DVD Catalyst 4 v4.1.1.0 Release Notes

[dvdcatalyst]

Its been a busy couple of weeks, but finally another update for DVD Catalyst 4.


Besides profiles for new and upcoming devices such as the Amazon Kindle Fire, B&N NOOKcolor2, Asus Transformer Prime and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we added some additional cool stuff as well.


* New Device profiles:

While some of the competition is trying to catch up, DVD Catalyst 4 continues to be ahead of the pack by offering support for more devices than any other dvd and conversion tool in the world. With 4.1.1.0, we increased the amount of unique device profiles to over 1000 !


New in this release of DVD Catalyst 4 are profiles for the Galaxy Nexus, Transformer Prime, Kindle Fire, A100, Droid Razr and many more. We even added specific Ice Cream Sandwich profiles for devices currently in development. But, in the small chance that your particular device is not listed, just contact us, and we will suggest the best settings for your device, and include profiles for it in the next update.


* New conversion formats:

If you are a DVD Catalyst “Power User”, its time to get really excited. In this version, we included a large collection of new High Quality conversion formats that will knock your socks off. Available in AVI, MKV, Mp4 and MV4 containers, you can convert your movies using H264 or XVID video codecs along with a choice of AC3, AAC or MP3 audio. Started as a request to provide a format that would use hardware acceleration for video but not for audio using Dice Player on Android Tablets, we tweaked these settings for a considerable amount of time to make sure they produce the best possible quality even on smaller file-sizes.


* New Quality Profiles for popular devices:

With the new High Quality conversion formats added, we also implemented a new quality profile (next to the fast, standard, hq1 and hq2 ones), but rather than just having it create larger files and call it HQ3, we decided that it would be more useful to create a profile that could work great for DVD-sized content as well as HD (720p) content. Right now, for most devices, we recommend using the standard profile for DVDs, and for HD content either HQ1 (slower movies) or HQ2 (action movies), but with the new HQXT (High Quality eXTreme) profile, you can get a great quality using just the one profile. For DVDs, the filesize goes up a little, however, if you are used to converting HD content using the HQ profiles, you will find that you can shave off quite a bit of size while still having a great-looking video. Especially if you convert a mixture of different-sized content, the HQXT profiles will be a great choice for your conversions.


* Log:

Originally introduced in DVD Catalyst 4.1, but due to some complications with that release set aside, in 4.1.1.0, we reimplemented the log. While it does not provide much detailed information yet, it does provide some help with troubleshooting. It will get better in the next update though. To open the log, tap on Help > View Log in the top menu of DVD Catalyst 4.


* More:


In addition to the new stuff above, we also reimplemented the Internet Proxy Settings in Global Settings to make it easier to check for updates for some people, also the 5.1 audio has been worked on for the people who use DVD Catalyst 4 for their HD Media Player (WDTV, Popcornhour etc). Also work-around for many tricky DVDs such as Transformers 3, The Fighter, Thor and more have been implemented so for most people these DVDs will work without having to select the proper track.


Just like with all previous 4.x updates, DVD Catalyst 4 v4.1.1.0 is a FREE UPGRADE for people using any version of DVD Catalyst 4. Just tap on the cat-eyes in DVD Catalyst to have it connect to the tools4movies.com website, and it will offer to download the update for you.


If you are experiencing complications with the update feel free to contact us by email (dvdcatalyst@gmail.com). In order for us to send you a direct download link for the update, please provide us with the email address you used for the purchase.

For more information about DVD Catalyst, please visit the new www.tools4movies.com website.

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[janvan]

Hi Cat...

Ive tested your new T.F profile compared to the T.F standard profile with enabled H264 high quality ( slowest )
settings in power user..I used the standard profile converting about some 200 dvd's so far and got pretty good
results..now..after using the same dvd for converting with both profiles I found the T.F standard profile to be much
better when it comes to fluidity..smoothness than the new profile ( both with telecine option enabled )
Truly..the new profile is performing almost like a slideshow in slow screen movements.
When things go faster the effect is reduced considerably and becomes bareable
Quality of the picture itself is crisp and filesize increase is minor.
Anyway..wanted to let you know what I found so far.
Dvd used for the test was Midnight Heat for your reference.

Sorry I had to use the word..uhh..profile that much..lol.
Jan.

