Use dual-core CPUs

[LonelyPixel]

Hi,

I've been encoding recorded TV shows from MPEG2 to XviD with DVDx 2.5/2.8 having the latest K-Lite Codec Pack installed. This is on an Intel Core Duo CPU on Windows XP. During the process, I can see a system load of around 50%. On my desktop PC with an Athlon64 CPU, it makes 100%. Running two processes in parallel on the dual core doesn't work, probably the stat files of the two-pass are colliding.

Can somebody tell me how I can make the XviD coded use both CPU cores for encoding? From the (otherwise not very communicative) XviD website I understood that dual-core is generally supported.

[Awatef]

I don't have a dual core PC, but as far as I can tell, only XviD 1.2 beta (http://www.koepi.org/XviD-1.2.-127-25022006.exe) has an experimental SMP support, so I would suggest you download it and see if it helps (Make sure you enter the right number of threads).

Generally, I would stay away from codec packs if I was you.

[BigDid]

... Can somebody tell me how I can make the XviD coded use both CPU cores for encoding? From the (otherwise not very communicative) XviD website I understood that dual-core is generally supported.
Hi,

Use a multithread capable (SMP) Xvid version: 1.2 is, 1.12 is not really, older are not; what is yours?

Codec packs have a tendancy to introduce problems (screw up); better clean uninstall and clean install only needed codec; FFDSHOW will read/decode nearly all majors codecs.

Did

[LonelyPixel]

Thank you for that note. According to the documentation, I have XviD 1.1.2. So it can't even use multithreading then, okay, good to know. Maybe in the future...

I've heard of problems with codec packs from different places, but it's a pain to collect all the necessary codecs and keep them up-to-date. I haven't run into problems with them yet. What difference should there be between multiple installers ran separately and multiple installers combined into one and run together? Isn't a codec not much more than a bunch of files plus registering them somewhere in the system?

[Awatef]

Lonely, the thing is, you actually don't need many codecs, unless you encode to many formats.
As far as I'm concerned, the only codec I have installed is XviD!

Everything else does not need a codec and is handled by ONE DEcoder: ffdshow (well, except H.264 which is handled by CoreAVC 'cause it's much faster)

Other things are handled by ENcoders: x264 is not a codec, it's an encoder, same goes for audio encoding, that can be handled by only one application like BeSweet, etc

[Blue_MiSfit]

The real problem with Codec packs is that they generally try to do more than is absolutely necessary. For instance, some codec packs include multiple versions of the same codec AND ffdshow, which will create all sorts of merit issues etc... Sometimes removing them is difficult due to broken uninstallers or excessive registry scat. They also sometimes contain malware, depending on where you download them from. They will also include a lot of wierd splitters, subtitle loaders, and old borked stuff like DivX 3.11 ;-)...

Finally, they sometimes contain payware codecs like CoreAVC etc.. Which is illegal.

It's your prerogative to use them or not, but most of us try to avoid it. The people that put codec packs together are generally catering to people who (illegally?) download scads of material and don't encode their own stuff, and therefore don't really know what they need to play it all!

I have an older version of CoreAVC that I bought, and use that for H.264 video, and ffdshow for everything else. Haali's Matroska Splitter for splitting MKV and OGM, and AC3 filter for handling audio (remapping everything to 24 bit 5.1ch with DRC and gain etc).

That's about all you need. Real Player and Quicktime if you use those. I generally don't run into them occasionally. The "alternatives" to both of these are also legally questionable AFAIK.

Or you can just use VLC / MPlayer, and forget about codecs forever :D

~MiSfit

[LonelyPixel]

Okay, I'll try to find current versions of the named products the next time I setup a system (maybe soon). I can remember at least of AC3filter that I only found a stone-old version while that K-Lite pack had continously newer versions... Also ffdshow seemed "officially" discontinued for a long time while I was still looking for it. (I think it was in sourceforge where no newer versions appeared.) It's not so easy to find current versions even of these few filters, codecs and stuff. Generally I don't do much with video encoding (anymore). Currently it's mostly putting DVB-S' MPEG2 on DVD and now compressing some of it into smaller formats. (And it's getting a little OT now... :rolleyes:)

[Blue_MiSfit]

latest ffdshow, matroska splitter, and media player classic builds are always available at x264.nl.

