SDA Knowledge Base - User contributions [en]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

2009-09-28T08:25:55Z

Yoshi348: Grammar power!

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The}}
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:SNES]]
[[Category:Satellaview]]
[[Category:Game Boy Advance]]
[[Category:Virtual Console]]
{{sda run|http://speeddemosarchive.com/ZeldaLinkToThePast.html}}
Welcome and thanks for clicking this link! Feel free to edit this page. Also, you may or may not notice it, but the main contributor is not a native English speaker. This page may contain grammar errors.

This section will have an overview of the techniques used in every runs of The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past. This includes the any% run segmented, the Single Segment as well as the 100% Single Segment.

==Save Warping Locations (segmented) ==

When you save and quit in Light World, you have the opportunity to restart in 3 different places, as long as you've already visited them. Those are:

#Link's House
#The Sanctuary
#Death Mountain

You can teleport there at any moment during the game with one exception: If you have found Zelda at the beginning of the game but have not dropped her off at the Sanctuary, you'll be teleported to the cell where you found her.

On the other hand, no matter where you save quit in Dark World, you'll be teleported at the top of the pyramid. This can still be useful, of course.

==Luck Manipulation ==

Luck manipulation requires luck 90% of the time. It is used mostly in the segmented run in order to lose the least time possible. The most evident part is when you fight Aghanim, when he throws his balls. One of them is useless and waste time. In a segmented run, you can afford to restart until Aghanim gives you 0 or 1 useless ball, unlike his usual 4-5 uselss balls per fight.

Overall, luck can be manipulated but it's really hard to achieve in real-time. TASers can manipulate it as much as they want though.

==Dash Attack: In Depth ==

===How to travel with it efficiently===

Using the dash attack is simple. Press A once you have the Pegasus Boots. But there's a way you can save frames from point A to point B, a subtle way that you may think it's longer but it's not.

Since it's really hard to explain, I'll let a video talk for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CBnIKIMbFQ

As you can see, I used two path to travel in the room. One of them used as much diagonal walking as possible, the other one did not. This is the key.

Diagonal walking is slower than straight walking. And even if it looks like I started the dash attack at the same time, I started earlier in path B. The next second I was ahead of my other self from path A... Not by much, but I really was.

It's also better to stop the dash attack when you're at a straight line from point B. Yet again, it is to prevent from diagonal walking.

===Hitting a wall===

When hitting a wall during a dash, Link flies 3 tiles backward. This can be used to travel over holes of 2 tiles or less, as long as you have a wall around to dash into.

==Edge Cancelling==

When you want to jump off an edge, there's a pause before you actually jump off. The edge cancel is a way to cut this second of waiting.

Edge cancel can be pulled off only when you have the Pegasus Boots. It simply consists of pressing A once you are against an edge.

==Damage Boost==

===With bombs===

A bomb, when placed at the right distance from Link, can throw him 3 tiles through the air. This can be used to travel over a gap of 2 tiles or less. It is difficult, but with practice it can be done efficiently.

===With enemies===

When getting hit by an enemy, you are thrown away from them at a greater speed than normal walking, and you are invincible for a second as well as "invisible". Many of these characteristics can be used in order to save time.

One example is in the Eastern Dungeon, where you're supposed to kill every enemy to get the Big Key. You can also get hit by an enemy to approach the protected bottle and remove it from there while invincible. You'll get hit a few more times, but you'll press the button and can get the Big Key without having to hunt around the room for enemies..

Another one is in Ganon's Castle at the part with many teleports. The last one can be skipped by getting hit by an enemy. While invincible, the teleport will not trigger.

==Mirror Shield Skip==

Most of the equipment in the game is mandatory. The first two items that are obvious to go without are the blue and red mails, which merely provide defense. Sure, without these you die in 3 hits from any enemy in Turtle's Rock or 2 hits from Ganon, but it's still feasible.

The red round shield is also an obvious skip, but the Mirror Shield was, some time ago, a necessity to finish the game because of one room in Turtle's Rock. But it has been discovered that you can skip the Mirror Shield to!

There's a room in Turtle's Rock that you usually need the Mirror Shield to advance against an eye on the wall shooting lasers at you. Going there gets you the last needed key to finish Turtle's Rock. However, the lasers have a really thin hitbox. It hits you only if you're totally in front of them.

To get the key despite the eye in the room, you have to be near the edge (not right in front of the eye) until you can't really go further. There's a wall that makes you have no choice but to face the eye, but the wall is very thin. If your timing is good, you can pass this spot without even get hit by the eye and get the key, but it's really hard.

Once you have the key, wait for the eye to stop shooting, and go pass the spot the eye can hit you and go one pixel above the range of the laser to not get hit while going back from this place of doom. If you did everything correctly, Congratulation! You just skipped the mirror shield!

==Getting The Flute Sequence Skip (100%) ==

In the 100% run, after you get the Flute, you need to go to the digging game which is right nearby, but in the Dark World.

When you catch the flute, you'll trigger the sequence where the animals run away from the flute boy and he disappears. There's a way to skip this sequence, but it's only of use if you're heading back to the Dark World, which is only the case in the 100% run.

When in the Dark World, once you got the Shovel, you have to teleport back in Light World to dig up the flute, but don't make the teleport just anywhere! Teleport yourself exactly where you will catch the flute. Once in the Light World, you have to dig up the flute so it lands on your mirror warp, while you are still flashing (otherwise you will teleport before you catch the flute). If done correctly, the message "You got the flute!" will appear and you'll warp back in Dark World, skipping the flute boy sequence.

==In Depth on bosses and some enemies ==

Coming soon

Xvid / MP3 with MeGUI

2007-01-01T01:29:13Z

Yoshi348:

==Introduction==

Those who use VirtualDub(Mod) will have to get used to the fact that MeGUI does not accept simple avi input. [[Avisynth]] scripting is required before continuing with this guide.

Why use XviD and not DivX? For one, the quality of this codec is superior, and second, it's free! Since DivX is not free, it is not available in MeGUI.

NOTE: When you encode your runs for SDA, you will not need high or insane quality XviD/mp3; you only need low and normal quality. For the rest of the qualities, use [[MeGUI|H.264.]]

 
==Software and Installation==

You may need to install [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856EACB-4362-4B0D-8EDD-AAB15C5E04F5&displaylang=en Microsoft .NET framework 2.0] in order for MeGUI to run.

Download [http://www.x264.nl/ MeGUI]. Install the program and run it. You should get a message saying there are updates available. Click OK and let the program download everything it needs. You can also go to Tools -> Update to access the autoupdate feature.

At the moment, the avi muxers in MeGUI do not work. Use [http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=VirtualdubMOD VirtualDubMod] for now.

 
==Importing the avisynth script==

In the input tab, open the avisynth script in both video and audio boxes. MeGUI exports your video and audio as separate files; you later combine them.

Your input screen should look something like this:

[[Image:Meguiinputxvid.png]]

 

==Setting the video compression==

Bitrate list:
* Low quality - 128 kbps
* Medium quality - 512 kbps
* High quality - 2048 kbps
* Insane quality - 5000 kbps

At the MeGUI input screen, select XviD as the video codec and avi as the container. Press the Config button. These are the recommended settings; use a higher Motion Search Precision and VHQ mode if you want.

[[Image:Meguixvidvideosettings.png]]

If you are encoding HQ/IQ with XviD, you will probably need to change the Quantization Type to MPEG. Try both MPEG and H.263 to be sure.

If you are having trouble meeting the final bitrates of 128 or 512, try turning off adaptive quantization. You can check the bitrate of your video by either checking the log after the encoding is done, or load the avi into VirtualDub(mod) and going to File -> File Information.

[[Image:Meguixvidvideosettingsadv.png]]

 

==Setting the audio compression==

Bitrate list:
* Low quality - 64 kbps
* Medium quality - 64 kbps
* High quality - 128 kbps
* Insane quality - 320 kbps

Tip: Use common sense when choosing the bitrate for the audio. If your DVD recorder uses 192 kbps AC3, then there's no need to go any higher, especially when considering that AAC is a newer, more advanced codec and can account for the lossy to lossy conversion. To check the audio bitrate of your DVD recorder, look at the filename of the ac3 file DGIndex gave you.

Go back to the input screen and look at the audio section. Choose "LAME MP3" as the codec and the container should automatically switch to mp3 as well. Press the Config button. Use CBR as encoding mode and choose the appropriate bitrate.

[[Image:Meguixvidaudiosettings.png]]

 

==Encoding the video and audio==

So, you're back at the input screen and your configurations are all good to go. Now you just have to put those encoding jobs in the queue, so click the enqueue button for both video and audio and then click on the queue tab.

[[Image:Meguixvidqueue.png]]

If it looks good, hit the start button.

 
==Multiplexing the finished video and audio files==

The MeGUI avi muxers don't work at the moment, so we will use VirtualDubMod. Don't worry, it's very easy...

* Start VirtualDubMod.
* Click through all the initial crap if you haven't loaded the program before.
* Load your video file (the avi file).
* In the top menu, go to Streams -> Stream List
* Press the add button and find the mp3.
* Click OK.
* Video -> Direct Stream Copy (if it isn't already selected).
* File -> Save as
* Choose file name and save. Done!

NOTE: You may get some error message(s) while doing this; don't worry, though. It will work if you follow these steps.

 

==Checking your quality==

Before you encode your actual speed run, you should make sure you're doing everything right. If you encode your speed run incorrectly, it will be a waste of time for you and SDA. Make 10-15 second test files for each quality and upload them to a site such as http://www.yousendit.com, then make a topic on the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other Tech Support forum] with links to the files so their quality can be verified.

==Saving your settings==

You can save a lot of time by saving your settings for later. Go to the video configuration window and click "New," then type in a name corresponding to whatever quality you had your settings adjusted to. Do the same thing for audio and making videos in the future will be quick and painless. To load your settings, go to the main MeGUI screen and choose an option you created from one of the profile dropdowns.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

Console Recording

2006-12-31T05:43:10Z

Yoshi348: typo power

Capturing a console run is basically like taping a normal television show. However, SDA has higher standards for run quality than some guy making sure he doesn't miss the latest episode of Survivor. In order to make sure your video quality is the best it can be, it's important to be careful.

==Video Cables==
The first step in the video's journey from console to our servers is the audio out cable. There are generally two cables you plug into your console; the power cord, and the audio out cable. There are now FOUR different kinds of audio out cables that consoles can use, and choosing the best one can have a dramatic effect on your video quality.

