SUPER Converter

With new file types and codecs being developed regularly, conversion utilities are needed more and more. And when forum posts over a 6 month period by those you highly respect give accolades to a conversion utility, it's time to take a serious look. I added SUPER it to my radar screen in April when I read a post that said "... The list of file formats this software can convert between is ENORMOUS...."

I downloaded it in July and read many more posts since then from many who are recommending it. This newsletter shares my initial test results with you.

It installed and opened easily, and it almost worked OK for my initial test, ripping a Chuck Bentley VOB file from his 'An English Mystery' DVD to something that would work in a Movie Maker project. I'd done it before with other software and methods, so I knew it could work. But it didn't make it in one easy step with SUPER.

After a few unsuccessful fumbling attempts before reading any instructions, I was able to get it to produce a Divx encoded file that played well in Movie Maker's timeline.

eRightSoft's website includes a forum with pretty good traffic... but two attempts to register were unsuccessful. It seemed to accept my user name and password, but I didn't get a confirmatory email, and attempts to log in didn't work.

I submitted a question via their online support process, which said they would respond within 24 hours... nope, not even an automated response about getting to it someday.

The experience is typical of things you run into when trying a new conversion app... especially free ones that claim to the Swiss Army Knife for file conversions. Somewhere between the marketing publicity and our unskilled attempts at usage lies a middle ground of what we can do with such an app. Let's take a look.

2007 MVP Award.. got an email saying I was given the award, this one being my 5th. More and more over time, Movie Maker and Photo Story are my career.

Vista Corner... just received a Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) 3 disc set. A 32 bit installation disc, a 64 bit one, and an evaluation and resource disc.

An external hard drive went out?? maybe... it's a 180 GB drive purchased as an internal drive and mounted it in an external enclosure. It puttered out this week when connecting to a computer... the best I can do with it now is see it in the XP management tools, with a note that it's empty and isn't formatted.

I'll pull it from the case, hoping the case is the problem and not the drive... and try it as a second drive inside a computer.

The post-vacation Europe 301 website is off and running... I folded up my latest attempt at blogging. The blog was going to be my vacation planning and results area, but I'm not good about adding frequent enough posts for it to be of interest. I pointed those checking it to my website Living Projects > Europe 301 page.

Video captured from the vacation footage showed less than normal audio quality when using WinDV. I recaptured the footage using MM2 and the audio was normal. So I've switched back to Movie Maker for my routine captures, at least for now.

Here's the download link... while on the site, note the long list of things that can be converted.

One of the supported input file types is VOB, the video file of a DVD. I selected one from Chuck Bentley's "An English Mystery". You need to copy the file from the DVD to the hard drive before using it as an input file in SUPER.

Convert the VOB file to an AVI using the compression codec the website refers to as "Unique Advanced H.264 profile & level selection. Not available in any other software."

The encoding went well... in addition to seeing the progress info, I watched the file grow in size in the SUPER\OutPut folder. The snapshot at the right shows it early in the rendering, when the AVI file was just 16 MB in size.

I checked CPU and memory usage as it rendered... and was impressed seeing the computer using only 50% of my dual CPU energy, and a reasonable amount of total memory.

When the rendering finished, the AVI file was a bit more than 1-1/2 GB, about 50% bigger than the VOB file I started with. For a high quality AVI file, that's a reasonable size. This video file, one of a few on the disc, is about 30 minutes.

The AVI file played fine in Windows Media Player... showing pixel dimensions of 704x480... the same as the input VOB.

Things were looking good as I imported the AVI file into Movie Maker and it previewed fine in the collection, and then on the timeline. I could split the file on the timeline, add transitions... the usual editing.

Attempts to render a movie from it showed the estimated number of minutes remaining going up about 5 minutes every second I let it continue trying. The rendering itself never kicked into first gear.

The file passed the GSpot test, but the MS Test resulted in a crash with the message at the right...

SUPER obviously did well handling the input VOB file, and rendering the AVI file. But from Movie Maker and VirtualDub perspectives, the AVI file wouldn't work because of the codec it was compressed with. A good playable video file isn't necessarily a good usable file for editing.

I changed the output video compression codec to MS-MPEG4-V1 and tried again.

