Remove the mkv container(or convert) to reduce lag

[JoeJoeJoe]

Hello everybody, I have this 1080p video, which is very very important to me. My cpu can't handle its load, video freezes, I'm not a video expert but I know mkv is a container. So is it possible to remove the container so there will be less system load? Or is it possible to convert it looslessly to another format which need less decompression while playing?

I tried mkvtoolnix(mkvextract tracks mymovie 1:vid.avi 2:aud.ogg 3:sub.srt) , I wasn't able to play extracted files. I got the feeling that container have no compression at all.

+ EBML head
|+ Doc type: matroska
|+ Doc type version: 2
|+ Doc type read version: 2
+ Segment, size 8532264481
|+ Seek head (subentries will be skipped)
|+ EbmlVoid (size: 4010)
|+ Segment information
| + Timecode scale: 1000000
| + Muxing application: libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1
| + Writing application: mkvmerge v2.9.8 ('C'est le bon') built on Aug 21 2009 13:21:42
| + Duration: 6367.574s (01:46:07.574)
| + Date: Thu Jul  3 03:40:58 2008 UTC
| + Segment UID: 0xb9 0x12 0x74 0xab 0x04 0xef 0x54 0x25 0x8d 0x51 0x40 0x68 0x13 0xd2 0x6b 0xc5
|+ Segment tracks
| + A track
|  + Track number: 1
|  + Track UID: 1
|  + Track type: video
|  + Enabled: 1
|  + Default flag: 1
|  + Forced flag: 0
|  + Lacing flag: 0
|  + MinCache: 1
|  + Timecode scale: 1
|  + Max BlockAddition ID: 0
|  + Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
|  + Codec decode all: 1
|  + CodecPrivate, length 40
|  + Default duration: 41.708ms (23.976 fps for a video track)
|  + Language: eng
|  + Video track
|   + Pixel width: 1920
|   + Pixel height: 800
|   + Interlaced: 0
|   + Display width: 12
|   + Display height: 5
| + A track
|  + Track number: 2
|  + Track UID: 2333561229
|  + Track type: audio
|  + Enabled: 1
|  + Default flag: 1
|  + Forced flag: 0
|  + Lacing flag: 1
|  + MinCache: 0
|  + Timecode scale: 1
|  + Max BlockAddition ID: 0
|  + Codec ID: A_DTS
|  + Codec decode all: 1
|  + Language: eng
|  + Audio track
|   + Sampling frequency: 48000
|   + Channels: 6

[edDV]

What are your PC specs including display card?

What software player are you using?

[JoeJoeJoe]

specs:
[GeForce 7300 GT]
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz

I tried VLC totem mplayer, mplayer gave the best speeds,

VLC bombards with me this in debug;

of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
[0xb06d2ccc] avcodec decoder error: more than 5 seconds of late video -> dropping frame (computer too slow ?)
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one
number of reference frames exceeds max (probably corrupt input), discarding one

[edDV]

Your Pentium 4 isn't enough for software decoding and the GT-7300 lacks PureVideo HD (support for AVC decode assist).

Keep the current file but re-encode to MPeg2 at ~10-14 Mb/s for a chance of playback on that machine. If that doesn't work, reduce size to 1280x720p.

Try MPCHC for player.

[JoeJoeJoe]

so I need to do `ffmpeg -i &ampvideo.mkv" -vcodec mpeg2video video.mpg` any arguments or tips to make it loose less?

[edDV]

This pdf summarizes the Purevideo features on your 7300GT. It still requires considerable CPU load for AVC.
http://www.nvidia.com/docs/CP/11036/PureVideo_Product_Comparison.pdf

Be sure to inverse telecine and encode to 23.976 fps since the 7300GT lacks hardware inverse telecine.

Purevideo HD absorbs most of the load from the CPU.
http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo_hd.html

[edDV]

so I need to do `ffmpeg -i &ampvideo.mkv" -vcodec mpeg2video video.mpg` any arguments or tips to make it loose less?

The 7300GT lacks hardware inverse telecine for HD so you should inverse telecine convert to 23.976p before encoding.

I'll let others suggest best ffmpeg encode settings.

Just noticed this file is 23.976p already.

[JoeJoeJoe]

keep getting 6channel error, what would be a good audio codec to take care of 6channels?

[poisondeathray]

The audio is DTS , so you need a DTS decoder e.g. ffdshow , or use a media player that has installed codecs e.g. smplayer

You won't be able to play it back with that hardware . It will drop frames and be laggy.

The container has very little effect for playback . You could change to mp4 container or transport stream with little differnce because the problem is your hardware

[edDV]

That is why I suggested a recode to MPeg2 whch that card can handle. If it boggs down at 1080p/23.976 downsize to 720p/23.976

[JoeJoeJoe]

I worked around the audio by stripping mkv container AUD.ogg VID.avi SUB.srt than encoding VID.avi with with ffmpeg and mkvmerge them back.

At the %50 of encoding (which took almost 4 terrible hours), I got "missing picture in access unit" error and ffmpeg crashed. I mkvmerge d the half file and it worked pretty fine, yet other half is missing I used

"ffmpeg -i VID -vcodec mpeg2video -sameq -copyts VIDrenc.mpg

I tried to make another file for the rest of the video and mkv merge it with skipped audio ,but same error still happens "ffmpeg -ss 6200 -i VID -vcodec mpeg2video -sameq -copyts VIDrenctest.mpg "
also for the possibility of corrupt file I deleted the stripped VID file and restripped it from the md5 checked original. Same happened

After a whole night of encoding which started from scratch, I wake up to find that

[h264 @ 0x936b710]missing picture in access unit

happened at %50 of encoding