ECL-Pro

OVERVIEW

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows XP/2k/NT sp6

CREDITS
EclPro is an AutoIt application - All credits go to Jon of www.hiddensoft.com/autoit3.
Many thanks to all my alpha and beta testers!

SUPPORTED ENCODERS (tested, could work with other versions)
ProCoder 2.0
For Usage refer to Readme-ProCoder2.txt

SUPPORTED ENCODERS IN "LEGACY MODE"
ProCoder 1.5
ProCoder Express 1.1
ProCoder Express 1.1 for EDIUS
For usage of Encoders in Legacy Mode, please refer to Readme-legacy.txt

Use of ProCoder Express has many limitations and a couple of problems, and it's not recommended... see the "Issue" section in Readme-legacy.txt. If you use it, you are on your own.

HISTORY
V0.21beta:
Fixed two major bugs introduced in v0.20
- Wrong number of frames encoded for NTSC sources
- Spaces in path caused errors

v0.20:
New ProCoder2 support, without sendkeys

v0.08:
Initial release.

EclPro allows to use ProCoder in DVD-RB: just set EclPro.exe as "Path to EclPRO (ProCoder)" in the setup dialog, and select ProCoder (EclPRO) in the "Mode" menu.
When DVD-RB will launch EclPro, it will load the .ecl project, feeding it in ProCoder: interaction is simulated using keystrokes, so while EclPro sets the encoding parameters in ProCoder, any user input is blocked. This is the only way to deal with ProCoder, so, if you don't like this, you can't use ProCoder.
DISCLAIMER

Sorry for my english... it's not my mother language.
If my syntax is wrong, feel free to email me corrections. Thank you.

This software is free, and you can freely redistribute it.
It is not allowed to make changes to the executable and distribute it, without my permission.
If you would like to donate money, please donate to Jon - the creator and active developer of AutoIt:
http://www.hiddensoft.com/autoit3
Why? AutoIt3 is the "engine" of EclPro, D2SRoBa (by Tylo), mDVDAuth (jsoto), and many other useful apps and plugins to come. Jon is doing an awesome job, and is also a very kind person.

THIS SOFTWARE IS provided "AS IS", WITH NO WARRANTY. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ITS PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO ONE WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, AND EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

BACKGROUNG


Canopus ProCoder (in various versions) is one of the best encoders available in the market. One major drawback is the proprietary format of the file used to save the projects, which makes difficult (or impossible) to integrate it with other tools. On the other side, CCE with .ecl (a plain text) is widely used from all the DVD encoding tools.

I don't want to start a debate if ProCoder is better or not then CCE: many users find it's quality very good, and use it! And, for interlaced sources, probably it's better then any other competitor.

HOW TO USE IT

Before using EclPRO, be sure Procoder is installed and working. Have a test encode, using output standard mpeg file, two passes, mastering quality (if applicable). There are some internal settings made at the first run (and some popup windows will appear).
When the encoder is set up correctly, launch EclPro.

The first time it will ask the path of ProCoder, and save this setting in the EclPro.ini file. If you want to change it, simply delete the line in the .ini file (or delete the whole file), and run EclPro again. You can also set quality preferences, or leave the default ones.
Usually, when launched without parameters, EclPro asks for a .ecl to load, then it runs ProCoder, setting the job parameters; but the main usage is in batch mode, when it tries to emulate CCE behaviour.
In batch mode, the .m2v file is created in the root directory of the output hard disk, then moved in the actual position at the end of the encode (no problems for the end user, but if you find a strange file in the root dir... you know where it's from). In non-batch mode, a prompt will appear to alert on the path not set. See "Issue section" for details.

DEFAULT SETTINGS
In default settings, ProCoder will use Mastering quality and a fixed gop length of 15 pictures.
If you want to change these settings, please look at the EclPro.ini file, and at the SETTINGS section below.
Higher speed can be achieved with
Quality=3
(Procoder's default, Highest Quality), but the quality could be lower. For the best quality, leave Quality=4: there are faster encoder in the market, if you're looking for speed.
Goplength=15 is a good setting for high compression level. For lower compression level, goplength=12 could be better. Some players are very picky with goplength 15, even if it's a valid setting for DVD standard. If you're not sure or you experience problems, you can switch to GopLength=12 (DVD-RB default) using in EclPro.ini
AlwaysGop15=0

ISSUES

ProCoder issues:

  • OPV mode is supported only by Procoder2 (it's the new CQ mode), but doesn't work well enough (see below)

  • CQ mode uses 0.00 to 1.00 scale, but it's almost unusable under .90 (higher value, better quality). In CCE scale you can use Q factor from 1 to 11 to have good results.

  • ProCoder Express in some tests give an output with two (last) frames missing, so it's practically useless for DVD-RB (but could work with other apps).

  • ProCoder Express allows 2.501 as minimum mpeg2 bitrate. If you need lower bitrate (example in a DVD-RB poject there could be a cell with lower average bitrate) you could have an oversized result.

  • ProCoder Express doesn't support "Closed Gop" Options: it can't be used to backup multi-angles disks.

Other issues:

  • Input is locked while launching ProCoder (this isn't an issue... it's a feature...). It's the only way to deal with ProCoder.

  • Use of multiple sources in one .ecl is supported only in batch mode.

  • If the input remains locked, Wait a couple of seconds, or use ctrl+alt+del to unlock.

