sx264 - qt based x264 gui (Linux&Windows)

[microchip8]

thanks for the info, will fix :)


can't win them all :D

Cu Selur

you're welcome. And it's not about winning. I just don't like GUIs when it comes to encoding. I have nothing against it if others use it, but for me I stick to CLI stuff since I spend a great deal of time working on the CLI and are kinda addicted to it ;) The only GUI I would consider using is Ripbot264 due to its superior combination of simplicity and usability. GUIs that offer a gazillion of options are, IMHO, not only overloaded but also user unfriendly in regards to the not-so experienced/noob users. I for example, will need less time to write the MEncoder parameters on the command line, than to click checkboxes spread over multiple tabs which hold a considerable amount of options. I think that when Atak_Snajpera started developing Ripbot264, he not only looked at it from the perspective of the developer, but also from the perspective of the (noob) user. In the end, you get a program like Ripbot264, which as I said earlier is unbeatable when it comes to combining simplicity with usability and power.

Again, this is just how I see things and by all means it is not an attack or similar to what you're doing. In fact, I think you're doing a great job, and since this is early alpha release, who knows how this program will develop in the future? It can drastically change or then maybe not. :)

[Selur]

About simplicity: When starting to write the gui I thought about writing a simple wizard with questions&Co similiar to your h264enc, but then I realized I wouldn't really fresh up my c++ skill doing so, since most of the logic could be copied from h264Enc and combined with QWizard it would be a rather short project. So I started to write the gui mainly to write a gui for my needs, but since I showed it to some buddies and they liked it I decided to tune it and release it to the public. :) I too like RipBot264 for it's simplicity but since I personally like to have a lot of options to play with whatever I do it's not my usual tool to use. :) But who knows maybe I'll add a Wizard view in a later stage. :)

----

rev417
*added*
- Job History (Misc->Logging->Show job history)
- to MediaInfo Analyser: if no framecount was found calculate framecount if fps and length are present

*fixed*
- typo when selecting x264->pulldown
- making sure x264->pulldown can only be used when BluRay support is enabled

*cosmetics*
- changed some debug messages

-> updated 1st post

Cu Selur

[microchip8]

A wizard will be a good idea, however I don't think it will be the best option here. The biggest thing that will reduce the amount of options and thus bring a lot of simplicity to sx264, is if you design a robust presets system. A presets system that not only allows you to choose from different built-in presets, but for the more experienced user, also allows to write your own presets and load them into the program (just like h264enc allows that). If you develop a presets system, this will not only give you a great deal of simplicity on the user side, but also in the codebase side, since you will not have to deal with all the checkboxes/tabs/whatever in the code. I think the best thing to do here, is somehow find equilibrium (balance) between simplicity and the amount of code. The more code you have in the program, the buggier it can get due to too much variables/functions/etc that have to be considered which also requires a lot of time spend in debugging/reading code and fixing it

[Selur]

Yup, a preset system is a nice thing, though I don't think I'll implement a more complex one in the near future. :)

If you develop a presets system, this will not only give you a great deal of simplicity on the user side, but also in the codebase side, since you will not have to deal with all the checkboxes/tabs/whatever in the code.
Don't think so, since one would still require to have those checkboxes/tabs/whatever to allow to generate those presets. (if one wants to keep as much freedom as possible)

Cu Selur

Ps.: I like the filtering options/presets you present in h264enc ;)

[microchip8]

Don't think so, since one would still require to have those checkboxes/tabs/whatever to allow to generate those presets. (if one wants to keep as much freedom as possible)

Cu Selur

yes, this is true, but it will reduce some amount of them. If you implement a presets system, all the checkboxes for things like 8x8dct, level, partitions, motion estimation, deadzones, etc will be gone. That is if you get rid of them and don't keep them for "as much freedom as possible" reasons. The only difference between using a presets system which allows you to write and load your own presets, and the currently used checkbox system, is that instead of the user clicking on various checkboxes, the user writes the x264 settings in a file. Personally, I find the last option more appealing and again, I speak only for me here :)

[Selur]

I too like the idea of presets :D, that's why one can save&load a profile and save general default settings. ;)
But we will see, may be I'll implement a preset system in the future. :)

Cu Selur

[flebber]

Selur have you tested flv input. I am trying to use flv with ffmpeg and mencoder decoder. However I cannot get a log or info as sx264 is crashing immediately after I select the file, I have checked the create report and enable debug boxes checked but I am not getting any output.

