DVD Catalyst 4.1 User Guide
Advanced Features and Settings
So far, we have only addressed the basic features and options of DVD Catalyst 4.
Now onto the part where DVD Catalyst 4 shines. More features and options than all of its competitors combined, many not found anywhere else, and some so handy, you wouldn’t believe how you could have gone without it. Most of the powerful features and options can be found in Global Settings, which becomes accessible by enabling the “Power User” checkmark at the bottom-right.
Besides making Global Settings accessible (the settings here are still used, regardless of the Power User checkmark. They are only hidden from view to make DVD Catalyst 4 easier to use) the Power User checkmark also enables access to additional options in the other portions of DVD Catalyst’s interface.
The “Add videos” options remain the same, so we will not explain them again.
Edit Video Settings Button:
Modify resulting filename: By default, DVD Catalyst 4 uses the original filename of the video file, or, in the case of the DVD, the DVD identifier name. If you want to change the filename to something else, this is the place to do it.
IMG button. Added to make it easier to get images to use with our MovieGallery for Android app. Tapping this button will open up your web browser with a search for the filename on the www.albumart.org website. From there you can save the image by rightclicking on it and giving it the same name as you gave the movie.
Enable selection for conversion: When DVD Catalyst 4 finds a DVD; it will scan for content longer than 10 minutes in play length. This enables a fast way to convert TV Episode DVDs as well as Movies (both are usually longer than 10 minutes) while ignoring special features and trailers. In some cases, special features are longer than 10 minutes, and thus will be enabled for conversion. By selecting the track(s) or file(s) you do not want to convert, and removing this checkmark, they will not be converted.
Subtitles: DVD Catalyst 4 can convert your movie or TV show with subtitles. Just select the language you want to use here. (not for Bluray at this time)
Audio language: If your DVD or video file includes additional languages, such as Spanish or French for example, you can change that here.
Preview: This will have DVD Catalyst play the selected video file/DVD track with the settings you have selected, and with Power User enabled, you will be able to adjust things like brightness, contrast and much more.
Custom Subs: If you are converting video files that do not support subtitles themselves, but you have an SRT-formatted subtitle file that goes with it, you can select that here. Even for some DVDs, it is possible that additional subtitle languages or commentary files are available on the internet, and as long as they are in SRT format, they can be used by DVD Catalyst 4 to be included in the created video files.
Start scene / stop scene: This setting lets you select a portion of the movie to be converted based on scenes (based on playtime position can be set in the preview) You can use this to create a small test clip of a specific scene, or to bypass credit portions at the beginning and/or end of the movie.
Split in parts of 1 scene(s): By enabling this setting, movies and TV shows will be split into portions based on scenes. Using the default 1 will result in each scene being converted into a single file (so you end up with 30+ files for a movie) numbered in order. This option is useful for devices that have limited storage capacity (cheap MP4 players) or, you could use this option to enable scene selection on some devices by creating a playlist of the scene files, and then use the playlist on your video player.
Batch rename: The options here are used to quickly rename files to match a certain system. If you have 50 video files that make up a few seasons of a TV show, you can use this setting to rename them all.
It works with 3 fields. The first one is intended to be used for the TV show name, such as Roseanne for example. The second box is the episode number field. It uses the amount of characters you put in and it will increase in increments of 1 from the starting number you put in. The third box is used to put something behind the filename with the number.
If the fields contain the following: 1: “Roseanne S01E” 2:”01” 3:” DVD” files are renamed like this: Roseanne S01E01 DVD, Roseanne S01E02 DVD, Roseanne S01E03 DVD, Roseanne S01E04 DVD. If the fields contain the following: 1: “Dragon Ball Z ” 2:”001” 3:”” files are renamed like this: Dragon Ball Z 001, Dragon Ball Z 002, Dragon Ball Z 003, Dragon Ball Z 004.
Join selection into 1 file: By default, this setting is only available for AVI files, and only when the files are the same size and format. You can change this in Global Settings > Advanced so it will work with other files or even DVDs, however, this does not always work for files other than AVI. This setting is intended to be used with multi-part AVI files. If you have a multi-part AVI file, you can join them for conversion so you end up with a single file. Select the files you want to join together, and if the files are similar enough, you can click on this button.
Move selection up/down: By default, DVD Catalyst organizes files and tracks based on a first come first serve basis. If you would like to change the order for the conversion (or for joining them) you can do that with these 2 buttons.
