HowTo encode videos to High Quality on YouTube? Currently using XviD4PSP

[guy24s]

Hello,

I'm currently very frustrated failing to upload some videos to YouTube and keep the good quality.
I've followed many suggestions / guides on how to encode the videos in order to get the "Watch this clip in High Quality" option on YouTube, but it seems no matter what I do the result is the lowest crappy quality once it's uploaded to YouTube.

My videos are *.MPG files and in 704x576 resolution. I need to convert and encode them to appropriate format and settings. The most recent software I've been using attempting to do this is XviD4PSP.

Can someone PLEASE help me telling me step by step what to do? I'm a newbie in the video encoding field, so please give me as detailed yet simple as possible instructions. Any suggestions appriciated because I am ready to give up on this after trying for over a week now with various settings and softwares.
Please tell me all settings I need to do (in XviD4PSP if possible) and what format etc. that is best to convert to. I need to know ALL neccessary settings.

PS: To give you a more exact idea of the current format my files are, check the following info which is what I get when I run XviD4PSP's "Media Info" tool:

General
Count : 214
Count of stream of this kind : 1
Kind of stream : General
StreamKindID : 0
Count of video streams : 1
Count of audio streams : 1
Count of menu streams : 1
Video_Format_List : MPEG Video
Video_Format_WithHint_List : MPEG Video
Codecs Video : MPEG-2 Video
Audio_Format_List : AC-3
Audio_Format_WithHint_List : AC-3
Audio codecs : AC3
Menu_Format_List : DVD-Video
Menu_Format_WithHint_List : DVD-Video
Menu codecs : DVD-Video
File extension : mpg
Format : MPEG-PS
Format : MPEG-PS
Codec : MPEG-PS
Codec : MPEG-PS
File size : 6729728
File size : 6.42 MiB
File size : 6 MiB
File size : 6.4 MiB
File size : 6.42 MiB
File size : 6.418 MiB
Duration : 5632
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 00:00:05.632
Overal bit rate : 9559272
Overal bit rate : 9559 Kbps

Video
Count : 119
Count of stream of this kind : 1
Kind of stream : Video
StreamKindID : 0
ID : E0
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, Matrix : Standard
Codec : MPEG-2V
Codec : MPEG-2 Video
Codec/Family : MPEG-V
Codec profile : Main@Main
Codec settings, Matrix : Standard
Duration : 5560
Duration : 5s 560ms
Duration : 5s 560ms
Duration : 5s 560ms
Duration : 00:00:05.560
Bit rate mode : CBR
Bit rate : 9548800
Bit rate : 9549 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 9548800
Nominal bit rate : 9549 Kbps
Width : 704
Width : 704 pixels
Height : 576
Height : 576 pixels
Pixel Aspect Ratio : 1.091
Display aspect ratio : 1.333
Display aspect ratio : 4/3
Frame rate : 25.000
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
FrameCount : 139
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : TFF
Scan order : Top Field First
Interlacement : TFF
Interlacement : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.942
Delay : 273
Delay : 273ms
Delay : 273ms
Delay : 273ms
Delay : 00:00:00.273

Audio
Count : 102
Count of stream of this kind : 1
Kind of stream : Audio
StreamKindID : 0
ID : 80
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec : AC3
Codec : AC3
Duration : 5632
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 5s 632ms
Duration : 00:00:05.632
Bit rate mode : CBR
Bit rate : 256000
Bit rate : 256 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 48000
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
SamplingCount : 270336
Delay : 193
Delay : 193ms
Delay : 193ms
Delay : 193ms
Delay : 00:00:00.193
Video delay : -80
Video delay : -80ms
Video delay : -80ms
Video delay : -80ms
Video delay : -00:00:00.080
Video0 delay : -80
Video0 delay : -80ms
Video0 delay : -80ms
Video0 delay : -80ms
Video0 delay : -00:00:00.080

Menu
Count : 24
Count of stream of this kind : 1
Kind of stream : Menu
StreamKindID : 0
Format : DVD-Video
Codec : DVD-Video
Codec : DVD-Video


...and XviD4PSP's tool "FFMPEG Info" says this about the videos:

Duration: 00:00:05.64, start: 0.193367, bitrate: 9545 kb/s
Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 704x576 [PAR 12:11 DAR 4:3], 9548 kb/s, 25.00 tb(r)
Stream #0.1[0x80]: Audio: liba52, 48000 Hz, stereo, 256 kb/s

Streams: 2
AudioStream: 1
VideoStream: 0
Timeline: 00:00:05.64
Seconds: 11,4
W: 704
H: 576
DAR: 4:3
PAR: 12:11
Color: yuv420p
Framerate: 25.000
TotalBitrate: 9545
VideoBitrate: 9548
AudioBitrate: 256
Type: Audio
Codec: liba52
Channels: 2
Samplerate: 48000
Language: Unknown

[minidv2dvd]

try reading through some older threads in the forum. if you search a little there are a bunch of them. like this one.
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic360859.html

[guy24s]

Thanks for the reply. I took a look at that thread, but honestly I don't understand what to do. Sorry I'm really new at this. Is there a guide somewhere that explains the whole procedure step by step?
It would be best if someone could tell me how to do it after looking at what kind of file I want to convert (the source). I am starting to think my source files are what is the problem. Are they an odd resolution or format? Most guides asumes the source file is AVI / DivX etc...

[manono]

Since XviD4PSP won't resize unless you know how to tell it to, my suggestion is to use AutoGK for the job. It's easier to use without knowing anything. Set a 75% Target Quality percentage (it's the default) on the main page and a Fixed Width of 640 in the Advanced Settings and let it go to work. Upload the result to YouTube. Unless you have YouTube set to always play the high quality version, you'll probably get the normal (= lousy) version. You'll also probably get the High Quality button. And you can always add &fmt=18 to the end to get the better version. Even that doesn't look any good by any normal standard, though.

