VirtualDubMod 2 Pass XviD problems

[bballing1210]

Hi all,

Ive recently purchased a Media Center PC with a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 MCE capture card. I record stuff that is usually 2 hours long, and want to convert them to a 1 CD XviD. I use VirtualDubMod for this. I want VBR audio, so I extract the WAV from the MPEG2 file (using the Lame MP3 codec at 128kbps), and then disable the audio. I then apply my deinterlace and resize filters. Afterwards, I choose my XviD codec under compression, and select first pass. I make sure the video.pass file is on my desktop, and then I save it under job control. I repeat the same thing for the second pass, making sure to use the proper stats file on my desktop, and then select my compression settings. Using the internal bitrate calculator, I select 716000 as my target size in kbytes, and then input the runtime (in my example pic, it was 1:20:47). I selected the audio, because I still want to join my encoded audio at the end. After everything is correct, I select OK, and then save it in job control, and then start. At the end of the conversion, however, I get different file sizes than the target file size (If I wanted 700mb, I may get 1.4gb). Can anyone point out my errors, if any, or direct me to a tutorial with the proper steps (Ive pretty much followed every tutorial available). Sample pics are below. Thanks in advance!

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6291/virtualdub1wj5.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8355/virtualdub2hb0.jpg

[manono]

Hi-

If you've installed a newer XviD over an older XviD at some point, without first uninstalling the older one completely, then that can easily be responsible for your sizes being all over the place. Also, there might be some other settings in place that we can't see (such as severely restricted quants, or some peculiar zones setting), that can account for it. I'd probably first recommend uninstalling/reinstalling your XviD codec.

And if your source captures are ever film (movies and most TV series these days), just deinterlacing isn't such a good idea, if quality is a concern. A full IVTC would be much better.

[Soopafresh]

Manono - Careful on the uninstall recommendation, especially if it is a particular version of Koepi's XVID

"- {installer} updated 31.12.2005 at 8:30 a.m. (MET). If you downloaded the installer earlier
please download this version and re-run it _without using the uninstall feature_ before.
The first installer I offered will delete your vfw-codecs key on uninstallation so you will
loose all codec entries, for example in virtualdub. Issue fixed with this installer."


http://www.koepi.org/xvid.shtml

[bballing1210]

Hi-

If you've installed a newer XviD over an older XviD at some point, without first uninstalling the older one completely, then that can easily be responsible for your sizes being all over the place. Also, there might be some other settings in place that we can't see (such as severely restricted quants, or some peculiar zones setting), that can account for it. I'd probably first recommend uninstalling/reinstalling your XviD codec.

And if your source captures are ever film (movies and most TV series these days), just deinterlacing isn't such a good idea, if quality is a concern. A full IVTC would be much better.

Quality is great with just using the deinterlace feature at the file sizes I want, as a 1 hour 30 minute movie still gets me bitrates of 1000+. The filesize is more of a concern for me. I havent touched anything else in the XviD options (left them as default), so it cant be other settings. I thought I was doing the 2 pass process wrong, but since you guys didnt comment on that, that might not be the case. I just installed the XviD codec over my older one, as Soopafresh said, and will try it out and get back to you. Thanks for the help.

[jagabo]

Oops, nevermind.

[manono]

Yes, soopafresh, but if I'm not mistaken, that was uninstalling after having installed using one installer available for only a very short time. I always use Add/Remove Programs anyway But the installer available now is fine. The advice stands. If bballing1210 continues to have problems after doing whatever he's doing, he should uninstall before reinstalling. Although this was written for AutoGK, it applies to all XviD installs:

6.3 I used to use old XviD and now I switched to XviD 1.0.x. Since then I _always_ have _very_ undersized/oversized files. What's the problem?
- old XviD has to be uninstalled properly, i.e. just installing new 1.0.x over it is not a proper way. Try uninstalling old one, then reinstalling new one.

Q 6.3 http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=72679

If your caps are 29.97fps interlaced, and if what you've capped was originally shot on film, you should be IVTCing and not deinterlacing. Open one of your reencoded movie AVIs in VDubMod, scroll to a place with movement and start advancing a frame at a time. See anything strange or unusual looking? By IVTCing back to 23.976fps when possible, your encodes will look much better, as that 1000+ bitrate will be distributed among 20% fewer frames.