Google AC3Filter for the latest version of that (frequently updated)

It's true that discovering this is tricky :)

x264.nl is a great resource. Of course it hosts the latest x264 win32 builds, as well as MeGui and StaxRip installers.

Yes we are getting OT, so to get things back in order...

XviD 1.2 builds are quite good. Multithreading for me works extremely well. Provided that AviSynth can feed it fast enough, Xvid can use all of my dual core processor and gains a good 50% at least over single threading.

~MiSfit

~Misfit

[foxyshadis]

CVS Xvid, mpc, x64/amd64, and other builds are hosted at http://ffdshow.faireal.net btw.

[Blue_MiSfit]

Niiice. I had always wondered what the current celtic_druid build mirror was.

I will add that to my video bookmarks for sure..

~Misfit

[Awatef]

By the way, you don't need AC3filter if you have ffdshow installed (now it's called ffdshow tryout since ffdshow has been discontinued ;))
But I disable AC3 decoding in ffdshow too to be able to use the decoder that comes with PowerDVD, which enables Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker (surround sound for headphone and normal stereo setup, works damn well!).

[Blue_MiSfit]

That's a cool feature. I generally use AC3Filter to decode AC3s, because of its excellent dynamic range compression and gain options. I also use it to conform any other decoded input like AAC or MP3 to 5.1ch 24 bit.

It can also encode on the fly a 5.1ch source to (up to) 640kbit AC3, and pass it out through S/PDIF in real time, for the HTPC people.

It's a sweet filter :)

~MiSfit

[plugh]

Probably not the right place to ask this, but...

OK, broke down and bought a really cheap P4 system;
P4 2.6GHz, with HTT, 800MHz FSB, dual channel mem.
(My 1.8GHz Duron just isn't cutting it with HD encodes)

I use avisynth on the input side, VdubMod in the middle, Xvid 1.1.2 on the output side.

I'm in the process of setting it up. HTT is enabled in BIOS, and XP sees 2 cpus. Is there anything I need to do to get Vdub to execute the avisynth/input thread in parallel with the encoder/output thread? Or will it just happen automagically?

Thanks!

[henryho_hk]

Vdub does it automatically. You can use "Process Explorer" (by SysInternal, later acquired by MS) to verify it.

[Awatef]

@ plug
You did the worst choice ever man! Duron @ 1.8GHz and P4 @ 2.6GHz are not so far away from each other performance-wise (that P4 is about 15% faster, that's all!)

[plugh]

@ plug
You did the worst choice ever man! Duron @ 1.8GHz and P4 @ 2.6GHz are not so far away from each other performance-wise (that P4 is about 15% faster, that's all!)

Well, it wasn't so much of a shopping around choice, as a spur of the moment impulse buy. Local PC store had a batch of refurb/off-lease Dell Optiplex systems - the 'GX270' I picked up was $250 with 90 day warranty. Connected it to KVM switch with my 3TB disk server PC in the basement, enabled remote desktop, and now I've got a box to offload encodes onto, freeing up the Duron system for interactive work.

Based upon a single 30K frame encode comparison between my tweaked Duron box and the vanilla GX270, it looks to be about a dead heat. :( Well, at least it isn't slower :rolleyes:

It'll do...

[djimmortal]

I'm planning to buy a lcd and mainly for watching divx(quality rips >1.5gb per movie) movies,what size should i go for 26 or 32,cos when i checked the lcd in the store with digital sdtv i could clearly see artifacts and the picture was not impressive at all

Im not xpecting HD quality ,all i want is descent picture with divx in biggest possible size

Which plays the divx best..PC or a standalone player
Which is the best decoder for Divx...Divx,Xvid or Ffdshow ..
Can We upscale divx....

plz help guys really very confused

[celtic_druid]

So confused that you forgot the rules and posted the exact same thing in 3 different threads?

[djimmortal]

My bad just tryna find the answer thats all

[burfadel]

CVS Xvid, mpc, x64/amd64, and other builds are hosted at http://ffdshow.faireal.net btw.

For ffdshow, go to:

http://ffdshow.info

They're truly the latest builds!

Changes are listed here:

http://ffdshow-tryout.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/ffdshow-tryout/trunk/?view=log