Anamorphic AVI playback

[SeeMoreDigital]

Is there any reason why XviD's decoder filter cannot be coded to open up 'anamorphic' encodes correctly... in say WMP9?

I've been playing about with Nero Digitals decoder and have found that if you change the 4cc of an XviD encode from XVID to NDIG (and providing you have this (http://82.2.167.24/Uploaded_Files/Doom9_Forum_files/Nero_DSFilter.zip) version of Nero's DS filter installed), all your anamorphic XviD encodes will open up at the correct AR in WMP9!

Ok I understand that not many people here want to view their XviD encodes in WMP9, but that's not the point I'm trying to make!

Cheers

[Assault]

I can't can't answer your question concerning xvid's directshow filter but I wouldn't use the nero digital decoder for anamorphic playback because afaik (I hope I'm not wrong but I think someone said it on irc) it downsizes your video. If your video has a resolution of 720x576 for example it will be resized to 720x400. So you will lose those 176 lines you preserved by encoding anamorphic.

Assault

[SeeMoreDigital]

I don't think it does.

If that was the case, an anamorphic encode with a PAR image of 1.77:1 (occupying all 720x576 pixels) would be missing some of the image on playback. Which it's not!

That said, I do find it rather bizarre that Nero does not use a proper working version of it's NeVideo.ax (v1.1.7.35) filter anymore. Which is why I've included a link to it.

Cheers

[gatormac]

I don't have Nero, but I do encode my xvid avis in the 1:1 original anamorphic resolution using the pixel aspect ratio option in the encoder and play them back using the XVID decoder. All files play back at correct AR in both MPC and WMP9.

[Assault]

@ SeeMoreDigital

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
If that was the case, an anamorphic encode with a PAR image of 1.77:1 (occupying all 720x576 pixels) would be missing some of the image on playback. Which it's not!

I don't know if I understand you. What do you mean by missing some of the image?

I just tried to explain in my previous post that it was said on irc that nero's decoder just resizes the image. That's the same as if it was resized with avisynth for example. So your encode won't have a better quality than if it was resized before encoding. The opposite could even be the case because of the higher bitrate that's needed when encoded anamorphic.
But as I've already said I read that on irc. So I don't know if that's really the case. :)

@ gatormac

Oh yes you're right. I just tried it...works here too. ;) But there's one problem. It doesn't work with Zoom Player. I have to enable the compatibility renderer in xvid's decoder options. Otherwise playback won't start. But when the compatibility renderer is used the video isn't resized. :(

Regards
Assault

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Assault
...I don't know if I understand you. What do you mean by missing some of the image? I thought that's what you meant!

What is a known fact (well for me at least) is that Nero's 'encoder' does wierd things to an 2.35:1 source encoded image. Such encoded images are squashed up vertically!

Originally posted by gatormac
I don't have Nero, but I do encode my xvid avis in the 1:1 original anamorphic resolution using the pixel aspect ratio option in the encoder and play them back using the XVID decoder. All files play back at correct AR in both MPC and WMP9. I can't get MPC to do this. However, I can get them to AR correctly when the XviD video stream is muxed into an MP4 container... so I know they work correctly!

Cheers

[Assault]

@ SeeMoreDigital

I thought that's what you meant!

Sorry for the confusion. I hope it's clear now that I meant that nero's decoder resizes the image when you play back anamorphic content. So it doesn't make sense to encode anamorphic when it's resized anyway.

Concerning nero's encoder: I can't help you there because I haven't really tried it (yet). ;)

Assault

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Assault
@ SeeMoreDigital

Sorry for the confusion. I hope it's clear now that I meant that nero's decoder resizes the image when you play back anamorphic content. So it doesn't make sense to encode anamorphic when it's resized anyway.

Concerning nero's encoder: I can't help you there because I haven't really tried it (yet). ;)

Assault In that case I don't understand you. I thought you meant that Nero's decoder appeared to crop a 176 lines of the encoded image away during decoding/playback. Which it does'nt.

But like I said before, as it does'nt appear to encode an 2.35:1 image properly to begin with. As a result, it won't decode it properly either. Especially using anything other than Nero's NeVideo.ax (v1.1.7.35) decoder filter.

And to confirm this. All anamorphic XviD and 3viX encodes open up perfectly using Nero's NeVideo.ax (v1.1.7.35) decoder filter. But they don't with any other versions of Nero's decoder filter!

Cheers