Note that you really need two cables here: one from your console to your VCR or DVD recorder, and one from that to your TV. It doesn't actually matter what the second plug is as far as your run quality goes, since that cable is only so that you can see what the heck you're doing on the TV screen. Obviously, it might be nice for you to have a good quality cable here too for your own sake, even when you're not speedrunning, but it's not nearly as crucial.

In order, from worst to best, they are:

===RF===
An RF cable ends in a box with a cord sticking out. You plug the cord sticking out into the back of your TV, where you would normally plug in your cable TV hookup. To continue watching cable TV, you would also plug the cable TV hookup into the box. Games are displayed in place of channel 3 or 4 whenever the console is turned on.

RF is an ancient, ancient technology. It is pretty much worthless, and will shoot your run quality to hell. Do not use it if at all possible. Very few systems offer only RF output. The ones known by the authors are:
* NES II (A late-model redesign released in the final days of the NES and is easily identifiable by its top-loading cartridge slot and SNES-style controllers.)
* Sega Master System II (A cheaper version of the Sega Master System which cut several features to lower the price such as the card slot, expansion port, composite output and the reset button.)

For the SMS II, there's still hope if you feel like cracking open your console: [http://web.archive.org/web/20051105075308/http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/rgb.html SMS II RGB Mod]

Adding better video output to an old console is acceptable to SDA: [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1159914552;start=0#0 What nate had to say]

===Composite===
[[Image:Composite.jpg|frame|right|The "out" end of a composite cable (yellow cable).]]
A composite cable ends in three colored plugs - a yellow one, a red one, and a white one. These are plugged into three color coded ports on the back of your VCR or DVD recorder. The yellow plug carries the video signal, while the red and white plugs carry the left and right audio signals.

While not nearly as horrible as RF, composite video is still fairly lame next to S-Video. However, since S-Video is a newer technology, not all earlier consoles support it. More details in the next section.

===S-Video===
[[Image:SVideo.jpg|frame|right|The S in the S-Video cable.]]
The S-Video cable looks very much like a composite cable. However, in addition to the three colored plugs, there is also one, much larger metal plug. This plug is the S-Video plug, which carries what was once the best video signal available. The audio is still transmitted over the red and white cables.

Note that BOTH the yellow plug and S-Video plug carry the video signal. Only the S-Video plug carries the superior quality signal; the yellow plug carries a composite signal so that the cable can work with older TVs. If both are plugged in, the S-Video signal will be shown. (It's quite instructive to plug all of them in, and then take out and put in the S-Video plug. It's a side by side comparison!) Note that, depending on how your cable is made, you might be able to plug the S-Video and composite cables into two different appliances and have both recieve a signal.

The Gamecube, PS2, XBOX, and Dreamcast all support S-Video, as will all consoles newer than those. In addition, thanks to the fact that Nintendo has used the same AV port for a decade, the SNES and Nintendo 64 can use S-Video cables designed for the Gamecube. The Wii port has broken the trend; more on that later.

PS1 and PS2 S-Video cables are compatible with each other as well. Finally, the Sega Saturn also has support for S-Video. Other consoles do NOT have S-Video cables; therefore, composite cables offer the best quality available for these systems.

The Wii currently does not have an official S-Video cable in American stores. It has component cables and composite cables, but not S-Video. There are third party S-Video cables out there, and you might be able to import S-Video cables.

Also, older VCRs may not support S-Video either, although remember that S-Video cables are backwards compatible on the receiving end. Still, you won't get S-Video quality unless you have a true S-Video port.

==Component==
[[Image:Component.jpg|frame|right|Component cables (yes, you need to plug in all of them. Good thing you get them all).]]
This section really needs somebody who knows what the heck they're talking about to flesh it out, since I don't know 1080i from my right elbow. Still, what I have put should be entirely valid. I would appreciate extra effort to make sure all the new consoles get love here, too, especially when it comes to 360 and PS3 cable compatibility and such, since I sure am not going to be able to provide it myself.

Component is the newest and best kind of video cable on the market. Unlike S-Video, it can not be plugged into an older input jack, even at a loss of quality. Only the best of the best VCRs have component-in jacks, if any of them even do, but at that point you're probably spending enough money that you could (and should!) go out and buy a DVD recorder for the same price instead.

Component cables are supported by all three of the so-called next gen consoles (the 360, PS3, and Wii). An interesting issue is the GameCube, however. It is possible to use component cables with the GameCube, but there are two major problems. First of all, the official cables were discontinued, long before the Wii in fact. Second of all, the actual port on the GameCube to plug the component cables in is only present on early batches of GameCubes. Later models had the port removed in a cost-saving measure, since very few people used them anyway. If you have two video plugs on the back of your 'cube, you have the early model. The second port will in fact be labeled "Digital Out" or something like that. (This also means that this particular cable can't be used on the N64 or SNES either.)

==Recording Medium==
There are two mediums you can record to: [[VHS]] and [[DVD]]. DVD is far superior to VHS, but costs more at this time. While it's recommended that you dish out the extra cash if you can, VHS runs are still accepted for the moment. For a more detailed discussion and the next steps for you to take, read the [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] sections.

Console Recording

2006-12-30T06:24:48Z

Yoshi348: help is appriciated with component stuff

Capturing a console run is basically like taping a normal television show. However, SDA has higher standards for run quality than some guy making sure he doesn't miss the latest episode of Survivor. In order to make sure your video quality is the best it can be, it's important to be careful.

==Video Cables==
The first step in the video's journey from console to our servers is the audio out cable. There are generally two cables you plug into your console; the power cord, and the audio out cable. There are now FOUR different kinds of audio out cables that consoles can use, and choosing the best one can have a dramatic effect on your video quality.

Note that you really need two cables here: one from your console to your VCR or DVD recorder, and one from that to your TV. It doesn't actually matter what the second plug is as far as your run quality goes, since that cable is only so that you can see what the heck you're doing on the TV screen. Obviously, it might be nice for you to have a good quality cable here too for your own sake, even when you're not speedrunning, but it's not nearly as crucial.

In order, from worst to best, they are:

===RF===
An RF cable ends in a box with a cord sticking out. You plug the cord sticking out into the back of your TV, where you would normally plug in your cable TV hookup. To continue watching cable TV, you would also plug the cable TV hookup into the box. Games are displayed in place of channel 3 or 4 whenever the console is turned on.

RF is an ancient, ancient technology. It is pretty much worthless, and will shoot your run quality to hell. Do not use it if at all possible. Very few systems offer only RF output. The ones known by the authors are:
* NES II (A late-model redesign released in the final days of the NES and is easily identifiable by its top-loading cartridge slot and SNES-style controllers.)
* Sega Master System II (A cheaper version of the Sega Master System which cut several features to lower the price such as the card slot, expansion port, composite output and the reset button.)

For the SMS II, there's still hope if you feel like cracking open your console: [http://web.archive.org/web/20051105075308/http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/rgb.html SMS II RGB Mod]

Adding better video output to an old console is acceptable to SDA: [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1159914552;start=0#0 What nate had to say]

===Composite===
[[Image:Composite.jpg|frame|right|The "out" end of a composite cable (yellow cable).]]
A composite cable ends in three colored plugs - a yellow one, a red one, and a white one. These are plugged into three color coded ports on the back of your VCR or DVD recorder. The yellow plug carries the video signal, while the red and white plugs carry the left and right audio signals.

While not nearly as horrible as RF, composite video is still fairly lame next to S-Video. However, since S-Video is a newer technology, not all earlier consoles support it. More details in the next section.

===S-Video===
[[Image:SVideo.jpg|frame|right|The S in the S-Video cable.]]
The S-Video cable looks very much like a composite cable. However, in addition to the three colored plugs, there is also one, much larger metal plug. This plug is the S-Video plug, which carries what was once the best video signal available. The audio is still transmitted over the red and white cables.

Note that BOTH the yellow plug and S-Video plug carry the video signal. Only the S-Video plug carries the superior quality signal; the yellow plug carries a composite signal so that the cable can work with older TVs. If both are plugged in, the S-Video signal will be shown. (It's quite instructive to plug all of them in, and then take out and put in the S-Video plug. It's a side by side comparison!) Note that, depending on how your cable is made, you might be able to plug the S-Video and composite cables into two different appliances and have both recieve a signal.

The Gamecube, PS2, XBOX, and Dreamcast all support S-Video, as will all consoles newer than those. In addition, thanks to the fact that Nintendo has used the same AV port for a decade, the SNES and Nintendo 64 can use S-Video cables designed for the Gamecube. The Wii port has broken the trend; more on that later.

PS1 and PS2 S-Video cables are compatible with each other as well. Finally, the Sega Saturn also has support for S-Video. Other consoles do NOT have S-Video cables; therefore, composite cables offer the best quality available for these systems.

The Wii currently does not have an official S-Video cable in American stores. It has component cables and composite cables, but not S-Video. There are third party S-Video cables out there, and you might be able to import S-Video cables (this editor personally has no clue if that would work or not, but it's worth looking into).

Also, older VCRs may not support S-Video either, although remember that S-Video cables are backwards compatible on the receiving end. Still, you won't get S-Video quality unless you have a true S-Video port.

==Component==
This section really needs somebody who knows what the heck they're talking about to flesh it out, since I don't know 1080i from my right elbow. Still, what I have put should be entirely valid. I would appreciate extra effort to make sure all the new consoles get love here, too, especially when it comes to 360 and PS3 cable compatibility and such, since I sure am not going to be able to provide it myself.

Component is the newest and best kind of video cable on the market. Unlike S-Video, it can not be plugged into an older input jack, even at a loss of quality. Only the best of the best VCRs have component-in jacks, if any of them even do, but at that point you're probably spending enough money that you could (and should!) go out and buy a DVD recorder for the same price instead.

Component cables are supported by all three of the so-called next gen consoles (the 360, PS3, and Wii). An interesting issue is the Gamecube, however. It is possible to use component cables with the Gamecube, but there are two major problems. First of all, the official cables were discontinued, long before the Wii in fact. Second of all, the actual port on the Gamecube to plug the component cables in is only present on early batches of Gamecubes. Later models had the port removed in a cost-saving measure, since very few people used them anyway. If you have two video plugs on the back of your 'cube, you have the early model. The second port will in fact be labeled "Digital Out" or something like that. (This also means that this particular cable can't be used on the N64 or SNES either.)

