Codec install problem with TMPGEnc

[Joseph Vigo]

Hi

I was told there is a codec i need to install so that TMPGEnc can open MPEG files. Ive been encoding at 6MB per sec in ATI MMC, which makes good quality from VHS capture but the files are always a bit too big so I need to trim them (for DVD) in TMPGEnc. SOmeone did kindly point me in the direction of an MPEG codec but after installing it made no difference to TMPGEnc not being able to open MPG files, it still can`t. Im thinking it may have been out of date or for another version of TMPGEnc. (Im using TMPGENc 2.5)

Thanks,

Joe.

PS: Finally solved the audio/synch problem when capping from AVI to MPG in TMPEG. I don`t do it anymore

I cap straight to MMC now. No synch probs with that method at all.

[Poppa_Meth]

which codec did you use? if its the free codec in the tools section that thing is buggy as hell. I've never gotten it to work correctly. download the trial version of PowerDVD and install it. Then you can uninstall it and it'll leave a perfectly functional copy of its MP2 codec on your system.

[Joseph Vigo]

hehehe

"all flesh must be eaten"

nice one, thanks Pop.

[Joseph Vigo]

hey hang on a sec...


i already have powerdvd installed

[bugster]

Even with the right codecs installed Tmpgenc can be awkward when it comes to opening mpeg-2 files. Two possible solutions come to mind for your situation.

1) Use DVD2AVI and frameserve to TmpGenc.

2) Author with the oversize files, create a titleset on HD and then use dvdshrink to make it fit on a DVDr.

[Joseph Vigo]

2) Author with the oversize files, create a titleset on HD and then use dvdshrink to make it fit on a DVDr.

1) Use DVD2AVI and frameserve to TmpGenc.

i don`t understand what you mean, please can you explain?

Is DVD2AVI easy to use?

[Joseph Vigo]

i do`nt understand.

why should I be using DVD2AVI if I want to trim an MPEG made in ATI-MMC?

[bugster]

Are you trying to open your mpeg files in TmpGenc encoding engine or via file->mpeg tools? What exactly are you trying to use TmpGenc to do?

[Joseph Vigo]

Thanks Bugster

I`m capturing VHS video with ATI MMC at 6MB/sec but the MPEG -2 files are sometimes too big to fit on the DVD, so i want to bring them into TMPGEnc to re-code them at slightly lower bitrates...so theyll fit onto my DVD. Thanks......I have tried just running an AVI through TMPGEnc but had all kinds of audio synch problems that i never managed to fix, even messing around with the + or - audio gap adjust thingy in TMPGENc , it never worked,,,,,,I wish i COULD capture to AVI and not have the synch problem, but i couldnt solve it, so im left with MMC capture straight to MPEG.

Thanks again....JOe

[Joseph Vigo]

oops, i think im in the wrong thread

[bugster]

Thanks Bugster

but the MPEG -2 files are sometimes too big to fit on the DVD, so i want to bring them into TMPGEnc to re-code them at slightly lower bitrates...
Thanks again....JOe

That wher using dvd2avi to frameserve to TmpGenc comes into it. This 'fools' TmpGenc into thinking it is opening an avi file, which it usually has little problem with.

Searc the gudes for dvd2avi for more help on frameserving

[Joseph Vigo]

Thanks Bugster

Ive copied some articles on Framserving so we`ll see how it goes.

But...making TMPGEnc see those MPEG files as AVI`s probably won`t be my answer, because Ive had those audio synch problems with AVI in TMPG so far.

To be really honest with you, Im p****d off. I know it ain`t cool to get emotional over these things, but i have spent ages in here looking for answers to things that were due to the basic functional problems of a program (ie TMPGEnc) that many in this forum hail as the program to end all programs. Maybe Im just an unlucky isolated individual, but it has failed all the basic things i asked of it, (ie to edit my AVi files without obvious and irritating synch crap. And whats really annoying is, I kept trying, over and over again, spending hours.

Now, for the sake of my sanity, which was already on a thin line, I use MMC to capture straight to MPEG. There are no audio synch problems with that, even though the video encoding gave better results in TMPGEn, if the words don`t match the lips, you can keep it.

