Preferences
Dr. DivX has enough bed-side manners to listen to what you like. There are several pages of preferences for you to pick from that control what the doctor decides to do by default. The following sub-sections will tell you all about the preferences.
General Preferences
When designers have a bunch of settings that they don't know what to do with, they create a General Preferences page. On this screen you'll find a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that doesn't necessarily go together but it's all important, nonetheless.
Start Encoding on Startup
Dr. DivX keeps a waiting room of encoding jobs in the batch queue even when the doctor is not running. You can exit Dr. DivX, restart it, and you'll find your files are still waiting in the queue.
Normally, the files just wait in the queue for you to manually kick off the encoding. However, if you check the Start Encoding on Startup option, Dr. DivX will automatically resume working on the queue as soon as the program starts.
Check for Updates
Dr. DivX may be good, but there's always room for improvements and there is a dedicated team working 'round the clock to make the doctor a more capable physician. By ticking the Check for Updates option, you will allow Dr. DivX to quietly and periodically ask the Dr. DivX website if a newer version of the doctor is available. If an improved doctor is waiting in the wings, Dr. DivX will prompt you to upgrade.
Dr. DivX will use the Internet to look for new versions of Dr. DivX, but only if the Check for Updates option has been selected.
Remove Working Folder
Sometimes Dr. DivX doesn't get to finish operating. There are a few different reasons why an operation may fail, but when it does, the doctor may leave some files behind in the temporary directory. If the Remove Working Folder option is checked, the doctor makes sure those temporary files are tossed out so they don't languish, wasting space. If you aren't a software developer and have no desire to become one, you probably want to check this option. The only reason to keep such files is for postmortem studies.
Dr. DivX will delete all working files in the temporary directory if a failure occurs and the Remove Working Folder option is checked.
Encode All Files To...
When Dr. DivX gives birth to a fledgling DivX video file, the newborn is gently deposited into the directory specified under Encode all files to. This is a setting you probably change. By default the target directory is well hidden. You may prefer to specify a custom location such as your DivX movie directory or your My Videos directory. You can also choose the Input Directory option if you want to keep the newborns with their parents.
Dr. DivX uses the Encode all files to Custom Location directory to store all newly encoded files. If the Input Directory option is selected, Dr. DivX will store each encoded file in the same directory as the input file that was used to create the DivX encoded file.
Plug-in Folder
No doctor works alone so Dr. DivX keeps a staff of helpers in the Plug-in Folder. If you think you know best, and you'd like to tell the doctor what to do, then write your own plug-in and plop it into the Plug-in Folder. This User Guide won't explain how to write a plug-in. You'll need to find a Developer Guide for that.
Dr. DivX looks in the Plug-in Folder directory for dynamic link library (DLL) files that extend the available features and functions.
Profiles Folder
Dr. DivX has a repertoire of standard DivX Certified Profiles for encoding files. Don't go looking for those profiles in the Profiles Folder directory. They aren't there. However, you can create custom profiles and those will indeed land in the Profiles Folder.
Dr. DivX uses the Plug-in Folder directory to store XML files which define the custom profiles of encoding settings.
Log Files
Since most doctors have horrible handwriting, Dr. DivX neatly types notes and stashes them in the Log Files directory. If something unexpected occurs while the doctor is working, you may find a few clues in the log files. Unfortunately, even though the logs are neatly typed, they mostly read like gibberish to the untrained eye.
Nonetheless, while Dr. DivX is encoding files, detailed progress reports are written to plain text files and stored in the directory designated for Log Files. Log files generally aren't more than a few hundred kilobytes but a string of errors can cause log files that are several megabytes.
Temp Directory
The doctor keeps doodads in a temporary directory. Don't get too excited about any of the treasures you find in the trash. There probably isn't anything useful in there. It's also unlikely that you need to change this directory. However, if you have multiple drives and you want to spread the trash around, the doctor lets you specify any temporary space you'd like.
While Dr. DivX is encoding files, some intermediate results are stored in the directory designated as the Temp Directory. Make sure there is plenty of space available in the temporary directory.