==Recording Medium==
There are two mediums you can record to: [[VHS]] and [[DVD]]. DVD is far superior to VHS, but costs more at this time. While it's recommended that you dish out the extra cash if you can, VHS runs are still accepted for the moment. For a more detailed discussion and the next steps for you to take, read the [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] sections.

Console Recording

2006-12-30T06:07:38Z

Yoshi348: not quite done yet

Capturing a console run is basically like taping a normal television show. However, SDA has higher standards for run quality than some guy making sure he doesn't miss the latest episode of Survivor. In order to make sure your video quality is the best it can be, it's important to be careful.

==Video Cables==
The first step in the video's journey from console to our servers is the audio out cable. There are generally two cables you plug into your console; the power cord, and the audio out cable. There are now FOUR different kinds of audio out cables that consoles can use, and choosing the best one can have a dramatic effect on your video quality. In order, from worst to best, they are:

===RF===
An RF cable ends in a box with a cord sticking out. You plug the cord sticking out into the back of your TV, where you would normally plug in your cable TV hookup. To continue watching cable TV, you would also plug the cable TV hookup into the box. Games are displayed in place of channel 3 or 4 whenever the console is turned on.

RF is an ancient, ancient technology. It is pretty much worthless, and will shoot your run quality to hell. Do not use it if at all possible. Very few systems offer only RF output. The ones known by the authors are:
* NES II (A late-model redesign released in the final days of the NES and is easily identifiable by its top-loading cartridge slot and SNES-style controllers.)
* Sega Master System II (A cheaper version of the Sega Master System which cut several features to lower the price such as the card slot, expansion port, composite output and the reset button.)

For the SMS II, there's still hope if you feel like cracking open your console: [http://web.archive.org/web/20051105075308/http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/rgb.html SMS II RGB Mod]

Adding better video output to an old console is acceptable to SDA: [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1159914552;start=0#0 What nate had to say]

===Composite===
[[Image:Composite.jpg|frame|right|The "out" end of a composite cable (yellow cable).]]
A composite cable ends in three colored plugs - a yellow one, a red one, and a white one. These are plugged into three color coded ports on the back of your VCR or DVD recorder. The yellow plug carries the video signal, while the red and white plugs carry the left and right audio signals.

While not nearly as horrible as RF, composite video is still fairly lame next to S-Video. However, since S-Video is a newer technology, not all earlier consoles support it. More details in the next section.

===S-Video===
[[Image:SVideo.jpg|frame|right|The S in the S-Video cable.]]
The S-Video cable looks very much like a composite cable. However, in addition to the three colored plugs, there is also one, much larger metal plug. This plug is the S-Video plug, which carries what was once the best video signal available. The audio is still transmitted over the red and white cables.

Note that BOTH the yellow plug and S-Video plug carry the video signal. Only the S-Video plug carries the superior quality signal; the yellow plug carries a composite signal so that the cable can work with older TVs. If both are plugged in, the S-Video signal will be shown. (It's quite instructive to plug all of them in, and then take out and put in the S-Video plug. It's a side by side comparison!) Note that, depending on how your cable is made, you might be able to plug the S-Video and composite cables into two different appliances and have both recieve a signal.

The Gamecube, PS2, XBOX, and Dreamcast all support S-Video, as will all consoles newer than those. In addition, thanks to the fact that Nintendo has used the same AV port for a decade, the SNES and Nintendo 64 can use S-Video cables designed for the Gamecube. The Wii port has broken the trend; more on that later.

PS1 and PS2 S-Video cables are compatible with each other as well. Finally, the Sega Saturn also has support for S-Video. Other consoles do NOT have S-Video cables; therefore, composite cables offer the best quality available for these systems.

The Wii currently does not have an official S-Video cable in American stores. It has component cables and composite cables, but not S-Video. There are third party S-Video cables out there, and you might be able to import S-Video cables (this editor personally has no clue if that would work or not, but it's worth looking into).

Also, older VCRs may not support S-Video either, although remember that S-Video cables are backwards compatible on the receiving end. Still, you won't get S-Video quality unless you have a true S-Video port.

==Component==

==Recording Medium==
There are two mediums you can record to: [[VHS]] and [[DVD]]. DVD is far superior to VHS, but costs more at this time. While it's recommended that you dish out the extra cash if you can, VHS runs are still accepted for the moment. For a more detailed discussion and the next steps for you to take, read the [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] sections.

DS

2006-09-05T00:33:10Z

Yoshi348:

--adapted from a post by Nate

With recent revelations about video quality achievable with the new DS Lite, I thought it would be a good idea to lay down guidelines for how to record video suitable for release on Speed Demos Archive. Note that the decision about whether to post video based on its quality will always be made on a case-by-case basis: following these guidelines is no guarantee that your video will be posted. However, failure to follow these guidelines will almost certainly result in rejection.

==First and foremost==

'''You must use a DS Lite!'''

I realize that this will be expensive for virtually everyone, but the DS Lite slaughters the old DS in terms of potential picture quality. There is no substitute for a DS Lite when recording your run.

==Other considerations==

1) Use a good camera. We're not talking your ten year old digital camera that takes five frames per second and records to a codec available in Quicktime 1.0 here. Recording should always be done with the camera's highest quality settings (fps, frame size, etc). If possible, record using "NTSC" (not "PAL"). As Nate cannot capture video 8, hi 8 or similar formats, you will have to use DV and copy the file to your computer (PM Nate for help with that) or (if all else fails) VHS. For these reasons, digital cameras (like the kind you normally would use to take pictures of people) are preferred, the more recent and expensive the better.

2) Turn the lights off. You don't want any other lights competing with the DS's screen light (leave that on the brightest setting!) or corrupting its color.

3) Make sure both screens are in focus. Unfocused (blurry) video will not be accepted.

4) Don't move either the camera or the DS. This will interfere with cropping. Video with excessive movement will not be accepted.

5) Record the audio directly. Plug an 1/8" miniplug cable into your DS Lite's headphone port and plug the other end into your camera (if possible) or else your computer and record the audio at an acceptable level that way. Videos with audio recorded "over the air" will not be accepted.

6) Do not attempt to process the video yourself. Yank it off the camera and send it in, on CD-R or DVD-R if necessary. Videos altered in any way from how the camera made them will not be accepted. This includes attempting to integrate audio recorded separately: audio sync will be handled by SDA.

==Conclusion==

It's probably a good idea to take some test footage so that we can approve your video quality before you record an entire run, only to have it rejected. Please refer to the rules, faq and submission guidelines available at SDA for additional information.

I apologize for the tg-esque length and strictness of these regulations, but no one wants to watch crappy video. Remember that you have earned the right to be showcased to thousands of eager viewers, and your product should be superior in all aspects of production.

DS

2006-09-05T00:29:17Z

Yoshi348:

With recent revelations about video quality achievable with the new DS Lite, I thought it would be a good idea to lay down guidelines for how to record video suitable for release on Speed Demos Archive. Note that the decision about whether to post video based on its quality will always be made on a case-by-case basis: following these guidelines is no guarantee that your video will be posted. However, failure to follow these guidelines will almost certainly result in rejection.

First and foremost:

'''You must use a DS Lite!'''

I realize that this will be expensive for virtually everyone, but the DS Lite slaughters the old DS in terms of potential picture quality. There is no substitute for a DS Lite when recording your run.

1) Use a good camera. We're not talking your ten year old digital camera that takes five frames per second and records to a codec available in quicktime 1.0 here. Recording should always be done with the camera's highest quality settings (fps, frame size, etc). If possible, record using "ntsc" (not "pal"). As I cannot capture video 8, hi 8 or similar formats, you will have to use dv and copy the file to your computer (pm me for help with that) or (if all else fails) vhs. For these reasons, digital cameras (like the kind you normally would use to take pictures of people) are preferred, the more recent and expensive the better.

2) Turn the lights off. You don't want any other lights competing with the DS's screen light (leave that on the brightest setting!) or corrupting its color.

3) Make sure both screens are in focus. Unfocused (blurry) video will not be accepted.

4) Don't move either the camera or the DS. This will interfere with cropping. Video with excessive movement will not be accepted.

5) Record the audio directly. Plug an 1/8" miniplug cable into your DS Lite's headphone port and plug the other end into your camera (if possible) or else your computer and record the audio at an acceptable level that way. Videos with audio recorded "over the air" will not be accepted.

6) Do not attempt to process the video yourself. Yank it off the camera and send it in, on cd-r or dvd-r if necessary. Videos altered in any way from how the camera made them will not be accepted. This includes attempting to integrate audio recorded separately: audio sync will be handled by SDA.

It's probably a good idea to take some test footage so that we can approve your video quality before you record an entire run, only to have it rejected. Please refer to the rules, faq and submission guidelines available at SDA for additional information.

I apologize for the tg-esque length and strictness of these regulations, but no one wants to watch crappy video. Remember that you have earned the right to be showcased to thousands of eager viewers, and your product should be superior in all aspects of production.

DS

2006-09-05T00:22:38Z

Yoshi348:

with recent revelations about video quality achievable with the new ds lite, i thought it would be a good idea to lay down guidelines for how to record video suitable for release on speed demos archive. note that the decision about whether to post video based on its quality will always be made on a case-by-case basis: following these guidelines is no guarantee that your video will be posted. however, failure to follow these guidelines will almost certainly result in rejection.

first and foremost:
you must use a ds lite!
i realize that this will be expensive for virtually everyone, but the ds lite slaughters the old ds in terms of potential picture quality. there is no substitute for a ds lite when recording your run.

