non playable xvid to playable xvid on PS3

[simoupnorth]

I have quite a few xvid videos that I want to stream to my ps3 the problem is some play and some don't (all work on pc), I have them all in one folder and don't want to transcode during playback. I am trying twonky and using tversity at the moment. What I would like to know is, is there an easy way to convert these videos to a format that will definitely be recognised by the ps3 without losing any quality if possible or minimal loss as they are already compressed (obviously)?

I have looked throught eh video info using media info and gspot but can't seem to find a common problem.

I want to be able to stream these natively keeping the 5.1 audio on some videos and without losing quality if possible. Is there a program I can use aor a procedure I can follow to standardise these into a format that works?

Any help would be great, I dont really want to spend days encoding clips for them not to work.

[Nelson37]

First step is to determine what exactly the problem is. No sense doing anything at all without at least a reasonable suspicion that it will work.

Some things I have seen on the PS3 indicate max bitrates may be an issue, but I have no intention of buying one so I haven't really researched them.

You are on the right track with looking for differences between the files, you just haven't looked in all the right places. They ARE different, some play and some don't.

First make sure it is not just random chance, also restart the PS3 often during play testing to eliminate the possibility of a "killer" clip.

Long, long ago I spent a lot of time investigating a similar problem with DVD playback before I determined that the problem lay in only ONE clip. After playing this clip, all others malfunctioned until the player was reset. After reset, all clips were OK, except for the "killer" clip and anything played after it.

[simoupnorth]

I have checked through the clips in as much depth as I know how, I have checked the codecs but at some point or another I find a file that works with that codec. Likewise with the qpel, BVOP and packed bitstream options which I have read could be a problem. Even if I can track it down it is still going to be different for each file so will need to do something with it, I am looking for a sort of fix all simple method. Maybe I am hoping for too much.

I did get a reply on another forum about running the file through autogk and setting standalone compatibility mode, I tried it with one file and it worked but that must be reencoding the file as it took ages and it lloks like it has had an effect on quality but its hard to tell on my pc monitor and as I couldnt watch the original on my tv to compare whos to know. My TV is 1080p plasma so need as much detail as possible for good picture.

Is there I way I can demux and remux the file while standardising it or putting it in another container without reencoding or losing quality? (dont know much about this stage at all)

[Nelson37]

No simple method, other than only use files that the PS3 will play. No magic bullet will make files playable without a re-encode.

Once you leave the computer for playback, all the options the PC gives you go away and you are limited to what the playback device requires. Ever wonder why the DVD spec is so specific? And why standalone Divx players never took off? There is no standard Divx spec, so playback is a crapshoot.

[simoupnorth]

There must be a couple of approved profiles hat work on ps3, could the files not be altered to work like those or does it have to be encoded.

If so what do people recommend as the best way to re-encode for minimal quality loss?

[jman98]

Here is a general guideline to things that are problems for Divx/Xvid playback on DVD players. No doubt some of these are problems for the PS3 too, but I don't have a PS3, so I don't know.

1) GMC (Global Motion Compensation). It's best to avoid using it although a very small number of DVD players can handle it if only 1 warp point is used. 2) QPel (Quarter Pixel)
3) Packed bitstream. The MPEG4Modifier program can remove this without re-encoding.
4) Resolutions greater than 720x576
5) Video bit rates greater than 2000 Kbps may be problematic. If your audio is not MP3, you'll need even lower video bit rates for good playback on some systems - as low as 1400 Kbps or even lower.

The best way to re-encode with minimal loss? Do a 2 pass encode and keep the bit rate as high as possible with regards to the warnings in #5.

[simoupnorth]

I will have a look through the files for some of these options.

What program would you recommend for this? also would I just have ti use the same settings as the input file as there would be no point increasing anything as Im not going to get any improvement am I?

[Scott H.]

Hey,

Ive been looking for a fix for this same exact problem. A lot of my Xvid files dont seem to work and i wanted to way to quickly convert them without a huge loss in quality. I found somewhat of a solution you may be interested in. go here (https://www.videohelp.com/tools/ffmpeg) and snag both the ffmpeg command line program as well as the Avanti GUI (you'll have to put the ffmpeg.exe into its avanti subfolder to make it work). After this, open up avanti and try converting your xvid files from here. I've included a shot of the scheme that ive been using which has thus far worked on everything i've tried (which is only 3 files). That should at least get you started. Im still unsure of what the determining factor is that disallows playback on the PS3, however this seems to correct it and it only takes about 20-30 minutes per file on my 2 year old laptop. Play around with it. Hope this helps.

Scott

[kscarr]

I have found that the problem is with the audio. If I take a file that won't run, and run:

mencoder old.avi -oac mp3lame -lameopts br=192 -vf hardup -ovc copy -ffsourcc XVID new.avi

The file works on the PS3 again. So only re-encoding the MP3 seems to work.[/code]