Hello everyone,

Would be great if Ashy or Minion has a minute to offer some advice on this!

I have a VERY high quality AVI file I am trying to encode for authoring to DVD, which contains several high motion scenes. I have just started using CQ encoding, have been using 2-pass VBR for about a year now.

However, I am running into a little trouble. TMPGEnc Plus does not seem to be enforcing the max bitrate I specify "very hard" with CQ encoding. Perhaps because I have the quality slider up to 100%. (?)

With an audio track of 448kbps bitrate, my theoretical max for video is 9341kbps.

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My problem is two-fold - TMPGEnc+ isn't keeping the bitrate below 9341 with 9341 set as max (it spikes up as high as 12000!), so the test DVD's with the audio track present stutter on the high motion scenes, presumably due to exceeding bitrate limit - this happens on encodes with 9341 set as max, and I think also with 9000. One encoding pass I made with 8000 set as the max DID keep the bitrates from spiking above 9300-9500 in the high motion parts of the video, and no stutter occurs. But then there are a lot of macro blocks visible in the high-motion scenes.

I have been using DVDLab 1.3.1's Bitrate Viewer to parse the encoded .m2v streams, as a sort of benchmark way to see where bitrates are getting too high. It's odd that it reports a "peak" lower than many of the spikes you can hover over in the graph and see what the bitrate is at that point.

I do have the Soften block noise option enabled in the GOP structure tab, with the default 35/35 set. If I understand the purpose of this option, it smooths macro blocks when the bitrate is right at the limit.

I've also been manipulating the GOP structure in attempt to keep the quality high - although I've normally used 1/4/1 or 1/5/2, the overall quality of the encoded video was a LOT higher with GOP sizes like 1/4/0, 1/2/1, 1/2/0, and 1/1/1. (I did also try 1/14/0 and 1/8/0 but didn't like the grainy/noisy effects). 1/2/0 was really high quality but searching the dvd (FF/REW) looked really bad. 1/1/1 is what I'm using now. I didn't want to use any b-frames but it does seem to make a big difference "searching". It seems to be counteracted by having an I-frame every 4 frames, the quality stays up really high.

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Maybe I am just going about this wrong - if I have the CQ slider at 100%, is it forcing TMPGEnc to exceed the max bitrate I have specified?

Typically the encode projects have had settings like this:

GOP size: 1/1/1 (0 picture spoilage for both P and B frames)
Scene Detect: OFF (not really needed since we will get an I-frame every 4 frames anyway)
closed GOP: no
Output interval of seq header: 1
max GOP size: 18 (though at 1/1/1 this is moot)

High (or highest) quality motion search precision

CQ encoding, 4000 minimum, 8000 max, 100% quality. Padding disabled.
Default quantize matrix (not the MPEG standard)

============

Since I obviously need to keep the max bitrate set to as close to the max as possible for best high-motion performance (8000 isn't enough!), would reducing the CQ level below 100% and keeping the max bitrate at 9000 or 9341 allow me to control those spikes/peaks (keep them at or below 9341), preserving the quality of the high-motion scenes? Or would doing that (reducing CQ level below 100%) just generally reduce the encoding quality across the board (maybe this could be counteracted by raising the minimum bitrate, for benefit of normal parts of the video).

In a nutshell, is there any way to make TMPGEnc+ ENFORCE the max bitrate you specify when doing CQ encoding?



Thanks for any tips or advice that anyone can offer.

Vinnie
Registered TMPGEnc Plus 2.5 user

Or could it be that because I am using such a small GOP structure (1/1/1), that the high frequency of I-frames is a big part of why the bitrate is so high? Using 1/2/1 would reduce the bitrate some, wouldn't it? (and not affect quality too bad).

I think I was also trying to reduce the GOP structure in attempt to get the file size up. Having such a high quality source it just didn't seem right that the encoded m2v files were coming out around 3200-3400MB with larger GOP sizes. It just struck me that somewhere, quality is being lost. (the "all I-frames" xfer from source I did for frame searching, for scene cut and audio matching purposes came out to around 5300MB).

'tanks!
vinnie

Alright well I guess I'm just talking to myself out loud here.

Turns out that 9000 was OK as a max bitrate, I must have just gotten a bad test burn on that one where it stuttered. Either that or my memory failed and I had actually watched a test burn of one with 9341 as the max bitrate and that little bit was enough to cause a bitrate overflow to the VBV buffer during the high-motion scenes/bitrate spikes.

Also as it turns out there was some block noise in the source video during these high-motion scenes.

At any rate, solved my own problem. I also raised the minimum bitrate up to just about 250kbps below the (2-pass VBR-type) calculated avg. bitrate (up to 5600 from 4000) and that improved quality in the darker/low-motion scenes as well.

cheers,
vinnie

Alright well I guess I'm just talking to myself out loud here.