1) use a good camera. we're not talking your ten year old digital camera that takes five frames per second and records to a codec available in quicktime 1.0 here. recording should always be done with the camera's highest quality settings (fps, frame size, etc). if possible, record using "ntsc" (not "pal"). as i cannot capture video 8, hi 8 or similar formats, you will have to use dv and copy the file to your computer (pm me for help with that) or (if all else fails) vhs. for these reasons, digital cameras (like the kind you normally would use to take pictures of people) are preferred, the more recent and expensive the better.
2) turn the lights off. you don't want any other lights competing with the ds's screen light (leave that on the brightest setting!) or corrupting its color.
3) make sure both screens are in focus. unfocused (blurry) video will not be accepted.
4) don't move either the camera or the ds. this will interfere with cropping. video with excessive movement will not be accepted.
5) record the audio directly. plug an 1/8" miniplug cable into your ds lite's headphone port and plug the other end into your camera (if possible) or else your computer and record the audio at an acceptable level that way. videos with audio recorded "over the air" will not be accepted.
6) do not attempt to process the video yourself. yank it off the camera and send it in, on cd-r or dvd-r if necessary. videos altered in any way from how the camera made them will not be accepted. this includes attempting to integrate audio recorded separately: audio sync will be handled by SDA.

it's probably a good idea to take some test footage so that we can approve your video quality before you record an entire run, only to have it rejected. please refer to the rules, faq and submission guidelines available at SDA for additional information.

i apologize for the tg-esque length and strictness of these regulations, but no one wants to watch crappy video. remember that you have earned the right to be showcased to thousands of eager viewers, and your product should be superior in all aspects of production.

Console Recording

2006-09-04T06:34:13Z

Yoshi348: /* S-Video */ Wrong image X_X

Console Recording

2006-09-04T06:33:44Z

Yoshi348: "Final" draft

File:SVideo.jpg

2006-09-04T06:21:50Z

Yoshi348: The S-Video cable.

The S-Video cable.

Console Recording

2006-09-04T06:20:36Z

Yoshi348: Composite cables ***Does PS1 have S-Video capabilites?***

File:Composite.jpg

2006-09-04T05:51:15Z

Yoshi348: Image of the TV end of a Composite video connector.

Image of the TV end of a Composite video connector.

Console Recording

2006-09-04T05:50:11Z

Yoshi348: First draft

Digital Capture

2006-09-04T05:18:54Z

Yoshi348:

Capturing a PC game is both easier and harder than capturing a console game. Unlike consoles, a PC game is already transmiting its video information in digital format; the only thing that is needed is for this signal to end up in a file as well. However, doing so will require running a recording program alongside your game, which may or may not cause problems.

==Fraps==

[http://www.fraps.com Fraps] is probably the most utilized gameplay recording program for PC, using its own codec to make very high quality recordings. It must, however, be purchased (for $37) in order to make videos of any appriciable length. The program doesn’t work equally well with all games and systems so you might run into problems no one else have run into, so you have to be prepared to do a little trial and error when using Fraps.

===The recording process===
While you run the game you want to record you should run Fraps in the background, otherwise you wont be able to record anything with it. Fraps will save your recording as an AVI file with PCM sound at 1411kbps and a near to lossless quality for video. Technically the quality isn’t lossless, but it’s so good so the human eye can’t spot the loss even if you take snapshots from the movie and compare side by side with in-game snapshots.

The size of your recordings will vary depending on how graphically intense the game is and the frame rate you record at, this is because Fraps adjust the bitrate for the video depending on how much it actually needs to keep the quality.

When choosing frame rate to record at you should check what your computer is actually capable of handling in the game you want to record, while Fraps is recording. For example, if you try to record at 60 frames per second but your frame rate constantly dips below 40 frames per second or so it’s a clear sign that you shouldn’t record that game at 60 frames per second on your computer. Having such huge frame rate drops will cause a very choppy recording, and recording that game at 30 frames per second will probably give you a smoother recording.

When choosing resolution and image quality settings you should check for the same thing as when choosing frame rate. Just keep in mind that the more graphical details added the harder it will be to get a good quality once you encode the video, because more graphical detail require a higher bitrate to keep the quality.

For synchronization purposes Fraps limits the frame rate of the game to the frame rate you have set Fraps to record at. This means that if you have set Fraps to record at 30 frames per second your frame rate wont go higher than that when you record your playing.

To prevent issues with large files Fraps begins to record to a new AVI when the first one has reached the size of 3.9GB (binary system), and then it just goes on like that. Look carefully at the recordings if you make several recordings in a row, so you don’t delete files you want to keep.

===Games you can record using Fraps===
Just about any game that uses Direct3D or OpenGL API to draw the image you see on the screen can be recorded using Fraps.

===A few words of wisdom===
For best recording performance you should always turn off things like Full-scene antialiasing and anisotropic filtering. If you have more than one hard drive in your system do not record to the drive where you run the game, note that partitioned drives do not fall under this category, it has to be two physical drives. Also, if you record to a drive where you have a lot of other files make sure you have defragmented that drive before you record. If you think that the recording performance is worse than it should be it can be the result of you using the wrong graphics driver for that Fraps version. The graphics driver you should use for that Fraps version is always specified in the readme, if you're using third-party drivers like DNA you should uninstall those and use official drivers from [http://www.nvidia.com Nvidia] or [http://www.ati.com ATI], depending on what chip manufacturer it is.

===Common problems===
The Fraps chop: This thing occurs on random, making the video stream start to lag about 1-2 seconds behind the audio stream. You notice it by that the last sound is played twice and the game seem to freeze for about 1-2 seconds. If you are a true audio/video editing guru you can fix this, but otherwise the only thing is to abort and restart.

Choppy recordings: These can be caused by a variety of factors, and mostly occur in first person shooters. Very fast mouse movements, generally demanding games and low frame rates are some of the things that can cause a choppy recording. This problem can be very specific in some games and only occur in a certain level in that game.

Fraps stopped recording: This is something that often happens during long loading sequences. In some games you can avoid this by pre-caching the level (just run around in the level a little), making the loading only take a few seconds.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

Main Page

2006-09-04T05:13:23Z

Yoshi348: bungled links

Welcome to the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/ Speed Demos Archive] Knowledge Base. Here you will find information related to speed running and video capture.

== Current Contents ==

===Getting Stated: Recording a...===
* [[Console Recording|Console System (GC/PS2/XBOX/SNES/Genesis/NES/etc.)]]
* [[Digital Capture|PC Game]]
* [[Game Boy Capture|Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance game]]
* [[DS|Nintendo DS]]
* [[PSP|PSP]]

===Media===
* [[VHS|VHS Info]]
* [[DVD|DVD Info]]
* [[Unfinalized DVD|Recovering data from unfinalized DVDs]]

===Capture===
* [[Analog Capture|Analog Capture (game consoles)]]
* [[Digital Capture|Digital Capture (PC games)]]
* [[Mac Capture]]

===Editing===
* [[Avisynth]]
* [[Editing in VirtualDub]]

===Compressing===
* [[Megui|H.264 / AAC with Megui]]
* [[Batch Encoding|H.264 / AAC with CLI and batch files]]
* [[DivX|DivX / Xvid / mp3 with VirtualDub(Mod)]]

===Hosting===
* [[Video hosting services]]
* [[Famster]]

===Other Pages===
* [[TAS|What is TAS?]]
* [[Verification Guidelines]]

===Lossless Codecs===
* [[Lossless Codecs Comparison]]

===old===
* [[Recording FAQ|Old Recording FAQ (large)]]

Main Page

2006-09-04T05:12:55Z

Yoshi348: Getting Started section

Welcome to the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/ Speed Demos Archive] Knowledge Base. Here you will find information related to speed running and video capture.

== Current Contents ==

===Getting Stated: Recording a...===
* [[Console Recording||Console System (GC/PS2/XBOX/SNES/Genesis/NES/etc.)]]
* [[Digital Capture||PC Game]]
* [[Game Boy Capture||Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance game]]
* [[DS|Nintendo DS]]
* [[PSP|PSP]]

===Media===
* [[VHS|VHS Info]]
* [[DVD|DVD Info]]
* [[Unfinalized DVD|Recovering data from unfinalized DVDs]]

===Capture===
* [[Analog Capture|Analog Capture (game consoles)]]
* [[Digital Capture|Digital Capture (PC games)]]
* [[Mac Capture]]

===Editing===
* [[Avisynth]]
* [[Editing in VirtualDub]]

===Compressing===
* [[Megui|H.264 / AAC with Megui]]
* [[Batch Encoding|H.264 / AAC with CLI and batch files]]
* [[DivX|DivX / Xvid / mp3 with VirtualDub(Mod)]]

===Hosting===
* [[Video hosting services]]
* [[Famster]]

===Other Pages===
* [[TAS|What is TAS?]]
* [[Verification Guidelines]]

===Lossless Codecs===
* [[Lossless Codecs Comparison]]

===old===
* [[Recording FAQ|Old Recording FAQ (large)]]

DVD

2006-09-04T05:05:25Z

Yoshi348: Death of the mythical lagless DVD-R. NEED WORKAROUNDS

==Overview==

Recording with a DVD recorder will produce far superior quality than recording with a VCR, so it is well worth the investment. Also, being a digital format, it poses far less "traps" to deal with than VHS. However, there is one problem that needs to be taken care of with: lag.

This isn't lag caused by the console system, but the DVD recorder. When using a DVD recorder, you hook your console's video out into the DVD recorder, and you hook the DVD recorder to your TV. The signal travels from the TV to the DVD recorder, which records it, then sends it to TV to be displayed. Unfortunately, every DVD recorder out on the market is not able to do this instantaneously. Therefore, you will see and hear what was really happening about a half-second or so ago. Obviously, this can really mess with your ability to play the game well.

Someone more knowledgable than me needs to put the solutions here.

Be sure to record on SP or better speed. See your DVD recorder's manual for more info about this. You will wreck the quality of your run if you record on a speed worse than SP.

If you decide to mail your DVD(s) to me for processing, proceed to the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/submit.html submission guidelines] for information about how to contact Radix. Otherwise, if you want to try to encode your run yourself, keep reading.

==Self Encoding==

You will need to install a large number of separate pieces of software to get your run off of the DVD and encode it to H.264 / DivX. All of this software only runs on Microsoft Windows, so you will need to have access to a computer running Windows to proceed.

===DVD software installation===

Download [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/dgmpgdec146.zip dgmpgdec146.zip], the [http://neuron2.net/dgmpgdec/dgmpgdec.html DGMPGDec] utilities by Donald Graft and extract the contents to "C:\Program Files\DGMPGDec". This folder contains the DGIndex.exe application and the important DGDecode.dll file. Leave this folder alone for the moment.

===Extracting the DVD source files===

Begin by inserting the Finalized DVD into the DVD drive in your computer (if the DVD has not been Finalized in the DVD recorder, it probably won't work). Navigate to your DVD drive and select all of the .VOB or .VRO files from the VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD you inserted. Copy them to a folder where you will do your video processing. For the purposes of this guide the video processing folder will be aptly named "C:\video processing".

