StaxRip how to get constant framerate and detelecine?

[Firestorm]

I rip my DVDs to mkv with MakeMKV and then encode in HandBrake. Lately I've been wanting to switch over to StaxRip though.

Handbrake has two great filters I can't find in StaxRip:

• Constant framerate/same as source (all my videos have come out variable in StaxRip)
• Detelecine - Detect and convert 29.97fps to 23.976fps if possible

Are there additional filters or settings I need to apply/download?

[ProWo]

For the 1st question read:
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=183779

[hello_hello]

I haven't used StaxRip for a while, but what plugin does it use to index/decode your ripped MKVs?

I ask, because ffms2 and lsmash both default to variable frame rate mode, which means if an NTSC DVD is a combination of interlaced and soft telecine (meaning the telecine is achieved via repeat field flags in the video stream rather than hard-encoded into the video) they ignore the repeat field flags and output the average frame rate, which tends to create an A/V sync mess unless you use the original timecodes.

Looking at ProWo's link, it seems StaxRip can extract the timescodes from MKVs.
Avisynth needs a constant frame rate, but it's possible to encode at "some" constant frame rate and mux the extracted timecodes into the output container, so if the source has sections at 23.976fps and sections at 29.97fps (progressive or interlaced or telecined) the encoded video will be the same. Even better, you can give the timecodes file to the x264 encoder to play with and it'll encode in VFR mode. Something like this:

--level 4.1 --preset slow --crf 18.0 --tcfile-in "D:\Ep01 Timecodes.txt"

I don't know which method StaxRip uses.

For "hybrid" NTSC DVDs (many are, but not all), VFR encoding is often a good thing, because the alternative is to convert to a constant frame rate, converting the 29.97fps sections to 23.976fps or the other way around, which is often less than ideal, especially if its done by duplicating or dropping frames as it makes motion jittery (Handbrake?).

Unfortunately StaxRip won't install on my XP PC (although I might install it on the laptop at some stage to see what it's like these days) so I can't offer specific advice, but if you're encoding as VFR the way I described I don't know how you'd apply filtering that changes the frame count without creating a new timecodes file to match.

My preferred method would be to tell ffms or lsmash to output the DVD frame rate, or index with DGIndex or DGIndexNV instead as they'll obey any repeat flags and output 29.97fps by default, and from there I'd de-interlace and/or inverse-telecine with an Avisynth filter. StaxRip appears to include TIVTC which is the most commonly used plugin for that sort of thing. It'll convert to a constant frame rate using frame blending, or there's a 2 pass mode for creating a timecodes file for VFR encoding. It expects the source frame rate to be 29.97fps to work correctly though.

Hopefully a StaxRip user will come along with some StaxRip specific advice as I use MeGUI myself (I'm not implying there's anything wrong with StaxRip, just that I'm not familiar with it) but at least the subject of de-interlacing and inverse telecine and dealing with hybrid DVDs is such a huge can of worms you'll probably forget all about PARs for a while.

[Firestorm]

For the 1st question read:
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=183779

This worked! I turned off extracting timestamps and it stopped converting my constant videos to variable. Thanks a bunch.

A lot of DVDs I've ripped in MakeMKV come up as variable framerate. In Handbrake you can set "constant framerate/same as source" and it fixes this (no idea how though). Now I need to find the same option in StaxRip... Let me know if you have any tips.

I haven't used StaxRip for a while, but what plugin does it use to index/decode your ripped MKVs?

I'm a complete beginner but it looks like it uses DGIndex. This just reads whatever framerate was coded to the file by MakeMKV. If it's not constant/29.97fps, it's variable and something non-standard for NTSC eg., 24p, 25p etc.

at least the subject of de-interlacing and inverse telecine and dealing with hybrid DVDs is such a huge can of worms you'll probably forget all about PARs for a while.

You're absolutely right and any DVD subject relating to converting analogue source to digital is completely maddening. I feel like the more rocks I look under the worse it gets and every topic is more nebulous than the last haha.

[hello_hello]

The original DGIndex won't open MKVs but I think DGIndexNV will, or there's another DGIndex flavour that does, but I haven't used them.

DVDs were designed for interlaced television, so officially there was only one frame rate of 29.97fps (25fps for PAL). Although to be more exact, it's 59.97 fields per second (50 fields per second for PAL). Progressive-scan players that can perform IVTC and/or de-interlace etc came later.

The original DGIndex, and I assume the newer versions, output 29.97fps or 25fps (there's a force film mode but that's another story) so if the video has film sections (23.976fps) with soft-telecine via repeat field flags, DGIndex would obey them and output 29.97fps. A video with soft-telecine in parts and encoded telecine in others would not be uncommon.

When the option to extract timecodes is disabled in StaxRip, the video is probably decoded at 29.97fps (ffms2 and lsmash can be told to do that too).

I don't rip DVDs with MakeMKV, but I assume if MediaInfo reports a VFR, it's not looking for repeat field flags as such, and therefore probably reports a VFR.

Assuming the video is being decoded at 29.97fps, you then have to decide on the filtering required. If it's 100% progressive, there's no de-interlacing or IVTC needed, If it's mostly interlaced you'd de-interlace, if it's all telecine you'd apply inverse telecine, and if it's a hybrid DVD it probably needs both, but in different sections while also converting to a CFR. StaxRip definitely supports the TIVTC plugin for dealing with hybrid video, but I can't tell you how to configure it, or even how to go about determining the type of source you have when using StaxRip, which is pretty important to know so the correct filtering can be applied.

TIVTC does seem to be a standard menu item, but as I've no idea how to configure it in the GUI, hopefully a StaxRip user will come along and help you there.


[Attachment 66383 - Click to enlarge]

[Firestorm]

Assuming the video is being decoded at 29.97fps, you then have to decide on the filtering required.

This is the most daunting thing about this GUI in my opinion compared to Handbrake. To a beginner or even a moderately experienced user there are just too many options to choose from and no objective way to know if the filter you've chosen is correct. There's not even a manual to know if you're heading in the right direction.

I feel like a bit of a mad scientist adding filters here and there when simply trying to encode a standard definition video. Not only that but you can even modify the profile of each filter itself which compounds the options to choose from. I think if I can get Handbrake to work I'd prefer to stay in the shallow end of the pool.