iFlicks beta 1.3.0

69 views
Skip to first unread message

Jendrik

unread,
Oct 16, 2010, 5:21:17 PM10/16/10
to iFlicks
Hi guys,

I finally got the beta of iFlicks to a state, in which it is possible
to test some of the new functionality. I am very excited about this
and think it is a good starting point to add more features over time.

This beta of iFlicks should work mostly as the last version, but MANY
things have changed under the hood. So just as a warning: MAKE SURE
YOU HAVE A BACKUP OF ALL VIDEOS YOU ARE PROCESSING WITH THIS BETA
VERSION!!! I have run many tests with this version and all created/
modified files were working just fine, but I am sure there are quite a
few bugs that need to be taken care of.

This version mainly has one new visible feature: iFlicks can now
create m4v files directly from mkv files which contain h264 tracks.

How to Test:
Import the mkv video with iFlicks into iTunes using the "Flatten to
QuickTime Movie" preset. The resulting video should, in most case, be
playable on the Apple TV 2, iPad and iPhone 4. All of this without any
recoding of the video. To make the audio compatible with the iPad/
iPhone iFlicks will also create one additional AAC track for each AC3
track. In case the AC3 track is stereo only it will be removed to save
space.

If you experience any problems or get unexpected results, please send
a feedback report. In case I need more information I will get back to
you. My main interest at the moment is to see, which files work well
on the Apple devices and which cases cause problems.

For everything but the case above I would suggest using the stable of
iFlicks, because the beta is not fully tested.

Known Bugs/Problems:
- There is no progress display. You can see when videos are finished
processing in the Queue window. Before that it just says
"Initializing".
- The language of tracks in not yet set correctly (coming soon)
- Subtitles are not handled (coming soon)

Where to download:

You can download the beta from: http://groups.google.com/group/iflicks/files
After that the beta can be updated using the built-in updater.

I hope you like the new handling of mkv files. I am expecting lots of
feedback. Just keep in mind that this is just a first preview there
are many more new features coming.

I am going to turn off my Mac in a few minutes, so don't expect any
responses from me before tomorrow. ;)

Jendrik

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 16, 2010, 5:14:48 PM10/16/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Hi guys,

I finally got the beta of iFlicks to a state, in which it is possible to test some of the new functionality. I am very excited about this and think it is a good starting point to add more features over time.

This beta of iFlicks should work mostly as the last version, but MANY things have changed under the hood. So just as a warning: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP OF ALL VIDEOS YOU ARE PROCESSING WITH THIS BETA VERSION!!! I have run many tests with this version and all created/modified files were working just fine, but I am sure there are quite a few bugs that need to be taken care of.

This version mainly has one new visible feature: iFlicks can now create m4v files directly from mkv files which contain h264 tracks.

How to Test:
Import the mkv video with iFlicks into iTunes using the "Flatten to QuickTime Movie" preset. The resulting video should, in most case, be playable on the Apple TV 2, iPad and iPhone 4. All of this without any recoding of the video. To make the audio compatible with the iPad/iPhone iFlicks will also create one additional AAC track for each AC3 track. In case the AC3 track is stereo only it will be removed to save space.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 16, 2010, 5:22:27 PM10/16/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Just one more thing to note:

TVDB seems to be down at the moment. Once it is back up TV Show metadata should appear as usual in the beta.

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iFlicks" group.
> To post to this group, send email to ifl...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to iflicks+u...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/iflicks?hl=en.
>

jajajja

unread,
Oct 16, 2010, 5:49:59 PM10/16/10
to iFlicks
Is it possible to disable the creation of the additional AAC track?
Because for those that only use aTV it just takes longer to add it
otherwise.
Message has been deleted

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 18, 2010, 2:27:35 PM10/18/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Not at the moment, but I am going to add this option sometime later.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 18, 2010, 2:27:50 PM10/18/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
I am aware of this.

On 17.10.2010, at 00:10, jajajja wrote:

> Also, MKV seems to work now. However, iFlicks does not automatically
> tag the file as "HD" now, having to do it manually. Other then that,
> speed is great!

