MeGUI: General Questions and Troubleshooting Thread

[saint-francis]

So it is like setting the aspect ratio when muxing but instead it sets it in the h.264 stream? Is this done by x264? I wasn't aware that there was such an option in x264 (granted you could fit all I know about x264 on the back of a postage stamp).

[weaver4]

Is there anyway to get the audio louder? I already have "Increase Volume Automatically" selected in the NDACC-LC-96kbps profile.

The audio is much lower than the volume in StaxRip. Audio is too low to watch a video on my iPod while on a plane.

[mroz]

So it is like setting the aspect ratio when muxing but instead it sets it in the h.264 stream? Is this done by x264? I wasn't aware that there was such an option in x264 (granted you could fit all I know about x264 on the back of a postage stamp).

I don't know if the data is stored in the stream or the headers, but it is written there by the x264 encoder itself.

Take a look at Megui's logs. You'll see the commandline that x264 is invoked with. For example:

--[NoImage] Job commandline: "C:\Program Files\megui\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 2 --bitrate 897 --stats "E:\Work\HA02-Cruise.stats" --ref 5 --mixed-refs --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --filter -2,-1 --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --me umh --threads auto --thread-input --sar 279:250 --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "E:\Work\HA02-Cruise.mp4" "E:\Work\HA02-Cruise.avs"

The relevant option is --sar a:b which sets the sample aspect ratio. In this context that refers to the aspect ratio of a single pixel in the output.

[Sharktooth]

Is there anyway to get the audio louder? I already have "Increase Volume Automatically" selected in the NDACC-LC-96kbps profile.

The audio is much lower than the volume in StaxRip. Audio is too low to watch a video on my iPod while on a plane.
if you used the "Force Decoding via DirectShow" option in the audio profile, you can tell FFDShow to decode "RAW" audio and set the Volume Normalization filter in FFDShow.
That filter has a "max. amplification" option. Set it to something higher than 100% and it will boost the volume during the audio encoding.
Another way is to create an avisynth script for the audio track using the AmplifyDB() filter and load the .avs script in place of the audio track.

[Mr. Mojo]

Hello all,

Here we go for 2 newbie questions :
- I don't see any update in MeGUI since mid-december (here (http://megui.org/auto/stable/)), when there was at least an update per week before that. Is there a problem/change I'm not aware of ? Or is it just normal ?
- On x264.nl (http://x264.nl/) I see a 0.3.0.0 version of MeGUI, when on SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=156112) the last version is 0.2.6.1041. Should I pick the x264.nl version, or just wait for this version to appear on SourceForge ?

:)

[Carpo]

get 0.2.6.1041 - update it to 0.2.6.1043 - leave 0.3.0.0 alone, think that's a dev version :p

[check]

the default of MeGUI is to use the stable versions. You can change to development versions in the advanced settings for autoupdate servers.

[grennis]

Question

How does MeGUI feed the audio into the audio encoder? (In my case, Nero - but they all work the same way).

The command line shows input file "-". This means the audio comes from stdin. OK, so MeGUI is feeding the audio to it through stdin. And how is it doing that from the .AVS file that I give to it?

I am trying to reproduce what MeGUI does with a .bat file and I'm stuck on this problem. Right now I'm using virtualdub script to save out a .wav file but that seems like a hack.

[Sharktooth]

try with avs2wav or bepipe. There's no other way to feed the .avs out to an encoder that doesnt support .avs input unless you create a "pipe" (that's what megui does).

@Mr. Mojo: i still hadnt time to update megui since i had some problems (a new job, a new home, etc...) that left me without any free time. ill do it ASAP though.

[Reuf Toc]

You can also use the avisynth plugin "soundout" to pipe your avs to an external encoder. It works fine with nero aac.

[grennis]

try with avs2wav or bepipe. There's no other way to feed the .avs out to an encoder that doesnt support .avs input unless you create a "pipe" (that's what megui does).

Looks like avs2wav and bepipe are both offline/AWOL/dead projects. BeHappy is still going strong but bepipe was a spinoff or fork that has disappeared (looks like to me). And avs2wav is a completely MIA.

There is a avisynth plugin called soundout that might be promising. Otherwise I guess I will stick with the vdub script to extract the WAV.

[grennis]

You can also use the avisynth plugin "soundout" to pipe your avs to an external encoder. It works fine with nero aac.

Heh, I saw your message after I wrote mine. The soundout filter is confusing to me. Why is it implemented as a filter? I want to extract the audio from an AVS using command line applications. Hmmm, an avs filter requires some type of application to load the AVS. It also requires I muck up my AVS to include something that exports audio, which I dont want to do every time I open it. OK, so maybe I could write another AVS script that AviSources the 1st AVS and includes the soundout filter to only export the audio when I need it. But that seems like pain to manage. I have hundreds of AVS's and run them through batch conversions to encode them.

