Sound dropout when using TMPGenc

[WeBe]

Does anyone recognize this problem:

When I capture video, analogue or digital, everything is perfect. Never any frames dropped. For capturing I use Amcap with huffyuv (analogue) or Microsoft DV AVI (digital).

When I've finished working on my video with Premiere (6.02), I render to disk in Microsoft AVI format, using the huffyuv codec. Till so far, no problems with sound.

When I convert AVI to MPEG (1 or 2, makes no difference) with TMPGenc before burning a VCD or DVD, I always get a short dropout in sound when the video is at 90-95%. Doesn't matter if the video is a few minutes or an hour, it's always there on the end.

Using several settings in TMPGenc I can influence the duration of the dropout, but the best I can do is a dropout of a fraction of a second. But enough to hear it, and it's very annoying.

When I made VCDs of my VHS-videos, I could live with this, but since I can make DVDs from my DV-camera, I want the sound also to be perfect.

I want to convert to MPEG2 before burning, because I can save these files as data in case something happens to my DVD.

Can anyone help?

Wim.

[DJRumpy]

I ran into a simular problem when using TMPGenc to split MPEG video. It would continue to play the video stream, even after the point I selected to split it. The audio would drop out. I wonder if yours is a similar problem? You didn't mention if your video is a 1CD set, or if it spans multiple CD's. The problem appears to be due to the fact that the split point is not on a key frame. I wonder if closing all GOP's, or pre-keying an I-Frame at the split point would help resolve it? I finally got a DVD burner, so the problem became somewhat mute.

[WeBe]

Thx for your answer.

My videos are allways a 1 CD (or 1 DVD) set, so I don't use splitting.

I forgot to mention that I allways convert to MPEG including sound (the setting MPEG layer II audio).

I'm going to experiment using a different DV AVI-codec and see what I can do with Avisynth frameserver. Perhaps this will solve my problem and it would be quicker because I don't have to render to AVI first.

In the meantime I've rendered my video to Microsoft DV AVI and imported it directly into Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2. The quality of the picture is very good and there are no gaps in sound.

Still want to convert to MPEG though, so I also can save the video as data in case something happens to my DVD.

Wim.

[DJRumpy]

If your authoring to DVD, I would suggest you leave your audio demuxed until you import it into your authoring program. TMPGenc seems kind of flakey when it comes to multiplexing. Let your DVD authoring software handle the job. If your going to VCD, you could always try muxing with bbMPEG.

[WeBe]

Thx, I will give it a try. Let you know.

I'm done making VCDs. I digitized over 22 years of VHS home videos on 31 VCDs. Hell of a job, but it brought back many old memories. 8)

Bought a DV-cam in november last year and now I've bought a NEC nd-1100a DVD+ burner. Burned several DVD+RWs with it, without any problems so far.

Wim.

[WeBe]

Seems like my problem is solved now!

I rendered to Microsoft AVI, using the huffyuv codec, which probably caused the problem.

Now I've rendered to Microsoft DV AVI, but TMPGenc doesn't support that. With the Canopus DV-converter I did a conversion to Microsoft DV (AVI2), which can be processed by TMPGenc. Now I get a MPEG2 without any sound problems (and without demuxing).

I also installed the Canopus DV-codec on my system, but Premiere 6.02 refuses to show this codec, so I can't use it directly. See if I can find out how to fix this, so I can skip an extra step.

With Avisynth frameserving it would be possible to render 'directley' to MPEG? Still enough to find out...

Thx for your help.

Wim.

[DJRumpy]

I've never tried it, but you should be able to. It's an easy fix.

[WeBe]

Want to add an update.

I've now captured new scenes from my DV-cam. Used Scenalyzer Live with automatic scenedetection while reading the DV-tape. Absolute timesaver!

When I author my video with Premiere 6.02 and render it to DV-AVI, TMPGenc now reads it without any problems!

Don't know why it didn't at first. Perhaps some setting in Premiere.

Wim.