Support

Support

Get help with EncodeForge issues, troubleshooting, and frequently asked questions.

Getting Help

Documentation

• Wiki Pages - Check all wiki pages for detailed guides
• README - Overview and quick start
• Release Notes - What's new in each version

Community Support

• GitHub Issues - Report bugs and request features
• GitHub Discussions - Ask questions and get help
• Discord - Chat with community (if available)

Before Asking for Help

1. Check this troubleshooting guide
2. Search existing issues/discussions
3. Check logs for error messages
4. Provide detailed information:
   • OS and version
   • EncodeForge version
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Error messages/logs

Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

First Launch Setup Fails

Symptoms:

• Setup window closes unexpectedly
• Download hangs or fails
• "FFmpeg not found" error

Solutions:

1. Check internet connection
2. Ensure sufficient disk space (~500 MB)
3. Disable antivirus temporarily
4. Run as administrator
5. Check logs in: Tools → Open Logs Folder

FFmpeg Installation Failed

Solutions:

1. Manual installation:
   • Download from ffmpeg.org
   • Extract to folder
   • Set path in Settings
2. Using package manager:

   # Linux
   sudo apt install ffmpeg
   
   # macOS
   brew install ffmpeg
   
   # Windows
   winget install ffmpeg

Python Libraries Fail to Install

Solutions:

1. Check Python version (requires 3.8+):

   python --version

2. Update pip:

   python -m pip install --upgrade pip

3. Install requirements:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Encoding Issues

Encoding is Very Slow

Symptoms:

• Taking much longer than expected
• Using CPU instead of GPU

Solutions:

1. Check hardware acceleration enabled
2. Update GPU drivers
3. Verify FFmpeg build supports hardware encoders:

   ffmpeg -encoders | grep nvenc

4. Check GPU usage with monitoring tool

"No Hardware Encoder Found"

Symptoms:

• Error message about hardware encoders
• Falling back to software encoding

Solutions:

1. NVIDIA NVENC:
   • Requires GTX 600 series or newer
   • Update drivers to latest
   • Check GPU supports encoding
2. AMD AMF:
   • Only works on Windows
   • Requires recent AMD GPUs
   • Update drivers
3. Intel Quick Sync:
   • Requires 6th gen Intel or newer
   • Enable in BIOS
   • Install Intel drivers

Output File is Larger Than Input

Symptoms:

• Encoded file bigger than original
• Quality set too high

Solutions:

1. Increase CQ value (lower quality):
   • CQ 28-32 for smaller files
   • CQ 18-23 for high quality
2. Use preset p5-p7 (faster/larger)
3. Use hardware acceleration (better compression)
4. Consider stream copying if only changing container

Audio Out of Sync

Symptoms:

• Audio doesn't match video
• Gets worse over time

Solutions:

1. Re-encode audio instead of copying:
   • Settings → Audio Codec → "aac"
2. Check source file integrity
3. Try software encoder as fallback
4. Report bug with sample file

Subtitle Issues

Whisper Not Found

Symptoms:

• "Whisper not setup" error
• Cannot generate subtitles

Solutions:

1. Setup Whisper:
   • Tools → Setup AI Subtitles
   • Follow wizard
2. Check Python packages:

   pip install openai-whisper

3. Verify models downloaded:
   • Check settings/whisper-models/
   • Re-download if needed

No Subtitles Found

Symptoms:

• Search returns no results
• All providers fail

Solutions:

1. Check provider configuration:
   • Settings → Subtitle Providers
   • Verify API keys
2. Try different provider
3. Check file naming (match to database)
4. For anime, try anime-specific providers

Subtitles Out of Sync

Symptoms:

• Subtitles don't match audio
• Timing offset

Solutions:

1. Use Whisper for accurate timing
2. Adjust subtitle timing (WIP feature)
3. Try different subtitle file
4. Check source video integrity

Metadata/Renaming Issues

No Metadata Found

Symptoms:

• Cannot find metadata
• "No match" for files

Solutions:

1. Check file naming is readable
2. Try different provider
3. Verify API keys configured
4. Check provider status (some may be rate limited)
5. Manual correction for ambiguous names

Wrong Metadata Match

Symptoms:

