Re-encoding 720p help?

[Vagrant0]

I kinda already asked this question in the playback help section, but thought I might get a more specific, useful reply here. The issue I am trying to solve is that many groups have started to release only high resolution h.264 encodes, which kinda screws me and a few others due to not having a system that is up to snuff. I've tried about all I can in order to play these on my system without re-encoding them, and they still lose synch rather quickly (already tried CoreAVC). The only solution seems to be to re-encode files into a less demanding format.

I had previously tried using meGUI, but could not manage to accomplish anything than creating some junk files that took 16+ hours per piece. I don't care too much about anything like artifacting, bluring, or even the audio degrading slightly. I would however like to have an image and subtitles that somewhat match the audio.

What I would like to know is if there is a way to do this that won't error out half-way through, and doesn't take more than a few hours of re-encoding per 24 minute episode (ideally, 2 episodes within a 6-8 hour window). Essentially, if there is any sort of practical way to deal with the issue without having to buy new hardware (not even a remote possibility). Any help would be appreciated.

[Dark Shikari]

ffmpeg -i inputfile -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale 2 -acodec libmp3lame -scodec copy -ab 128k output.mkv

That'll re-encode to MPEG-4 while copying the subs.

You can add an -s option to reduce the size if decoding is still not fast enough (e.g. -s 720x480).

[Vagrant0]

Originally Posted by Dark Shikari

ffmpeg -i inputfile -vcodec mpeg4 -qscale 2 -acodec libmp3lame -scodec copy -ab 128k output.mkv

That'll re-encode to MPEG-4 while copying the subs.

You can add an -s option to reduce the size if decoding is still not fast enough (e.g. -s 720x480).

Is that english? I guess I should have made it clear that I'm a total newb here.

[Heibi]

Originally Posted by Vagrant0

Is that english? I guess I should have made it clear that I'm a total newb here.

You probably want to tell everyone what kind of system you are running. Specifics on this could save you more time.

[Vagrant0]

Spoiler for Trunicated dxdlg output:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 8/10/2009, 08:12:32
Machine name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: D865GLC_
BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/04/06 10:17:44 Ver: 08.00.10
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.66GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 437MB used, 6450MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Radeon X1600/X1650 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor AGP (0x71C2)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C2&SUBSYS_0850174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 512.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (16 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/27/2009 21:40:59, 325120 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 4/27/2009 23:13:23, 3565568 bytes
Device Identifier: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x71C2
SubSys ID: 0x0850174B
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV8_B ModeWMV8_A ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A

[metamorphic]

Try one of the more recent builds of CoreAVC instead. Your system's already quite capable of running 720p (even my abysmal former P4 PC, equipped with a jaw-dropping 512 megs of RAM and a thoroughly ancient motherboard, ran 720p perfectly with CoreAVC's help).

[Arm]

Originally Posted by metamorphic

Try one of the more recent builds of CoreAVC instead. Your system's already quite capable of running 720p (even my abysmal former P4 PC, equipped with a jaw-dropping 512 megs of RAM and a thoroughly ancient motherboard, ran 720p perfectly with CoreAVC's help).

I agree. That system is plenty capable of playing 720p h.264 encodes.

[synaesthetic]

If my old Athlon 64 3500+ can play 720p h.264 encodes with softsubs without skipping a beat, so can his computer. There's something else causing his problem.

[Slick_rick]

My initial question would be if you are using something like CCCP? If you are then you need to make sure to go into the settings file for it and turn off the FFDshow H.264/AVC video decoder. This will allow CoreAVC to be used when opening a H.264 MKV.

If you really need to reencode. Then I'll tell you how I usually go about doing it. There might be easier ways but this is just the way I know.

Download Virtualdub, AviSynth, Aegisub, and MKVextract. These are all freeware.
Extract the .ass file using MKVextract from the video.
Open Notepad
Create a file with this:
LoadPlugin("c:\program files\aegisub\csri\vsfilter.dll")
DirectShowSource("c:\FILENAME AND LOCATION OF YOUR VIDEO.mkv")
TextSub("C:\FILENAME AND LOCATION OF YOUR SUBTITLES.ass")

Save as WHATEVER.AVS

Open virtualdub
Drag .AVS file into virtualdub
Click on Video tab. Go to Compression.
Click on XVID codec.
Go to file tab and click on Save as AVI.
Save it as whatever you want.

