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How-To: Automating DVD & Blu-Ray (Backup, Encoding & Tagging) for Mac OS X

AutoCropping

Anyone run into an issue where the auto-cropping doesn't work?

Here is my encoding string:
Code: 
-e x264  -q 20.0 -r 29.97 --pfr  -a 1,1 -E faac,copy:ac3 -B 160,160 -6 dpl2,auto -R Auto,Auto -D 0.0,0.0 -f mp4 -w 1280 -Y 720 --loose-anamorphic -m

Essentially it's the AppleTV2 preset with a few tweaks. Whenever I have the encode run automatically from a iCal event, it doesn't crop. However if I run it manually or using Finder it'll auto-crop just fine. I have tried throwing a --preview 20 to see if helps correct the auto-cropping to no avail.

Thanks in advanced!
 
Looking for a few more testers! v1.0.9

I could use some help testing v1.0.9. This release has some new enhancements that should make it easier to update in the future. The actions, services and resources are now bundled in a new app that provides a workflow editor to quickly and easily edit and save your workflows. Pretty much every action has some improvements made which should show in testing … particularly the tagging actions.

PM me if you wanna link to the new beta.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
 
mac.jedi said:
I could use some help testing v1.0.9. This release has some new enhancements that should make it easier to update in the future. The actions, services and resources are now bundled in a new app that provides a workflow editor to quickly and easily edit and save your workflows. Pretty much every action has some improvements made which should show in testing … particularly the tagging actions.

PM me if you wanna link to the new beta.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
Click to expand...

im in.
 
mac.jedi said:
I could use some help testing v1.0.9. This release has some new enhancements that should make it easier to update in the future. The actions, services and resources are now bundled in a new app that provides a workflow editor to quickly and easily edit and save your workflows. Pretty much every action has some improvements made which should show in testing … particularly the tagging actions.

PM me if you wanna link to the new beta.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
Click to expand...

I'd be happy to test it.
 
Happy to test

Hi mac.jedi,

I'd be happy to test v1.0.9 for you, I have been using your automator scripts for a couple of months now and they have been a huge help. I don't have enough posts to PM yet.

Many thanks,

Melchi
 
Last edited:
mac.jedi said:
I could use some help testing v1.0.9. This release has some new enhancements that should make it easier to update in the future. The actions, services and resources are now bundled in a new app that provides a workflow editor to quickly and easily edit and save your workflows. Pretty much every action has some improvements made which should show in testing … particularly the tagging actions.

PM me if you wanna link to the new beta.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
Click to expand...

I would also be more than happy to help with testing, but have a similarly low post count.
 
Melchizedek said:
Hi mac.jedi,

I'd be happy to test v1.0.9 for you, I have been using your automator scripts for a couple of months now and they have been a huge help. I don't have enough posts to PM yet.

Many thanks,

Melchi
Click to expand...

AussieConvict said:
I would also be more than happy to help with testing, but have a similarly low post count.
Click to expand...

I'd love to add you two to the testing group, but I want to keep the conversation confined to PM's. Just post more, I'm sure there's someone who needs some help; or something you need help with :)

In fact, I've got a question for you two... What's the post count needed to enable PM?
 
Sorry if this is a silly question.....

I just used the scripts to batch encode some movies and found that the colour labels have been set as expected. However, some are green and some are orange..... what is the difference between the two?
 
Definitions of the colours were a few pages back :)

mac.jedi said:
Descriptions of the finder label colors were in the release notes for version 1.0.6, I've listed them below. At some point I added orange to indicate that the tagging succeeded, but chapters failed … which happens a lot with tagchimp, he's a stupid monkey ;)

*EDIT: I rechecked the code and it looks like the encoded file changes to orange if:
1. tmdb couldn't find any metadata for the movie (also changes the source folder to orange)
2. cover art failed integrity test (also changes the source folder to orange)
3. couldn't find chapter names


FINDER LABELS:
Batch Rip
Changes the Finder Color Labels of the disc folders to Yellow if copied successfully; Red if the Action encounters an error. Useful for Hazel or other scripting apps.

Batch Encode
Source folders change to Green while processing; Red if the Action encounters an error; Gray if it's done. Output files (m4v or mkv) change to Green if they're done, and Red if the action sees an error with the file. Useful for Hazel or other scripting apps.
Click to expand...
 
mac.jedi said:
I think you need to post more to get PM access.

The first thing I noticed is that none of the HD encode options are checked in your workflow. This might be the reason the file is failing to reach HandBrakeCLI.