The flv appears okay as automen is encoding it fine and the flv player plays it without error.

This is my file format read with mediainfo
General
Complete name : C:\Documents and Settings\flebber\My Documents\My Recordings\Slipknot_Dead Memories final1.flv
Format : Flash Video
File size : 17.6 MiB
Duration : 4mn 27s
Overall bit rate : 552 Kbps

Video
Format : VP6
Duration : 4mn 27s
Bit rate : 400 Kbps
Width : 640 pixels
Height : 360 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 23.980 fps
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.072

Audio
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 3
Duration : 4mn 27s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 96.0 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits

[Selur]

Tested some flv. Try ffmpeg as Decoder not mencoder, since mencoder&mplayer are not so good at handling flv files. :)
Create Report and Debug will both create a file.
report during and after encoding and debug should create a sx264Debug.txt file.
I'll recheck the flv files I got here. (thought that I forced ffmpeg as Decoder wen input is .flv, but I might be wrong there :))

Cu Selur

[Selur]

rev418

*fixed*
- flv/swf handling -> enforcing ffmpeg as decoder again

-> updated 1st post

[Pitti]

rev417
*added*
- Job History (Misc->Logging->Show job history)

You're a treasure :)
I try it out immediately

[Pitti]

btw: in the sources of rev418 the folder "encoder" is missing.
I hope it was ok to use the folder that was contained in r417

[Selur]

Hups,.. will fix that -> fixed new Download :)

[Pitti]

thx :)

a little OT:
I have tested some encodings. (DVD-sources, mkv ...)
I cant max out my Phenom x4 ... any ideas?

>> http://www.pittiplatsch.gmxhome.de/bilder/x264maxout.png

[Selur]

thinks that pop into my head:
1. why do you use unrestricted? (4.1 or even 3.0 is probably enough for DVD sized material)
2. I forgot the "--thread-input" there not sure if it can hurt perfomance
(will remove in future builds -> if you build sx264 yourself yo could try by deleting the arguments << "--thread-input"; line in x264Model.cpp in the model-folder and compile sx264 again)
Alternatively you could replace the line with:
#ifdef Q_OS_WIN32
if(this->findChild<NValue *>("videoInput")->value().endsWith(".avs", Qt::CaseInsensitive)) arguments << "--thread-input";
#endif which I'll do on my end for the next revision. :)
If you compile and test it please report back. :)
3. problem might be that mencoder can't provide the source fast enough (may be mencoder-mt would help, normal mencoder normally single-threaded afaik)


Cu Selur

[Pitti]

>> 1. why do you use unrestricted?
Oh this was a mistake.

>> if you build sx264 yourself yo could try by deleting the arguments << "--thread-input"; line in x264Model.cpp
I'm testing

edit:
it was functionable but that changes nothing.

can you implement the possibility to start more jobs at the same time?
I have tested with 2 instances but this is no so comfortable.

[Emess]

My first thought after opening the program was about how cluttered it was. Everything is bunched together, and options that I would think to be in the same tab were not. A lot of the options had named that didn't describe their function as well, I had to do a few quick encodes and compare the header information before I figured it all out. Using QT Designer obviously makes the UI easier to fix, and as it's a gui/frontend the UI is pretty important. If you don't rename things, maybe give them tooltips.

One thing I noticed in R418 was that max reference frames only goes up to 15? I dragged it to the far end but it wouldn't reach 16. Other problems were the program repeatedly giving me warnings. When I selected to use an external audio file, it gave about 5 warnings about not having a file defined. I wasn't able to define one without enabling the option to do so... The program seems pretty liberal with its alerts and pop ups.

