ImgTool Burn 1.1.9 doesn't write short lead-outs on DVD-Rs and doesn't change the recorder booktype setting if the DVD-ROM booktype has not been set.

And here's one last chance free application for those converting DivX to DVD (makes me shudder though): VSO's DivXToDVD will be going commercial soon.

Muxman 0.13 allows you to define a subpicture palette, has an improved I-frame encoder and supports frame accurate chapters (in case the source has an I-frame at the desired position).

PgcEdit 0.5.1 final is out. It supports Buttons over video in title domains, checks of the number of streams in the domain attributes matches the number of streams enabled in the PGCs, allows editing of audio stream types and parameters in the domain attributes, when opening, empty VOB files can be deleted, the kill playback macro has been improved, PgcEdit_Preview has been updated to version 1.6, the seamless joint flag is cleared when a cell is reassigned or cleared and there are a lot of bugfixes.

Taiwan's own DVD replacement format FVD has been formally launched. Players and prerecorded content will be available starting next month. Content is probably going to be the biggest problem, because of Hollywood does not support a format, it has little chance of success. And so far, there's no indication of Hollywood embracing either FVD, or China's own EVD - the latter has received a rather lackluster reception.

Happy Easter :)

Scenaid 1.5 b45 (phew, that beats even BeSweet, previous record holder in number of betas before a new release) contains more BoV improvements, creates dummy audio files by delaycut, dummy video files for PAL content are created using the proper aspect ratio, dummy file creation is unique for each cell, the scene allocation routines have been improved to prevent .4 second errors in Scenarist and audio files with odd filenames are now supported. Furthermore, the asset removal is now working, as is the bitrate generation, and errors requiring user attention are now logged to a separate logscreen.

FilmShrink 0.3.1 fixes a memory leak and a couple of other problems.

Muxman 0.12e doesn't set the auto Letterbox and auto Pan&Scan in 4:3 mode and subs are not muxed as audio anymore when mpeg audio is used.

FilmShrink 0.3.0 has a more intelligent DVD analysis, allows visual crop adjustment, has an optimized encoding engine and contains some important bugfixes.

DGIndex 1.3.0 beta 5 fixes a bug in PMT parsing and changes the way AVS templates are handled, allowing the D2V filename to be replaced multiple times per script.

DVD Rebuilder 0.79's QLB matrix switch works again with QuEnc, the conversion to YV12 colorspace in the AviSynth script is interlacing aware, code has been added to prevent impossible Q values and backed up discs should have less problems with FF/RWD operations on certain DVD players.

Good news for our Canadian readers: their government is currently working on a reform of the copyright act, but it seems even though circumvention of copy protection mechanism will be made illegal, it'll apply only in the context of copyright infringement. So private copying of legitimately acquired content will stay legal. I expect violent resistant by the Canadian RIAA and MPAA counterpart, despite them getting levies on every blank media sold as compensation for private copies.

Auto Gordian Knot 2.01 beta supports RGB codecs for AVI input, supports setting of manual aspect ratios for AVI input, improves processing of 24fps AVI sources, improves duration detection of AVI input and has a new hidden option to force 1:1 PAR.

BatchEncodeM2V 00012b supports the batch enabled HC.

ImgToolBurn 1.1.9 beta doesn't write short lead outs on DVD-R media, and if the DVD-ROM booktype isn't set, the booktype setting will be left alone.

ProgDVB 4.50 has a new EPG module supporting unicode character sets.

Remember the story about TV episode downloads? A British TV station is now launching paid for content. But, it's DRM'ed stuff and pricey: £1.5 per episode, or about $3. Let's do a quick calculation: popular 1h (well, 4x minutes plus ads) shows often go over 20-24 episodes. And you can buy a disc set from a popular series like 24 for less than $50. So, that's a little over $2 per episode, and for that you get a boxed set, extras, a physical medium so that you can play it in any DVD player, plus thanks to DVD Decrypter and CO the option to make backup copies. Oh, and did I mention that 24 is actually popular? So, even though you get a lot less value for the dollar they expect you to pay more? I wouldn't be surprised if that idea isn't going to fly. Make it a buck per episode, no DRM and a popular series and we may be in business..

DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 can can set the read speed on AOpen 1648 DVD drives, only forces the creation of an MDS file if the target partition is FAT32 and a bunch of errors have been fixed.

Media Player Classic 6.4.8.4 allows turning off the remembering of playlist items, fixes shaders randomly disappearing from the menu, makes aspect ratio presets override the aspect ratio, the VMR9 renderless mode has been improved, along with the capture mode and the integrated webserver.

VCDEasy 3.0.0 supports long filenames and low case letters in the data part of a VCD, allows you to set a background color for the caption of MPEG stills, can make sure that captions do not overlap with the image, has an updated list of supported CD burners, the burning of image files is supported even in the trial version and there are a few minor tweaks as well.

Auto Gordian Knot 2.00 beta has preliminary support for AVI input and the DivX media format.

DGMPGDec 1.3.0 beta 4 allows you to exit the CLI mode by pressing escape, and fixes a few bugs.

VobBlanker 1.6.0.6 has an updated helpfile, allows the cells dialog to be resized, sets the break GOP flag when cutting titles (when needed) and fixes a couple of bugs.

HC is now batch capable. The new batch-enabled 0.12 still has the same engine, runs in a small window showing statistics and can be configured using either .ini files or the GUI parameters.

x264, most promising MPEG-4 AVC contender to NeroDigital, could use some more manpower, so don't by shy to volunteer if you are interested in working on an AVC codec. Nero has just hired away sysKin, long time XviD and recent x264 contributor and the guy who brought the long abandoned VfW frontend back to life and thus gave x264 quite a popularity boost. Nero has also approached akupenguin, the lead developer of x264. Considering how things worked out with DVD Shrink (if you've seen Recode the similarity to DVD Shrink is stunning, and that's because they are developed by the same guy), its doubtful that the new Nero employee(s) will be able to continue working on x264. Considering that ateme has developed the MPEG-4 video codecs for Nero so far, this latest move could signal that Nero is trying to build up that kind of know how on their own.

DVD Decrypter 3.5.3.0 can detect newer/different forms of structural ripping protection (AKA corrupt movies created by a greedy industry trying to strip you of your fair use rights), removes structure protection from IFO/BUP files, displays information of the layer use on dual layer discs, support for drives connected via Firewire has been improved, unchecks suspect cells automatically in IFO mode, supports more image input formats, and there is a lot more.

DVD Rebuilder 0.78 improves OPV prediction for CCE (I can't help but wonder where certain programs would be without that darned OPV mode that I find little use for), can set a maximum number of B-frames for QuEnc, detects different QuEnc versions, has some corrections in the still frame detection algorithm and fixes a bug which caused that the encoder window wouldn't be closed when you aborted the encoding process.

Zoom Player 4.10 beta 3 supports VMR9 renderless mode, CUE and Matroska XML chaptering, has smarter time navigation, an improved communication API, improved skinning and lots of bugfixes.

And here's another one for Apple to sabotage: PyMusic allows you to download DRM free songs from iTunes (you still need to pay for them though, but $0.99 without DRM is worth so much more than $0.99 with DRM).

Auto Gordian Knot 1.95 autocompletes the AVI filename in the save as dialog, keeps demuxed MPA tracks even after audio encoding, allows the minimum quality of credits to be set to 1%, can check for new stable versions only (as opposed to check for every new version) and has some minor GUI changes.

HDTVtoMPEG2 1.11 beta 3 comes without a changelog.

ProjectX 0.82.0.05b drops a GOP when it exceeds the maximum size for SD resolution, clears the private bit from audio data when the CRC is dropped and fixes a number of bugs.

BeLight 0.22 beta1 re-enables non AC3 input formats, the editable commandline is updated when settings are changed and some bugs from the alpha version have been fixed.

PgcEdit 0.5.1 beta 1 comes with the menu buttons editor and contains a bunch of bugfixes.

