Audio Sync Problem using WinAvi

[BonnieW88]

I was using canupus to capture, virtual dub to edit, and winavi to convert. No problems with audio. Everything worked great.

Then I did a clean install of windows xp from win 2x and downloaded the current winavi. I don't like it....too many settings and my audio is way out of sync. The edited avi is fine...it's the converted mpg that's off. Is there some way to get an older version of winavi - the one that worked for me that was simple and easy to use?

What if I convert to divx before using winavi...will that alleviate the problem? What about using TMPEnc after converting with winavi?

Thanks, Bonnie

[mats.hogberg]

Use as few steps as possible when converting.
I'm not sure what you use WinAVI to, but it's considered the worst piece of cr*p ever commercially released in this area.
What are you capturing?
A simple advice would be to replace WinAVI with FAVC or Convertx2dvd - but it looks like you're doing whatever you're doing in too many steps.

/Mats

[BonnieW88]

Hi Mats....
I capture a tv program using WinTV and Canopus through my VCR. Gives me a great quality AVI with no lost frames. Then I take out the commercials with VDub...then convert to MPG with WinAvi....then reencode with TMPEnc then assemble files and make really nice dvd sets of tv series with motion menus and music using ulead movie factory. It's a lot of steps but the output quality is really good. I'm open to suggestions if you can recommend a better way of doing it.

I agree that WinAvi isn't good at converting to DVD, but a simple avi to mpg works really well and takes about 15 minutes for a 45 minutes episode. I just found a WinAvi 5.8 download and, yep, it's the one I'm used to.

[mats.hogberg]

Alternate route:
WinTV -> Canopus -> TMPGEnc -> UMF

At least one reencoding less, and bound to end up with better q.
If you use WinAvi to creates mpg files - where does TMPGEnc come into the picture?
Whatever apps you're using, you are reencoding al least once to much.

/Mats

[BonnieW88]

I don't recall how I ended up with my 'system'. I think I chose WinAvi because of the speed and reprocess with TMPEnc to correct any audio problems.

When I use TMPGEnc to convert from avi, the process takes 2-3 hours, rather than 15-20 minutes using WinAvi. Then processing the mpg with TMPGEnc takes about 30 minutes. More steps, but less time.

Perhaps I don't know how to use TMPGEnc properly. Is there something I can do to make the process go faster?

[mats.hogberg]

Yes - WinAVI is fast. But so is a Trabant. If you drop it off a cliff.
Enough WinAVI bashing - you know we hate it.
One way to make TMPGEnc faster is to turn down motion search precision. At highest, it's incredibly slow. At second best, it's quite faster, but there's no visible difference in the output at all.
At 3rd best, it's even faster, and at least I can't still see no difference from highest.
And frankly - what's the hurry?

/Mats

[BonnieW88]

Okay, I'll give it a try and see if my videos show any improvement.

Thanks, Mats, for your input. I may have learned a good lesson today.

[mats.hogberg]

Hope so. The important thing to keep quality is to use as few reencoding steps as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean as few applications as possible - dedicated apps for each step is generally better than using a allinone.
If you're inclined to pursue this further, I think there are like 50 guides found under Convert left, for AVI to DVD. Many ways to skin a cat.

/Mats

[redwudz]

Mats, I was trying to figure out the 'But so is a Trabant. If you drop it off a cliff.', reference. I thought it was a typo, till I looked it up. 'Worst car ever made', 'gives communism a bad name', etc.

BonnieW88, I don't know if you are aware of this, but you can frameserve your Vdub edit directly to your MPEG encoder, TMPGEnc included. It saves you from making an intermediate file and a fair amount of time and disc space: https://www.videohelp.com/oldguides/virtualdubframeserve

You could also try the freeware FAVC or a slightly faster encoder/all in one converter other than TMPGEnc. But I use TMPGEnc also, mostly for ease of use. If they could only make it process it bit faster. Even the newest versions seem to share the same problem.

[mats.hogberg]

Mats, I was trying to figure out the 'But so is a Trabant. If you drop it off a cliff.', reference. I thought it was a typo, till I looked it up. 'Worst car ever made', 'gives communism a bad name', etc.

East German classic. Paper reinforced plastic body. Small, unreliable. I think you can rent one if you ever go to Berlin at a special car rental service.
By now, the Trabbi is a collectors item.
(Sorry for the off topic discussion!)

/Mats

[BonnieW88]

Redwudz....I never understood the term 'frameserve'...I printed out the guide and it looks like something I can handle. I'll definitely give it a try. I'm learning a lot today.

[redwudz]

BonnieW88, framserving is very handy if you are using Vdub and TMPGEnc. Once you finish editing in VD, you start up the frameserver, then open TMPGEnc and point it to the .vdr file and let it run. Mats gave you some tips on speeding up TMPGEnc that should also help with that end. Frameserving is also a way to send video files to TMPGEnc that it may normally choke on. You can also use most, but not all filters with VD when you frameserve.

If you need to do extensive filtering, then the next level of frameserving is AVIsynth. But it's a bit hard to learn at first.

[BonnieW88]

Redwudz,

I know just enough VDub and TMPGEnc to get by....I find the settings very confusing. I think I'll try to master frameserving before moving on to AVIsynth. Thanks for lesson.

Bonnie

[BonnieW88]

Mats and Redwudz.... I can't thank you enough for steering me in the right direction.
VDub to edit and frameserve to TMPGEnc is amazing. One process and using third best motion search is fast with no discernable difference in quality for my purpose. My Star Trek TOS compilation will be done in no time. What a helpful site this is!! Thank you again, Bonnie

[mats.hogberg]

Thank you, Bonnie W88! You'd be (I know I am!) amazed to find how hard it is for most to realize there are ways to do something that's both better and simpler, than the way they're doing it (even if they come here with problems with their process).

/Mats