CCE choppy video - more complex than just bit rate

[hsetty]

Hello everyone,
I have been encoding with CCE for the past few months with no problem. I recently upgraded my dual processor machine with a SCSI HD and reinstalled all the software I was previously using. I have started to run into a massive headache.
I encoded a series of vacation clips using CCE at 4k CBR, 6k CBR, 8k CBR, 6k VBR 2 pass, 4k VBR 2 pass. However, all the video has some slight choppiness. I figured maybe it was displaying it on my computer, so I went ahead and burned the 8k CBR and 6k VBR 2 pass onto DVD. Both discs had choppy video.
I am using ULEAD DVD Moviefactory 2 to author my discs. Their capture mode produces an MPEG file that has similar choppiness as the CCE output. I tried the capture direct to disc option, and BINGO, no choppiness. However, I want to be able to split the clips up and not have to keep the disc in the same order as my DV tape source.
I ran a program called AVIRESET that I saw on doom9.org. I wanted to reset the codec since that might be the problem, but it turned out the encoded output was choppy. Now virtualdubmod will not open any avi files via avisynth (gives unrecognized exception error) If you have ANY experience in this problem please PM me or email me at hs2@duke.edu. Or if you prefer phone I will gladly call you (plenty of cell minutes) if you send me a phone number.
I am very interested to know if I have to tweak CCE settings. I leave all the audio settings as is (version 2.66). I have played with the quantization matrices and found that selecting the MPEG standard template reduces the choppiness but does not eliminiate it. Please help, I will paypal $10 (ten) to you if you can solve all of these problems!

Harsha Setty

[jarroyo]

I would bet you the problem is the field order. Change the field order to top field first during the encode. Once you are done with the encode, use the ReStream or pulldown.exe utilities (I like restream http://shh.dvdboard.de/restream.html ) to change the order to bottom field first (if you use ReStream just unclick Top Field First) in the .mpv file.

I had a similar problem and this fixed it.

[hsetty]

Hi there,
Thank you for your response. What version of CCE are you referring to? I am using 2.66 and cannot find a way to set the field order. HeLp!

Harsha

[jarroyo]

Sorry, they call it "Offset Lines" (at least in V2.67). You want to set it to "0" which means top field first.

[txpharoah]

Lower you motion estimation. In TMPGEnc, they call it "lower" quality, but it's not lower quality in terms of jerkiness and motion errors. Also lower your GOPs, try a max of 6 frames, and only have 1I 2B 2P. Use TMPGenc Plus for encoding. At least give it a try. I was never happy with CCE, any version of it.

Cleaner is also a good encoder, used with Premiere. Gives these same option. The other suggestion you are getting are for deinterlacing, and that's really not too important regarding your error.

[jarroyo]

Not really. Changing the field order has nothing to do with deinterlacing. The video is interlaced, that is a fact that a little flag could not change. What the flag does is tell the player which is the dominant field. CCE does the handling of fields in the encoding quite a bit different than others and this causes problems with some players. The suggestion I gave was really to get the CCE handling of field order out of the equation and doing it manually. This has fixed choppy and jerky video for several people.

In order to deinterlace, you have to run filters either at the encoder, VirtualDub, or Avisynth, and I would only recommend that if you were only going to play the video on a progressive display.

[kenneth228a]

I have just begun using CCE Basic, and have had jerky or jittery video in everything I've encoded on playback in my set top DVD players. I've tried both 0 and 1 in the offset lines box. Using "1" DVD Movie factory 2 wants to re-encode the file. Using "0" and DVD MF2 no longer wants to re-encode but the output is jittery on playback, the source happens to be a DV AVI file. However, I had the same trouble using DVD2AVI and a ripped VOB file.
Anybody found settings that produce stable watchable video?
If only TMPGenc wasn't so slow

[hsetty]

Hi all,
I made sure the upper field first section was selected. I still have the slight blockiness. I re-ran TMPG and got a clean output, but the encoding time was 4x RT. I am going to purchase the CCE Basic since it seems to have an easy to use interface. I downloaded the trial version and encoded one of my "blocky" clips. Voila! It was no longer present! I can get RT since I am running a dual processor setup. Hopefully the version I download will have the same result (they are processing my order). I will keep you posted on whether CCE Basic fixed the problem. Since I am getting the files straight from them and not relying on 3rd party patches it should work without a hitch.

Harsha

p.s. kenneth, be sure your bit rate setting is sufficient. Did you make sure to leave the DVD compliant box checked? I have noticed that DVDMF2 wants to re-encode some mpegs. The other thing to check is to make sure the audio is at 48 kHz and with MPEG audio stream. Otherwise DVDMF2 will attempt to re-encode.

[kenneth228a]

Harsha,

I'm not having a problem with "blocky" clips. The picture is free of blocks and is being encoded using 2pass VBR at 5kbps. The entire image "stutters" almost like there's something wrong with the frame rate.

All the standard DVD settings you mentioned are correct.

Also, this happens only when playing back on a DVD player. The files play correctly on the PC.

I tried authoring in Spruce Up and IFO edit to see if the trouble was DVDMF2, it made no difference.

[hsetty]

kenneth,
what version of cce are you using? I am curious to know if letting DVDMF2 encode your original clip yields the same result. I have had some re-encodes stutter slightly, but since it was a large divx I let DVDMF2 handle it the second time around without problem. THe DVDMF2 encoder is not that slow. Let me know how it turns out.

Harsha