(Notation: I'chiliad in the process of uploading the guide images, and then comport with me...)

Synopsis: Using MEGui to catechumen any DirectShow compatible video source to H246 (MPEG-4). With this guide you will be able to convert AVI, DVD, Blueish-Ray, Hard disk drive-DVD, Existent Media, or whatsoever other video source that can be played via the DirectShow interface (the file plays in Windows Media Player). All of the tools listed here are open source or freeware.

Tools Needed:
MEGui ( http://sourceforge.internet/projects/megui )
Note: there are many sub tools that are loaded under MEGui. Those tools are downloaded automatically the get-go fourth dimension y'all launch MEGui.

Suggested Tools:
FFDShow
Haali Media Splitter
Media Player Classic
VirtualDubMod (for AVI Sources)
Note: If you lot are having difficulty reading your source files due to codec issues, you tin attempt demuxing your source file using TsRemux. This tin be useful if you desire to grab a specific sound track from an HD source.

Testing your configuration:
In order to properly input Blueish-Ray/HD-DVD video, your PC must be capable of using DirectShow to play back the M2TS or EVO files. To test this, you can create a simple AVISynth script with Notepad. If you know yours is working, you can skip this footstep.

Your AVISynth script should accept simply one line. In this example I'1000 simply checking to see if the script will play back in Media Player Classic. If you are not familiar with AVISynth, I would suggest you check the GUIDES section as that is some other topic. The script in my instance needs just one line. This will allow me to verify my AVISynth install is working and that DirectShow tin can properly decode my source. Open up Notepad and apply the DirectShowSource command to point to our input file:

DirectShowSource("C:\Media\Video\HP5_PHOENIX\BDMV\STREAM\00000.m2ts",fps=23.976,audio=false)

Annotation that you could use the above example for your input, but it may not match your source, and of grade the input file path wouldn't match your input. Lastly, the frame rate (FPS) may non match your source You would need to correct those three things for your specific input. In whatsoever case, once you accept created and saved your sample AVISynth script with Notepad, save it as "exam.avs". You lot tin can then open it with your actor of choice. I prefer Media Role player Archetype. If your PC is properly configured, you should go video with no audio. Note that it doesn't take to play smoothly as your PC may not exist capable of keeping up with 1080p video. Once y'all have verified that your PC is able to read the input via DirectShowSource, and then y'all are gear up to move on to the next footstep. If your PC volition non open up the file (you get filter errors with AVISynth), so you have Codec issues. This is non something that a generic guide can assistance yous with as the possibilities are almost endless as to what you may accept installed and what order your filters are using. You should post your specific upshot in the chief forum to resolve those issues. For my test bed, I installed Nero, FFDShow, Haali, Media Player Classic, and VirtualDubMod. There were no other codecs installed. I too disabled the Nero Splitter every bit it overrides the Haali splitter, preventing Haali from being used. This is an example of software causing conflicts

I've likewise been told by rhegedus that .EVO files from HD-DVD in particular tin be problematic for DirectShow decoding. This is well-nigh likely due to the splitter that is being used. Y'all can manually demux the file (the splitter would normally do this for y'all). In any case, If you lot are having problems with .EVO source files, utilize the post-obit steps to demux your files and then apply GraphEdit to create a DirectShow uniform file.

Demux/Rebuild the EVO with EVOdemux to remove unwanted audio streams and subs then apply GraphEdit:
Haali Media Splitter ---> WMVideo Decoder DMO
Once you have built that filter with GraphEdit, relieve it as video.GRF and make and AviSyth script with Notepad or a similar text editor:

DirectShowSource("C:\FILEPATH\video.GRF",fps=23.9759856527702,sound=false)
ConvertToYV12()

and salvage that file as a .avs file. If everything has gone well, you should exist able to play that .AVS file in your media player.