Language
Dr. DivX is full of buttons, menus and checkboxes. They all have labels. The Language option allows you to choose the dialect used by the doctor to speak to you. There are at least a dozen language options available and more will be added as new translations are completed. If you can translate the doctor's lingo to another language, step up and volunteer for the open source project. Anyone speak Klingon?
To change the language, select your preference using the drop down list, press the OK button, and then exit Dr. DivX. The next time you start the program; all the labels will appear in the language of your choice.
Audio-Video Options
Under the Audio-Video Options tab, you'll discover settings that have a lot more to do with video encoding quality than anything related to audio. If you aren't too disappointed, then read the next couple sections to learn more.
Audio-Video Default Output
When you start up Dr. DivX, a couple default settings take affect. For example, the Home Theater profile is selected and the quality is Balanced. If you are tired of always switching those to Handheld/Fastest or High Definition/Insane, then trod on over to the Audio-Video Default Output settings and choose the configuration you use the most. You can even choose from one of your custom profiles or limit the size of the output file. The next time the doctor begins to work; your choices will be the default settings.
Audio-Video Resolution
There is a warning next to the Resolution settings that attempts to scare you away from messing with them. You are probably wise to heed the warning and just leave the width and height settings at 16.
Maybe you are a scofflaw, bent on experimenting with everything. In that case, you should know that DivX (like most video compression algorithms) works its magic by dividing frames into macro blocks and then tracking the movements of those blocks from one frame to the next. The algorithm is optimized to deal with 16 by 16 pixel macro blocks. Theoretically, if you had a lot of small moving elements in a scene, you may get better quality compression by reducing the size of the blocks. For example, rain is always a difficult effect to encode well. There are lots of tiny blobs, all moving at high speed. Such a scene may benefit from using smaller macro blocks but in practice you are best advised to leave the resolution settings alone.
Watch Folders
Do you have a whole slew of files in a directory that need to be converted? Every time you plug in your digital camera does it automatically copy new movies to your computer? If so, you may find the Watch Folders feature very handy.
You can ask Dr. DivX to keep an eye on particular folders. If any new video files appear in that folder, the doctor will automatically queue them up for conversion.
To test it out, go to the Watch Folders tab in Preferences. Click on the + button to add a new folder. Dr. DivX will prompt you for a name, it doesn't matter what you choose, just make it something meaningful to you. Next, choose an input folder like My Videos. Then pick an encoding profile and quality setting. Finally, specify an output folder like DivX Movies.
On the left hand side, Dr. DivX will display a list of all the watch folders you created. You can individually activate or deactivate folders using the check box next to each folder name. The - button will delete folders. Make sure the folder you just added is checked then put a couple new video files into your watch folder and prepare to be amazed. The next time you look at the Batch page in Dr. DivX, you'll find all your new videos queued up, ready to be converted using your settings and then stored in your output folder.
The detailed descriptions of how Watch Folders work is rather complex. Much of it you'll figure out on your own, but you may notice some surprising things. For example, deleting a file from a watch folder will not remove it from the queue. It will just cause Dr. DivX to complain when the conversion starts. The doctor will mark it Failed and move on.
The filename and extension don't mean much to Dr. DivX. The doctor will test every file in the directory to determine what is a video file and what isn't. It doesn't matter if you put .avi or .txt on the end, Dr. DivX will find the videos and convert them.
Dr. DivX constantly monitors for new files to be added. If the doctor is running when you drop a new file into a watch folder, that file will immediately be added to the queue. If Dr. DivX is not running, it will catch the new addition the next time around.
Watch Folders can be very handy for automating conversions. For example, make a directory called For-Palmpilot and set it up as a watch folder using the Handheld profile. Then make a directory called For-Television and make it a Home Theater watch folder. Now when you want to convert a file for you TV, drop it into the For-Television folder. On the other hand, if you want to take the video with you, place it For-Palmpilot. Dr. DivX will automatically queue those files up for conversion using the correct profile and save you a lot of repetitive mouse clicks.