[[Image:DVDsourcefiles.png]]

===Creating the project file (.d2v)===

Open DGIndex.exe inside the DGMPGDec directory you unzipped during the software installation. Go to Audio -> Output Method and set it to demux all tracks. Now go to File -> Open, or just hit F2. Navigate to "C:\video processing" and select all of the .VOB (or .M2V) files. Hit OK twice to proceed to the main screen.

From here, simply go to File -> Save Project and save the file with a name you can remember. For this guide it will be "C:\video processing\vob.d2v".

DGIndex will do the work of demuxing your run and, after a time, will finish and beep. You can now proceed to the [[Avisynth]] page.

Advanced tip: If you have a short segment and do not want to extract the whole vob file, you can load the vob files into DGIndex straight from your DVD drive, make a selection in DGIndex with the bracket buttons at the bottom right of the window, and then go to File -> Save Project and Demux Video. This will create a m2v file which you will have to re-index because the d2v file is still pointing to the vob files on your DVD drive. That means you'll have to load the m2v file into DGIndex and Save Project again. Important: If the audio file has a name like "vob T01 2_0ch 192Kbps DELAY -84ms.ac3" MAKE SURE you do not remove the audio delay information.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

VHS

2006-09-04T04:52:05Z

Yoshi348: Overview section

==Overview==

The most basic way to record a console run is to tape it with a VCR. The other option is to record it with a DVD recorder. A DVD recorder presents vastly superior quality. However, at present, a DVD recorder runs at about $130 - $200 USD. While it is recommend to purchase a DVD recorder and [[DVD|record]] your run that way, not everyone can afford one yet, and so VHS runs are still supported at this time. Be warned, however; Nate will quit capturing runs on VHS in the summer of 2007, at which time DVD recorder prices should have plummeted to more reasonable levels.

==Acquiring the Machine==

To start out with, consider buying a new VCR. You won't need to pay more than $50 in the US at the time of this writing, and you will get a guaranteed standard of quality for the first couple of tapes you record. After that, the cheap VCR will start to degrade, giving you poorer and poorer picture quality, and it may start to eat tapes, etc.

If you already have a trusty old VCR (probably from the early 90s or older) that you know won't let you down, you should go ahead and buy a cleaning tape from your local drug store and use it several times. Old VCRs are usually more dependable than newer ones, but you should still make sure that grime hasn't built up on the VCR's heads over the years. Nothing can stop such buildup (except not using the VCR, obviously), so you should just accept that you will not achieve full quality without coughing up a few bucks to clean the VCR.

==Acquiring the Media==

Once your VCR is trusted and ready to go, it's time to consider your options in buying tapes. Originally there were no such things as 'high quality' tapes - all VHS tapes were created equal. Unfortunately, people are greedy little piggies, and you now have to choose between crap and crappier crap.

Over the years, in order to save money, the tape manufacturers started putting less and less metal into the tapes (the stuff that actually records the video signal on the tape). That means that the VHS medium has actually gone down in quality since its birth in the late 1970s, especially if you buy the lowest grade tapes (usually labeled 'high grade' to confuse you). The existing quality of tapes were relabeled as 'super high definition' or 'super high grade.' These tapes are sometimes hard to find, but in my opinion, the increase in quality you get from these tapes makes them worth their price (usually about three times the price of a low quality 'high grade' tape). This also means that usually, the more you pay for your tapes, the better. Sorry, folks, but please remain calm and don't shoot the messenger.

==Tape Length==

You should also be aware that the longer tapes (longer than the standard T-120 length, which records two hours on SP speed) have thinner tape inside them and are not well suited to recording anything you want other people to watch (such as your Speed Run). These thinner tapes are virtually standard in Europe, so you are probably out of luck if you live there.

==Tape Stickage==

And don't even think for a second that the fun stops when you bring your new tapes home. Those suckers can't be trusted yet. They may have been in the back of an unair-conditioned truck in a hot part of the world, and the tape inside may be more or less stuck to itself. That means that if you try to record on the tape for the first time, the tape inside will be randomly catching and snapping off of itself, resulting in a badly distorted picture until the VCR's heads reestablish good positions on the tape. Speaking from personal experience, it always seems to ruin the picture in the most critical moments, such as when Ripley first encounters the Alien Queen in Aliens (1986) on my friend's taped-from-TV copy of the movie.

Don't let a sticky tape ruin your run. Simply insert the tape into your VCR and press Fast Forward to quickly move to the end of the tape, then press Rewind when you're there to come back to the beginning (if your VCR doesn't do it for you). This process effectively "takes the fall for you," or gets out all of the tape stickage before you actually record. Obviously you will need to repeat this if the tape gets hot for some reason. It shouldn't harm the tape and should prevent almost all picture breakup due to sticky tape.

==Tape Speed==

You next need to make a choice about tape speed/quality. VHS has the ability to be recorded and played back at three different speeds. The faster the tape goes by the write heads, the better quality you get. The VHS speeds are (on a T-120 tape):

SP (Short Play): 2 Hours (Acceptable Quality)
LP (Long Play) : 4 Hours (Poor Quality)
EP (Extra Play): 6 Hours (This Is Supposed To Be My Run? Quality)

Sony sometimes calls EP "SLP (Super Long Play)" due to their different history with VCRs. I sometimes call SLP "Super Lousy Play." You should ALWAYS use SP to record your run. If you want to record a run that's longer than two hours, just pause the game and swap tapes whenever is convenient. Try to leave at least 20 seconds of pause before and after the swap, it won't count for the time.

Set the tape speed by pressing the appropriate button on your VCR's remote (or, if you're lucky, on the VCR itself). Be sure that the tape speed is set correctly every time you sit down to work on your run, since some VCRs may not remember how you set the speed, or someone else may have been using the VCR. You do not want to change speeds in the middle of a run. Just trust me on this.

==Planning for the Future==

When you start recording your run, you should press Play on your VCR and wait for about thirty seconds, then press Stop. Putting a thirty second leader at the start of your tape will ensure that the VCR is not having trouble turning a really light reel of tape against a really heavy reel of tape. Picture distortion can result from the VCR not being able to turn the reels evenly. (You also might see this at the end of your tapes if you record on the very end of them.) Doing this can also be of help if you want to use the tape for something else later, since you won't have anything you can't tape over at the beginning of the tape. You don't need to do this at the start of every segment if you're recording a multisegment run -- only at the beginning of the tape.

You should also become familiar with how long it takes your VCR to start recording after you press the Record button. Older VCRs can take quite a long time to actually start recording to the tape after you press record, often ten seconds or more. You can test this by pressing Record, then immediately starting to play a game. After about half a minute, stop the tape, rewind, and take a look at how much of what you were doing didn't make it onto the tape. If a lot seems to be missing, you know you will need to give the VCR a long time after you've pressed Record to start playing.

Also, beware of ejecting the tape. Older VCRs especially tend to aggressively back up when a tape is inserted. If you're right at the end of a segment and you eject the tape and later put it back in, you could erase the end of your previous segment the next time you record. Make sure to always position the tape after the end of each segment every time you insert it. Due to the way 4-head VCRs work, you might erase part of your run even if you're right at the end of your previous segment. For this and other reasons, try to give each segment at least a five second leader of tape.

Think that's all?

==Tape Degradation==

Think again. VHS is an ancient, analog technology, and as such, your tapes were in their best condition before they came out of their boxes. Each and every time you play a tape, it degrades, meaning that you should avoid playing the same section of tape over and over. This is a real, tangible problem even with the most recent VCRs.

Luckily, though, the solution to this is easy: simply never rewind the tape. If you make a mistake and need to abort your run, reset your game system and keep playing; don't touch the VCR. You should only rewind the tape if you want to try again later. That way, the number of times the tape is played will be limited to the number of sessions you devote to that particular part of the game. Feel free to make sure your run is in good condition by watching the tape before you send it to me to be captured, but do not play the tape more than once after you're finished. Fast forwarding and rewinding the tape while it is playing (so that you see black and white horizontal bars over the picture of you playing) is especially damaging to the tape. You can instantly destroy ten seconds of video or more by pressing the Rewind button while the tape is playing, especially with old VCRs, so do yourself a favor and only fast forward or rewind the tape when it's not playing (first press Stop, then Fast Forward or Rewind).

Note that you can and should make a backup copy of your run before you send it to me to be captured. However, you should send the original tape(s) to me, not the backup. The original recordings will provide far better quality than the backups, and because thousands of people will be watching what I capture, you want to put your best foot forward and send me the best quality version of your run.

==Write Protecting the Tape==

When you're 100% sure you're done recording onto the tape, remove the small plastic tab found to the left of the side label area (see the below section for more on that). You should be able to reach into the tab with a fingernail and pry it out, then break it completely off. With this tab removed you will not be able to accidentally record over your run (don't laugh - it's happened many times, and it could easily happen to you). This is especially important with VHS, since accidentally pressing Record for one second will probably result in ten or more seconds of ruined video.

==Labeling the Tape==

When it comes time to label the tape, there are some considerations to be made. The proper way to label a tape is usually obvious because of the indentations in the plastic of the tape's case, but I will explain in more detail, since there is a danger of touching the tape and damaging it if you try to label it incorrectly.

If you hold the tape up so that the long side of the tape with the mechanical door and the tape inside of it is facing up, you will want to label the bottom side (not the side with the tape) with one of the long labels found in the box. You can optionally also label the top of the tape (between the two reels on the side with the appropriate indentation).

When you insert the tape into the box, be sure to insert it with the label side facing out. This guarantees that people trying to get the tape out of the box won't accidentally touch the tape and damage it. It also makes it so you can read the label (if the tape has been correctly labeled, anyway).

When you're done with your run, [http://speeddemosarchive.com/submit.html contact Radix] for information about what to do and about where to send your run. If you live in the US, be sure to ask for "Media Mail" from the US Postal Service, because it will save you a ton of money on shipping.

I strongly recommend that you send your run to me if you recorded it using VHS, because I have invested heavily in professional grade VHS equipment and capture technology to make sure runs submitted on VHS look as good as they possibly can. Trying to capture your run yourself will almost certainly be a waste of time (yours and ours) and money.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

MeGUI

2006-08-19T01:28:46Z

Yoshi348:

==Megui==

Those who use VirtualDub will have to get used to the fact that Megui does not accept simple avi input. [[Avisynth]] scripting is required before continuing with this guide.

