WMCmd.vbs WME9 script update released - 10/11/07

[Blimblim]

I just did some more testing, and the wmcmd.vbs file actually works with vista. Only it works after EXACTLY a 6 minutes wait on the preparetoencode call. I added some debug code, and there it is:
Before PreparetoEncode 15:32:13
After PreparetoEncode 15:38:13
If I call the script again, I get the exact same 6 minutes delay.
function Transcode()
on error resume next

' Prepare to encode
OutputInfo "Before PreparetoEncode " & Time
g_objEncoder.PrepareToEncode( true )
OutputInfo "After PreparetoEncode " & Time

I tried following the initialization of the object, but I don't know enough VB Script to do anything about it.

I looked up some info on this function and it looks like it can get very slow when there are some DCOM issues. I looked in the event viewer and there wasn't any DCOM problem listed, unfortunately. I tried totally disabling the firewall in case there was some network activity somewhere, nothing.

The strange thing is that this call is done almost instantly using a standard video file, so it's definitely an interaction issue with avisynth with something timing out somewhere.

[Blimblim]

Alright, I ended up porting wmnienc to a command line application. It's an horrible job with basically everything but input and output hard coded, but it actually works. 8 core encoding is nice, I'll try doing some benchmarks.

[cosmick]

Hi all!
We're using this great script along with standalone WME application and facing some un-obvious results.
Our script is cupturing A/V stream from an Osprey 240e cards.
The cmd itself is:
cscript.exe wmcmd.vbs -adevice 1 -vdevice 1 -duration 36000 -broadcast 7865 -a_setting 96_44_2 -v_codec WVC1 -v_preproc 17 -v_bitrate 5000000 -pixelratio 12 11 -pixelformat YUY2 -v_framerate 25 -v_lookahead 16 -v_numthreads 4 -v_bframedist 0 -v_keydist 2

We disabled deinterlacing filter on Osprey in order to stream interlaced video to viewers.
We're monitoring the stream with the WMP11 via HTTP.

The question is about results we're getting.

In the very beginning of the coding process WMP shows 49,9 actual FPS, but during broadcast session the figures are floating near 47 FPS (no dropping frames, no lost or recovered packets, no any errors). Actual bit rate is near 5 Mbps most of the time but sometimes it decreases to 3,5-4 Mbps.

The script output is like:
Wait for 36000 seconds to stop encoder...
Duration time is reached. Stop encoder...
======== Encoding Completed ========

Audio :
Codec: Windows Media Audio 9.2
Expected bit rate: 96040 bps
Average bit rate: 96039 bps
Expected sample rate: 5383
Average sample rate: 5383
Dropped byte count: 0 bytes
Dropped sample rate: 0
Total bytes: 432185150 bytes

Video :
Codec: Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile
Expected bit rate: 5000000 bps
Average bit rate: 4811995 bps
Expected fps: 25
Dropped frame count: 0
Total coded frames: 899996
Average sample rate: 18,889
Dropped bytes: 0 bytes
Total bytes: 21653973041 bytes

Overall:
Encoding time: 36002 seconds
Average bit rate: 4908034 bps

HW is very capable (we believe) to deliver the full speed of coding (Q6600, 1024 MB RAM on Windows XP, Intel 3200 server board), WME uses approx. 40% of CPU during the sessions (approx. evenly on all four it's cores).

What is the possible cause for FPS floating?

What does mean the Average sample rate parameter in the Video section scrip output? This parameter is 25 sometimes (for short sessions only), 21 or even 18 as you can see in the log.

Thanks in advance

Small amendment: WMP is running on a dedicated dual-core Athlon machine with Nvidia GF 8200 chipset. During the viewing the CPU usage is approx. 30% (Overlays and DirectX are checkboxed)

[kevo777]

May I ask why you are pushing an interlaced stream? I'm afraid I can't answer the question that you pose. I was just curious about the need to interlace a stream.

[cosmick]

We stream the sport content. It's noticeable better interlaced in comparison the progressive streams because there are a lot of motions across the screen.

We'll greatly appreciate any suggestions:

Why constant bitrate stream deviates?
What does mean the Average sample rate and it's deviations?
Why FPS changes?

Thanks in advance