Windows Media Encoder Studio Edition Beta 1 released [Archive]

benwaggoner

8th July 2006, 03:33

We've just released Beta 1 of the Windows Media Encoder Studio Edition to the web

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoderse/default.aspx

Beta 1 still exports a WMV file, not a VC-1 elementary stream, so it doesn't yet make HD DVD or Blu-ray compliant output, but it's a demo of the workflow we're working for. And it includes many (but not all) of the codec enhancements we've made for the studios in VC-1.

We'd appreciate any feedback at our official newsgroup as we drive toward a public encoding solution for VC-1:

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.windowsmedia.encoder.studioedition

Make sure to read the release notes and EULA.

Removed THE HUGE BLINKING LETTERS. They really make the product announcement (advertisement) look cheap

EDIT: Fixed URL

Sharktooth

8th July 2006, 03:49

i was about to think it was vaporware... :p

benwaggoner

8th July 2006, 06:49

Removed THE HUGE BLINKING LETTERS. They really make the product announcement (advertisement) look cheap[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I was excited :).

But they were blinking? I thought they were just huge...

diogen

8th July 2006, 17:21

Am I missing something or is Studio not working with MPEG-2 files?

Diogen.

benwaggoner

8th July 2006, 18:00

Am I missing something or is Studio not working with MPEG-2 files?

MPEG-2 isn't one of the supported source formats for this Beta.

For our core scenario, we really focused on v210 AVI files.

check

8th July 2006, 18:19

Seems nice, but the actual encoder itself is very slow still. Are there plans to optimise the codec?

Easy123

8th July 2006, 19:06

And again, I "love" M$... Doesn´t run on Windows XP x64... Is there going to be a x64 Version of this?

chilledoutuk

8th July 2006, 19:15

this pos needs sp2 i dont like sp2 they can keep it

benwaggoner

8th July 2006, 19:36

this pos needs sp2 i dont like sp2 they can keep it
What is it you wish it would run on, and why?

benwaggoner

8th July 2006, 22:47

And again, I "love" M$... Doesn´t run on Windows XP x64... Is there going to be a x64 Version of this?
Do you mean one that will run on 64-bit OS's, or do you mean a 64-bit native version?

chilledoutuk

9th July 2006, 00:02

i wish to run it on a windows xp computer with sp1 i dont like sp2 everything its bloated with rubbish only numpties need.

Kostarum Rex Persia

9th July 2006, 00:05

Well, I think he talk about native 64-bit version?

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 03:22

i wish to run it on a windows xp computer with sp1 i dont like sp2 everything its bloated with rubbish only numpties need.
Sorry, SP2 is likely the oldest OS that'll ever be supported for it. Not enough SP1 machines out there in professional video to be worth spreading our testing resources thinner for.

bratao

9th July 2006, 03:40

WHAT HEEEEEELLLLLLLLL(sorry)
Damm, holly shit
Why you guys doesnt think about WE windows 2003 users ???
Another MS release that not install in 2003
There is NO limitation in kernel that should explain that !

Ok, i cracked it, but think about it, not everyone have a debugger/reverse knowledge.

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 05:20

check

9th July 2006, 05:41

A few thoughts on the GUI.
It's obviously designed for rather huge monitors (doesn't fit nicely onto my 1152x864), and I think a larger monitor would do the GUI a lot more justice.
The biggest improvement over WME9 that has been immediately obvious is the lack of pauses when switching around the settings. I absolutely HATED having to wait 5 seconds for a tab to load in WME9 and I'm happy to say the new GUI is very quick to use.
A smaller niggle I've found is that the arrows in the top right of the boxes on the first and third tab seem to be upside down for my thinking. It's nice to see no animation for them though.
I'd assume some better importing compatibility is coming soon - will it try import unknown files through DShow or VfW or not at all?
Will WME include support for exporting in raw audio/video format? That's something I really miss from WME, but I guess it's part of your marketing strategy.

Finally, no .wmv support in the "add sources" dialog??? Is this going to be permanent? They are visible through the "all files" import and work correctly, but is this going to be the same as the final version?

Easy123

9th July 2006, 10:15

Do you mean one that will run on 64-bit OS's, or do you mean a 64-bit native version?

The Programm won´t install under XP x64... I would like to test this app, but I won´t install my old XP Home for that ^^ A native 64bit Version would be great, but for this Time a Version that will let itself install would be enough for me ;)

bond

9th July 2006, 11:02

ben/zambelli: is wmv9 complex profile vc-1 compliant? if no, what does it do that breaks vc-1?

zambelli

9th July 2006, 11:21

ben/zambelli: is wmv9 complex profile vc-1 compliant? if no, what does it do that breaks vc-1?
I once asked somebody on my team about complex profile and got the answer that the profile pretty much no longer exists in the new VC-1 world. I'm not sure if it's incompatible with VC-1 though; it might be more likely that it just falls within main profile spec.

bond

9th July 2006, 11:26

I once asked somebody on my team about complex profile and got the answer that the profile pretty much no longer exists in the new VC-1 world. I'm not sure if it's incompatible with VC-1 though; it might be more likely that it just falls within main profile spec.thx.
so you will not offer encoding to it in new releases?

crypto

9th July 2006, 12:50

I know, the real value lies below in the codec, but talking about the new UI, I like it alot. The new design is workflow related and makes every step feel logical. One thing though. When WMESE is in its encoding state it blocks the PC because it cannot be minimized and the encoding dialog window is modal.