The tabs are not that informative either. Tags doesn't exactly cover chapters and subtitles. And the way they are not all there from the start is a bit irritating. In re of subtitles, is it possible to add support for ass/ssa? libass and asa aren't exactly the greatest libs but mplayer/mencoder is able to read the formats fairly well, and given you have them as decoders it shouldn't be too difficult to add.

My only real problems with it overall though were how cluttered it is, and how non descriptive some of the options are. Even a simple tooltip with the corresponding x264 flag would help a lot.

On actually using it for an encode, I found it fairly quick, faster than autox264 at least, and a fairly good tool to use. The UI is unfortunate but it covers everything and is pretty verbose with its output, which is good. Another thing I really liked was its profile system. Is it able to import sharktooth's meGUI profiles or are the XML .flags different, I haven't had a chance to look yet.

Overall, nice little tool that looks to be coming along well, nice work :)

E~

[Selur]

@Emess: Everything is bunched together, and options that I would think to be in the same tab were not.
like... ? I sorted the options like I felt them fit, but I'm open too suggestions. (But I won't move an option just to be similiar to another UI.)

If you don't rename things, maybe give them tooltips.
'What is / ?'-entries are planned (added some to the main tab some time ago -> press '?'-button and then click on an option to see), but atm family and christmas has the grab on my free time. :)
I'm no real fan of tooltips. :)

The program seems pretty liberal with its alerts and pop ups.
It is an alpha :)

One thing I noticed in R418 was that max reference frames only goes up to 15?
about the formula I use, see: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=142758
-> max references depend on a bunch of factors. :)
If you see a mistake please correct. :)

The tabs are not that informative either.
not?

Tags doesn't exactly cover chapters and subtitles.
about chapters:
atm sx264 can:
1. extract chapters from dvd input
2. let you modify and specify your own chapter points
-> should all be possible with the current 'Chapter Editor' in the 'Tags'-register

about subtitles:
atm sx264 can:
1. load external subtitle .srt/.idx (and insert them as subtitle stream to the output)
2. let you choose if you want to embed the subtitle into the picture
3. set a title and language for the subtitles in the 'General Tags' section

-> Could you explain a bit more what you mean with "Tags doesn't exactly cover chapters and subtitles." ?

Is it able to import sharktooth's meGUI profiles or are the XML .flags different, I haven't had a chance to look yet.
XML flags are different and hold some additional infos. Don't think I will support importing sharktooth's meGUI profiles.

@Pitti: I'll add 'running X Jobs' parallel to my todo-list but I don't think that this will come soon.

Cu Selur

[Emess]

By tabs not being informative, I meant the title of each tab. Obviously Qunatisation and Audio tabs do exactly what they say, but what about the Tags tab? It is called Tags, yet it controls the subtitles and chapters, as well as the actual track/stream names. Maybe rename it Extra or something.

I see what you mean by sorting the options how you say, but I was getting confused to what some of them do, and it seemed like some things that should be together were not. Not such a big deal really. What was really irritating though was that everything is so cramped. Maybe make the window a bit bigger and spread things out more, the app is like a wall of text on the Main tab.

As for the number of refs, I was using both high@5.1 and high@unrestricted, and it still cut it down to 15 refs. I am not sure why.

E~

[Selur]

rev419
*added*
- option to extract subtitle track from dvd (in DVD Selector)

*changed*
- using '-ovc frameno' instead of '-ovc copy'
- disable ui during analyse and subtitle extraction
- renamed 'Tags'- to 'Tags, Subtitles, Chapters'-register until I find a better name

-> updated 1st post

-----
I checked the number of refs and atm there's a small bug since ref will only be lowered by one if bframe > 1 and b-pyramid is active,and one changes the number of b-frames. Will fix that.
Atm keeping refs to 15 when b-pyramid is active is (using x264) the way to go to get better level compliance. (see thread linked in last post)
Just realized I disabled the 'What is'-option in the Alpha releases. :)

Cu Selur

[Pitti]

@Pitti: I'll add 'running X Jobs' parallel to my todo-list but I don't think that this will come soon.
or maybe add a button to create a shellscript?

