# DeVeDe, a video DVD creator

# FAQ

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### Generic

1. I installed DeVeDe using the DEB package, but it doesn't work fine. I miss some features explained in the instructions.

   To install the DEB version you must remove first any version installed from a TAR.BZ2 package, or they will interfere. You can do it just running sudo ./uninstall.sh (from the TAR.BZ2 package) and then installing the DEB package.

2. I created a PAL disc, and the final movie is played slightly faster, but older versions of DeVeDe converts them at the right speed, but with a little jump each second. Why?

   This happens only when the original file has 24 frames per second (like classic films), and you create a PAL disc, which needs 25 frames per second. In older versions DeVeDe converted the original 24 fps to 25 just by repeating one after 24. Unfortunately that produces a noticeable "jump" each second, because the picture, literally, stops during 1/25 of a second.

   To avoid this, in this version DeVeDe does the same that does a TV station: plays the movie at 25 fps instead of 24fps. That means that it's played about a 4% faster. That means that the pitch will be higher. Usually you won't be able to notice it, unless you compare the original and the new sound.

3. I added a VOB file and marked the option "This is already a DVD/xCD-suitable MPEG file", but DeVeDe fails.

   The VOB files aren't fully suitable for DVDAuthor. In order to get the right file you can repackage it (without recompressing, so you will not loose quality) using the command:

   mencoder -oac copy -ovc copy -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd:tsaf -o output.mpg input.vob

   Being input.vob the path to the input file, and output.mpg the path for the output file. Now you can add output.mpg marking the option "This is already a DVD/xCD-suitable MPEG file".

4. DeVeDe creates an ISO (or BIN/CUE) file instead of burning a CD/DVD. How can I create the final disk?

   For ISO files, under GNOME, the fastest method it to just right-click in the ISO file and choose "Burn to CD...".

   Or you can use:

   growisofs -dvd-compat -speed=4 -Z /dev/dvd=FILE.ISO

   Where /dev/dvd is the device which corresponds to your DVD burner (in some computers it can be /dev/dvd1; to be sure, just type ls /dev/dvd* to see the right value).

   For BIN/CUE images you can use CDRDAO:

   cdrdao write --device ATA:0,0,0 --driver generic-mmc --speed 16 NameOfCUEOrTOCFile

   Finally, you can use your preferred CD/DVD burner program like GnomeBaker, Brasero or K3b.

5. DeVeDe is very slow compared to Mencoder alone!

   By default, Mencoder uses fast options, but DeVeDe uses high quality options. If you want speed, just go to the tab Quality options (in the Advanced options section) and there disable Trellis and choose Use MBCMP. Now DeVeDe should be as fast as Mencoder with default options.

6. Why can't I use a VFAT/FAT32 partition to create my DVDs?

   VFAT and FAT32 file systems doesn't understand uppercase/lowercase letters, and shows everything in lowercase. Unfortunately, the creation of a DVD tree is case sensitive.

7. DeVeDe does not start in windows

   First you need python 2.5. Then you have to make sure you have gtk for windows installed. It is more easy to get the Gtk+/Win32 Development Environment (runtime, devel, docs, glade) version. Then you need pygtk. Now you need to install python 2.5 extension pywin32. Any of the needed programs such as mplayer that are not already installed should now be automatically installed next time you run mplayer. Or you can wait for a win32 installer to be made (any voluteers in the room?).

8. I adjust the bitrate to use the 100%, but the final size is smaller.

   Unfortunately is impossible to accurately predict the disk's final size, because you specify a bitrate, but Mencoder can decide to use an smaller value in certain parts if it can compress it more without quality loss (like in very static scenes). That means that the final size can be smaller than the estimation made by DeVeDe, but never bigger.

9. What about using VRC_MINRATE to ensure that the final size is mucho more acurate?

   I added that option in DeVeDe 3.7; unfortunately the result was that, in a lot of cases, the final size was bigger than the predicted size, so I removed it in version 3.9.

10. When I add empty titles, the disk usage grows. Why?

    Each menu can hold up to 10 titles. If you create more titles DeVeDe will need more menus, and each one needs some disk space.

11. What kind of disk is CVD?

    It stands for China Video Disk. It's an alternative format to SuperVCD, using a resolution of 352x480 (or 352x576 in PAL), which can result in better image quality in some players, because the widht and height are compatible with DVD standard (SuperVCD uses a width of 480 pixels, which can result in some picture artifacts in some players).

12. In some fast scenes the picture is jerky. I use bigger bitrates but it doesn't work. How can I fix it?

    Try to deinterlace your video. You can find the deinterlace options in the Properties window for that file, expanding the Advanced options and choosing the Quality tab.

13. Fine, but... what is the better deinterlacing filter?

    That's a good question. In guru-multimedia you can find a comparison. The YADIF in DeVeDe is "yadif=0", without adding "mcdeint".

