ATI MMC 7.x Users - Tech Questions (maybe you can help)

[Stinky]

Hi all,

I'm trying to improve the functionality of MMC 7.x (and my tool) - I've written to ATI tech support but have yet to hear back from them.

My goal is to try and find out where/if there is a place in the registry to set a average and minimum bitrate setting for VBR (currently you only have the option of setting VBR on or off). I'm also trying to find out what "Visual Masking" does.

In addition other things like cropping can be set in the registry but not through MMC 7.x - but what does it do? I want full control over my real time captures

If you have any of this information or feel like writing ATI also and letting me know how they respond, that would be great.

Also if anyone can clue me in on what some of these registry entries mean (I put the word OK next to the ones I know / or think I know):

"Name"="New Capture Preset" <--- OK
"Desc"="New Capture Prese" <--- OK
"RtInterval"="333667"
"Width"=dword:00000160 <--- OK
"Height"=dword:000000f0 <--- OK
"Sample Frequency"=dword:0000ac44
"Bits Per Sample"=dword:00000010
"Channels"=dword:00000002
"VCD"=dword:00000000 <--- OK (on/off)
"Size"=dword:00000058
"Flags"=dword:0000ffff
"Res"=dword:00000000
"Compression Standard"=dword:00000001
"Video Bitrate"=dword:001126a0
"B Frames"=dword:00000002 <--- OK (# of frames)
"P Frames"=dword:00000004 <--- OK (# of frames)
"Deinterlacing"=dword:00000000 <--- OK (on/off)
"Vertical Scaling"=dword:00000000
"Horizontal Scaling"=dword:00000000
"Vertical Cropping"="0.000000"
"Horizontal Cropping"="0.000000"
"CPU Load"="0.750000"
"Horizontal ME Range"=dword:00000005 <--- OK
"Vertical ME Range"=dword:00000004 <--- OK
"Visual Masking"=dword:00000001 <--- OK (on/off)
"Video Standard"=dword:00000001
"Aspect Ratio"=dword:00000002
"VBR Mode"=dword:00000000 <--- OK (on/off)

[patrickm]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>

"Sample Frequency"=dword:0000ac44 [this is audio sampling freq, 'ac44'hex=43844Hz, it may be more complicated, but that's the idea. try it at 22khz and see what you get]

"Bits Per Sample"=dword:00000010 [ '10'h=16 bit audio sampling]
"Channels"=dword:00000002 [2=stereo (i think. check in MMC 6.3) 0=mono, 1=joint
stereo, 3=dual channel]
"Size"=dword:00000058
"Flags"=dword:0000ffff
"Res"=dword:00000000
"Compression Standard"=dword:00000001 [this is another 0/1/2 flag for MPEG-1/MPEG-2/AVI,
though in MMC 7.1 AVI may be set up differently and this could be a 0/1 or 1/2 for MPEG key]

"Video Bitrate"=dword:001126a0 [this one's just the bitrate in bps, as a hex #.
right here it's set at 1124000]
"B Frames"=dword:00000002 <--- OK (# of frames) [make sure this is handled correctly, depending on if it counts up from 0 or 1]

"Vertical Scaling"=dword:00000000 [i haven't seen these before, but i'd assume it's a
"Horizontal Scaling"=dword:00000000 [way to stretch the picture and crop off the garbage
"Vertical Cropping"="0.000000" [lines at the bottom of a TV/VHS capture.
"Horizontal Cropping"="0.000000"
"CPU Load"="0.750000" [this one's new too. possibly a priority key, for what % of CPU cycles to use for compression, range 0....1 by decimal number, .75=75%. is 75 your 'ME Performance' number in your profile?]

"Video Standard"=dword:00000001 [ sets NTSC/PAL-N/PAL-M etc. works like the
stereo/mono keys i think]
"Aspect Ratio"=dword:00000002 [picture aspect ratio, MMC 6.3 has 1:1, 4:3, 16:9]

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

i'll try to play around with the scaling and stuff later, but we're having a lightning storm here so i need to get off the computer... hope this helps

[Stinky]

Thanks patrickm! Anything you can find out will be a great help -- I'll try and add all the new information and options to my tool so they are simple to set (once we find out what they do)

thanks again!

[next]

Actually the VBR setting in MMC 7.1 sets a peak rate. I wish it would set an average - it would be more predictable. I've noticed average bit rates extremely low with VBR settings at 3.0. It would be great to be able to set a minimum for VBR settings. That is a key but I have been unable to find a way to do it.

I have been through just about every setting in the registry for MMC 7.1. I am slightly pressed for time here but I will take a moment later to try and provide a review. I can say that I have not found any significant improvements beyond what has been discussed in previous threads concerning this subject.

But one thing - I am beginning to lean towards CBR captures because of this lack of ability to set minimum VBR levels. My CBR captures have not displayed even a hint of artifacts that seemed to slip into my VBR captures at times. Not significant artifacts but with VBR just that very occasional glitch. I think it's because with VBR in MMC 7.1 the bit rate can really drop off the bottom sometimes. By cranking the VBR bit rate up to accomodate for this the peaks may then be a problem for some DVD players.

I'm trying to land on the easiest and highest quality captures using MMC 7.1.

[Stinky]

Next? You know what Sample Frequency and Bits Per Sample do?

or what Compression Standard and Video Standard are?

Just curious - I'm trying to find out how to "micro-manage" my custom profile settings - the "Edit" dialog box(s) allow you to alter some things but there is so much in the registry that they don't allow you to change nor do they explain what it does.

I'm just hoping if a bunch of of attack it with "Trial and Error" we can figure out what each setting does and how best to set it

[next]

Stinky:

Compression Standard 0 = Mpeg2 Bit Rate 4.0
1 = Mpeg1 with custome bit rate
2 = Mpeg2 with custom bit rate
3,4,5,6 etc = Mpeg2 with Bit Rate 4.0

Video Standard 0= No compression (huge file)
1= Whatever you choose above

Sample Frequency and bits per sample relate solely to sound.

[patrickm]

RtInterval is

____1_____ * 10,000,000
frame rate

this is 333667(decimal) for AVI 29.97fps, and 166833(dec.) for MPEG-1/2, 59.94Hz (because it's capturing interlaced) NTSC. 200000 for PAL.

Video Standard
1=NTSC(525), etc, 2=PAL

("Standards" under AVI works similarly, but with more options)

[i'm afraid of a crash here playing with scaling, so i'll post again when i figure it out. i'm still stuck on aspect ratio though. it mght be pixel aspect ratio. i'll try and check in VideoFactory)

[patrickm]

Aspect Ratio
0=1.485 (16:9)
1=1.00 (vga 1:1)
2=.909 (NTSC 4:3)
3... (16:9)

size(?)
88=100% (1.00 pixel aspect)
44=50% squish horizontal?, (pixel aspect ratio .500)
[after changing this, it captures once then the template goes away]


scaling 0=off 1=on
cropping "0.0000" = none
1.0000=crop everything
.333333 =crop 1/3

[sometimes this worked, other times it crashed. keep the values under .5 at least, and preferably at a 4:3 ratio]

[patrickm]

the cropping is very weird though, and also very lousy quality at anything over 5%, and i'm sure it wastes CPU like hell. but it might be good for cutting just 4 lines for VHS or the L/R edge to make it encode with less bits.

scaling seems to be display-only, since the cropped video was smaller than the 320x240 i started with. some data i haven't seen the pattern from yet:
(orig 320x240)
v=.02 h=.05 288x336 ?
v=.33 h=.25 160x112 ?