x264 encoding problem

[umbie]

Hi all,

I've encoded a video that plays well with my media player (cool ) but when i encode another one, it doesn't play at all.

Video that plays well :
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 280 MiB
Duration : 2 min 16 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 17.2 Mb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2018-03-19 14:00:10
Writing application : mkvmerge v21.0.0 ('Tardigrades Will Inherit The Earth') 64-bit
Writing library : libebml v1.3.5 + libmatroska v1.4.8

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, RefFrames : 3 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2 min 16 s
Bit rate : 12.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 804 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.40:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.324
Stream size : 196 MiB (70%)
Writing library : x264 core 148 r2708 86b7198
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=12 / lookahead_threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=16 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=12000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Format : DTS XLL
Format/Info : Digital Theater Systems
Commercial name : DTS-HD Master Audio
Codec ID : A_DTS
Duration : 2 min 16 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 5 163 kb/s
Channel(s) : 8 channels
Channel layout : C L R LFE Lb Rb Lss Rss
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 93.750 FPS (512 SPF)
Bit depth : 24 bits
Compression mode : Lossless
Stream size : 84.0 MiB (30%)
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Video that doesn't play (shortest one for faster encoding test) :
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 83.9 MiB
Duration : 56 s 864 ms
Overall bit rate : 12.4 Mb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2018-11-04 14:52:55
Writing application : mkvmerge v28.2.0 ('The Awakening') 64-bit
Writing library : libebml v1.3.6 + libmatroska v1.4.9

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, RefFrames : 3 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 56 s 849 ms
Bit rate : 12.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 916 pixels
Height : 804 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.40:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.325
Stream size : 81.7 MiB (97%)
Writing library : x264 core 148 r2708 86b7198
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=18 / lookahead_threads=6 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=16 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=24 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=12000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Commercial name : Dolby Digital
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 56 s 864 ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 320 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 31.250 FPS (1536 SPF)
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 2.17 MiB (3%)
Language : English
Service kind : Complete Main
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Text
ID : 3
Format : PGS
Muxing mode : zlib
Codec ID : S_HDMV/PGS
Codec ID/Info : Picture based subtitle format used on BDs/HD-DVDs
Duration : 8 s 8 ms
Bit rate : 29.3 kb/s
Count of elements : 6
Stream size : 28.6 KiB (0%)
Language : French
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio codec and subtitles should not be the source of the problem since AC-3 and PGS are well played in other videos.

Any ideas, i'm stucked...

Thanks

[pandy]

Whenever HW decoder is involved setting 'bluray_compat=1' should be used for encoding.

[sneaker]

Audio codec and subtitles should not be the source of the problem since AC-3 and PGS are well played in other videos.

Try to remove them anyways, just for testing. Only other differences I see: 1920 vs 1916 pixel width (should not be a problem), different MKVToolNix version (not aware of any problems with 28.2.0, though).

What player are you using?

[umbie]

Thank you for your fast answers

What i've tried (with no audio nor subs in all tests) : 1/ 1920 instead of 1916, 2/ add 'bluray_compat=1' with 1916 width, 3/ add 'bluray_compat=1' with 1920 width.

None works

I'm using Netgear NeoTV 550 (old but works well)

Same encoder parameters, different playing... so strange (i've tested with the source file and it is playing well, but i wish to have a lighter file without losing too much quality)

[sneaker]

If you remux the first, working file with 28.2.0, does it still work?

[umbie]

it was remux with this version already

[sneaker]

What do you mean? In your first post it says "Writing application : mkvmerge v21.0.0 ('Tardigrades Will Inherit The Earth') 64-bit"?

[umbie]

The first file was encoded from another source file. I've just try to remux the first file with 28.2.0, it plays well.

What I mean, is that the source file for the second file was remux from a mpls file with 28.2.0. This source plays well, but not the reencoded one.

I use HandBrake 1.1.2 for encoding. I've tried to play the file directly after encoding... not working in my player, then try to remux it with 28.2.0 with no success

[sneaker]

Test the attached samples.

[umbie]

A & D are playing while not B & C

[poisondeathray]

Some players don't like sub compression (zlib)

Text
ID : 3
Format : PGS
Muxing mode : zlib

[sneaker]

A & D are playing while not B & C

Ok, that is weird.

[umbie]

poisondeathray

Re: x264 encoding problem
Some players don't like sub compression (zlib)

This is not the problem, even with no sub video doesn't play.

sneaker
Ok, that is weird.

Yes, actually !
I have just tested your 2 other samples : E not playing, F is OK.

But what is really weird is why two encodings with same parameters could produce one readable file and not the other one.

[sneaker]

Yeah, it seems to be something about the way HandBrake muxes the files. But I don't see anything wrong. If there were a HandBrake error it could at least be reported to the devs and fixed.

[umbie]

G and H are playing well.

About HandBrake, it is possible, unfortunally if it is the case, encoding successes each time. However, it should be working when remuxed with mkvmerge.

And your samples work with his muxing.

[jagabo]

I'm using Netgear NeoTV 550 (old but works well)

Apparently not.

Just FYI: I played SampleA.mkv through SampleF.mkv on my cheap (US$45) Android TV box (with both the native player and Kodi), on a Raspberry Pi 3B (Kodi), and my Android smartphone. They all played properly.

I also tried playing them on my old LG BD670 Blu-ray player (it can play media files). It didn't like the MKV files with no audio -- it said "audio codec not supported"! So I remuxed with a 10 second AC3 audio clip using MkvToolNix. All the files played properly after that.

It's probably time for a new player.

[sneaker]

G is created by HandBrake 1.1.2. I removed "DisplayUnit" element with MKVToolNix Header Editor.
H is with HandBrake nightly (unlike 1.1.2 it doesn't write DisplayUnit element in the first place).

[umbie]

I have never go in the header section before.

I'd try to remove the DisplayUnit elmeent on the original file (the reencoded one, not the source).

AND IT'S WORKING !!!

Thank you for very much for your help Sneaker

[sneaker]

Good. To make sure that really is the cause you could now try to re-add the element using the Header Editor to test if it stops working.

[umbie]

Just re-added, and don't working. So, we have the cause

Thank you again Sneaker

[video.baba]

Wow cool. Well done @sneaker