News :

 

 

 

Version 1.53 (2009/10/02)

Snow Leopard compatibility (MacOS 10.6).

And for all (even under Tiger or Leopard):

• Encodage SD module:
  • Option to remove "hardcoded pulldown. This option eliminates duplicate images of "badly FILM NTSC files, encoded in NTSC VIDEO" (eg. all 640px wide trailers, available on Apple's site).
    Explanation: Some videos NTSC VIDEO (30fps) only contains 24 different frames per second (in fact they are NTSC FILM), on which was replicated 6 frames per second (30-24 = 6) to conform to NTSC VIDEO.
    In practice: to encode such a file in NTSC VIDEO is interest-free, to encode this kind of video in PAL damages fluidity :-(
    To remove this error, identify (yourself) the NTSC VIDEO badly encoded and click on "force the framerate" > "NTSC FILM". Pour supprimer cette erreur, identifiez (de vous-même) la vidéo NTSC VIDEO mal encodée et cliquer sur "forcer le framerate" > "NTSC FILM". The process for finding and removing duplicate images will be automatic ;)
  • Improved compatibility with some cameras that do video (videocodec JPEG OpenDML).
  • DV output: Fixed an old bug! (you will not have some failure regardless of the characteristics of your audio file).
  • Fixed 2 bugs with the option "cut begining of your file" (=scissors button):
    - the cut option was no more available when starting the encoding and canceling it.
    - in very rare cases (and only with QuickTime decoding), this option could degrade quality.
  • QuickTime Decoding: Yay, you could no longer alter the geometry of the image (even with a non-sense choice in the "aspect alert" ;))
  
  
• Mux/Demux/DVD-Video modules: fixed a bug concerning the management of video with several audios (depending on the last ffmpeg tool update).
  
  
• Mux module :
  • Fix/add compatibility of AC3 files from a bad RIP.
  • Fix/add compatibility of buggy AC3 files from Compressor2.
  • Ability to mux a .m2v with an .aiff or .wave file (it will be pre-converted to AC3 before mux ;)).
  • Subtitles: preview "character encoding" of your .srt file BEFORE to encode it (this boring technical feature that replaces your nice letters by unreadable characters).
  • Subtitles: option to synchronize when they will appear, fix their "delay".
  
  
• All Studio modules: fixed a bug when drag'n'drop on the MCS icon in the Dock.
• …and some others improvements I forget to note.

 

 

Version 1.52 (2009/08/16)

Fixed an error when loading files by drag'n'drop.

Version 1.51 (2009/08/15)

Major bugfixes version

Bug fixes:

• Global:
  • Compatibility of new MacPro (processors Nehalem) with all modules.
• Encoding SD Module:
  • Fix a wrong aspect detection with DV files and "DV in a .mov" (the default button of an "aspect alert" didn't purpose the best choice to you!).
    (maybe it's a detail for you, but accuracy with defaut button is very important for me… and for the next major version ;)).
    PS: and this bad detection could cause a lose of quality if you selected the "default button". Corrected!
  • QuickTime decoding improvments: fix an old bug, introduced in MCS 1.3 (but nobody reported it to me). PS: as usual, it only occurs with QuickTime versions ≥ 7.4 (earlier versions… you don't mind ;)).
    Maximum quality in all cases.
  • Easier with AIC files: no more boring alert (about field order) if you load a "well known progressive video" (720p or 960x540 pixels from iMovie per example).
  • Aspect "4:3->16:9" was "sometimes wrong with some anamorphous files" (eg: some DV or mp4). Should be 100% reliable now.
  • Fix artefacts, generated during NTSC FILM<->PAL conversions with DivX files and the FFmpeg decoder (artefacts were generated on parts of the video with high contrasts, eg: white text on black background …like a movie generic).
  • Remains an other bug (not important) with some QuickTime decodings: In very rare cases, the geometry of the image may be distorted. You will encounter it if you make non-logical choices in an "aspect alert" ;) (to do…)
• DVD-Video Module:
  • Oops! I forgot to remove a debugging alert (and not localized) when burning a DVD-Video. Now MCS will inform you -before burn- if you made a bad compatibility choice…
  • Fixed an error, when you select a different duration than the default one, for menu thumbnails.
• HD Module:
  • an error made it unuseable with intel Mac on Tiger (but worked on Leopard PPC&Intel, and Tiger PPC).
  • Fixed a tool update error, if you had tried MCS "a long time ago", or didn't update it "for a long time", the module might not HD function.
  • A bug with the AIC codec.
• Oddity: if you don't have access rights on your own "QuickTime home folder", the app will run anyway.
• Some minor "cosmetics" corrections, cleaned up codes, …
• New site and new address, so bookmark it: http://www.movieconverter-studio.com