Strange, very strange.

[grennis]

try with avs2wav or bepipe. There's no other way to feed the .avs out to an encoder that doesnt support .avs input unless you create a "pipe" (that's what megui does).

Back on topic, I follow you that MeGUI opens a pipe and sends the audio through it to the encoder. But, how is it doing that? What mechanism is it using to extract the audio byte stream from the AVS? I took a look at the source code but I don't see anything obvious in just quick once-over (I'm a developer myself)

[Kurtnoise]

I don't see any update in MeGUI since mid-december (here (http://megui.org/auto/stable/)), when there was at least an update per week before that. Is there a problem/change I'm not aware of ? Or is it just normal ?
There is an incoming dev build which has some bugfixes in this thread (http://www.unite-video.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=85659#85659)...

[Kurtnoise]

Back on topic, I follow you that MeGUI opens a pipe and sends the audio through it to the encoder. But, how is it doing that? What mechanism is it using to extract the audio byte stream from the AVS? I took a look at the source code but I don't see anything obvious in just quick once-over (I'm a developer myself)
the audio avs filters used are able to decode to wav and then the stream is feeded to the pipeline...

[grennis]

the audio avs filters used are able to decode to wav and then the stream is feeded to the pipeline...

Doesn't this cause 2 recompressions of the audio instead of just 1?

[Kurtnoise]

nope...

[rebkell]

get 0.2.6.1041 - update it to 0.2.6.1043 - leave 0.3.0.0 alone, think that's a dev version :p

Is there any feedback/discussion about the 0.3.0.0 version anywhere? I downloaded it(I didn't even realize it was a beta version when I did), and have been using it for a couple of months, just wondering if there is anywhere it is discussed on the web?

Can both versions(stable and the beta)be installed on the same system or would they cause conflicts with each other?

[Kurtnoise]

Sure, both versions can be installed on the same OS without conflicts each others...


You can post also some feedbacks about 0.3.xx in this thread.

[Carpo]

i am trying to backup lord of the rings the fellowship of the ring, but for some reason when ever i do this film when there is a lot of movement eg a person moving their head or walking, it looks like the the picture is stuttering, i have tried this with a high bitrate encode, a low encode, and it always comes out the same, and so far this is the only film its doing it on.

The other 2 lord of the ring dvds came out fine

[Sharktooth]

i would wait building a new 0.3.x revision since the profiles refactoring is not complete.
however i'll build a new 0.2.x version today or tomorrow.

[bob0r]

Sharktooh

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1095743#post1095743

[rebkell]

The only thing that bothers me in 0.3.0.x is the Bitrate calculator window, there are two buttons that are obscured in the audio section, I don't know what they buttons are:

[Sharktooth]

Sharktooh

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1095743#post1095743
fixed.

[Knuffi]

shit...install the last one (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531-508D977D32A6&displaylang=en) then.

erff, I need to update the link now.

I installed .Net 3.5, but the update-message still appears while starting MeGUI

[Kurtnoise]

Sharktooth has updated some packages...Is this message ?

[bob0r]

Maybe useful to know, Sharktooth included this x264.exe for megui:

x264.736.modified.02.exe (http://files.x264.nl/x264.736.modified.02.exe)

General thread:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=130364

x264_aq_var.48.diff
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=132760
x264.gaussian.cplxblur.01.diff
Dark Shikari: - gaussian cplxblur: gives a tiny improvement in 2pass ratecontrol
x264_me-prepass_DeathTheSheep.01.diff
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1093523
x264_2pass_vbv.4.MatMaul.diff
http://mailman.videolan.org/pipermail/x264-devel/2008-January/004015.html
x264_hrd_pulldown.04_interlace.diff
- HRD and pulldown for HD compatibility, updated patch for interlacing
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1047919#post1047919

[bob0r]

Bug report:

When you select 1st pass and then select turbo, the option --me gets greyed out, but when you switch to 2nd pass, its still greyed out and you can not change --me (M.E. algorithm)

[MoUCLAs]

hello everyone.. i have the latest megui 0.3.0.0 and i cannot see the output quants of x264.exe encoder in the logs? Can i do sth about it?

[dolphinjet]

@dolphinjet: I think so. Try and see :)

Thanks, probably true, the reason I asked is because the container settings is not carried to the autoencode window. And the bitrates from log is slightly different from what I chose too.

And there is another question,

What's the reason that transcoding using a lower bitrate will give rise to even bigger file?