Mr Flicks

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 7:24:58 AM10/19/10
to iFlicks
Why is iflicks convert some MKV files in mov and some in m4v files?
what is the difference?

Mr Flicks

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 7:31:50 AM10/19/10
to iFlicks
another question, you said there is no decline in quality if i use the
flattern to quick time, but the files was before converting 5GB and
now 2,43 GB. what does that mean? in additon, how can i check the
audio thing which everybody is talking about? why is it changing? i
just want to convert the file that it fits to apple tv and to have the
metadata, nothing else. how is that possible?

is there a new release of iflicks in the future, if yes, i dont start
to convert all my 200 mkv (720p) files now.

Best regards

JP

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 4:22:29 PM10/19/10
to iFlicks
I'm really enjoying the beta! I'm particularly enjoying being able to
turn my mkv files into m4v contained videos - but will there be a
feature to turn mov files into m4vs too?

A lot of my older mkvs have already been moved to mov files with older
versions of iFlicks and I'd like to converge and have everything in
m4v containers.

Cheers!

Jamie Dobbs

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 4:38:19 PM10/19/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
For some reason whenever I go and try to download the beta I get the following error:

The page you navigated to does not exist.


What am I doing wrong?

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 20, 2010, 3:04:39 PM10/20/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com

On 19.10.2010, at 22:22, JP wrote:

> I'm really enjoying the beta! I'm particularly enjoying being able to
> turn my mkv files into m4v contained videos - but will there be a
> feature to turn mov files into m4vs too?

This will probably be possible for many mov files with one of the upcoming betas.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 20, 2010, 3:05:15 PM10/20/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
I am not sure. It works great here, I have just tested.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 20, 2010, 3:07:44 PM10/20/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
This depends on the preset used and the kinds of tracks included in the mkv files. Not every track can be saved in a mp4/m4v video file.

Tjeerd

unread,
Oct 18, 2010, 5:17:16 PM10/18/10
to iFlicks
Hi,

first of all, loving your app. it made life so much easier.

Further on, just wanted to share one issue with the beta i ran into:

Converting the mkv files while using the flatten to quicktime setting
resulted in crashes on apple tv 1, but might be a hardware/compability
issue. The files worked great in itunes though.

rgds, Tjeerd

fitti

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 8:11:39 AM10/19/10
to iFlicks

I just convertet two .mkv files with the quick time presetting....
the result was that the quality was good on my iMac (i haven't tried
it on my ATV yet)
the size of the new file was about 40% smaller, is that how it should
be?


but the problem is that
the sound is gone in both movies...
Any idea how to fix the sound or what is wrong?

David Paris

unread,
Oct 19, 2010, 6:06:57 PM10/19/10
to iFlicks
Click "download all files", it will work.

Thanks for this excellent beta, can't wait until subtitles support !

On 19 oct, 22:38, Jamie Dobbs <jamie.do...@mac.com> wrote:
> For some reason whenever I go and try to download the beta I get the following error:
>
> The page you navigated to does not exist.
>
> What am I doing wrong?
>

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 20, 2010, 3:29:34 PM10/20/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com

On 18.10.2010, at 23:17, Tjeerd wrote:

> Hi,
>
> first of all, loving your app. it made life so much easier.
>
> Further on, just wanted to share one issue with the beta i ran into:
>
> Converting the mkv files while using the flatten to quicktime setting
> resulted in crashes on apple tv 1, but might be a hardware/compability
> issue. The files worked great in itunes though.

The old Apple TV is way less powerful than the new one and doesn't support full 720p.
I don't think there is much I can do about this.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 20, 2010, 3:30:54 PM10/20/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
This bug will hopefully be fixed with the next beta release. Once it is out, please try to re-import both movies. Thanks.

Nathan

unread,
Oct 21, 2010, 5:50:29 AM10/21/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
I understand that we are talking about MKV files (HD).
But you will still continue to support ATV 1 in future releases?

