Guide for Blu-Ray Re-Authoring using multiAVCHD

[laserfan]

Sorry Dean, can you indulge me another ? or two: having asserted Haali "latest stable" release which is 1.9.355.21, and installed latest ffdshow making sure libavcodec is set for MPEG2, and a few reboots of course, and I also can now finally see the PG13 screen as you have, but only if I drag this file into the media window and open it i.e. if instead I am in BDRA mode, then it doesn't work.

So in basic "run mAVCHD and drag the 05002.m2ts into it" I get the Haali error (because I've set it to alert me to errors) and then the Champagne cork indicating eac3to success and then see the blue screen just as you did above--successful Preview. But...

When in BDRA mode and I click on the .mpls for 05002, or the Title for it, I get the Haali error but nothing indicating an eac3to attempt, no Task Mgr or champagne cork--mAVCHD just goes to Preview with black and "multiAVCHD.deanbg.com" and the time midpoint overlaid onto it.

Of course, in this latter case I cannot click on 05002.m2ts directly, I can only access the 00106.mpls or Title #7 which is where 05002.m2ts is "buried". If I inspect the mpls with HxD I sso two instances of @05002M2TS but nothing else. Any more ideas?

[Capsbackup]

deank;
recently I had reauthored a Blu-Ray with version 3.0, 729 on a title I had ran BD-RB on first to reduce to BD-25. The BD-RB version works perfectly while playing back on TMT3 and PowerDVD 7.3.
I blanked 3 warnings and 1 Deluxe Digital advert with MultiAVCHD, and the results worked perfectly with same two software players.
Tried this same movie with BD-RB, only this time reduced to BD-9 size, to test my luck with full movie backup to BD-9 for my Sony S360. Again, original BD-RB backup works perfectly with software players.
However, after blanking the same 3 warnings and 1 advert with the newest version of MultiAVCHD 4.0, 733, it will not play on the software players.
I noticed that this version of MultiAVCHD is not copying the contents of the Certificate folder that version 729 did, only the empty folders. There are files inside the CERTIFICATE folder and BACKUP folder. Also, the contents of the AUXDATA, BDJO, JAR, and META are not copied either. It is only coping empty folders. Version 729 copied the contents as well as the folders.
Is this by design?

[Capsbackup]

I can confirm that version 3.0 729 does properly copy all files within these folders where as version 4.0 733 did not.
After a new reauthor with 3.0 729, this title does now work properly on the software players. I will burn to DVD+R DL later for final testing on my Sony S360.
(dual-boot OS can come in handy sometimes )
Also, BD Live is working as well.

[deank]

This is very strange, since the copy is done with a single command and I didn't change it. It is as simple as xcopy.exe and is performed with 'transferring structure' message. The folders (empty or not) are created in the same step as copying the files.

I'll check it now.

***

No change... all files and subfolders are properly transferred. I can't think of what is not right at your end.

@laserfan: just tried it in re-author mode and the PG warning is also displayed. May be it has something to do with the playlist file. Can you send it to me, too?

[laserfan]

Originally Posted by deank

@laserfan: just tried it in re-author mode and the PG warning is also displayed. May be it has something to do with the playlist file. Can you send it to me, too?

You bet Dean--thanks for taking a look at this. Here's the .mpls that references the PG warning:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ym1ycywaoyw/00106.mpls

[deank]

Again... I have no problem with the file and the playlist...

Imported a disc in re-author mode and selected the title with this playlist in the compilation box:



I can hear eac3to and it is displayed again. You can see that i'm using the playlist (in the PLAYLIST tab FILE REF [00106.mpls] and the m2ts file in the title header [05002.m2ts] just like you do.

While importing it here is the log from multiAVCHD:

[19:04:08] MAKER/Equipment ID: BLU-RAY DISC

[19:04:10] *** 2. AVCHD LALAY 
[19:04:10] *** Scanning playlist (00106.mpls). Please wait...
[19:04:10] *** Playlist EXT format: BDMV 1.1
[19:04:10] *** Detected main-path : [ID#000 Dur: 00:00:06.006] [00:00:11.650]
[19:04:11] *** Detected media file: [05002.m2ts, 00:00:06.006] (0 MiB)
[19:04:11] *** Detected main-path : [ID#001 Dur: 00:00:00.041] [00:00:17.656]
[19:04:11] *** Detected chapters #: 00:00:00.000;00:00:06.006
[19:04:11] *** Playlist duration  : 00:00:06 (0 MiB)

[19:04:11] Added Blu-ray disc in re-author mode.
[19:04:11] In re-author mode multiAVCHD funcionality is restricted.