Configuring MEGUI: (Version 0.2.5.1007)

Ensure you have a recent build of MEGUI. If you are running Windows Vista, I would suggest you run MEGUI with full admin rights (Correct click the Shortcut icon, select Properties -> Avant-garde Button -> Check 'Run As Administrator'). The program has a self updater, however under Vista, it volition not permit MeGUI to launch all exterior processes or restart properly. turning on the Administrator selection volition allow the Update procedure to function properly nether Vista.

The first time you lot Launch MEGUI, it should inform you lot that updates are bachelor. Allow it to update and restart. It will also ask you to import diverse Video and Audio profiles. Make sure yous Shift Select all of the profiles it offers so that you import all of them. You can also hold down the Control Primal to select individual profiles to import if you know y'all only want specific profiles.

The merely particular that will not update automatically is the Nero Digital Audio codec pack. You can download information technology for gratuitous from the Nero site ( http://world wide web.nero.com/nerodigital/eng/Nero_Digital_Audio.html )
Once you have downloaded the files, place them in a TOOLS\NeroAACenc folder of your MEGUI install (the Tools folder will be created later on MEGUI updates). But create the NeroAACenc folder. You must also point your MEGUI configuration to that folder for the Nero audio. To practice so, select TOOLS -> Settings from menus, then the Programme Paths tab. Click the button next to NeroAACEnc and browse to the "neroAacEnc.exe" executable.

MEGUI itself only accepts input from AVISynth files (.AVS). AVISynth in turn tin accept input from a multitude of input sources. I presume the reason for this is but to ensure they have consistent input on a known interface. Makes troubleshooting and coding easier I suspect. No worries if your AVISynth impaired however, as it has a handy AVISynth Script Creator that volition do the dirty work for you. Lets get started...

Selecting your input:

To select your input, you must give MEGUI an AVISynth input file to work with. For this example, I'm working on a Blue-Ray rip. Y'all can employ almost any blazon of input however (DVD, AVI, TS, RM, etc). If yous drag and drop a source video file onto MEGUI it volition typically open the AVISynth Script Creator for yous. Nether Vista, the drag and drop doesn't function and then you always have to scan to your source. For simplicity's sake, I would suggest you but select the AVISynth Script Creator manually from the menus.

The thought here is to browse to your MPEG, AVI, .D2V file, or whatsoever source your using with the AVISynth Script Creator. From that, an AVISynth script file volition be created that volition exist used equally input for MEGUI. Open the AVISynth Script Creator now from the TOOLS carte du jour (Tools -> AVISynth Script Creator). Note that in that location are Keyboard shortcuts listed next to near of the tools if you like that sort of matter (Control + R).

In the Video Input section, you select your input file. The Script Generator will accept input from any DirectShow compatible source, although the input is filtered to show simply the following file types:

Dgindex (.d2v ) files
mpeg-2 (.m2v, .mpg )
.avi,.mp4,.mkv, .rmvb
VirtualDub frameserver files

You can also merely enter an asterisk "*" to force information technology to testify all files. Again I should note that you tin can technically use whatsoever input that can be read via DirectShow ( files similar .m2ts, .ts, etc volition work as long every bit you lot take the necessary codecs installed). This allows you to catechumen files similar Bluish-Ray, Hard disk drive-DVD, HDTV, etc. I would suggest you get a good splitter similar Haali Media Splitter. FFDShow has also made huge leaps in quality. It's an easy addon that will permit y'all to decode and play only about any media file type.

For my example, I'grand going to browse to my Bluish-Ray rip of The 5th Element. The file has an .M2TS extension, so it'southward not an 'immune' input type for MEGUI by default. However I have FFDShow installed and the Haali Media Splitter, meaning the file can be viewed with DirectShow. Equally yous annals files with a media histrion, they may show up in the list. Once you lot select your source file, assuming it is DirectShow compatible, it should show up in with a preview window. If you do non get a preview window, and you lot see an error, that would betoken your source isn't setup properly for DirectShow. Post your issue in the main forum in that case.

