Encoding Game Footage

[Tolwyn]

I'm using Fraps to capture some game footage, and then using Sony Movie Sutdio as the "editing" application.

Just for fun, I thought I'd encode it to mpeg2 and put it on a DVD.

The quality was really bad. I couldn't read the text anymore, and I'm sure I did something wrong.

My questions:

When using Fraps, is the source interlaced or progressive (I assumed progressive)

Should the OUTPUT (encoding) be interlaced bottom-field first or progressive? I assumed/tried progressive and then tried interlace (since my TV/DVD player doesn't really "handle" progressive)... but I'm just not sure.


What, if any, settings/encoding tips should I employ for "game footage?"

[jimmalenko]

Your output should be the same as your source if you wish to watch it on a settop DVD Player/TV. Have you tried watching the DVD on your PC ?

[Tolwyn]

Yeah. I tried that.
Still looks kinda crappy.

The encoding app is TMPGENC (latest).
I think I used around 8000kbps (it was only 5 minutes of footage).

Just didn't look good.

[roma_turok]

Why just capture from TV OUT of graphic card?
I that way capture SOF II play, the quality its good.

[thecoalman]

I haven't used fraps but the quality of the samples I've seen on there website were outstanding. How about the options for capturing, is it at 29.976 or 30 FPS or the equivalant if your in PAL land? Another thing that comes to mind is what resolution are you capturing the footage at? I'd make sure it was set to whatever the monitor resolution is set at if possible, if not lower until your machine can can handle it.

As far as the text depending on the font and font size it may never be legible. Just for example the start button on Windows is barely legible even when your computer resolution is 800x600 and you output it to TV. There's few factors there, first the TV has a lower resolution so there's less room for detail. Second a computer monitor has "square pixels" and a TV uses "round pixels". If you look closely at the TV you'll see what I mean. This produces a softer image, the edges of the text will be that less defined.

You could try playing the game at a lower resolution and hopefully that will increase the font size.

[yoda313]

Hi,

I like roma_turok's idea. Use a tv out port and capture on a vcr. Then capture that back to your pc. Then you'll have it encoded and framed properly. You'll be doing it twice but you won't have to fool around with reprocessing it since you'll capture it in dvd format.

Kevin

[thecoalman]

Hi,

I like roma_turok's idea. Use a tv out port and capture on a vcr. Then capture that back to your pc. Then you'll have it encoded and framed properly. You'll be doing it twice but you won't have to fool around with reprocessing it since you'll capture it in dvd format.

Kevin

Yoda that really makes no sense, I mean really. Fraps can capture in-game footage at the full resolution, even beyond what TV video is capable of. It's direct digital copy, I'm not exactly sure how it works but I'd assume it's just making screengrabs which are identical to what's on the monitor.

Your suggesting he convert it to to a analog siganl which degrades it, copy the analog signal to VHS which degrdes it further, then recapture it which degrades it further, then have to convert to mpeg2.... Would you suggest that if he wanted to copy a DVD, because that's essentially what he'd be doing.

[Tolwyn]

FRAPS uses a fast codec and does capture a better quality file over using the S-Video method; the only benefit I could see is that outputting to a DV camera or capture device would be less intensive on my computer, obviously.


But I don't know what maximum resolution I can capture out of the S-Video jack; then, there's the problem/inconvenience of routing the audio output through a mixer, send an aux out to speakers, and a stereo pair to the DV camera or capture device (like a Canopus ADV100).


I'll have to play with that and see if it's feasible to do. I do have a spare 6 channel mixer... hmmm.

My original question was more of an encoding settings question.

Does animation/game source require or by convention dictate different encoding settings for the best quality.

[thecoalman]

My original question was more of an encoding settings question.

Does animation/game source require or by convention dictate different encoding settings for the best quality.

If yopu provide more details such as what you have fraps set to capture at and what your converting it too perhaps someone can provide some more specific suggestions.

[Tolwyn]

I have fraps capturing at NTSC 29.97 FPS @ 512x384.
This is 1/2 size 1024x768 (game resolution).

I'm using Sony to edit clips together and frameserving to TMPGENC (latest version) as MPEG2 (DVD format and AC3 Audio @ 224kbps).

My main question is encoding settings. I'm using NTSC profile, and then, of course, I can change these settings.

For game footage, are there any settings I should modify to encode this type of source material?

I thought I was fairly clear in the first post.

[thecoalman]

Ahhh details, now it's clear.

I have fraps capturing at NTSC 29.97 FPS @ 512x384.
.

Whenever your converting a video.... converting it to a higher resolution is a no-no. :P Either capture it at or above the resolution your encoding too (720x480) or encode to lower resolution.

[Tolwyn]

Um. I could keep the aspect ratio the same and have it padded to 720x420 or whatever.

Fraps running and capturing real time video at 29.97fps at half 1024x768 is about all my computer can handle.

I have a 2.5Ghz; 1GB RAM; Forceware 6800.

I could encode to 320x??? whatever; but I think the results would be worse.

[thecoalman]

I could encode to 320x??? whatever; but I think the results would be worse.

Probably not, give it a try. FYI if your encoding using a NTSC template most likely your using 720x480 now. If you want ot encode at the higher resoluyion you have to capture at a higher resolution.