[Selur]

shell script wouldn't be that easy, but I'll probably have some time to think about the needed changes over the christmas days and with a bit of luck I would be able to implement it at the beginning of january next year. ;)

[Pitti]

shell script wouldn't be that easy, but I'll probably have some time to think about the needed changes over the christmas days and with a bit of luck I would be able to implement it at the beginning of january next year. ;)

as I can see the shell commands appears in the commandbox and also in the reports.
if you can add a checkbox to prevent the commands then the command lines pops up in the commandbox without executing.

ofc private live first. take your time.
greetings Pitti

[Selur]

It wouldn't be a problem to generate all the command lines, but if you use 2pass encoding I normally adjust the videobitrate after the audio encoding which wouldn't work in command line.

Cu Selur

[Selur]

Good and 'bad' news. ;)
Good news: Found some time to think about multi-Audio/Video/Subtitle support and encoding multiple jobs parallel.

"good" news: I'll implement parallel job encoding probably in january. :)
"Bad" news: Multi-Stream support won't come soon, since I'll have to make a mayor overhaul to implement it, which will result in a total rewrite of sx264. (-> I'll rewrite the program but that will have to wait. After encountering a lot of bugs&co I want to first be sure that the current 1 video + 1 audio + 1 subtitle stream version works fine)

Cu Selur

[Selur]

rev423
*added*
- 'parallel jobs' under Misc->Encoding defines how many jobs are processed parallel
side notes:
- if cpu usage is high enough for you when processing 1 at a time, stay with one job
- at the moment only the progress of the job at the top is viewable

*fixed*
- small bug, always lower max refs by 1 whenever b-pyramid is enabled, see: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=142758
- fixed buffer values

*updated*
- sx264 and x264 version in windows 'complete' package


-> updated 1st post

Cu Selur

[Selur]

*cosmetics*
- renamed 'average quantization' to 'constant ratefactor'

*changed*
- removed '-noconfig all' calls since some mplayer version on linux got problems with it

-> updated download in 1st post

[Selur]

rev429
*fixed*
- vbv Buffer/Bitrate initialisation value fixed
- "S-Mpeg 4 v2" also needs to be decoded as YuY2 with mencoder -> using -vf format=yuy2,scale,format=i420 instead of -vf format=i420

*update*
- exchanged x264.exe in windows package since some people reported crashes with the last one

-> updated downloads in first post



rev430
*fixed*
- vbv bug
- instead of toLatin1() use toUtf8() when creating a pipe

-> updated downloads in first post

[Pitti]

rev423
*added*
- 'parallel jobs' under Misc->Encoding defines how many jobs are processed parallel

cool. my phenom is awake :D
I have testet with some little videos.
Results:
2 vids one after another -> 18:34 min
2 vids at the same time -> 12:42 min
4 vids 4 workers -> 20:30 mim

[Selur]

There are a bunch of small things about it that have to be fixed in the future: make sure debug output will generate multiple files, status view for all encodings not just the first in the queue, ability to stop a specific worker,... but getting the process started such that the temp files and the processes itself do not get in conflict was the main thing to start.
Nice, happy to see that it really does help with the speed and that it works. :)

Cu Selur

[Emess]

Just been messing with the settings. Found that when b-pyramid is enabled, thats when the refs drop to 15. Any reason?

Had some errors too:
Folder:
fonts
does not exist -> adjusting folder to '.' !
Could not create mediaInfo-VideoConfig!!
Probably no rights to write in to currten sx264 default path (see Misc 2)
Could not create mediaInfo-AudioConfig!!
Probably no rights to write in to currten sx264 default path (see Misc 2)


This was done in the Misc 2 tab. Unsure about the fonts error, while the mediaInfo errors seem to be from when I set sx264 path to /usr/bin

E~

[Dark Shikari]

Just been messing with the settings. Found that when b-pyramid is enabled, thats when the refs drop to 15. Any reason?Because the maker of this program introduced the bug intentionally to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist:- small bug, always lower max refs by 1 whenever b-pyramid is enabled

[Selur]

yup, see: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=142758 :)