PS: If you earlier requested some improvments/others corrections, contact me again now: somebody talked to me about Module HD multithreading with octo-cores MacIntel (will be useful for G5 with 4 processors too), somebody had a concern with a Sanyo camcorder but didn't sent me the extract, black borders of videos with a too wide color range than specified by DV and DVD norm, etc
And if I forgot to answer to you… sorry, and do not hesitate to send me again your previous mail.

 

Version 1.501 :

2009/04/24 - minor version

Bug fix: an useless bug alert, when you switch from Studio modules to Encoding module, without selecting any Studio module.

 

version 1.5 (January February March April !!! 2009)

…This version was complicated to release!

New features:

• FontExplorerX compatibility: MCS could not even get started if FontExplorerX had deleted the fonts in the system.
  
  
• HD Module: (still free ;))
  • For all: bug fix of AVCHD sources with many images per second (50 or 60): the video was slowed down.
    For all: compatibility with new cameras:
    - TOSHIBA GigaShot A40FE
    - PANASONIC TM300
    - PANASONIC Lumix TZ7
    - SONY EX1
    - SANYO Xacti HD700
    - …
  • "Comfort options" for registered users:
    - Batch mode
    - Option to convert the AVCHD files 3 times faster without quality lose (see web site, Studio chapter).
  
  
  
• Encoding module: for all registered users:
  • DVD and LCD/Plasma TVs: better quality/compatibility with flat screen televisions, but remaining 100% compatible with cathode televisions and DVD-Video specification.
    
    Non-interlaced videos are automatically written as "progressive contents" (like the sticker on your DVD players ;-))
    
    In Practice: the DVD-Video norm requires some subtleties, sometimes incompatible with display automatisations of your LCD or Plasma television (especially if your DVD player is not correctly set/plugged). MCS now informs your DVD player about your video content. So, your TV always displays it at its best. You do not have to play with remote controls of your TV / DVD player to display the best quality.
    (Bonus: encoding of these sources will be faster :-))
  
  
• Encoding module: for a not "personal & private use" (Pro, …):
  3 new modes to force a progressive output (if interlace is not compatible with your needs):
  • 1 - Non-interlaced sources: Ability to force output as progressive, even if conversion of standard (ie PAL<->NTSC VIDEO).
    
  • 2 - Interlaced sources: Adding a method of selective deinterlace: only deinterlace interlaced parts of each frame, and preserves the remainder (eg of use: a video with content both progressive and sometimes interlaced).
    
  • 3 - Interlaced sources: Adding a method of full deinterlace: deinterlace systematically (this mode is not very subtlety, but if you need it…)
  
  
• Better h264 decoding, new version of FFmpeg: you could read h264 videos that QuickTime can not handle (DVB-T HD for example).
  Same kind of version as used by VLC and Handbrake :-).
  
• "For DVD", new version of mpeg2enc: quality and compatibility, a great one!
  You can enable it in MCS preferences window as default encoder:
  • with a quantizer set to 7 (new default value), resulting encodings will be approximately 10% larger on disc than with FFmpeg,
  • a little slower than FFmpeg, setting: "quality good",
  • BUT equivalent to the FFmpeg "quality superior", on optimizing images (motion estimation and size of the GOP),
  • AND with a better bitrate regulation, better conformity with DVD-Video specifications (mpeg2enc directly encode "double pass" ;-)).