It rendered to a file of 392 MB in size, but wouldn't open in WMP or play in VirtualDub. GSpot said it was an MPEG-2 file.

It imported into Movie Maker, but trying to preview it in the collection gave an 'Unspecified Error'.
2nd test - WMP

For an AVI output, you have the choices of codecs shown at the left (for either the ffmpeg or mencoder choices).

The ffmpeg2theora and producer choices are for ogg output containers, not AVI or WMV.

The WMV output type didn't work for me... it says 'still experimental' and doesn't include WMV9 choices... after trying WMV7 and 8 choices, there was no output file and it would say 'ERROR'.

I picked the Divx codec from the list, even though I knew I'd want to convert it again to something else before using in a project. I still don't trust Divx encoded files in Movie Maker.

Again the rendering went fine, and this time the AVI file looked and sounded great in WMP.

The Divx encoded file imported into Movie Maker, went to the timeline, and rendered to a WMV file for further use in MM2 projects... a good point to stop and think about what was happening.

What was I missing? What are the instructions that came with it? I assume that, somewhere between the marketing material and my first unsuccessful attempts lies some reasonable explanations.

Here's an assortment of quotes from documentation with SUPER and the eRightSoft website/forum, when forum answers were from moderators...

Turning it on, opting for a WMV file with WMV8 compression... results in the same error as without the option.

Toggling the DirectShow option on and off doesn't change the list of compression options.

SUPER provides the compression codec choices shown at the left when rendering an AVI file, ones generally not compatible with Movie Maker 2 running on my Windows XP laptop.

My other utilities offer different choices. For example, the list at the right shows those currently available to VirtualDubMod. Many of them are files that work in Movie Maker.

My usual choices are absent in SUPER... including the WMV9 and Panasonic DV codec ones that I use so often... and others such as Cinepak that I sometimes select.

For my needs, SUPER might be the first part of a 2 step conversion process, as I used it here to successfully rip a DVD VOB file into Movie Maker 2, or for conversions not related to getting files into a project.

The DVD test file was from Chuck Bentley's "An English Mystery", which starts with a great opening title sequence. I selected it to be able to publish something inspirational to forum uses

Viewers are giving it rave reviews. Here's a link to the forum thread with the link to the opening, and comments to date.

Or click the picture to see the 2 minute intro directly... there's about 10 seconds of playing before it starts, so be patient.

I look forward to comments and discussion about this and other newsletters on the forums at:

I'm involved in anything and everything that supports the users of Movie Maker and Photo Story, and adding more regularly. Some are free and others reasonably priced.

TheDVShow is the only weekly Podcast having more useful information about desktop video editing and production than anywhere else on the Web. Digital video editing, nonlinear editing, streaming media, software releases, tutorials, business tips, technical help, download of the day and news on the latest products to make everything easier. It's where professional and consumer desktop video users go to stay on the cutting edge.

Call the phone mail machine to get your technical question answered on the air... call (206)-203-3516

The radio broadcast is from Boston, and the website has downloadable podcast files. The June 19th 2005 podcast was the first 'bi-weekly' show with a segment about Movie Maker 2. The frequency of radio Q&A sessions about Movie Maker has fallen off.

Movie Maker 2 - Do Amazing Things (with its online companion on www.papajohn.org ), published by Microsoft Press...

Movie Maker 2 - Zero to Hero - with support on the publisher's forum - Friends of Ed

MaximumPC's winter 2005 quarterly special... had a 7 page tutorial 'Make a Killer Home Movie with Maker 2'. The special edition of the video made for it is now on my website as a file download.

The November 2005 edition of Maximum PC had a well done reworked 6 page reprint of the same article, starting on page 42 after the Happy 20th Birthday article for Windows.

A 7 page tutorial about Photo Story 3 is in the 2006 Summer Special edition, still on bookstands.

Learning VirtualDub - published by Packt Publishing in April 2005, is the first book about VirtualDub software. I wrote the introductory chapter about downloading and setting up the software: VirtualDub, VDubMod and AVISynth.

Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org - the site's goals are: doing amazing things, providing a detailed tutorial for PhotoStory 3, and helping you solve Movie Maker 2 problems.

It's being expanded to include the new version of Movie Maker in Vista, with Photo Gallery and DVD Maker.