Folder:
fonts
does not exist -> adjusting folder to '.' !
sais that you didn't specify the path to a font folder on your system and sx264 didn't find a fonts folder next to it.
-> Without a font folder, OSD in mplayer preview can't be used (-> no preview of subtitles) and subtitles can't be burned in :)

Could not create mediaInfo-VideoConfig!!
Probably no rights to write in to currten sx264 default path (see Misc 2)
Could not create mediaInfo-AudioConfig!!
Probably no rights to write in to currten sx264 default path (see Misc 2)
sx264 wants to create two config files:
sx264_mediaInfo-VideoConfig General;%Duration/String3%
Video;%%FrameRate/String%%%Format%%%PixelAspectRatio%%%Width/String%%%Height/String%%%FrameCount%%%Encoded_Library/String%%%ScanOrder% and
sx264_mediaInfo-AudioConfig Audio;%Codec/String%%%SamplingRate/String%%%Channel(s)/String%%%BitRate/String%%%Video_Delay/String%%%ID/String%%%StreamKindPos%%%StreamCount%%%%%
which are used to get the infos needed when analysing a source.

Cu Selur

[Selur]

Because the maker of this program introduced the bug intentionally to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist:
Did I misunderstand that lowering max ref is needed when b-frames are enabled and b-pyramid is used to stay more standard conform?
If so I'm really sorry, but as I remember the other thread (see link above) the conclusion was this workaround was needed to stay more standard conform. I understood, that it might not be needed to produce content that hardware players accept since the 'normally' do not stick to the specs.

Cu Selur

[Dark Shikari]

Did I misunderstand that lowering max ref is needed when b-frames are enabled and b-pyramid is used to stay more standard conform?
If so I'm really sorry, but as I remember the other thread (see link above) the conclusion was this workaround was needed to stay more standard conform. I understood, that it might not be needed to produce content that hardware players accept since the 'normally' do not stick to the specs.

Cu SelurThe logic in the original thread on the topic--if correct--suggests that b-pyramid is potentially:

1. Technically never standards-compliant
or
2. Not standards compliant with under 4 refs.

Not that it is compliant if you limit refs to 15.

[Selur]

okay, thanks for clearing that up, must have misunderstood it, since the formulas I ended up there:
MaxDPB >= (bytes in a frame) * min(16, max(ref + (pyramid ? 1 : 0), 1 + (pyramid ? 2 : bframes ? 1 : 0))
and
maxref = Min(this->maxDPB(level)/bytesPerFrame, 16)
maxref = (pyramid) ? maxref-1 : maxref
if(maxref) < bframeModifier+1) maxref = bframeModifier+1
implied it. :)
So the 'maxref = (pyramid) ? maxref-1 : maxref' part wouldn't be needed, right? :)

Cu Selur

[Dark Shikari]

So the 'maxref = (pyramid) ? maxref-1 : maxref' part wouldn't be needed, right? :)I think that's right.

[Selur]

Okay, will fix this and upload a new version shortly. :)
Special thanks to Dark Shikari for it's patience. :)

Cu Selur

[Selur]

rev431
*fixed*
- forgot a '-noconfig all' in autocrop commandline :/, removed it now
- lowering maxRef when using b-pyramid isn't needed; thanks to Dark Shikari for the hint :)

*cosmetics*
- added (Pass 1/2) to encoding status during 2pass encode
- extended 'timestamp' in job history and debug to: ("yyyy.MM.dd - hh:mm:ss")
- not writing all text files as ascii but utf8

-> updated downloads in first post

[Emess]

sais that you didn't specify the path to a font folder on your system and sx264 didn't find a fonts folder next to it.
-> Without a font folder, OSD in mplayer preview can't be used (-> no preview of subtitles) and subtitles can't be burned in :)
Thing is in the Misc2 window I do set it. Each time the program closes it forgets the path I give it.

sx264 wants to create two config files:
sx264_mediaInfo-VideoConfig General;%Duration/String3%
Video;%%FrameRate/String%%%Format%%%PixelAspectRatio%%%Width/String%%%Height/String%%%FrameCount%%%Encoded_Library/String%%%ScanOrder% and
sx264_mediaInfo-AudioConfig Audio;%Codec/String%%%SamplingRate/String%%%Channel(s)/String%%%BitRate/String%%%Video_Delay/String%%%ID/String%%%StreamKindPos%%%StreamCount%%%%%
which are used to get the infos needed when analysing a source.
These seem to be created in whatever directory the app is started from. I notice if I load it from cli in /home it creates them there. However if I load it from my menu or kicker it errors on permissions and attempts to write to /usr/bin I believe. I have yet to check that on r431.

