April 30th, 2006 (v1.09.3)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added direct support for AutoQMatEnc. Please note that DVD-RB only enables support when it can determine the application path. It will assume the default path "c:\program files\autoqmatenc\autoqmatenc.exe" unless overridden via registry entry. AutoQMatEnc can be downloaded from http://www.autoqmatenc.com.

• Updated the installation package to include the latest HC Encoder version (v.18).

• Fixed a bug in which cells that contain no video data might result in "VOB/CELL not found" during rebuild.

• Fixed an error in which ILVU video segments that are extracted (because the disc will fit) can become corrupt and cause strange playback behavior.

• Corrected an error in which "garbage" data following null or padding sectors could result in unpredictable timing and/or desynchronization.

• Fixed "Error 53" that could occur when no M2V file was created during the ENCODE phase after three tries. The error was typically caused by an incorrect encoder path and should have issued a more informative "Failed to Create an M2V" file and exited gracefully.

• Corrected sizing calculations on discs containing null or padding sectors (usually inserted by a decrypter) to help prevent possible (slight) undersizing.

• Added code to reduce the likelihood of "Error #0006" on streams that contain embedded MPEG garbage. Also, as investigation showed that these only happen in "orphaned" MPEG sections (following "null sectors" created by a decrypter) that are never actually decoded, the error has been removed and replaced by a warning in the STATUS window/log.

• Added code to remove DVD-RB from a minimized state just before executing a shutdown sequence. There are reports that the shutdown dialog "freezes" with the "5 seconds" text showing when attempted while minimized.

• Implemented a change that can reduce the likelihood of "Error #0003, buffer overflow" on oddly formatted source streams.

• Fixed an error in which it is feasible (but rare) that logging of a start code at the very end of a VTS might be missed during PREPARE.

• Corrected an error in CC processing that could cause an error "0068 0005" when a new GOP with CC data starts at at the very end of a video packet.

• Made several process improvements to the handling of sequence_end_codes and associated end actions.

• As closed captioning support appears to be stable, it has been removed from "beta" status and can now be enabled/disabled from the "Settings" menu.

• Added code to avoid confusion by disabling menu selection of encoders for which no path is present in the setup.

March 18th, 2006 (v1.09)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• NEW FEATURE: Support for closed captions. Now DVD-RB will extract closed caption data from the original DVD and remultiplex it into the MPEG stream during REBUILD. Note that, although this new code has been tested, it is new and therefore should be considered beta for this version. For that reason it can only be enabled by adding the "hidden" setting "CLOSED_CAPTIONS=1" to the [Options] area of the REBUILDER.INI file. WARNING: Many software players do NOT play CC correctly. Please do not post bug reports unless you first also try to play the original disc with the software player (e.g. PowerDVD 6.0 seems to have problems with certain CC).

• ENHANCEMENT: Added code to enhance the functioning of automatic "no reencoding" feature introduced in v1.08. Now any space reallocated due to "Steal Space" or the "Half/Half" functions that is not needed to enable the "no reencoding" extraction is returned to the Extras. This allows you to "overkill" in order to force extraction -- but the amount of actual reduction will only be what is truly necessary.

• Fixed an error in which specific circumstances could cause highlights in a menu to not display when the rebuild of the menu cell immediately follows another cell that uses the same VOBID/CELLID combination.

• Corrected a bug in which, under unusual circumstances, a one byte difference can occur between matching BUP and IFO files.
  - Fixed an error that could occur very rarely and cause a report of error: "00032 00009 -- error reading IFO".

• Fixed a bug in which restarting the ENCODE phase following a previous completion was not reseting the progress flag, causing problems in future pauses.

• Corrected some inconsistencies with the way menus are handled in the Segment Viewer/Editor.

• Fixed a problem in which selecting "Movie and Menus" could very rarely blank a menu that is a part of a VTS other than the one containing the feature.

• Added a "Close at REBUILD Completion" option to the Mode menu and a "Close at Batch Completion" option to the file menu. These will close DVD-RB -- but will not shutdown the computer.

• Updated the ECLPRO version to v1.00RC1. This version has been reported to correct the "presets" issue seen by some users when using the "Multiple Encoder" option with ProCoder.

February 13th, 2006 (v1.07.2)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Fixed a bug that could cause subpictures that are selected for removal to be also incorrectly removed from Menus. This could make the menu selections fail to function.

• Corrected an error in which on rare occasions the output BUP file be incorrectly updated during a certain type of menu encode sequence.

• Corrected some bugs associated with menu encoding and Half-D1/Anamorphic conversion. Also disabled filters for menu encodes.

