Can't get desired filesize - not even near !?

[arminio]

I tried to encode with Nandub with several preferred settings but reuslting file is always almost 2x bigger than I need !
I made 700 MB file and bitratecalc gives me bitrate around 850.

SBC setings are set to diffenret recommended values (I tried 4 sets of options and even my own experimetal one :) ) and I keep getting file ovr 1 GB ...

I simply can't lower it down ... any suggestions about lowering filesoze ?

Please, I am new with Nandub and I am sick of Flask and its blockiness :(

Thankx !

[manono]

Hi-Have you been messing with the Min Qual and Anti-shit settings? Get them wrong, and the sky's the limit for file size. I use 12 for anti-shit (although most use 16), and I don't know about Min Qual (I think 0 or 1 is OK, but I'm a lazy GKnot user and don't touch it).

You might want to think about using Gordian Knot to set up your encodes as well, as it's hard to make that kind of mistake (come out too big).

Also, you haven't been figuring bit rate without allowing for the sound, have you?

[arminio]

I tried GordianKnot but without success ...

While calculating, I used audio with bitrate 112 which gives me app. 850 for video and resulting file is still 1 GB without sound (it will be larger if I add sound) !?!

I already lost nerves and reencoding again (5th time) with lower bitrate and we'll see result (but I am pretty skeptic)

:(

[DigDub]

Have you checked the crosspoint? Its under Options->Preferences->SBC. Crosspoint for 1CD rip should be around 280. 2CD should be around 480. This is most probably where the problem lies.

[arminio]

I have 250 there ... it's not that :(

I will try with lowering Min Qual and AntiShit and see if then will be some improvement.

Thanks !

[arminio]

Well, I tried to put ANTIFREEZE instead full quality control and set max DRF to 16. Result was 640MB file with excellent quality in the beggining but later, quality deteriorte and some fast motion scenes are totally crap (pixelated "like hell", sort of speak) ...

I can't figure out - when I lower DRF and use quality control (AntiShit etc.), filesize goes over 1GB

:((((((

[manono]

Funny-I did some thing really stupid yesterday that resulted in exactly that-the final 20% of the movie was garbage. It could be a stats file problem the way mine was. Perhaps if you had been able to keep the quality up all the way through, the file size would have been 700MB or whatever you had been shooting for. Or was 640MB still without sound-yes-it adds to the size-maybe 50-100MB, depending on the length of the movie and the quality of the sound-if that's the case, maybe you have the correct length, and the movie isn't very compressible, and you should go for 2 CDs. You know that 16 max DRF is normally too high, but you're trying to get the size down. If you haven't yet, put the sound in (open .avi file-set video to direct stream-open the audio, and set the audio delay in Interleave, and save .avi under a different name).

If you don't mind me asking, what movie is this, and what's the resolution?

[arminio]

Size was 630 wothout sound so it was pretty close to 700MB but with crappy result.

It is Cannibal The Musical and I am can't remember resolution (scurrently I am away from that PC) but it is around 400xomething x 352 (as I remember).

Also, I tried with FLASK and I get rather acceptable result during all movie - but Nandub still gives better picture at some parts and radically worser in other. There must be some way to set things up !

Now iam encoding with DRF of 8 to test how it will look.

Do you maybe know what options are more related to filesize ?

[manono]

So the size was good, and the resolution wasn't too high (that's why I asked about the resolution). I'm beginning to suspect it's a stats file problem-that for some reason your first pass got screwed up. Are you doing all the second passes from the same stats file? At least you came down under 1 GB-making progress!

As for other nandub settings that affect file size, I can't help you-it's in the guides though. Since I started using GKnot, I don't worry about that stuff, and have forgotten many of the settings. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can help.

You know-if you use a modified stats file generated by GKnot, you set only bit rate (which GKnot gives you), and enter the ecf and modified stats file, and is really quite easy, and the problems you describe don't occur. The quality is distributed evenly throughout the movie.

Anyway-keep us posted-perhaps someone else can spot the problem. Good Luck.

[arminio]

Well, more testing done and still no effect - filesize can be below 700 but with totally crappy in second part of movie :(

BTW, I tried with GKnot but version I downloaded (both - install and upgrade) from this site contains GUI different from tutorial ?!?!
Simply - on GUI missing some buttons, some tabs with options that need to be setup ... Anybody know what's going on ?

[manono]

Hi-
As for the guide-The WEF updates the program so often that Doom9 has trouble keeping the Guide up to date. I haven't looked at the guide, but I'm pretty sure that's what's going on.

You didn't say if you're using the stats file from the first pass for all these tests. If you're not doing so, I'd suggest doing a new first pass, and then do another second pass, just in case your stats file from the first pass got screwed up.

[arminio]

I am pretty new (stupid ?) in SBC so, I simply did all things manually with setting SBC parameters in NANDUB and runnning 2 passes automatically.