This shouldn't take long to encode. Probably 30-45 minutes if that. Basic crap quality encode.

[Vagrant0]

Originally Posted by metamorphic

Try one of the more recent builds of CoreAVC instead. Your system's already quite capable of running 720p (even my abysmal former P4 PC, equipped with a jaw-dropping 512 megs of RAM and a thoroughly ancient motherboard, ran 720p perfectly with CoreAVC's help).

Yeah... I know... There should be no reason why it keeps having synch issues, but it does, even with CCCP, even with CoreAVC, even when disabling subtitles, even when using a blank 600x800 256color desktop, even when terminating all non-core windows processes, even when using it on a fresh reformat. I've been over settings, ensured that CoreAVC was being used... and nada. I wouldn't be doubling the storage space needed, and adding extra steps and processing if I didn't think I could do it some other way.

Originally Posted by Slick_rick

My initial question would be if you are using something like CCCP? If you are then you need to make sure to go into the settings file for it and turn off the FFDshow H.264/AVC video decoder. This will allow CoreAVC to be used when opening a H.264 MKV.

If you really need to reencode. Then I'll tell you how I usually go about doing it. There might be easier ways but this is just the way I know.

Download Virtualdub, AviSynth, Aegisub, and MKVextract. These are all freeware.
Extract the .ass file using MKVextract from the video.
Open Notepad
Create a file with this:
LoadPlugin("c:\program files\aegisub\csri\vsfilter.dll")
DirectShowSource("c:\FILENAME AND LOCATION OF YOUR VIDEO.mkv")
TextSub("C:\FILENAME AND LOCATION OF YOUR SUBTITLES.ass")

Save as WHATEVER.AVS

Open virtualdub
Drag .AVS file into virtualdub
Click on Video tab. Go to Compression.
Click on XVID codec.
Go to file tab and click on Save as AVI.
Save it as whatever you want.

This shouldn't take long to encode. Probably 30-45 minutes if that. Basic crap quality encode.

Thanks, hopefully this will work on MKV. What about MP4 or other h.264 formats?

[Zalis]

Originally Posted by Arm

I agree. That system is plenty capable of playing 720p h.264 encodes.

I don't know about that... admittedly, I haven't installed CoreAVC, but my 3ghZ P4 with 512 MB RAM (early 2005-era motherboard) still struggles a bit with 720p h.264, even after upping the monitor resolution from 1024x768 to 1152x860. At this point, I can acceptably play HD files, but I still go for SD when available -- it guarantees no lag, and SD h264 .mkv or .mp4 doesn't look any worse than HD to me.

[fireshark]

If you're bent on reencoding, save yourself some demuxing time and enable Force load VSFilter in Haali settings. Then you can just DSS(file) and VSFilter will autoload.

[DmonHiro]

Originally Posted by Vagrant0

Spoiler for Trunicated dxdlg output:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 8/10/2009, 08:12:32
Machine name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: INTEL_
System Model: D865GLC_
BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/04/06 10:17:44 Ver: 08.00.10
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.66GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 437MB used, 6450MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Radeon X1600/X1650 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor AGP (0x71C2)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C2&SUBSYS_0850174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 512.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (16 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/27/2009 21:40:59, 325120 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 4/27/2009 23:13:23, 3565568 bytes
Device Identifier: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x71C2
SubSys ID: 0x0850174B
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV8_B ModeWMV8_A ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A

That is almost IDENTICAL to my PC. And I can run any 720p perfectly, as long as there's no complex soft sub karaoke. You must be doing something wrong. I have the same processor power, same RAM and the same Ati x1600

[Vagrant0]

Originally Posted by DmonHiro

That is almost IDENTICAL to my PC. And I can run any 720p perfectly, as long as there's no complex soft sub karaoke. You must be doing something wrong. I have the same processor power, same RAM and the same Ati x1600