Duplicate: If you would like to convert an item using different settings, you can use the duplicate button to create a copy of the selected DVD track or video file in the conversion list. You could convert one instance into a single file and another into individual scene-files for example.
Split: This will split a movie in 2 equal-length portions. It duplicates the selected item, and adjusts the end time of the first to half-way, and for the duplicate, it sets the start position to half way. This feature is handy for long movies and devices with a limited storage capacity.
Remove selection: This will remove the selected item from the conversion list completely. While similar, the “Enable for conversion” does not actually remove the item from the view, while this button does remove it completely.
Video Player Device Modify Button (Power User Mode):
DVD Catalyst 4 uses Video player device “Profiles” to ensure compatibility for specific devices. When you select a device using the dropdowns on the left, the settings found in “Modify” are automatically updated. In most cases, there is no need to change any settings, but if you like to experiment, or adjust the quality a bit; this is where you can do just that.
Player Screen size: Selecting a device profile will adjust this to the proper setting used for your video player device. DVD Catalyst 4 uses this as a Maximum setting, which means that if the original DVD or video has a higher resolution, it will be resized to fit within the selected screen size. It will not make any additional adjustments to the size. As a result, you might end up with a video file that is smaller or different in size than your selected screen size (more info on this in the Black Border Removal section). If the video screen size of your original DVD or file is less than the selected screen size, DVD Catalyst will use the size of the original file to preserve the best possible quality (have a look at the Upscaling section for info on this).
Video quality (Kbps). This affects the way the video looks, as well as on how big your resulting video file will be. The basic idea is that the higher this setting, the better the video, but also the bigger the file the default settings set by DVD Catalyst when you select your video player device are “safe” settings. You end up with good quality files at a reasonable file size. It’s up to you to increase the quality; however our own personal preference is to have more good looking videos on our devices than only a few amazing-looking ones. Keep in mind that most devices have a limitation on the maximum quality setting they can play/accept. Most iPod’s and Android devices can only go up to 1500 Kbps for example.
Tip: Try the default profile settings first. There are a lot of articles on the web for video on specific video player devices, but most of these use the maximum settings a video player device will accept for video quality, because they believe this produces the best quality. However, many people cannot tell the difference in quality between a file encoded at 1500 or 1000, and this results in a difference of being able to fit 1/3 more movies or TV shows on the same amount of storage space (no need to purchase a pricy 32GB memory card for your phone).
Sound quality: This determines the quality of the audio during playback. For most devices, 128Kbps (near CD quality) is good enough if you use headphones that came with your device, but for other people 160Kbps is a little better.
Conversion format: The most important setting of all in terms of keeping compatibility with devices.
While quality and screen size limitations on a video player device such as an iPod or Droid can determine if a file is playable or not, the conversion format is the most important factor. While it is possible to compare conversion formats in DVD Catalyst to codecs, it goes a bit further than that. The names reflect the video (and on some the audio) codec(s) used for the conversion, it also covers a large collection of more advanced options that can be used with the codec. H264, the most common format used today, on devices such as iPod/iPhone/Android and even Bluray, has a lot of advanced options that determine if a file is compatible with a specific device or not.
The Sony PSP can play H264 MP4 files, but unfortunately, files created using this format are not compatible with an iPod, and the other way around this is also the case. Fortunately, almost all non-Sony devices that can play H264 MP4 (and a few Sony ones) can play iPod compatible MP4 files.
By selecting a conversion format, you are also specifying the more advanced options as well.
H264_ipod creates an iPod compatible H264 MP4 file at a reasonable speed and quality.
H264_ipod_hq produces the same kind of file but provides a better quality, but converts a bit slower.
H264_psp creates a PSP compatible H264 MP4 file and so on.
Volume: By default, DVD Catalyst 4 uses a technology called “Volume Maximizer”, which increases the volume to the maximum loudness without causing distortion, and this setting overrides the volume. By disabling this setting in Global Settings > Quality Tweaks, you can use the volume slider to adjust the volume more accurately.
