TMPGEnc crash when doing VBR

[wesmoc]

OK.. this is weird.. Up until about November, I had been happily running TMPGEnc Plus with no problems. Then, the holidays hit, and I had no time to convert our DV stuff to DVD, so I shelved everything.

I just got back to it ll at the beginning of last week, and, although a lot has changed with my machine (upgraded from an AMD 1.4 to an AMD 2600+, more memory, upgraded to XP), my old process no longer seems to work.

I usually create my MPEG2 files with TMPGEnc doing a 2-pass VBR. Now, when I do that, TMPGEnc gets 50% of the way through, then exits out silently. No errors, no nothing.

I tried out MainConcept's MPEG Encoder, and that seems to work rather well, except I have no idea what I am doing with the settings. I'm rather fluent with TMPGEnc, but not a lot lines up, and, honestly, I am not 100% convinced that MainConcept's encoder is as good.

I started walking through the help stuff for MC's MPEGEncoder, thought I had the options tweaked to max video quality (trying to balance video quality with file size), but the quality doesn't seem as good as I remember (perhaps I am remembering better than it really was).

Anyone have any ideas as to why TMPGEnc would silently exit out like that? If I could figure that out, I wouldn't have t hassle with evaluating any other encoders...

[aamir12345678]

I am having the same exact problem as you are. It only has a problem doing a 2-pass with Divx 5.1.1 Codec and Xvid Codec. The weird thing is that it used to work with these same exact files. Now, it doesnt. Sorry I don't have the answer.

[wesmoc]

Yup.. I only see it with the 2-pass.

Now, the Main Concept MPEG Encoder seems to work just fine (and man, it is fast), but I am not sure if the quality is any where near TMPGEnc...

[aamir12345678]

I'm not paying for another encoder. I like the results. TMPGEnc was working with the same Divx 5 files that it won't encode now. I find it ridiculous to change encoders for this reason. There has got to be a solution other than formatting the hard drive. That will work, but is annoying as anything. I am not redoing the whole computer again. Since those videos still work in any player I choose, and TMPGenc's DirectShow reader seems to have no effect on how TMPGEnc reads the video no matter how high you set the priority - I tried setting it to 6 at one point - when it used to make TMPGEnc read the video differently (23.976 fps to 30 fps), I think the problem has more to do with DirectShow, though I did reinstall WindowsMedia Player & DirectX. The problem has got to be there somehow. Just a thought. Later.

[aamir12345678]

I got it. Aftert a format of the hard drive and some other stuff, I finally got it. I checked the file with VirtualDubMod. It found 61 bad (or undecodable frames). VirtualDub won't tell you which ones they are, but VirtualDubMod will. It told me which frames were the problem, and I just have TMPGEnc Plus skip over them, and, voila! Plus, I had to increase the DirectShow reader. I haven't done the Xvid just yet, but will soon try. Later.

[raks]

TMPGenc started doing my head in. i've started using Main Concept Encoder and it is a hell of a lot faster. but im pretty sure the quality seems to be just as good and i dont seem to get any jittering, (slight pausing) which i seemed to get sometimes when usingTMPGenc. and so far it has conveted everything ive thrown at it, with ease

[aamir12345678]

One more thing to try. It is working also. Uncompress the Divx or Xvid with VirtualDubMod at the Highest CPU Thread Priority. If it really is a problematic file, VirtualDubMod WILL TAKE ALL DAY DOING IT. Just set it overnight or something like that. It will also take a ton of space (the usual 1500 kb/s Divx will be change to 17000kb/s uncompressed .avi). If you don't have the hard drive space, just do it in segments. This is a pain, but for one of my videos, it is the only thing that is working.

[seventhseal]

HOLY SHITE, I registered and came in here because I was just about to post about the EXACT same problem you are having, wesmoc!

This problem occurs only when I am doing a 2-pass VBR encoding. The analyzing gets done at 50% and TMPGEnc just ceases all work, staying locked at 50%. No output at all, just the 0 bytes m2v file. What is the deal? It is a real pain in the ass when the total encoding time is going to be 24 hours, so you have to wait 12 hours just to see if it is going to lock up. (Because on occasion, it will actually continue. So who knows?)