February 6th, 2006 (v1.07)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Implemented menu encoding. This new feature will now scan and reencode menu segments in the same way as standard title sets. This should save some space, allow for more efficient use of space, and improve quality. It is especially useful on titles that have large amounts of space used by menus. The default setting encodes any menu that is over 50MB. This can be overridden by setting a value for the "hidden" parameter "VTSM_MIN_SIZE" in the [Options] area of the REBUILDER.INI. It works similar to the "VTS_MIN_SIZE" parameter. It is recommended that you keep the default setting, as encoding segments that smaller than 50MB usually only increases encoding time without significantly improving qualty. If you prefer no menu encoding at all, this feature can be disabled or enabled via the "Settings" menu.

• Added code to enable multiple encoder instances. The feature is available under the "Settings" menu. On multiple core computers and some very fast single core computers using hyperthreading this will take advantage of unused processor time. This concept has been proven in concept using HC encoder, QuEnc, and ProCoder (via ECLPRO) in Rumbah's "DualDVDRB" software. Please note that if your computer already runs at 100% of its processor time this option will not likely improve your speed and in fact may make it slightly slower. But, on some processors and some encoders it has been
  reported to increase speeds by as much as 30-50%. Heavy Kudos to Rumbah for exploring and proving this concept via "DualDVDRB."

• Corrected "Runtime Error 55" that could occur if attempting to force-close DVD-RB during encoding.

• Corrected a reference to "32-Bit Floating Point" in the iDCT choices for DGDECODE v1.4.5. It actually is "64-Bit Floating Point".

• Corrected an error in which the intra_DC_precision setting could be set incorrectly in CCE Basic and CCE SP v2.50 under some circumstances.

• Fixed an error in which the "Enable Output" option wasn't being properly reset on project loads or during batch encoding.

• Added Menu Segments to Segment Editor so they can be blanked or slideshow adjusted. Be careful, as disabling a menu background can sometimes make the function of the menu impossible to understand. Menu segments are listed as "VTM_nn" in the editor.

• Updated the installer to include HC Version 0.17.

January 16th, 2006 (v1.06)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added support for DGDECODE v1.4.5. This update includes many enhancements/bug fixes and makes DVD-RB's support consistent with Neuron2's most current release. Support for MPEG2DEC3DG and DGDECODE v1.1.0 remains. This update includes a fix which corrects a rare problem in which an encoder may "freeze" while trying to encode a segment. The DVD-RB Installer now includes and installs DGDECODE v1.4.5 by default.

• Added coding for handling "garbage" sectors that were found to have caused problems during the PREPARE phase on at least one disc. Thanks to SpazzHH for finding a disc in which it was
  repeatable.

• Modified the AVS position of the trim() command. Performing the trim after the insertion of some optional filters can give better results.

• Updated some cosmetic features for consistency. Changed slider for HC Bias, and added TextColor variable to CCE settings Skin.

• Corrected a Button Over Video (BOV) issue. In some very active streams BOV may not have been reproduced properly.

• Corrected an error in the REBUILD module that could misinterpret certain input streams and as a result, throw a "ERROR 006: DVD-RB...framecount differences" error.

• Fixed a problem in which an extremely unlikely set of circumstances might cause audio to move out of sync over the course of a segment.

• Fixed a bug in which remapping audio while set to "Movie-Only" mode would cause a Runtime Error 9.

• Added a module that performs key download via web in the event of direct connection failure.

• Removed annoying "VOB Count" warning in Movie-Only
  modes.

December 17th, 2005 (v1.05.1)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Fixed a problem in which the default templates that are created by DVD-RB are done so with inappropriate space characters inserted -- making the values not load correctly.

• Corrected an issue in which the SYSTEM ID may change if a network adapter is removed or added to the system. This is especially noticable in laptop computers. Note, however, that DVD-RB will continue to use the previously obtained SYSTEM ID unless the key file has been deleted. This is to prevent unnecessary reregistration on systems that don't experience this issue. But it is recommended that you delete your old key and create a new one to ensure you don't experience this problem. All user SYSTEM ID counts have been reset to zero to accomodate this.

• Fixed an problem in which a small percentage of users could not connect to the download site and the key file had to be requested via e-mail.

• Updated the installation package to install ReJig v0.5f. This version includes several updates that give quality improvements that were implemented by DragonGodz.

• Updated the installation package to install HC encoder version 0.16.1. This version corrects some minor bugs.

