Thanks. I take it from what you say and from my own experience that if I get any success at all it would more likely be RM to WMV, rather than from RM to AVI, seeing that both RM and WMV are derived from computer rather than DVD video technology?
It really depends...I have varied success across the board. It seems that I always get some sort of "skip" here or there based on buffering and the like whilst doing the conversion. I would convert to a format that you can manipulate the easiest so that you can "clean it up" if need be. Ultimately it is an issue of what are you converting for and how important is it...if you can drop frames here and there...not a bid deal but if you are trying to actually remaster an original and need superior quality...you might have to make three or four tries and grab and reinsert frames here and there. Short version: if you are just dicking around for fun...try whatever...for profit...you gotta do it a couple times and even then the post might not be the best quality.
FFMPEG is the best, in my opinion. It can basically convert "anything" to "anything", and is extremely powerful and versatile, and is free. The "downside" is you get the most flexibility in the command-line mode, which takes time and effort to learn, but the payoff is huge. There are easier-to-use interfaces which use ffmpeg as their core engine, but they often are less versatile or have strings attached or cost money. This is a good simplified intro to ffmpeg. It is about conversion from FLV, but everything there applies to any other format (including RM), because of the versatility of ffmpeg.
In general I do conversions with VirtualDub, but for Real Media, you really need something else. MediaCoder seems to be able to handle nearly anything. It's free, it's GUI, and it works on almost everything. The interface takes a little getting used to, but once you're past that, it seems to be not too bad. In my opinion, you want to convert to AVI because so many programs handle the AVI container. WMV is read by a good number of players, but it seems like editing it, or converting it, or cleaning it up, etc is a bigger process with WMV and there aren't nearly as many tools that will read it. You can find MediaCoder here. Good luck! Dr. P
I would consider any form of no longer authorized torture methodologies as per the School Of Americas rendition handbook. Myself I prefer the method of water boarding as improved on by the British SAS. They add compression via boards and weights to the chest of the subject making it MUCH harder to breathe deep. Granted it may induce Respiratory acidosis more rapidly...aren't you glad you asked?
^Around 15-20% of the videos out there are unplayable without downloading something or installing something. I've concluded it's better/easier to become adept at converting video files than to constantly chase players and codecs.
^ Nah... Just download and install the KLite codec pack and you're all set to play pretty much everything you'll ever encounter. Even Real and Quicktime if you let it install real alternative and quicktime alternative. I use the Apple quicktime player, but real alternative works great, and I've never found a file that wasn't covered by the KLite codec pack. I enjoy conversion programs too, but there's no need if you just want to play it. Dr. P
Perhaps but KLite is a very complex program (considering it's only task is to play video files) and has a labyrinth of menus and settings that sometimes need to be navigated just to do something really simple. I just wish it wasn't all necessary. In the end, all codecs do basically the same thing. Why the fuck can't they agree on anything?
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - May 23 2009 : 8:38AM
Okay, there's no easy way to convert Real to another file type. So, are there any programs that I can use which will record an RM to DVD? Once on disk I can convert the VOBs to another file type with my MAGIX program.
Huh? KLite is a collection of CODECs with a couple of players thrown in. If you install the standalone CODECs (not ffdshow) there are no menus or anything else to work with. Just the players themselves, which are simple for general purpose playback. ...and even if you let it install ffdshow, you never need to touch their menus at all, as playback "just works". Dr. P
If you use MPC (which is a decent player with good, intuitive basic functionality), you still have to deal with menus if you want to do anything that isn't basic (such as adjusting the colors) and the menus are not quite as polished as they might be. I know it's free and it's probably better than WMP could ever be but that's just annoying. There is no perfect solution. KLite is close (especially for free) but it isn't perfect. You still have these little irritating odds and ends that make watching some videos a hassle.
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - May 31 2009 : 10:36AM
I finally found a program that claimed to be able to convert RM, something called "Power Video Cutter". On converting I chose to convert an RM clip to WMV, it being the most compatible with PC software. On converting the clip the vid was great quality, but all the sound with slightly out of sync, about a second or two ahead of the vid. I then tried converting to AVI and the same there! Now what the hell could be causing that?! Edited by - Mojo on 5/31/2009 10:37:22 AM
^ If the audio sync is correct in the original RM file then it's a conversion artifact. A/V sync can be easy to correct, or it can be very complex. I'm guessing your original file is in sync, so I wouldn't even mess with trying to fix it in the converted file. Sounds like your converter just isn't 100% when it comes to RM. Maybe try Media Coder as I suggested before. It worked well on an rmvb file I tested it on, including keeping A/V sync. Otherwise, I hear good things about "Super". You can download it here. It's not as full featured as Media Coder, but it seems relatively simple to use. Just pay attention to all the selections. I just tried a sample file rmvb file with Super and it worked fine, with A/V sync maintained. If you can't live with that, the other option is to try to fix the A/V sync problem in your converted file. If it's a static delay, that's pretty easy to fix with VirtualDub. If the delay changes, that's a whole other ball game. Dr. P
Or Mojo could roll up the ol' sleeves and tackle ffmpeg. If you have a bunch of similar files (all from the same source for example), you can even write a small batch file to specify the critical parameters without having to remember the small stuff every time. Fixing A/V sync is a matter of specifying an option. The issue of FFMPEG and a/v sync and batch files discussed here.
