AMV encoding with AMVsimple 4.0

Introducing a new version of AMVsimple encoding utility. AMVsimple has three modes of operation and can create three versions of the video: standart, preview and deluxe. Add-in help included, press F1 to read.

AMVsimple (The Utility, from here on) is a graphical interface utility for such CLI applications as x264.exe, NeroAacEnc.exe and MP4Box.exe, developed and optimized for simple and effective encoding of AMV videos. The Utility is freeware and provided "as is" for non-commercial use only.

The Utility works correctly under Windows XP, Windows 7 и Windows 8+. Working under other operating systems is not guaranteed.

The Utility can accept for encoding: AVI-file, AVS-script, VapourSynth script, *.png or *.jpg picture sequence, WAV-file.
The Utility correctly processes Uncompressed video streams. Also, compressed video processing is possible if there is a corresponding VFW codec installed in the system. But results are not guaranteed in this case.
The Utility correctly processes Uncompressed PCM audio streams. Also, compressed audio processing is possible if there is a corresponding ACM codec installed in the system. But results are not guaranteed in this case.
Basically speaking, if you can open an AVI file in VirtualDub, The Utility can process it too. 

Preview: economy version. 2-pass encoding. Customizable options. Available range of total bitrate is between 1 and 5 megabytes per minute with step of 0.1 megabyte. Audio profile: HE. Optional values for the width in pixels: 320, 480. If width of the original file is less than selected value, it remains unchanged. File will be named same as the input file with added suffix "_preview" and with "mp4" extension; and it will be placed in the same directory as the input file.

Standart: standard version. 2-pass encoding. Customizable options. Available range of total bitrate is between 5 and 50 megabytes per minute with step of 1 megabyte. Audio profile: LC. Optional values for the width in pixels: 640, 768, 848, 1024. If width of the original file is less than selected value, it remains unchanged. When "New resolution" option is on, SD-version with lowered resolution can be encoded with deluxe algorithm by checking "SD-deluxe" option. File will be named same as the input file with added suffix "_standard" and with "mp4" extension; and it will placed in the same directory as the input file.

Deluxe: alternative version with automatic bitrate adjustments. 1-pass encoding with constant quality, no customizable options. Audio profile: LC. Provides best quality without wasting bitrate. File will be named same as the input file with added suffix "_deluxe" and with "mp4" extension; and it will placed in the same directory as the input file. 

Attaching external m4a: in Deluxe mode it is possible to mux video with an external m4a file without re-encoding it. To do that, name the m4a file same as the input file, keeping the "m4a" extention and place it in the same directory as the input file.

Muxer: Press F2 to start muxer. In this mode you can add or change audio track. Add video file first, audio file next. Then activate muxing. When muxing complete, right click on the muxer window to open folder with muxed file.
Supported formats: .mp4 .m4a .aac .h264 .264 .avc .m4v

Debug mode: since The Utility has no error handling, there is a debug mode you can use for troubleshooting. To activate it, run The Utility from the command line with debug parameter. In this mode all temporary files used by The Utility (Vid.avs, Snd.cmd, Snd.mp4) will not be deleted at the end of the session, and all commands will be logged in a file named DebugInfo.log. After job is done, all files can be found in the temporary folder (./AMVSimple/tools/temp). It is recommended to use this option with one of the three Modes of Operation at a time. Otherwise, saved files will be corresponding to the last completed run only. With sufficient level of knowledge, information available in debug mode is enough to track any problem. 

The sequence: join a set of image files (JPG or PNG format) to make a video sequence. To do so choose any image file from the sequence and press start. Сheck the first and the last shots in the sequence. Indicate the necessary FPS or choose it from the list. It is also possible to add audio in WAV format. Then click OK.

32 bit mode: if you need the Utility to run 32 bit version of x264 forcefully, use debug parameter "-32"

1) Check if you have met all System Requirements (see above).
2) Check paths to the input file and The Utility itself. Some CLI applications cannot work with paths that contain non-latin characters, special symbols, extra dots, or certain combinations of those. Move AMVsimple folder to the drive’s root, put the input file into the same folder, and give it a very simple name (e.g. 123.avi). The problem must go away.
3) Use Debug mode, it helps to detect any problem. 

Version 4.0 (19.11.2013)

• x264 updated to the last version (01.11.2013), 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available.
• Checking of sample rate (> 48kHz) and bit depth (> 16 bit) of audio is added.
• If the author and the name of video are not specified, the respective fields will be absent in the information about the video.
• "Standart" preset now allows for deluxe audio encoding.
• "Switch off the computer" button is changed to "What to do after encoding" (options "Sleep mode" and "Hibernation" were added).
• New resolution (1280 px width) is available in options of "Standard" preset.
• Before the encoding the Utility shall check resolution of the input video in order to use the correct RGB matrix (BT.709 or BT.601). It allows for keeping the colors as close to the original as possible.
• Checking for audio stream in original video. In case no audio found the Utility skips the audio encoding phase. Previously it might have caused operational errors.
• You can now encode a new file with new settings right after the previous encoding is over, no need to restart the Utility.
• Checking for the type of environment (32-bit or 64-bit system) before the encoding, the respective type of x264 shall be used. In general it helps to increase encoding speed in 64-bit systems.
• Graphic display of encoding progress in the taskbar (for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1)
• It is now possible to encode audio in WAV format (and get AAC output file)
• Muxing-only mode is available. Mux already encoded video and audio to mp4 by pressing F2.
• The Utility now works with .vpy scripts (VapourSynth).
• The Utility now works with *.png and *.jpg sequences
• It is now possible to open the folder with encoded file. Right click on preset icons or input file field.
• The Utility doesn't need AVISynth installed anymore to work with uncompressed video or sequences. It uses the built-in version.

• Working with filename extensions fixed. The Utility now accepts input files with capital letters in extension.
• The fields "Author" and "Name" fixed. The Utility now works correctly with Russian text and Unicode.
• Audio encoding in increased privileges mode fixed. Previously running the Utility with administrative privileges might have caused encoding without audio.
• Bug with buttons disappearing if Alt is pressed have been fixed.

AMVSimpleGUI 4.0 (ZIP) (~3.4 MB)

(с) Aggressor & KG7x