November 28th, 2005 (v1.04)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Reorganized the "Options" configuration. It is no longer accessed as a Menu. Now it is accessed via a Tree View on either the tab bar, or, for for pre-version 1.00 skins, via an "Options" choice in the "Settings" menu. The menu had grown too large for easy use. Some "quick access" items remain under the "Settings" menu.

• Added a setting under the "Mode" menu in which you can select all Extras for Half-D1. This option will not reduce bitrates for Extras (like Half/Half), but settings selected under "Steal Space from Extras" will be applied. This provides more granularity so the option can be used more effectively.

• Corrected an issue in which certain odd original anomalies might cause timing issues. A special thanks to Magic144 for finding this one.

• Fixed an error that, under certain circumstances, might cause video ticks or stutter at chapter or segment break points.

• Tweaked the muxing algorithm to facilitate better video playback buffering control.

• Changed the default setting for the Viewer/Editor so its calls use long filenames. Some users were having trouble getting it to work properly.

• Updated the Installer to use a newer version of HC Encoder (v0.16, 11/12/2005). This file is also included in the "Update Only" zip file.

• Updated installer to use EclPro v0.52. Includes better compatibility and support for Express versions.

• Corrected an error in which an erroneous input stream might cause DVD-RB to "hang" during PREPARE phase looking for a nonexistent extension start code.

October 29th, 2005 (v1.02)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added a new feature under the OPTIONS menu. Now you can select "Audio Track Remapping" and DVD-RB will make changes necessary so that defaults for audio streams can be changed. This is especially useful when DTS is the default and has been removed, or for those who would like the default startup track to be some language other than the original.

• Added "Dynamic Peak Analysis" which determines peak bitrates from the original stream and uses the info to set segment maximum bitrates. This should improve quality by more accurately distributing available bandwidth. It should also eliminate some possible sources for playback stutter.

• Fixed a bug in which attempting to apply filters against a source that would already fit on a DVD-5 could halt the batch job waiting for a user prompt.

• Modified the "Shutdown at One-Click Completion" option under the MODE menu. Now it is "Shutdown at end of REBUILD". This was done in order to allow usage with the "2-click" method introduced in the previous release.

• Added ProCoder under the OPTIONS menu and added the ability to set the quality level.

• Fixed "Error 35601, Element Not Found" error that could occur on oddly formatted sources.

• Changed the Installed default operational mode to "One Click." Earlier versions defaulted to "Three Click" mode.

• Corrected setting in which GOP size of 12 was being forced too liberally when using HC encoder.

• Per request, added a new INI parameter that enables the insertion of text in blanked segments. For example, by adding "BlankText=This Video has been Blanked" to the the "[Options]" are of REBUILDER.INI will insert that text on blanked screens. The text has a limit of 40 characters. By default no text is inserted.

• Added bitrate sanity checks for circumstances in which the calculated bitrate might be greater than the original. This can sometimes happen in Movie-Only modes. An analysis of reports of stutter occurring on certain players has determined it is linked to the reintegration of the original audio stream with higher-that-original bitrates. It is possible to override this check (but it is NOT RECOMMENDED) by adding the hidden flag "OVERRIDE_BITRATE_CHECK=1" to the "[Options]" area of REBUILDER.INI.

October 7th, 2005 (v1.00)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Updated the method for one pass encoding prediction for HC encoder. The changes in RC6.0 had a negative impact on the prediction for HC and caused it to require more passes rather than fewer.

• Fixed an error that could cause SCR value to drift over time under some unique circumstances and cause timing irregularities with possible stutter.

• Changed the default value for 32k padding to "off". Also removed the setting from the ISO Options form. While the format is compliant with DVD standards, there are too many 3rd party packages that have trouble reading ISO images with padding. I've decided the benefits are outweighed by the disadvantages. For those purists who wish to enable it anyway -- it can be enabled by adding the line "Enable_32K_Padding=1" in the [Options] area of REBUILDER.INI. The older "Disable_32K_Padding" is now ignored and should be removed.

• Modified HC values to preset GOP size to 12 rather than AUTO for sources that will receive pulldown flags. This is necessary to ensure GOP time length parameters stay within DVD specs.

• Corrected an error that could cause a "Runtime Error 9" during rebuild under certain conditions while processing reencoded ILVU sequences.

• Changed the default state for "Status Logging" to ON.

• Implemented checks to ensure the DVD Volume Label is checked and enforced for maximum length (31 chars).

• Added some updates that will make DVD-RB work more reliably with the output of DVDFab Decrypter.

