Canopus + TFM issue

[jkleslie]

Hello, it's my first time posting, so I'll try to be as specific as possible.

I recently tried using Canopus Procoder 2.04 as the video encoder for TheFilmMachine and ran into a problem that I've been unable to find anywhere else on the internet. I am trying to convert any AVI source (23.97, 25.0, 29.97) to DVD but am having an issue with the final product. Once the DVD files are created I get a very slight pause EVERY second throughout the entire movie. The audio does not follow suit - it plays perfectly along with the movie. When I say every second, I mean you can match it perfectly with the playback time on my DVD player.

Since I was working with a 23.97 source at the time, I first thought it being due to a framerate conversion to 29.97 NTSC format. However, I've also reproduced this in trying with a 25.0 source converting to a PAL target format as well, so that sort of killed that theory.

I've attempted to use 1-pass and 2-pass with various quality settings and still get the same results. Strange thing is that this pause can be witnessed in the preview window while Canopus is encoding too. Another oddity is that if I use Canopus as a stand-alone encoder to produce an m2v file for authoring, I do not have this problem.

I've only been doing conversions for a few months and am not quite experienced enough to do all movie conversions without the aid of an all-in-one utility though, so I can only really do it this way when the source and target have the same framerates (I have yet to defeat the gradual audio sync problem when changing framerates). Using Canopus to do a complete conversion is also not very desirable as it does not support AC3 output and most of my audio sources are AC3 5.1 or DTS.

I normally use CCE as my encoder when using TFM, but for some clips, I get much better quality from Canopus (less macroblocking regardless of the number of CCE passes), so I'd like to be able to use it in conjunction with TFM.

I guess it has to be some issue between Canopus and TFM, but I'm hoping there is a setting somewhere that I've overlooked or not considered.

If there is no idea from any you experts, maybe you can help me straighten out my audio sync problem so that I can just do audio and video separately up to authoring. Here is what I did when using a 23.98 AVI file converting to a 29.97 NTSC DVD format just last night. The AVI is non-interlaced.

This video had DTS audio, so i demuxed it using VirtualDubMod to produce a *.dts file. I set that aside and loaded the AVI into Procoder. At the source side, I added the 601 color correction filter and nothing more. I then go to the target tab, choose NTSC mastering quality MPEG2, disable audio once again, and left everything else at default (interlacing -top field first, framerate - 23.976 -> NTSC pulldown [not default and maybe my mistake?], VBR 2-pass). The resulting output looks great, but I also noticed it was 7 seconds longer than the audio now. This results in noticeable sync problem roughly 2/3 into the movie after authoring in DVD-Lab Pro.

That's about all the information I know to include. If you need more, I'll be happy to provide it. I've read tons of guides on this site (and others, but found this to be the best source), but there are very few with Canopus being the primary encoder. The guides I have seen using Canopus don't really apply to my situation since I'm not letting it encode my audio source.

Thanks for any help or tips.

[monzie]

cce (or any encoder) should not ever macroblock video even at low bitrates (as far down as 2000kbs ave/cbr)...artifacts and random pixels possibly, macroblocks no...your encoder is set completely wrong if you ever get macroblocks in your video, unless you .avs is incorrect to start with...or do you mean on dvd playback via your dvd player & TV?..which is totally different

Obviously your avi's are some kind of DVD rips (where else are you going to get AC3 5.1 or DTS soundtracks?..not from a home vid eh?) but what format..are they xvid (ac3 5.1 is common..but I've never seen DTS) or some other?

What resolution are the original avi's? Are they from a HD source? Why the 601 filter?

[jkleslie]

Most are XVIDs - at least the ones I want to do.

The macroblocking I get in some of the final DVDs is during stand-alone playback on TV. I don't see it in PC playback so much (I guess due to extra filtering). It's not even that bad on the TV, but Canopus does do a better job on a few of them. In any case, I could live with what I get from CCE encoding on those, but I really want to get the Canopus conversion working, or my audio syncing issue settled for use without TFM.

The latest AVI in question is at 880:336 resolution (2.21:1 AR). I use the 601 color filter because the movie is pretty dark in nature and it helps some of the blending due to excessive shadows.

[monzie]

OK...first of if you get macroblocks on DVD playback (thru a standalone player & TV) then its more than likely you are using a DVDr media that your player simply does not like.....ditto for pausing/stuttering on playback (choking) but this can usually be fixed by lowering the max bitrate....macroblocks point to a DVD bitrate to LOW to allow playback whilst 'choking' (stopping/stuttering) usually points to a bitrate to high for your standalone DVD player on the DVDr media used (note that this is a READ issue of your DVD player from the DVDr disk you are playing)...it has nothing to do with the actual encoding of the mpg file.

As for your encodings it looks like your doing everything correct..but...audio can be tricky....I never do audio with any encoder on avi's due to sync probs......what you want to do is encode the ES Video only (m2v/mpv) then use pulldown.exe (as you are) for 23.97files.

For the audio either:

a) Create an ac3/mp2 at 192kbs using FFMPEGGGUI from your avi if it has an mp3 source...remember 192 not anything else.

or

b) Demux the audio from the .avi with VirtualDubMod for .avi's that use AC3 (2.1 or 5.1) audio...use AC3Fix if your authorer dislikes the AC3 audio.

If using CCE use FITCD.

HTH