So it may be, but nothing I have tried has accomplished anything other than taking vast amounts of time tweaking settings, and forcing me to reformat due to all the various things I had to install just to try getting things working. As a result, somewhere down the road I seem to have done something which ends up making virtually everything I do slower than it was before. And reformatting didn't solve that. So if there was something I did wrong, I can't fix it, and I've screwed up enough already. As nobody had managed to tell me anything useful or definitive other than "your computer sucks" or "this might, maybe, possibly help..." on that end, there doesn't seem to be any clear answers. The devil in this case seems to be in the details... Make of the processor, age of the system, specs of hard drives, quirks of windows version, registry orders, alignment of the moon, placement of furniture in the room, ect. The only thing that was clear was that it just wasn't going to get fixed and was requiring far more effort to try than it would be to just re-encode.

As for re-encoding... mkvextract lacks any sort of GUI, and tells me a whole lot of stuff I can't make much sense of, and closes the window before I can even read anything to try and make some sense... So can someone please give me some sort of direction as to what else I need to use than just mkvextract and the source file to end up with an .ass file?

[Desbreko]

Get MKVExtractGUI to use with the executable.

[Vagrant0]

Well, either I'm doing something wrong, or it just isn't going to happen as well as mentioned.

Followed the instructions as above. Got as far as compression before I started having problems. Xvid doesn't show under the codecs. All of the other options either result in a file that is well over 1gb in size, have no video, or which play the video at an incredibly high rate, or just don't work. It also ends up being either a 24-56 (roughly 0.6-0.4 frames a second) hour long process if I want to see any of the video, or a 50 minute one if I want to look at a blank screen. Oddly enough, the blank screen ends up with a larger file size.

This is also with a h.264, low resolution .mkv file that actually plays properly when I try... So yeah, kinda scratching my head. I installed everything listed using the latest versions, tried running/configuring anything that had that option. So not sure what the problem is.

[Desbreko]

If you've got the CCCP installed and you're encoding through VirtualDub, you'd select ffdshow Video Codec, click the Configure button, and set the Encoder option to MPEG-4 to encode to Xvid.

[Slick_rick]

Originally Posted by Vagrant0

Well, either I'm doing something wrong, or it just isn't going to happen as well as mentioned.

Followed the instructions as above. Got as far as compression before I started having problems. Xvid doesn't show under the codecs. All of the other options either result in a file that is well over 1gb in size, have no video, or which play the video at an incredibly high rate, or just don't work. It also ends up being either a 24-56 (roughly 0.6-0.4 frames a second) hour long process if I want to see any of the video, or a 50 minute one if I want to look at a blank screen. Oddly enough, the blank screen ends up with a larger file size.

This is also with a h.264, low resolution .mkv file that actually plays properly when I try... So yeah, kinda scratching my head. I installed everything listed using the latest versions, tried running/configuring anything that had that option. So not sure what the problem is.

Search google for a "Xvid codec download" I assumed you'd have it. I don't remember if I download it or it was always there, been so long.

You don't have to encode the entire video either if you want to test out different ways to encode. You can encode select parts in virtualdub. Use the home button to mark the beginning of the frames you want to encode and the end button to mark the end. You can also use the button at the bottom right to do the same thing. This will encode just those frames in the selection area.

[max2k]

It would be better for him to invest his time fixing his system then trying to reencode. Next he will not know how to get the softsubs or the right font. Then filesize is to huge or he has mouch compresionartefacts. 720p xvid is not the way to go... Some times later he will have problems because of a vfr source.

All that with a some how "borked" system that will have problems with other aplications to.

Or it is a "fucking h264 highres encode" troll...

[jpwong]

Originally Posted by max2k

720p xvid is not the way to go... Some times later he will have problems because of a vfr source.

I agree it's probably easier to fix the system, but they weren't asking how to make a 720p XVID. They wanted to make a 720p HD fansub into an SD fansub (I assume 480p).

While I agree the specs look like there should be no problems playing HD video, the Pentium D line is just dual core Pentium 4s, which depending how the system tries to handle that may account for the problems they're having.