Ok experts... I'm close to SVCD nirvana but currently in SVC

[mkirk]

I've got way too many coasters and am so close to attaining SVCD Nirvana. First my specs - I'm running a fairly week machine:
Win 2K
400 Mhz Processor
128 MB Ram
ATI AIW Pro
40 GB HD - 7200rpm

I currently use VirtualDub to capture and have used the Huffy Codec (great quality) and now use the PicVideo Codec (excellent quality). I capture at 352 x 240 then encode using TMPGEnc and Burn using Nero. The result: excellent quality SVCD's. The problem is the length of time this takes.
I recently tried to create a 1 hour SVCD from material on my TiVo. The captured AVI file was 8GB! I edited this and frameserved to TMPGEnc. THIS ENCODE TOOK 25 HOURS! I encode at highest quality, 1900 bps with audio at 192 bps (this is the hightest my player can handle).

I have not experimented a lot with lower quality settings on the .avi capture. I have however tried to capture directly to MPEG2 file which results in low quality video which is ALWAYS out of synch.

I AM SO CLOSE but can not spend 25 hours on a conversion of 1 hour of video - just not worth it. How can I speed this up apart from buying more (and better hardware).

[Truman]

A well-made conversion is time consuming. Imagine you had used a lot of filters, then the process would even take several days.
Short answer: get a faster CPU.
You could also try faster encoders (LSX, CCE), hardly one of them will be better for this kind of conversion. But probably a new encoder will be much more expensive than a new CPU. I guess, with a 1400MHz CPU it will take only 4-5 hours instead of 25.

[Greg12]

You'll never get anything remotly close to crappy by doing real time mpeg 2. U gotta have like 1.5 gig cpu's to do that.

I see 3 options.

1.) Get a new computer or new motherboard. Get at least 1 gig.

2.) Buy a hardware assisted encoder. These encode directly to MPEG without using your CPU. Some ppl say bad quality some say good. Make sure they are HARDWARE. Not Real time encoders. (ATI cards are real time mpeg but they use your cpu.) Dazzle and Happanague are actual hardware encoders

3.) Begin the encoding before you go to bed and it should be done when u get home from work the next day.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Greg12 on 2001-11-22 19:46:04 ]</font>

[MaskofDesiny]

You don't need a fast chip to capture directly into MPEG2 if you have the right capture card. I have an ATI AIW Radeon, which has a chip that assists in the encoding process. On my 550 MHZ Athlon I can encode great quality 640x240 4Mbps MPEG2. I've tried capturing SVCD compliant MPEG2 and the picture quality is good, but I drop about 10% of the frames. So even with the Radeon you'd still need a faster chip.

[Hateslife]

Bah, that dude with the radeon is full of it. You can't get 'good quality' MPEG2 with such a shitty vid capture device. SVCD's can be every inch as good as DVD's on a standard TV; obviously he's getting more like VCD-quality, if that. I've heard that those ATi cards can barely handle VCD-quality MPEG-1 with a powerful computer behind'em. I have no idea what he thinks he's doing.

Decent hardware real-time MPEG-2 capture costs a lot more than a new computer. A hobbyist level card runs about a thousand dollars.

Count yourself lucky that you're getting such good encode time on such an awful machine. For 30$ you can get another 256 mb of RAM; that alone will probably increase performance a great deal.

When it comes down to it, a P2 400 is pure shit. There's nothing at all you can do except start making VCD's.

Edit: BTW, how the f*** do you run 2k with 128 RAM? That's whack!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Hateslife on 2001-11-22 20:44:36 ]</font>

[mkirk]

Thanks for the responses all...
Hateslife: I agree that more RAM could be an easy way to boost performance and definetly agree that it's time for a new PC - P2 400 IS shit. Looks like I will cross my fingers around Christmas time.

Sadly, I can't justify the amount of time and work necessary to archive my TiVO content. Looks like it would be a better investment to simply hack the TiVo and give it more space. Has anyone had any experience with Video Recorders which right directly to VCD/SVCD in one step? Is it way too early in the game for these to possibly work?

Having gone through the hundreds of hours of pain and still not have an efficient way to create SVCD's from captured content OR DVD's is truly frustrating. All I am trying to do is back up 30 min. episodes of the Simpsons and the like and feel like the committment of a dozen hours to accomplish that per each episode is a real overinvestment.

SO new hardware... I suppose I could get a P4 1.x GHz system with tons of RAM and use my current capture hardware and other software components. Am I STILL talking about multiple hours of processing time?

Has ANYONE efficiently created an SVCD of a 30 minute show in just over real time for encoding?