Regards

Joe.

[bugster]

it has failed all the basic things i asked of it, (ie to edit my AVi files without obvious and irritating synch crap. Regards

Joe.

But TmpGenc is not an avi editor, it is an encoder. If you want to edit avi files use the proper tool for the job. Virtualdub is freeware and provides basic cut/splice editing capabilities.

[MrRalphMan]

I had this issue and installed the MPEG2 plug in and it works a treat now.

Download the m2v_vfp from www.marumo.ne.jp/mpeg2/ and place it in the root of the TMPGenc directory.

Paul.

[Joseph Vigo]

Hey guys

Can I just say, I`m sorry if I come across like an ungrateful fussy aggressive bas£$%^ , I really don`t want to. I¬m Grateful with a big G for all the work you guys do helping me and I`m sure everyone else feels the same. I`m actually quite a lazy bloke by nature and i don`t have much of a technical head at all so if i sometimes seem narky, forgive me.

OK, I should`nt have referred to TMPGEnc as an AVI editor, all i meant y that was that i was trying to capture raw AVI from the VHS video then import it into TMPGEnc and ENCODE into MPEG-2....That`s all, no editing.
ANd, I know the video results are great with TMPGEnc, its just i never managed a file that didn`t have noticeable audio synch delay, which, while i appreciate the tip about adjusting the + and - audio gap, never worked for me.

SO...I`ll go and try to install that CODEC again, but to be honest i already did that. I installed it to the root directory but when i open TMPGEnc and try to import an MPEG it still says its an unrecognisable file. Maybe i did something wrong. Perhaps i should re-install TMPGenc and try again....


Thanks again , for all your help,all appreciated.

Joe.

[bugster]

Hey guys

all i meant y that was that i was trying to capture raw AVI from the VHS video then import it into TMPGEnc and ENCODE into MPEG-2....That`s all, no editing.
.
.
.
but when i open TMPGEnc and try to import an MPEG it still says its an unrecognisable file.

Joe.

Now you are confusing me!

Are you using TmpGenc to encode from mpeg to mpeg or from RAW uncompressed avi to mpeg, they are two very differnt things.

If you ARE capturing direct to mpeg and then getting sync problems wehn you re-encode it is probably due to dropped frames, tray capping to avi using huffy or mjpeg and then encoding that to mpeg. Better quality that way too.

[Joseph Vigo]

Now you are confusing me!

Are you using TmpGenc to encode from mpeg to mpeg or from RAW uncompressed avi to mpeg, they are two very differnt things.

If you ARE capturing direct to mpeg and then getting sync problems wehn you re-encode it is probably due to dropped frames, tray capping to avi using huffy or mjpeg and then encoding that to mpeg. Better quality that way too.

sorry to confuse you, i confuse myself.

ok, I know we`ll get there in the end, i really believe that

right, here goes. I was capping direct to AVI via MMC, and throwing this 30 + GB file into TMPGEnc to re-encode into the MPEG-2 format.
THis was not my preferred option as i have small HDD space available for the AVI, but the main problem, (once TMPGEEnc re-encoded toMPEG) was the audio synch. Thanks for the explanation as to why that might have been happening, it mnakes sense what you say, and I will go and try out those codecs. Is Huffyvuv really that good? I gave it a go once and the results were quite "noisy"?

OK, to solve the HDD space problem, and the synch problem, I stated capping direct to MPEG-2 with MMC, for DVD/ usually at between 4MB and 5.7 MB bitrate, depending on the film length. This involved guesswork, and now I`ll tell you why TMPGEnc comes into it.

When I capped straight to MPEG, the file size was sometimes bigger than the 4.7 GB so it wouldn`t fit on a DVD. So...I had this say 5 or 6 GB MPEG-2 file that i then needed to re-encode at a slightly lower bitrate, so it`d fit ok. (This seemed less hassle than capping the whole film again in MMC).