If your input source is MPEG based (.MPG, .TS, .M2TS, .M2V, etc), and you lot do non have uniform codec installed, you lot can use DGIndex to create a .D2V file which can be read by MEGUI. DGIndex is one of the Tools that is updated/downloaded automatically by MEGUI. Yous'll notice information technology in the tools folder of your MEGUI install. Simply drag/drop your MPEG file onto DGIndex, (see the GUIDES section for aid with DGIndex) and salve your project as a D2V file. For my Blue-Ray project, I volition use DGIndex to extract the audio track from my .M2TS and to read the file since information technology creates a .D2V file for me. Note I could only apply the .M2TS file directly for video if I chose to since I have FFDShow and Haalie Media Splitter installed.

If your input source is AVI then you can simply select your AVI file directly.

OPTIONS Tab:
One time I select my Source .D2V file in the AVISynth Script Creator screen I see a preview window. The preview window size can be changed by dragging the window edges. Bigger sources makes the window unwieldy so I would suggest yous make information technology small plenty so that y'all tin can see the MEGUI interface underneath. Get out the preview window open as we'll be modifying some elements on the preview screen.

The Input DAR (Display Aspect Ratio) should be displayed. In my case, my input is 16:9. Directly below that is a checkbox for 'Clever (TM) anamorphic encoding'. This option allows you lot to only encode the video as is without whatever drastic resizing. This is desirable so that you do not have to unnecessarily resize your video. The encoding procedure will embed the Aspect Ratio of your video when information technology is encoded and so that information technology is stretched back to the proper proportions during playback. I would highly propose you select this option. For the Anamorphic option, I e'er cull "Overcrop to reach mod xvi" to avert any resizing at all. If your a bit anal about having any of your video cropped, you tin can cull "Resize to Accomplish Mod 16". MEGUI volition require that your video's dimensions are divisible by 16. Cull on of those two options (resize to mod xvi or overcrop to modern sixteen).

Below that, you'll meet the 'Auto Crop' button. This function volition hands remove any letterboxing that may be present. Information technology volition also remove whatsoever wasted black or noisy edges on your video. I would propose you employ it every fourth dimension, fifty-fifty if your video appears to fill the preview with no letterboxing.
(Before Autocrop)

(After Autocrop)

Once you lot accept the preview properly cropped, then click on the FILTERS tab at the peak of the MeGUI Avisynth Script Creator window.

FILTERS Tab:

From hither yous should analyze your source video for interlacing and field gild. This is important and not something you should skip. I can't say how many times I've encoded a project that seemed to be entirely progressive only to find a scene that was mixed. Getting the field order correct is as well important. Note that if your source is Anime/CGI then yous should check the selection "Source is Anime (isn't detected automatically)" before analyzing your material. Once the assay is completed you tin can also choose what Resizing and dissonance filtering options y'all desire. Since nosotros are using the 'Clever Anamorphic Encoding' pick, nosotros won't be resizing annihilation. This pick is practical only if you are actually resizing the video. If you selected "Resize to achieve Modern 16" on the Options tab then I would propose you select Lanczos4Resize as your resizing option. That would give you the sharpest resize with the least loss of item. I would advise you always leave "Minimal Noise" selected, even for 'make clean' sources. For older source fabric, I would advise you select "Lilliputian Noise". Anything beyond that can have a noticeable softening affect which yous may find unpleasant. Experiment here to find what y'all see as acceptable. This setting can have a very beneficial effect on Bit Rate usage even when the dissonance isn't immediately obvious to you. Below that you also have options for Mpeg2 Deblocking and Colour Correction. The Deblocking pick is useful if your source has obvious macroblocking (this would sometimes be the instance on previously encoded MPEG material similar home burned DVD or SVCD's). The Colour Correction option ensures the colors are calibrated properly. I tend to avoid both of these filters every bit I have establish little use for them.

