CCE stops at 24%... what;s corrupting it?

[homerpez]

See if you can follow my convoluted process, and maybe help me out if you can (please)?

I typically capture with ATI MMC, run thru DVD2AVI, open with TMPGEnc, use that to resize, set feild order and source range, save project, covert to VFAPI .avi file, and open that with CCE to encode it to MPEG-2. {sigh, pant, gasp}...

That usually works. Now, I have a dilemma.

I decided with shorter clips to capture using Huffy and V-Dub. I have now done several clips worth and it works fine (still running thru TMPGEnc and VFAPI and encoding with CCE). However, I ran across this one file that just won't go.

I captured at 480x480, Interlaced. When I open the source capture file, it's a box (no aspect). So I have to run it through TMPGEnc to assign an aspect ratio to it (4:3 Display). If I don't, the final encode is box-shaped also (plastered on a 4:3 feild).

When I run it through with any aspect ratio that doesn't work right (like "4:3 525-line NTSC" ratio), it works nicely and CCE can encode it. But, it's that box plastered in the middle, with black bars along the sides.

When I run this particular file through using the correct "4:3 Display" in TMPGEnc, it stops encoding at 24% of a 4-pass encode.

WHY?

Which part is corrupt?

I don't think it's the AVI file, since it is able to be read by CCE.

It could be TMPGEnc making a corrupt project file when a certain aspect ratio is used? That doesn't make sense, since two other files I did at the same time worked, same settings and proceedure.

It could be VFAPI converter, but I can't imagine why.

Finally, It could be CCE. But when every setting is identical to working encodes, what do you tweak?

...Or, does CCE automatically assign me the right aspect ratio of 4:3? This would work for me directly if that's the case, sinc ethe capture was done at exact 480x480, and doesn't need to be resized. Just the right aspect ratio.

Hope some of that made sense...

[g0dZpr0fi7]

I had similar probs encoding my vdub caps with cce.
I got an error at 24% with 4 pass, 33% with 3pass, 50% with 2 ect. Hmm... the error always occured on the same frame, the last frame of the first 2gig segment. For some strange reason it was adding the black bars to the sides of 480x480 res too. Both probs were solved by opening the file in vdub and frameserving too cce. Good luck.

[Truman]

Hi homerpez, compare TMPG source range to CCE's frame search. What do you see? The end frame numbers are different. CCE is searching/ expecting the last frame (that wont be encoded, but anyway). Substract the end frame number by 1. That might solve the first problem.

In CCE you can select the displayed aspect ratio (DAR) of the output file. So if you capture 480x480 and want to convert to 480x480 MPEG, there is no need to resize.

Hope it helps.

Edit: Do cce stop with an error message? Checksum error or something like that?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Truman on 2001-12-19 20:10:05 ]</font>

[homerpez]

OK... here's what I found (no closer to a solution)...

I discovered it is a specific frame that CCE gets stuck on, every time. Unlike what I expected, it's not at the very end of the file, but close! (So unfortunately Truman, I have to scratch your theory on a discrepancy between TMPGEnc and CCE)

I also tried simply encoding the AVI file directly with CCE (no frameserve). This time the bitrate went totally bonkers (was doing 10MB/sec bitrate instead of a 1,800k/sec AVG) so I couldn't test this fully. CCE just doesn't like ths AVI.

I then tried encoding with TMPGEnc, 2-pass... other than an audio problem (I knew what went wrong there), it was able to encode from beginning to end. But the quality was... well... not as good as CCE can be.

So it seems that CCE will not accept this one frame... luckily it's about 100 frames from the end, and oddly enough, it's static. Yes, static.

So in this case, I'm going to try again, and cutting it to just before the "Problem Frame". I just wish I knew how I could get around such things in the future...

[homerpez]

OK, this is becoming rediculous.

I just tried everything again and again. I have not even got V-Dub to frameserve directly to CCE, instead of TMPGEnc. Well, the results are the same.

It seems it is actually stopping just before the end of the first pass, within the last 300 frames. Always on the same frame. And only using CCE. TMPGEnc works fine (though a bad bad encode quality using the bitrate limit I need)...

So it's this one, specific AVI file... is there any way to "fix" this? Maybe somehow re-align the AVI or re-encode loslessly somehow, so it can be read?

It was captured via Huffy, if that means anything...

[homerpez]

Talking to myself here...

Could someone do a quick favor for me, and test my theory?

I believe I have found an amazing discovery... a weakness in CCE's encoding formula!

I believe... that CCE cannot handle motion search of one certain thing: static.

How do I know? I re-captured the whole thing again tonight (it was on TV). The capture was of a whole different length, but same specs as before (480x480, V-Dub, Huffy).

I then run through the frameserver again (TMPGEnc/VFAPI) and guess what? It stops at the exact frame it did on the other file... one where there's "fake" static (if you watch Space Ghost Coast to Coast, you see what I mean). I checked it, and it is, for sure, the exact frame it stopped on before. (Though the frame # is different, since it's a separate capture file)...

CCE just cant process it!

Can someone in VCDHelp-land try this out somehow? Try capturing static at 480x480, Huffy Codec, Interlaced. Can your CCE do it?

Am I stuck with TMPGEnc?

[homerpez]

Just for the heck of it, I tried CBR with CCE. It worked. I give up.

Good night, and god bless.