BTW. Does this beta include the graphical bitstream analyzer? I didn't find it yet.

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 18:01

A few thoughts on the GUI.
It's obviously designed for rather huge monitors (doesn't fit nicely onto my 1152x864), and I think a larger monitor would do the GUI a lot more justice.
Yeah, I want it to work on at least 1024x768, but it's definitely cramped at lower resolutions right now.
The biggest improvement over WME9 that has been immediately obvious is the lack of pauses when switching around the settings. I absolutely HATED having to wait 5 seconds for a tab to load in WME9 and I'm happy to say the new GUI is very quick to use.
Yeah, that always bugged me as well.

A smaller niggle I've found is that the arrows in the top right of the boxes on the first and third tab seem to be upside down for my thinking. It's nice to see no animation for them though.
I'd assume some better importing compatibility is coming soon - will it try import unknown files through DShow or VfW or not at all?
Import support is a weaker point right now - the formats and codecs listed in the documentation all work, but other stuff is likely to have issues. We're definitely looking at providing more general support in later versions.
Will WME include support for exporting in raw audio/video format? That's something I really miss from WME, but I guess it's part of your marketing strategy.
I don't know if that was something we even considered. Can you give some more details about how you'd use that feature?
Finally, no .wmv support in the "add sources" dialog??? Is this going to be permanent? They are visible through the "all files" import and work correctly, but is this going to be the same as the final version?
I'll call that a bug :).

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 18:02

I know, the real value lies below in the codec, but talking about the new UI, I like it alot. The new design is workflow related and makes every step feel logical. One thing though. When WMESE is in its encoding state it blocks the PC because it cannot be minimized and the encoding dialog window is modal.
It can go into the background, but yes, there should be a way to minimize it. Beta!
BTW. Does this beta include the graphical bitstream analyzer? I didn't find it yet.
It'll show up when you've completed an encode.

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 18:15

thx.
so you will not offer encoding to it in new releases?
Correct. Complex doesn't really mean anything. Instead, you'll select Simple, Main, or Advanced profiles, and then pick between the tools and parameters available there.

What would you use Complex for if we had provided it?

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 18:36

The Programm won´t install under XP x64... I would like to test this app, but I won´t install my old XP Home for that ^^ A native 64bit Version would be great, but for this Time a Version that will let itself install would be enough for me ;)
Yes, it certainly makes sense to have the release version be able to run on a 64-bit OS.

check

9th July 2006, 19:05

I don't know if that was something we even considered. Can you give some more details about how you'd use that feature?
The biggest reason I ever wanted it was for being able to record from the screen and not chew up all my CPU encoding. On my A64 3000+ the encoding of the video takes up the lion's share of my CPU, which makes it unsuitable for anything that isn't a MSWord tutorial :p.

benwaggoner

9th July 2006, 19:26

The biggest reason I ever wanted it was for being able to record from the screen and not chew up all my CPU encoding. On my A64 3000+ the encoding of the video takes up the lion's share of my CPU, which makes it unsuitable for anything that isn't a MSWord tutorial :p.
Live capture and screen capture are both out of scope for Studio Edition.

For my own screen tutorial work, I've been very happy using Camtasia on a dual-processor machine. I capture to a local AVI file, using the native Camtasia codec at its lowest complexity setting. You can then use Camatsia Studio to export to WMV, using the Screen codec. Works like a charm. The Screen codec is great for delivery, but I prefer to work in AVI until I'm done editing for all the usual reasons.

bond

10th July 2006, 17:16

What would you use Complex for if we had provided it?nothing

i just have a few complex clips and i wonder what to do with them now (not knowing whether they are vc-1 compliant?) :D

benwaggoner

10th July 2006, 17:53

nothing

i just have a few complex clips and i wonder what to do with them now (not knowing whether they are vc-1 compliant?) :D
Ah, I think you'll be just fine. I'm not sure what VC-1 Level they'll correspond to, but they'll be a subset of the Advanced Profile (and maybe even Main).

zambelli

10th July 2006, 21:48

Ah, I think you'll be just fine. I'm not sure what VC-1 Level they'll correspond to, but they'll be a subset of the Advanced Profile (and maybe even Main).
I would guess Main, since Complex was only defined for WMV3 v9/v10 encoder revisions, and that all falls under Simple/Main of VC-1.

bond

10th July 2006, 22:07

the question is what features complex profile uses, that seperated it from the other old encoding modes in wmv9?

btw whats "res_rtm_flag" for?

zambelli

10th July 2006, 23:48

the question is what features complex profile uses, that seperated it from the other old encoding modes in wmv9?
I doubt it's using anything that's not already covered by the VC-1 Main Profile spec.
btw whats "res_rtm_flag" for?
First time I hear of it. Where did you find it?