EDIT Tab
The EDIT tab allows you to make any final modifications to your AVISynth script before saving it. For example if y'all wanted to tweak some of the filter functions, resize information technology or add together an additional filter, etc. You tin also add preconfigured text that will always show upwardly here. You'll find those options in your MEGUI settings. If yous have no other modifications to enter, you can but click Salve in the lesser right corner of the AviSynth Script Creator window.

From here you volition have a Preview Window and you main MEGUI screen with the Input Source filled in. You tin too click the 'Show DAR' option to see what your output video will look like on playback (that options displays your output properly stretched out according to the Display Aspect Ratio).

At this point you can close the preview window.

Choosing your Video Profile:

Choosing a video profile may seem a bit daunting considering the options you are presented with. At that place are a few factors to accept into consideration when you do choose i.
What is your target player?
What kind of processing ability do you take to encode your media with?
How much time do you want to spend?

If y'all are encoding video for an iPod for example, you lot would want to choose an iPod compatible profile. If yous have an older PC (not-dual core) then I would advise you use CE-Mainprofile. If you have a faster CPU, or Dual-Core, and so I would advise y'all use the AE profiles. I ever use AE-Maxquality or AE-Goodquality with a tiny bit of tweaking.

For this example, lets cull AE-Goodquality. It'south a adept tradeoff for excellent quality although it requires high cpu specs. I would highly suggest you take decent CPU power (read: dual core) to employ the AE profiles with the settings I'll exist suggesting. Cull the profile from the Video Profile dropdown, and so click the Config push.

Video Configuration Dialog:

Master TAB

Turbo should be enabled
Select Automated 2pass
For the bitrate, that would vary depending on your source. If you are encoding an AVI or DVD, you can start with the bitrate as depression every bit 700 or so. The default is thou which volition piece of work fine. If your not certain you can encode a small-scale sample by calculation a the following at the end of your AVS Script:


TRIM(1000,6000)

That will encode a portion of the beginning of your video. Simply don't forget to remove it from your AVS script before doing your final encode.

General guidelines for encoding bitrates:
For typical XviD/DivX AVI's I would suggest yous start with 600-700 kbps for bitrate
For DVD Rips I would propose you lot kickoff with 800-1000 kbps for bitrate
For Blue-Ray/Hard disk drive-DVD/Hard disk @ 720p I would suggest you start with 2000 - 3000 kbps
For Blue-Ray/HD-DVD/Hd @ 1080i I would suggest you start with 3000 - 4000 kbps
For Blue-Ray/HD-DVD/Hd @ 1080p I would suggest you start with 4000 - 5000 kbps

(note that these are guidelines only...it depends entirely on your source video)

Fix the remainder of the Main tab as shown.

ZONES TAB
This tab allows y'all to specify custom bitrate zones much like MPEG-ii encoders used. I rarely utilize this. But be aware that if you have a problem scene that seems to be getting excessive macroblocking you can tweak that 'zone' here.

RC and ME Tab - This TAB has four subsections - Rate Control, M.E., Misc, and Quant Options

These sections contains the guts of the H264 codec. These settings also have a huge impact on the speed that your PC volition encode your output. The items of interest are highlighted.

Rate Command section
Leave the Charge per unit Control department at the defaults.

G.Due east. Department
Set your 1000.Eastward. Algorithm to a minimum of Hexagon. If you lot have the CPU power I would advise you set it on Multi-Hex.

Subpixel Refinement:
I would not suggest you get any higher than 'half-dozen - RDO (Slow)'. RDO Level 2 is EXTREMELY irksome for very footling gain. 6 - RDO is required to utilise 'RDO for B-Frames' on the Avant-garde Tab. I would suggest you select six - RDO.

MISC Section
Ready your Keyframe interval to 10 times your output video'southward framerate. If your encoding video that is 23.976 frames per second, and so ready the Keyframe Interval to 240. If you wer encoding video at 29.97 fps, and so set up your keyframe interval to 300.
For the Min GOP size, set this to the rounded value of your framerate (ex: for 23.976 framerate video set up information technology to 24).