• Added support for burning ISO images with ImgBurn, Lightning UK's latest burner. Use is automatic, DVD Rebuilder will recognize when ImgBurn is installed and it will be used. DVD Decrypter now becomes the secondary choice for burning. ImgBurn is free, it is highly recommended, and can be downloaded from www.imgburn.com

• Fixed an error in which "Create/Write Project ISO Image" was not properly writing the created image to the blank DVD disc.

• Improved error detection in Write-To-Disc function.

• Enabled a type of "2-Click" mode for those using add-ons following PREPARE. Now you can click REBUILD following a PREPARE and it if ENCODE has not already been performed, it will be automatically executed. It can also be used to RESUME jobs that were stopped during ENCODE.

August 17th, 2005 (v1.00 RC5.1)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Fixed a glitch in which attempting to overwrite the "DVDFILES\VIDEO_TS" could result in being asked the same "Overwrite?" prompt twice.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 63" that could happen on certain ILVU sections under specific circumstances.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 5" when deleting Batch items when using one of the non-version-one skins.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 52" that could happen at the end of the PREPARE phase on ILVU titles that end on with ILVU section.

August 7th, 2005 (v1.00RC4.1)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Corrected an off-by-one sector error in the VTS_C_ADT table of an IFO that contains ILVU sections. This issue was the cause of reported problems importing DVD-RB into DVD Shrink after rebuild. It also caused DVDReMake to sometimes require "recovering sectors".

• Fixed an error in the routine for updating the VTS_TMAPTI table in IFOs containing ILVU sections. In previous versions some seamless branching titles could have had erroneous entries created.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 63" that can be caused by large ILVU (greater than 1GB) segments.

• Added progress bar updates during "Interleaving Video Object" activity.

July 28th, 2005 (v1.00RC3)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added "Disable 32K Padding" option to the ISO Output Options dialog box. AnyDVD seems to have a problem mounting discs that have been created using the padding even though it is completely compliant.

• Changed the font color on the ISO Output Options dialog when using the "Teck Original" skin. The previous color was not easily readable.

• Found and fixed the source of "Runtime Error 63" (Illegal Record Number) that could sometimes happen during REBUILD of an ILVU section.

• Fixed a problem in which films that are encoded as 4:3 (within the stream) -- but are displayed as 16:9 (as directed by the IFO) were being set to 4:3 when created in "Movie-Only" mode. Now the setting in the original IFO is retained as the new Movie-Only IFO is created. Strange but true, someone out there is actually authoring commercial DVDs that way.

• Fixed an error in which, under certain circumstances ILVU content that has the same VOBID/CELLID as the last VOBID/CELLID of the previous VTS would not be interleaved properly.

• Fixed an error in which maximum bitrates set for CCE when encoding ILVU could be set too high. ILVU puts more restrictions on maximum bitrate than standard single threaded playback. HC and QuEnc should not have experienced this problem.

• Made further changes to the algorithm for seamless branching reproduction. Corrected problems in the way DVD-RB interpreted the interleaving patterns of some of the more complex ILVU source discs.

• Corrected an error in which, during ILVU rebuild, it is possible that erroneous values could be set into the IFO entry sector.

• Changed the "QuEnc Options" menu to clarify the three modes and also prevent choosing both single pass and OPV simultaneously which is a source of confusion.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Corrected an error in which "Steal Space from Extras" was sometimes not being disabled when loaded during batch processing.

July 2nd, 2005 (v1.00RC1)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added a new v1.00 graphical interface that is based upon a prototype developed by Teck. Now by using selection tabs the majority of functions can all be handled from within the main dialog! My thanks to Teck for a great idea. I've also included a Rockas theme design (based upon Teck's) as the default. For folks who like the traditional interface -- you have something new too! Rockas has updated the Professional Edition with a new "Rockas Original" skin design. Skins are still fully functional.

• Added full support for reencoding and reauthoring of ILVU sequences. Now very large ILVU sections will no longer put severe limits on bitrates. Lots of new code was implemented here -- I ask that all of the DVD-RB beta testers please exercise it thoroughly and report back on DOOM9. Note: If you run into problems or would like to disable this code for any reason and force use of the previous "ILVU-intact" method -- add the hidden command "ILVU_Encode=0" in the [Options] section of the REBUILDER.INI file.

• Implemented a new key mechanism. It works much like the old one -- in that you have to simply copy the file into the DVD-RB directory. But you must also know your registered e-mail address and use it to activate the key (from within DVD-RB). Also, it is always named "REBUILDER.RBK" -- the last naming structure caused lots of headaches for those having a ".AU" in their e-mail name. It also threw errors when double clicked because it wasn't a registry key as many assumed.

