|
|
Post by val on May 8, 2008 23:51:50 GMT -5
He said that Windows was in a sorry state on my PC (before he reinstalled), because of all the extra programs and nonsense that I put on there. "Keep it lean," he said. He cautioned against installing every bit of shareware that struck my fancy. Those are so darn tempting !  But I`m learning my lesson now....  Thing is I never realized how destructive these excessive codecs could be ! I assumed the more codecs , the better but I`m learning another bitter lesson in that department ! lol ! Yeah I think I`ll get one good re-installation done so that I can start afresh . btw is all my data likely to go if I get a reinstallation done ?  |
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 9, 2008 0:04:21 GMT -5
YES. Do a total backup of any data you want to keep (documents, videos, graphics, music). Also keep a copy of your bookmarks and such. (Most browsers have a feature where you can export a copy of the bookmarks, in the form of an HTML web page.) Any specialized settings you had in your programs, or cookies in your browsers, these will be lost. You can save some settings in programs (there's a way to save your customized dictionary or word files for Microsoft Word) but I don't know how to do it! You can also do a "backup and install" on Windows, where it pushes your old version of Windows into a special backup folder (along with all your files, etc) and installs a clean, fresh new version. But even with this feature, you should ALWAYS back up, just in case. And, you'll still have to update any cookies in your browser, import any saved bookmarks, that sort of thing, with your new clean version of Windows. Edit: Here's an article about reinstalling Windows. It's always good to do research before reinstalling, if you've never reinstalled before. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do research about fixing the codec problem without reinstalling!  Who knows, there might be a way to make it better without having to reinstall everything? However, a fresh install of Windows isn't really a bad idea, as long as you are prepared and back up all your files. A lot of Windows users do periodic reinstalls, just to clean out all the cobwebs.  |
|
|
|
Post by val on May 9, 2008 4:41:12 GMT -5
yup i`m trying to back up as much as I can ! I think I`ll get the professional comp guy to do it though as I`m not that confident....lol . And I`m swearing off codecs from now on !  |
|
|
|
Post by sheelz321 on May 13, 2008 15:13:47 GMT -5
I've ripped a section of my DVD for test purposes - as per the tutorial. Strangely enough Vegas wasn't happy with it. Audio was fine, but the video looked as though it'd been shot through rippled glass. However, in Ulead, the quality is FANTASTIC! Crystal clear!  |
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 13, 2008 23:35:13 GMT -5
sheelz, Simona reported a similar problem with Vegas (see her posts on Page two of this thread) and we narrowed it down to using any other codec other than DV (or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC). At least this was how it was in her case. Are you certain that you encoded the clips as DV (for PAL) or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC? Anything else, Vegas might not like.
|
|
|
|
Post by sheelz321 on May 14, 2008 2:18:45 GMT -5
sheelz, Simona reported a similar problem with Vegas (see her posts on Page two of this thread) and we narrowed it down to using any other codec other than DV (or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC). At least this was how it was in her case. Are you certain that you encoded the clips as DV (for PAL) or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC? Anything else, Vegas might not like. Thanks Elvira, I'll play around - I think I had it set to DV/DVCPRO PAL (can't quite remember without running everything). Incidentally the preview (in the decoding program) was perfect other than being squished - which you said was normal anyway). Saw this in another post - I've just reformatted my PC - I do it perhaps tri-monthly especially if my machine throws wobblies. Works like a dream! |
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 14, 2008 2:34:41 GMT -5
Let me know how it goes! I'm in Windows right now (I have an Intel Mac which also has XP on it) and I'm going to do some more tests with Vegas and see if I can repeat this weird error thing with the messed up video picture. Wish me luck!  And I know what you mean about reformatting Windows. We probably shouldn't have to do it, but sometimes it's easier to wipe everything clean, rather than troubleshoot! (My PC guru friend would probably frown at me for doing it that way, but I'm not a PC guru and I haven't always got time for this, you know? ) |
|
|
|
Post by Simona on May 14, 2008 3:48:17 GMT -5
sheelz, Simona reported a similar problem with Vegas (see her posts on Page two of this thread) and we narrowed it down to using any other codec other than DV (or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC). At least this was how it was in her case. Are you certain that you encoded the clips as DV (for PAL) or DV/DVCPRO for NTSC? Anything else, Vegas might not like. Hi Sheelz. Yes, my Vegas didn't seem to like DVCPRO-PAL, but DV-PAL worked perfectly for me.  Luckily Elvira is always here to help us  |
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 14, 2008 8:00:36 GMT -5
Bless your heart, Simona!  Yes, when I was in Windows and playing around with Vegas, I was able to reproduce the weird freaky picture in Vegas, by importing a PAL DVCPRO AVI file. (PAL DV AVI files worked fine.) Here's a screenshot. Looks just like what Simona showed us! So, I think we can pinpoint at least one culprit for that problem. I've updated the tutorial to further emphasize that you may need to convert to DV (or DV/DVCPRO NTSC) only. |
|
|
|
Post by sheelz321 on May 14, 2008 8:05:07 GMT -5
Just an addition - I've tried it in Vegas - picture quality is now fantastic, but there is still some squishing .... I reckon I'll have to 'faff around' as we say here, with the aspect ratios a bit. In Ulead it's great!
|
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 14, 2008 8:07:12 GMT -5
Yes, the tutorial explains the Sony Vegas aspect ratio problem, and shows you the workaround—right-click on all clips, go to "Switches" and uncheck "maintain aspect ratio." (There are screenshots and everything, showing this.) Then export out at the proper frame dimensions (the exporting tutorials will explain how) and you're all set! |
|
|
|
Post by sheelz321 on May 14, 2008 12:22:01 GMT -5
Here I go with yet another question!  Is it possible - using the software in this tutorial, to rip DVDs and keep the subtitles? I've one which is mainly in Hindi, but has English subtitles, which I'd like to transfer onto my iPod (using MPEG Streamclip) |
|
|
|
Post by Elvira on May 14, 2008 14:52:29 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by sheelz321 on May 14, 2008 15:35:28 GMT -5
thanks Elvira, you're a star!
|
|
|
|
Post by janeaustengirl23 on May 15, 2008 2:15:37 GMT -5
hi elvira, wow you're like the guru of how to rip DVDs!! reading through the thread, i'm a bit overwhelmed. I use Vista WMM and I use DVD Decrypter like Val to rip VOB files. once the files have been copied, some clips along with the audio are "Distorted". therefore, the entire DVD is not copied onto my hard drive. is this normal?
i am a bit overwhelmed because i only started this "hobby" February 2008. so all this terms and information is a bit overwhelming right now.
thanks!
|
|