 

New features and minor bug fixes:

• Encoding module:
  • FFmpeg encoding was often restrained, oops! (if your processor was powerful enough you could now encode faster than real time).
  • Some DVB-T (h264 + aac) are now synchronized.
  • Ultimate(?) anamorphic detection: geometry of your videos will be better respected (bonus: encoding from 16:9 to 4:3letterbox should be always available).
  • Some interlaced files decoded by QuickTime were deformed.
  • The "PanScan" aspect was broken (personal opinion: this aspect has no real interest, I'm not surprising that nobody reported it to me, I guess nobody uses it ;-)).
  • Audio extraction of .mov files with audio mono/8bits could fail.
  • Encoding of AVCHD files from camcorder (.MTS) did not work if the field order (auto or forced) was set to "progressive" (eg: shoots from Canon-HG21).
  • Encoding of AVCHD files from camcorder (.MTS) was buggy in 'Demo-mode' (and we don't care, the conversion process has been completely rewritten ;-)).
  • Failure during mux if MCS window was "Minimize" in the Dock.
• Encoding module & HD: preview will be a little more fluid on small configurations (PPC for example).
• Encoding module & Mux: fixed a bug with character "%" in the name or path of the file (it was blocking the batch).
• Mux module:
  • fixed a bug with image subtitles.
  • fixed a stupid alert if you muxed more than one video in an mpeg.
• DVD-Video module:
  • Now you could include a subtitled video as DVD-Video introduction (before, this subtitle appears in black on black ;)).
  • Fixed a bug according to the size of some "background images" for menus.
  • For those who still have an old mac: if your graphic card is too old, an alert will prevent you. Follow the instructions that will be displayed, and you will access to nice menus and sub-menus for your DVD-Video, too.
• Miscellaneous: the switch from encoding module to Studio modules, works with a monitor away from the central unit by 15 meters of cableo (very rough but it does it job ;-)).
• And lots of other stuff that I forgot to note…

 

oops!

…And if I forgot to answer to one of your mail, do not hesitate to send it again to me ;)

 

 

Version 1.41 (november 16th 2008): corrections

• Checking the version of Perian codec could prevent the launch of MC.
• MC chose the wrong decoder with .mov from FinalCut.
• "Cosmetics" improvements (one alert less, better font display).

version 1.4 (november 12th 2008)

New Features:

iAuthoring (continued):
Always quick to implement

"let all your settings in less than 3 minutes to make a DVD-Video with menus and thumbnails, and not too ugly."

• Directly burn your DVD-Video to the most compatible DVD-Video format for your Home DVD Player (no more need to create a disk image).
  The burn code comes from the the great software LiquidCD.
• Ability to add audio to your menus (and pre-listening it).
• Ability to add a background image to your menus (and preview it).
• New ergonomics: Easily manage files inside your DVD.
  • Load your MPEG one by one, or load a folder (abilty to drop it on MC icon in the Dock).
  • Delete a file, add another, … (The old version was not practical: impossibility to remove or add a video during settings).
• Adding localization for DVD menus in Russian , Norwegian , Finnish , Dutch

New free module "SuntaicHD": convert videos from your camcorder HD into QuickTime compatible files (ready for iMovie/FinalCut).
PS: FREE MODULE (free access to all without registration)
Runs on PPC as on Intel.
(and you will avoid to use iMovie'08 poor quality)

• load a video AVCHD
  (camcorders SONY HDS-CX6 / HDR-CX11 / HDR-SR1 / HDR-SR11, Canon HF10 / HF11 / G10 / HR10 / HG20 / HG21 Panasonic HDC-SD1 / HDC-SD5 / HDC-SD100 / SD9 / HS9, …)
  • MovieConverter generates to you a thumbnail (these files cannot be preview in Finder, it will be more convenient to check what they contain).
  • Click the preview (the "eye" button) and MovieConverter will display an excerpt of this illegible video ;).
  • Choose your output format (a file for iMovie, for FinalCut, un 720p, un 1080i, …)
  • Convert :)
  
  
• Bonus (still free and not even proposed by the other soft*):
  • Converts .TOD files from JVC camcorders (JVC GZ-HD5, JVC HD30, …).
  • and .MP4 from Sanyo HD1000, HD1010 (including 1080i mode).
  
