StudioConverter 1.0.0, PC version
Batch video compressor and audio/video converter
(c) Jeff A Pierson. jeffapierson.com

WHAT IT IS
StudioConverter compresses and converts video and audio in batches using FFmpeg on your PC.
It opens in your web browser at http://127.0.0.1:8740 . Only this PC can reach it, and your
files never leave the PC. The same screen also runs online at
https://jeffapierson.com/journal_tools/studioconverter/ (slower, in the browser).

INSTALL
1. Unzip this folder.
2. Double-click install.cmd. It:
   - installs FFmpeg (Gyan.FFmpeg) and uv with winget if they are missing,
   - copies StudioConverter to %USERPROFILE%\StudioConverter,
   - sets up a private Python 3.11 there (.venv),
   - adds "StudioConverter" to the Start menu and the desktop.
   It never deletes anything. A reinstall keeps your data folder and saves the old
   server.py as server_backup_<date>.py.
3. Open StudioConverter from the Start menu or desktop.

USING IT
Pick a tab (Compress video, Convert video, Convert audio, Extract audio, Change container),
add files or a folder, choose settings or a preset, press Start. Help is on the page.

SAFETY RULES BUILT IN
- Nothing runs until you press Start. Presets only fill in settings.
- Existing files are never replaced; a number is added to the new name.
- While a file is being written it is named "... .partial.ext". It gets its real name after
  it passes the checks. If a job fails or is cancelled the partial file is left in place
  and its path is shown, so you decide whether to delete it.
- Nothing is ever deleted by StudioConverter.

FILES
server.py            the engine (Python, standard library only)
web\                 the page
data\                settings, log (studioconverter.log), unfinished-batch record (queue.json)
data\work\           two-pass log files (small, safe to delete by hand)
data\config.json     optional: {"ffmpeg": "C:\\path\\ffmpeg.exe", "ffprobe": "C:\\path\\ffprobe.exe"}

STOPPING IT
The engine keeps running after you close the browser tab. Use "Stop PC engine" at the top
right of the page, or end "pythonw.exe" in Task Manager.

FFmpeg is free software (LGPL/GPL) by the FFmpeg developers and is installed separately.
