Problems with TMPGEnc...

[SolsBBQ]

...first of all, sorry to bother you because I know this has been brought up before...but, I was never able to get a clear answer so I'll state my own situation...

PIXELATION.

Before I get into it, I have to say I don't see what the big fuss with this TMPGEnc is because I've had nothing but disappointments...

Moving right along...I have been trying to encode AVI to MPEG2 for DVD authoring. I have tried EVERY possible combination and setting to get the best results but still cannot get rid of that "pixelated" look in scenes with lower light levels.

What's sad, is that my Nero software (which has it's own internal encoder) actually produces better-looking video. The problem is that the Nero software has extremely limited features and I cannot import those encoded files into DVDLab which I'm using to author.

Can anyone please offer any insight? I'd love to know what software Hollywood uses, because I've searched every forum and wasted countless hours trying to get this issue resolved. And if TMPGEnc won't cut it, can anyone offer a suggestion for a better encoder?

ANY assistance would be deeply appreciated. Thanks for your time and patience.

[guns1inger]

Where to start ?

1. What is your source ? A simple rule for video is "garbage in = garbage out". If your source is highly compressed Divx/Xvid then chances are the pixelation already exists in the source, and re-encoding just makes it more obvious. Post a short sample of the source and corresponding tmpgenc file for comparison.

2. What are your tmpgenc settings ? The encoder settings can make a huge difference to the output quality. What is your bitrate ? Are you applying filters ? Are you resizing ?

3. Why can't you import the files from Nero into DVD Lab Pro ? What output is Nero producing ? If it is DVD compliant, DVD Lab Pro will load it. If it isn't, then it is worthless anyway.

My biggest issue with tmpgenc has always been speed, or the lack thereof. The quality has generally been acceptable (at least, for the older 2.5 encoder - not impressed with the newer all-in-one version, but then I think Nero is second rate garbage as well). If you want to try something else, I would suggest HCenc. It is relatively fast, gives great quality output (assuming good quality input, of course) and is great value. You do need to learn some basic avisynth, but nothing FitCD can't do for you, at least to get you started.

[SolsBBQ]

Guns1inger---

Thanks for your assistance.

My source is a DV AVI which I made certain was the absolute best quality before attempting to encode.

TMPGEnc Settings:

2-pass VBR
6000kbps - 8000kbps (6900 average)
10 Bit DC

I've played with every possible combination and still haven't been able to obtain an acceptable image. I am not applying any filters nor am I attempting to do any resizing.

EDIT! For some reason, I said Nero when I meant to say Sonic MyDVD (though Nero still encodes better than TMPGEnc, it's not what I meant to say). The video quality from Sonic MyDVD is far superior to what I've been able to get from TMPGEnc.

I have tried to import the Sonic files to DVDLab Pro, but to no avail. I'm not sure what file output Sonic is producing. All I can say is that the Sonic does produce a better quality video with richer color, more illumination and no artifacts, pixelation or macroblocking. It's completely DVD compliant and has never failed to play on any standalone DVD player I've tested.

Quite frankly, I am stumped and TMPGEnc Support has been able to offer no solution. I'm disappointed, because everyone and their Grandma kept telling me that "TMPGEnc is the best of the best."

[guns1inger]

If Nero was creating DVD compliant files they would be in the form of an authored DVD - ifo, bup and VOB files. The VOBs are what you would want for DLP. If you aren't getting these then you are probably converting to something like H264.

I don't know what your footage looks like, however there are few general statements about DV that are pretty close to universal.

1. Low light DV footage is generally very noisy, and noisy footage needs a high bitrate. Filtering may help reduce the problem, and therefore the artifacts.

2. DV is often shot hand-held. Mpeg-2 hates hand held footage. Lots of fast, sharp movements makes it difficult to encode at anything but the highest bitrates without getting artifacts.

If your footage falls into either of these categories, then you will have to consider filtering or stabilising your footage first.

Also, check your bitrates in a bitrate calculator. If your running time is less than 70 or so minutes (and DV often is), then encode the audio as AC3 224 kbps, and push the video bitrate up to around 8400 average, max of 9000, min of 4000 and see if that improves your encoding.

[SolsBBQ]

Guns1inger---

Thanks again for the feedback--much appreciated.

I will make the recommended changes and post my results here.

As for the DV aspect, here's what I can tell you: the project was shot on a DVX100a and had minimal handheld. Most everything we shot was on sticks. There's virtually no noise because we crushed all of the blacks in post-production as part of our "look."

The video that Sonic produces has none of the associated problems that I've mentioned with TMPGEnc. The only thing is that Sonic lacks any desirable features; hence my switch over to DVDLab Pro.

Again, thanks for your assistance. It's greatly appreciated.

[guns1inger]

Is Sonic compresses the video the way you want it to be, why not use Sonic to create a simple structure DVD, then use PGCdemux to extract the audio and video ready for DLP ?