The source is in h.264 3GPP with 1448Kbps; audio AAC LC; file size is ~270mb (mp4)
I try to down size it with megui using 720kbps h.264 with Nero AAC. Dimension and FPS were left unchanged. The file size estimated is ~120mb but the resultant size is actually jumping up to above 500mb

(I'm still encoding in 2nd pass, but it probably won't go back to 120mb , as currently at 6000/34000 frames; the file size is already 74mb)

[TwoToad]

MeGUI just updated itself to 0.2.6.1044 and it also came with a new x264 version "736-2 - Jarod's patched build". MeGUI won't run a 2nd pass now. I fixed the problem by deleting this newest x264 update and used the x264.exe.backup instead. Still using 0.2.6.1044. Everything appears to be working ok now.

Not sure if anyone else has run into this, but it might be something to look into for the next update.

[Knuffi]

I installed .Net 3.5, but the update-message still appears while starting MeGUI

That's weird! Windows Vista says, I have installed 3.5, MeGUI insists that it is 2.0 ... without SP1 ... who's fault is it? :confused:

[Sharktooth]

MeGUI just updated itself to 0.2.6.1044 and it also came with a new x264 version "736-2 - Jarod's patched build". MeGUI won't run a 2nd pass now. I fixed the problem by deleting this newest x264 update and used the x264.exe.backup instead. Still using 0.2.6.1044. Everything appears to be working ok now.

Not sure if anyone else has run into this, but it might be something to look into for the next update.
the new x264 works perfectly here.
That's weird! Windows Vista says, I have installed 3.5, MeGUI insists that it is 2.0 ... without SP1 ... who's fault is it? :confused:
yours.
i have ALL .NET frameworks... so what?
MeGUI needs 2.0 SP1. you have 2.0 (and 3.5 and maybe even some other versions), so go to windows update and install the .NET 2.0 SP1.

[daWsOn_s]

How can I revert "automatically overwrite existing files"? I have set that before but now I can't find the setting to unset that.

Thanks :)

[TwoToad]

the new x264 works perfectly here.

Hmm, it ran the 1st pass just fine and on the 2nd pass the status wasn't updating. I was showing 100% CPU usage and in task manager x264 was using most of the CPU. I left it running for hours without any status update and it never completed.

[Knuffi]

I downloaded the file "NetFx20SP1_x86.exe", but when I try to install it, it says, that it does not support Vista. I neither can find a Vista-version of the SP1 ... can anyone, who is not as blind as me give me a link?
I also thought, that in 3.5 there is already 2.0 SP1 included ...

[APC2006]

MeGUI just updated itself to 0.2.6.1044 and it also came with a new x264 version "736-2 - Jarod's patched build". MeGUI won't run a 2nd pass now. I fixed the problem by deleting this newest x264 update and used the x264.exe.backup instead. Still using 0.2.6.1044. Everything appears to be working ok now.

Not sure if anyone else has run into this, but it might be something to look into for the next update.

Not the same problem, but since the update, file sizes seem 30-40 % larger than before.
I've been using CRF 18 (1 pass), and lately encoding a TV series in 80's (from DVD). Some episodes were larger than 800 MB, so I increased noise filter, and encoded them again expecting smaller files. Before the 2nd encoding, MeGUI updated, and the results were 30-40 % bigger files. Any idea or suggestion?

[Sharktooth]

with the new x264 version, adaptive quantization is enabled by default and may intefere with final filesize (it should look much better though!) in CQ or CRF modes.
set --aq-strenght 0 in custom commandline options, repeat the encoding and see if the filesize is similar to the one produced by the previous x264 versions.
another solution is to keep AQ and rise the CRF value until you approximately reach your desired filesize.

@knuffi: try reinstalling .net 3.5 (yes, the vista version includes the 2.0 SP1)

[pelle412]

I'm having a problem with MeGui on one of my computers with passing the SAR information to x264 properly. One my desktop it does it just right every time, but on my laptop is never passes that information on to the encoder. I follow the exact same steps on both machines (use clever anamorphic encoding).

Example log from my desktop:

Job commandline: "C:\Program Files\megui\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 1 --bitrate 1173 --stats "D:\Movie\a\megui.stats" --level 4.1 --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --direct auto --subme 1 --analyse none --me dia --threads auto --thread-input --sar 243:200 --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output NUL "D:\Movie\a\megui.avs"
avis [info]: 720x480 @ 29.97 fps (149668 frames)
x264 [info]: using SAR=243/200
x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX MMXEXT SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 Cache64

On the laptop all I get is this:

Job commandline: "C:\Program Files\megui\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 1 --bitrate 983 --stats "C:\Movie\a\megui.stats" --level 4.1 --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --direct auto --subme 1 --analyse none --me dia --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output NUL "C:\Movie\a\megui.avs"
avis [info]: 720x480 @ 23.98 fps (142920 frames)
x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX MMXEXT SSE SSE2 SSE3 Cache64


Has anyone seen this and know how to rectify it?