  
• The "Suntaic" module uses the same open-source tools (credits) that the other soft (you will have exactly the same quality and the same slowness ;-)), namely:
  • xport (GPL license): an MPEG-TransportStream demuxer (wrapper of AVCHD).
  • ldecod (GPL license): a video decoder to YUV format.
  • ffmpeg (GPL license): an encoder from YUV stream to mpeg4 video.
  • movencoder (3clause-BSD license): a QuickTime video converter to AIC (video format suitable for editing).

  * Edit: …since the public beta version of MovieConverter 1.4, "the other soft" included tod support. Yeah, he does not just know how to "use" free code from others developpers, but he "use" ideas of others too :-D

New GUI 'Studio' (and renamed):

• Prettier
• More readable (I did not have enough space).
• Ready for future versions (…to follow ;))

Major bugfix for Tiger:

• Exotic characters (like accents) in the name of yours files/folders/disks will not produce errors anymore (Apple only corrected this bug in Leopard).
  …Now you can name your files with these characters é, ï, ñ, ß… ;).

Minor new features and bug fixes:

• Better memory management.
• Fixed a bug introduced in the previous version with non-saveable .MOV.
• Handles anamorphic mpeg4.
• Correction of "The Ben-Hur correction" (see MC version 1.3)
• Lot of details…

 

version 1.3, release august 28th 2008

New features:


iAuthoring: Select a MPEG file (or a folder full of MPEG) and let all your settings in less than 3 minutes. MovieConverter will do for you automatically a DVD-Video with menus and thumbnails (and not too ugly :-)).

• Aspects 4:3 and 16:9 are managed within a single DVD (MC will isolate videos for you according to their aspect).
• If your MPEG was not DVD compatible, MC will propose to you to correct its wrapper (it's fast and it avoids the predictable failures).
• Creating a menu with thumbnails for easy access to each track.
• If you author more than 9 videos, MC will create as many sub-menus as necessary, so that each track will have its direct access (and always its thumbnail).
• Each sub-menu will let you read -in 1 click- all the videos contained in a sub-menu (button "read all").
• Display automatically the subtitles you patiently included in your MPEG (but you can always turn them off with the remote control ;)).
• Automatic selection of button in the menu -at the end of reading- on the track you just readed (it is for lazy people like me who do not want to play continuously with the arrows of the remote control, to simply access to the next track).
• The sequence of a 4:3 video to another 16:9 one will not produce distortion, temporary one but usually visible during broadcasting.
• and many others ergonomic details…

• In addition to the all-automatic, you can:
  • Quickly chapterize (1 chapter each xx minutes).
  • Choose your thumbnails (you just put a .jpg file with the same name than the MPEG, beside it (…like the one MovieConverter generates for you during each encoding ;)).
  • Personalize each thumbnail caption (via the "eye" button).
  • Reorganize tracks order by simple drag and drop (via the "eye" button).
  • Add an introduction picture (or mpeg video).
  • Generate a disk image (which you can directly burn with "Disk Utility"). PS: This option is recommended, there are several "DVD-Video" formats and the one produced with the image disk is the most compatible with DVD-readers.

• Limitations:
  • A DVD with 9 videos maximum will always be "safe", even if you mix audio formats and video sizes (the best compatibility is not promised if you mix more than 9 too different videos on a single disc, example: standard MPEG + MPEG DVB-T + …).
  • You will only get direct access to the first 9 sub-menus (aka the first 81 videos on your DVD). For the remainder of the sub-menus, you will need to navigate through the "MENU NEXT" buttons, included in each sub-menu (you will lose some ergonomics, but I have already authored more than 110 short-movies on a disc with this tool ;)).
  • If possible, avoid "PCM" audio format (non-compressed audio, the one generated by iDVD). Apart from the fact that it occupies too much space on the disk for nothing, it has no real interest and is only partially managed (You should use your remote control to select your audio during playback).
  • Your DVD menus are already well localized in Japanese, English, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Chinese and Spanish.
    Edit: Russian, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian (see version 1.4)
    
  • Your DVD menus are approximately localized in Russian, Dutch, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese Brazilian, Chinese traditional. If you want to add your language or correct an approximate localization, contact me (you will not spend more than 5 minutes to do it).
    