To test:
Toggle the HD (SD) option making sure its checked when you save your workflow.
Check the Use Custom HD (SD) Encode Setting and enter the code below. This will tell handbrake to only encode 30 seconds of the file for testing purposes.

Code: 
--start-at duration:1 --stop-at duration:30 -e x264  -b 700 -a \${audioTrack} -E faac -B 160 -6 dpl2 -R Auto -D 0.0 -f mp4 -I -X 320 -m -x level=30:bframes=0:weightp=0:cabac=0:ref=1:vbv-maxrate=768:vbv-bufsize=2000:analyse=all:me=umh:no-fast-pskip=1:subme=6:8x8dct=0:trellis=0

Also, I noticed that the minTime is set for 80min and the file is 42min. I don't remember offhand if there's a test for this with files, but it might be a good idea to set the movie minTime to 40min or change your default video kind to TV Shows.

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks,

mac.jedi
Click to expand...

Hi mac.jedi! Sorry for the delay. Just trying the settings you described now but getting the same result :(

Here is a screenshot of my workflow setup:

J219L.png


And here is my output again:

http://www.filedropper.com/debug2

I feel like somehow the workflow settings aren't setting right for me or something.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
 
garyh21 said:
Hi mac.jedi! Sorry for the delay. Just trying the settings you described now but getting the same result :(

Here is a screenshot of my workflow setup:

Image

And here is my output again:

http://www.filedropper.com/debug2

I feel like somehow the workflow settings aren't setting right for me or something.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Click to expand...

Hi Gary!

In my post I described the problem, you might wanna read it over again :)

The mkv file you're trying to process is HD … NOT DVD. You need to use one of the HD encoding options. The screenshot and info you provided still shows that you're trying to use the DVD setting on an HD source.

I also noticed that you have the same directory selected for both TV and Movies. This could also create an issue as Batch Encode may not be able to detect whether the file is a Movie or TV Show.

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

mac.jedi
 
mac.jedi said:
Hi Gary!

In my post I described the problem, you might wanna read it over again :)

The mkv file you're trying to process is HD … NOT DVD. You need to use one of the HD encoding options. The screenshot and info you provided still shows that you're trying to use the DVD setting on an HD source.

I also noticed that you have the same directory selected for both TV and Movies. This could also create an issue as Batch Encode may not be able to detect whether the file is a Movie or TV Show.

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

mac.jedi
Click to expand...

OH MY GOD AM I DUMB!!! THATS what that does!!

Ok, it works like a charm now! :D

Thank you so much!! I'm so glad your patient with newbs :)
 
ANNOUNCEMENT: BATCH RIP ACTIONS UPDATED to 1.0.9

ANNOUNCEMENT: BATCH RIP ACTIONS UPDATED

Update 2011-11-13

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.9

IMPORTANT: Even if you've been testing this, you must re-install the Service workflows.

NOTE: The tutorial has been updated as well for v1.0.9. Additional help is available via the Help menu in the app.

1.0.9 build 254
  • Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator
  • No more Action installer! Just drag Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app to /Applications
  • Actions are now located within Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app
  • Opening the app will update Launch Services and automatically add the actions to the Automator library
  • On first run, a new install/upgrade option will notify you if it needs to update the Actions and workflows
  • Batch Rip Actions for Automator Sparkles! Added support for the Sparkle framework which will automatically alert you of future product upgrades; and quickly get your installation up-to-date
  • New Workflow Editor! Quickly and easily setup, update and save your Batch Rip workflows all in one interface
  • Batch Rip Dispatcher is now part of the app UI. Just click on the status icon or text in toolbar to toggle it on or off. The Batch Rip Dispatcher action & workflow have been deprecated
  • New Action Editor! View and edit the Batch Rip Action script files... if you're daring enough ;)
  • New Batch Encode for iCal! Easily setup a repeating iCal alarm to automatically run Batch Encode at the time and interval you set
  • Tagging is now performed by SublerCLI!
  • mp4v2, SublerCLI and AtomicParsley are now included in the app bundle
  • Added an "indeterminate progress indicator" for the tagging actions (the spin-thingy in the menu bar). Note: this doesn't control workflow, just shows that it's running
  • Rename Movie Items.action has been deprecated. Functionality moved to Add Movie Tags.action
  • Rename and Tagging actions now return the output files as a list for chaining actions
  • New Help via the Help menu and Mac's Help Center
  • The Batch Rip (Finder) & Batch Encode (Finder) workflows use their "non-Finder" workflow's settings. No more having to set options in both versions.
  • Other things that I've already forgotten about

Note: Sadly, but with no remorse, Snow Leopard is no longer supported in v1.0.9. There's very little reason not to upgrade to Lion at this point, so I'm just gonna focus on Lion.