• Added ISO failsafe code so that padding is inserted at any time it may be possible for an IFO and BUP to overlap in the same ECC. This dramatically decreases the possibility of a scratch ever damaging both an IFO and it's corresponding backup (BUP) file (which can render a disc unplayable). Note that this action is only taken when DVD-RB has been instructed to create an ISO image. Also note IFOEDIT will incorrectly see the changes to the IFO for padding as offset errors. Do NOT perform an IFOEDIT "Get VTS Sectors" against a VIDEO_TS folder that has been built for ISO unless you are planning to use some other burning package to create the disc -- as IFOEDIT will incorrectly change the values back to the non-failsafe state.

• Added procedures that automatically determine the volume label and ISO filename when selecting an input source. Uses actual device detected Volume ID or directory name depending upon the input source and path format. Default value is "DVD-VIDEO"

• Added quotes around volume label for ISO creation. Previously any spaces in the volume name could cause ISO burn to get confused.

• Fixed an error in which an iDCT method loaded from a project could cause two options to be checked.

• Updated the QLB Matrix to match DragonGodz latest changes. in order to update it, you can just  delete the file "QuEnc Lower Bitrate (QLB).mtx" from the MATRIX directory under the DVD-RB  installation path. DVD-RB will see it is missing and update it when next started.

• Modified the parameters for HC to match the newer versions -- there is now only three quality profiles (FAST, NORMAL, BEST).

• Fixed an error in which the segment viewer/editor would allow you to make changes even though the source information had changed since PREPARE.

• Changed the viewer/editor so is shows VOBID/CELLID and length (in hh:mm:ss:ff) in time rather than segment number and frame count. I think this may be more useful information to most people.

• Added two more options to the FILE menu. You can now select to create an ISO, or create and write (to disc) an ISO for the current project.

• Fixed an error that could cause undersizing in movie-only encodes due to miscalculating the size of the original stream (especially true in ILVU
  sources).

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Fixed an error that could cause an "Runtime Error 9" upon program start or when loading a Project file when the source path is no longer present.

• Added code to disable path buttons when running any of the tree phases. Previously changing any of the Source, Working, or Output paths (either purposefully or accidentally) during execution could cause various errors (including Runtime 54).

• Adjusted the average bitrate for encodes to ensure it the minimum and average bitrates were never the same.

• Added a confirmation note when audio or subpicture defaults are saved from the SETUP screen. Also removed the old screen flags that were incompatible with skins.

• Fixed an error in which ReJig could receive values greater than 100% for its reduction level.

• Fixed an error that could result in "Runtime Error 52" on certain sources when using either ReJig or "No Compression" settings.

• Fixed an error in which exiting via the Windows "X" while rebuilding is in occurring could have anomalous results -- including program lockout.

May 22nd, 2005 (v0.93)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added support for writing ISO images using the mkisofs utility. In order to make this option you must have the MKISOFS program file installed in either the rebuilder directory or a subdirectory under rebuilder called "APPS". Note that this is all done automatically if you use the Rockas installer. If you are doing a manual install, the two files needed (mkisofs.exe and cywin1.dll) are included in the rebuilder zip file. After the files exist, the next time you run DVD-RB the "Output to ISO Image File" option in the "Mode" menu will be enabled. You can also select a VOLUME NAME and FILE NAME for the ISO image or choose to automatically delete the files after writing (to save space). These options are selected using the "Select ISO Output Options" selection -- also under the MODE menu.

• Added automatic burning of created ISO images with DVD Decrypter. If the "Automatically Burn with DVD Decrypter" option is selected under the "Select Output Options Dialog" the ISO created will be automatically written to disc using DVD Decrypter at the end of the REBUILD phase. Please note that this option will be disabled if DVD Decrypter has not been installed on the host computer. Also note: This option is ignored when in "Batch" mode for obvious reasons.

• Added a FILE menu option to burn an ISO image, this is just for convenience, as the image is actually burned by DVD Decrypter.

• Changed the "MPEG Standard" matrix so it is updated to what is generally considered more "standard" today. In order to update it, you can just delete the file "MPEG Standard.mtx" from the MATRIX directory under the DVD-RB installation path. DVD-RB will see it is missing and update it when next started.

• Added a menu selection under "OPTIONS/AVS OPTIONS/ADVANCED (EXPERT) OPTIONS" in which you can instruct the decoder to use of of a list of 7 iDCT choices. This replaces the former single "idct=7" choice.