Also, how good it's going to look depends a lot on the source material. Some crappy home video taken without the use of a tripod and with lots of camera movement will always look like garbage.

[guy24s]

I got it working now, thanks a million guys!!

[wolf30349]

@ guy24s or anyone, What was your fix plzzz. The video from my sony dcr-sr62 is .mpg. Looks fine on the pc but like crap once uploaded to yt. I've been trying a month now to get a decent upload. I'm discouraged and frustrated. I've downloaded several converters. I've tried "Any Video Converter" mostly and "DVDvideosoft free studio" a few times. I've tried uploading the original mpg but it degrades. Ive converted to several formats MP4 x264, MPEG2, Flash, AVI and a few others. YT says keep the original res. and specs as possible for best upload. Thats what I've done. The current video is 16:9, 720x480, 29fps. I change the fps to 29.97 or 30. The rest the same. I've leaned toward the higher bitrates, closer to the original of 9567 kbps since it seems that means higher quality. No matter what I do the upload blurs and degrades. I'm doing paranormal stuff so this blurs an orb so you can't see it. I just soooo want what I see on my pc shared. So how did you get your mpg uploaded in its original quality ???

Thanks in advance for any help!

[poisondeathray]

Youtube re-encodes everything with a low bitrate. You even uploaded the original video and it still looked like crap => and you can't get better than that.

If you want to share the original quality video, just upload it to a free file hosting site e.g. mediafire.com , sendspace.com etc... This way users can download the original video for free

The solution is simple: don't use youtube.

[wolf30349]

Thanks poison. I will try the sites you shared. I see quality mpg vid posted on yt tho so I figured it can be done.

[poisondeathray]

If you upscale it to 720p, you can access higher youtube bitrates. Even the 480p version will be in higher quality. But it will still be low quality compared to the original mpg . If you upload to another hosting site you can keep original mpg quality because it is the original file - note they are not streaming video hosts , they are just file hosts

Other tricks for youtube are denoising the video, stabilizing the video, and inserting blank or low action content sequences like title intros - all these techniques are discussed in other threads in more detail but none of them get around the problem of re-encoding at a low bitrate

[wolf30349]

I'm uploading an original 81mb file to mediafire now. If I can display a link to/for the vid, that'll work I reckon. The upscaling to 720p or 480p I haven't figured out what that means yet. The stabilizing/cleaning tweaks n such I've only seen in "vReveal" that's supposed to be free but to save your file you have to buy it $39.00. Most of my files are in IR so they're not gonna be crystal anyway. I'b be happy just to see the orb fly thru the wall. Thanks for your time on this poison

[poisondeathray]

Yes it will give you a download link, but the end users still have to download the mpg file and play it with a media player (it won't be embedded like a streaming flash video like youtube or vimeo)

There are many ways to do the "other" technqiues , lots of filters through free programs as well (e.g. deshaker in vdub, avisynth filters) . They do make a difference but even combined it won't be better than a full bitrate video hosted somewhere else.

[wolf30349]

Thanks again poison..here's my vid @34-37 sec. in, right after I say kickin' ass..to the right of the guy in front and over the table an orb comes thru the ceiling and goes thru the floor. http://www.mediafire.com/?u9ft66etu21djqv
Any suggestions for YT? and would you save me some searching and tell me what the 720p or 480p refers too? I will also try the programs you shared. I downloaded the mediafire file and it shows the orb. I do wish I could get that on yt. I have a lot more but till I got this one to show, whats the point. Thanks for the imfo. I can at least share the vids in some way.

[poisondeathray]

would you save me some searching and tell me what the 720p or 480p refers too?

720 refers to the vertical resolution , usually it's 1280 width x 720 height (1280x720)

480 in 16:9 aspect ratio would usually mean about 848x480

the "p" refers to progressive (in contrast to interlaced)

If you watch other youtube videos, they can have other options like 1080p, 720p, 480p

Normally you wouldn't bother upscaling, because you have a SD source - you don't gain anything from upscaling, and it takes a lot more bitrate. But this is the 1 case you do gain something from upscaling - YT re-encodes with higher bitrates when you send them a 720p file, even the 480p version will be better quality than if you just uploaded the original file not upscaled

[poisondeathray]

I see the "orb", it's very difficult to pick out

Normally for these types of video you would denoise (including chroma noise filtering - that's the colored spots). Noise is very difficult for encoders to handle. All the more so for YT, because of the low bitrate. But denoising might obscure the orb more, and it's already difficult to see

What you could do is circle or highlight the orb the in an editor, upload that to YT, then offer the unedited video link (mediafire) in the comments

Also, your video is interlaced. You would normally deinterlace before uploading to YT. You can't see combing because there isn't much movement (it look shot on a tripod), but you can pick out combing on some frames - it won't make much of a difference in your case

You will not be able to get good results with YT if this is clip was representative of your videos

[wolf30349]

Ok so the original and/or converted file I've been uploading is 720x480 resolution. I take it this mean it's 480p(vertical) ?
Should I convert to 848x480 or should I go with the 1280x720? Close to or just under the original bitrate? Should I convert my mpg to flash or AVI with the flv1 codec or mp4 with that x264 codec? Since the original is 29fps, when converting should I use 30fps or under? lol what do you think?

[wolf30349]

I didn't mention full screening the vid. It shows up much better. You can't really see it standard size player. Some good suggestions poison. I've still got my work cut out for me. I hope I can find a set format to do this in bacause I'll be using this camera for a while. I think maybe I should set it to record in 4:3 too..what ya think?