Add TV Tags.action
  • New option: Search tvdb and tag specific episode files
  • Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
  • New option: Backup original before tagging
  • New option: Optimize file after tagging

Rename TV Items.action
  • Now renames source folders or files using the tvdb API
  • Batch renaming tv show files made easy. Search tvdb for the show, enter season and episode number to start and it renames all the files: Show Name - S##E##.m4v

Add Movie Tags.action
  • Renames files or folders
  • Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
  • New option: Backup original before tagging
  • New option: Optimize file after tagging

Batch Encode.action
  • Features tagging updates made in Add TV Tags.action
  • Fixed an issue where the min-time was being overridden by the GUI's preferences.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
 
Last edited:
FYI. There may be an issue with Batch Rip Dispatcher in the latest build. I'll post an update when I have it fixed.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
 
ANNOUNCEMENT: BATCH RIP ACTIONS UPDATED to 1.0.9 build 257

ANNOUNCEMENT: BATCH RIP ACTIONS UPDATED

Update 2011-11-15

Release Notes
Batch Rip Actions for Automator 1.0.9

IMPORTANT: If you are using a previous build, you must re-install the Service workflows.

1.0.9 build 257

  • Includes new Batch Encode and Batch Rip workflow files. Previous build had incorrect input settings causing them to fail when launched via the Application menu.
_______________________________________________________


1.0.9 build 256

  • Fixes issue with Batch Rip Dispatcher
  • Fixes some issues with Batch Rip Help
_______________________________________________________


NOTE: The tutorial has been updated as well for v1.0.9. Additional help is available via the Help menu in the app.

1.0.9 build 254
  • Provides general fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and functionality of Batch Rip Actions for Automator
  • No more Action installer! Just drag Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app to /Applications
  • Actions are now located within Batch Rip Actions for Automator.app
  • Opening the app will update Launch Services and automatically add the actions to the Automator library
  • On first run, a new install/upgrade option will notify you if it needs to update the Actions and workflows
  • Batch Rip Actions for Automator Sparkles! Added support for the Sparkle framework which will automatically alert you of future product upgrades; and quickly get your installation up-to-date
  • New Workflow Editor! Quickly and easily setup, update and save your Batch Rip workflows all in one interface
  • Batch Rip Dispatcher is now part of the app UI. Just click on the status icon or text in toolbar to toggle it on or off. The Batch Rip Dispatcher action & workflow have been deprecated
  • New Action Editor! View and edit the Batch Rip Action script files... if you're daring enough ;)
  • New Batch Encode for iCal! Easily setup a repeating iCal alarm to automatically run Batch Encode at the time and interval you set
  • Tagging is now performed by SublerCLI!
  • mp4v2, SublerCLI and AtomicParsley are now included in the app bundle
  • Added an "indeterminate progress indicator" for the tagging actions (the spin-thingy in the menu bar). Note: this doesn't control workflow, just shows that it's running
  • Rename Movie Items.action has been deprecated. Functionality moved to Add Movie Tags.action
  • Rename and Tagging actions now return the output files as a list for chaining actions
  • New Help via the Help menu and Mac's Help Center
  • The Batch Rip (Finder) & Batch Encode (Finder) workflows use their "non-Finder" workflow's settings. No more having to set options in both versions.
  • Other things that I've already forgotten about

Note: Sadly, but with no remorse, Snow Leopard is no longer supported in v1.0.9. There's very little reason not to upgrade to Lion at this point, so I'm just gonna focus on Lion.

Add TV Tags.action
  • New option: Search tvdb and tag specific episode files
  • Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
  • New option: Backup original before tagging
  • New option: Optimize file after tagging

Rename TV Items.action
  • Now renames source folders or files using the tvdb API
  • Batch renaming tv show files made easy. Search tvdb for the show, enter season and episode number to start and it renames all the files: Show Name - S##E##.m4v

Add Movie Tags.action
  • Renames files or folders
  • Improved performance, search and handling of non ASCII characters.
  • New option: Backup original before tagging
  • New option: Optimize file after tagging

Batch Encode.action
  • Features tagging updates made in Add TV Tags.action
  • Fixed an issue where the min-time was being overridden by the GUI's preferences.

Thanks!

mac.jedi
 
Last edited:
when you say:

IMPORTANT: If you are using a previous version, you must re-install the Service workflows.
Click to expand...

Do you mean any other version of 1.0.x? or do you mean with every build number you need to uninstall/reinstall.

I assumed the first, if you are going from 1.0.8 to this, you need to reinstall, but a friend asked me today, and I didnt want to assume anything.
 
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