Why are my encoded DIVX files coming out blocky and pixelated?

[peggypwr1]

Hello, I record shows onto my DVD+RW in SP mode, then transfer for them onto my HDD to convert to DIVX.

The program I use is Tempeg Xpress 4.4 (Pegasys software).

I use Comcast cable, and all the channels including the channels beloew 100 are standard definition digital. No analog.
B/C the channels are digital, there are compression artifacts, but they are not that bad.


Here is the problem:

I load the DVD video I want to convert.
I select DIVX as the codec I want to use.

The bitrate I use is 1000 kb/s.
I select 2-pass conversion (motion is set at 0)
I select 29.29 fps w/interlace
I select extreme quality.


When I finish converting, I burn the Divx files to disc and view them on my TV. The finished product is crap. The images whether they are moving or not are blocly and heavily pixelated?

WHy is this? Are my settings wrong? My TV is a good ol fashion tube TV.

I play them back on my Liteon 5115 and Philips 642, same dissapointing results.

ANy tips or help be be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Oh, the reason I use tempeg express 4.4 is b/c I can easily edit out the segments I don't need.

[Baldrick]

What video resolution are you using?

But you wont get that good quality from interlaced home recorded material. You could try convert with AutoGK and see if you notice any big difference.

[peggypwr1]

Hello, the video resolution my recorder records in SP mode is 720 x 480.

So, I use that same resolution.

[disturbed1]

You didn't mention how the files on the DVD+RW look. Play this disc back too. Remember, you are doing 3 compressions here, from compressed digital cable to compressed mpeg2 (DVD+RW) and compressing yet again to avi. There will be quality loss.

2 things that will greatly improve the quality, 1st. deinterlace/IVTC the video, 2nd resize it down to something like 512x384 or 624x432. As Baldrick suggested, AutoGK will do a fabulous job at this.

---edit---
Noticed you're using TMPG because it edits mpegs. Also look at these programs as well
Cutterman
DVBcut
or anything else in this section https://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/video-editors-mpg-dvd

[jagabo]

The larger the frame size the more bitrate you will need to maintain quality.

The more frames per second the higher the bitrate you will need to maintain quality.

Interlaced video and Divx don't mix well.

[peggypwr1]

Ohh, I have a noob question:

WHy do I need to de-interlace the video when I'm going to watch these on TV and the TV is interlaced anyway.

[disturbed1]

Your files may not be interlaced but telecined. Divx/xvid is not an interlace happy format like mpeg2.

[jagabo]

Although Divx has an option to encode as interlaced not many players will handle the playback properly.

[peggypwr1]

I uploaded a screenshot of all the deinterlace options tempeg xpress offers:

which one should I choose?

[poisondeathray]

Why don't you try one - pick simple for example - encode a few frames and see if it comes out to your taste?

If not, adjust and try again

I'd recommend a higher bitrate if you are keeping 720x480

[jagabo]

I don't use TMPGEnc Express. But, if the source was film, the "inverse pulldown" options should work best. On the other hand, inverse telecine can be hard to do well so it may give you jerky results or let lots of interlaced frames through.

[peggypwr1]

The source is standard definiton digital TV.

[jagabo]

The source is standard definiton digital TV.

That was how it was delivered to you. The question is what was the original source? Was it a movie shot on film, a live sporting event, something else? A movie can usually be inverse telecined back to the original film frames. A live sporting event will be fully interlaced and will call for different deinterlacing techniques.

As poisondeathray suggested, you could just try converting a short sequence with each of the settings and see which works best.

[ronnylov]

Try increasing the bitrate to 3000 kbit/s. In my experience divx/xvid gives about equal quality at half the bitrate of MPEG-2 when using the same resolution. Interlaced DVD looks fine at around 6 Mbit/s so my guess is that interlaced divx would require something like 3 Mbit/s. However your standalone player may not play interlaced divx very well. Test it and see if it works.

[guns1inger]

However your standalone player may not play interlaced divx very well. Test it and see if it works.

And many won't play Divx encoded at higher than 2000 kbps either

[peggypwr1]

Well this is interesting:

When I used Tempeg Xpress's Divx encoder my DIVX files came out horrible, wven at 2000 bitrate on two-pass.

BUT:

When I used the stand alone DIVX 6.8, on one-pass at 2000 bit rate, the DIVX files looked almost like the ones on the DVD!

[jagabo]

Try single pass constant quality encoding with a quantizer of 3 or 4.

[RapidPc]

2 things that will greatly improve the quality, 1st. deinterlace/IVTC the video, 2nd resize it down to something like 512x384 or 624x432. As Baldrick suggested,



it worked well thank so much

[KarMa]

This thread has not been bumped in almost decade, took me way to long to realize that. The 1000kbit Xvid should of been a tip off. Please don't go bumping others RapidPc.