Forums are open to all for viewing, but require registration of those who want to post. Moderators actively participate to ensure the forum discussions move forward and stay on track.

Newsgroups are wide open for all to view and post... moderation is collective by the participants.

Movie Maker 2/Photo Story newsletter. The subscription is $20 for 52 issues, and the link to subscribe is on the main page of www.papajohn.org

Newsletters issued more than 6 weeks ago are posted by Rob Morris to an Archive Site on his Windows Movie Makers' website. Links from my website pages to specific newsletters make it easier for viewers to see the content of both while browsing a topic.

Transition Maker 2 (TM2) is a utility for the ultimate in making your own personal and custom transitions for Movie Maker 2. It's a joint product from Patrick Leabo, the programmer, and myself.

I've beta tested some of the Pixelan packages and think very highly of their people and products.

ProDAD's Adorage packages for Movie Maker 2 are additional sources of very professionally developed transitions and effects. And here are the links

I use a lot of professional background music for movies and stories that was created by Randon Myles, and act as his agent in selling the tunes individually.

There are 62 tunes available from 4 of his many albums... at 99 cents per tune (MP3 or WMA format). Here's a Sample - 45 seconds from 'Groove 2'. The 4 albums are: In the Fields of the on-Feretin , Music for Film Volume III, the Emerald Way, and the Fourth Door.

I don't have a full set of online samples yet, but if you hear something you like in one of my videos, there's a good chance it was done by Randon. Send an email if you are interested.

My personal database has been an ongoing project over many years, and is now available to others. A tutorial about using it is on the Managing > Personal Database page of my site, and more info is in the database package itself.

It's free for the asking to regular newsletter subscribers... send an email request and I'll return it with the zipped file, which is less than 1 MB.

To others it's $10. To order, use the button on the top of the Managing > Personal Database page.

On my list of things to do is a video tutorial showing users tips about using it.

An online gallery that fully aligns with the main priority of the website is the 'PapaJohn Expert Zone' at neptune.

Check it at N eptune and the Distributing > Neptune page of the website, where there's a developing tutorial about how to use the service.

In conjunction with the Portage, Michigan library , I offer two free training sessions about Movie Maker and Photo Story, an intro session and a workshop. Scheduled sessions are at 7-8:30 PM on :

The classroom has a large screen overhead projection system... and individual laptops for each attendee. You learn by doing, with some coaching.

If you can't save a movie because your project has become too complex, e-mail a copy and I'll divide it into manageable sub-projects, and provide detailed instructions about how to render the parts and assemble them into your final movie. $49.95 (no cost if it's not the right solution or doesn't work) - for details, see the sidebar on the Problem Solving > Can't Save a Movie page of www.papajohn.org

Movie Maker 2/Photo Story training and support services start at $75 per hour - send an email - PapaJohn@CharterMi.net and I'll help you determine your needs, and work with you to plan and implement them.

Wedding combo website/video packages - check the Living Projects section of the Movie Maker 2/Photo Story website for samples of what you can expect for the online portion of a package.

2006 - PapaJohn; Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

About John 'PapaJohn' Buechler from Microsoft.com

John "PapaJohn" Buechler, of Kalamazoo, Mich., goes by PapaJohn online. An avid user of Movie Maker since its first release, and a regular supporter of the community of Movie Maker users, John received a 2003 MVP award from Microsoft for that support. In March 2003, he started a comprehensive website about Movie Maker 2 at www.PapaJohn.org. He maintains the website, writes books and articles, teaches, and provides support services - all for the community of Movie Maker 2 users. An engineer by formal education, John is a computer database and multimedia expert by business and personal experience. He co-authored the first book about Movie Maker 2 and is actively working on a second one. You can find his advice in the Windows XP Movie Maker newsgroup and in the Windows Movie Makers Forums.

This newsletter is republished with permission of John "PapaJohn" Buechler.
Please note that this is an archive of newsletters and some information may become outdated. PapaJohn, and the webmaster of this site, provides this information "AS IS" with no warranties.

Visit - PapaJohn's Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 2 Newsletter Index

[Lights, Camera, Movie Maker]

Windows Movie Maker tips, tutorials, forums and more...