In the jobs XML file all I see is this on the machine that has the problem:

<DAR xsi:nil="true" />

But where it is working I get this:

<DAR>
<ar>1.8226</ar>
</DAR>

[Sharktooth]

are you using the same megui version on both?

[Carpo]

MeGUI needs 2.0 SP1. you have 2.0 (and 3.5 and maybe even some other versions), so go to windows update and install the .NET 2.0 SP1.

if you download the full 3.5 redist it will install sp1 for .net 2.0, also if you go to windows update it will install it - under optional extras, maybe you could place this little info in the read me file so people know :)

edit: if you have a quad core pc should you still use the neroaacenc.exe or move onto the sse version ?

[showergel]

I'm having a problem with MeGui on one of my computers with passing the SAR information to x264 properly.

On megui 2.6.1041 & x264 v709 (before today's update), I had the same problem, x264 kept assuming sar was 1:1 so as I workaround I resized the video accordingly.

Will have to try again and see what happens- but I wanted to confirm I had that problem as well.

[pelle412]

@Sharktooth: Yes

I resolved it. After I uninstalled MeGUI and reinstalled it, it started to work again.

Thanks.

[delxd]

I have had problem to encode a movie for MP4 format. the log is that:
Log for job job5

Job commandline: "C:\Arquivos de programas\megui\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 1 --bitrate 352 --stats "F:\scripts\SV_RKMOVIE.stats" --keyint 480 --min-keyint 24 --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --direct auto --filter 1,1 --subme 1 --analyse none --qpmin 18 --vbv-maxrate 25000 --ratetol 6.0 --me dia --threads auto --thread-input --sar 1:1 --progress --no-dct-decimate --no-psnr --no-ssim --output NUL "F:\scripts\SV_RKMOVIE.avs"
avis [error]: unsupported input format (DIB )
x264 [error]: could not open input file 'F:\scripts\SV_RKMOVIE.avs'

----------------------

End of log for job5

Someone can help me?
thanks

[Sharktooth]

add ConvertToYV12() at the end of the avs script.

[APC2006]

with the new x264 version, adaptive quantization is enabled by default and may intefere with final filesize (it should look much better though!) in CQ or CRF modes.
set --aq-strenght 0 in custom commandline options, repeat the encoding and see if the filesize is similar to the one produced by the previous x264 versions.
another solution is to keep AQ and rise the CRF value until you approximately reach your desired filesize.

Thank you.
I'll play around a little and decide what to do.

[saint-francis]

with the new x264 version, adaptive quantization is enabled by default and may intefere with final filesize (it should look much better though!) in CQ or CRF modes.
set --aq-strenght 0 in custom commandline options, repeat the encoding and see if the filesize is similar to the one produced by the previous x264 versions.
another solution is to keep AQ and rise the CRF value until you approximately reach your desired file size.


Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there a way to use the new AQ and limit the way it tends to increase the size of a crf encoding? I remember reading something about this in the AQ mega thread. If so shouldn't the MeGUI encoder configuration dialog be modified to use such parameters automatically if crf is selected?

[Sharktooth]

megui should not be modified until AQ becomes official.
you can use the "Custom commandline options" (Zones tab) to tune AQ.

[weaver4]

with the new x264 version, adaptive quantization is enabled by default and may intefere with final filesize (it should look much better though!) in CQ or CRF modes.
set --aq-strenght 0 in custom commandline options, repeat the encoding and see if the filesize is similar to the one produced by the previous x264 versions.
another solution is to keep AQ and rise the CRF value until you approximately reach your desired filesize.

@knuffi: try reinstalling .net 3.5 (yes, the vista version includes the 2.0 SP1)

I have noticed the same problem.

Doesn't adaptive quantization only improve the quality in dark scenes? 40% bigger filesize is a big price to pay for a little better dark scenes. Plus, I think is should be --aq-strength 0.

[Atak_Snajpera]

@weaver4
Therefore You need to raise CRF. 1280x720 with CRF22+AQ will give you something around 6Mbps (12Mbps for FullHD) In my opinion result is better than 20 without AQ. You may also try AQ with automatic sensitivity and your file size will be even smaller than without AQ :) --aq-strength 1 --aq-sensitivity 0 (0=auto)