CBC888 Posted January 8, 2013 at 06:36 PM Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 at 06:36 PM I am new to these forums, so I do not know if we are permitted to ask this question... Can anyone please tell me where I can find a copy of the 1997 ATV series "天長地久" (Fated Love) starring Amy Chan, Steve Ma and Carrie Ng (Cantonese version, with or without subtitles)? Even though I was born in Canada and don't speak too much Chinese, I watched this series back then and loved it. I was recently reminded of it and have been looking everywhere for this series, but no one seems to sell it or even rent it anymore because it is so old. I even contacted yesasia.com (http://www.yesasia.c...-0-en/info.html) who used to sell this, but they checked and said that the publisher does not produce this anymore. I also contacted Singapore Online Video Rental (http://videohub.sg/m...name=show_title) to see if they would be willing to sell me a used copy, but they said that the discs are damaged and no longer useable. Please... if anyone knows where I can find this series or someone who is willing to sell me their used copy, I would be more than willing to pay to have it shipped to me. (I know that it is posted on YouTube, but the quality is very bad...) Thank you in advance for all your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:23 AM Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:23 AM See if this is what you want -> http://www.56.com/w17/album-aid-9946913.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:36 AM Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:36 AM Thank you skylee for the quick reply... Yes, that is the right series and the quality is very good, but I am looking for the (original) version with Cantonese audio (unfortunately I do not understand Mandarin at all). Do you know where I might be able to find it in Cantonese? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:04 PM Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 at 01:04 PM The other name of the series is 情定上海灘, which is useful in searching for its videos. Try the links below. Not the best of quality, though. You should know that many videos on Chinese websites are blocked for viewing outside China, and one solution is to view them using chrome with this add-on installed. http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_3286403.html http://www.tudou.com/playlist/id7082965.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 9, 2013 at 06:37 PM Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 at 06:37 PM You're right - the quality is not that good... same as YouTube. Unfortunately, the only better quality versions that I can find online are NOT in Cantonese; and the series is so old that no one seems to have the DVDs anymore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 10, 2013 at 03:25 AM Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 at 03:25 AM Both links below actually have dual audio - Cantonese and Chinese. 天长地久（粤语） http://www.tudou.com/albumcover/w6ptfbQYgn0.html source from youku link below http://www.youku.com/show_page/id_zcbfb8bd0962411de83b1.html The video resolution is the same as the first link on 56.com that was posted by skylee earlier. 视频编码:AVC1 输入格式:AVC1(24 位) 输入尺寸:448 x 336(1.33:1) 输出格式:YV12(12 位) 输出尺寸:448 x 336(1.33:1) 帧率: 29.97 Hope this helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 10, 2013 at 03:43 AM Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 at 03:43 AM I didn't realize that! I will give it a try and let you know... Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 10, 2013 at 04:28 PM Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 at 04:28 PM Unfortunately, I am unable to access youku or tudou from here (Canada) - even with Chrome and the add-on. I tried a few other possible methods as well, but I am always blocked from viewing videos from these sites. I managed to download a portion of episode 1 by entering the youku link (that eslang provided) into another website that allows you to download videos from these sort of sites. However, the video turned out to be only 320x240 - which is the same as YouTube. Does anyone else have any other suggestions, or does anyone know of a friend who owns the Cantonese DVDs for this series and is interested in selling them to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 11, 2013 at 09:39 AM Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 at 09:39 AM Hello CBC888, I use Xmlbar Video Downloader v7.2 to download the flv files, then it has another program to combine all the flv files into one, and/or to convert the flv into other format type. http://www.xmlbar.net/soft.php?lang=chinese%20simplified If you still cannot download it with the above method, feel free to drop me a note later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 11, 2013 at 05:41 PM Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 at 05:41 PM Thank you eslang! Xmlbar Video Downloader works great! I am able to download the flv files at the full resolution of 448x336, which is pretty good (certainly better than what is available on YouTube). Three more questions: 1) Do you know how I can separate the dual audio channels? (Actually, it sounds like the Mandarin and Cantonese audio are separated as left and right.) 