    

New minor features:

• Main window:
  • Lots of temporized alerts: what's more irritating than launching "Batch encoding" before going to bed, and to realize the morning that a stupid alert has blocked the interface (and encoding has not advanced). Most alerts are now delayed: if you are in front of your computer, select the answer that suits you, without any answer, the safest one will be chosen for you ;)
  • The "Read Me" file now indicate the encoding settings you used (user request).
  • At the end of "Batch" encoding, you opportunity to shut down your computer or set it to sleep (user request).
  • Leopard (MacOSX.5) only: Management of disks formatted in "Windows Fat" and output DV: your DV encoding will be complete (and no more truncated to the first 20 minutes).
  
  
• Tools:
  • Demux: now works correctly (and also demux "pcm").
  • Demux: Adding an option to force subtitle extraction (in fact, if your subtitle does not start at the beginning of the track, it will not be detected otherwise).
  • Mux: Oops! Mux didn't know anymore re-mux subtitles extracted by the demux tool since the last version (corrected).
  • HD to iMovie/FCE (ALPHA version): a M2TS converter for all and free. Same process (same open-tool used) than a soft paying called Volta*c but for free and legal (which is not cases with the other).
    Note 1: this is very slow -like with the other soft- but it's good (PPC are able to use their HD camcorder too :)).
    Note 2: No need to send me bug-reports if it fails, this is a pre-feature (which will be finalised in the next major version of MC). (Reported to the next version of MC, too much code to re-check and not enough time...)

Minor bugfixes:

• The "check field order" tool was not QuickTime 7.4 or later compatible.
• Modification of some interface behaviors (to limit users mistakes and to avoide some Apple's AppleScript bugs).
• In one case, there was possibility to launch again "batch mode" during a "batch mode".
• Better framerate detecton of long .flv.
• Better extraction of some rare audio files (such as old trailers from the french web site "commeaucinema.com").
• Better detection of some rare interlaced files detected as progressive (the DVB-T from the French channel "France4" for example).
• "The Ben-Hur correction": even your very, very long movies will no longer be truncated (and try with other apps to see what they do ;)).
• Tools Pulldown: more robust process (though it remains somewhat uncertain with mpeg files, if you have time enough, prefer to demux - correct your video elementary stream - and to re-mux them).
• A new management of .mov files to limit Perian 1.1 side effects.
• In the Main window, an approximated BUT QUICK management of .m2ts (videos from HD camcorder or Blu-Ray).
• "Batch mode" was buggy if it contained several files with the same name to encode.
• Full management of files containing "%" in their name or their path (previously they was not multiplexed and no thumbnails was produced).

 

version 1.2 (Happy New Chinese year 4705 of the Earth Rat*)

* …with a little late (and in french)…

New features:

• Compatible with the unpleasant "great" QuickTime 7.4 version and later (available for Tiger and Leopard). If you still use an earlier version, MC remains compatible.
• Conversion from interlaced NTSC VIDEO->PAL has now the same quality than other processes (it wasn't true before).
• A far better compatibility with output for DVD and very strict DVD Hardware Players (do not dream, better does not mean perfect, but the rate of "possible freezes" are reduced by 5 to 8).
• (Intel only) Speed: the "good" quality with FFmpeg encoding is now almost as good as "superior" (but much faster :-)).
• New interface, same on Tiger and Leopard (the drawer's look differed between system versions, thanks to Apple designers).
• New button to access to "Tools (MC's Additional functions)" (nobody realized they existed ;-)).
• Management of subtitles (cf "Tools": see below).

Tools (MC's additional functions): Subtitles (access via tool "Mux"):

• Handles text subtitles (srt, ssa).
• Support every encoding, from MacRoman to japonese, cyrillic,… (but the first loading of an .srt will be a little slow).
• Keep subtitle synchronization even in case of standard conversion.

