CCE's New Encoder Basic Trial crashes

[Lamont Cranston]

I ran into a problem with CCE's New Encoder Basic Trial Version. If I encode a NTSC DV Type 1 to mpeg 2 with elemental streams and choose wav, or aiff, as an audio file type CCE crashes when I click on the encode button and windows posts the message "The program has performed an illegal operation...". If I choose mpeg 1 layer 2 as the audio file type CCE works fine. Has anyone been successful increating a wav elemental stream with CCE basic with the trial or retail version?

In case you wonder why wav I convert the wav to DD/2.

- LC

[DJRumpy]

I know that older versions of CCE had problems with Type 1 DV. Try converting your Type1 to Type 2. There are freeware tools for this in the TOOLS section to the left. Since I don't know what the basic software supports, you should probably contact Cinema Craft with your issue if your still having problems.

[Lamont Cranston]

Thanks, Everthing works in the latest release.

-LC

[pepegot1]

It has trouble with type 1 too.

email sent to their Tech support:

To Whom It May Concern:

I created an SVCD Template:
I was encoding a SVCD, when half way through, about 3 minutes, the following message appeared: CCE-SVCD_phase2 failed: Could not read pack start code.

When I tried the VCD, the error message came up at the very beginning. It was more nonsense than the SVCD.

This new Basic Encoder does not show too much. I coded in TMPGenc without incident.

Is this encoder like "Main Concept's"-It does not support DirectX 9.0, only DirectX 8.1?

What can be done about this?

This is the registered version, not the Test version.

[DJRumpy]

Lamont, make sure you post the version your using, which corrected the problem, as others could benefit from it.

[BJ_M]

anyone notice there is no upper or lower field selection anymore in the new CCE ?

[DJRumpy]

BJ, does it use auto-detect or somesuch? Does anyone have the docs for it? PDF format?

[BJ_M]

no idea ... its not even mentioned in the docs - nor is the new line setting .. the manual included is right now for 2.66 still ..

[DJRumpy]

um...{*Doh!*}

I'm holding off on the purchase until everyone gets the first impressions in. Can anyone tell me the max number of passes it will do? Is the first VAF creation pass counted in that number?

[BJ_M]

oh sorry -- i was talking about the full version 2.67

i still havnt tried the basic version ..

[LanceSteel]

anyone notice there is no upper or lower field selection anymore in the new CCE ?

I don't know about the full SP version but the new basic version has the option to select the field. Its no longer a checkbox. They changed it to 'Field Offset' or something goofy like that with a box next to it where you have to enter a zero (for top field) or a one (for bottom field.) I don't know if the SP version is the same...

[LanceSteel]

I'm holding off on the purchase until everyone gets the first impressions in. Can anyone tell me the max number of passes it will do? Is the first VAF creation pass counted in that number?

I like the new basic version. I was an avid Tmpegenc user due to the fact that I couldn't afford CCE SP. After trying the full version of CCE basic, I have to say that I'm impressed. I've been doing 1pass CBR encodes of captured VHS streams and have been getting great quality mpeg2's out of the encoder. The speed (over Tmpeg) is way quicker too.

To answer your questions the number of passes you can do is two and I believe that that includes the VAF file. You can do 2pass VBR or 2pass CBR.

[DJRumpy]

Still acceptable, and comparable to TMPGenc and it's multipass setup. I was a bit worried about the Field Order, as my capture card is top field first. I would need that setting to be available, but it sounds like it's still there.

What about the Quantization Matrix setting. Can you still change it using at least the presets (Ultra Low, Very Low, Standard, and MPEG Standard)?

[BJ_M]

anyone notice there is no upper or lower field selection anymore in the new CCE ?

I don't know about the full SP version but the new basic version has the option to select the field. Its no longer a checkbox. They changed it to 'Field Offset' or something goofy like that with a box next to it where you have to enter a zero (for top field) or a one (for bottom field.) I don't know if the SP version is the same...

yes - thats what full version has now -- except you can enter any number in , which must be rather strange ..

it also has aditional options like multipass CBR and single pass VBR for use with Multipass later and a few others ... not sure what use Multipass CBR is for ... time to experiment .. this is for the full version ..

[DJRumpy]

The IBM doc talked about Multipass-CBR, but I've never seen it implemented. It says that the multipass allows it to better allocate bitrate at the macroblock level, giving a better quality encode. If any particular macroblock is unchanged from frame to frame, the bitrate could be applied to another macroblock, within the frame, improving overall quality of each frame. It would be most usefull on bit constrained format's like VCD, and SVCD.

[sammie]

So far so good here. Great speed, good quality, still maybe slightly better than TMPEGEnc. Only problem I have noted is in doing CVD resolution using AVISynth I loose the aspect ratio. When I check the header I note it's correctly set to 4:3, but size is set to 720x480. When I set the size to 352x480 the picture gets all blocky and gets shoved off to the right side of the screen? Any ideas? CVD always worked fine with CCE 2.5???

[LanceSteel]

Only problem I have noted is in doing CVD resolution using AVISynth I loose the aspect ratio. When I check the header I note it's correctly set to 4:3, but size is set to 720x480. When I set the size to 352x480 the picture gets all blocky and gets shoved off to the right side of the screen? Any ideas?

