DivX4log guide

DivX4log is a logfile analyzation and editing utlity that gives you somewhat similar capabilities than Nandub. It helps you achieve a desired size more accurately than the automatic 2 pass encoding mode and when properly used it can help you increase the quality of your rips. Obviously, these features come with a price, and in this case it is time. Since you will be manually editing the DivX4 logfile you can no longer use a fire and forget procedure and will have to make manual steps in between the two passes. Furthermore, DivX4 doesn't always stick to its own logfile, so it may happen that despite imposing a certain restriction upon the codec in order to increase the quality in a certain scene, the quality will still be below your exceptions.

To give you the fastest encoding method possible without too much hassle I chose to use Gordian Knot as frontend for most of the encoding action.

You will need the following software for this guide:

GordianKnot Installer package
Gordian Knot update
DivX4log

Step 0: First time setup

You will only have to perform this step once.

Run the GordianKnot Installer package, then run the GKnot latest update installer. then last but not least unpack lame.exe from the zipfile to your GKnot installation directory (normally c:\program files\gordian knot).

Step 1: Basic GKnot Setup

This step will teach you how to set up GKnot for a perfectly good looking rip.

Step 2: Audio encoding

Only a few more steps and you'll have a perfect audio file and a frameserver file for video encoding.

Step 3: First pass

Configure the codec and encode the first pass using VirtualDub.

Step 4: DivX4log

Load and edit your first pass logfile using DivX4log to get better quality and more accurate size prediction.

Step 5: Second pass

Go back to VirtualDub and set up the second pass.

Step 6: Join Audio and Video

Nandub can handle both CBR and VBR (ABR is a kind of VBR) audio and is therefore best suited for the task.

Step 7: Splitting

If you created a movie for more than 1 CD you have to split it up now.

This document was last updated on 04/04/02