I tried to do something with GKnot but looks much complex than manual setup !?

if you can explain me a little ... I make 1 pass to get stat file - but with what settings ? Do I need to use GKnot to get settings which I need to put into SBC options before running 1st pass ?

I studied tutorial from this pages but as I said, GUI (latest Gknot release) differs and some options missing so I am stuck with all this :(((

Meantime, I tried with MPEG2AVI + Makefilm to "connect" HImotion and LOmotion AVIs (a kind of SBC way) and I get rather acceptable result but I know Nandub can do better ... :(

Please - give some tips about making stats and modifying with Gknot and running 2nd pass ... I can't get anything from anywhere about that way !

[manono]

Hi arminio-You're not stupid, just ignorant ;) . Stupidity is permanent, but you can educate yourself out of ignorance. I agree that GKnot looks intimidating at first, but after a couple of movies done with the guide in front of you, you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed. By the way-I'm making DivX 3.11 movies-this guide will be for that.

I do the sound and the 2 passes separately, so I get my sound first, and then my .d2v from DVD2AVI (you know how to do that stuff by now, right?). Start a new movie in the box in the lower right, open the .d2v in the box in lower left, then under the Bit Rate Tab fill in Audio Size in MB in the box above where you opened the .d2v, check 1x vbr-mp3 (if that's what you use) under Interleaving in the middle, fill in Total File Fize (I use 701-702MB)or just hit 1 CD over on the right.

Then it's to the Resolution tab-PAL or NTSC, 16:9 or 4:3, and then over to crop. Tick pixel and get rid of black bars (scroll the movie to find a bright place where it's easy to see), Smart Crop Left-Right (by the way-in options tab, I'll check "Follow ITU-R BTU.601 Standard). In the middle choose your resolution (experience teaches you the best, but ALWAYS run the compressibility test to make sure it'll be right for your movie). Open View above the movie itself and check resize and then scroll around to see if it looks OK. And to run the compressibility test, go File-Save And Encode-Neutral BiCubic and Compressibility Test-Use. This is for a normal easy movie-you can do Subtitles, Noise Reduction, etc, if you like, but then click Save at the bottom. Give it a name like Movie-Short Stats or something.

Go into Nandub-open the .avs, and down at Load Processing Settings, load default.1st.pass.vcf (either browse over to the Nandub folder for it, or copy it over to where your movie files are) (you'll follow the same procedure for the real first pass). Hit First Pass (F8). Wait 15 minutes. Load the stats file in GKnot-Load (at bottom near the middle).If it's not OK (not 65-75%), adjust the resolution, make a new .avs, and run the real first pass. If it's OK, then open the previous .avs with Notepad or something and put the "#" back in fromt of SelectRangeEvery down at the bottom (or replace it with a new .avs). Follow the same procedure in Nandub to make the real first pass. Wait till done. Open .d2v in GKnot. Open Nandub Stats File in the Nandub Files Tab (percentage should be close to the one from Load before-down there at the bottom). Open Stats File Editor-Scroll through the movie to the beginning of the End Credits-check Credits and Enter (near top right), hit Calculate and Save (near top left). Back to the Nandub Files-Save under the Nandub Encoding Files (middle left), and save the .ecf. That's it for GKnot. I purposely did this simply-after you get good, you can check out the graph, fool around with the keyframes, or adjust motion values, etc.-we just want to get you a good movie.

Open Nandub-Open the same .avs.-under Load Processing Settings, load Gordian Knot Default.vcf (either browse over to the Nandub folder for it, or copy it over to where your movie files are). Under Video, go SBC Options-SBC settings, load the .ecf in ECF tab, load modified stats file (the one with the numbers) in BitRate Tab-Encode Using. In the DivX Tab, put in the bit rate (It's part of the name of the modified stats file, or from GKnot). If you want to use anti-shit (requires Full Processing), then tick Full (at bottom), and put in 16.

You know how to do sound? Go Audio-VBR/MP3 Audio-Load it-Go Interleaving and put in the delay (in the name of the AC3 file, or the INFO file Smart Ripper gives you).

Go-File-Save As AVI, give it a name. And wait. When you're done, with any luck, you'll have a decent movie. I hope I didn't forget anything. Refer to Doom9's guide for pictures and a fuller explanation. Refer to the GKnot help file-it's all in there. After you get good, you can set up the 2 passes and the sound, and while you're sleeping, it'll do the sound, 2 passes, and present you with a good movie by the time you've awakened. After all this work, you damn well better get a good movie :) . If you want to e-mail me or PM me, be my guest. Good Luck.

[arminio]

>Hi arminio-You're not stupid, just ignorant . Stupidity is
>permanent, but you can educate yourself out of ignorance. I agree

Thanx manono - I hope you're right 8-)

I use 3.11 too but, as I said, Doom9 guide have some setups that I can't make with GKnot I downloaded from their site because it have no some buttons and gui is slightly different (?!) but I still think I do yomething wrong.

I will try with your guide and inform you what I did - many, many thanks !!! 8)