[dvdcatalyst]

Hi Cat...

Ive tested your new T.F profile compared to the T.F standard profile with enabled H264 high quality ( slowest )
settings in power user..I used the standard profile converting about some 200 dvd's so far and got pretty good
results..now..after using the same dvd for converting with both profiles I found the T.F standard profile to be much
better when it comes to fluidity..smoothness than the new profile ( both with telecine option enabled )
Truly..the new profile is performing almost like a slideshow in slow screen movements.
When things go faster the effect is reduced considerably and becomes bareable
Quality of the picture itself is crisp and filesize increase is minor.
Anyway..wanted to let you know what I found so far.
Dvd used for the test was Midnight Heat for your reference.

Sorry I had to use the word..uhh..profile that much..lol.
Jan.

Hi Jan,

Thanks for mentioning this.

Right now I have a WTH moment. I know there are some differences between the tablets, but this is something completely unexpected. I've done about 20 movies using the new HQXT profile, and on the Xoom, AcerA100 and even my DroidX, I get a fluid and smooth playback. I used movies like the latest Marvel's and Fast Five in both Bluray and DVD format with it, and they all run fine. Especially during fast motion scenes, the quality should be a lot better than the standard profile.

[janvan]

hi cat...thx for the answer.

i really don't know what is causing this prob,maybe it's the t.f itself.
i used the stock and mx players and they make no difference at all.l
like you say..when things go fast in action movies everything is fine.
but slow stuff it's less than the standard t.f profile.
again..picture quality is superb,i'll do somemore testing and let you know the outcome.
thx for the update,i appreciate all your work!
peace...
jan.

[dvdcatalyst]

hi cat...thx for the answer.

i really don't know what is causing this prob,maybe it's the t.f itself.
i used the stock and mx players and they make no difference at all.l
like you say..when things go fast in action movies everything is fine.
but slow stuff it's less than the standard t.f profile.
again..picture quality is superb,i'll do somemore testing and let you know the outcome.
thx for the update,i appreciate all your work!
peace...
jan.

It could be the TF.

With the new Harry Potter movie released yesterday, I converted part 1 and part 2 using the HQXT profile, and watched both of them through HDMI out on the Xoom, and all worked fine. I did have a few stutter issues, but that is email-related. When Gmail checks for emails, it causes the video to stutter slightly, and again when it "dings" when there is a new email. It has done that with every video I watch.

[janvan]

It could be the TF.

With the new Harry Potter movie released yesterday, I converted part 1 and part 2 using the HQXT profile, and watched both of them through HDMI out on the Xoom, and all worked fine. I did have a few stutter issues, but that is email-related. When Gmail checks for emails, it causes the video to stutter slightly, and again when it "dings" when there is a new email. It has done that with every video I watch.

I don't understand what Gmail has to do with this cat.
I'm talking about converted files playing from s.d card.
Gmail has nothing to do with it.
Also,how you explain the difference between standard T.F profile
and the new HQXT on the same device with the same dvd?
In this particular case it can't be the tab itself.
Right?

[dvdcatalyst]

I don't understand what Gmail has to do with this cat.
I'm talking about converted files playing from s.d card.
Gmail has nothing to do with it.
Also,how you explain the difference between standard T.F profile
and the new HQXT on the same device with the same dvd?
In this particular case it can't be the tab itself.
Right?

I use my Xoom mainly for email and video. Part of the reason for my response time is "instant email notification".
When I watch a movie, and someone sends me an email, I get a notification. For some reason, when the xoom is checking for email, I get a brief stutter in the video, and when it is actually pulling in an email, I get an additional stutter. This happens like every 10 minutes or so.

The new HQXT profile uses higher quality settings. In technical terms, it is set to more reference frames, which results in a better quality on lower bitrates for faster action scenes.
With dvd-sized content you don't notice too much of a difference, but if you convert HD-sized content, it makes a big difference.
The HQ1 profile, which I recommend a lot for 720p HD conversions uses a bitrate of 2250, but the HQXT profile uses 1650 so you end up with smaller video files at a similar quality for that.

Since you mentioned complications with the playback yesterday, I watched the 2 Harry Potter movies last night, created using HQXT on my Xoom.

[janvan]

are you talking about keyframes as used in v.j software?