Major bugfixes:

• iMovie decoding (interlaced videos decoded by QuickTime) was "broken" since the last FFmpeg update (so during version 1.1).
• A stupid failure with the NTSC Film encoding with quality "fast" (living in Europe I test more PAL than NTSC).
• In some cases, the MC's ability to cut introduction of your videos, induced an out-of-synch.

Minor bugfixes:

• New encoding optimizations = faster (with majority of simple processes).
• New version of the tool to extract audio via QuickTime (it now handles audios from flv and mkv via Perian codec).
• More reliable decoding of wmv (and avoid to force the default decoder assigned to you by MC).
• A "less false" announced duration for .VOB (to obtain the real duration during analysis, it would be necessary to lose 1 minute per hour of video with a recent INTEL Core2Duo… imagine the necessary time with a PPC ;-)).
• Audio process optimization for DV output (it could be extremely long).
• Black borders added to videos were too dark since v1.1
• Stop a process from the tools window AND during a paused encoding in the main window, does not stop anymore the paused encoding (you didn't understand circumstances? …you did not encounter this case yet ;-)).
• Batch mode is activate by default for registered users.
• Better recognition of anamorphous files (I will keep this sentence, I think I will use it again with all new version ;-)).
• A lot of other stuff… (in bulk and incomplete: better management of exotic characters, of .eyetv duration, MC does not monopolize some file extensions, internal code more reliable, encoding progress bar didn't display on PPC, better FCP compatibility, better .mkv decoding, reorganization of some Menu items, i you encounter an error -and in order to correct it- MC will guide you automatically to report the bug, etc).

OpenSource Tools:

• New version of FFmpeg (some features more).

 

january 2008 (Happy New Year)

OpenSource Tools:

• january 17th - New build of FFmpeg
  I forget to remove a debug option in MC before to release it. This new version of FFmpeg compensates for my lapse of memory without changing MC, magic isn't it? :)
• january 06th - New build of mpeg2enc
  The previous version crashed depending on a scientist cocktail: (duration of the file to encode) * (quantity of RAM available in the computer) => crash. No more crash… but MC's code still need an update in a forthcoming version.

PS: As usual, the update of these tools is automated, if you kept "Check for update" in preferences.

 

version 1.1 (Christmas)

New features:

• Compatibility Leopard (step 1: the code is fully compatible).
• A better management of DVB streams (DigitalVideoBroadcasting), included HD streams.
• Handle "EyeTV" meta-packages (now MovieConverter accepts the drag'n'drop of ".eyetv" files on its icon).
  (and MovieConverter can still correct the -often- buggy DV export produced by your EyeTV ;-)).
• Now the site and the help "speak" in english (and not in "froggy" english, thanks John).
• Better controls to avoid the innumerable bugs in files produced by the ®DivX™ Pro encoder.
• Full management of the interlaced files with an odd height (do not laugh if you understood this sentence … I encountered some!).

Major Correction:

• "field rate": the encoding of videos with many frames-per-second (50fps in PAL and 60fps in NTSC) is now treated correctly (including in the event of conversion of standard PAL<->NTSC).

Minor corrections:
In bulk:

• The display of the progress bar -on intel- with the encoder mpeg2enc.
• Some random behaviors with some "Cancel" buttons.
• An improvement of the detection of the anamorphous MPEG-TS (DVB and cie). And in premium: an useless alarm less!
• A better management of the sizes of the iMovie projects in HD.
• A correction of the update code (oops! if you read these infos directly in MovieConverter, avoid to click on the "stop" button during the download ;-))
• Correction of the expert's option "force framerate" for NTSC outputs.
• Some cosmetic corrections (some texts disappeared sometimes, …).
• Some files with "very very weird" names (containing "`" for example) work now.
• An error with memory management, that crashed MC after the encoding of 50 video files.
• etc, etc, …

OpenSource Tools:

• New build of the mjpegtools (some bugs less).
• New version of FFmpeg (some features more).

 

version 1.00

• First international (non french) release.
  (REM: MovieConverter's users generally use PAL output. NTSC works but it was not fully tested since … some time.)

 

…and previous

• Resume: some stuff more, some bugs less.
• The "what's new" was not in english, if you understand french, take a look to the French link (you will see the features from version 0.81 to 0.99).