Turns out that 9000 was OK as a max bitrate, I must have just gotten a bad test burn on that one where it stuttered. Either that or my memory failed and I had actually watched a test burn of one with 9341 as the max bitrate and that little bit was enough to cause a bitrate overflow to the VBV buffer during the high-motion scenes/bitrate spikes.

Also as it turns out there was some block noise in the source video during these high-motion scenes.

At any rate, solved my own problem. I also raised the minimum bitrate up to just about 250kbps below the (2-pass VBR-type) calculated avg. bitrate (up to 5600 from 4000) and that improved quality in the darker/low-motion scenes as well.

cheers,
vinnie

I am trying to compress a DV avi file i have and everytime i try the video comes out as nothing but black screen. What is going on?

Anyone? I'm having the same problem, using a DV-sourced AVI file and trying to generate a VCD-compliant MPEG1 file. I've done this dozens of times before, but this time it doesn't work. Note one major change to my system: I recently upgraded to Windows XP, and did a fresh install of TMPGEnc.

Any clues? The MPEG1 encodes are superfast, but all frames of video are black.

M

OK, I found the solution on another message board. This worked for me:

Try this ...Go to "Options" to "Enviromental settings" to "Vfapi Plugins" and raise the Priority of the "Direct Show Multi-media File Reader" to "2", This should Make it so there is an Image the next time you encode the File...If you do not see any Video in the TMPGEnc Preview Screen which encodeing then there will not be any Video in the Mpeg file....Cheers

When I choose an avi file (the video file) for encoding in TMPEGEnc, TMPEGEnc tells me that the file cannot open or is unsupported. I find that kind of bizarre because the problems I usually have are with opening the audio part (haven't that problem solved either up to now, so if anyone can help me there, thanks in advance). Can anyone help me?

Dodie...I am experiencing the exact same problem! I've never had this before. Does anyone have an answer?

I've corrected my problem. What os are you using? Fortunately I'm using XP and I can restore to an earlier time. I had cleaned up my hardrive earlier this month by removing software that I no longer used. I must have removed a file that is shared by TMPGenc. Restoring my computer to March 1 solved the problem.

hi all

i captured a movie in 3450000 bps (3x VCD). TMPGEnc says that it
has 167332 frames. then TMPGEnc says that the video only file
(.m1v) has 167158 frames and the audio only file (.mp2) has 167309
frames.
i re-encoded the movie by using TMPGEnc, VCD PAL settings (same as
source). it produces an mpg file with 167332 frames which its
video has 167332 frames and its audio has 167327 frames. please
describe what all of this mean.

maybe the original mpg file has some frames which is not
recognized by TMPGEnc and it removes them when it splits the
movie? both video frames and audio frames?

how the video file gets 167332 frames long while the original one
has had only 167158 frames? maybe TMPGEnc doesn't omit
unrecognized frames when re-encodes the movie while it does when
splits it? if so why the audio file has lost 5 frames?

what can i do to make the original video and audio files the same
frames long?

there's an option in TMPGEnc which says that "Do not frame rate
conversion". i expect when i use this option, TMPGEnc don't
convert frame rate even if it differs from standard. for example
my video is not exactly 25fps during the movie because of frame
lost. i want TMPGEnc just reduce bitrate and doesn't change
anything else, otherwise video and audio get out of sync and since
this is not gradual lose of frames i can't correct it later by
using a sound editor or anything else. the only way is that
TMPGEnc doesn't change it.
what can i do? do u know a workaround?
do u know any utility to do such a function for me?

thank u

I have recently converted a bunch of AVI's to MPEG2 using TMPGenc and when I view these in AVICodec the Audio column (a.1 codec name) says "Unknown [0xc0]". They play all right in Windows Media Player....!!

The Avi's I converted to MPG2 using other app's are listed in AVICodec as "MPEG-1 Audio Layer 2 [0xc0]".

What's up with that...? Is there a setting I should check in TMPGenc before I 'Output to File - MPEG'

Thanks in advance.

Hi!

I have a defective VCD(mpeg1) and I want to cut the defective part out, but TMPG cannot go through the defective part.
Every cut before the defective part works fine, but I can't make any cut after the defective part.
Someone can help?

Thanx!

jus

There is a program called MME.EXE which is located inside a folder of an MPEG2 codec for TMPG.
You can download the codec below and the program is inside.
If that doesn't work then MPEG2VCR should work as it's quite tolerant to defective MPEGs.
http://www.marumo.ne.jp/mpeg2/

Hi all,

I'm having troubles converting an AVI file to an mpeg-1 file.

I want to convert an 357MB (512x354) AVI file to an +/- 450MB (352x288) MPEG-1 file.

When I'm using the wizard I select the VideoCD and then next until the page with the file size. The file always ends up 1GB or more. What am I doing wrong?

Can someone give me a tip on how to convert the file correctly to an 450MB MPEG-1 or VCD file.

