Conversion using cinecraft encoder via virtualdub frameserve

[Dragonsf]

Hi,
I'm trying to convert some DV-avis to SVCD using Cinecraft encoder. As I understand that's not possible to reduce the framesize with Cinecraft directly, I tried the recommendation to use virtualdub as frameserver. It worked as far as it came to add the video. (after starting frameserver). I always get the message from cinecraft : unknown avi-type)
I'm using Win2K and DirectX8.0
Does anyone know a solution to this problem?
I'm very impressed by the speed and quality of cinecraft, but I need smaller files and don't need the DV resolution.

[RoopeT]

What is your CCE version? CCE 2.62 can't handle .vdr or .avs files, v. 2.5 (and earlier)can. However, v. 2.5 can't process audio with AMD processors (bug, uses SSE commands).

I think I saw a workaround for frameserving to CCE 2.62 using AviUtil somewhere on Doom's forum (www.doom9.org), but I haven't tested it so I really cannot comment on how it works.

Or ... Have you run auxsetup for VirtualDub? (installs frameclient support DLLs)

[Truman]

Dragonsf, a simple reduce of framesize is possible with cce.
Select the video tab. Half horizontal / half vertical resolution.
If you need an accurate resize, there are many solutions.
If you use v.SP 2.50 or earlier, follow this guide.
If you use v.SP2.62, you may use TMPGEnc to resize. Select the avi as video source, set whatever you want and save the project. Convert this .tpr with VFAPI to avi and add that avi to CCE's encoder list.

[Dragonsf]

I might be using CCE 2.62 (I'm not sure at this moment, I have to look up), but Audio works definitly, because I converted a different avi. I'll give AviUtl a try.
I want to resize from 720x576 (PAL DV) to 480/576 (PASL/SVCD), so a simple halfing won't do the job. I just hope to skip the resizing with other tools, because it takes some time. I report abiout my success.
PS: I've (as far as I know) done everything to install the Frameserver.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dragonsf on 2001-09-12 07:22:33 ]</font>

[ebaldino]

Hi.

I posted the solution to this problem somewhere in vcdhelp forums a while back....

Basically what you do is:

Vdub -> Avisynth -> VFAPI -> CCE

In more detail:

1. Start Vdub frameserver to a "name.vdr" file;
2. Define an .avs file (avisynth) that points to (opens)name.vdr
3. Start VFAPI and open the .avs file with it. It´ll open just like the vdr. Tell VFAPI to convert the file, and it will create a "name.avi"
4. Open "name.avi" with CCE.

I work with CCE 2.62, no problems. If I try to bypass Avisynth the whole thing doesn´t work.

A more detailed discussion can be found here:
http://www.vcdhelp.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=49203&forum=3

best regards
E.Baldino

[homerpez]

Easier still:

Download and install VFAPI converter 1.04 (latest, or until you can open both .d2v AND .tpr), as well as TMPGEnc's VFAPI project support (until you can open .tpr in VFAPI converter)

Use TMPGEnc to set framerate, input/output resolution and aspect, IVTC (if needed), and source range.

Encode ONLY THE AUDIO using TMPGEnc, or toolame (inside TMPGEnc)

Select ONLY THE VIDEO, then save this as a TMPGEnc project file.

Convert the .tpr project file to .avi using VFAPI converter.

Open the .avi in CCE.

Put in your encoding settings and go!

This way, you can use TMPGEnc's filtering (I think), source range, IVTC, preview, and audio encoding ability... no messy .avs files, no messy editing of the CCE "ecl" file either.

This works for me, and I'm amazed! I would reccomend using this method rather than V-dub... why does anyone use v-dub again?

Just noticed Truman also offered this solution... hopefully I explained in a little better detail

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: homerpez on 2001-09-12 22:40:14 ]</font>

[Vejita-sama]

Although you can frameserve to CCE with VDub you'l get much faster speeds (and less headaches) if you use AVIsynth:

http://www.math.berkeley.edu/~benrg/avisynth-tutorial.html

and

http://www.math.berkeley.edu/~benrg/avisynth-reference.html

Again, you have to use CCE 2.5 or lower thou. Get AVISynth v0.3, 1.0 isn't 100% stable (although for the below script it'll work). The commands you want are:

=================================
AVISource("d:\capture.avi&quot
BicubicResize(480,480) # or what ever size you want

[Dragonsf]