14. Why I can't add more than 61 files in a DVD?

    Because the DVD standard allows to put up to 128 commands in each menu. The current menu system needs two commands for each file, and six extra commands, which leaves only 61 files.

    The limit for VCDs, sVCDs and CVDs is 99 files.

### Subtitles

1. I preview a video with subtitles and the text looks bad (text colors are inverted)

   Don't worry, it's a bug of MPlayer when showing DVD subtitles from a file instead of a true DVD. In the final disk they will look fine.

2. I preview a video with subtitles, but it doesn't show the subtitles...

   Some Mplayer/Mencoder versions seems to fail to show the subtitles when you watch an MPEG file from hard disk, but they are there. SVN versions seems to have this fixed.

3. I dislike the font used to render the subtitles. How can I change it?

   Just choose a TrueType font you like and copy it in $HOME/.spumux directory, renaming it to devedesans.ttf.

4. I tried to create a DivX file with subtitles, but in the tab it says it's not possible. How can I add subtitles to a DivX?

   DivX format doesn't allow embedded subtitles, but nearly all software players (MPlayer, VLC...) and a lot of hardware players can render them on-demand if you put the file with the subtitles in the same directory than the movie, and rename the former with the same name than the later (this is, if your movie file is MYMOVIE.AVI and your subtitles are in .SRT format, just put the subtitles file in the same directory and rename it to MYMOVIE.SRT). The player should allow you to enable/disable them with the same button used for DVD subtitles.

### Menus

1. How can I add a menu to a VCD/SVCD/CVD?

   Currently you can't with DeVeDe.

2. The menus created by DeVeDe are simplistic. Will you add a menu editor to allow to create more complex menues?

   Probably not. My intention is to maintain DeVeDe as an easy-to-use tool. If you want to create complex menues you have excellent tools like DVD Styler, Q DVD Author or PoliDori.

3. In older versions I was able to create a DVD without a menu. How can I do it now?

   Creating a DVD without a menu results in some compatibility problems with the new title/chapter system, so now DeVeDe always creates one. But you can go to the menu options and select Jump to the first title at startup, so the DVD will start playing the first title, and will only show the menu when it ends, or when the user presses the MENU key in the DVD player's remote.

### Bugs

1. When I click on the Properties button to change a film's properties, sometimes the button with the filename is empty, so I can't change them, but sometimes it works fine.

   There's a bug in GTK 2.12.0 (the one used in Ubuntu 7.10) that produces that behaviour. I already reported it, but developers need time to fix it. Until then, there's only one workaround: pressing cancel and clicking again the Properties button, until the filename appears in the filebutton. The same if you use Drag&Drop.

2. I tried to create a disk but the sound is pure noise.

   Version 1.0-rc1 of MPlayer/Mencoder (the one released, at least at April 20, 2007 with Ubuntu Feisty and other Linux distributions) is buggy and doesn't work fine. While they don't launch a fixed release, just download the file mplayer_fixed from DeVeDe's homepage and follow the instructions there. Or, if you are brave and experimented, you can compile MPlayer/Mencoder from SVN.

   Update (21 Nov. 2007): Mplayer/Mencoder 1.0 RC2 is out and fixes this bug. You can find .deb packages in the GUTSY-BACKPORTS repository.

3. I created a DVD and my DVD player is unable to play it, but other players can.

   Go to Advanced options->Misc, and be sure that you have marked the option Use a GOP of 12 frames.

4. I created a DVD from Ubuntu 8.04, but it doesn't play under WinXP: it doesn't show the folders AUDIO_TS nor VIDEO_TS.

   Unfortunately it's a known bug. Since DeVeDe uses MKISOFS (which is an alias to GENISOIMAGE), it's susceptible to this bug. As it says the people at the forum, there are two ways of fixing it:

   - Uninstalling GENISOIMAGE package and compiling the last version from source code.
   - Or installing the GENISOIMAGE package from Feisty (which is version 1.1.2).

   This bug can prevent the discs from playing in some commercial players too.

5. I created a 5.1 DVD marking the Create DVD with 5.1 channel sound option, but the channels are out of order.

   If your source video file has AC3 audio, use the This file already has AC3 sound instead.

6. DeVeDe fails to create watchable videos, or makes a 0-byte ISO file

   Be sure that you are using the last version of MPlayer/Mencoder (at least 1.0Pre8, but later is better). The very common version 1.0Pre7 has some bugs that can lead to problems with DeVeDe. But warning with version 1.0-rc1.

7. I receive an error when I try to create a DIVX/MPEG4 file

   Be sure that your MPlayer/Mencoder version is compiled with MP3lame support. The creation of DIVX files needs it.

8. DeVeDe still fails. How can I report a bug?

   Open a terminal and launch DeVeDe with this command:

   devede > output.txt 2>&1

   When it fails (or when it fully ends), take the files OUTPUT.TXT and XXXXXX.XML (you will find the later in the destination directory), and send both to raster@rastersoft.com.

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