MeGUI encoding speed -- fps lower than it used to be?

[StriatedFoot]

Any reason why my fps would be lower than it used to be while doing encodes? I'm using XP Professional on a dual core AMD with 1GB RAM. Checking task manager, no other programs are using the CPU. Total CPU usage is often less than 100% also (averaging around 75% or so). Back when I first got the computer last month, it was pinned at 100% the whole time and my fps was close to 20. Now it's closer to 10.

It happens even after a reboot when I'm not running anything else in the background.

Any ideas?

[Pitbull_Raven]

I am going to venture a guess here, but I am pretty sure that since you first got your pc and hit those 20 frames till now you have most probably installed some "essential" apps and stuff, a util or two and a bunch of other stuff. Right????

Many of these apps and utils sometimes take up resources since they have processes that run in the background, hence causing the framrate difference you are experiencing.

[Sharktooth]

... have you a multiprocessor system? what encoder are you using? did you set the correct number of threads? ...
Also MeGUI is only a GUI... yours is a problem of encoder settings or your system.

[StriatedFoot]

I am going to venture a guess here, but I am pretty sure that since you first got your pc and hit those 20 frames till now you have most probably installed some "essential" apps and stuff, a util or two and a bunch of other stuff. Right????

Many of these apps and utils sometimes take up resources since they have processes that run in the background, hence causing the framrate difference you are experiencing.

None of it is running in the background though, and task manager seems to confirm this. When I sort by CPU usage, x264.exe is the only one that shows anything. When I close all other apps (like what I'm using now to type this response), the fps is still low.

Edit: However, occasionally taskmgr will show 1% or even 2%, and "system" sometimes shows 1%. Does that 1 or 2 percent of usage interrupt x264 from reaching 100%?

... have you a multiprocessor system? what encoder are you using? did you set the correct number of threads? ...
Also MeGUI is only a GUI... yours is a problem of encoder settings or your system.

It's a dual core AMD. I have thread=0 in MeGui, which is auto detection of threads. When I look in task manager, both CPU charts show that they're in use.

I don't think I've changed my encoder settings, but I guess that's possible. But the fps seems to vary considerably based on what it is I'm encoding. Some movies might hit 15fps these days, whereas others might only hit 9fps. Is that to be expected?

[Pitbull_Raven]

That 1 or 2% shouldn't have any significant impact, not that I can think of. As for the different fps', are we talking same resolution for the movies you have been encoding? Higher resolutions tend to mean less fps.

[StriatedFoot]

That 1 or 2% shouldn't have any significant impact, not that I can think of. As for the different fps', are we talking same resolution for the movies you have been encoding? Higher resolutions tend to mean less fps.

Yeah, they're all DVD rips keeping the native resolution. I'm using one-pass crf=21 for the encoding.

[Pitbull_Raven]

Yeah, they're all DVD rips keeping the native resolution. I'm using one-pass crf=21 for the encoding.

Software or hardware changes to the system not withstanding, I am stumped. Not a clue as to why. Maybe you performed some changes unwillingly. Maybe your CPU is acting up... Wish I could help more.

[Sharktooth]

Disable the Automatically set the number of threads in the MeGUI options and use threads=0 in the x264 profile

[foxyshadis]

Maybe your x264 profile has changed somewhat, or your avisynth script has become slower. Different deinterlacing and denoising has a major impact on speed, and since MeGUI doesn't use MT avisynth it can cause your cpu to not be fully utilized.

[StriatedFoot]

Maybe your x264 profile has changed somewhat, or your avisynth script has become slower. Different deinterlacing and denoising has a major impact on speed, and since MeGUI doesn't use MT avisynth it can cause your cpu to not be fully utilized.

I hadn't thought of that. Deinterlacing might be different I guess. I don't really pay close attention to it because I let megui autodetect it.

So is there any way to make it so that it fully utilizes the CPU when deinterlacing? I assume "MT avisynth" refers to a multithreaded version or something?

[StriatedFoot]

Disable the Automatically set the number of threads in the MeGUI options and use threads=0 in the x264 profile

I believe this is the profile I'm using...

--crf 21.0 --no-fast-pskip --nf --no-cabac --subme 7 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --qpmin 18 --vbv-maxrate 25000 --qcomp 0.3 --me umh --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "" ""

Isn't threads auto the same as threads=0?

[Sharktooth]

it's exactly the same. setting threads to 0 in the GUI will set --threads auto in the commandline.
however disable the "Automatically set the number of threads" option in the MeGUI settings (not the encoder profile) or it will override the threads settings...

[foxyshadis]

I hadn't thought of that. Deinterlacing might be different I guess. I don't really pay close attention to it because I let megui autodetect it.

So is there any way to make it so that it fully utilizes the CPU when deinterlacing? I assume "MT avisynth" refers to a multithreaded version or something?

It's explained here:
https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=94996

Basically, you replace avisynth.dll with the download there, and use SetMTmode(2) at the very beginning of your script. The script should run as fast as your system will allow, without a lot of unused cpu time, though it may still be much slower than a faster ivtc or deinterlacing.

[morphx2]

I am using the HD-DVD profile and the 2nd pass is at 2fps...is that correct?

I am using a AMD 4200x2 with 2 gigs of RAM :-\

[Sharktooth]

HD-DVD profile is experimental, and it needs a particular x264 build. I will probably remove that profile from the next stable version.

[morphx2]

Ooooh.

Any suggestions on where to find a profile for HD-DVD's? Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I am guessing that is why the fps and time is so bad to encode it?

[morphx2]

Well, first pass is giving me around 10 fps now using a AE-goodquality and adjusting a few things. Not sure if that is how it should be, but oh well!

Here are my settings

--pass 2 --bitrate 5000 --stats ".stats" --keyint 240 --min-keyint 24 --ref 8 --mixed-refs --bframes 5 --b-pyramid --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --filter 1,1 --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse all --8x8dct --vbv-maxrate 25000 --me umh --merange 12 --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "output" "input"

[Sharktooth]

AE profiles are for anime/toons...

[morphx2]

O boy. I am totally lost then. Haha

I was following this guide:

http://forum.videohelp.com/topic333634.html

I have an AMD 64 dual core 4200x2 and the 2nd pass is going at 2fps :(

[Sharktooth]

i suggest you to read this: https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=101813

if you miss some of those profiles, update MeGUI to the latest development version (be sure to do a clean install), dont let the auto-update start but first go to Options->Settings->Extra Config->Configure Servers and choose Development from the drop down. Restart MeGUI and let it autoupdate.

[halpern]

I have an AMD64 X2 6000+ with 2gb of ram and I am getting around 3.5fps for a 1280x720 HD video (Dexter). This framerate seems very slow for my type of cpu. Any idea why? I am using the AE Good Quality profile.

[rebkell]

I have an AMD64 X2 6000+ with 2gb of ram and I am getting around 3.5fps for a 1280x720 HD video (Dexter). This framerate seems very slow for my type of cpu. Any idea why? I am using the AE Good Quality profile.

I've got the same CPU and 2gb of RAM, my CPU is down to 75%, and it's encoding the same profile and AVS script, I'm encoding a tv series, different episodes, but they are all from the same station and have basically the same bitrate, etc... Encodes earlier in the week were utilizing nearly 100% CPU, but now it seems to be averaging around 75%, fluctuates between 65 and 82, but for the most part stays right around 75% in both cores.

Someone on AVSforums suggested it might be disk related, same symptoms as you taskmgr shows nothing else that is really using any of the CPU. I'm running Vista Premium and using megui 0.3.0.0, but I'm thinking it's more to do with Microsoft than it is with megui, or x264.