Thank you all for these informations. I will give every hint a try and report, what worked best for me (maybe I got the same Win2K Problem, mentioned in the other thread).
But fisrt of all I have to stick to Win2k because my source avi is about 11GB big (on NTFS of course).
I found a way to get very good quality directly from tmpgenc, but is takes about 4 hours to render 1 hour footage.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dragonsf on 2001-09-13 04:01:37 ]</font>

[Dragonsf]

I tried everything from Cinemaster to Virtualdub to avisysnth to no avail: VirtualDub doesn't want to convert - I'm always getting an error, frameserver doesn't work. AviSynth's files are recognized and Cinemaster 2.5 doesn't start. Only tempgenc seems to work properly and the results are (after some tweaking aroung) quit imprssive.
But it is very slow- for 1/2 hour it takes up to 3 hours converting (2-pass VBR with HQ-motion)

[nsdn]

Don't get it, CCE 2.5 works fine frame served from virtual dub, also from avisynth...take your choice. CCE 2.5 is a pain in the arse tho cuz it won't handle audio....

anyone know if its a problem having both 2.5 and 2.62 on yr system at the same time?.....need 2.5 for DVD2SVCD..would like 2.62 for DV video that can do audio

Sounds like your doing a pal DV to SVCD conversion.....if u manage to get a good result I would like to know cuz even although i have perfected dvd rips using CCE with at least an hour with no blocks (SVCD)...i am stuffed if i can get DV video to convert with as good a result...growls....even with 5 pass 3M/sec VBR average i still see blocks...with CCE on movement...tmpge is even worse. Think i might have to wait for DVD rewritables to archive my DV tapes...

could drop it to VCD resolution but the whole reason why i got a DV cam was to get the resolution....not seen anyone get a good DV conversion to SVCD yet.

[zur]

One thing to note when you are using vfapi is that you must uninstall the frame server for virtualdub. See link below for doom9's forum and especially note that you need the proxy to be off. Otherwise, you get the avi not being recognised

http://doom9.org/mpg/vfapi_reader_codec.htm

[Truman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-17 23:29:47, nsdn wrote:
anyone know if its a problem having both 2.5 and 2.62 on yr system at the same time?.....need 2.5 for DVD2SVCD..would like 2.62 for DV video that can do audio
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>
no problem on WinME.

[ipf123]

i followed homerpez's method with some sucess. That is Tmpgenc->vfapi->CCE2.5. The only problem is it took CCE a long time to encode and what I found was CCE did not stop at the end of the movie - it just kept going and encoding blank (black) frames.
At the end, I have to use tmpgenc to cut the blank frames. It worked but took a long time.
Truman suggested to use CCE2.62 but I used CCE2.5. Could this be the reason for my problem.

[homerpez]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-19 11:53:09, ipf123 wrote:
i followed homerpez's method with some sucess. That is Tmpgenc->vfapi->CCE2.5. The only problem is it took CCE a long time to encode and what I found was CCE did not stop at the end of the movie - it just kept going and encoding blank (black) frames.
At the end, I have to use tmpgenc to cut the blank frames. It worked but took a long time.
Truman suggested to use CCE2.62 but I used CCE2.5. Could this be the reason for my problem.

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Wish I had a definite explanation for you on that... I figured if you set "Source Range" in TMPGEnc, it should translate to the VFAPI plugin also... weird stuff there...

It helps to make sure that all your "Source" video files (.d2v, .mpg, .avi, .tpr) are in the same directory as one another. I've had it happen on one where it found the file, but the source range got screwed up when the project file was in a different directory as everything else.

The output video, of course, can be saved anywhere...

Let me know if that fixes that problem.

[Truman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-09-19 11:53:09, ipf123 wrote:
Truman suggested to use CCE2.62 but I used CCE2.5.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>
No, I didn't. If you can choose between both, use v.2.50.

[Dragonsf]

I finally found a solution to my SVCD problems:
The DV Codec, I used was only a demo codec and after removing this codec and reinstalled Ulead Mediastuido+DVD Plugin everythings works out perfectly. I'm using SVCD with VBR at 1400 kb/s a have a very good result.

[ipf123]

Thanks Homerpez, setting the start / end frams in Tmpgenc solved my encoding blank frames problem.

btw, I used to use Tmpgenc to convert divx to svcd directly and I always have this artifact problem (blocky noises in dark scences). Now using tmpgenc->vfapi>cce for the conversion, I noticed the resulting quality is better - at least the artifacts, if any, are not noticable.