MiniDv to Svcd problem - choppy moments in mpeg

[319]

Hello,

I've been capturing tv, and vhs to miniDv, and importing it via Firewire to Premiere. I edit the clip and export it, to a standard compliant, interlaced CBR NTSC SVCD @ 2250kbps, with 224k audio at 44100 khz, using the Ligos LSX mpeg encoder.
Wether I use the pass through capabilities of the Sony MiniDv cam, or record the program first and import it, after encoding to Svcd there's always a place in the file where the mpeg skips or stutters a little, usually adter 3 to 10 minutes. Sync is fine, and the picture is fine. On the time line, for "field options" in Premiere, I've applied "Reverse field dominance" and "reduce interlace flicker" The mpeg is encoded with bottom field first, just as the Dv source has bottom field first. I've got the MainConcept Dv decompressor codec installed.

I haven't tried using a different encoder yet, and I could try using virtual dub to copy the avi with HuffyUv, or maybe just copy the segments that skip in the mpeg and edit the dubbed (and hopefully repaired) .avi's into the timeline to replace the skipping parts.

By the way, the mpeg that skips will do so on my PC and on my Dvd player.

I'm wondering if anyone has had this experience too? I guess I'm a bit lazy. If there's a simple way around this without copying the Dv .avi to a standard windows .avi type I'd rejoice. Any suggestions?

319

[319]

I forgot to mention: when I encode the Dv to standard Vcd these skips that show in the mpeg 2 file don't show. So I tried encoding the Svcd with no fields, and I think that it skipped in the same places. Maybe there's comething wacky with the file, like two consequtive top frames, or something like that, that throws the mpeg encoder for a loop. I recall that Vcd isn't interlaced so maybe that's why I don't really see this problem in my Vcd mpeg files?

319

[319]

Ok. So I've continued to struggle with this issue.
The easy answer to the stuttering mpeg problem is that some of my firewire caputures have had dropped frames. Dropped frames from a firewire Dv capture?! Yes. Another capture I did recently had no dropped frames, and the mpeg file appears fine, but then again, I've seen the show so many times in my efforts to encode it that I haven't sat through every minute of it now that its done. I've gotten tried of looking at it now, and will put it with my svcds so I can look at it later.
Its odd that when I capture from the video card, and there are many more dropped frames, encoding to svcd doesn't show in an obvious way where the dropped frames were. I thought it would be the same for firewire dv capture, but maybe it isn't.
The dropped frames from firewire caputre still don't seem to matter if I'm encoding to vcd mpeg1 though.
If I figure out something else I'll post it here.
In Premiere, the best settings for encoding to svcd I think, still include checking 'reverse field dominance' and 'flicker removal' under Video Options - Field Options.

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[yg1968]

You shouldn't have any dropped frames with DV. Check your firewire cable. You can use DVIO (see tools section) as it consumes less ressources than other programs.