whole movie to an ISO file that can be mounted in daemon tool or burned on a DVD using a DVD recorder. Furthermore it can burn such images to a recordable DVD disc. It can also be used to change the region of your DVD drive and display the region code of the drive.
SmartRipper furthermore creates a detailed info file about all your VOBs contain, audio streams, subtitle streams, chapter positions, etc. as well as a DVD2AVI project file (though that functionality is far from perfect).
cladDVD XP allows you to select if you want to keep all audio track, or select the one you want to keep.
So which program is best? Judging by the number of x'es you'd have to say SmartRipper and DVDDecrypter. SmartRipper has been tested for a long time and it works in most cases, but it has its problems and that's why it's currently being completely rewritten. DVDDecrypter has probably been the most stable ripper and pretty much the only thing you can hold against it is that its IFO parsing hasn't been as extensively tested as the one in SmartRipper and vStrip though so far no serious problems have been reported. vStrip doesn't look so good in the feature comparison but it manages to handle all the disc and it was in fact the first ripper to handle all my test disc. I've used it pretty much since I started out ripping and when in doubt about the results I get from other programs I will continue to cross-check with vStrip. But vStrip is definitely not as user-friendly and is more a program for the experienced user. cladDVD XP is a pretty good GUI for vStrip and can safely be used as vStrip replacement when DVDDecrypter/SmartRipper fails and vStrip itself scares you away. When you encode using FlaskMpeg or make a rip to be burned onto a recordable DVD there's just one choice: DVD Decrypter. Just run the exe and press the big button and wait, that's all there is to it.
Speed testing
Of course, speed is of essence. Hence I ran all rippers to a small speed test. I ripped the first VOB of the main movie of "The Matrix", R1 release (a DVD-9) to my harddisk. The drive used was a Toshiba SDM-1212 12x DVD-ROM in Ultra DMA mode.
cladDVD XP: 2:35
DVD Decrypter: 1:33
SmartRipper: 1:41
vStrip: 2:21
DVD Decrypter leaves them all behind. SmartRipper gets reasonable close and half a minute separate vStrip and SmartRipper. I must say, the last time I did that test it looked considerably different. For vStrip I tested both GUI and CLI version just to make sure I got the results right. cladDVD cannot rip single files so I just waited till I had a 0.99GB VOB on my HD which isn't entirely fair but what can you do...
Wishes for the future:
There's several things I'd like to see in future rippers:
DVD Decrypter: can't think of anything right now..
SmartRipper: a more stable codebase, many people are having problems with SmartRipper (see my forums for details)
vStrip: splitting the output in accordance with the input VOBs, authentication
cladDVD XP: allow people to select VOB files by themselves, smaller filesize.
This document was last updated on 06/21/00

Aspect ratios

2009-10-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Aspect ratios

A DVD video stream is 720x480, right? But 720/480 = 1.5 which is an impossible aspect ratio for a movie. And what about full screen, widescreen, anamorphic, etc?

Many people are unfamiliar with these terms and are unsure about how to resize. This article tries to explain some of these mysteries.

DAR - or how to make the DVD look right

Each MPEG-2 Video stream has a DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) flag. The flag tells the player for what kind of target display the stream has been encoded. There's 4 values: 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and 2.11:1. The first and last one are not terribly important since there's no TVs having these aspect ratios. A video stream having a DAR of 16:9 is designated for a 16:9 TV, but that doesn't mean it can't be used for 4:3 TVs. The same applies to a DAR of 4:3.

Now let's have a look at a real example: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, R1. As this is an NTSC disc the video stream has a resolution of 720x480 (PAL discs have 720x576.. but everything explained in this article also applies for these streams, but the resizing takes the vertical resolution 576 into account). This disc contains 2 versions of the movie: widescreen version and standard version. Standard (also called fullscreen on this disc) is the standard for a 4:3 TV, that is a picture that fills the whole screen, whereas widescreen in this case means 16:9. The expression widescreen should not be used in that way since there is 2 different widescreen variants: letterboxed widescreen and anamorphic widescreen, both of which will be illustrated a little farther down the line. After ripping you can load the VOBs from the widescreen side into DVD2AVI and you'll get an output which looks like the following:

This looks a bit strange doesn't it? Of course, it's 720x480 which gives an aspect ratio of 1:1.5 whereas the movie actually has an aspect ratio of 1:1.85.

When you press F5 for preview the statistic window will tell you that this is a 16:9 stream.

When you watch the movie in your software DVD player what you'll get is this:

This looks better, right? People are not longer squeezed and thin, they look the way they looked on the big screen.