• Wrong movie/show matched
• Incorrect season/episode

Solutions:

1. Preview before applying
2. Provide more specific filename
3. Try different provider
4. Manual correction needed

Files Not Renamed

Symptoms:

• "Apply Changes" does nothing
• Files stay same name

Solutions:

1. Check file permissions
2. Ensure files not in use
3. Close media players/editors
4. Check disk space
5. Run as administrator if needed

General Issues

Application Crashes

Symptoms:

• Application closes unexpectedly
• "Force quit" on macOS

Solutions:

1. Check logs:
   • Tools → Open Logs Folder
   • Look for errors
2. Update to latest version
3. Clear settings and restart
4. Report with crash logs

High Memory Usage

Symptoms:

• Slow performance
• "Out of memory" errors

Solutions:

1. Reduce batch size
2. Close other applications
3. Use lower quality presets
4. Increase system RAM
5. Process files individually

FFmpeg Errors

Common Errors:

"Permission denied"

• Run as administrator
• Check file permissions
• Verify paths

"No such file or directory"

• Check file exists
• Verify paths
• Use absolute paths

"Invalid argument"

• Check FFmpeg version
• Update FFmpeg
• Report bug with command

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: Is EncodeForge free? A: Yes, EncodeForge is open source and free under MIT license.

Q: Which platforms are supported? A: Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+, and Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+).

Q: Can I use EncodeForge commercially? A: Yes, MIT license allows commercial use.

Q: How much disk space do I need? A: ~250 MB for app + dependencies. AI models require 300 MB - 3 GB additional.

Encoding

Q: Which is faster: Hardware or software encoding? A: Hardware encoding (NVENC/AMF/QSV) is typically 5-10x faster than software.

Q: What's the best quality setting? A: CQ 18-23 with preset p3-p4 provides excellent quality. Adjust based on needs.

Q: Can I keep original files? A: Yes, disable "Delete Original" in settings.

Q: Does encoding reduce quality? A: Lossy encoding always reduces quality. Hardware encoders provide good quality at high speeds.

Subtitles

Q: Which Whisper model should I use? A: "base" for speed, "medium" for accuracy. "small" is a good balance.

Q: How accurate is Whisper? A: Very accurate for clear audio. Accuracy drops with poor audio quality or accents.

Q: Can I translate subtitles? A: Not yet. Future feature planned.

Q: Why aren't web providers working? A: Most scraper-based providers are broken due to website changes. Only OpenSubtitles API works currently.

Metadata

Q: Do I need API keys? A: Recommended but not required. Free providers work without keys.

Q: Which provider is best? A: TMDB for movies/TV, AniDB for anime. TVDB is also good for TV shows.

Q: Can I customize naming patterns? A: Yes, use the Pattern Editor for custom formats.

Q: Are backups created automatically? A: Enable "Create backup" checkbox in Metadata mode.

Development

Q: Can I contribute to EncodeForge? A: Yes! See Developer Guide for details.

Q: How do I report bugs? A: Create an issue on GitHub with details and logs.

Q: Can I request features? A: Yes, use GitHub Discussions or Issues.

Q: Is there a roadmap? A: Check GitHub Projects or Issues for planned features.

Logs

Viewing Logs

Desktop GUI:

• Tools → Open Logs Folder
• Tools → View Logs

Log Location:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\EncodeForge\logs\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/EncodeForge/logs/
• Linux: ~/.config/EncodeForge/logs/

Log Levels

• DEBUG - Detailed debugging info
• INFO - General information
• WARNING - Warnings
• ERROR - Errors

Exporting Logs

• Right-click logs → Export
• Share logs when reporting issues

System Information

Check System Info

Windows:

systeminfo

macOS:

system_profiler SPHardwareDataType

Linux:

lscpu

Check GPU Info

NVIDIA:

nvidia-smi

AMD:

lspci | grep VGA

Intel:

intel_gpu_top

Still Need Help?

Report Issue

Include:

1. OS and version
2. EncodeForge version
3. Steps to reproduce
4. Expected vs actual behavior
5. Logs/screenshots
6. System information

Contact

• GitHub Issues: Report Bug
• GitHub Discussions: Ask Question
• Email: support@encodeforge.org (if available)

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