While some people might think that after a release we just sit back and relax, we would like to point out that this is far from the truth. While we might take a day or two to take things easier, we are always thinking about what to do next.

So what are we working on for the next release of DVD Catalyst ?

* One bug came to light (so far) in regards of forced subtitles.

Forced subtitles are subtitles that appear during parts of a movie/tv show that are spoken in a different language than the rest of the movie. While DVD Catalyst 3 handles this for most movies as it should, some movies use a different technique than normal, which in all previous versions of DVD Catalyst resulted in either enable subs for the whole movie, or dont have subs at all.

District 9, as well as Kill Bill 1 and 2 (and others maybe) are affected by this. With DVD Catalyst 3 v3.85.3 the forced subtitles for these movies will work as intended.

* Problem DVDs

A lot of people get confused about why certain movies (Star Trek 2009, Transformers 2) will not work properly. While we do have a lot of information on this in the manual and on the website, of course if you are new to the whole DVD conversion process, this is quite confusing. So to make it easier for people to grasp, we are adding a feature in DVD Catalyst that recognizes DVD titles, and if the title is marked as a Problem DVD, a friendly message will appear with an option to go to our website for additional information and a possible solution. The list will receive updates whenever new DVDs are found that are experiencing issues.

* Track numbering in the filename

We received a request for a feature to turn off DVD Catalyst’s numbering system. Right now, DVD Catalyst uses the DVD name (as it appears in My Computer) and for the filenames, it appends the track number to it. For TV DVD’s this is quite useful, since the numbering basically results in maintaining the episode order, but if you only convert movie DVDs, then there is no real need for the numbering. So, in the Conversion tab, a new checkmark will enable you to turn off the numbering system.

* Application lockups

A couple of versions ago, an issue came up in regards of closing DVD Catalyst. In some rare cases, it would not close at all, which meant that the task manager had to be used to force DVD Catalyst to close. We are working on this as well, and it should no longer happen in 3.85.3

* Weird folder errors

If you removed the appdata\DVD Catalyst3 folder while the program was running (a big nono) DVD Catalyst would not shut down when you close it. This has been fixed. (it is still a big nono though)

If you are using non-standard folder locations for the my documents/my videos folder (network paths for example) it was impossible to change the folders DVD Catalyst should use. This has been addressed, and now a manual edit option is available as well.

That is it for things we are working on so far, however, if more comes to light, we will try and address those as well.

If your DVD of Star Trek appears as “STAR_TREK_XI_DOM” in DVD Catalyst, enable/select track 21. This contains the movie in the correct scene order. Continue reading »

In DVD Catalyst, select Apple > iPod Classic (Fast)

This produces video files that will play properly on the Impact.

Unfortunately when a higher screensize is selected, the files will not play, however, the 320×240 resolution of the iPod CLassic profile produces great quality.

DVD Catalyst 3.85.1 is now available from our website.

To update a previous version of DVD Catalyst 3, just click on the cat-eyes to download the update.

One of the fixes applied in 3.85 in regards of detection of looping DVDs caused some issues with conversion of some of the trickier DVDs. This has been fixed.

Whats New in 3.85 :

For our soon to be released MP4 Streaming Server application for iPhone/iPod Touch/Android/Blackberry and select Windows Mobile devices new profiles have been added, designed to produce watchable video for internet streaming. Information in regards of the Streaming Server application will be made available soon. Until then, please visit  http://mp4ss.tools4movies.com on your iPhone, Droid, Storm, Bold or Touch Pro (or any other MP4 capable player with internet connectivity) for a sample.

*Updated manual. The original manual had not received any major updates since DVD Catalyst 3.0. A few things were changed after the original website domain name was stolen, however, most of the features that were added to DVD Catalyst after release were not mentioned in the manual. We have now updated the manuall to reflect 3.85 and all of its features. We addressed everything we could think of, however if there are parts missing, or information you would like to see expanded, please let us know.

*The Boosterpack is now included in the full trial and retail installers. Because it offers a great benefit for just about everyone who uses DVD Catalyst, we decided that it is easier to include it in the installer rather than to have everyone download it separate. The “Preview Fix: is not included in the installers, mainly because it would make the download even bigger.
*Global Settings > Thumbnail tab added. This offers a multitude of options to have DVDCat automatically generate thumbnails from video files after conversion is finished.

*Merge / Join option added. You can now join multiple avi files into a single video file. Option to enable for other types/dvdtracks added in Global Settings > Advanced, however, it is more reliable for AVI files.

*Duplicate / Move up / Move down options added. You can re-order the files/tracks before conversion. With duplicate you can convert a track into a single file as well as split in parts for example.

*Split option added. You can now split a video file or DVD track in the middle to create to smaller files of the same playlength.

*Screenshot Sequence. In the preview, an option to generate a sequence of screenshots of the selected video/dvd track has been added. Files will be saved in the selected output folder, and are created using the same resolution as the source video.