E~

[Selur]

Each time the program closes it forgets the path I give it.
You do save the settings, do you? (misc -> save defaults)

These seem to be created in whatever directory the app is started from.
They will be created in the sx264-Folder specified under Misc -> sx264 Path. If sx264 find them there it's okay, otherwise it's create them. As Defaults sx264 uses the pass it's started from. :)
Thinking about it I could change the default to e.g. /tmp on linux systems. :)

Cu Selur

[Emess]

I do save defaults yes, but it doesn't save. /tmp would be a very good idea.

E~

[Selur]

Thanks for the info, will do some testing here and fix that. :)

Cu Selur

[Selur]

rev432
*fixed*
- typo when calculating framecount from framerate and length in mediainfo analyser (needed when mediainfo could not find the framecount)
- .evo handling: using -demuxer 35 now for .evo content
- fixed problem when loading defaults and sx264Defaults Path was changed

*changed*
- setting sx264 to system variable->TEMP on windows and to /tmp on linux systems if not specified by user under Misc2

-> updated downloads in first post

[Selur]

rev434
*fixed*
- problem with default path and saving the defaults; defaults will now be saved in the users HOME

-> updated downloads in first post

[Emess]

rev434
*fixed*
- problem with default path and saving the defaults; defaults will now be saved in the users HOME

-> updated downloads in first post

as in $HOME/.sx264? I haven't grabbed anything past 431 yet (will do in a minute) Good to see the refs thing fixed. I noticed on an encode yesterday that when I try to use neroAacEnc via the GUI, it creates the pipe and then completely locks up. The GUI is fully responsive but it just won't start encoding the audio, I am not sure why.

[EDIT] Checked in r434, still has aac issues, and its not just for nero either. It's good to see the configs and mediainfo dumps going to $HOME, but perhaps create $HOME/.sx264/ for them so they aren't visible to the user whenever they browse their home directory, it's just cleaner that way.

E~

[Selur]

Thought about creating a .sx264 directory, but wasn't sure if this was a 'proper' way. ;) (haven't done much linux coding up-to-now :))
If the encoding doesn't start it sometimes helps to abort the current queue.

Will test the aac thing if you tell me a bit more specific what you did. :)

Cu Selur

[Emess]

I went to the audio tab and selected AAC without nero, and sample rate from input. Bitrate to 128. It then opened mplayer after encoding video so as to dump the audio (which I'd imagine you want mplayer's -dumpaudio flag for so the program doesn't need to open in full display) It finished dumping and then just stuck at 0% on "encoding audio" The other time it happened was with an externally loaded WAV file and the neroAAC button checked. Same problem, however it didn't run mplayer to dump. Now I just mux by hand. Feature request along those lines though, option to use raw .264 files as output besides for mkv/mp4/m2ts.

E~

[Selur]

Will look at it next year. :) (tomorrow)

[Selur]

rev437
*fixed*
- on source clip change adjustBitrate wasn't called when Target Mode != Custom was selected before loading a source clip
- if current bitrate is higher than allowed for level -> select a higher level
- not analysing video on current audio selection change
- (linux only) saving sx264Config in HOME/.sx264 and setting HOME/.sx264 as sx264 default path
- (linux only) added JobId to .fifo name to avoid collisions with other parallel running jobs

-> updated downloads in first post

----
did some test encodes with neroaacenc to mkv without a problem, so if it still doesn't work please enable debug output and post the sx264Debug.txt :)

Cu Selur

[Selur]

rev439
*fixed*
- staying deactivated when non analysable data was found
- activating '-demuxer 35' for vc-1 content
- missing separator for tsmuxer .meta file path

-> updated downloads in first post