Re: [dvd::rip] Odd bugs in 0.97.4

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 23:16:31 -0500
Chandler Carruth <chandlerc@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Ok, to preface, I am trying to test dvdrip's functionality with
> Transcode v1.0 and greater on Gentoo, so if any of these bugs are
> transcode related, please by all means, let me know, but I'm trying to
> isolate the ones that I think may be related to transcode. Gentoo is
> moving to Transcode 1.0, and I'm trying to help ensure dvd::rip survives
> the transition.

Yeah, I was a little alarmed when dvd::rip was given last rites on the
Gentoo mailing list.  I really don't think any other mpeg4 generator in
Linux comes close the dvd::rip's ease-of-use and functionality.  If they
drop dvd::rip, they might as well drop transcode because it's very hard to
use from the command line.  

For the record, I'm using:
doug@ghidorah ~ $ dvdrip --version
0.97.4
doug@ghidorah ~ $ transcode --version
transcode v1.0.2 (C) 2001-2003 Thomas Oestreich, 2003-2004 T. Bitterberg

My system is setup for both kind of threads.  I use dvd::rip with nptl
hacks turned off because it doesn't seem to matter one way or the other.

> 1) lsdvd incorrectly reads NTSC content for which transcode can recover
> the full progressive content directly. (FILM is the term used in Windoze
> ripping utilities...) These entries in the TOC are designated to have
> 29.979 fps, however, when transcode goes to rip them, dvd::rip throws up
> an error message because transcode correctly detects that the frame rate
> will in fact be 23.976. I am working to duplicate this on another DVD,
> but I do not believe it to be specific to this DVD, as when I remove
> lsdvd from my system, and re-read the TOC, the correct frame rates of
> 23.976 are reported.

I've noticed that sometimes dvd::rip picks the wrong FPS in the combo box.
It's strange, the FPS is display corrected towards the top, but is wrong in
the box.  I usually just change it manually and everything works fine.

<snip>
> These are a few of the bugs I ran into that could well be
> Transcode-1acting up:
> 1) When transcoding frame ranges, w/o PSU, one or both of the passes
> will often fail right at the end. CPU at 0%, encoding usually near 100%,
> sometimes over, but no activity. Cancelling successfully removes all the
> tc* programs, but encoding never finished.

On my system, transcoding ranges always fails and I have to clean-up the
transcode processes with a "killall -9 tcprobe*".  The cancel button won't
stop them.  Strangely enough, if I do a full one or two-pass transcode, it
will complete successfully without any problems.  This is a good thing, I
suppose.

I don't think I'm having many dvd::rip problems, mostly esoteric transcode
bugs.  Sometimes I wish dvd::rip used mencoder instead transcode as
mencoder always works and has a ton less NTSC bugs.

-- 
genealogy, n.:
        An account of one's descent from an ancestor
        who did not particularly care to trace his own.
                -- Ambrose Bierce