Here's one to piss off the movie industry: they sued a guy in France for having downloaded 500 movies but now an appeals court has ruled in favor of the defendant, finding him not guilty because he did not redistribute the movies, the movies were for private use only and there is a tax on blank media that goes directly to copyright owners.

DVD Rebuilder 0.77 should hit the target size more accurately in OPV mode, the disable interlaced/resize to half D1 and convert LB 4:3 to 16:9 options are saved, QuEnc 0.54 is recognized (it requires a different commandline) and it contains many bugfixes.

A small update on the 8x dual layer story: the final specs should by out by the end of next month and discs be available in the 2nd quarter.

The Blu-Ray camp got one more prominent member: Apple. And the Blu-Ray inventors are already working on 4 and 6 layer discs offering 100 and 150GB of storage space respectively. Sony is even working on an 8 layer, 200 GB medium.

NeroDigital on PDAs? Nero ShowTime Mobile is already available as a preview version for registered Nero users and it adds (HE)AAC and MPEG-4 video playback to PDAs. And while speaking of NeroDigital, it is making some more inroads into the standalone DVD player market with two players from Xoro adding NeroDigital support.

HDX4, one of the newcomers in my latest codec comparison, is now officially available.

The latest call for a reform in the US patent system comes from an unlikely source: Microsoft. Considering MS' patent filing practices and their support for software patents in Europe one has to wonder if this is just a short term reaction to the $565 Million decision in the Eolas case.

Last but not least, is it because they offer a more customer friendly alternative, or because they have no DRM that the RIAA is all over the online music services that give people more for their money than a DRM corsage? Russia's allofMP3 just barely escaped legal action recently, and now just a day after German online music service mp3shop4you was launched, they temporarily suspended sales and announced that they'll move to the "more secure" WMA format. I figure that means the DRM less times are over, and that the €0.79 retail price didn't really reap enough profits for the RIAA.

DGIndex 1.3.0 beta 3 fixes the M2V overwrite issue.

HC 0.12 fixes flashing colors in the lower video lines, and the movie not progressive AviSynth check has been removed.

Burning rewriteable and dual layer discs at speeds higher than 8x? While 8x dual layer drives are still a bit off, and discs a longer while off, the DVD+RW alliance is already thinking about higher burning speeds that might be available by the end of the year.

Now we know which audio codec DivXNetworks is going to use in their DivX media format: good old MP3, and the upcoming MP3 surround for multichannel audio.

On2's VP7 codec is out. There's no changelog, but obviously it's better than anything else (well, that's their marketing speak of course - you better trust your own eyes).

MyTheatre 3.25 supports DirectX Video Acceleration, can create graphs with requested filters, supports more remote controls, the timeshift buffer consumes less memory, there are new IVR HDTV modes and some bugs have been squashed as well.

PgcDemux 1.2.0.2 fixes a bunch of bugs.

BatchEncodeM2V 00011c alpha writes the ECL file header based on the product name for all CCE versions.

Muxman 0.12d fixes commandline parsing.

And yesterday was a sad day unless you hold stakes in a big software business: The European Council - that is the body which is composed of EU state ministers and thus its members often not directly elected by the people - has approved the software patent directive, despite the EU parliament - that's the body you can elect - earlier refusal to go for the directive and asking for a complete restart of the process.

FilmShrink is the DVDShrink of DVD to RealVideo compression. It even looks pretty similar so I suppose the similar name is no surprise.

BSPlayer 1.22 fixes the VMR9 renderless mode and problems on Win9x/ME (hmm, how can you fix a broken OS? ;)

BatchEncodeM2V 00011 alpha properly supports CCE 2.70.

NuMenu4u 2.0.5 has altered pulldown routines, the ECL file creation uses CCE 2.5 style if using Procoder to ensure maximum compatibility with EclPro, the audio track duration is no longer 1 frame short, cells labeled as dummies are no longer encoded, VOBs can be analyzed after demux to strip out unwanted material, PGC Pre/Post/Cell commands that do not reference any material will be replaced by a Nop and a few bugs have been taken care off as well.