Joseph Schmitt

unread,
Oct 24, 2010, 11:49:27 AM10/24/10
to iFlicks
Here are a few things I've noticed with the beta:

1. Everything is marked SD. I've been testing exclusively with HD mkv
files, but it seems that everything in the new 1.3 beta is marked SD.
Even if I add a rule to mark everything as HD, it'll still be marked
as SD. This was working in the previous version, so it's a regression
in the 1.3 beta.

2. You can't mix "new" files with "old" files in the queue. By "new"
files I mean files that aren't in iTunes yet, and "old" files are
files that were added from within iTunes using the "Updated Metadata
of Selected using GUI" script. If I have files in the queue from
iTunes, and then I add some new mkv or mp4 files from the Finder,
those "new" files won't get processed (ever). I have to quit and
restart iFlicks for those to get processed.

The next couple things are user experience things that aren't
necessarily regressions; I noticed them in previous stable versions
but still find them slightly annoying.

3. Inconsistent Artist, Disc, and Track fields for TV Shows. For TV
Shows, the Artist field is the name of the show. On some shows, this
is filled out correctly, but on others it is never filled out. And
since the Artist field isn't available for editing within iFlicks, I
can't set a rule for it to correct it. The Album field, however, is
always filled out correctly (Show name, Season). With Disc and Track
numbers, things get inconsistent too. For new shows that are airing,
it'll sometimes fill out a track number AND out of how many tracks.
However, since the season isn't over yet, it'll just fill out however
many episodes there were at the time. So I'll have a season full of
episodes with tracks 1 out of 1, 2 out of 2, 3 out of 3. It'd be best
to just leave the "out of" for tracks and discs out entirely. Also,
with discs, on shows that are currently airing, it's pretty
meaningless since there are no discs versions, so it'd be best if that
was always blank.

4. Overwriting metadata. Sometimes, the artwork that iFlicks finds off
the Internet isn't the best, so I replace it with something custom.
However, afterwards I might realize that some metadata was missing
(such as my previous mentioning of it not labeling anything as HD). So
I tell it to update with iFlicks so that I can set the HD, but iFlicks
does a brand new lookup and replaces all metadata with new stuff, even
if I had already edited myself, so it puts back the inferior cover
art. If I don't notice this and hit Start, that art could be lost
forever, especially if it's custom art that I made myself in Photoshop
and never saved a file for. It'd be nice if there was an option for it
to keep metadata that's already written to the file and have to option
which fileds can be overwritten (like description which isn't so
devastating to have updated).

Overall, fantastic work on this app. I can't tell you how much time
and energy iFlicks saves me over doing these things manually like I
used to. I now come home and have new TV Shows already in iTunes,
waiting to be watched on my new Apple TV, without having to lift a
finger. Seriously great work, I can't wait until the final version is
out.

Cheers.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 25, 2010, 2:48:52 AM10/25/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Yes, but for the ATV1 recoding of the videos will still be required.

grahamrb

unread,
Oct 22, 2010, 4:11:50 PM10/22/10
to iFlicks
Hi,

I'm getting the following error message "Not enough movie data
available" when trying to convert an MKV. Now, the weird thing, this
was working a few days ago. I even tried re-importing an MKV that I
was able to successfully run a few days ago however it is now giving
that error.
Perhaps it is something that has changed on my system. Some things
that I have done since it was running successfully which I think may
be relevant: Purchased, connected and installed an Elgator Turbo.264
HD, updated PS3 Media Server to the latest beta version from their
forum. I wouldn't think PS3 media server could have an impact as the
applications are self contained.

Thanks for any help/suggestions.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 25, 2010, 3:13:13 AM10/25/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
On 24.10.2010, at 17:49, Joseph Schmitt wrote:

> Here are a few things I've noticed with the beta:
>
> 1. Everything is marked SD. I've been testing exclusively with HD mkv
> files, but it seems that everything in the new 1.3 beta is marked SD.
> Even if I add a rule to mark everything as HD, it'll still be marked
> as SD. This was working in the previous version, so it's a regression
> in the 1.3 beta.

