Why does encoding video have to suck so freakin’ much?
[I’ll save Steve the effort of commenting on this post by commenting for him: “ha” with a “get a Mac” followed with a “user error” capped as “mine works!” but nothing changes the fact that this is such a painful process when it doesn’t have to be.]
First off: this is not a Zune report. While we’re allowed to use the devices in public and show them to anyone that’s interested in it, we’re not allowed to blog about them. Lets assume that I’m not on the Zune beta. OK? OK.
So what’s my problem this time? I wanna watch DVD’s – discs that I’ve bought and paid for – on one of my devices. Which devices? I’d love for it to work on my DS Lite, but that’s a pipe dream at this point: the DS simply plays games. That leaves me with an iPod (Gen5) and PSP.
DVD’s are in VOB file format. iPod’s see MPEG4 video at 320×240 (remember, I’m Gen5). PSP’s see MPEG4 video at some fecked off size that I don’t remember, but with their latest firmware it also supports 320×240. On either device it would be a low bitrate: I don’t care about the quality on a 2.5″ or 4″ screen. Honestly. Yeah, if MCE/MCX saw MPEG4 videos, I’d want to use 640×480 but MCE/MCX doesn’t see MPEG4 – only MPEG2 – and I’d be more inclined to get off my fat ass and put a disc in my DVD player than encode an entire disc and store it.
Holy crap. Two of my devices will share the same freakin’ format?! Unprecidented.
Since they both play iPod rendered videos, I figured I should finally get some “better” software for encoding. I’ve been using PSPVideo9 for dumping video to my PSP. It was neat because it handled things like the funky video filename that the PSP required at the time – took a lot of trial and error to find the encoding settings I wanted but once I found the Happy Path, I was OK. Seeing as I wanted to get these VOB’s to an iPod, I figured that QuickTime would be the best way to go.
Oops. Want to export files from QT, you need QT Pro. Ah, it’s only $30 and I’ve been using QT for free for years for things… why not, right? OK, cool, lemme point it to a VOB and see what happens.
Oops. For QT to play MPEG2’s you need an add-on. Another $20. Sure there’s free alternatives, but I want to have something that “just works”. OK, cool, impulse buy #2.
Oops. QT Pro with MPEG2 add-on just crashed while trying to play my VOB. Had audio. No screen. Buffer overrun. OK, admittedly this DVD is of questionable quality… true, Nero plays the VOB OK. So does MCE. Hm. Lemme try another VOB.
Oops. No sound. Got video, though, and it doesn’t crash now… but no sound. That can’t be right. Lemme see what other people say about it.
Oops. You gotta go from VOB to some other format to merge the video and the audio and then give to QT Pro, to get it to the iPod.
Um. Riiiiiiiight. Where was this step on any of the Apple web sites? No where to be found. Just “give us money and it just works!” mentality that I was silly enough to buy into. Literally.
[insert an AppleHead response of “you’re ripping d1sc!!!11!” here]
No. Oh, no, that’s got nothing to do with it, now. I have an VOB which is an MPEG2 file. I don’t care where it came from because that’s no longer the point. QT Pro is supposed to support playing that file. That’s what I kicked in the extra $20 for, remember? Nero can play these same files. So can MCE. Neither one crashes and both applications play’m with sound and without having to take an extra step to merge some fecked off files.
Why does that extra step hurt? This whole process of encoding can take a long, long while to get done. This isn’t like working in a regular app where you try something, wait a second, and try something else. Ha! Encoding can take over an hour, just to find out that you got the resolution wrong or you forgot to click some hidden magic checkbox that you wouldn’t understand even with the manual that these apps don’t include.
Basically, I spent $20 to get QT to play MPEG2 video and it doesn’t and I spent $30 to get upgrade QT to QT Pro to export the files that it can’t even play now. Yeah, that loud flushing sound is cash, down a hole.
I’ll stick to Nero – they’re hardly perfect but at least they get the [what should be a simple] job done.
Welcome to codec hell: http://www.furrygoat.com/2005/01/are_codecs_the_next_dll_hell.html
No one claimed this was easy (it should be though).
It’s not a codec problem, tho – the codec problem with QT was solved with $20 and a download. The fact that either won’t open my MPEG2 file without crash OR that I’d have to preprocess the MPEG2 before QT can get it to the iPod is the problem. One step too many.
No, it IS a codec problem. As soon as you say “mpeg2” its codec.
Or maybe it’s a Randy problem.
Anyways, dont steal DVD’s.
ARGH!!!!
Should have closed comments. *graAR!*
Besides, if I could fit a damned DVD into an iPod or PSP, this would be a moot issue :)
Again, I have no problems getting dvd’s onto my ipod. It must be a user error.
I like how it is a user error when it is supposed to JUST WORK. I mean, apple, at least used to, do adds involving a grandmother. If Randy can’t figure it out, maybe it is an apple problem.
If apple can’t figure it out, maybe it’s a standards problem.
If the ISO can’t enforce their own standards, maybe it is a government problem.
If the government can’t understand the technology enough to write tough standards laws, it is back to being an apple problem. Afterall, It is supposed to JUST WORK. So why doesn’t apple go to the ISO, or the congress, with their little lobbyists. And fix the damn problem. So that they won’t get consumers mad, when said consumers spend $20 on something that doesn’t JUST FUCKING WORK.
Or maybe apple should just learn to break the standards in the standard fashion.
If I had to guess, he’ll tell me to get a Mac :)
Ripping DVD’s is VERY different legally than music. With one, its pulling off tracks, the other, it’s removing copy protection and encryption.
And, if you know Randy, it is a Randy problem. :)
As I said – Randy, give me the disk, and ill have it converted no problems.