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Suggested SlySoft product

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Anodyne

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As I am new to the forum I don't know if this has been suggested before - but I would love to see SlySoft produce a general video conversion software, a simple program to convert MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, FLV files etc. between formats, and also maybe to join/trim files. There are several freeware and purchased products that I've used (FormatFactory, Super, ZC Video Convertor, Movie Toolbox, etc.), but no one product that does it all. I don't want heavy video editing, just convert, split, and join! I have a lot more faith in the quality/stability of SlySoft products than I do the random apps I find on the internet (I've been using AnyDVD and CloneDVD mobile for years), and what I really appreciate is the simplicity and elegance. I know there are people who love tweaking bitrate, resolution, etc. but all I really want to do is select a target file format and click 'convert'!

Just a suggestion for the SlySoft folks.
 
+1
Anodyne has suggested my most desired product, but mine would include Blu-ray compatibility.
If only DVDShrink could do to Blu-ray what it does to ISO!
 
No. I don't want to mess with thousands of different input video files, created by all kind of buggy programs. And I don't want to explain to people why that tool can't convert youtube video into crystal sharp HD video with 24.1 crystal clear audio. And dup speech on the fly in all existing languages.

A tool that takes DVD/HD-DVD/BD into any format (CloneBD) is in the work. But you already know that. So you just wanna mock me, don't ye? :agree:
 
A tool that takes DVD/HD-DVD/BD into any format (CloneBD) is in the work
Lordy, but I wish I were known well-enough here to test that puppy fer ya.!
 
Could you at least make CloneBD transcode as good as DVDShrink does.
No offence intended but CloneDVD just don't cut it as a transcoder and as a re-authoring tool has some limitations.
I'm actually surprised that it's never been upgraded over the years considering it's competing with a freeware product that's in many ways superior.

-W
 
I'm actually surprised that it's never been upgraded over the years considering it's competing with a freeware product that's in many ways superior.

You mean "superior" like not being able to remove titles or splitting discs while keeping the menus? Please stop this crap now. :doh:
 
Perhaps "convenience" should rightly have been used rather than "superiority".
Shrink is widely used which makes it familiar, and people are comfortable with such things. CloneBD will be equally familiar one day, and Shrink will be a relic.

Shrink conveniently:
  • Loads the burner (decrypter, imgburn) after encoding
  • Accepts files or ISOs
  • In reauthor allows an unlimited number of default streams and joins them (by far it is this feature I find most useful)
  • Has a very good encoder (perhaps not up with Cinema Craft but there has been much debate about their similarities)
  • has a small player window which helps in setting default streams

However, as mentioned, Shrink's inability to keep menus is more than annoying; Using clunky external programs to make amateurish ones makes it almost not worthwhile.
And the lack of selectivity in Full mode is like being hit repeatedly with a hammer; you get so numb you don't notice anymore.

I wish I had known CloneDVD existed so I could have tried it, but BD is where I am now.
 
[*]Has a very good encoder

Transcoder

(perhaps not up with Cinema Craft but there has been much debate about their similarities)

There's no debate. Shrink can't touch Procoder, CCE, nor the freeware HC Encoder, which are encoders. Transcoder output is inferior to encoder output. It's a fact. Shrink's transcoder output is certainly very good.
 
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As the OP's question has been answered, I wonder if it isn't wise to simply close this thread. If this thread degenerates into an antagonistic flame war over Shrink and Clonedvd, I'll close the thread (or someone else might before I do). Shrink and Clonedvd both have their strengths and weaknesses. Can't we just get along?
 
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My apologies to all if my words appeared to be adversarial, That was most certainly not the intent. I should have taken a moment to recognize where I am right now.
 
My apologies to all if my words appeared to be adversarial, That was most certainly not the intent. I should have taken a moment to recognize where I am right now.

Relax, you're in GENERAL CHAT is where you am right now. All I see is an honest exchange of opinions.

-W
 
However, as mentioned, Shrink's inability to keep menus is more than annoying

That's where I get lost? The very 1st thing to go when I re-author a DVD is the menu, all it does is lead to a selection of things that I don't need or want. For the very same reasons that I fast forward commercials. :)

1. Audio Stream selection: Unless you're illegally distributing the movie multi-nationally you probably know what language you want to hear the movie in. As for 2 or 5 channel - most players can convert the 5.1 to 2.0 - so just take the 5.1 stream and be done with it. If the directors comments interest you, keep that stream also, but force the 5.1 stream to play by default. Subtitles? Only you know how well you can hear.