• Added a new "Key" mechanism so the executable file "REBUILDER.EXE" can be downloaded from multiple locations and can be included in the Rockas Installer package. The executable will not run unless a "KEY" file exists in the DVD-RB directory. Similar to the previous method, when VIPs are notified of new versions they will receive a link to a personalized key file. Placing this key file in the DVD-RB
  directory will enable the software.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Found and corrected a long-time vexing error that could cause "Buffer Overflow...0003" and "Buffer Overflow...0004". This is very likely the root of some of the "preprocessing" errors that have been reported -- and was accentuated in DVD-RBs "Movie and Menus Only" mode. This one was truly difficult to pin down. My thanks to Carpo, t3rror, and Numer0bis for helping to nail this elusive error.

• Fixed an error in which the TMAP tables were not being updated correctly for Interleaved and/or Angled sources. This may have caused errors in random access into those sections.

• Corrected a source of possible "Runtime Error 9" that could happen when IFO and VOBs aren't  in agreement about ILVU. This conflict may happen during PREPARE when certain types of preprocessing have been done).

• Changed output directory format. Now in the designated output dirctory a subdirectory is created called "DVDFILES". The AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders are created under that name. This is meant to help avoid confusion and assist in future enhancements by consolidating all files that should be written to the DVD within a single directory.

May 8th, 2005 (v0.91)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Modified the handling of Movie-Only and it's relationship to D2V files. Also cleaned up problems with Movie-Only and certain types of structure protection.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 340" that could happen when attempting to automatically change the Movie-Only option.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Corrected "Runtime Error 6" during REBUILD on sources that have very large TMAP tables in the IFO file.

• Added code to inhibit the "...is already small enough to fit " warning when using the "No Compression" mode.

• Made a change to OPV prediction routines that will significantly improve output sizing on certain types of movies.

• Removed the restriction that limited output size to 100% of the original. There are rare occasions in which additional processing (e.g. frame resizing/filtering) may need additional bandwidth that is made available through extra reduction or movie-only modes. Generally, though, it is best to use "No Compression" mode on sources that would hit 100% or greater.

• Added code to include a "(DC)" to the description of audio and/or subtitle streams if they are flagged as director's comments. Also added a "(F)" to subtitles that are forced.

• Corrected an error in which very rarely, under a specific set of circumstances, a 4:3 source (that has some portion of its stream flagged as 16:9) could incorrectly change the aspect ratio to 16:9 in the IFO file.

• Changed the default background color to one that is more standard. The background color only applies to skins that have no graphic that fills the background (like "Windows Standard").

• Corrected an error in which retail versions of CCE 2.67 before v2.67.0.27 would set the wrong value for "video_type" in the ECL and perform OPV rather than multi-pass encoding.

May 3rd, 2005 (v0.89)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Corrected an error in the way subtitle streams are identified in movie-only mode.

• Fixed "Runtime Error 6" error that could occur in the ENCODE phase when attempting to use SLIDESHOW mode on the last segment of a stream.

• Changed OPV encoding so it doesn't use custom matrices. Since OPV uses constant quality (quantizer) encoding, the pre-calculated bitrate shouldn't be used as a method of determining quantizer matrix as it really doesn't apply. This should make sizing predictions more accurate.

• Corrected an error in REBUILD that could result in a "Runtime Error 6, Overflow" when still rebuilding segments selected as SLIDESHOW.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Modified code so that proper structure will be created whether or not DVD Decrypter's "Remove Structure Protection" is selected. Because
  DVD-RB made corrections itself, in previous versions using a source for which Decrypter had also removed structure protection would in effect reverse itself and cause long blanks at title start.

• Adjusted subpicture stream id collection so it will work properly with a multiple PGC source.

• Corrected an error in which "Reduce by 50%" was not being read properly from .RBD files so it was not being set properly in batch encodes. (Changed in Pro v0.89 and unreleased Freeware)

• Modified the project save routine so that now subpicture selections are also saved in the RBD file.

• Corrected a problem in which attempting to call an encoder with an incorrect path could cause "Runtime Error 52" and cause Rebuilder to abort.

• Modified audio and subpicture handling so that unreferenced streams (streams listed in the IFO attributes tables that are never used in a PGC) are labeled as such and defaulted to off.

• Fix a bug in which selecting CCE Mode on the menu was incorrectly resetting the CCE path to the one selected for "CCE SP" regardless of the version truly selected.

April 25th, 2005 (v0.87)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• (v0.87a) Corrected a minor syntax error.

• Fixed an error in Movie-Only mode that caused a 'Runtime Error 9" on any DVD in which the main feature is not in VTS_01. Silly mistake.

• Corrected an error in which Movie-Only mode may create a segment having a frame length of zero under certain circumstances which could cause
  CCE version 2.70 to fail with "No M2V".

