What version TMPGEnc should I purchase?

[jackhyde]

I have been using ver 12a for awhile now. I would like to get a more up to date version and I'm willing to pay for it so that I could help support this great program.
So I would like to get opinions from all you more experienced users out there. I know with each new version new features are added but sometimes bugs and sometimes older features might get removed so that the newest may not be the greatest.
So all you TMPGEnc users out there let me hear what you think.

[Executioner]

I'm using 2.53.35.130 Plus. Never had a problem with it. Previous versions did crash, but maybe it was Win98. I now use Win2k with this version and all is well.

[banjazzer]

The very latest version seems to have a problem with SVCD, at least for me. I always get a stream reading error during the last seconds of an encode. When I attempt to multiplex the mpg, I also get a stream reading error towards the end of writing the SVCD header. If I then multiplex with an earlier version, all is OK. So, I am happy with 2.56, but 2.57 gives me a few probs. I experience this on 2 different PCs, and whether converting from DivX or DVD. But I've not heard anyone else have this problem. 8)

[lpn1160]

as i always say "newer is not always better!!" i'm using 12a now, i've tried every version to the current 2.57, and i always go back to my 12a!
if it ain'nt broken, don't fix it!!

[ZenZen]

Banjazzer you are not alone with 2.57
I also see the stream reading error during the last seconds of an encode.
The encoded SVCD burns to CD and seems to work OK, but it would be nice not to see error messages

[NeWcS]

I too get the 'Stream Reading Error' too. All seems fine though when I watch the movie but would like to know what is causing this.

[ransjooman]

I am using tmpg 2.57 and with my last 2 avis that I encoded I get in the last second the same error.When trying to cut the movie to fit on 2 ore 3 cdrs it give the stream writing error when writing the svcd header.
Is this perhaps a bug in 2.57 and where can I download the former versions of tmpg?
ps:it is not a lack of harddisk size

[KingJohn]

At lot of the problems here are the mepeg 2 codec's, if you use the free (30 day mpeg 2) then the Nimo codec pack does provide a codec.

But if you move on to TMPGEnc Plus 2.57, you need to remove those codec's and install a codec that TMPGEnc Plus will work with, one of those supported are installed with Power DVD 4

If you look at the updates from different versions, you will see when the plus version dropped support for the other mpeg 2 codec's

Once TMPGEnc Plus 2.57 is installed, older versions might not work at all !!, they did this deliberately

Also, any file that is made with TMPGEnc is error free, you can't say that about captured mpeg 1/2 or Downloaded AVI's

[jackhyde]

So KingJohn let me get this straight. If I use version 2.57 I somehow have to remove and/or install MPEG2 codecs? Where can I get the newer codecs? You mentioned Power DVD, what about Win DVD? Any others?

[KingJohn]

Since TMPGEnc Plus, don't have its own MPEG-2 codec, it needs one of these 3, which install into the windows system through DirectShow

CyberLink, Ligos and, Sony The popular one being Power DVD 4, I don't know if any of the others have the correct ones.

As for un-installing, this is a recommendation, however I installed Power DVD 4, and TMPGEnc Plus is just fine, but I have seen plenty of problems with other people, who needed to un-install the others, because they conflicted.

Mpeg 2 is not standard, so you would have installed it in the first place, Nimo etc.