Quant Options
Trellis: Prepare this to 1 - Terminal MB. Optional fix it to '2 - Always' but expect a bit more than processing time
Number of Reference Frames: Set this to from 5 to 8. This value can have a big touch on your processing time. The lower the number the faster the encode. The higher the number the slower the encode, but the ameliorate the quality. Notation that values over 5 give marginal improvements. You can go as high as 16. Practise non set this value lower than 3.

Gear up the rest of the options every bit shown.

Avant-garde TAB

The merely options you should tweak here are on the Macroblock section, or the B-Frames department.
For the macroblock Options, I would suggest you enable all of them for maximum benefit.
In the B-Frames section I would advise you ready this to 5 for maximum do good. Don't set this value lower than 2. If a setting of 5 is besides wearisome for your configuration, try setting this to 3. The reason I suggest 5 is that using the B-frame mode to Automobile typically won't ever employ more 5 B-frames.
The rest of the B-Frames options should be enabled and the B-Frame mode should be set up to Auto. Note that RDO for B-Frames volition non be available unless you selected "6 - RDO (Tiresome)" or college on the RC and ME Tab.

Configure the remainder of the Advanced options as shown. If you want to save these settings in a new profile rather than overwriting one of the default profiles then click the 'New' button and give your profile a new name. Otherwise, just click the 'Update' button and and then click OK.

This will put you back to the Chief MEGUI page. At this point, you lot can begin encoding your video if you lot like, however I would propose you also setup your Audio selection at this point.

For yous audio, yous can demux it using a diversity of methods depending on your source cloth. For whatsoever MPEG-ii blazon material (.m2v, mpg, .ts), use DGIndex to salve the audio. For AVI fabric, use VirtualDubMod and the STREAMS menu to demux your audio. Once you take an sound file, but utilise the Audio Input button to select your audio file.

For the Codec select "ND AAC" if y'all downloaded the Nero Digital Sound codec. If not, select FAAC.
For the Container select "MP4-AAC"
For the Audio Profile, select NDAAC-HE-MultiChannel-128kbps if you downloaded the Nero files, or NCTAAC-HE-MultiChannel-128kbps if yous did not download the Nero files.
Click the CONFIG button to configure the selected profile.

Select the options as shown. If your audio file needs a delay correction, then identify a check in th Delay correction box. If your sound has a negative ( - ) delay correction then identify a bank check next to the minus (-) sign and input the number of milliseconds to offset your audio.

IMPORTANT:

If you decide to encode your audio, ensure it has a different filename than your video output!! Y'all tin can terminate up overwriting your video with your audio file. The program does not double cheque this for you so be warned!

If you want to keep your original sound without re-encoding, y'all can mux your output equally an MKV file instead of an MP4 file. If you choose to do that it is not necessary to choose an audio file at this point.

If your fix to become, click the ENQUEUE button in the Video section, and if you are encoding Audio, click the ENQUEUE button in the Audio section. Now click the QUEUE tab at the top of the Primary MEGUI window to see your queued workload.

Click Beginning to begin the encoding procedure.

When your encode is finished, you must so mux your audio in with your video.

TOOLS -> MUXER -> MP4/MKV Muxer

If you chose to encode your audio to MP4 so you should cull the MP4 Muxer. If you lot chose to proceed the original sound, then choose the MKV muxer.

Select your .MP4 Video file for the Video Input
Select your audio input for the Audio Input section.
If yous take an OGG compatible chapter file you lot tin select it here. MP4 files support chapter points. If y'all want to rip these from a DVD you can apply DVD Decryptor and select the 'Affiliate Information-OGG' option. I haven't figured out how to automatically extract them from Blueish-Ray just all the same

Last just not least, specify your last Output filename in the Output | Muxed Output section and click the QUEUE push.

After a few minutes y'all should have a completed file.

Note that you must take an MP4 compatible codec installed like Nero, or the freeware FFDShow to play back these files.