Dean

p.s. Using version 4.0.734 here... I don't know which one you have, but I think it doesn't really matter (unless I changed something since build 729 and you're using it).

[laserfan]

Ok I guess I have to quit on this before I have a nervous breakdown! Deciding it might be a W7 x64 issue, I rebooted to XP x64 and installed mAVCD from scratch (latest) and SAME PROBLEM! I can open and view 00106.mpls and 05002.m2ts in MPC, and 05002.m2ts will Preview as a media file in mAVCD, but 00106.mpls will not. Haali errors but it's not passed to eac3to that I can tell (no cork sound ever).

I guess I wanna ask what the exact mechanism is in mAVCD for "Haali's errored on this so pass it to eac3to" because that doesn't seem to be happening. Is DirectShow involved? Maybe I have some filter priority differences from yours (though at least on the W7 machine it's almost brand-new w/only adds being Sonic/Nero/Arcsoft stuff for running eac3to and TMT3).

[Capsbackup]

Originally Posted by deank

This is very strange, since the copy is done with a single command and I didn't change it. It is as simple as xcopy.exe and is performed with 'transferring structure' message. The folders (empty or not) are created in the same step as copying the files.

I'll check it now.

***

No change... all files and subfolders are properly transferred. I can't think of what is not right at your end.
?

deank, tried again this morning, with build 734, and as the program starts the import/reauthor process and stops to asks " This folder contains 110 pictures, do you want to create slide show?", below in the media window I see:
1. BD Live Center activate
2. BD Live Center cancel
3. BD Live Center slide select
4. BD Live Center up down select
5. ERROR
6. UBL new intro audio
Above in the media window the error appears to be in the \BDMV\JAR\11001\ERROR.PCM

If I say No, and continue, it does proceed, and appears to finish successfully as well, but the movie does not play.
However, when I try this same movie with version 3.0 729, I do not ever get this same message/error, and it completes and the movie works.
I am doing nothing different other than using the new version on my XP Pro hard drive 1 OS, rather than my XP Pro hard drive 2 OS.
Maybe it's just this movie, since I have done several others (4-5) that have worked properly.
But there is no doubt that this same movie source does process correctly with version 3, 729 and not version 4, 734.

[deank]

Well it scans for stuff in the imported folder and prompts for the slide show. You're saying that answering "NO" and entering re-author mode, processing without errors gives a bad disc?

I did some changes in the reauthor mode since 729 but they were minor fixes for major bugs (like failing with big mpls files). And you're saying that the structure is not copied entirely?

[Capsbackup]

Originally Posted by deank

Well it scans for stuff in the imported folder and prompts for the slide show. You're saying that answering "NO" and entering re-author mode, processing without errors gives a bad disc?

I did some changes in the reauthor mode since 729 but they were minor fixes for major bugs (like failing with big mpls files). And you're saying that the structure is not copied entirely?

Yes, and what I found, trying to figure out what was different than the source, was the contents inside the folders were not copied but the folders were. No errors in the log either.
Just tried again, same results.
MultiAVCHD completes and when I check the folders, they are there but are empty.
Would you like the log file? Can I provide anything?
Just trying to help and report my testing, let me know.

[deank]

It must have something to do with privileges in your installation of ver 4.0. Both 3.0 and 4.0 use the same command... as I earlier posted "xcopy.exe" - a basic windows command to copy/recreate a structure. Its parameters are /Y /E /EXCLUDE:exclude.txt /I /C where exclude.txt contains .m2ts .mpls .clpi .MTS .MPL .CPI each on separate mode and executed via structure.cmd. It is just a single command executed via cmd.exe. As I said I did a test today and all files were transferred properly.

Dean

[laserfan]

Dean I believe I have found my Preview problem, which is an appallingly simple one: I failed to notice the "before you begin" instructions shown here:

Choose a partition with at least 100 GB free. Create a folder called "Workspace". In this folder, create one folder, called "multiAVCHD". In the folder called "multiAVCHD" create another two folders, called "Original" and "Temp". In[to] the "Original" folder copy the original disc, the BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders.

Instead of copying the disc to my hard drive, I was instead re-authoring from the original disc (with AnyDVDHD installed of course). When I copy all the files from the original disc to my hard drive, then the items that previously would not Preview w/eac3to work fine.

Indeed FWIW it appears that this "fails to Preview" thing only occurs with those items that fail Haali and require eac3to--I get good results w/sound of popping cork now, where before I never heard that. Something about the way eac3to works i.e. needs to write to the source location and can't? I dunno, but I hope my travails (sorry for all the time you spent Dean) help someone else...