We will be using the H.264 video codec along with the AAC audio codec muxed inside an mp4 container. The video files must be Quicktime 7 compatible; please double-check your work before submitting to save yourself and SDA time and bandwidth.

==Software and Installation==

You may need to install the latest .NET Framework before installing Megui.

Head over to [http://www.x264.nl/ x264.nl] and download Megui. Install the program and run it. You should get a message saying there are updates available. Click ok and let the program download everything it needs. To access the autoupdate feature, you can also go to Tools -> Update.

You will probably get an error saying that [http://www.nero.com/nerodigital/eng/Nero_Digital_Audio.html Nero Digital Audio] isn't available, so you'll have to download it separately. Download the zip file and extract the contents to "C:\Program Files\megui\tools\neroaacenc\".

==Importing the avisynth script==

In the input tab, open the avisynth script in both video and audio boxes. You will notice that the output files have the same name... '''MAKE SURE THEY ARE DIFFERENT''' ...or you will probably end up losing your whole encode, and a whole lot of time.

Your input screen should look something like this:

[[Image:http://www.angelfire.com/planet/ballofsnow/meguiinput.png]]

==Setting the video compression==

While still at the input screen , press the config button for x264. I will briefly explain the settings.

===Main===

Mode - Automated 2-pass should be used. Use the following bitrates: LQ - 128, MQ - 512, HQ - 2048, IQ - 5000.

If your game is not graphically complex, you can save some time by using Constant Quantizer mode and staying under the SDA bitrates. Starcraft for example is typically done with Constant Quantizer and bitrates usually do not go beyond 1300, well under the 2048 limit for HQ. 17 should be used for videos with 320x240 resolution, 19 for 640x480 or higher resolution.

Deblocking - It is recommended to leave the settings to 0/0. Use lower settings if video is too blurry, but you will risk seeing more blocks.

Number of threads - This depends on your computer. Leave it at 1 if you're cpu is single-core, and 2 if it's dual-core.

AVC profiles - Since we want to be sure that the video is Quicktime 7 compatible, you should select the main profile.

===Zones===
Zones are used to make specific parts of your video have higher or lower quality than the rest of the video. This is rarely used.

===RC and ME (Rate Control and Motion Estimation)===
Rate Control - I recommend leaving these settings alone, although VBV Maximum Bitrate can be useful. It ensures that encodes using variable bitrate won't go above the maximum specified bitrate.

M.E. - These settings can make a large impact on the quality on your video, and it all depends on how much time you want to put into it. Chroma M.E. should be enabled. Range should be at least 8, I recommend 16. For the algorithm, go with either hexagonal or multi-hex. Do not use exhaustive, it takes way too long and has negligible results. Subpixel Refinement, go with at least #5.

Misc - Leave these on default.

===Advanced===
Minimum Quantizer - 17 should be used for videos with 320x240 resolution, 19 for 640x480 or higher resolution.

Trellis - Should be turned off when using Constant Quantizer mode. Otherwise it depends on you, though #2 is probably not worth the extra time.

Number of reference frames - This is how far the encoder will check for similarities between frames. A value of 5 is recommended, use higher for more quality.

Mixed - enabled.

CABAC - Should definitely be turned on. It is one of the main reasons that H.264 is a superior codec.

No Fast P-Skip - Helps to keep blocking low in scenes with gradients.

Macroblock options - All should be turned on except Adaptive DCT and I8x8.

Number of B-Frames - I recommend 3, since it is rare that you'll see more than that in a row.

Adaptive B-Franes - Should be turned on to let the encoder decide how many B-Frames to use in a row.

B-Pyramid - '''OFF'''. This will break Quicktime 7 compatibility if it is on.

RDO, Weighted, Bidirectional - More "give me more quality at lower encoding speed" settings.

B-Frame mode - Spatial tends to give better results than Temporal.

Editing in VirtualDub

2006-08-19T01:27:04Z

Yoshi348:

==GETTING STARTED (EDITING)==

Create your .avs file as instructed on the [http://neuron2.net/bob.html Smart Bob page]. Make sure that the .avs file references the video you just captured exactly, or VirtualDub won't be able to open it (and will tell you so).

Go to "Open video file..." in the File menu and open the .avs file you just made, or else find it using Windows Explorer and drag it into the VirtualDub window. avisynth processes the video you captured as the .avs file instructs it to and shows it to you in the VirtualDub displays.

The left display shows the original file, while the right display shows what you will be exporting. You will probably notice that the video is "squished" or half as tall as it should be. This is normal; you will restore the full vertical resolution in the next step.

==FULL FRAMERATE VIDEO==

Avisynth will help you restore the full range of motion to your video. Capturing at 320 x 240 without Avisynth, as most people do, would cause you to lose half of your motion information. Now you will need to use one of two VirtualDub filters to resize the field-split video so that it appears at a proper size. To determine which filter to use, perform the following test.

Start by dragging the slider at the bottom of the VirtualDub window until you can see yourself playing. Now, carefully move one frame at a time through your run (using the left and right arrow keys). You are looking for a change in the vertical hold of the picture every other frame, i.e. the picture will appear to "jiggle" about a half pixel up and down every frame. It helps to look at a supposedly static object (like your energy meter) to see the "jiggle" or "bob." Keep in mind that you may need to reverse the polarity of the fields (i.e. add "ComplementParity" to your .avs file) to eliminate this as explained at the [http://neuron2.net/bob.html Smart Bob page]. Reversing the field polarity may not help; if this is the case, leave the field polarity the way it looks the best (with the least amount of "jittering").

If you see this "jittering" or "bobbing" effect regardless of whether the fields are reversed or not, then you know you need to apply the Smart Bob filter. Usually only the most recent game systems (such as the GameCube) have this problem, though, so if your video seems to stay in place pretty well, then you should skip the next step. In fact, if you apply the Smart Bob filter to a video that is not "bobbing," then you will end up with very bad quality video. Videos taken of NES and SNES games are known not to bob, while video taken of GameCube games do bob. (Note that the Game Boy Player is an important exception to this rule: no Game Boy games of any type ever bob. See below for more information about how to correct Game Boy Advance video played through a Game Boy Player.)

To apply the Smart Bob filter, select Filters from the Video menu. Then click the "Add..." button and select Smart Bob. Change the Threshold to 18, then click "OK". Click "OK" again to leave the Video Filters window. You should see your output display double its vertical resolution and return to a proper aspect ratio. You're now done restoring full motion to your video; you can safely skip the next two paragraphs.

If you do not need to use the Smart Bob filter (because your video is not "bobbing"), you will need to apply a filter that comes with VirtualDub instead to restore the video to a proper aspect ratio. But first, if you've captured Game Boy Advance video via a Game Boy Player, you will need to do something special to correct this video before you resize it. Select Filters from the Video menu, then click the "Add..." button and select Field Bob. You want to select "Quarter scanline up" for the Even fields and "Quarter scanline down" for the Odd fields. Then hit OK, then OK again to exit the Filters window. This will correct the "pseudobobbing" introduced by the Game Boy Player to make Game Boy Advance video look better on interlaced TV screens. This step is not needed for any type of video other than Game Boy Advance video.

Now, regardless of whether you've captured Game Boy Advance video, select Filters from the Video menu, then click the "Add..." button and select Resize, then click "OK." The default values will probably be okay if you've captured NTSC video (for PAL and SECAM video, use 352 for the width and 288 for the height). Click "OK," then "OK" again to leave the Video Filters window. You should see the output (on the right side of the VirtualDub window) return to a normal size.

With the video restored to a good size at full framerate, use the slider at the bottom of the VirtualDub window to scroll through your video and check out what the output looks like now. If you want, you can even play the output (assuming your computer is fast enough) by clicking on the Play Output button (the button with an O next to the Play symbol).

A side note to those capturing runs done with a Game Boy Player: you may wish to crop the large border off of the video before you export. To do this, select Filters from the Video menu, then click the "Add..." button and select Null Transform. This is a filter that does essentially nothing; it is used only to crop the video that passes through it. To set the cropping, click the "Cropping" button and play with the four values shown in the window that appears. You will probably want to advance the video to an area that is particularly bright, so that you can clearly see where you should set the cropping boundary. For Game Boy Advance video, a good amount is usually around 40 pixels off of each side (assuming you resized the video as instructed above).

The height of the resulting video will almost invariably be 160 pixels (the vertical resolution of the Game Boy Advance), while the width is not so certain. It will probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pixels, but you won't know the exact number until you carefully set the cropping boundary and check the resulting dimensions in the Filters window. Unfortunately, due to the nature of an analog television signal, there will be distortion (blurring) on the left and right edges of the Game Boy Advance image.

Complicating things even further, you will need to make sure before you finish setting the cropping boundary that the resulting dimensions (the width and the height) of the video are both divisible by 4. If they are not, you might have trouble exporting your run to DivX, which requires that both the width and the height of input video be divisible by 4. To check the dimensions of your video, hit OK in the Cropping window and check the bottommost filter's final dimensions (the set of two numbers on the right). If those two numbers aren't divisible by 4, you will need to change the cropping boundary so that they are.

==EDITING==

You will need to decide which part of the video you want to export. To make a selection, press the Home key on the keyboard to select the first frame of your video to export and press the End key to select the first frame to be cut off of the end (the frame you can see when you press End will not be included in the export). You can easily cut off leading and trailing video you do not care about in this way.

==COMPRESSING==

Before you save the output, you should set the output video and audio compression. Select Compression from the Video menu, then select DivX from the list that appears. Click the "Configure" button that appears at the right to configure your DivX settings.

First of all, you will want to turn off the pesky "Profiles" turned on by default in DivX 6.x. To do this, select "none" from the Certification Profile menu near the top of the main DivX configuration window. This will allow you to export full framerate video or video with irregular dimensions.

Next, you'll want to set the bitrate, further down in the same window, to the left of "kbit/s". I typically use the maximum 4000 Kbps when I export "Insane Quality" video, or 2048 Kbps for its "High Quality" little brother (both full framerate video). For "Medium" or "Normal Quality" (not full framerate video), I use 512 Kbps. For "Low Quality" you only need 128 Kbps.

If you want to use multipass encoding for superior quality, choose "Multipass, 1st pass" from the Encode Mode dropdown menu to the left of the bitrate box. Otherwise, for encoding with only a single pass, leave it at "1-pass".

