AutoGK 1.48 & ESS player problems

[PapaBobDole]

Hello,

I'm using AutoGK to create XviD rips at 1/3 DVD size with AC3 audio. When I installed the program, I checked the ESS compatibility box to avoid the custom matrices and hopefully keep the bitrate from spiking.

The movie plays back smoothly and beautifully on the PC, however when played on the set top (Philips 642) there is color smearing and the audio skips once in awhile, which puts the film out of sync. It doesn't tear like it would without the ESS support checked, but this problem remains and I'm curious if it is a function of the bitrate being to high, the type of audio, the optical reader and/or the media, or what.

As an experiment I set my system to encode the same movie however once at a smaller size (1/6 DVD) with the AC3 still, once at the 1/3 size with MP3 instead, once as DivX 5.2 1/3 DVD w/ AC3, and once at "max quality" XviD w/ AC3. I will post my findings when I get home.

[Filbert]

I use the ESS Vibrato II based Tevion 4000 and with the ESS support checked all converted DVDs worked without prob on 1/3DVD size (XVID, Auto width, 128kbps CBR mp3). A friend uses Tevion 3000 with old ESS chip and they work there too. Tried various types of DVD media (+/- R/RW) all worked. Maybe a firmware upgrade will fix your prob...

[PapaBobDole]

Originally posted by Filbert
I use the ESS Vibrato II based Tevion 4000 and with the ESS support checked all converted DVDs worked without prob on 1/3DVD size (XVID, Auto width, 128kbps CBR mp3). A friend uses Tevion 3000 with old ESS chip and they work there too. Tried various types of DVD media (+/- R/RW) all worked. Maybe a firmware upgrade will fix your prob...

Have you tried with a 1/3DVD size XVID, AC3 instead of the MP3? I'm wondering if it's possible that it hasn't the horsepower to decode high bitrate XVID and AC3 at the same time? My player is using the latest firmware. Using the same media, I haven't had any problems with any of my other encodes so I suspect the problem lies elsewhere but I will test that as well.

[manono]

Hi-

hopefully keep the bitrate from spiking.

The matrix used doesn't have anything to do with bitrate spikes, so even with the ESS install option, the bitrate can sometimes go higher than what your player can handle. And yes, I think that by using the AC3, this may be more likely to happen, or may happen more often.

One thing my player (not ESS, though) doesn't like is to have the audio Interleaved using video frames, instead of audio frames. If you open the .avi in GSpot, and it says vid frames, you might try and remux using NanDub and 96/96 ms, which will give you an aud frame result. That works for my player, but I've had no experience at all with ESS chipset based players.

[PapaBobDole]

I've completed my testing, using AGK 1.48, xvid 1.0.1, divx 5.2, and the movie "Solaris" with the following results:

- xvid max quality AC3

Audio skips, colors bleed, gets out of sync

- divx max quality AC3

Audio skips, gets async, no color bleeding

- xvid max quality MP3

Colors bleed, no audio skipping, stays in sync

- xvid 1/6th DVD AC3

Audio skips even worse, way async, no color bleeds


I've deducted the following from this test:

The skipping audio is a result of trying to decode MPEG4 and AC3 simultaneously. This seems to be worse when the MPEG4 is at low bitrate for some reason. At high bitrate, xvid seems to have a color bleeding problem but not at low. Any thoughts?

[PapaBobDole]

Originally posted by manono
Hi-

hopefully keep the bitrate from spiking.

The matrix used doesn't have anything to do with bitrate spikes, so even with the ESS install option, the bitrate can sometimes go higher than what your player can handle. And yes, I think that by using the AC3, this may be more likely to happen, or may happen more often.

One thing my player (not ESS, though) doesn't like is to have the audio Interleaved using video frames, instead of audio frames. If you open the .avi in GSpot, and it says vid frames, you might try and remux using NanDub and 96/96 ms, which will give you an aud frame result. That works for my player, but I've had no experience at all with ESS chipset based players.

Gspot has this to say:

1 aud frame (32 ms) Split: Yes

Should I try redubing it with different settings?

[manono]

Hi-

No, when it says, "1 aud frame (32 ms) Split: Yes", it means 32 ms or a multiple thereof, so the commonly used 64/64 ms and 96/96 ms would show the same thing.

Since you're familiar with DivX 5.02, then you might try out the Home Theater Profile setting (outside of AutoGK, I think), because that is designed to prevent bitrate spikes. I don't much like it myself, because places that did spike before, just get blocky instead, and didn't look too good to me. But if the stuttering is driving you crazy, you might make a test encode to see if you like it better.

Another thing you can try would be to force a lower resolution. What are you getting now? 704 or 720*xxx, right? Maybe lower the width to 640. And maybe check to see that your firmware is up to date. Other than that, because I haven't used any standalones with the ESS chipsets, I'm afraid I don't have anything intelligent to offer. Sorry. Maybe there are some other ESS guys around here that can help.

But if this is the Tarkovsky Russian Solaris, then that movie is so slow that there shouldn't be any bitrate spikes. I don't know if there's any heavy action in the American remake, as I haven't seen it.

[Codesmith]

Someone needs to create a DVP 642 website :(

First think I noticed was all my divx and xvids that were more than a year old played perfectly.

All my new stuff is ripped with AutoGK as 1490MB XVids with best AC3 soundtrack. Almost none of my new backups play right in my DVP642.

Video Problems.
Overscanning at some resolutions. Aspect ration problems at some resolutions. Have not discovered what resolutions work best yet.

Video Corruption on new Xvids created with AutoGK. Work arround is to press pause, then hit the system key twice. Once the vidoe starts again the video is correct and stays good for the remainder of the file.

Audio Problems:
AC3 sound skips occasionally throwing audio out of sync. System Key trick resyncs audio. Some movies it skiped once, some it skips so often the movie is unwatchable.

However when I poped in an 1490mb XVid with a 2ch track no skipping!, I just need to hit the system key to fix the video and its all good!

Also Some TV captures with mp3 that are in perfect sync on PC,gradually go out of sync on 642.

My theory is that the audio skips when the video + audio bitrate exceeds some thresh holds. It seems that the higher the video bitrate the more often the AC3 audio skips. That would explain why the 2 channel AC3 movie didn't skip once.

Currently I am experimenting by creating backups of the same Movies using DrDivX and the Home Theater Profile. I will try both 2ch AC3 and 5 ch AC3.

I am also using DrDivX to reencode the problem tv captures to see if it will fix the sync problem without ruining the video quality.

I previously tried a 5 ch AutoGK DivX rip, but had the same skipping problem, but I DID NOT know to set the home theater profile, so I will have to try it again.

If anyone already knows the answer to the AC3 skipping problems please let me know, otherwise I will post my results after my PC works non-stop for a few nights :)

[len0x]

C'mon. Just a few topics below:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79939
you should not have any (AC3) issues with latest AutoGK.

[Codesmith]

Sorry I missed that thread. I just got done reading a 300+ thread at DivX.com's forums searching for an answer. :(

DrDivX worked great, but lacks subtitles so I am going to try to switch back to AutoGK

I am just hoping I can fix my pre 1.54 GK encodes.