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - Jun 2 2009 : 6:44PM
I'll try Media Coder for a start. But not being a tech wiz what do they mean when they ask me to download a "mirror"? And yes, the sound problem is the same all through the clip.
^ A "download mirror" is just "which place do you want to download from?". Mirrors are a name for servers that have the same files on them. They're the same so they are "mirrors" of each other. It helps keep one server from getting loaded down too heavily. So just choose one and click and it'll download. Because you seem like you might get frustrated by a complex interface, I'm going to quickly walk through the settings I used in MediaCoder to do my test converting from RMVB to AVI. 1. Drag and drop the RM file into the pane at the top or use File -> Add file. 2. In the middle left pane click on the video tab and select: Check "enable video" Format: XVID Uncheck "copy video" kbps: 800 (use lower for less than DVD quality and higher for greater Source and encoder: auto select many of these should be the defaults. 3. Audio pane: check "enable audio" uncheck "copy audio" Source: auto select checked Encoder: LAME MP3 3A. In the pane to the right, you'll see a "LAME MP3" tab that's already selected. There, select: Rate mode: CBR Channel: Auto bitrate: 128 kbps (use lower if you want less than CD quality sound) 4. In the toolbar at the top of the window, the last button is a circle with an arrow that says "start". Click it and the transcoding job should start and give you progress. With any luck, this is all you'll need. Apologies if this is terse. I tried to be basic but complete, and just typed this up "on the fly". Best of luck. Dr. P
It's possible to convert Real Media files to AVI in VirtualDub, using the version called VirtualDubMod and one extra step. Here's how: 1. Install the Real Alternative program. This allows programs other than Real Player to work with .rm files. 2. In Notepad, create a text file with the following single line of information: DirectShowSource("location of the .rm file", fps=approximate frame rate of the .rm file, convertfps=true) 3. Save this file, then locate it in Windows Explorer and change its extension from .txt to .avs. 4. Load the .avs file into VirtualDub and encode the file using whatever codec and settings you normally use.
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NewRomancer Deactivated User
under THEIR avatar 738 Posts 7/08
Posted - Jun 3 2009 : 12:25PM
Use RM Converter and convert anything to just about anything else with ease.... http://www.rmconverter.com/
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - Jun 3 2009 : 4:29PM
Okay, I did exactly what you instructed and all I got was the sound, no picture whasoever. I got the following message. "Audio stream and video stream cannot be mixed together" "1 file(s)/223MB have been transcoded into 273.8MB Compression ratio: 0.81:1 Last Error Code: 015" I looked it up and the result was: "015 · Description: A muxer error is encountered · Possible causes o The selected muxer encounter an error when muxing transcoded elementary audio/video streams." Edited by - Mojo on 6/4/2009 5:03:32 PM
^ I realized sometime after I posted that I forgot what I think is a key setting: The "container". That's the file type that MediaCoder is going to output. I *think* by default that's MP4. If you go to that same middle left pane with all the tabs and click on the container tab, it will let you choose. Using all of the previous settings I gave you, you want to use an AVI container. The "multiplexer" setting on mine says auto select. If this doesn't work for you, I'm not sure what's wrong. This transcoding of video/audio files is way more complicated than most people think. As an aside, why did you originally want to convert the file or files from Real to another format? Just curious what you are trying to do. Finally, an offer: Post one of your problem files on rapidshare or megaupload or some other file host and post the link here. I'll download it, make sure I get it transcoded properly, and post an XML configuration file that you can import into MediaCoder that will transcode it with my exact settings. Dr. P
Mojo, thanks for asking the original question. I've never had success converting RM files. Thanks for the responses. The resources and instructions contained in the replies is a great help. Rc
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - Jun 4 2009 : 5:11PM
Thanks, I'll try that. The reason for why I want to convert the RM files I have is because I want to put them on DVD via my Ulead Video Studio 11.5 Plus and watch them on my DVD player. Although, since my last post I've read on several sites on the Net that Video Studio 11.5 Plus is supposed to intake RM files anyway, but for some reason mine refuses to do so. Maybe it needs a patch to read them because I've heard there are updates for 11.5 Plus?
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Mojo Deactivated User
1223 Posts 9/03
Posted - Jun 5 2009 : 3:09PM
DrP0rn0: BINGO! That last bit of info looks to have done it! Looks like a perfect AVI copy of the original Real clip. Thanks a lot bud! :D Rc: If you want an excellent conversion of a Real clip go and do what Doc described! :) Edited by - Mojo on 6/6/2009 12:08:00 PM
Very nice! I was hoping all of this back and forth would yield good results for you. :) MediaCoder isn't exactly the most friendly application, but it certain works. I'm very glad you got the solution you were looking for. Dr. P
Posted - May 12 2009 : 5:00PM