Wndows Media Encoder File changes depending on Computer load

[akrasna]

Hi,

I think I am going crazy - tell me if I am or not.

It is possible that when encoding to WMV - that the file created will be different depending on how muhc of a load is on the PC? (specifically with VBR?)

I am working on a project where I am converting an MPEG2 DVD source clip =(pulled the VOB off the disk, renamed it .mpg - used tools in tmpgenc to cut the piece I want) - and I am converting it to smaller size files. MPEG1 MPEG2 and also WMV

I am using the new Windows media encoder (find that other products are just not working - FX video converter/ X video converter etc.)

Here is the crazy part - when I do the EXACT SAME ENCODING - of the exact same file - to a WMV with the same (standard) settings and I do it several times. My resultant file varies tremendously. It seems to me that it is based on how busy my computer is during the encoding. The busier it is - the smaller/worse or a file it creates/the less kb/s in actual etc.

This is mind boggling to me. I can understand it taking longer to produce - but how can it give me WILDLY changing results?

Anyone seen this before? do I need a dedicated machine to do the work in WMV. I have never seen this with Mpeg encoding (capture yes encoding no)

thanks for any feedback
Allen

[mats.hogberg]

No, and it shouldn't happen. But someone with more experience with WME might pitch in? Or is WME just another in the row of alpha state software MS releases as a finished product, with an even longer row of service packs needed to finish it?

/Mats

[akrasna]

how about this for a conspiricy theory that I thought of at lunch.
Most of your choices in WME are for capturing and creating WMV in rela time .... so they are set for capture.
So maybe (and again I am just theorizing here) when I do a file encode/convert .. it is not really converting the way TMPGENC is, but rather it is playing the actual file (internally) and then capturing/converting it in real time. Since I do know that when I am capturing a file coming in in real time I can lose frames etc based on type of CPU/memory and load.

Any chance I am right?
Any normal tool - or evne a proper setting to make WMV files?