Click "OK" twice to close out of the two windows and return to the main VirtualDub window.

Next, you should set the audio compression. Select Full Processing Mode from the Audio menu. Then, select Compression from the Audio menu. You should be able to select "LAME MP3" from the list that appears. Again, you will need to select a bitrate next. I use the maximum 160 Kbps for the 22.05 KHz 16-bit Stereo audio I instructed you to capture for high quality exports. For medium quality the setting is usually 64 Kbps (for stereo) or 32 Kbps (for mono). For low quality this setting is the same (because it can't go any lower). Click OK to close out of the Audio Compression window.

==EXPORTING==

When you are ready to export your compressed video, press F7 and give the new file a name. Depending on the speed of your hard drive(s) and processor(s), the final export could take a long time. If you want to delay the operation until later, click the "Don't run this job now; add it to job control so I can run it in batch mode" option. Later, when you have queued all of your export jobs, you can press F4 to open the Jobs list and then press the Start button there to process all of the jobs automatically.

Note that if you selected DivX's multipass encoding under the earlier COMPRESSING step, you must click the "add it to job control" option and use the Jobs list to export your first and additional passes (or else immediately run your additional passes after you run your first pass). You must do each pass immediately after the previous one because DivX does not remember for which videos you've done which passes. To export your second or later passes, go back into the DivX settings as explained under COMPRESSION and change the option in the Encode Mode dropdown from "Multipass, 1st pass" to "Multipass, Nth pass". Then you can add the second pass of the encoding to the Jobs list (or else run it immediately if you've just run the first pass). It's thought that two passes produces the best ratio of video quality to processing time.

By the way, with multipass encoding, two passes is the minimum number you can do. The first pass produces only a blank AVI file; the second pass or higher makes your video.

While VirtualDub is exporting your video, you can optionally press F9 to display the input video as VirtualDub sees it and F10 to display the output video (uncompressed) as VirtualDub sees it. You can also select Show Status Window from the Display menu if you want to see a progress bar associated with your dub operation. (These things will already be done for you if you're not using Job Control.) Otherwise, simply minimizing VirtualDub will allow you to see a percent complete indicator in VirtualDub's icon on the Windows Taskbar.

When the dub operation completes, go find your exported video and watch it. If you see that you need to make changes (to the area selected to export, or to the video or audio compression, or to something else entirely), you can always make them in VirtualDub and export your run again.

==SAVING YOUR SETTINGS==

Once you have your settings the way you want them, you can optionally save them to a special .vcf file, which you can use to restore them during future uses of VirtualDub. To do this, select Save Processing Settings from the File menu (or just press Ctrl+S). If you want to restore those settings later, select Load Processing Settings from the File menu (or press Ctrl+L) and select the .vcf file you saved earlier.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

Analog Capture

2006-08-19T01:15:05Z

Yoshi348: /* SETTING SETTINGS */

==ACQUIRING EQUIPMENT==

First of all, if you don't have access to a computer running Windows, and are instead using a Mac, check out the [[Mac Capture]] page.

Otherwise, I recommend the [http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/aiw9600/index.html ATI All-In-Wonder 9600]. If you decide to record your run on VHS and let me capture, that is the card I will use. The American version supports every video standard I've ever heard of and captures in brilliant color, with full brightness transfer and virtually no dropped frames. It also captures full framerate ready video. Coming from inferior capture devices, I literally can not say enough good things about this card, so you will have to trust me that it is the best on the market.

Be sure to download and install the most recent drivers for the card (once you have it installed) from the [http://www.ati.com/ ATI site], since you never know what might happen to your video (in terms of quality) if you use old drivers.

==ACQUIRING SOFTWARE==

The software I recommend for capture and editing is called [http://www.virtualdub.org/ VirtualDub]. It is freeware, which means you are not expected to pay for it. If you like VirtualDub, though, you should donate a few bucks to the man who wrote it, like I did.

VirtualDub comes as a .zip file. This means you will need a program to unzip it into its own directory. I recommend [http://www.win-rar.com/ WinRAR], because it allows you to simply right click on the VirtualDub .zip file and select "Extract to VirtualDub-(version number)". This is the most efficient way I've seen to unzip things in Windows, because you don't have to open a program or make your own directory for VirtualDub. No further installation is required.

In addition, in order for you to capture full framerate video you will need to download two additional pieces of software. The first, [http://www.avisynth.org/ avisynth], will allow you to split the fields of the captured video so that the full framerate is restored in progressive scan (since you will be capturing interlaced video). You will probably want to associate .avs files with Notepad (as you're asked to during the installation of avisynth) to make things easier on yourself later.

The second, the [http://neuron2.net/bob.html Smart Bob filter for VirtualDub], will restore the full height of your video after you use avisynth (since doubling the framerate to its full value will also squish the video vertically by a factor of two). How it does this is quite ingenious, in my opinion, since it's actually giving you twice the video information seemingly out of nothing. You may not actually use this exact filter to do the job - but since you probably don't know right now whether or not your run will "bob" when captured, you should go ahead and install the Smart Bob filter just to be sure you are prepared in the event that it does "bob."

==ACQUIRING CODECS==

Once you have VirtualDub and the associated software ready to go, go ahead and download the codecs you will need. You will be using [http://neuron2.net/www.math.berkeley.edu/benrg/huffyuv.html Huffyuv] (pronounced "Huff Why You Vee," in case you're interested) as your codec when you capture. Huffyuv is also freeware. I also mirror [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/huffyuv-2.1.1.zip version 2.1.1 of Huffyuv here at SDA.].

Huffyuv also comes as a .zip. Do the same thing you did for VirtualDub, only this time you will need to open the Huffyuv folder, right click on the huffyuv.inf file and click "Install" in the menu that appears. This will install Huffyuv for you.

Your output codec will be the latest version of DivX, available from [http://www.divx.com/divx/download/ http://www.divx.com/divx/download/]. Open the .exe file you download from there and follow the instructions to install DivX. You will probably have to reboot your computer to install it. It doesn't cost anything to install, either, though.

You don't need an input audio codec; you will just capture raw audio data without compression.

For an output audio codec, I use [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/lameACM-20020202.zip version 0.8.0 of the LAME ACM]. This codec is a freeware MP3 encoder, maybe the best in the world. Be sure to only use the version I host here (0.8.0) - other versions have been proven to cause serious sound desyncing issues. Once you've downloaded and unzipped the file, right click on the LameACM.inf file and click "Install" to install the codec, similarly to how you installed Huffyuv. You can visit [http://mp3dev.org LAME's homepage] to learn more about the codec, but the LAME ACM is not available there. I've decided to host it myself because it's a bit hard to find on the Internet, and because you could easily get an older version of the codec on accident.

Software installation for capturing is now complete. If you are recording your run to DVD, return to the [[#DVD SOFTWARE INSTALLATION]] section now.

==CAPTURING VIDEO==

Once all three codecs are installed, it's time to open VirtualDub for the first time. Double-click on the VirtualDub.exe application to open it. You are presented with VirtualDub's Dub Mode, where you apply filters to video and audio and export data to a new file. You're not ready to use this mode yet, since you still need to capture your run.

==GETTING STARTED (CAPTURING)==

Start by hooking your VCR up to your capture card. You will probably need to use the red or black (right channel) and white (left channel) audio cables, as well as the yellow (composite video) cable. If your VCR has an S-Video output, by all means hook up your VCR using S-Video (instead of by the yellow Composite cable), though inexpensive VCRs seldom have such outputs. Press Play on the VCR or on the VCR's remote to start playing your run. You will want to have some video playing to make adjustments to the capture software before you rewind the tape and start to capture it for real.

Select "Capture AVI..." from the File menu. If all goes well, you should be blasted with a large amount of audio static and a window full of snow. If you see your run already, fine; you can skip the next step.

==SETTING SETTINGS==

If you see snow, you need to tell your capture card to select the Composite or S-Video source, whichever you hooked your VCR up with. Select Source from the Video menu, select Video Composite or S-Video from the "Select a Video Source:" dropdown menu, and then hit OK. If you have a card other than the ATI All-In-Wonder 9600, this process may be different for you. Consult your card's documentation.

Once you see your run playing on your computer, it's time to set up your capture settings. Start with the three buttons in the lower righthand corner of the VirtualDub Capture Mode window. You need to click on the first button (starting at the left) and set it to 22.05 KHz, 16-bit stereo. (If you only plugged in a white cable since your VCR doesn't have stereo sound, select "mono" instead of "stereo".)

For the second button, choose 29.97 fps (if you're capturing NTSC video) or 25.00 fps (if you're capturing a PAL or SECAM video). If you are in the US or in Japan, you are most likely using NTSC. If you are in Europe, Australia or elsewhere, you are most likely using either PAL or SECAM (remember to select 30.00 fps instead of 25.00 fps if you used 60 Hz equipment to play and record your run; just don't worry about this if you don't know what that means). The third button is a display of how much bandwidth you need to write the data to the drive. There's no need to do anything with it.

Next, choose Format from the Video menu. This shows the resolution you will be capturing at. If you are capturing NTSC, select 640 x 480. If you are capturing PAL or SECAM, select 704 x 576. This resolution will help you keep the image dimensions correct on the computer, so that the game isn't distorted (compared to watching it on a TV screen). Your capture will also be ready to be transformed into a full framerate video. Hit OK to close out of the Format window.

After setting your resolution, select Compression from the Video menu. You should see the Huffyuv codec in the left part of the window. Select it and hit OK. Huffyuv will compress the video you are capturing by a factor of 2 or more without changing what you see at all. It is said to be the only non-lossy video compression codec in the world because of this. There's no need to set the audio compression now; you will do that later, after you've captured.

Finally, set where you will capture by going to the File menu and selecting "Set capture file...". You should use your largest available hard drive, or else just save as "capture.avi" or something on your Desktop for easy access. This is the file VirtualDub will capture to. Make sure that the file doesn't already exist, or it will be overwritten when you start to capture.

Now go to the Capture menu and select "Preferences...". Select all of the boxes before the word "Save"; there should be four of them. Then hit OK. This will save all of your settings (EXCEPT for the very first setting, the source setting on your capture card) so that you don't have to reset them the next time you capture something.