  • Not supported import of Chapter list,

  • Audio isn't taken in account. Procoder1.5 anyway always creates a .m2a file deleted at the end of the job (lowest quality used to reduce space)

  • The output if not in batchmode is always .m2v (and not default .mpv used by CCE)

  • Many betatesters found Procoder's commandline "/Targetdir:" switch buggy (experienced crashes). For this behaviour, in batch mode, the file is temporarily created in the root directory, then moved to the right one. Check path if not in batch mode.

  • One control in Procoder1.5 doesn't accept keyboard inputs. Mouse is used :-(

SETTINGS (for experts)
EclPro.ini settings (Note: if you rename EclPro.exe, also the .ini gets the new name):

  • Options section
    Procoder= Path to Procoder.exe
    Delay = Delay in keypressing (default=0 - minimum)
    Pause = TimeOut in waiting for windows (default=20 - suggested)
    Priority = 0(default):Low - 1:Normal - 2:High
    Minimize = 0(default):Procoder window starts maximized while encoding - 1:Procoder window starts minimized
    NoPathWarn = 0(default) - 1:"Target Path not set" warning will not be showed in non batch mode

  • Quality section
    Quality = 1:High Speed - 2:High Quality - 3(default):Highest Quality - 4:Mastering Quality
    AlwaysGop15 = 0:Set GopLength according to .ECL - 1(default):Always use GopLength=15
    Alsaysframe = 0:Use field base encoding for interlaced sources (better) - 1(default):Always use frame mode (more compatible) - Please use frame mode in DVD-RB else you get errors in rebuilding.

  • Debug section
    StrictGOPBrateControl = 0:Default - 1:bitrate is controlled by each GOP unit. Use it if you have problem in your standalone player with default setting.
    Legacy = 0:Used new ProCoder2 interaction (Default) - 2:ProCoder2 is used in legacy mode (commands sent by keys)

This text refers to usage of ProCoder2.

If you use ProCoder1.5 or ProCoder Express, please refer to Readme-Legacy.txt
You can use Procoder2 in legacy-mode (not suggested) setting legacy=1 in EclPRO.ini
In legacy mode all command are sent by keys.

OVERVIEW
EclPro allows to use ProCoder in DVD-RB: just set EclPro.exe as "Path to EclPRO (ProCoder)" in the setup dialog, and select ProCoder (EclPRO) in the "Mode" menu.
When DVD-RB will launch EclPro, it will load the .ecl project, convert into a .pcp (Procoder) file, and feed it to ProCoder.

BACKGROUNG
Canopus ProCoder (in various versions) is one of the best encoders available in the market. One major drawback is the proprietary format of the file used to save the projects, which makes difficult (or impossible) to integrate it with other tools. On the other side, CCE with .ecl (a plain text) is widely used from all the DVD encoding tools.
I don't want to start a debate if ProCoder is better or not then CCE: many users find it's quality very good, and use it! And, for interlaced sources, probably it's better then any other competitor.

USAGE
The first time EclPRO runs, it asks for the path of ProCoder, and saves this setting in the EclPro.ini file. If you want to change it, simply delete the line in the .ini file (or delete the whole file), and run EclPro again. You can also set quality preferences, or leave the default ones.
Usually, when launched without parameters, EclPro asks for a .ecl to load, then it runs ProCoder, setting the job parameters; but the main usage is in batch mode, when it tries to emulate CCE behaviour.

DEFAULT SETTINGS

In default settings, ProCoder will use Mastering quality and a fixed gop length of 15 pictures.
If you want to change these settings, please look at the EclPro.ini file, and at the SETTINGS section below.
Higher speed can be achieved with Quality=3 (Procoder's default, Highest Quality), but the quality could be lower. For the best quality, leave Quality=4: there are faster encoder in the market, if you're looking for speed.
Goplength=15 is a good setting for high compression level. For lower compression level, goplength=12 could be better. Some players are very picky with goplength 15, even if it's a valid setting for DVD standard. If you're not sure or you experience problems, you can switch to GopLength=12 (DVD-RB default) using in EclPro.ini
AlwaysGop15=0

ISSUES
ProCoder issues:

  • OPV mode is supported only by Procoder2 (it's the new CQ mode), but doesn't work well enough (see below)

  • CQ mode uses 0.00 to 1.00 scale, but it's almost unusable under .90 (higher value, better quality). In CCE scale you can use Q factor from 1 to 11 to have good results.

Other issues:

  • Use of multiple sources in one .ecl is supported only in batch mode.

  • Not supported import of Chapter list,

  • Audio isn't taken in account.

  • The output if not in batchmode is always .m2v (and not default .mpv used by CCE)

SETTINGS (for experts)
EclPro.ini settings (Note: if you rename EclPro.exe, also the .ini gets the new name):

  • Options section
    Procoder= Path to Procoder.exe
    Priority = 0(default):Low - 1:Normal - 2:High
    Minimize = 0(default):Procoder window starts maximized while encoding - 1:Procoder window starts minimized
    Pause = TimeOut in waiting for windows (default=20 - suggested)

  • Quality section
    Quality = 1:High Speed - 2:High Quality - 3(default):Highest Quality - 4:Mastering Quality
    AlwaysGop15 = 0:Set GopLength according to .ECL - 1(default):Always use GopLength=15
    Alsaysframe = 0:Use field base encoding for interlaced sources (better) - 1(default):Always use frame mode (more compatible) - Please use frame mode in DVD-RB else you get errors in rebuilding.

  • Debug section
    StrictGOPBrateControl = 0:Default - 1:bitrate is controlled by each GOP unit. Use it if you have problem in your standalone player with default setting.
    Legacy = 0:Used new ProCoder2 interaction (Default) - 2:ProCoder2 is used in legacy mode (commands sent by keys)

Robot1