what are limitations of ESS chipset?

[genpix]

Yesterday, I finally got my RJTECH RJ4000 divx player (from eBay).
It features ESS Vibratto chipset.
I di not have much time to spend with this player, but so far it brought too much disappointments

Player choked on more the 50% disks (I picked randomly). Well, not exactly randomly. Initially, I tried some one-CD movies (like 1.5 or 2.0 hours movies). They were played fine (though, blockiness was very noticeable; what do you expect from 2 hour movie on one CD???). So, I put them aside.
And took two-CDs movies (like ~1500kbps avg. bitrate + AC3 5.1).
And my player started to chock on every one of them
Well, it's understandable for 3.11 codec.
But why it choked on DivX 5.02 or XviD?

Now, I'd like to find the limitations of ESS chip/chipset (to make PLAYABLE DivX files on my player).
Unfortunately, can't find any specs on ESStech website.
Neither on RJTECH website.
I do not want to spend days-and-days just trying different bitrates and watching samples closely in front of my TV.

First, I'd like to here some suggestions

PS: btw, how could I find max bitrate in AVI file? is there simple utility?

[Zhnujm]

I think you can be sure its not a too high bitrate that makes the problems, also not DivX3.11, (the ESS Chip supports 3.11 in hardware).
In my tests with the Yamada 6100 (also ESS based) i could play files up to an average of 4000kBit with much higher peaks without problems (but from dvd, i never tried cd playback).
Maybe the problem is the muxing, have you tried to remux the files with standard settings of VirtualDub ?
Also the first firmware version for my player were very buggy and had problems with xvid files if i remember correctly. Maybe theres is also a new firmware for your player ?

[manono]

Hi-

My guess is that they were encoded with Q-Pel and/or GMC, which as far as I know aren't supported, even by DivX Certified units.

Also, bitrate spikes (different from average bitrate, or even max bitrate) can cause it to freeze temporarily. Unless they've been encoded using the Home Theater Profile, you've no guarantees that everything will play all the way through without hiccups.

[genpix]

Zhnujm,
i tried to burn the same file on CD-RW as well as DVD-RW.
Same result, chkes at the same moment.
So, it's not the media (or speed of reading from the media).
I tried different preload/interleve combinations for AC3 sound:
like 64ms/64ms; 500ms/1frame; 0ms/1frame. No difference.

But manono has a point. Video was encoded with GMC (I believe).

This weekend, I'll try to encode a short sample with and without GMC at high bitrate and see the playback difference.

PS: I use the latest firmware (d/l from their site).

[Zhnujm]

GMC "should" work with Sigma + ESS Players, but that may differ from player to player (and only for divx, NOT for xvid)
Also IMHO its useless to try any other interleave setting than the standard 1 frame in virtualdub, in my experience changing this value can make things only worse, not better. (except the "must be dividable by 32ms with ac3 audio for some soundblaster live cards" problem )

[genpix]

yesterday, I encoded two versions of "13 conversations about one thing".
Both are 1.4GB long (I simply used 2CD approach).
One version is "Home Theater" Profile (that is without GMC).
Other - with GMC and maxbitrate set to 6000kbps (had to switch off profile).
In both cases I used original AC3 5.1 sound (448kbps), avg video bitrate is 1431kbps. Codec DivX 5.05.
Burn them on DVD-RW.

RJ4000 plays both eqally: no problems with video at all (no freezes, stops or jumps). So, GMC is not a problem.
Though, in both cases I have the same problem with audio: it keeps freezing (one could easly even see it on rceiver LCD displey - 5.1 indication keeps dissapear for short intervals). As a result A/V-asynch is terrible. Just after FF A/V-synch comes back, but while playing A/V-delay is growing and growing.
Video has no freezing at all !!! I did not expect such behaviour.
Next step, I'll extract AC3 2.0 sound from VOBs and mux it in AVI.

PS: just received the latest firmware from manufacturer. Now it supports subtitles and zooming in DivX. But it did not fix this A/V-asynch on my rip.

[genpix]

Used AC3machine to convert DD 5.1 448kbps into DD 2.0 192kbps.
Muxed with both video samples (with and without GMC).
RJ4000 plays both AVIs just fine, no jumps, asynchs or any other problems.
Conclusion:
1432kbps (avg video) + 448kbps (AC3 audio) = problem
1432kbps (avg video) + 192kbps (AC3 audio) = OK
So, first thing came to my mind - 1880 (1432+448) kbps is rather high bitrate for my player.

To check this I did another rip:
2292kbps (avg video, no GMC) + 192kbps (AC3 audio)
Total avg bitrate is 2484kbps, way higher that 1880.
Though, no problems at all, RJ4000 plays it just fine!
What the hack?
I can't beleive it!! why this player has a problem with 448kbps AC3 sound?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by genpix
...I can't beleive it!! why this player has a problem with 448kbps AC3 sound?

This is a bit wierd.

Maybe this is as high your player can see an AC3 audio stream within an .avi container. After all, sticking AC3 audio in an .avi container is a hack!

Is your player OK at spinning the 448kbps .ac3 file on its own?

I would be interested to know what would happen if you encoded your video at a much lower bitrate. Say, as low or lower than your 448kbps audio stream... then mux the two streams together... just to see what happens!

Cheers

[Zhnujm]

Again not very helpful, but 448kbps AC3 should also be no problem.
Maybe the ac3 file is corrupt ? I would reencode it to 448kbps and see what happens.

[genpix]

Originally posted by Zhnujm
Again not very helpful, but 448kbps AC3 should also be no problem.
Maybe the ac3 file is corrupt ? I would reencode it to 448kbps and see what happens.

I'll try this (448 repack), and 384kbps conversion as well.
Though, this AC-3 track was extracted from DVD. And DVD works fine in this player. In addition, my PC plays all these DivXs fine (whatever sound I mux).
But it worth to try.

btw, it could be that player's firmware reserves rather low amount of memory for audio buffer (to give more RAM to video buffer) during DivX playback. I send this question to RJ TECH support already.

[genpix]

looks like I found what's the problem.
NanDub! And I loved it so much

I used NanDub before for A/V-muxing.
I tried to mux the same video and 448 AC3 audio in VirtualDubMod (with the same prelod/interleave = 500ms/1frame).
And now file works fine on RJ4000 (though,it does not matter for PC, PC plays both files!).

Looks like NanDub does not handle AC3 soundtracks properly
At least not for RJ4000

It makes me sad (while I look at the pile of my CD-Rs with DivX movies)

[Zhnujm]

I also recognised that my player is a bit sensitive about the muxing. I could not get some files to work that i have muxed with avimux, even if i use the same setting as in virtualdub.

[nesskiel]

hello,

it's been one day since i have my Divx Player Philips DVD737 and except some tiny problems i'm damn really happy with it!
i can play Divx with a resolution of 720x576 with a birate of 2553Kb/s with no fluidity problems.

Ness

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi nesskiel,

Can you please try testing your player with different image pixel frame sizes. Like encoding a cropped and resized 2.35:1 source to 768x432!

Cheers

[Wolfman]

I too have the dvx6100 .. I am using gkif4u to try out some xvid encodes. I have found divx playback to be no problem at all. I have other xvid clips not done by myself that play fine, however xvid clips done by GKIF4U simply do not work properly, they either come out with white/bright details ("the office, oggy oggy episode") or they are very very smeary ("ATAK of the clones first three minutes"). something different is being done by other people (using nandub) that gkIF4U doesnt do. I have tried different I/L values and preloads and it had no effect whatsoever. GKIF4U uses virtdubmod, the clips that work used nandub!