Selur

11th July 2006, 09:10

are there any changes of getting Avisynth script support ?

hkl8324

11th July 2006, 11:00

Can you explain a bit what the
"Lookahead" and "Perceptual Option"
are for?

crypto

11th July 2006, 17:00

The settings are explained in the online help. A more detailed description can be found here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/howto/articles/codecadvancedsettings.aspx#Lookahead__XAEP)

benwaggoner

11th July 2006, 22:54

are there any changes of getting Avisynth script support ?
That's definitely something we've looked at doing, but that didn't make it into Beta 1.

diogen

12th July 2006, 05:18

Ben,-
can you give a time frame for the next beta and more importantly, whether it will support MPEG2?

Diogen.

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 19:47

I tried to encode the MJPEG files from the links below with WME9 Pro. I was shocked at the quality difference between the new studio version and the old WME9 version. Finally the colors look right in the WMV file even at very low bit rates. This is awesome! There must be something different about the MJPEG file that I am encoding. I am not sure but I think it is 4:4:4? Can anyone help me determine what pixel format the movie clip below is in? This clip comes from the $400 Canon S3-IS digital still camera. Quite impressive for a digital still camera isn’t it?

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/s3is/samples/MVI_0098.AVI

http://img2.dpreview.com/reviews/S3IS/MVI_0639.AVI

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s3-review/MVI_0093.AVI

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 19:57

Oh yea here is something annoying about the new encoder. If you select a value for range reduction or range expansion and then save the project, you can not ever deselect a value. Just a minor inconvenience.

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 20:13

I spoke to soon. Now when I try an encode it just crashes everytime with an unknown error. Anyone else have crashing problems with these files?

benwaggoner

12th July 2006, 21:20

Ben,-
can you give a time frame for the next beta and more importantly, whether it will support MPEG2?

Right now we're collecting your feedback and bug reports, and will generate a new plan with that in mind.

So it'll be a bit before we'll be ready to make any additional commitments, even informally.

benwaggoner

12th July 2006, 21:25

benwaggoner

12th July 2006, 21:28

I spoke to soon. Now when I try an encode it just crashes everytime with an unknown error. Anyone else have crashing problems with these files?
What's the unknown error?

I've heard of that issue if you don't have either WMP10 or WMP11 installed.

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 21:29

Please take a look at these two files. The “Test Full8.wmv” file was encoded in WME9. The “Untitled5.wmv” file was encoded in WME9 studio. Look at how much brighter the colors are in the “Untitled5.wmv” file. The “Untitled5.wmv” file is much closer to the original than the “Test Full8.wmv” is. What is the difference? This problem is the sole problem that I have had with the Windows Media Codec all along. It appears to be fixed now!

Test Full8.wmv
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=2F0733BC4D7FED35

Untitled5.wmv
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=12F5F7A84F5D57EF

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 21:32

What's the unknown error?

I've heard of that issue if you don't have either WMP10 or WMP11 installed.

I think I have located the problem with the "unknown error." I was trying to make an encoding while windows media player was playing a video. It throws an "unknown error" message when you do this as I would expect it to.

benwaggoner

12th July 2006, 21:32

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 21:39

The source looks very close in colors to the “Untitled5.wmv” video. You can see these results your self by encoding any one of the three files below with both WME9 and then with WME9 Studio. The files are MJPEG in a .avi container. I think they are 4:4:4 but I am not sure?

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_...s/MVI_0098.AVI

http://img2.dpreview.com/reviews/S3IS/MVI_0639.AVI

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ca...w/MVI_0093.AVI

mpgxsvcd

12th July 2006, 21:43

How do I force video scaling, set the Dquant option, set motion vector cost method, set motion search range, set motion match method, and Force B frame Delta QP in WME9 Studio?

crypto

12th July 2006, 22:02

mpgxsvcd:
Can you give us a short note on how who you managed to use those files as input for WMESE? I can play them, but WMESE complains about an unsupported codec.

And yes, the PQ is remarkable for a $400 cam. Too bad it isn't widescreen.

benwaggoner

13th July 2006, 01:17

How do I force video scaling, set the Dquant option, set motion vector cost method, set motion search range, set motion match method, and Force B frame Delta QP in WME9 Studio?

MV Range = Motion Vector Search Range

The other options aren't in Beta 1, alas. There's a lot of good stuff in the beta DMO which hasn't been synced back up to this encoder. We definitely want to be supporting the full range of options in later releases.