VirtualDub - Flashing lines on playback

[terrypin]

I opened an AVI (made by my usual FRAPS capture method from Google Earth) and used 'DivX 6.6.1 Codec (1 Logical CPU)' in VirtualDub to compress it considerably. But I get flashing white lines when VirtualDub plays the result.

Yet it plays OK in other players, like WMP, PowerDVD, VLC, etc.

Here's a short extract:
http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Images/DivXProblem.avi


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Terry, West Sussex, UK

[jagabo]

I didn't see any problems on my computer. I tried VirtualDub, VirtualDubMPEG2, and VirtualDubMod.

Do you see the lines if you single step through the video with the arrow keys? Do they persist (ie when you stop on the frame do the lines stay there) or do they just flash momentarily?

[terrypin]

Thanks jagabo, appreciate your trying it. No, when using the arrow keys I do not get the lines.

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

[jagabo]

I think you simply have a display issue. For some reason when VirtualDub is drawing the image to the desktop it it causing some kind of interference. It doesn't happen in media players because they use video overlay rather than writing to the desktop.

In Options -> Preferences -> Display are some options you can try. See if any of them gets rid of the problem.

Updated graphics drivers might help too.

[terrypin]

Thanks for the continued help. I tried changing my nvidia display driver from version 93.71 to 93.81 but it made no difference. Still got those white lines on the right on playback.

BTW, the user replying here http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?s=6d8379fd8c557ffb788bee74014d6b7c&act=ST&f=2&t...=0&#entry58735
reproduced these lines from my file. Yet you did not see them?

I tried various configurations of the DivX compression (multi-pass, increased bitrate), but still got the same white lines on playback.

Tried changing screen resolution and also refresh rate (85 Hz to 100 Hz), but no change.

I then tried arbitrary alternative compression options, such as Xvid and Cinepak, and these did not produce the lines.

Anyone have any idea why DivX should be causing this problem please? Can anyone reproduce the result from scratch, or starting with some large AVI, not necessarily a FRAPS type?

FWIW, this is what VirtualDub File Information says:

Frame size, fps (µs per frame) : 1024x604, 25.000 fps (40000 µS)

Length: 809 frames (0:32.36

Decompressor: DivX 6.6.1 Codec (1 Logical CPU)

Number of key frames: min/avg/max/total key frame size: 69333/73095/77918 (215K)

Min/avg/max/total delta frame size: 8/4736/19515 (3728K

Data rate: 998 kbps (0.48% overhead

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

[terrypin]

I should have made it clear that the above File Information was for the larger original file, from which I made the tiny extract I uploaded earlier.

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

[jagabo]

On the first computer i tried there were no problems playing the video. But I just tried on another and I saw the white lines. I was able get rid of them with:

Options -> Allow Video Overlay
Options -> Preferences -> Display -> Use DirectX for display panes -> Use DirectX Overlay Surfaces.

There's a also an option in the Divx playback settings called "Use Advanced Hardware Overlay". You might try fiddling with that too.

It looks like some kind of issue with Divx's decoding: I reencoded your Divx file as Xvid and had no problems on playback. Changing the fourcc in your file from divx/DX50 to xvid/XVID got rid of the problem (ie, using Xvid to decode the video rather than Divx). Changing the fourcc of my Xvid conversion from xvid/XVID to divx/DX50 showed the problem.

[terrypin]

Brilliant, thanks a lot jagabo.

I just tried repeating those options before repeating playback. Were they meant to be alternatives or did you have both set?

With just Options -> Allow Video Overlay checked, it played without the lines. Seemed a little darker/warmer? Have yet to test it on other non-DivX files, but what side-effects if any would you anticipate please? (99% of this is beyond me, but I'm happy to apply practical rules that work!)

Turning to the other one, it seems here in VirtualDub1.6.17 that I don' have a setting called Use DirectX Overlay Surfaces. In that window I see:

Display options
- Enable dithering for 16-bit displays
- Use DirectX for display panes [ALREADY CHECKED]
----Use DirectX when Terminal Services is active (may cause display corruption)
----Use Direct3D (requires DirectX 9)
----------Use effect fie: display.fx
----------Effect file support requires d3dx_25.dll (April 2005 or newer version of DirectX 9.0c runtime).
----Use OpenGL
----Avoid tearing (enable vsync)

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Terry, West Sussex, UK

[jagabo]

With just Options -> Allow Video Overlay checked, it played without the lines. Seemed a little darker/warmer?

Video Overlay can have separate controls from the Desktop. You may be able to adjust the brigntess and colors from the graphics card's setup applet.

Have yet to test it on other non-DivX files, but what side-effects if any would you anticipate please?

Using video overlay should make playback a little smoother since the graphics card is doing some of the work of displaying the video. This only effects the display while playing the video in VirtualDub. It has no effect on conversions.

Turning to the other one, it seems here in VirtualDub1.6.17 that I don' have a setting called Use DirectX Overlay Surfaces. In that window I see:

Display options
- Enable dithering for 16-bit displays
- Use DirectX for display panes [ALREADY CHECKED]
----Use DirectX when Terminal Services is active (may cause display corruption)
----Use Direct3D (requires DirectX 9)
----------Use effect fie: display.fx
----------Effect file support requires d3dx_25.dll (April 2005 or newer version of DirectX 9.0c runtime).
----Use OpenGL
----Avoid tearing (enable vsync)

I was using version 1.7.2. I had to enable both settings to get rid of the white lines. I see that older versions don't have the second option I gave. Just setting the first one is sufficient.

[terrypin]

Thanks for the follow-up jagabo. Much appreciate your help.

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Terry, West Sussex, UK