ANyway, yesterday I posted that TMPEG would not open these MPEG-2 files, and someone here explained to me that it was because I needed to install the MPEG-2 codec for TMPGEnc. If i only wanted to "trim/cut/merge" trailers or unwanted bits off the end, TMPGEnc would do that ok, that wasn`t the problem. It just wouldn`t re-encode them.

So...yesterday I installed the VBF codec to the root DIR of TMPGEnc, and then, to my delight TMPGEnc opened the MPEG file, and it appeared in the main window. Thanks so far!!

But

Alas!

unfortunately

for some unknown reason




TMPGEnc will still not go through the re-encode process once i enter the settings for lower bitrates. When I click "start" an error message comes up every time, (i tried it with several different MPEG files)....

and the error message says ".....Read error.....TMPGEnc. exe....." with some numbers that i can`t remember..."

SO...
now i feel like I`m near the promised land, I can see the oasis in the distance, ready to quench my thirst in the desert of video encoding, but I need help to get to through this last stage of the journey....

ANy idea why the read error message....is this a common bug???

I hope so...cause then you`ll know the answer...


thanks again. [/quote]

[bugster]

The read error in TmpGenc is one I see reported a lot. Unfortunatley there is no simple answer, it can be several things. You could try raisng the priority of the directshow filter under Enviromental settings, VFAPI.

However you have two other options, one is to use DVD2avi to frameserve your mpeg to TmpGenc as I believe I have already suggested. The other is to author your mpeg to an oversize DVD using any authoring app that will allow it, then save this to your HD. Then shrink to fit a DVDr using DVDshrink or similiar.

[Joseph Vigo]

The other is to author your mpeg to an oversize DVD using any authoring app that will allow it, then save this to your HD. Then shrink to fit a DVDr using DVDshrink or similiar.

thanks again Bugster. But I`m not sure what you mean by "author your mpeg to an oversize DVD".,,,,I have ULEAD DVD workshop, but what should I do with the MPEG I cap with MMC? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

Joe.

[bugster]

[quote="bugster"]
author your mpeg to an oversize DVD

I am not sure if ULEAD DVD workshop will allow this, but TmpGenc DVD author and DVD-Lab both will. (downloadable 30-day trials available for both)

What you do is import your mpeg into the authoring program, add chapters menus etc as usual the create a DVD titleset (VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories, the .vob, .bup and .ifo files etc) on your HD. This will be too big to burn on a DVDR so use dvdshrink to reduce its size to something that WILL fit on a DVDr. This saves the re-encoding step and associated problems. Then burn with Nero or whatever your favourite burning app is.

Hope this helps.

[Joseph Vigo]

Bugster

thanks again. I think Ulead will let me do that, so I`ll try, but use TMPGEnc otherwise. Great...something else though....

I capped a VHS movie to MMC and imported it to TPMPG to "cut" out the trailers and commercials,,,using "merge and cut"....

I ended up with 3 chunks of the movie when the commercials had been cut out. Now, the original MPEG i imported to TMPG before cutting it, had no synch problems, but when i merged these 3 separate chunks back together they had a very big lip synch delay, about a second at least.

I don`t remember having this problem before....any ideas why it might be, have you had this?

thanks again

Joe.

[bugster]

I capped a VHS movie to MMC and imported it to TPMPG to "cut" out the trailers and commercials,,,using "merge and cut"....

when i merged these 3 separate chunks back together they had a very big lip synch delay, about a second at least.

I don`t remember having this problem before....any ideas why it might be, have you had this?

thanks again
Joe.

This is not uncommon. Unfortunatley there is no simple solution.

If your mpg is VBR, TmpGenc will almost always produce lip sync problems if you use any of its mpeg-tools functions to cut or join. This is even more likley if the mpeg was not produced by TmpGenc itself.

Mpeg was never intended as a format to be edited and may tools have sync problems when editing mpegs. Womble is a tool that gets good press from those who wish to edit mepegs, maybe you could give that a try. Its not free but I believe there is a trial available for download, check the tools section of this site. (BTW, I have not used this myself, just passing on reccomendations from others).

[Joseph Vigo]

ok thanks Bugster, I will try Womble then., glad to hear its not just me.