TMPGEnc-encoded .m2v is non-DVD-Compliant?!

[Admiral Falcon]

So I spent 25 hours encoding a 45-minute segment of video, only to discover that the piece of crap that is DVD (In)Complete won't accept the stream because it needs "sequence headers before each GOP." Is there any way I can insert sequence headers in the .m2v without having to waste another friggin' day encoding?

Settings:

8000 kbps max, 6500 kbps average, 2000 kbps min with 2-pass VBR
"Make Closed GOPs" is off (I shouldn't have changed that, it seems...)
Video is interlaced NTSC 720x480, bottom field first
Noise Reduction is on.
Motion Search Precision is at High - (would I save much time by going to Normal or Motion Estimate without losing quality?)

[adam]

You have to set TMPGenc to insert sequence headers before each GOP. Look on the GOP structure tab and you will see a setting titled, "Output interval of sequence header." You need to set this to 1 in future encodes. To make your current m2v usable get mpeg sequence maker. It will insert an I-Frame before each GOP.

As for the closed GOP setting, unfortunately due to a TMPGenc bug you will not be guaranteed compatibility unless you do close all GOPs. Normally you would never want to close all GOPs unless you needed to do post encode editing or if you were encoding multi-angle footage, because closing GOPs lowers quality.

Lowering the motion search priority would have made a pretty significant difference in your encoding time, but depending on your source it can also have a pretty significant effect on quality as well. I definitely wouldn't recommend using anything lower than Normal, and I never use anything other than High. 25hrs for 45 mins seems extreme for not running any filters. Unless you have a very slow computer, there might be something wrong somewhere. Other than that, you will either just have to live with the slow encoding time or find another encoder to use. The fact is that TMPGenc is one of the slowest commercial encoders on the market.

[Admiral Falcon]

Thanks. I was kind of hoping it wouldn't have come to having to re-encode, but I suppose I must.

I tried using ReStream, but it doesn't insert sequence headers as far as I can tell. If only there were a way for TMPGEnc to copy an existing MPEG2 stream, insert the headers, and export without encoding it again.

[adam]

I guess my post wasn't clear. The program you need is named "Mpeg Sequence Maker." It will insert a sequence header before each GOP into your video stream. Assuming the lack of sequence headers is the only thing non-compliant about your mpg, then no you do not have to re-encode. You should be able to find the program with google. If not then I may have it archived somewhere.

[musotechy]

Best way I found is basically what you have already done, but getting TMPGEnc to output the video and audio as seperate files. Re-name that *mp2 file to *mpa, load IFOEdit and choose 'Author New DVD' load in your video and your audio, click start and about 5/10 minutes later you will have all your vob's, bup's and ifo's. Dump these in a folder named VIDEO_TS, create another folder called AUDIO_TS (empty). Load up you burning program, choose DVD UDF/ISO template, load in your two folders and burn.

Works a treat for me every time

Just one thing, why did it take 25 hours to TMPGEnc?

[sacajaweeda]

Try making a few small sample clips to make sure you got your settings right rather than waiting out the 25 hours to discover you goofed something.

My $.02

[tiggie74]

Where can I download this MPEG sequence maker? I can't find where to get it.

Thanks

[adam]

If hadn't known it was in the tools section on this site I never would have found it. Seems a typo prevents it from coming up in a search...I'll make sure that gets fixed.

https://www.videohelp.com/download/MPEGSequenceMakerv02.zip

[andie41]

In TMPGenc, open MPEG Tools, goto "Merge & Cut",select type (I assume MPEG2), select the source Video, then provide a name for the output, select run and it will build a new file with the sequence headers.

[adam]

I do not believe this is so. Entrypoints exist in the elementary video stream. Assuming TMPGenc's multiplexor does not change anything about the video stream, which you wouldn't think a multiplexor would, then there is no way that sequence headers could be added just in creating the program stream. If you had compatiblity problems which were solved by remultiplexing in TMPGenc, it might just have been related to something else.

As far as I know, the only way to insert sequence headers is to do it during encoding or to modify the existing elementary video stream.

[andie41]

No matter what it is technically doing, I have several times failed to select the option to include sequence header, and as the person starting this thread experienced, my authoring program would not accept it. After doing the "merge & cut", the authoring program would accept it as compliant.

[andie41]

Another comment re my previous post. If you look at the non-compliant video in Bitrate Viewer, it will probably show sequence headers as "no". After doing the "merge & cut", Bitrate Viewer will show sequence headers as "yes."

works for me.