PgcEdit 0.5.0 final is out. I've already mentioned changes in previous betas so I won't try to break down the changelog now, but it's a major update since it supports Button over Video. Follow the link for download locations and a full changelog.

Muxman 0.12c applies conversion rules in sst files and fixes the 16:9 display modes for stills.

If you're in the market for a lossless codec, the Moscow State University has its own offer: the MSU lossless video codec.

Good news for NEC DVD burner owners (at least the 35xx series): the next version of Nero CD/DVD speed will support PI/PIF scanning.

Last but not least, here's an invention we definitely don't need, and that reminds me of the alleged backward satanic verses on certain old rock records: subtle changes in audio files can convey a message not to pirate music. Of course, your player would have to support it. I'm sure people will rather stick to their existing, annoyance free players ;)

BatchEncode M2V 00010 alpha now supports HCENC and contains some GUI tweaks.

MenuShrink 1.0 has a slider to select still frames, has an option to skip /not skip buttonless cells, allows the user to define custom hotkeys, has a key to launch a software DVD player, has a new icon and an improved engine, marks error messages in red and contains some bugfixes as well.

BeLight 0.22 alpha 1 supports drag&drop, has a batch encoding mode, has a wizard to create 5.1 audio, commandline preview and editing have been separated, the design has been improved and some bugs have been corrected.

So it seems we've come to a similar situation in the DVD market as in the computer games market: content providers come up with a newer scheme to stop you from making copies (be they legitimate or not - keep in mind that it's usually legal to make backups of games and that due to copy protection schemes, many people will be screwed when their original CDs get damaged, and can only get a replacement for a hefty fee, or not at all). Both commercial "rip DVDs on the fly" applications, AnyDVD and DVD Region+CSS Free (could the name be any longer?) are available in a new version today. Perhaps with ARccOs and Co., DVD Ripper comparisons might actually begin to make sense again..

Grokster is currently getting some support in their fight against the RIAA from an unlikely source: artists. Grokster is also getting support from Intel, computing and communication industry associations and prominent CS professors.

And this is somewhat older but still interesting: Sony and Philips claim to hold patents on certain parts of Microsoft's WMV9 codec (AKA VC-9 AKA VC-1) and might just take legal action.

After a really long time, there's finally a new Media Player Classic release: version 6.4.8.3 comes with all the latest filters, supports the Dirac codec, comes with its own container - the Direct Show Media Format - and has a long list of other changes.

Is the RIAA keeping you from getting your favorite TV shows on DVD? It sounds incredible, I know, but it has happened before. The music industry is asking for high royalties that drive up prices of boxed sets. In fact, the 3rd season of the infamous "Married with Children" (you might not recognize the name but I'm sure you've heard of Al Bundy ;) was delayed and eventually had to be released with another title song, or it would've retailed for a much higher price.

Chinese consumer electronic makers refusal to pay DVD licensing fees (and suing the patent holders for discrimination), has had two effects so far: China has reaffirmed EVD as a national standard (but with higher player prices and a much lower selection of titles that's going to be tough), and the DVD patent pool has lowered the royalty rate for DVD players by 25% and for DVD discs by 10%.

Cuttermaran 1.63 can create chapterlists for IfoEdit, Scenarist, Maestro and CCE, writes DVD2AVI project files, shows the free space available on the target drive, allows you to change the temporary directory, allows previewing of cuts from the cutlist and fixes a couple of bugs.

Auto Gordian Knot 1.93 uses SSE2/3 optimized denoisers if the appropriate CPU is available, reduces possible XviD oversize, the minimum XviD quantizer is set to 1 if possible undersize is detected, encoding will be aborted if the first pass encoded a lot less frames than expected, DGIndex has been updated to the latest stable version and Colormatrix as well.

And as if reaping record profits and making a lot more money per song with online sales than CDs wasn't enough, the music industry is once again contemplating a price hike for online music services like iTunes. According to the Financial Times, Apple & Co. are not very pleased, and so will be customers who are already being overcharged and only get an underfeatured product (e.g. castrated by DRM).

Last month's news can be found here.