Frame rate: Video consists of a sequence of individual pictures. The frame rate is the amount of pictures that are displayed in a certain time frame, and in general, the higher this amount, the more “smooth” the video appears. The frame rate setting in DVD Catalyst works different than any other conversion tool. Most similar tools (that have a frame rate adjustment setting) use the frame rate as a fixed setting, and as a result, whatever this setting is set to will be used in the created video file. DVD Catalyst on the other hand, uses this setting as a maximum value. It looks at the frame rate of your original video and compares this with your selected frame rate setting, and uses the lowest value. If your frame rate is set to 30, and your original file has a frame rate of 23.xxx, it will use the 23.xxx. If the source video file has a frame rate of 29.xxx, and the frame rate setting is set to 20, it will use 20. The reason for this is that if a file has a lower frame rate, the only way to increase the frame rate is to copy existing images. It is impossible for a conversion tool to include something that is not there, so it has to use what is actually there. The duplicate frames still require file space to store the color of the individual dots, so you only end up with a lesser quality file, and because some frames are repeated, the movement is also not smooth.
Tip: Because each frame of a video needs file space to store the quality, you can actually use the frame rate to improve quality for video if you use low-quality settings. If you use a quality of 300Kbps for video, and use a frame rate of 30, each individual frame has 10Kb (300/30). If you lower the frame rate of this file to 20, each individual frame can use 15Kb (300/20). Some people are more perceptive on movement than others, so while it does affect the smoothness of playback, with some trial and error, you can achieve a quality improvement without too much compromise.
Multi Device Conversions:
Unique to only DVD Catalyst 4, the Multidevice list is one of the coolest features.
DVD Catalyst was designed to provide an easy way to convert multiple items with a single click. Rather than clicking through a program to start a conversion, wait two hours, repeat the process again for another episode or file, DVD Catalyst 4 lets you set up a conversion queue (list of items), and then start the conversion so all will be converted in order. Connecting to this is the Multidevice list. If you have been into portable devices or phones for a little while, chances are you have more than just one video player device you would want to use your video files for. While it is possible to create files that will play on more than just one device, if these devices are significantly different (an iPod Classic and a Droid Incredible for example) you end up having to make a compromise. The iPod files will play on the Incredible, but because the screen size of videos for the iPod are 1/4th of the Incredible’s screen, the video will not look that good.
With Multidevice, you can queue up different device profiles, and everything you convert with DVD Catalyst 4 will be created using the specific settings for each device. If you convert a DVD movie, it will be converted separately for each device, if you convert 20 video files, they will all be converted for each device.
Add device: Adds a new device to the device list. When you click this button, it will create a copy of the currently selected device, and you can either change the profile in “Modify” (same device but different quality settings to compare for example) or just use the video player selection dropdowns to pick a different profile.
Del device: Removes the currently selected device from the Multidevice list. Clear all: Removes all added devices from the Multidevice list. Convert per device: Converts all items for the first selected device, and when finished, it will start over with the second device and so on.
Convert per selection: Converts each item for all devices first, and then continues onto the next item and so on.
Save profile: Look below for more information. This button saves your current device list as an easy to select profile.
DVD Catalyst 4 uses device profiles. These profiles are basically a collection of settings for specific devices. By selecting a video player device profile using the dropdowns on the left, a collection of settings in “Modify” are updated to reflect the settings needed for video for that device.
If your device is not listed, usually you can select a similar device, and the files created with that profile should work fine, however, if you made a lot of changes in “Modify” you can save it as a profile. By default, DVD Catalyst saves and loads the settings from a file called “last profile” to ensure your settings are remembered for the next time you use DVD Catalyst, but if you switch between devices and settings often, you might want to save your settings in a separate profile.
The “Save profile” button in “Modify” lets you do that. All the settings set in “Modify”, including Multidevice if you used that, are saved in a file you can name yourself. Some people use different settings for different movies, and by saving your settings in profiles, you can easily switch between them.
Once you have saved one or more profiles, a new dropdown above the device selection boxes becomes visible. In the screenshot, you notice that I saved 2 profiles, Action movies and Slow Movies. (Because action movies have more activity on screen, I prefer to use a slightly higher quality setting for them). When you want to convert something using one profile, just select it in the dropdown, and when you want to convert something else using different settings, just switch the profile.
Note: When you save your settings as a profile, any changes you make after selecting the profile will be used for that particular conversion, however they will NOT be saved in the profile (they will be saved in last profile though). So if you select a profile, and increase the quality a bit for one particular movie, restarting DVD Catalyst (or switching profiles) will still use the original saved settings from the profile.