Tnx in advance.

You need to set the stream type to 'MPEG1 VCD (non standard)'

Hi all,

I'm having troubles converting an AVI file to an mpeg-1 file.

I want to convert an 357MB (512x354) AVI file to an +/- 450MB (352x288) MPEG-1 file.

When I'm using the wizard I select the VideoCD and then next until the page with the file size. The file always ends up 1GB or more. What am I doing wrong?

Can someone give me a tip on how to convert the file correctly to an 450MB MPEG-1 or VCD file.

Tnx in advance.

Hi..
I think this strange rquest but it is important for me.
I'm looking for any problem in the [TMPGEnc] or some thing that needs to be improved.
It is only for my study I need to write a project Ideas that will help me in my Proposal and because I use the [TMPGEnc] for about 1 year it will be easy for me to talk about in the Proposal
so please help me give any problem, any problem, that can I write about in my Proposal.

yea i have a problem with tmpge's.......bbs

people asking strange requests

hope this helps

;)

Hi there, Please point me to a place that has a file or a method that will stop all of DVD Author's endless/useless/incorrect "DVD Parameter" errors. There is nothing stopping my three set-top DVD's from playing SVCDs loaded onto DVD media EXCEPT for the fact that DVD Author refuses to do so. As it stands, I must dump them into Nero and play them like MP3s, rilley sad.

Warnings are fine, but what in the world was the good of "fatal error that DVD Author cannot ignore". Is this of benefit to ANYONE? Why not like every other error, just ask the user are they sure they want to continue?

Please eliminate all instances of "fatal error" with regard to DVD parameters, so that I can use this program.

Thanx for allowing me to vent.

carpe` cervesi
knf

I didn't notice anything in TMPGEnc 2.521's free version concerning SECAM television systems; but I did see NTSC and PAL television systems listed within it. I know that PAL and SECAM are similar in some respects, but not the same. So what does one do in the process of encoding a .avi file in TMPGEnc to a .mpg file with the goal of preparing a video Compact Disc (CD)? In TMPGEnc should one just treat SECAM as PAL? Likewise VCDEasy 1.1.5.2, a program which can be use to author the .mpg file outputted by TMPGEnc to make a VCD, only has NTSC and PAL options, but no SECAM options that I found in it. Should the SECAM preparation be treated as a PAL preparation in VCDEasy 1.1.5.2? If SECAM is supposed to be treated as PAL in TMPGEnc and VCDEasy, is it the video player's task to generate output for a SECAM television system? If so, does the human being operating the video player have to push a button or something for the player to output video signals compatible with a SECAM television system? Or is the video player supposed to automatically sense the type of television system used in a television? If in the whole process of generating a VCD the SECAM specification is not introduced somehow until the playing of the video CD, I suppose this means that in order to play a video CD on a television using the SECAM system, one must have a video player that will generate SECAM video signals. If so, are such players common? (You are welcome to correct any mistaken assumptions of mine. Please do not be offended by this request. But since I am not likely to know you or your experience, expertise, and knowledge in these areas, please write something about your levels of expertise, experience, and/or knowledge so that I can make a decision on the reliability of the information you provide. Thanks.)

As far as I know a SECAM VCD, SVCD or DVD is essentially the same as the PAL version.

SECAM shares the same resolution and frame rate as it's PAL counter part. The only difference being the way it handles the colour signal.
Seeing as a VCD only stores frames as digital data the color signal method is not a factor as this will be produced in the correct format by the DVD player.

However there are no commercial SECAM DVD's or VCD's all DVD's or VCD's are produced in either PAL or NTSC format only.
All newer SECAM format T.V.'s also support PAL as standard, so as to be compatible with todays external equipment such as DVD players. The only reason you would need a DVD player with SECAM output is if the TV was an older SECAM only TV.

This is why you will not find any encoding software that has SECAM support as it is not an issue as for as digital media is concerned.
SECAM is basically treated as PAL as far as digital production goes.

I'm not going to explain why you should accept my explanation either. If you need to know on what basis I have made this post and the extent of my knowledge as far as video production is concerned then do a search for 'ashy' on this board and you will see many of my other posts I have made over the long time I have used this board.

It is up to you to verify the information I have given you above. It is all there on the net if you look.

Thanks very much, Ashy, for kindly taking the time to reply to my posting!

first time poster!

i'm using version 2.52 on a new pc (win xp p4 3.00ghz 512mb ram). basically, everytime i attempt to browse to a file that i want to convert, TMPGEnc crashes.

if the file i want to convert is immediately viewable in the browser window when i open it, i can click on it and there's no problem with the rest of the conversion process.

however, if i need to resize the browser window or have to use the scroll bar in order to locate it, TMPGEnc crashes every time!

is anyone else having this problem?

btw, apart from this i've nothing but praise for the authors of TMPGEnc.

keep up the good work! ;-)