max input res

[MADD]

What is the maximum input file resolution that CCE can handle? Im trying to re-encode HDTV transport streams for archiving to DVD. Everytime I try to load one of my files CCE returns with an error: 1280x720 resolution not supported. I wasnt sure if this was an error in my avisynth script or an actual limitation of the program. Both Procoder and TMPG handle thse files fine but are dog slow. If this is a true limitation of the program are there any REASONABLE work arounds? By reasonable, I mean dont cost a large amount of time.
Thx,
MADD

[scharfis_brain]

do you want to archive them just on DVD as storage media or to watch the videos on your SAP?

[MADD]

Thx for the reply,
I'd like them to play on my SAP also. Otherwise I'd look more closely at using WM9 encoding. However if WM9 players come out...

[scharfis_brain]

a SAP will only be able to decode up to 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC) resolutions HDTV-resolutions won't play!

so just use AVIsynth to resize the videos to a smaller resolution!

please tell me framerate (TV-Standard) , resolution and wheather your video is interlaced or not and I'll write a script for correct resizing!

[MADD]

Wow thx,
I know a SAP needs 720x480, but I thought CCE would do that. Apparently not!

The video is 1280x720 NTSC progressive 59.94 fps. It has been converted from transport stream to mpeg format by HDTVtoMPEG2.

[scharfis_brain]

I cant believe that! 59.94 Full Frames per second? are you sure that this ins't interlaced?

But okay then, I'll make a script:

loadplugin("...\mpeg2dec3.dll")
mpeg2source("...\yourvideo.mpg")
converttorgb32()
lanczosresize(720,486) #using this 'odd' resolution and
crop(0,3,0,-3) #this cropping for getting correct Aspect Ratio
separatefields()
selectevery(4,1,2)
weave()
ConvertToYV12(interlaced=true)

This script makes an anamorphic interlaced NTSC video out of your 59.94fps progressive HDTV video.

[MADD]

59.94 is what DVD2AVI reports, though it also reports the video as 1280x536 and im pretty sure its 1280x720. Could that possibly be fields/sec (even though it is progressive video)?

[MADD]

Sorry i just noticed that your script interlaced the video, I want to play it back at 480p so do i really want it interlaced?

[scharfis_brain]

if you want to have progressive video, the motion will suffer, because on DVD progressive video only has 29.97 fps!

I've interlaced the video to achive best motion results. Interlacing is no lossy in quality in this case!

You have 3 options what framerate to create finally from your HDTV-clip:

59.94 fps -> interlaced DVD
29.97 fps -> progressive DVD
23.976 fps -> progressive DVD (Film like)

so please decide!

I strongly recommend interlaced!

btw: does your HDTV-Video show combs when heavy motion occurs?

[MADD]

I have already used 23.976 for other video from this source in Procoder. The output looked fine but but it took forever in that program. I'd like to try it both ways, to see what looks better. Though in my experience interlaced video doesnt look very good on progressive displays, I'd certainly give it a try.

[MADD]

o and no combing on heavy motion, these are sports HDTV captures (American football) and they look great.

[MADD]

I loaded your interlaced script into CCE 2.66 and it showed that the video was 10 seconds long! Im guessing something isnt right, lol.

[scharfis_brain]

load my script in virtualdub and post the error message, that you'll get!

[MADD]

just did,
avisynth open failure:
Script error: Expected a, or )
(D:\Giants.avs,line 4, column 21)

[scharfis_brain]

oh, typical errror that occurs, when just typing a script without testing :p

(I've made a mistike using 720x486 instead of 720,486)

I've update the script above, please test, wheather it works now...

[MADD]

script seemed to work but CCE reported it couldnt find an appropriate codec for yv12. Any ideas what the codec would be?

[scharfis_brain]

just delete
ConvertToYV12(interlaced=true) from your script

[MADD]

seems to be working but its VERY slow. Last i checked .18 x real time speed. Thats slower than procoder on my p4 2.4B with 512 megs ram. Maybe it will pickup as it goes along. Thx for ur help, i'll keep u updated.

[MADD]

Stopped encode about five hours in. Had set to one pass vbr to check out time and quality. Process ran at .18x real time. Quality of encode to that point was not as good as Procoder, though I hadnt really experimented with the quality setting in CCE. I had also run Procoder as a 2 pass VBR so its not really a fair comparison. Bottom line is that encoding with these settings took LONGER in CCE than Procoder. I was a bit disappointed because I have had very nice, fast results using CCE for compressing DVD files. Can anyone offer any suggestions for increasing the speed of this encode using CCE? Would using that yv12 conversion have helped?

Thanks scharfis_brain for your generous and patient help.

MADD

[digitalman]

I believe CCE only supports the RGB or YUY2 colorspaces right now, and this is what I was told by other members in this forum, and is stated in the FAQ. So adding any type of Convertto line would just slow it down. You could also change the Lanczos resize to Bicubic or Bilinear resize. Lanczos is the slowest but sharpest resizer out there. Bilinear is the fastest but not as accurate.

[MADD]

Well I dont want to lower quality...

Does that speed given my specs and the script I used make sense?

p4B 2.4 gig 512 megs RDRAM

[auenf]

FYI: CCE supports max frame size of 720x576, but in tmpgenc ive managed to encode a 1080i HD

Enf...