Now that you mention it, I've had the same problem. I was encoding a DV stream with CCE-B 2.67 at 352x480 and when I played the resulting DVD on my standalone you could see the scanlines on the right of the screen (the image is pushed over). I thought it was just Avisynth but maybe its CCE. I'm encoding the exact same stream using VDub as my frameserver instead of Avisynth to see if that fixes things. If that doesn't fix things, I'll try encoding the vdub stream in Tmpeg.

[sammie]

Yep, let me know about the VDub. I do that too a lot, especially if I need to clean us junk because of the preview capability on the filters. I'd rather use AVIsynth in general because of the speed though.

Yes, TMPEGenc works fine in my experience with CVDs.

[DJRumpy]

Sammie, what options did you have selected when this happend?

When I check the header I note it's correctly set to 4:3, but size is set to 720x480.

I'm assuming your input was already resized to CVD (half D1)? I use half d1 all the time. If it doesn't work in the new basic version, then it's not an option.

Does the basic version still have the Half Vertical, and Half Horizontal options?

[sammie]

Yes, I was frame serving a bicubic resized 352x480 stream. I tried all three combos. Nothing checked, half horizontal and both half horizontal and half vertical. Same net results. Always got a 352x480 actual size video (tall thin) with a header that said 720x480. Just editing the header doesn't seem to be the answer. Although I must admit, I don't routinely have to do that so I'm not sure I'm editing the header correctly.

[DJRumpy]

Any other options selected?

[sammie]

Not sure what all. The usual options are there and set CCE up as typical. DVD compliant and close GOPs were NOT checked though. Know that you have to uncheck DVD compliant on other versions to get CCE to make CVDs.

[LanceSteel]

Not sure what all. The usual options are there and set CCE up as typical. DVD compliant and close GOPs were NOT checked though. Know that you have to uncheck DVD compliant on other versions to get CCE to make CVDs.

You and I are using the same settings. The DVD compliant checkbox seems to encode the mpeg2 stream to 720x480 which is dumb because if I wanted it at 720x480 I wouldn't have resized it to 352x480 (which is also dvd compliant.)

I encoded the stream I was talking about in the earlier post last night using vdub instead of avisynth as the frameserver but I forgot that I cropped the sides a bit so the overscanning wasn't visible. I'm encoding the avisynth stream in Tmpeg Plus to see if that fixes the image pushover. (BTW CCE just released a new version of CCE-B today.)

[DJRumpy]

If you select DVD Compliant, and Half Horizontal, then you should get output that is Half D1. DVD Compliant will pictureframe your video if it is not already at a valid resolution. Depending on the options selected, DVD compliant will do nothing to your video.

If you select Half Horizontal, and DVD Compliant, and your input is 352x480, then it will do nothing in regards to pictureframing/padding your resolution.

[sammie]

@DJRumpy. I'll try your second combination. I had presumed in the past that logically what you say is true. But when I first started trying CVDs I was seeing that CCE seemed to try to resize it back to 720x480 (typically with horrible results) if DVD compliant was checked. Someone here suggested uncheck everything and just feed it halfD1 with avisynth. That worked and to be honest until CCE Basic I'd never thought about it again. I don't know for sure what was happening since I don't recall what combinations I tried back when I first did CVDs.

[Lamont Cranston]

I did not post the version of the CCE Encoder Basic that solved my crash problem because it was the same...just downloaded at a later date.

How to set the field order:

"You can set the field order for reading an input at "Offset line"
located on the advanced video setting window.
0 or even number is for top field first source.
1 or add number is for bottom field first source.

Note that output is always top field first."

[sammie]

Trying DJRumpy's combo now. We'll see what happens.

[sammie]

Well, same result. Tall thin picture, header is 720x480. Editing the header to 352x450 just makes it tall thin off to the right side of the frame instead of centered with lots of block noise. One or two more efforts, then I think it's time to conclude the current version of CCE Basic doesn't support CVD.

[sammie]

Ok, now things are getting wierd. Turned off DVD compliant again and frameserved 352x480 with half D1 horizontal checked (like I did before). Checked out picture, YES! 4:3! Hmmm, why is it so fuzzy???? Open up DVD patcher and look at the header Yikes 176x480, but it's 4:3??!?!?!?!?!? Last shot is DVD compliant off, half D1 horizonatl off frameserving with 352x480. Yeah I know that was the first thing I tried I thought....... well still hoping.

Speed and picture (except at 176x480) are great. Speed might be a bit faster than CCE2.5, and picture is comparable to the best I've seen with any 2 pass conversion. Just hope I can get the CVD thing worked out.

BTW, can't get it to work with DVD2SVCD either. Any help there would be appreciated.

BBTW Back to the original post in the thread, I've not had any crashes in 2 days of intense use.

[Lamont Cranston]

sammie
I just tried half horizontal (352 x 480) with DVD compliant on and off and the results look great. No fuzzy images...

I am using V2.67.01.08 (purchased)

BTW As I reported in an earlier post (unable to report earlier), The crashes I reported with CCE Basic occurred with one the first releases of the trial CCE Basic Encoder. When I downloaded it again a day later the probem was gone. The version number on both downloads were the same.