I've tried various settings everywhere to no avail. Here is my specs:
Win XP Pro SP1
P-IV 2.53GHz
1 GB RAM
Using two hard drives: each 7200rpm, each with more than enough space (60GB and 120GB). And yes, I have tried using just one drive to see if that was the problem.

I am converting DV-AVI files to m2vs. Or trying to, anyway. Anyone been able to resolve? The Pegasys people are friggin idiots.

(I thought this forum wasn't for discussion of XVID or Divx.)

[aamir12345678]

You're right, and I am sorry. However, it seems that this is not just a captured video or Divx & Xvid problem. It might just be a TMPGEnc problem or a Windows XP problem. Furthermore, if this is a TMPGEnc Plus problem, the Pegasys people can't ignore you on this subject. You are converting captured video. They should give you an answer or release a version that works properly. I've been having multiple problems with my 2-pass. Increasing the priorities don't seem to work anymore. What is funny is that when I encoded the uncompressed data (produced from my Divx file) with the highest cpu thread priority with VirtualDubMod, it seemed to work when encoding, but when I left the cpu thread priority to normal, it gave me the same "illegal floating decimal point calculation order" error. TMPGEnc doesn't support Divx or Xvid, but they should give you answers on how to fix this problem with captured video.

[seventhseal]

They should, but they don't. "Err uhh" is the vibe I'm getting from them.

[seventhseal]

Bump. I continue to have this problem, and I am on an entirely different computer now, different movie I am trying to encode, etc. I have played around with a few different settings but have yet to figure out what is causing this.

[loopyloops]

Bump. I continue to have this problem, and I am on an entirely different computer now, different movie I am trying to encode, etc. I have played around with a few different settings but have yet to figure out what is causing this.

Has anyone figured out the problem. I too (posted this in another forum) get an error at 50% when using 2-pass vbr. No problem with CBR. My error says - File "c:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Video Capture\capture.avi" can not open, or unsupported

If I try again, I get an explorer error.

[loopyloops]

Bump. I continue to have this problem, and I am on an entirely different computer now, different movie I am trying to encode, etc. I have played around with a few different settings but have yet to figure out what is causing this.

Has anyone figured out the problem. I too (posted this in another forum) get an error at 50% when using 2-pass vbr. No problem with CBR. My error says - File "c:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Video Capture\capture.avi" can not open, or unsupported

If I try again, I get an explorer error.

bump

[seventhseal]

Phtphtpht, good luck. The people at Pegasys-Inc even have their thumbs up their ass on this one.

That's the first time I have seen an error message mentioned. Usually mine will either freeze at 50%, or just flat-out exit the program. I am convinced it is a software issue at this point, since it is happening on several different machines.

You know what is stupid... if I run the same file over and over, eventually it will work! Usually takes about six times, but one of those times it will convert. Nothing different, no changes, but there you go.

[loopyloops]

P.S. I just got version 3, and it doens't seem to have the problem with 2-pass vbr using the same .avi file I had problems with in 2.5.

Anyone have a link to optimal settings for mpeg2 using version 3?

[seventhseal]

Is the settings interface much different in v3.0? I just got comfortable with 2.5's

[seventhseal]

Nevermind, I couldn't wait for a reply

I downloaded the trial for 3.0, messed around with it a bit until I got comfortable. Eventually I found all the familiar settings.

Tried a 2-pass VBR... NO PROBLEMS. Did it the first try, and in only half the time!

Obviously, 2.5 had a software issue.

[loopyloops]

Nevermind, I couldn't wait for a reply

I downloaded the trial for 3.0, messed around with it a bit until I got comfortable. Eventually I found all the familiar settings.

Tried a 2-pass VBR... NO PROBLEMS. Did it the first try, and in only half the time!

Obviously, 2.5 had a software issue.

Please let me know if you find a link with settings or a optimal settings guide for 3

[seventhseal]

Looks like you can use the same optimal settings that you use for 2.5.

http://dvd-hq.info/Compression.html

[DRP]

I have been experiencing exactly the same issue being discussed in this thread recently and I *think* I may have discovered something which I will test when I next need to rebuild a computer from scratch.