==CAPTURING==

With all of your settings set, you're ready to capture. Press F6 to start VirtualDub capturing, then press Play on your VCR (assuming you're already in the right place on the tape). You should see your run start on the monitor. Keep an eye on the "Frames dropped" indicator on the right side of the VirtualDub Capture Mode window. You should stop dropping frames almost entirely once the picture clears up (after a couple seconds). If not, then there may be a problem with your CPU speed, with your hard drive speed, with your capture settings, or with your capture card. Try to use the other readouts on the right side of the window to diagnose the problem.

Beware of digital autotracking indicators. On many newer VCRs, annoying displays of the autotracking (or the time position) may cover your run. If this happens, press Rewind without stopping the tape (even though I say not to in the VHS section) and back up to just before your segment starts. If you press Play at the right time, the tape will start without trying to set the tracking again and the audio read head will sync before your segment starts. If head resyncing happens too late and the video is distorted or audio is cut out, try pressing Rewind again to move further back. If you can't avoid losing some of your run due to VHS, try to remember to start recording longer before you start playing next time. Also keep in mind that every time you press Rewind or Fast Forward while your tape is playing, you risk damage to the tape.

When you are done capturing, press Escape to tell VirtualDub to stop. Then select "Exit capture mode" from the File menu. You are now ready to start editing your newly captured run!

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

DVD

2006-08-19T01:10:47Z

Yoshi348:

Begin by buying a DVD recorder that does not introduce lag. You will not be able to play very well at all if the image you see on your TV is lagging behind what is actually going on in the game. For a list of known lagless DVD recorders plus some additional tips, please see [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1139455228 this thread] on the SDA Forum.

Be sure to record on SP or better speed. See your DVD recorder's manual for more info about this. You will wreck the quality of your run if you record on a speed worse than SP.

If you decide to mail your DVD(s) to me for processing, proceed to the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/submit.html submission guidelines] for information about how to contact Radix. Otherwise, if you want to try to encode your run yourself, keep reading.

You will need to install a large number of separate pieces of software to get your run off of the DVD and encode it to DivX. All of this software only runs on Microsoft Windows, so you will need to have access to a computer running Windows to proceed. Begin by acquiring all of the software as instructed in the [[Analog Capture#ACQUIRING CODECS || Acquiring Codecs]] section.

==DVD SOFTWARE INSTALLATION==

Download and unzip [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/dgmpgdec146.zip dgmpgdec146.zip], the [http://neuron2.net/dgmpgdec/dgmpgdec.html DGMPGDec] utilities by Donald Graft. This will create the dmpgdec folder, which contains the DGIndex.exe application. Leave this folder alone for the moment.

With Avisynth installed, go to Start menu -> [All] Programs -> Avisynth -> Plugin Directory. This will open the directory where Avisynth stores its plugins. Copy the files from inside the [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/avisynth%20plugins.zip avisynth plugins.zip] zip file to the avisynth plugins directory window you just opened. You should now have five files total in the plugins folder. You can now close the folder.

Congratulations! Software installation is complete.

==PROCESSING DVD VIDEO==

Begin by inserting the Finalized DVD into the DVD drive in your computer (if the DVD has not been Finalized in the DVD recorder, it probably won't work). Then open DGIndex.exe inside the dgmpgdec146 directory you unzipped during the software installation. Inside DGIndex.exe, go to File -> Open, or just hit F2. Navigate to your DVD drive and select all of the .VOB (or .M2V) files from the VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD you inserted. Hit OK twice to proceed to the main screen.

From here, simply go to File -> Save Project and save the file with a name you can remember. It shouldn't matter where you save it, but if you save it at the root level of your C: drive and name it vob, it will make later steps easier.

DGIndex will do the work of demuxing your run and, after a time, will finish and beep. From here, you will need to unzip and edit the [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/vob.zip vob.avs] file. Open it in Notepad and change the C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5 ... lines to wherever you have your Avisynth plugins directory. If you installed Avisynth on your C: drive, these lines are probably already correct, and do not need to be changed.

Next, change the C:\vob.d2v to wherever you saved the DGIndex project file. You should not need to change this, either, if you followed my instructions earlier and saved the project file at the root level of your C: drive and called it vob.

Finally, check to see whether you have a .mpa or .ac3 audio file in the same directory where you saved the vob.d2v file. If you have a .ac3 file, rename it vob.ac3, and then change the C:\vob.ac3 in vob.avs to wherever the file is located on your system.

If you have a .mpa file, uncomment (remove the #) before the fourth line in the file and change the c:\vob.mpa to wherever the file is located on your system. Don't forget to comment (add a # before) the fifth line in the file if you had a .mpa file instead of a .ac3 file.

Save and close the vob.avs file.

Now open VirtualDub.exe in the VirtualDub-1.6.11 folder. A message will appear. Click OK to begin working in VirtualDub. From here, the process is the same as if you were capturing the video yourself. See [[Analog Capture#GETTING STARTED (EDITING)||Getting Started (Editing)]]. (The .avs file referenced there will be the vob.avs file you just made; no further modifications to it should be necessary.)

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

DVD

2006-08-19T01:03:12Z

Yoshi348: fixed broken links

Begin by buying a DVD recorder that does not introduce lag. You will not be able to play very well at all if the image you see on your TV is lagging behind what is actually going on in the game. For a list of known lagless DVD recorders plus some additional tips, please see [http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1139455228 this thread] on the SDA Forum.

Be sure to record on SP or better speed. See your DVD recorder's manual for more info about this. You will wreck the quality of your run if you record on a speed worse than SP.

If you decide to mail your DVD(s) to me for processing, proceed to the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/submit.html submission guidelines] for information about how to contact Radix. Otherwise, if you want to try to encode your run yourself, keep reading.

You will need to install a large number of separate pieces of software to get your run off of the DVD and encode it to DivX. All of this software only runs on Microsoft Windows, so you will need to have access to a computer running Windows to proceed. Begin by acquiring all of the software as instructed in the [[Analog Capture#ACQUIRING CODECS]] section of the Capturing section of this FAQ.

==DVD SOFTWARE INSTALLATION==

Download and unzip [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/dgmpgdec146.zip dgmpgdec146.zip], the [http://neuron2.net/dgmpgdec/dgmpgdec.html DGMPGDec] utilities by Donald Graft. This will create the dmpgdec folder, which contains the DGIndex.exe application. Leave this folder alone for the moment.

With Avisynth installed, go to Start menu -> [All] Programs -> Avisynth -> Plugin Directory. This will open the directory where Avisynth stores its plugins. Copy the files from inside the [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/avisynth%20plugins.zip avisynth plugins.zip] zip file to the avisynth plugins directory window you just opened. You should now have five files total in the plugins folder. You can now close the folder.

Congratulations! Software installation is complete.

==PROCESSING DVD VIDEO==

Begin by inserting the Finalized DVD into the DVD drive in your computer (if the DVD has not been Finalized in the DVD recorder, it probably won't work). Then open DGIndex.exe inside the dgmpgdec146 directory you unzipped during the software installation. Inside DGIndex.exe, go to File -> Open, or just hit F2. Navigate to your DVD drive and select all of the .VOB (or .M2V) files from the VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD you inserted. Hit OK twice to proceed to the main screen.

From here, simply go to File -> Save Project and save the file with a name you can remember. It shouldn't matter where you save it, but if you save it at the root level of your C: drive and name it vob, it will make later steps easier.

DGIndex will do the work of demuxing your run and, after a time, will finish and beep. From here, you will need to unzip and edit the [http://www.metroid2002.com/files/vob.zip vob.avs] file. Open it in Notepad and change the C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5 ... lines to wherever you have your Avisynth plugins directory. If you installed Avisynth on your C: drive, these lines are probably already correct, and do not need to be changed.

Next, change the C:\vob.d2v to wherever you saved the DGIndex project file. You should not need to change this, either, if you followed my instructions earlier and saved the project file at the root level of your C: drive and called it vob.

Finally, check to see whether you have a .mpa or .ac3 audio file in the same directory where you saved the vob.d2v file. If you have a .ac3 file, rename it vob.ac3, and then change the C:\vob.ac3 in vob.avs to wherever the file is located on your system.

If you have a .mpa file, uncomment (remove the #) before the fourth line in the file and change the c:\vob.mpa to wherever the file is located on your system. Don't forget to comment (add a # before) the fifth line in the file if you had a .mpa file instead of a .ac3 file.

Save and close the vob.avs file.

Now open VirtualDub.exe in the VirtualDub-1.6.11 folder. A message will appear. Click OK to begin working in VirtualDub. From here, the process is the same as if you were capturing the video yourself. See [[Analog Capture#GETTING STARTED (EDITING)]]. (The .avs file referenced there will be the vob.avs file you just made; no further modifications to it should be necessary.)

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].

Verification Guidelines

2006-08-19T00:50:55Z

Yoshi348: /* Quality (Capture) */ -cleaned up ambigious and possibly outdated language

Congratulations on being chosen to verify a speed run. The verification stage of run submission is the first line of defense against cheating and poor quality video.

==Confidentiality==
Please do not give anyone the link to the run or the video files themselves. Further, if the information has not already been made public by the creator of the run, do not tell anyone the final time, what tricks were used, or any other information about the run. Some people prefer not to be "spoiled" in this way. Finally, do not tell anyone that you are verifying the run -- not even its creator. This ensures that your opinions are not swayed by anyone else.

==Cheating==
Be sure you are up to date on the [http://speeddemosarchive.com/rules.html official rules], and report anything suspicious you see to Radix or Nate immediately, either by email or by SDA or M2K2 Forum Private Message. The creator of the run will be given the opportunity to explain the situation.

==Quality (Capture)==
The copy of the run you are watching will be identical to the release copy (usually the Medium (Normal) or High Quality). The only difference is that the StatID (Station ID or title card) will read "VERIFICANTION COPY ONLY NOT FOR REDISTIBUTION". If you notice any problem with the picture or audio, please report it to either Radix or Nate immediately.

==Quality (Gameplay)==
SDA gameplay standards are high, but some measure of mistakes in the run are acceptable so long as they are not blatant (for example, making an error that costs several seconds at the beginning of one segment of a segmented run). If you feel that the run does not meet SDA standards and that adding the run will not spur others to beat it within a short period of time after it is posted, then tell Radix or Nate. The reputation of the site cannot be maintained if subpar runs are found on it.

==Timing==
If you are asked to help decide how a run will be timed, give this information to Radix via email or SDA Forum private message. Nate has no responsibilities as far as timing goes.

Return to the [[Main Page|front page]].