[deank]

With most input media, multiAVCHD can't operate if source resides on a read-only media. Could this be the cause? It is good to follow the guides step by step

Yes, every time with such troubles with multiAVCHD it helps me a lot, not to say it helps other users, too!

Thanks for not loosing it and not giving up

[Capsbackup]

Originally Posted by laserfan

Dean I believe I have found my Preview problem, which is an appallingly simple one: I failed to notice the "before you begin" instructions shown here:

Instead of copying the disc to my hard drive, I was instead re-authoring from the original disc (with AnyDVDHD installed of course). When I copy all the files from the original disc to my hard drive, then the items that previously would not Preview w/eac3to work fine.

Indeed FWIW it appears that this "fails to Preview" thing only occurs with those items that fail Haali and require eac3to--I get good results w/sound of popping cork now, where before I never heard that. Something about the way eac3to works i.e. needs to write to the source location and can't? I dunno, but I hope my travails (sorry for all the time you spent Dean) help someone else...

Interesting find laserfan!
I have never reauthored any of mine from the disc but from AnyDVD HD ripped files to a folder on my hard drive. I work from these "source" folders. Example might be a folder name of the Blu-Ray with the BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders inside this folder.
deank, is this method acceptable or is there a difference/reason to create these special named folders?
When I start MultiAVCHD, I always need to direct it to the source files and also select a destination folder too.
Perhaps my method is undesirable.

[deank]

No, folder names are arbitrary (the author of the guide chose these names). multiAVCHD defaults to its path after each re-author job or when the last used output folder does not exists (does not apply to re-author mode). You're doing nothing wrong. I just wonder why the problem with [transferring structure].

[laserfan]

Originally Posted by deank

With most input media, multiAVCHD can't operate if source resides on a read-only media. Could this be the cause? It is good to follow the guides step by step

Yes, every time with such troubles with multiAVCHD it helps me a lot, not to say it helps other users, too!

Thanks for not loosing it and not giving up

I do wonder why eac3to doesn't like the non-writeable source.

You have been most gracious and kind...I appreciate it! Will have to try another re-author soon!

[deank]

It is possible that it isn't eac3to's fault. When you drag the .m2ts file directly from the read-only image/mounted disc you can preview it, right?

[laserfan]

Originally Posted by deank

It is possible that it isn't eac3to's fault. When you drag the .m2ts file directly from the read-only image/mounted disc you can preview it, right?

No, I cannot. I get a Haali error but no appearance/cork-pop from eac3to, only the black screen w/your logo & time.

I believe it was when I put the single .m2ts on my hard drive, and dragged it from there (trying to duplicate what *you* were experiencing since you did not have the entire disc), and it worked, that I was inspired to try instead copying the entire BD onto the hard disk finally. And then I started getting lotsa cork pops--eureka!

[Capsbackup]

Well, I guess it's just my luck.. Just had a second movie not work with MultiAVCHD v4.0 build 734, in reauthor mode, yet work perfectly with v3.0 729.
MultiAVCHD starts the rebuilding process after I made my blanking selections, but then throws out this message and quits/shuts down:
(RT) Invalid array index(65610). Valid range(1-48628)-Line 27871.
Again I notice that in the media window of v4.0 734 it displays:
(a)...\BDMV\Jar\05200\Sound\activate
(a)...\BDMV\Jar\05200\Sound\Select
then the path to the .MPLS files-list.
But when I use v3.0 729, as with my previous example, these first two items (a)...\BDMV\Jar\05200\Sound\activate(a)...\BDMV\Jar\05200\Sound\Select
are not even listed or present in any way in the media window.
I am not sure why that is, but that is the only thing I notice that seems different between the two builds, with v4.0 not working with this type source while v3.0 does.
Not trying to be a PITA deank, just reporting my finding.
Let me know if I can provide anything.

Side note: this movie had approx. 87 very small kb files/warnings in 7-8 different languages that I blanked. Only a few were displayed with the preview, even though the "cork" sound from eac3to was heard. I had to use BDInfo in conjunction with MPC to find the associated .m2ts/.mpls files, which is rather time consuming and slightly annoying , but accurate. I tried the slider for several, but they do not display, only the black screen w/your logo & time.

[deank]

Such files and folders should not appear at all. After the prompt to enter reauthor mode only [r]/[s] playlist (.mpls) files should be present in the list. There is something wrong about all that... but the only thing I added was the prompt for picture slideshow. I guess I'll need to look at it again. Of course a copy of your structure (without the stream folder contents) would be helpful too.