Official "This part of the guide SUCKS!" thread, 2

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 6:51 pm

I guess I better go ahead and make a list of all the changes that have been made so far, and what changes are planned, so I don't get a lot of redundant requests.

Done:

- The video theory guide has been updated slightly, mainly to talk about various containers and to update the codecs that are mentioned. Lot's of small insignificant changes as well, such as removing some unnecessary information, and fixing up typos.
- The audio theory guide is practically unchanged, save for a few small things.

- The "getting your video" section has gone through a massive overhaul. Some of the changes include:
- Fixed some links that led down through some REALLY old pages that obviously shouldnt even exist anymore
- Added a guide on properly using downloaded footage. I'm not sure if this will be allowed in the final guide, but it does have some legitimate uses.
- things have been updated to reflect the latest dgindex
- the section on making your footage progressive has gone through MASSIVE changes, including switching over from Decomb to TIVTC
- I have tried to downplay the "bait-and-switch" editing method in favor of the other 2
- makeavis has been replaced by vfapi, removing the need to include ffdshow in the amvapp (caused lots of problems)

Stuff that still needs to be done:

- See what changes need to be done to the audio guides. They will probably be left relatively untouched. I might add some stuff on using audio you bought from itunes.
- update the "setting up your video project" section with settings for more programs like Magix
- update the "export your amv ready for compression" section with settings for more programs like Magix
- completely redo the avisynth postprocessing suggestions
- fill in all the parts of the guide that are currently marked out.

Willen · Post by **Willen** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 4:07 am

I'd like to see an expanded MPEG-4 AVC / h.264 section in the Distribution Codecs page and an option for MPEG-4 AVC /h.264 exports since this could be the future of distro formats.

Also, I'd like to see a more detailed explanation on what is a video container versus a compression codec. A list of different containers like .avi, .mpg, and .mkv, etc. with advantages and limitations separate from or in conjunction with the codec list would be nice, too.

And while we are at it, anyone want to have a section on setting up and exporting from Final Cut Pro / Express?

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:19 pm

Yes, I have added discussion about containers.

An h.264 guide will definately be there in some form or other. Zero1 has been writing a great guide on it, so I will probably use that. I'm not sure if I will put it directly in the guide though, or make it an off-site link. Because x264 is under heavy developement, things have a great potential to change. And since the Read <a href=http://www.a-m-v.org/guides/avtech31/>ErMaC & AbsoluteDestiny's Friendly AMV Guides</a> historically only gets updated every year or 2... it might be bad to have information that would go out of date rather quickly. So I'm still contemplating on what to do about that.

I don't think Final Cut settings would fit the guide very well. This guide and just about all of the software and techniques used are for windows, so Mac users cant really follow the guide.

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:19 pm

The content that deals with aspect ratios needs to be reorganized in some fashion that makes it more clear. As it currently is, it's split across at least three major sections of the guide.

It should also be updated to talk about SAR, as that's what more and more tools seem to be using.

I'll do something with that calculator thing...sometime soon. hopefully.

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:59 pm

trythil wrote:The content that deals with aspect ratios needs to be reorganized in some fashion that makes it more clear. As it currently is, it's split across at least three major sections of the guide.

It should also be updated to talk about SAR, as that's what more and more tools seem to be using.

I'll do something with that calculator thing...sometime soon. hopefully.

Hmmm... that might be really hard. Honestly, the current pages on aspect ratios even confuse me a little bit :p
I was just hoping it was only me, and no one else had problems there :p

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:14 pm

Zarxrax wrote:
trythil wrote:The content that deals with aspect ratios needs to be reorganized in some fashion that makes it more clear. As it currently is, it's split across at least three major sections of the guide.

It should also be updated to talk about SAR, as that's what more and more tools seem to be using.

I'll do something with that calculator thing...sometime soon. hopefully.
Hmmm... that might be really hard. Honestly, the current pages on aspect ratios even confuse me a little bit :p
I was just hoping it was only me, and no one else had problems there :p

I'm not sure if most people even read it. Part of that may have had to do with the organization, though.

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:27 pm

trythil wrote:I'm not sure if most people even read it. Part of that may have had to do with the organization, though.

I think much of that has to do with the pure amount of information and options thats in there. I could GREATLY simplify things and tell people to just do it one way... but I dunno... that would go against the ideals of the guide to actually teach people whats going on.

There has to be at least 2 locations that deal with aspect ratios... before you edit, and after you edit.

Willen · Post by **Willen** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:39 am

Zarxrax wrote:
trythil wrote:I'm not sure if most people even read it. Part of that may have had to do with the organization, though.
I think much of that has to do with the pure amount of information and options thats in there. I could GREATLY simplify things and tell people to just do it one way... but I dunno... that would go against the ideals of the guide to actually teach people whats going on.

There has to be at least 2 locations that deal with aspect ratios... before you edit, and after you edit.

The aspect ratio section is kinda long, but I think you shouldn't try to simplify it. As the television and movie home video industries are moving to high-definition and standard-definition widescreen standards for broadcasting and physical distribution, aspect ratios and how to deal with them, especially when mixing footage will become more important. I already see more and more anime broadcast in widescreen available on DVD. (I still find it amusing that Cartoon Network broadcast .hack/twilight as "anamorphic widescreen" instead of letterboxing it with the correct AR for 4:3 TVs so when I watched it on my widescreen TV, I could get the best possible quality out of a cable broadcast signal

).

I agree with trythil, the problem seems to be with organization. Or possibly it may be a problem of info overload after all that info on DVD ripping, indexing, interlacing vs. progressive, deinterlacing, etc. I deal with this stuff just about everyday, so I notice different ARs and understand the concepts, but I think that most people don't notice it or it doesn't bother them enough to feel the need to correct the strangely stretched/squished video on the screen. I always have to resist the urge to adjust/fix all the TVs in a store playing anamorphic 16:9 video on a 4:3 set or vice-versa when I see it. Hell, even broadcast professionals can't seem to get it right.

x_rex30 · Post by **x_rex30** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:12 am

Are you by any chance getting any help from the people at doom9? The people are really kind there and I'm sure a lot of great programers/guide writers there could help in some way and be more than happy to give a lending hand. I know that may seem like an odd question but I thought I'd ask anyways.

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:37 pm

x_rex30 wrote:Are you by any chance getting any help from the people at doom9? The people are really kind there and I'm sure a lot of great programers/guide writers there could help in some way and be more than happy to give a lending hand. I know that may seem like an odd question but I thought I'd ask anyways.

Yes, very much so. I've been an active member over there for many years, actually.