Encoding More than 1 AVI into MPEG-2 with CCE?

[Jeomite]

Hi,
I got a slight problem. CCE supports encoding multiple AVI files into one MPEG-1/MPEG-2. But it always crashes on me on the second file (after the first AVI has been encoded). I have 6 AVI files and I want to encode them into one MPEG-2 file. These 6 AVI files are frameserved with VirtualDub (using filters and such also). The first AVI file has 6798 frames. When trying to encode the 6 AVI files into one MPEG-2 file with CCE, it crashes right after the 6798th frame. Any ideas?

Some miscellous information you might want to know:
- I'm not encoding audio.
- MPEG-2 Encode @ CBR 2255kbit.
- Using Windows XP Pro, VirtualDub 1.4.7, & CCE v2.50.

[Shabubu]

I frameserve with avisynth (videotools.net) and don't get a crash. Try disabling the audio in CCE as it doesn't handle it well.

[Jeomite]

Yes, I disabled audio when encoding in CCE.
I would try avisynth, but I need to use VirtualDub because I use VDub filters while frameserving (otherwise I could simply encode the AVI without any sort of frameserving.)

I did try (to test) encode more 2 small AVI (without frameserving) and it also gave me an different error. It didn't crash like before. Before when frameserving, it crashed and the Windows XP Crash Dialog came up telling me CCE crashed. But this time, it CCE crashed only with an error, no Windows XP Crash Dialog. Any ideas?

[Jeomite]

Has anyone successfully encoded ONE MPEG-2 file in CCE using more than one AVI file?

[Shabubu]

The virtualdub filters are compatable with avisynth, and the built in filters are pretty good, viedotools.net has the manual. Try installing multiple copies of virtualdub to different directories (installing the framserver for each copy).

[Truman]

I did that with Avisynth
SegmentedAVISource("..\...avi&quot

Avisynth offers a lot of usefull filters, but if you want to stay with VirtualDub filters, you can load VirtualDub filters as well with the command:
LoadVirtualDubPlugin

I will try it with VirtualDub soon.
Just curious, what did you try to encode 2 avis to 1 mpg without frameserving? If I add 2 avis to the encoder list, I will end with 2 mpg files. If I do not use different mpg filenames, the previous one will get overwritten, at least if I have selected CBR. In VBR mode probably I would get an CRC check error or CCE would get confused completely because it will try to encode 2 different avi files on the base of the same .vaf file.

[Truman]

One more question, did you frameserve segmented avi files with VirtualDub to CCE (file.00.avi, file.01.avi etc.)?
Or did you just open the first avi and then append a avi segment?
Which error message did you get from cce?

[Jeomite]

I really have 3 diff AVI (plus their segments). The entire video is an episode of Simpsons, with the commericals removed. I captured it using the spill system with VirtualDub. Therefore I have 3 framserved AVIs, each of the parts of the episode, named SIMP1.vdr.avi, SIMP2.vdr.avi, and SIMP3.vdr.avi respectively.

The I simply add SIMP1.vdr.avi in CCE. Double that same SIMP1.vdr.avi project, hit SETTINGS, and simply add SIMP2.vdr.avi and SIMP3.vdr.avi, making it into one commericals free video. Then I edit the encode job to my preference (kbit rate, etc.) and hit Encode. It gives some error right after SIMP1.vdr.avi frames are encoded. So it must be some sort of problem jumping/encoding from SIMP1.vdr.avi to SIMP2.vdr.avi. Any ideas? =|

BTW, I have no trouble encoding just one framserved AVI. But it would be A LOT easier if I can encode all 3 parts into MPEG-2 (currently I encode all 3 parts separately into 3 diff MPEG-2 files and use TMPGEnc to join them =| )

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jeomite on 2001-11-21 01:21:47 ]</font>

[Truman]

All this is a bit confusing for me.
You setup the frameserver three times and add the three signpost files (simp1.vdr, simp2.vdr, simp3.vdr) to CCE.
CCE's encoder list is a batch encode list, you can not expect, that you will end with a big simp1-3.mpv file.
There is no problem to setup the frameserver several times, but this is only usefull for batch encoding. You want to join a bunch of avis resp. the segments to one mpeg file, correct me if I am wrong.
simp1.00.avi + simp1.01.avi + simp1.02.avi + simp2.00.avi + simp2.01.avi + simp2.02.avi + simp3.00.avi + simp3.01.avi + simp3.02.avi or similar.

If CCE should encode these 9 segments to one mpg, you have to rename the avi files as following:
simp.00.avi + simp.01.avi + simp.02.avi + simp.03.avi + simp.04.avi + simp.05.avi + simp.06.avi + simp.07.avi + simp.08.avi

Then setup the frameserver only one time.
Open VirtualDub, open the first segment (*.00.avi), add all filters and start the frameserver. Save the signpost file. [I am not sure whether you need to run the frameserver in proxy mode, try first to add the .vdr to CCE.]
Add simp.vdr resp. simp.vdr.avi to CCE list, setup and encode. That's all, Vdub will serve all segments.

[Jeomite]

Yeah, I understand what you're trying to tell me. But if I open the frameserver only one time, there will be the commericials left. =|

In VirtualDub for each frameserver, I manually remove the commerical using the Select Range option. =|

[Truman]

As mentioned, you can not convert two different avi files to one mpg magically.
I suggest to cut the commercials in advance.
http://www.vcdhelp.com/virtualdubedit.htm
This should take only a couple of minutes and after that frameserve segmented avi's.

[Shabubu]

Trumans right, prep the video as you want it to encode completely, remember you can open more than one avi in a row with the file>open as append function. Then select out the commercials and delete them (the [ and ] buttons set frame regions, del deletes frames), then framserve.

[Truman]

One more idea. Rename the files as mentioned above. Open the first segment in VirtualDub. Now you can preview the whole movie, yes all segments in VirtualDub. Use select range which parts of the avi you want to frameserve. Write the framenumbers down. Note, use only keyframes to cut(when you move the slider hold the shift key).
Frameserve with Avisynth. Use a script as following:

SegmentedAVISource("c:\..path..\simp.avi")
Trim(0,15000)+Trim(16000,31000)+Trim(32000,0)

In this example frame #15001-15999 + #31001-31999 are the commercials and wont frameserved.
You guess right, Avisynth rocks!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Truman on 2001-11-21 12:46:27 ]</font>

[Jeomite]

Shabubu & Truman,
You guys are a life saver. I forgot you can remove frames in VirtualDub prior to frameserving. Using both of your guys advice, I managed to find a method that will work - rename all my files so it will be segmented into one WHOLE file plus deleting the commericals in VirtualDub using the DELETE key. =)

Thanks a ton guys. =)

* Just curious, what happens if you delete frames not within keyframe ranges? Will the video screw up? *

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jeomite on 2001-11-21 15:16:36 ]</font>