• Corrected an error in which the CQ value for HC was being incorrectly written to the HC INI file. This could result in erroneous sizing and prediction loops in countries that use the comma as a decimal point.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Modified startup routines to prevent multiple instances of DVD-RB from running concurrently. This prevents any of a number possible errors from occurring.

• Corrected an error in which the quality_prec parameter was being incorrectly converted to a 0-100 scale. Also improved the accuracy of the conversion and removed extraneous decimal values. (Pro v0.86, Freeware v0.84 & up)

• Added code so the "Contents" help command will look in a subfolder "Help" as well as the DVD-RB executable directory.

April 16th, 2005 (v0.85)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added new support for OPV in the latest version of the HC encoder (HCBatch v013 or above). Hank315 has modified HC to give greater CQ value granularity improving prediction for the One Pass Variable Bitrate (OPV) encoding capability of HC. Now DVD-RB can use the same prediction algorithms developed for CCE OPV prediction to get high quality results in a single pass.

• Reformatted the segment list box in the segment viewer/editor in order to make it more readable.

• Added version checking/reporting for HC encoder.

• There is now an INI value under [Options] that allows a target output setting that is specific to HC. You can set HCTargetSectors= in the same way as you would CCETargetSectors. When nothing is set, it defaults to the "TargetSectors" value.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Fixed "Runtime Error 9" error when attempting to run in one-click mode with an invalid directory.

• Added code to reduce the likelihood of false positive detection and abort in the "missing frames" check routine of the rebuild.

• Located and corrected a source of Runtime Error '9' during rebuild that would have happened on exceptionally long source M2V GOPs.

• Added code to reset the vbr maximum bitrate to the maximum DVD compliant rate if creation of a .M2V file is not successful after 2 attempts.

• Tweaked the OPV prediction algorithm to try and reduce the number of passes required to hit the target value.

• Added code to properly identify and output an error message when the encoder path is invalid, this corrects the non-descript "Error 53".

April 10th, 2005 (v0.83)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added a new "hidden" setting in the [Options] area of REBUILDER.INI for enabling CCE's adaptive quantizer matrices feature: "CCEAQM=1" -- if you decide to use this feature, be very careful. The reason it is "hidden" is because, according to the CCE notes, it might be incompatible with some DVD players.

• Corrected an error in which the value "qmat_idx=0" could be incorrectly inserted in an ECL file. The result could be the use of the standard matrix as opposed to the custom one you've chosen.

• Fixed an error in the segment editor in which the amount of savings was incorrectly calculated when selecting "SLIDESHOW" settings. The result caused the "Recovered Space" to not return to zero as you switch between that and "No Action" mode. Final calculations were accurate, however.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Fixed an error in which some of the options that are not available in "No Compression" or "ReJig" modes were not properly enabling/disabling as modes were selected.

• Correct a problem in which VTSs that were 100% ILVU content were not included in the output directory.

• Revamped the processes associated with removal of subpictures. In previous versions it was sometimes possible for subs to be kept that weren't selected and (rarely) for the wrong subs to be removed when running in three-click mode.

• Changed the default minimum bitrate (MIN_BITRATE) to 500Kbs. It was previously set to 100. This should negate the possibility of getting CCE "MPVA VBF ovg frame #" errors and DVD-RB's resulting "ERROR: Encoder failed to create .M2V. Aborted."

April 2nd, 2005 (v0.81)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Added a major "Pro" feature. A Segment Viewer/Editor option has been added to the "Options" menu. This editor (following the PREPARE phase) allows you to view each of the detected segments to see what it contains, you can then selectively blank out the video, or replace it with a SLIDESHOW. Saved space is reallocated to the DVD's main feature. Look for more options being added to the editor.

• Added a "Movie and Menu Only" option to the "Mode" menu this will automatically detect extras following PREPARE and blank them out -- leaving the movie and menus fully functional.

• Added a "Movie, Menu, and Slideshow Extras" option to the "Mode" menu. This option will automatically detect extra segments and replace them with a SLIDESHOW.

• Added the ability to set the HC encoder path in the SETUP screen. This was requested by a couple of folks who wanted to put it somewhere other than in the DVD-RB directory.

• Updated STILL FRAME code so frames are no longer reencoded but instead are kept intact and are reintegrated into the output stream.

• Removed the path settings for DECOMB.DLL from the SETUP screen. The filter is (or at least should be) rarely used and I wanted to clean that up before going to
  version 1.00. You can still set the path by editing or adding a "DECOMB=" line in the [PATHS] section of the REBUILDER.INI file.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Fixed the "Runtime Error 52" that occurred with the working path is invalid. A proper error message now appears and gracefully exits the PREPARE.

