VideoTools - Video Processing Suite

What is VideoTools?

VideoTools is a professional-grade video processing application with a modern GUI. It specializes in creating DVD-compliant videos for authoring and distribution.

Project Status

This project is under active development, and many documented features are not yet implemented.

For a clear, up-to-date overview of what is complete, in progress, and planned, please see our Project Status Page. This document provides the most accurate reflection of the project's current state.

Key Features

DVD-NTSC & DVD-PAL Output

• Professional MPEG-2 encoding (720×480 @ 29.97fps for NTSC, 720×576 @ 25fps for PAL)
• AC-3 Dolby Digital audio (192 kbps, 48 kHz)
• DVDStyler compatible (no re-encoding warnings)
• PS2 compatible (PS2-safe bitrate limits)
• Region-free format (works worldwide)

Batch Processing

• Queue multiple videos
• Pause/resume jobs
• Real-time progress tracking
• Job history and persistence

Smart Features

• Automatic framerate conversion (23.976p, 24p, 30p, 60p, VFR → 29.97fps)
• Automatic audio resampling (any rate → 48 kHz)
• Aspect ratio preservation with intelligent handling
• Comprehensive validation with helpful warnings

Quick Start

Installation (One Command)

bash scripts/install.sh

The installer will build, install, and set up everything automatically with a guided wizard!

After installation:

source ~/.bashrc    # (or ~/.zshrc for zsh)
VideoTools

Alternative: Developer Setup

If you already have the repo cloned (dev workflow):

cd /path/to/VideoTools
bash scripts/build.sh
bash scripts/run.sh

For detailed installation options, troubleshooting, and platform-specific notes, see INSTALLATION.md. For upcoming work and priorities, see docs/ROADMAP.md.

How to Create a Professional DVD

1. Start VideoTools → VideoTools
2. Load a video → Drag & drop into Convert module
3. Select format → Choose "DVD-NTSC (MPEG-2)" or "DVD-PAL (MPEG-2)"
4. Choose aspect → Select 4:3 or 16:9
5. Name output → Enter filename (without .mpg)
6. Queue → Click "Add to Queue"
7. Encode → Click "View Queue" → "Start Queue"
8. Export → Use the .mpg file in DVDStyler

Output is professional quality, ready for:

• DVDStyler authoring (no re-encoding needed)
• DVD menu creation
• Burning to disc
• PS2 playback

Documentation

Getting Started:

• INSTALLATION.md - Comprehensive installation guide (read this first!)

For Users:

• BUILD_AND_RUN.md - How to build and run VideoTools
• DVD_USER_GUIDE.md - Complete guide to DVD encoding

For Developers:

• DVD_IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md - Technical specifications
• INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md - System architecture and integration
• QUEUE_SYSTEM_GUIDE.md - Queue system reference

Requirements

• Go 1.21+ (for building)
• FFmpeg (for video encoding)
• X11 or Wayland display server (for GUI)

System Architecture

VideoTools has a modular architecture:

• internal/convert/ - DVD and video encoding
• internal/queue/ - Job queue system
• internal/ui/ - User interface components
• internal/player/ - Media playback
• scripts/ - Build and run automation

Commands

Build & Run

# One-time setup
source scripts/alias.sh

# Run the application
VideoTools

# Force rebuild
VideoToolsRebuild

# Clean build artifacts
VideoToolsClean

Legacy (Direct commands)

# Build
go build -o VideoTools .

# Run
./VideoTools

# Run with debug logging
VIDEOTOOLS_DEBUG=1 ./VideoTools

# View logs
go run . logs

Troubleshooting

• See BUILD_AND_RUN.md for detailed troubleshooting
• Check videotools.log for detailed error messages
• Use VIDEOTOOLS_DEBUG=1 for verbose logging

Professional Use Cases

• Home video archival to physical media
• Professional DVD authoring workflows
• Multi-region video distribution
• Content preservation on optical media
• PS2 compatible video creation

Professional Quality Specifications

DVD-NTSC

• Resolution: 720 × 480 pixels
• Framerate: 29.97 fps (NTSC standard)
• Video: MPEG-2 codec, 6000 kbps
• Audio: AC-3 stereo, 192 kbps, 48 kHz
• Regions: USA, Canada, Japan, Australia

DVD-PAL

• Resolution: 720 × 576 pixels
• Framerate: 25.00 fps (PAL standard)
• Video: MPEG-2 codec, 8000 kbps
• Audio: AC-3 stereo, 192 kbps, 48 kHz
• Regions: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia

Getting Help

1. Read BUILD_AND_RUN.md for setup issues
2. Read DVD_USER_GUIDE.md for how-to questions
3. Check videotools.log for error details
4. Review documentation in project root