I had a Duron 800 computer which worked faultlessly with TMPGEnc for a long time. It had W2K SP3 & DirectX 8.1 installed on it. It worked perfectly for a very long time in that configuration. I then upgraded and bought a Celeron 2GHz upon which I installed W2K SP4 and DirectX 9.0b. With this computer I could never get 2-pass VBR encoding to work in TMPGEnc. I would get exactly the same error message as previously described above, so I continued to use the old Duron 800 I had for VBR encodes. That wasn't my primary computer anymore however so I was a bit slack on upgrading software etc. As long as it worked that was good enough for me.

Recently I got a bit keen on software upgrading and I installed DirectX 9.0b on the previously working Duron 800. Guess what? Now I get exactly the same "illegal floating decimal point calculation error" on the Duron 800 that I have always had on my new Celeron.

I'm not saying this is definitely the cause, but it's something that's worth checking out I think. The major hassle is that you can't uninstall DirectX and you can't go back to previous versions either - so it's gonna require a HDD reformat to check out

If anyone else is in a position to check this out I'd really appreciate knowing about it.

[jimmalenko]

I can't help but think that there is either a conflict of files or the source is fooked up in some way.

TMPGEnc Plus has always worked fine for me.

[DRP]

I can't help but think that there is either a conflict of files or the source is fooked up in some way.

Yeah that's what all the "common error" guides say as well, but the fact remains that this problem is not source file specific. It happens on every source file of every type just as long as you specify for it to be encoded by the 2-pass VBR method.

[jimmalenko]

I can't help but think that there is either a conflict of files or the source is fooked up in some way.

Yeah that's what all the "common error" guides say as well, but the fact remains that this problem is not source file specific. It happens on every source file of every type just as long as you specify for it to be encoded by the 2-pass VBR method.

Does that then suggest that it may be a conflict of files between TMPGEnc and something you have installed on your PC ?

[DRP]

Yes it does. And I'm thinking that the thing I've installed which conflicts with TMPGEnc is DirectX 9

[jimmalenko]

Yes it does. And I'm thinking that the thing I've installed which conflicts with TMPGEnc is DirectX 9

I wonder whether we could get a few common denominators out of all this.

It seems to be windows 2000 with DirectX 9.0b causing the problems. Can anyone else with this configuration quantify this ?

[drak23]

I'll check this when I get back to my home office. I've been having this problem for a while now, it only occurs on my W2K box (which I use mainly for capturing). I usually process the AVI files on an XP machine. I've tried processing the same file on both machines, the XP never has a problem, the W2K always does.

I thought that I had made this problem go away by making sure there was plenty of space on the drive I use for caching (generally set cache to about 4GB). That and defragging it. Seemed to help for a while then it came back. Could be completely unrelated though.

TMPGEnc's the best bang for buck out there, I'm not switching either.

More later,
Drak

[drak23]

Here are the versions on my W2K box:

Windows 2000 SP4
DirectX 9.0a (4.9.0000.0901)

[DRP]

No I'm not switching either. I've invested far too much time and effort in understanding all the settings and configuration of TMPGEnc to just throw it away now because it has a drama doing VBR encoding on W2K.

If worse comes to worst I'll just encode everything as CBR @ 2500/224 and use more discs to stay with it, but I sure would prefer to solve this VBR issue.

I think you're right about it not affecting XP. I don't have any XP machines to test it with but I figured that if this problem did exist on XP then there'd be a helluva a lot more noise in this forum about the issue since prolly 90% of people here are using XP.

[DRP]

I'm reformatting my Duron 800 this morning and putting W2K SP4 + DirectX 8.1 on it. If I'm right, TMPGEnc should work on this when I'm done. It always did with W2K SP3 + DirectX 8.1 before.

[jimmalenko]

I'm reformatting my Duron 800 this morning and putting W2K SP4 + DirectX 8.1 on it. If I'm right, TMPGEnc should work on this when I'm done. It always did with W2K SP3 + DirectX 8.1 before.

I reckon you might be right. Good luck !