• Changed the displayed text of the error message in an UpdateIFO routine so it spells out any missing cells that it has found during REBUILD. Formerly known as the notorious "Contact developer" message.

• Added the "adjust_q_matrix=0" parameter to ECL files to prevent CCE from using adaptive quantizer matrices as there could be incompatibilities on some DVD players.

• Corrected an error in which an exceptionally large segment (e.g. Cape Fear bonus disc) could cause DVD-RB to not integrate file into the output, causing an  extreme undersize in the VIDEO_TS folder.

• Added code that will automatically update your Skins if they are out of date. This is needed to ensure layout changes or possible new fields are also updated.

• Changed the button for starting batch encodes from "Ok" to "Start" -- the OK button was confusing...

• Modified the CCE Advanced settings dialog so the number of passes can't be changed when CCE Basic is selected, (CCE Basic does no more than 2 passes). This seems to have caused confusion for some who weren't aware of CCE Basic's two pass limit.

• Removed "Dynamically Assign Cell Bitrates" as a menu option. Cell bitrates are always dynamically assigned now. Not doing so detracts from output quality.

• Changed the actions taken for segments of less than 60 frames. Instead of setting to CBR, VBR is used but with a minimum bitrate. This more accurately correct the reason for adding this fix originally.

• Changed INF file slightly. Added two new values to each segment section.

March 16th, 2005 (v0.79)

FEATURES ADDED TO PRO VERSION ONLY

• Created a new menu item called "Advanced (Expert)" under the Options menu. Note to the beginners: The options under this menu should only be changed by those who are familiar with them and understand the impacts -- that is why it is only being added to the "Pro" version of DVD-RB. More to come.

• Added customized MATRIX capability. Now custom matrices can be loaded from definition files. When run this version will automatically create a MATRIX directory in the DVD-RB path and load it will four default custom matrices that can be used with CCE (versions that support custom matrices), QuEnc, and HC encoder. A matrix can be selected for normal, low bitrate (< 3Mbs), very low bitrate (< 2Mbs), or for use against extras only (e.g. for half-d1). The appropriate matrix will be used based upon the bitrates DVD-RB calculates for each segment. A matrix editor is in the works by Rockas so additional custom matrices can be added. The selected matrices are saved in project files -- so if you use them be sure you know what they are before encoding.

• Added the ability to select the Group of Pictures (GOP) size for encoding. In some circumstances you can get better quality by extending the GOP size. Be careful, though, as the DVD size limit is 15 frames for PAL and 18 frames for NTSC and some encoders can occasionally make GOPs slightly larger than the number specified. Warning: Do not select "18 Frame GOP" unless you know exactly why. Some encoders (e.g. CCE Basic) will not accept a value of 18 for the GOP size.

• Added DC Precision to the Advanced Menu. You can now enter the value to be used to set the bit precision of the intra-block dc coefficient. Generally a low value is good for high motion scenes and smooth work better with higher DC precision values. If you don't know what it is: you should leave it set to the default!

• Changed the configuration of the HC.INI file so that when using the HC encoder, the AUTOGOP function will be used as the default unless overridden by the "GOP Size" advanced option.

CHANGES MADE TO PRO AND FREEWARE VERSIONS

• Corrected the SRI table computation algorithm to make FF/RWD offsets more closely compliant with the DVD standards.

• Fixed an error that could cause the V_F/BWD_Exist2 flag of the SRI tables to be sometime set/reset incorrectly.

• Corrected the QLB matrix switch so it works again with the QuEnc encoder (FREEWARE ONLY)

• Added the "Create New Folder" option to the "Browse for Folder" dialog when browsing for WORKING or OUTPUT folders so people won't have to go in and out of the program when they need to create a new one. Thanks to Rockas and Ryan for pointing out the flag I'd missed.

• Corrected ConvertToYV12() statement in AVS files so it is sensitive to interlaced sources. Also forced the insertion of ConvertToYUY2() when CCE is selected regardless of whether the AVSOptions selection. This was causing some problems for folks who mistakenly unchecked it.

• Added code to prevent "impossible" Q values (as a result of extreme compression -- e.g. in Half/Half encoding where 50% reduction is also applied). This should prevent getting a "Runtime error 6" when the Q value gets too large.

------------ Two Versions (Pro and Freeware) diverge -----------
----- Freeware version changes will be limited to bug fixes -----
-------------------- and minor improvements ---------------------