*”Experimental” conversion profiles added to copy specific file formats. File Copy AVI, File Copy MP4, File Copy MPEG/VOB. Works only with specified file formats, and can be used to copy a DVD to an unmodified MPEG file (Handy for MediaCenter PC’s),  merge video files without re-encoding etc. For AVI pick the AVI one and so forth. Cropping/resizing options will not result in any changes. File Copy MPEG/VOB can also be used for testing a DVD drive.

*Enable Streaming for MP4 files. (Global Settings > Advanced). Enable this to automatically modify the created MP4 files for streaming capabilities.

*Re-ordered CPU Indicator code to make DVDCat work on Linux (wine)

*Re-organized “Global Settings”

*Modified conversion speed display code for better accuracy.
Fixes:

Use sourcefolder for destination did not work for all video files, this has been fixed.

FLV/YouTube files did not convert properly or in sync. This has been fixed, but requires the boosterpack AND the previewfix to be completely enabled.
Fixed Load/Save State and Status

Fixed “Remove from Queue”
Fixed numerous “integer” errors.

Thanks to a few people who reported some issues with DVD Catalyst, and took the time to go through various less-used features to try and replicate them, we have fixed more issues in 3.85 than any other release. Even though it is only a 0.1 version increase, the amount of fixes, and the amount of new features added are more fitting for DVD Catalyst 3.9 rather than a 3.85, but because the big 4.0 is so close, we decided to just make it a small version increase.

For DVD Catalyst 4 we have no idea what to do. From as it stands now, 4.0 will just be DVD Catalyst 3.99 +1, which will also mean its a free upgrade for DVD Catalyst 3 users.

As always, we are out of ideas on what to add. If you have an idea for an interesting feature, let us know. We are always listening.

Most netbooks lack the performance for playing many of the cool games. Continue reading »

The official release of DVD Catalyst 3 does not have this issue.

Continue reading »

For my previous post, the Box Office Trailers, I converted 10 Movie trailers for 4 different devices. While the video format for these devices is similar, I used a feature of DVD Catalyst 3 that can not be found in any other product on the market; Multi-Device.

Multi-Device enables you to queue up multiple devices (Multi-Device) in DVD Catalyst 3, and when you start the conversion, each item in the conversion queue will be converted for each device. With the trailers, I used 4 different device profiles, each with their own specific settings to produce the best results.

Continue reading »

# 1. Avatar

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery, as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/avatar.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/avatar.mp4

# 2. Edge of Darkness

“Edge of Darkness” is an emotionally charged thriller set at the intersection of politics and big business. Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, twenty-four year-old Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter’s secret life and her killing. His investigation leads him into a dangerous, looking glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder – and to shadowy government operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), who has been sent in to clean up the evidence. Craven’s solitary search for answers about his daughter’s death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/edgeofdarkness/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/edgeofdarkness.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/edgeofdarkness.mp4

# 3. When In Rome

An ambitious young New Yorker (KRISTEN BELL), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (DANNY DEVITO), a street magician (JON HEDER), an adoring painter (WILL ARNETT) and a self-admiring model (DAX SHEPARD). But when a charming reporter (JOSH DUHAMEL) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/wheninrome/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/wheninrome.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/wheninrome.mp4

# 4. The Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson is “The Tooth Fairy,” also known as Derek Thompson, a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster’s hopes, he’s sentenced to one week’s hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite tutu, wings and magic wand. At first, Derek “can’t handle the tooth” – bumbling and stumbling as he tries to furtively wing his way through strangers’ homes…doing what tooth fairies do. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thetoothfairy/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thetoothfary.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thetoothfary.mp4

# 5. The Book of Eli

In “The Book of Eli,” Denzel Washington stars as a lone warrior named Eli, who fights his way across the desolate wasteland of near-future America to realize his destiny and deliver the knowledge that can bring civilization back from the brink of destruction and save the future of humanity.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thebookofeli/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thebookofeli.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thebookofeli.mp4

# 6. Legion

In the supernatural action thriller Legion, an out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany). Legion also stars Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton and Willa Holland and is directed by Scott Stewart.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/legion/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/legion.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/legion.mp4

# 7. The Lovely Bones

Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, and directed by Oscar® winner Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens, “The Lovely Bones” centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar® nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar® winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar® nominee Saoirse Ronan.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/hd/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/thelovelybones.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/thelovelybones.mp4

# 8. Sherlock Holmes

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/sherlockholmes/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/sherlockholmes.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/sherlockholmes.mp4

# 9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel

In the “Squeakquel,” pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville’s twenty-something nephew Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside music superstardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school’s music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands. But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as “The Chipettes” – Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/alvinandthechipmunksthesqueakquel/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/alvinandthechipmunks2.mp4

# 10. It’s Complicated

Writer/director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday) directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in It’s Complicated, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has—after a decade of divorce—an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake (Baldwin). But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable—an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jane is now, of all things, the other woman. Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam (Martin), an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s…complicated.

Source: http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/itscomplicated/

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/bold/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/droid/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/iphone/itscomplicated.mp4

http://www.tools4movies.com/boxoffice/nexus/itscomplicated.mp4

Converted with DVD Catalyst 3 v3.85 using MultiDevice

10 Trailers, 4 devices, 1 click