DVDStyler Error: Cannot open output format

vodoo · July 16, 2011, 5:43pm

openSUSE 11.3 32bit with repos OSS, NON-OSS and Packman + libdvdcss

I installed DVDStyler from Packman and as it seems I can’t get it to work.

When I create a project for PAL, 4:3 with AC3 and finally click “Burn” and select “just generate” to create files for burning I get:

DVDStyler v1.8.3
Linux 2.6.34.8-0.2-desktop i686
FFmpeg: libavformat 53.4.0, libavcodec 53.7.0, libavutil 51.9.1
Prepare
Cleaning temporary directory
Search for transcoded files in cache
Generating menus
Generating menu 1 of 2
Prepare
Create menu mpeg
Cannot open output format
Error creation of menu

There are no error messages in the console when this happens, but when loading a project the following is printed:

> dvdstyler 

(d:17362): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_menu_attach_to_widget(): menu already attached to GtkMenuItem

(d:17362): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_menu_attach_to_widget(): menu already attached to GtkMenuItem

(d:17362): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_menu_attach_to_widget(): menu already attached to GtkMenuItem

(d:17362): Gtk-WARNING **: gtk_menu_attach_to_widget(): menu already attached to GtkMenuItem
[mpeg @ 0x855dd80] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8560260] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8560260] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8564040] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x84fb100] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x85622e0] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x85622e0] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8ab4860] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8ab4e60] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8ab4860] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x8ab4860] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000
[mpeg @ 0x88e7500] max_analyze_duration 5000000 reached at 5024000

I further note the following: In Packman there are two packages: dvdauthor and dvdauthor07. They do not exclude each other, both can be installed at the same time. Both provide the same executable files (“same” meaning same path/name) and will overwrite each other. DVDStyler requires dvdauthor07. I made sure to install the right version.

> dvdauthor --help   
DVDAuthor::dvdauthor, version 0.7.0+.
Build options: gnugetopt imagemagick iconv freetype fribidi fontconfig
Send bug reports to <dvdauthor-users@lists.sourceforge.net>

A google search turns up that the problem has been reported:

SourceForge.net: Topic: DVDStyler cannot open output format

and also exists for openSUSE 11.4

http://meinews.niuz.biz/dvdstyler-t666520.html

but I could not find a solution.

Any ideas how to fix this?

peteh100 · July 16, 2011, 7:29pm

DVDStyler does not convert video file formats. It just bulds a dvd with menus around the correct file. You need to create the file in the correct format with avidemux or projectx and mplex. There may be others.
Try googling ‘create dvd from a video file’ or something similar. You might want to add ‘linux’ to eliminate all the MS stuff.

vodoo · July 16, 2011, 7:36pm

It just builds a dvd with menus around the correct file.

I do have useable video files (can even burn them and watch them). I want to have the menus created and the corresponding *.xml file.

peteh100 · July 17, 2011, 10:55am

When you burn them, can you watch them on your DVD player?

vodoo · July 17, 2011, 7:02pm

When you burn them, can you watch them on your DVD player?

Yes.

I note the following which could be connected to my problem:

When the window with the error message from DVDStyler pops up CPU usage of one core goes to 100% and remains that way until the window is closed. This looks like a real bug.
The new dvdauthor07 package (required by DVDStyler) fails with a standard minimal xml file (no menus, just play the tracks) but dvdauthor-0.6.18 works fine.

Please: can anyone confirm that DVDStyler works for him? I would say when you all see the same error it’s broken.

allianux · July 17, 2011, 9:23pm

Yes, I too have these error messages… for months… and I have not found a solution. The same errors occur on x64 and x86 systems. I tried rebuilding the SRPM’s from packman but got the same error. Unfortunately is was quicker and easier to install another Distro on a spare laptop for my DVD creation than waiting for the packages.
I have only used DVDStyler 1.8.2 and have not got a working version of DVDStyler version 1.8.3 as yet. However what I have noticed is the release of DVDStyler 1.8.4.2 (13 July). Perhaps Packman will update there packages soon?

vodoo · July 18, 2011, 11:32am

Thank you for the feedback. I conclude that the current package is broken. There remains the question if this has something to do with dvdauthor07.