This is known and due to the many changes in the subsystem of iFlicks.

> 2. You can't mix "new" files with "old" files in the queue. By "new"
> files I mean files that aren't in iTunes yet, and "old" files are
> files that were added from within iTunes using the "Updated Metadata
> of Selected using GUI" script. If I have files in the queue from
> iTunes, and then I add some new mkv or mp4 files from the Finder,
> those "new" files won't get processed (ever). I have to quit and
> restart iFlicks for those to get processed.

I'll have a look at this.

> The next couple things are user experience things that aren't
> necessarily regressions; I noticed them in previous stable versions
> but still find them slightly annoying.
>
> 3. Inconsistent Artist, Disc, and Track fields for TV Shows. For TV
> Shows, the Artist field is the name of the show. On some shows, this
> is filled out correctly, but on others it is never filled out. And
> since the Artist field isn't available for editing within iFlicks, I
> can't set a rule for it to correct it. The Album field, however, is
> always filled out correctly (Show name, Season). With Disc and Track
> numbers, things get inconsistent too. For new shows that are airing,
> it'll sometimes fill out a track number AND out of how many tracks.
> However, since the season isn't over yet, it'll just fill out however
> many episodes there were at the time. So I'll have a season full of
> episodes with tracks 1 out of 1, 2 out of 2, 3 out of 3. It'd be best
> to just leave the "out of" for tracks and discs out entirely. Also,
> with discs, on shows that are currently airing, it's pretty
> meaningless since there are no discs versions, so it'd be best if that
> was always blank.

The metadata available is not under control and the preferences vary largely from user to user. I have tried to make this as consistent as possible, but as you say, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Most of theses things are possible to be fixed using rules, though. Maybe you can make a few suggestions how this can be handled using the rules (and what might still be missing).
I'll then add the rules as default to iFlicks, so that users still have a few more sample rules to look at and still have the possibility to change them to their liking.

I'll also make the artist field available to later versions.

> 4. Overwriting metadata. Sometimes, the artwork that iFlicks finds off
> the Internet isn't the best, so I replace it with something custom.
> However, afterwards I might realize that some metadata was missing
> (such as my previous mentioning of it not labeling anything as HD). So
> I tell it to update with iFlicks so that I can set the HD, but iFlicks
> does a brand new lookup and replaces all metadata with new stuff, even
> if I had already edited myself, so it puts back the inferior cover
> art. If I don't notice this and hit Start, that art could be lost
> forever, especially if it's custom art that I made myself in Photoshop
> and never saved a file for. It'd be nice if there was an option for it
> to keep metadata that's already written to the file and have to option
> which fileds can be overwritten (like description which isn't so
> devastating to have updated).

Note. I'll have a look how this might be integrated best.

> Overall, fantastic work on this app. I can't tell you how much time
> and energy iFlicks saves me over doing these things manually like I
> used to. I now come home and have new TV Shows already in iTunes,
> waiting to be watched on my new Apple TV, without having to lift a
> finger. Seriously great work, I can't wait until the final version is
> out.

Thanks.

> Cheers.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 25, 2010, 3:13:43 AM10/25/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Can you please send me a feedback report once this happens again?

Mr Flicks

unread,
Oct 25, 2010, 5:26:06 AM10/25/10
to iFlicks
When will be the release of the update of beta ? nearly every mkv file
is with dts audio file

pbpinftworth

unread,
Oct 26, 2010, 9:52:43 PM10/26/10
to iFlicks
So, another added benefit of the stripping of the mkv container is
that once that is done, you can actually re-encode with Apple's
Compressor for a great 720p transcode of the file in half the time of
the original mkv. So, although it added a step (iFlicks ->Apple
Compressor ->iFlicks), it really cut a huge chunk of time off of a
transcode. I can now encode a file that originally took 24 hours in
10 hours. That's a huge savings. I just tried this, so haven't
optimized the workflow yet, but I bet one of you can come up with a
better way.