2) When I use Xmlbar Video Joiner to join the flv files, the total time of the merged video file is several minutes LESS than the original video on youku (and less than the combined times of the individual flv files when I add them up). Is this normal? 3) Since I cannot actually load these videos directly from youku (because I am not located in China), can you please tell me if 448x336 is the HIGHEST resolution available on youku? Xmlbar Video Downloader downloads videos at HD resolution only for VIP members... I was just wondering whether or not these videos are even offered at higher resolutions on youku? Thank you for all your patience and help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 12, 2013 at 04:14 PM Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 at 04:14 PM Hurray! That's great. 1) Do you know how I can separate the dual audio channels? (Actually, it sounds like the Mandarin and Cantonese audio are separated as left and right.) Whoever uploaded it had separate the audio files as left and right channels, which is really monaural (i.e. single-channel). Probably to keep the file size small for ease of uploading and/or downloading. Personally, I prefer to encode stereo sound with dual audio tracks though it will take up more time and the file size is also much bigger in bits & bytes. The audio codec is mp3 file with a bitrate about 128 kb/s. Technically speaking, either one of the audio files (Cantonese/Mandarin) can be removed with VirtualDubMod program and technical know-how to do it. If you are interested to learn more, there is Afterdawn or Videohelp which have tons of advice on how to do it. If you just want to listen to the Cantonese audio (which is on the left channel audio), may I suggest using Potplayer which allows the user to select which audio channel they wish to listen to, and it has user-friendly feature to sync/adjust the audio with the motion picture if it happens to be out-of-sync. Also, I find that the subtitles codec is better at handling Asian characters compared to VLC player, WMP, Real player, etc. http://www.softpedia...PotPlayer.shtml http://codecpack.co/.../PotPlayer.html http://www.videohelp...tools/PotPlayer What media player are you using at the moment? 2) When I use Xmlbar Video Joiner to join the flv files, the total time of the merged video file is several minutes LESS than the original video on youku (and less than the combined times of the individual flv files when I add them up). Is this normal? Yes, it is normal because of the lead/lag time when the whole file was split into several files. You can check if the whole file is complete by playing the merged video file. Where do you wish to view the video file eventually? On the PC, mobile device, ipad or TV? The flv file can be converted to other format type but there may be some loss of composition such as resolution and other stuff during the conversion process. 3) Since I cannot actually load these videos directly from youku (because I am not located in China), can you please tell me if 448x336 is the HIGHEST resolution available on youku? Xmlbar Video Downloader downloads videos at HD resolution only for VIP members... I was just wondering whether or not these videos are even offered at higher resolutions on youku? No, 448x336 is not the highest resolution available on youku, there are (准)高清 (HD ready) approx.1280X720 or (全)超高清 approx.1920X1080 (Full HD) which in fact depend on the uploader source. Only VIP members are allow to download them for a certain price. PPTV网络电视HD-最新电影、电视剧、动漫、综艺、体育直播、美剧 https://itunes.apple...d405667771?mt=8 Hopefully, the above reply have addressed your queries or concern. If you have other questions, just post it and I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 12, 2013 at 05:50 PM Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2013 at 05:50 PM Thank you for the suggestions... I am "semi-technical"; so I think that I should be able to use VirtualDubMod to take only the Cantonese audio (left) and duplicate it on the right. I may be viewing the video on several devices (from PC to iPad to TV); so I would rather ensure that the video and audio work independent of the device on which they are being played. In terms of the times, what you say seems to make sense in terms of the lead/lag time; but this does not seem to explain why the original video (as listed on youku) shows a different time. The time listed on youku for the original uploaded video matches the sum of the times of the individual flv files downloaded and generated using Xmlbar Video Downloader; but the time of the video generated using Xmlbar Video Joiner is a few minutes LESS?... (The joined video, however, seems complete - from what I can tell.) Yes, I realize that youku supports HD and Full HD videos. What I was wondering, however, is whether or not THIS particular series (天長地久) is offered at a HIGHER resolution (than 448x336) on youku? (i.e. Would I benefit from paying for a VIP account to have access to higher resolution video for this series?) Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 13, 2013 at 06:47 AM Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 at 06:47 AM Since you are "semi-technical", I think you should have no problem with using VirtualDubMod at all. There are 7 FLV files and after joining it, the main FLV file have a time length of 44:33 which is almost the same time length as youku 44:32 video for episode 1. How many minutes is your file? It indicated that 高清 is available on the youku link for THIS particular series. So, the answer is yes. http://www.youku.com/show_page/id_zcbfb8bd0962411de83b1.html (i.e. Would I benefit from paying for a VIP account to have access to higher resolution video for this series?) No idea whether it would benefit you or not to pay for a VIP account. Some people may think it is worth it while others might not find it worthwhile and too much of a hassle dealing with the signing up for membership & registration, the points system and buying points to attain VIP account, etc. Anyway, the FAQ links below are in Chinese: http://www.xmlbar.net/help-id-139.html http://www.xmlbar.net/help-id-70.html I don't have a VIP account so I cannot tell about the pros or cons.. Most of my Chinese friends staying in Japan were using either PPTV and/or Funshion to view HD videos from mainland China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 13, 2013 at 07:56 PM Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 at 07:56 PM I think you should have no problem with using VirtualDubMod at all. I noticed that even VirtualDub has an option to take a single audio channel and duplicate it on the other. (i.e. If I choose Audio - Full processing mode - Conversion - Channels: Left, it takes only the Cantonese audio from the left channel and duplicates it on the right.) Is this what you were referring to in VirtualDubMod? or is there a better technique available in VirtualDubMod? (The audio itself is not the greatest - I can hear a sort of hollow echo in the background at times - but it is quite acceptable for me!) There are 7 FLV files and after joining it, the main FLV file have a time length of 44:33 which is almost the same time length as youku 44:32 video for episode 1. How many minutes is your file? Sorry, my bad... I had trouble downloading the Xmlbar Video Downloader and Video Joiner directly from their website the other day and downloaded the executables elsewhere. It seems that they were different/earlier versions of these programs. I just installed the newest versions from the xmlbar.net website and now the resulting FLV file looks right (44:33). Before, I was getting 37:40.71 !?! It indicated that 高清 is available on the youku link for THIS particular series. So, the answer is yes. Great! Then I may try purchasing a (temporary) VIP account so that I can download this series at a higher resolution. I will let you know how it all turns out! Thank you again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 14, 2013 at 02:40 PM Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 at 02:40 PM (i.e. If I choose Audio - Full processing mode - Conversion - Channels: Left, it takes only the Cantonese audio from the left channel and duplicates it on the right.) Wrong. It does not duplicate it to the right channel. It means only the left channel (cantonese audio) will remain and the right channel (chinese audio) will be discarded. The left and right options convert a stereo stream to mono by discarding the unwanted channel. http://www.estadisti...conversion.html You can still select the left channel for the first run (so as to discard the right channel - chinese audio) and to encode with the video file into mono track, and save as (for example) "fated love track 1". For stereo-to-mono conversions, the two channels are summed at half amplitude ((l+r)/2). Then you run the above saved file "fated love track 1" again and this time, select Stereo -- For mono-to-stereo conversions, the single channel is replicated into the left and right outputs. (The audio itself is not the greatest - I can hear a sort of hollow echo in the background at times - but it is quite acceptable for me!) I think this "hollow echo" occurs at the open wide screen-shot and it is not so much in tight screen-shot, the reason could be that during the actual shooting or filming, the soundman uses the boom mic and unable to control the outdoor voice sound well. If it is quite acceptable, just keep it status quo. Good to know that you have the correct time-length file after joining the files into one FLV file. By the way, which file format did you convert the FLV file? The AVI format have 640 x 480... if this is acceptable, you may not have to purchase a (temporary) VIP account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 14, 2013 at 03:02 PM Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 at 03:02 PM Wrong. It does not duplicate it to the right channel. It means only the left channel (cantonese audio) will remain and the right channel (chinese audio) will be discarded. That's what I originally thought, but it "sounded" like the audio was coming from both left and right... Anyhow, the steps that you described make more sense. Does VirtualDubMod have a different/better method, or is it essentially the same? By the way, which file format did you convert the FLV file? The AVI format have 640 x 480... if this is acceptable, you may not have to purchase a (temporary) VIP account. I converted the FLV file to AVI so that it could be used by VirtualDub. I realize that this resulted in the original 448x336 FLV file being converted to 640x480, but I believe that this involved enlarging/resizing... I am not (cannot) really getting better quality than the original video from which it was converted. I do not mind paying a bit for a temporary VIP account if it gives me access to higher resolution source video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 15, 2013 at 05:02 AM Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 at 05:02 AM Does VirtualDubMod have a different/better method, or is it essentially the same? There are different methods using VirtualDubMod. http://forum.videohe...ht-side#1811039 Or if you are adventurous and would like to experiment around with other softwares. http://www.ehow.com/...ereo-sound.html http://forums.suppor...