What has happened here? The studio has made an anamorphic widescreen transfer. It took the full frame from the camera (as shown on the left), then horizontally squeezed it to fit the resolution of the DVD (the first picture). Then they set the 16:9 DAR flag which tells the player to unsqueeze the picture again.

Mathematically seen this works as follows: We have a 720x480 MPEG-2 stream. You multiply the vertical resolution with the aspect ratio (480*16/9=853) which gives you the horizontal resolution for a properly stretched movie. So the 720x480 stream will be stretched horizontally to 853x480 during playback. This allows to use the full vertical resolution of the DVD which retains maximum quality.

When you encode for a PC based format (like DivX) you'll have to first unqueeze the picture and then resize that to your desired resolution (this would correspond to a stream having a 1:1 DAR). Formats for standalone players like VCD and SVCD work differently, since they too have a DAR flag (4:3 or 16:9, where the latter won't work properly on all known players). So let's take a look at what has to be done here. The first step is to get the correct aspect ratio at the DVD resolution. In order to do that the picture has to be resized as can be seen below:

Compare this with the first and 2nd picture. You'll see that it has the same resolution as the first one but the same (correct) aspect ratio as the 2nd one. This process of taking a frame and resizing it to the DVD resolution while retaining the correct aspect ratio is called letterboxing. As you can see we use less of the available vertical resolution. This is ideal for 4:3 TVs since there the picture can be displayed as is, whereas when you have a 16:9 DVD the player will first have to perform this letterboxing transfer (which involves a slight, albeit unnoticable, quality loss). If you haven't properly set up your DVD player (4:3 TV = set the TV format to 4:3 or 4:3 letterboxed, 16:9 TV: set the TV format to 16:9) there will be no letterboxing and the picture will look squished as in the first screenshot.

What is important to notice here is that your playback device does letterboxing for a 16:9 disc when watching it on a 4:3 TV. Now when we're encoding such a stream for VCD and SVCD this process has to be done as well. Unfortunately the only encoder which supports to select a DAR of the input stream is TMPG (set source aspect ratio in the advanced settings, plus video arrange mode to full screen while preserving the aspect ratio). When you don't go thru TMPG you'll have to come up with another way of properly letterboxing. One way is VirtualDub where you resize to a smaller resolution than your target resolution and then add black bars (hence the resizing parameters in the CCE guide which look very strange at first sight).

There are also DVDs which have a DAR of 4:3 but contain widescreen picture. In fact, it should say letterboxed widescreen. These DVDs have been mastered as just explained. When you watch these DVDs on a 16:9 TV the picture will both have to be stretched horizontally and vertically whereas when having an anamorphic widescreen picture the picture will only have to be stretched horizontally, giving a larger vertical resolution to work with and therefore a better picture. In the early DVD days letterboxed widescreen transfers were quite popular, especially amongst US studios, whereas in Europe where 16:9 TVs are more popular, 16:9 has been something of a standard from the very beginning. Fortunately nowadays most DVDs are 16:9, and only some stubborn directors and cheap studios refuse to have a new 16:9 transfer created.

Now as you might know the resolution of both VCD and SVCD is not 4:3 even though the video streams have DAR 4:3. But SVCD is 480x480 and if you apply the same calculation rule as above (480*4/3= 640) the output resolution is 640x480 which corresponds to 4:3. Note that the video is stored horizontally squeezed on the disc, and will be unsqueezed during playback. So in fact, if you take the full frame from the (S)VCD it doesn't have the right aspect ratio, which is the exact same situation as with a DVD. Obiously the same rules appy for PAL SVCDs (576*4/3 = 768 so after strecthing you have a 768x576 picture) and VCDs.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that the Windows Media Player does not know about DARs usually (this might be different depending on what MPEG-2 filters you have installed) so it might happen that it plays your SVCD MPG as 480x480 and it looks squished again. But don't worry.. players with SVCD support will stretch it properly and giving you the correct aspect ratio.

Pan & Scan transfers

Now a look at a sad chapter in video history: Since many TVs today are still in 4:3 format many films are still being released as pan&scan copies, or in other words: they fill the screen. 16:9 TV owners hate 4:3 movies with all of their hearts, and after reading this I hope you'll never again buy such a crappy transfer since basically what's going on is crippling the video. Fortunately in the DVD age these kind of transfers are less and less common, despite DVD going mainstream and cutting into the rental biz.

Let's have a look at our source frame again.

What is being done in a pan&scan transfer is that a part from the source frame, having an aspect ratio of 1:1.33 or 4:3 is being cut out. This is symbolized by the red square in the picture. This "window" is not fixed but flexible. So when the actor moves to the right border the window can follow him up to a certain extent. This is the pan part of pan&scan. In certain cases the window might also zoom in on the frame, hence the scan part.