Remember that Apple's compressor will make the file into a perfect
copy that's compatible with all apple devices.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Oct 29, 2010, 2:19:00 AM10/29/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
With a bit of luck this weekend.

iflicksfan

unread,
Oct 27, 2010, 2:51:06 PM10/27/10
to iFlicks
When you say Apple's Compressor, what exactly are you referring to?

iflicksfan

unread,
Oct 27, 2010, 2:48:54 PM10/27/10
to iFlicks
I completely agree with Joseph about the inconsistent metadata
regarding the discs and tracks fields. It would be far better to just
not put ANYTHING for the "discs" field whether the data is available
for it or not. For tracks, just tag the track number but do NOT tag
the "out of". Leave it blank. That should make everything more
consistent and probably reduces any coding you would have to do for
various different scenarios as well. A win-win situation. The whole
point of using iFlicks is to reduce the amount of manual work required
to tag and organize. If we have to check the discs and tracks fields
every time and change or correct them it sort of defeats the purpose.
Especially for the "out of" part of the "track" field. When new shows
are added we basically need to update every show in the season every
single time for the data to be correct. It's one of the few things
that really irks me about the program. Just leave it out. Just like
Apple is well known for, sometimes the best design is knowing what to
leave out. :-)

Philip Powell

unread,
Oct 29, 2010, 9:52:52 AM10/29/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Part of Apple's FCS package.

Philip B. Powell
817.707.8125 t

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Nov 1, 2010, 2:39:22 AM11/1/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Thanks for the suggestions. Once I get around to updating the rules, it should be no problem to automate this.
I just don't want to leave out metadata that is available by default.

audiophilepj

unread,
Oct 29, 2010, 7:26:34 PM10/29/10
to iFlicks
My issue with MKV files and iFlicks is subtitles. If the MKV file has
embedded subtitles, Quicktime X won't disable them. Any MKV file
passed through iFlicks will have subtitles on it. I've done research
in Perian and Matroska forums looking for help, and no luck. So when
you state,"- Subtitles are not handled (coming soon) " Does this mean
1.3.0 will not show subtitles? If so, i'm very excited. I'll give it a
shot.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Nov 1, 2010, 2:49:36 AM11/1/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Currently subtitles will not be included in the create m4v files, that is correct.
In future updates they can be included, but you can choose to show/hide them.

john r ellegard

unread,
Nov 1, 2010, 4:43:46 PM11/1/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com

i am using the latest general release of iFlicks. i have several hundred movies on a QNAP 809U NAS. i am running iFlicks on my xServe. i have iFlicks set to create a reference file on the xServe pointing to the Handbrake encodes on the NAS. iFlicks runs fine. it finds the right metadata and when i hit start it looks like everything is working fine. but when i go to iTunes (on the xServe) no movies have been added! any idea what i'm doing wrong? like i said, everything a[ppears to be working fine but when iFlicks is done, there's nothing whatever in iTunes.....

thx.

Mr Flicks

unread,
Nov 3, 2010, 3:44:08 AM11/3/10
to iFlicks
Any news about the release of iFlicks beta 1.3.1? :)
I have so many mkv files and cant watch them on my brand new Apple TV :
(

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Nov 4, 2010, 4:10:47 AM11/4/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
Can you please send a feedback report? I'll have a look what is going on.

Jendrik Bertram

unread,
Nov 4, 2010, 4:11:03 AM11/4/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
This weekend.

john r ellegard

unread,
Nov 4, 2010, 3:20:18 PM11/4/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com, ifl...@googlegroups.com

I am trying to add GLEE to iTunes using iFlicks v1.2.3. iFlicks does it's job but instead of adding the episodes to the TV Shows section, they're being added to the Movies section in iTunes. why is this? how do I fix it? the episodes are labelled:

GLEE S01E01
GLEE S01E02

etc....

thx for the help....

Evan Coleman

unread,
Nov 4, 2010, 3:23:23 PM11/4/10
to ifl...@googlegroups.com
I had the same problem. I just made a rule in iFlicks that if the episode number is greater than 0, it sets the video kind to tv show.

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages