Reauthouring stutter problem

[Irrational Stoat]

I've just learnt how to frameserve VOBs to TMPGenc Plus for encoding to m2v files for use in DVDLab, but the resultant DVD tends to stutter on fast action scenes.

I tend to lower the bitrate in TMPGenc so I can fit more files on a disc - I'm prepared to accept a small ammount of blockyness on fast action scenes. I've made plenty of DVDs from AVI files that worked fine with no stutter - but now I'm frameserving, this problem crops up.

The software I use:

DVD Decryptor for ripping
DVD Shrink for extracting individual VOB episodes from the ripped disc
DVD2AVI to create the frameserving file
TMPGenc Plus to convert the VOB via frameserving to m2v format
DVDLab to author the DVD
DVD Santa to burn the disc

I'm ripping PAL DVDs and making PAL discs, so I don't need to convert framerates.

Would it be easier to save out the VOBs in a compressed format with DVD Shrink, or would the picture quality suffer? At least I could bypass the TMPGenc phase if I used this method.

[SLK001]

Usually stutter on fast action scenes is due to encoding with the wrong field order. Check to see what the default field order is for TMPG and do short tests for each, then select the best result.

[Irrational Stoat]

When I load the frameserving file into TMPGenc, it defaults to bottom field first.

[SLK001]

Top field first is the more common DVD order.

Test by frameserving your encoded video to Virtualdub, then step through action scenes and check for "step-backs".

[Irrational Stoat]

Ah - I get a bit lost frameserving to Virtualdub. Not too sure how to do it! lol

I'm currently trying a test encode in TMPGemc using top field first, so I'll see how that goes.

[Irrational Stoat]

Well, "top field first" worked a treat - thanks for the info!