As you can already see in the screenshot pan&scan transfers lose a lot of of the source picture and ruin the

How to make your DVD-ROM region free

2009-10-06T21:20:00.001-07:00

How to make your DVD-ROM region free

While not directly DVD ripping related this is certainly an issue that many people are interested in. In order to manufacture a DVD drive one has to obtain a license from the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association). The licensing terms state that every drive must support certain mechanisms, among others CSS (Content Scrambling System) and region code. The latter has only become mandatory for DVD-ROM drives starting from the first of January 2000. Since then every DVD-ROM must contain hardware region code which the user can change 5 times, then send back to the manufacturer which can reset that counter 4 times. Before that date most drives did not have any region protection and it was rather easy to circumvent the software DVD player based region code protection by the use of a well know tool: DVD Genie. That region free state was also called as RPC-1. A none codefree DVD-ROM is called RPC-2.

Pioneer and Matsushita (they make drives for the Creative PC DVD kits) were the first to introduce DVD-ROM hardware region code protection. But after a while nice people found a way to circumvent this region protection. They argued that they'd been cheated when they bought a protected drive since it's nowhere written down that the drive comes crippled and can't play all DVD discs, and they were quite right. In fact it would be really interested to see what would happen if somebody sued the DVD CCA for violating WTO trade agreements - after all region codes are there to restrict global trade.

The solution to get your drive region free is to load another firmware which disables the region code protection. While loading a new firmware isn't the most uncritical of tasks it can be performed without problems if you take all the necessary precautions. However you should be aware that in some cases the warranty might become void if you mess around with your drive on your own. But I've done dozens of mainboard BIOS updates, router firmware updates and now one DVD-ROM firmware update and I've never run into any serious trouble. But don't blame me if something goes wrong, I warned you.

Who should get a new firmware?

Basically whoever needs it. If you live in the USA or Canada (R1) then you most likely won't need the ability to play DVDs from other regions, unless you are interested in some of the rare titles that are out in Europe (R2) but not in the USA: For instance the Buffy discs, or the 6 full seasons of Friends :) If you live in another region than R1 and you don't speak English or prefer to watch the movies in another language (shame on you!!) then most likely you don't have to flash your firmware either since you get all the titles you want in your own region. But if you, like me, prefer to get movies sooner, with more extras, and of course in English all the time then you're in for an upgrade.

The process

First of all go to the mother of all firmware sites and check if there's an updated firmware for your type of DVD drive. If you're unsure about the type of the drive I suggest you run driveinfo. Should you run into an ASPI error you have to install forceaspi first. Unrar the forceaspi archive, then run instaspi.bat. The package comes with detailed instructions which I won't copy here but you should definitely check them out first. After installing forceaspi you have to reboot your machine. Driveinfo will show you the type of your DVD drive as well as the current firmware, and whether or not the drive is regionfree. If driveinfo tells you the drive has no region protection of course you don't have to do anything.

As you can see this nice 8x/24x notebook drive is a Toshiba SD-C2402 and you an find that there's several different firmwares for that drive. The drive currently has firmware version 1015 so you should download the patched firmware 1015, not any other. This step is really crucial.. double or triple check that you have the right firmware, otherwise your drive might not work after flashing anymore (and unfortunately there are flash programs that allow you to load the wrong firmware).

After you've downloaded the right firmware you'll have to create a dos/win9x bootdisk. For this operation I simply took the W98 setupdisk. You can also format a disk and check "copy system files" and you'll get a working bootdisk. Then copy the flasher program and the firmware to the disc as well. In the Toshiba case the flasher is called resetcnt.exe and the firmware file 1015f.hex. Then reboot your pc and change the boot drive order if necessary so that your pc boots from the disk drive. Of course you could also create a boot-CD or as I have a boot-zip disc but a floppy is the most obvious solution (unless you, as I do, don't have a floppy drive anymore).

Since every BIOS looks different I can't tell you where to change the boot order. Please refer to the manual of your mainboard / pc or call customer support. You shouldn't change anything else in the BIOS unless you really know what you're going to do.

After rebooting run the flasher. In our example you'd type "resetcnt 1015f.hex", then the program will search for a DVD-ROM and ask you if you want to flash. Type yes, wait until the program has finished, then reboot your pc.

Once back in Windows run driveinfo again.

If everything has gone as it's supposed to that's what you're supposed to get. Enjoy.. you've just beaten the CCA :)

Parting words

Before you buy a DVD-ROM make sure that there's RPC-1 firmware for it if you intend to watch DVDs that come from outside your region. And make sure you flash the drive with the right firmware.