[bballing1210]

Yes, soopafresh, but if I'm not mistaken, that was uninstalling after having installed using one installer available for only a very short time. I always use Add/Remove Programs anyway But the installer available now is fine. The advice stands. If bballing1210 continues to have problems after doing whatever he's doing, he should uninstall before reinstalling. Although this was written for AutoGK, it applies to all XviD installs:

6.3 I used to use old XviD and now I switched to XviD 1.0.x. Since then I _always_ have _very_ undersized/oversized files. What's the problem?
- old XviD has to be uninstalled properly, i.e. just installing new 1.0.x over it is not a proper way. Try uninstalling old one, then reinstalling new one.

Q 6.3 http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=72679

If your caps are 29.97fps interlaced, and if what you've capped was originally shot on film, you should be IVTCing and not deinterlacing. Open one of your reencoded movie AVIs in VDubMod, scroll to a place with movement and start advancing a frame at a time. See anything strange or unusual looking? By IVTCing back to 23.976fps when possible, your encodes will look much better, as that 1000+ bitrate will be distributed among 20% fewer frames.

Hmm...going back, it looks very smooth and no pixelation or the infamous horizontal line effect. Deinterlace has been working fine for me, and I wont really touch on that unless my results are really bad. My filesizes are the major problem. I installed the XviD 1.1 codec over my older version. Would you recommend I uninstall from the Add/ Remove programs list and then do a fresh install of the 1.1 version codec, or should I leave it as it is. I am going to do another encode for a 30 minute show tonight, and it should be around 175mb, so if you dont reply back within that time, Ill do it with just the new install over the older one, and relay you guys my results. Thanks for all the help so far by the way.

[manono]

Hmm...going back, it looks very smooth and no pixelation or the infamous horizontal line effect.

Did you open them in VDubMod as I suggested, and go over them frame by frame? And the framerate is 29.97fps (File->File Information)? Of course the deinterlacer gets rid of interlacing. That's not what I'm talking about. But if all you've done is deinterlace, and if the source is film originally, then 29.97fps is wrong. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I installed the XviD 1.1 codec over my older version. Would you recommend I uninstall from the Add/ Remove programs list and then do a fresh install of the 1.1 version codec, or should I leave it as it is.

If you're still having the problem, I'd certainly recommend uninstalling one way or the other, before reinstalling. If the sizes are OK now, I wouldn't touch it.

[bballing1210]

Hmm...going back, it looks very smooth and no pixelation or the infamous horizontal line effect.

Did you open them in VDubMod as I suggested, and go over them frame by frame? And the framerate is 29.97fps (File->File Information)? Of course the deinterlacer gets rid of interlacing. That's not what I'm talking about. But if all you've done is deinterlace, and if the source is film originally, then 29.97fps is wrong. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

I installed the XviD 1.1 codec over my older version. Would you recommend I uninstall from the Add/ Remove programs list and then do a fresh install of the 1.1 version codec, or should I leave it as it is.

If you're still having the problem, I'd certainly recommend uninstalling one way or the other, before reinstalling. If the sizes are OK now, I wouldn't touch it.

Ill relay my results about my next 2 pass XviD encode in about 90 minutes...as for the FPS, Ill take that into consideration, although I did go frame by frame in VDubMod, and nothing was out of the ordinary.

[manono]

OK, some shows are still shot on video, and deinterlacing is all that you can do. All movies and most modern TV shows are shot on film, and should be IVTC'd back to their original frame rate of 23.976fps. I don't know what kind of deinterlacer you're using, but if film and all you did was deinterlace, either you'll see every 5th frame is a duplicate, or 2 of every 5 frames are blurry/blended/ghosted. Good luck.

[bballing1210]

OK, some shows are still shot on video, and deinterlacing is all that you can do. All movies and most modern TV shows are shot on film, and should be IVTC'd back to their original frame rate of 23.976fps. I don't know what kind of deinterlacer you're using, but if film and all you did was deinterlace, either you'll see every 5th frame is a duplicate, or 2 of every 5 frames are blurry/blended/ghosted. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice...My 30 minute encode worked and came out to 175mb, so all is well. Thanks for all the help dude.