My encoding looks like a mess

[bugmenotwillyou]

This problem has been especially bad in the past month or so. The quality was never great, but I've noticed some things that I hadn't previous noticed. i'm not sure if they were there before, and I just didn't notice them, or if something has changed.

The main problem is that the video looks blurry when there is movement. You can see blurry horizontal lines on edges when movement is happening. But also it generally doesn't look so swell. By the way, this happens in DivX as well as Xvid.

I'm using Media Center for recording to DVR-MS then I convert with graphedit using MPEG-3, AVI Mux, File configurator, Xvid 1.0.3 at a 700 target bitrate. If I up to 900 or 1000 target bitrate will this change the problem?

I also thought it might have something to do with background processes interferring with memory or something.

[Shinigami-Sama]

mpeg-3?
o.O

it sounds like it might be interlaced, with the diagonal lines and all...
bumping up the bitrate can't hurt
it may infact use less resources, less time spent calculation how much data to kill an all

[bugmenotwillyou]

My mistake, that's MPEG Layer-3 for my audio compression.

I will try bumping the bitrate to 900 to see if it is better.

[stephanV]

If you video is interlaced you need to apply a deinterlacer at least somewhere and giving it more bit rate wont help with that... could you post a screenshot to see if it is interlaced?

[bugmenotwillyou]

Sure, here is one. It's hard to get it in the act of movement, but I think this represents the fuzziness well:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/mateophillips/problem.jpg

[bugmenotwillyou]

Are there any deinterlacing filters for graphedit?

[ChronoCross]

I'm trying to figure out why your using graphedit. use Avisynth(deinterlacing filters sharpeners, and cleaners) then use vdubmod to encode to xvid and add audio. it'll probably be faster and of WAY higher quality.

[stephanV]

o_O

Errr... I can't see anything on that, whole the picture looks like a mess to me. You probably need to use 2 to 3 times more bit rate and maybe than we can actually see if it is interlaced or not... this is not the source right? Post a screenshot of that...

[dragongodz]

also you have only said what bitrate you are using but what is the dimensions(height and width) aswell ?

[bugmenotwillyou]

I'm trying to figure out why your using graphedit. use Avisynth(deinterlacing filters sharpeners, and cleaners) then use vdubmod to encode to xvid and add audio. it'll probably be faster and of WAY higher quality.

Because I record using Media Center which makes dvr-ms files which virtualdub can't handle. Graphedit is the only that I know of that can handle them. Of course I could convert to a regular mpg first and then do this, but this just adds 1 more long extra step that makes my trying to convert 43 minute programs take 2.5 or 3 hours to do. Just not worth it. I can edit out the commercials in 10 minutes with my method and then set up a graph to convert which takes maybe an hour for the 43 minute programs.

[bugmenotwillyou]

also you have only said what bitrate you are using but what is the dimensions(height and width) aswell ?

True, I didn't think about this. media center records at 720 x 480, which is bigger than what most people handle. I have always used xvid's default 700bitrate. I tried a 900 bitrate last night and it looked better, but still had some of the fuzziness problems when there is quick movement happening in the video.

[bugmenotwillyou]

o_O

Errr... I can't see anything on that, whole the picture looks like a mess to me. You probably need to use 2 to 3 times more bit rate and maybe than we can actually see if it is interlaced or not... this is not the source right? Post a screenshot of that...

I was trying to capture a picture while movement was occurring in the video because that is the only time that the video looks fuzzy. Here is a better picture which I took still, but I think if you look around the guy's head you can see these horizontal lines I was referring to earlier.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y276/mateophillips/picture2.jpg

edit: this video is 720 x 480, 900 bitrate, encoded with xvid.

[Shinigami-Sama]

interlaced..
run it through a de-interalcer then try, you'll do much much better that way

[dragongodz]

media center records at 720 x 480, which is bigger than what most people handle. I have always used xvid's default 700bitrate. I tried a 900 bitrate last night and it looked better, but still had some of the fuzziness problems when there is quick movement happening in the video.
well 700 or even 900 is not a big bitrate for those dimensions. you could try using a low bitrate matrix to maybe help or better yet try a bigger bitrate such as 1400+ and see how that looks.

also as Shinigami-Sama said those little lines on the head and also on the guys right arm(at the bottom of the picture) are interlace lines.

[cypher_soundz]

i would try to lower the resolution (use gknot to calculate :) )

just a shot in the dark , but could you be using some type of post processing on the video before you even re encode it ? ( ref: pictures look fuzzy etc now all the time) therefore maknig a post processing mess before even touching it in graph edit ?
Regards
cyph