Anyone knows how to contact the packager @ packman?

allianux · July 18, 2011, 3:19pm

I can only suggest to use the email provided on the relevant website page <LINK>](http://packman.links2linux.org/package/DVDStyler).
Dont expect a reply… My emails have all gone unanswered >:(

vodoo · July 18, 2011, 3:58pm

Well, your emails could have had an effect. I see that a new package was published quite recently:

DVDStyler-1.8.3-1.pm.3.12

Not yet the new release from upstream, but it seems they are working on the package.

There remains the mess with dvdauthor. DVDStyler requires dvdauthor07 but qdvdautor requires dvdauthor (now at version 0.6.18). The two flavors of dvdauthor will overwrite each other. Whatever is installed last wins.

allianux · August 7, 2011, 4:43pm

Having used the updated version of DVDStyler from Packman for Opensuse 11.4 (DVDStyler-1.8.4.2-1.pm.2.2.x86_64.rpm), naturally all multimedia packages used are from Packman (switched repository)

This is the error message:

DVDStyler v1.8.4.2
Linux 2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop x86_64
FFmpeg: libavformat 53.4.0, libavcodec 53.7.0, libavutil 51.9.1
Prepare
Cleaning temporary directory
Search for transcoded files in cache
Generating menus
Generating menu 1 of 1
Prepare
Create menu mpeg
Multiplexing subpictures into mpeg
Executing command: spumux -s 0 “/tmp/dvd-tmp/menu1-0.mpg_spumux.xml”
DVDAuthor::spumux, version 0.6.18.
Build options: gnugetopt imagemagick iconv freetype fribidi
Send bugs to <dvdauthor-users@lists.sourceforge.net>
ERR: Cannot match attribute ‘format’ in tag ‘subpictures’. Valid attributes are:
Failed

weighty_foe · August 8, 2011, 3:05pm

I tried for ages to figure out how to ‘make’ a dvd from loads of tiny video files output my my camcorder.

In the end, I now use
sdcopy.py to copy my files from the camcorder (which makes .mod & .moi files, the script copies & renames them)
Avidemux to make them proper mpeg files with the correct aspect ratio & join them together if I want
bombono (weird name, and its gtk which I’m not thrilled about, but it works very nicely) to create the dvd.
bombono can also burn the image, or you can use k3b.

All of which are in the repos. The dvds play on my dvd player, my parents dvd player (most important!) my ps3 and various laptops.
You may want to check them out if you’re having no luck with dvdstyler.

allianux · August 9, 2011, 12:01am

Thanks for the tip on sdcopy.py
It’s just that DVDStyler use to work and currently works on other distro’s and MSWin but just not on Opensuse 11.4 or 11.3 since Packman did their reshuffle of the repro.
I’ll definitely give sdcopy.py a try.

cmcgrath5035 · August 16, 2011, 6:36pm

I am running 11.4 and KDE4.7

I loaded several DVD authoring tools from Packman to get a feel for which one(s) I liked.
DVDStyler ran OK, but qdvdauthor failed with error messages in the logfile when dvdauthor was called.

In investigating the error messages, I found several items relative to issues (on several distros) with dvdauthor ver 7.

It appears to me that DVDStyler and dvdauthor07 OR qdvdauthor and dvdauthor(ver0.6) work but you cannot have both qdvdauthor and DVDStyler installed since DVDStyler pulls in dvdauthor07 which overwrites executables from ver 0.6 and qdvdauthor is not yet compatible with version 0.7.
All these were loaded from Packman repository. As noted earlier in this thread, there is no warning that dvdauthor07 and dvdauthor use the same names for executables and might cause issues.

vodoo · August 18, 2011, 3:25pm

It appears to me that DVDStyler and dvdauthor07 OR qdvdauthor and dvdauthor(ver0.6) work but you cannot have both qdvdauthor and DVDStyler installed since DVDStyler pulls in dvdauthor07 which overwrites executables from ver 0.6 and qdvdauthor is not yet compatible with version 0.7. All these were loaded from Packman repository. As noted earlier in this thread, there is no warning that dvdauthor07 and dvdauthor use the same names for executables and might cause issues.

This is correct. See my posts #1 and #9 in this thread above. In my opinion this is a bug in the packaging. DVDStyler and qdvdauthor should exclude each other mutually.

vodoo · August 24, 2011, 12:30pm

It seems that this thread finds its continuation in the soapbox:

Packman package stability? - Page 2

I still have to try it out on 32-bit though.