MainConcept Announces Mpeg Encoder

[Lamont Cranston]

We are proud to announce our latest development today, the MainConcept
MPEG Encoder.

With our brand-new software solution novices as well as experts generate
high-quality MPEG-1/2 files for the most common formats. Make room for
fresh, creative video ideas with our Encoder...

The MainConcept MPEG Encoder is a powerful program for converting and
compressing video data into MPEG-1/2 for the popular formats, such as
Video CD, Super Video CD and DVD. The Encoder offers a beginner as well as a professional interface. The latter contains innumerable settings to
perfect both the video and audio streams, including special menus for the
bitrate and multiplexing. Additional features are the a useful preview option, and the integrated batch list function which enables the user to convert several files consecutively or together.

Do you become curious? Then simply download the free demo version of the MPEG Encoder from our web site
http://www.mainconcept.com/mpeg_encoder.shtml, and convince yourself of its impressive efficiency.

[jeremymiller]

Tried the Demo version, and here are the initial findings: loads avi, mpg1, mpg2 (captured by ATI) files, and produced decent qualities. Also loads vob files, but not its companion wav file--resampling of the wav may be needed? It does not have--(I might not have looked at the program close enough)--a lot of the things TMPGenc offers, such as source range, audio volume increase and it is hard to set the aspect ratio. One thing this program does is fast encoding, close to real time.

Overall: Better than TMPGEnc? I don't think so.
Price: $149? I don't think so.

[usadan]

I tried the mainconcept demo. The GUI is pretty straight-forward and it is speedy. I compared four variations of encoding with it, to four variations of encoding with TMPGenc. Overall, the TMPGenc looked noticably better, both 2-pass and one-pass.

Also, had some problems encoding some of my AVIs with mainconcept. Right at the end it gave and Encoding Error: 50070057. I could view the MPG2 files just fine on the PC. I could not open up these files with Ulead Movie Factory. A long file seemed just hang Ulead. One shorter mpg gave some audio format error message. I reset the mainconcept audio settings to Layer2 and it still didn't quite work.

Turns out some of my AVIs encoded just fine. Other's gave that error. It is odd because they were all captured from the same camera with the same method. For the AVI's that encoded fine, Movie Factory loaded them just fine.

I couldn't suss out any way to bring the quality of the mainconcept mpgs to match the TMPGenc. Probably some of you can.

For what its worth, it looks like Adobe Premiere 6.5 is going to use the mainconcept engine for its MPG2 conversion (on PC).

[jeremymiller]

I also received that error message at the end of a file, but the file opens and plays just fine. Another thing: it does take a while for the program to load a big file before you can doing anything. Also, uncheck "reload last project on start up" under Option--otherwise, it will take a long time for the program to load every time you try to open the darn program.

[Lamont Cranston]

When I tried MainConcept's Demo V1.1 Mpeg Encoder and I ran into some bugs and IMHO a serious limitation.

NTFS file system users. Mainconcept's encoder can ONLY handle AVI DV Type 1 files >4g. VFW AVI OpenDML and DV Type 2 AVI OpenDML files >4G will load but you will get garbage out. Tech supports response was
"You have to use type-1 videos for large files"

IMHO TMPGEnc was better overall. There was one section of my "encoder test clip" where there were less microblocks with MainConcept than TMPGEnc. A tweak of the TMPGEnc settings should correct.

Worth $149 -not for me

[BJ_M]

its accually seems to work better as a plug in for vegas video and adobe and sonic foundry soundforge than as a standalone when handle large file sizes .... ive gotton some really good results with it but its default settings are a little odd - like it wants to motion blur everything a lot ... and by not recomputing frame rate unless you tell it - audio sync can be off .. there are some good templates for it on the adobe 6.5 new cd hidden away in some directory whch you have to load yourself .. very fast ..
considering its price - i think its pretty good .. and i like to see more players == certainly pushed a few other aside pretty quick ..

[Lamont Cranston]

BJ_M The MainConcept encoder is used in a lot of products, like Ulead, and works faily weel.. The probems with the stand-alone version seems to be the front end. The encoder itself is okay. Have you looked at new Ligos Premier 6.5 plug-in in comparison with MainConcept's? MainConcept's plug-in @$49 would push a lot of others aside.

[BJ_M]

no - havnt looked at new Ligos .... havnt great results with thier encoders before (though very fast) but things can change quickly ..

[Lamont Cranston]

BJ_M

ive gotton some really good results with it but its default settings are a little odd - like it wants to motion blur everything a lot ...

Could the motion blur be MainConcept's approach to reducing the video data rate required?

and by not recomputing frame rate unless you tell it - audio sync can be off

That's not so good. That is not an option, that I have seen, on the stand-alone version

[Lamont Cranston]

I ran some more tests with the MainConcept Mpeg encoder. I have a test clip with a lot of motion and it has to encoded at a VBR 6000 Max 8000 Min 2000 with TMPGEnc to get good results. The same clip encoded with the MainConcept Encoder looks good with VBR 4200 Max 6000 Min 2500. However, when an object in the scene moves there some residual artifacts from the prior position and the image was softened or blurred in the high motion areas but there is no discrete blocking. I had to go down to a VBR of 2000 before I could see discrete blocking. Conversely, TMPGEnc set at VBR 4200 Max 6000 and Min 2000 and High Quality Motion Search Precision had blocking in all the high motion areas. The tests are far from conclusive but I thought interesting.

[BJ_M]

"recomputing frame rate......" is avaiable on the version that comes from sonic foundry as a seperate purchase and used for sound forge and vegas video (sound forge handles mpeg2 video files just fine and is excellent at use for sync'ng audio because it displays every frame of video above the wave files -- sound forge also excepts the mpa file)

... its hard to find on thier web site but its there ...

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[BJ_M]

a lot of the settings -> smaller numbers are higher quality and on some settings larger ... but its not always self evident , though the manual covers most of it ...