Procoder installed correctly ?

[GOPPER]

I have installed Procoder 2.0, and Quicktime, as it seems not to work without it (you get Itunes too, which I removed imeediately).

Then I used ECL-pro and it went just fine. I selected Highest Quality, self dertermination of GOP e.d. and started Procoder to switch of the annoying sound after each segment encoding.

Then I started DVD-RB-PRO 1.03 selected Procoder mode and select the MPGE-2 standard matrix.

The I did a job.

U noticed:

1) A fast run, while I everywere read it should be slower then even HC, but it's faster than CCE 3 pass (in DVD-RB-PRO).
2) A quality that even DVD-shrink seems to exceed...........
3) I could see it doing two passes VBR, when I popped up the minimized procoder window it's look like it's doing one pass only, I just saw one progress bar linear progressing and the next procoder run was for the next segment, I don't know if this is normal.

My question(s)

1) How can I determine he correct mode in which Procoder is running ?
2) Should Procoder run in VBR 2 pass even if it looks like not and no futher info is given, because the window shown not any real info about what's heppening.
3) Why seems it to rin do fast comparing to CCE and HC ? The compression was about 70%.
4) Is the use of ECLPRO always implying 2 pass VBR Procoder runs ???
5) Isn't there a VBR_BIAS setting compared to CCE ? If not what's it using ?


Any answer and/or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Procdoder 2.0 is new to me, I have a lot of experience with CCE SP 2.67.0.10 wich is going to be blocky at lower bitrates causes by longer movies and higher compression. I can reduce this by using UNDOT().DEEN() and using a low-bitrate matrix like Angels Best Very Low, but Procoder should be able to handle low bitrates better , at least that's what seems to be general consencus.

I have to decide to get procoder 2.0 or not (now have a dongle from someone who's on a vacation just to try).

It's costing me $495,- , so I waana see the results everyone is talking about.

But Procoder gives NO info at all about what's it doing.

Please help.

Thanx in advance...

Peter.

[Mr. Monte]

Not sure about the speed vs CCE..but on your quicktime issue. You can use the quicktime alternative program and it works great

[GOPPER]

Not sure about the speed vs CCE..but on your quicktime issue. You can use the quicktime alternative program and it works great


Well when procdorer starts it wants to see quicktime, so let it be.

It shouldn't be used however with DVD-RB.

It's not my main concern to have a 'dead' quicktime only installation, I didn't allow it to use extension to link to it at all.

My main concern is what PROCDODER 2.0 is doing, why the quality is so bad and that I suspect it's not running in 2 pass VBR mode.

So things mentioned in the first post...

Peter

[Rockas]

Robot1 is the right guy to answer your questions but I'll give it a try...
First of all, you may want to choose the quality settings under Rebuilder's Options menu... my guess is that you have to choose the highest quality.

Another issue... ProCoder doesn't support Custom Matrices... you can use Filters but Matrices no.

[roux]

You may want to check you're eclpro ini file and compare your settings with these, which match your description:


Quality=4
AutoParameters=1
AlwaysGOP15=0


Procoder has a max of 2 passes, it's devided in the progress line. You'd may also want to read the readme-ProCoder2.txt file.

[GOPPER]

Thanx, that answered my question.

The only problem is that I have seen I can't use any GOP length longer then 12.

Because I always used CCE it was maximum 12.

With a GOPlength=15 my player get's into problems. It's a Sony and that should'nt be the case, I know, as GOP=15 should be DVD-compliant.

But I scanned ALL originals I have and never there was a GOP>12 , so I wonder why ????

So autoparam=1 is out of the question in my case (although I runned with it set, now have set it to 0)

I did use custom matrices the MPEG standard.

What happens if you use a custom matrix and you run procoder ???

I suppose it just ignores it or it is ignored by DVD-RB.....

If not that could be the reason for horrible picture blocking. Not the sharp blocking known from CCE but a kind of soft blocking all over the higher motion parts. Average bitrate is about 3100 here.


CCE has only blocking (SHARP BLOCKS) in some particular high movement frame to frame motion. The rest is ok, and procoder messes this rest up, to be quite honest.


I wonder wy GOP=15 in never used on an original, and i'm talking about region 2 PAL dvd's ??? (as far as I've tried with bitrate-viewer).

To be short:

1) GOP=<12 in my case, I believe this is done by DVD-RB default autogop for CCE.
2) I specified a custom matrix, what happens ?
3) Why do none of my original DVD's seems to have GOP>12 ???

Thanx a lot.

Addition: Not true, I just have seen sources with 15 also.....

However these are not giving problems, and Procoder does on that Sony with GOP=15, but some people here are getting confused about that Sony, as it seems to have a 'hidden eye' for self-made DVD's :)

By the way it's mentioned in the README of ECLPRO that GOP=15 can get you into problems.....