-monaural-mono/ http://avi.software....stereo-to-mono/ I do not mind paying a bit for a temporary VIP account if it gives me access to higher resolution source video. Sure, it's up to you to decide. Let us know how it all turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 15, 2013 at 03:52 PM Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 at 03:52 PM There are different methods using VirtualDubMod. I tried with VirtualDub, VirtualDubMod and ffmpeg. They all seem to do the job; however... I realized that while the "majority" of the Cantonese and Mandarin audio is separated by channel (left/right), you can STILL hear the OTHER language on EACH of the individual audio channels! For instance, no matter what method I use to remove the right audio channel (Mandarin) and duplicate the left channel on the right, I can still hear the Mandarin audio echoing softy in the background, even though the Cantonese audio is (obviously) louder and predominant. I don't think there is any way to remove this faint echo, is there?... I managed to download all 41 episodes last night at the higher resolution. It is only 576x432, but an improvement from 448x336... and I paid only $2.99 USD for a one month VIP account. The "higher resolution" video is actually MP4, which saves me the time and work to convert the video. The audio can be taken care of using ffmpeg. Would you happen to know whether or not the Xmlbar VIP accounts are AUTOMATICALLY renewed (in my case, after a month)? Would I need to contact them to request that they NOT renew? Also, is there any compelling reason to use Xmlbar Video Joiner to join the files back together? My understanding is that youku videos are inherently split into 7 minute segments... it is NOT Xmlbar Video Downloader that is doing this. Therefore, there is no real advantage in using Xmlbar Video Joiner. The reason I ask is because it ran relatively fast with the standard resolution FLV files, but it took 3.5 hours last night to join the seven segments for just ONE episode/chapter in MP4 (higher resolution) format!?! I believe that the Joiner program is decoding and re-encoding the video, even though the input and output formats are the same. There are other (MP4) joining utilities available which do NOT reencode the video but essentially just concatenate the file segments together... Would these not work equally well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eslang Posted January 16, 2013 at 07:22 AM Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 at 07:22 AM I don't think there is any way to remove this faint echo, is there?... I doubt there is other method to remove this faint echo as the right channel with mandarin sound was originally encoded onto the same audio track. Perhaps the other technical forums like doom9, afterdawn or videohelp may have specialists/experts who are able to offer some solution. I managed to download all 41 episodes last night at the higher resolution. It is only 576x432, but an improvement from 448x336... and I paid only $2.99 USD for a one month VIP account. ... Would you happen to know whether or not the Xmlbar VIP accounts are AUTOMATICALLY renewed (in my case, after a month)? Would I need to contact them to request that they NOT renew? Hmm... the higher resolution is only 576x432, not exactly HD standard (in my opinion)... but the mpeg4 video is definitely much better than flv format. I don't know if it is AUTOMATICALLY renewal for one-month since I don't have an account with them. Just in case, do contact them about 2-3 days before the month's renewal date to indicate that NO RENEWAL is required. Also, is there any compelling reason to use Xmlbar Video Joiner to join the files back together? Not necessary. You can use other video joiner software to merge the MP4 files together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBC888 Posted January 17, 2013 at 02:16 AM Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 at 02:16 AM I finished processing the 41 episodes and isolating the Cantonese audio (as best I could). I am fairly pleased with the results. Unfortunately, for some reason episode 33 was only available (on youku) in 320x240 FLV format - no higher resolution and no MP4 available. The quality, in my opinion, is still better than what is available on YouTube. However, this version on youku has ONLY the Mandarin audio (on both channels)! Therefore, I plan to take the youku VIDEO but the YouTube Cantonese AUDIO to create my "own" version. Thank you again for all your time, suggestions and help! I really did not expect to receive so much assistance with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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