2. Trailers for other films: We all know that trailers play before the feature. So if there are any on the DVD you want... you stick them before the movie, ditto the cartoons if any. Who needs a menu?

3. "Bonus" material. How many times do you want to see how ILM did the next cool effect? Heh...
But if a partiucular bonus track is a "must keep" just stick it after the movie.


-W
 
Subtitles? Only you know how well you can hear.
Subtitles have many more uses than for foreign language films and the hard of hearing. Subtitles are used extensively to translate foreign dialogue in English language movies and sometimes just for info telling you things like time of day and the location of a scene. Some examples are the Bourne Movies and Ocean's 13, and even The Simpsons Movie had two lines of forced subtitles for the birds in the log cabin and translating Santa's Little Helper's bark at the end. In that last example, if they are not there you might not realise you were even missing anything, but you'd miss two good jokes!

It may say something about my choice of movie but probably half the movies I shrink (no transcoding, just strip out unecessary stuff) have a dedicated subtitle track used when the audio language is English, just for things like the above, or forced subtitles, containing the above, that are in the full English subtitle track but are played even when that is explicitly not turned on.

It is really annoying when you sit down to watch a film and find 2/3rds of the way through that you have half or none of the conversation in a big scene.

What would be very useful is a product for both Blu-ray and DVD that parses the disc and, whatever is the selected language, includes any default subtitle track or forced subtitles.
 
Clams, most of the time I see it exactly as you do. Often though, I have a movie with say, a featurette, two interviews, and a historical vignette, and I want to keep them without having to +++ through the disc to get to them.
My ideal solution would have been for Shrink to have kept the original menu intact, but substituting a default blurb for each deleted item, like...oh..."you didn't include this menu item during reauthor, you freaking amoeba!"
 
My apologies to all if my words appeared to be adversarial, That was most certainly not the intent. I should have taken a moment to recognize where I am right now.

You did nothing wrong. My apologies if you feel I was targeting you
 
My ideal solution would have been for Shrink to have kept the original menu intact, but substituting a default blurb for each deleted item, like...oh..."you didn't include this menu item during reauthor, you freaking amoeba!"

There is a way to do just this:
In full disk mode, just select the item on the left that you want to nix. Then move over to the right and in the "video" drop down box select "still image" and deselect all the audio and subtitle tracks. You've effectively killed that title while retaining the menus. You can also make the "amoeba .jpg" and use that for the still image instead of the default DVDShrink logo.

One more post about how to use Shrink effectively.. And I'm gonna move the discussion to 3rd party forum before Drinky or Mr. Slinger does. :p :policeman:
 
Clams, most of the time I see it exactly as you do. Often though, I have a movie with say, a featurette, two interviews, and a historical vignette, and I want to keep them without having to +++ through the disc to get to them. [/I]"

Personally... I've found that +++ is faster than using up/down/select to navigate a menu structure. (Not even counting the disk space the menus structure uses.) I set the main movie to "automatic compression" and then manually shrink anything else I keep (in those rare cases) to the minimum allowed.

-W PS: Did you know you can get all 11 hours of the Lord Of the Rings on a single DVD-9? You better make a lot of popcorn....
 
No. I don't want to mess with thousands of different input video files, created by all kind of buggy programs. And I don't want to explain to people why that tool can't convert youtube video into crystal sharp HD video with 24.1 crystal clear audio. And dup speech on the fly in all existing languages.

A tool that takes DVD/HD-DVD/BD into any format (CloneBD) is in the work. But you already know that. So you just wanna mock me, don't ye? :agree:

Thanks for the reply, although it wasn't what I was hoping to hear...my original post sure seems to have taken off in a different direction! I should note that almost anything I want to do with a video file (convert format, split, join, etc.) I can do with various programs that I currently have. And I know there are products out there I could purchase that claim to do it all-in-one. However, I have great faith in Slysoft and was just suggesting that I'd feel more confident in dropping +/- $30-40 on a Slysoft product than on one by a company I know nothing about.

I personally certainly wouldn't expect such a product to work the kind of miracles you fear getting complaints about, however I'm not the developer - I'm sure you say this because you've heard similar complaints in the past. I'll just hope that in the future you reconsider!

And sorry, no - I didn't know about CloneBD, I guess I hadn't been paying attention enough yet to have spotted the news on that!
 
Wow, this is certainly good news :clap:. Will it utilize multi-core processors?

A tool that takes DVD/HD-DVD/BD into any format (CloneBD) is in the work. But you already know that. So you just wanna mock me, don't ye? :agree:
 
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