XviD VFW vs xvid_encraw (or similar)

[Tuik]

Hello,

I always used for encoding the XviD VFW codec in VirtualDubMod. But now, trying MeGui i noticed that it doesn't use the VFW XviD codec. It seems that it uses xvid_encraw which works in a different way that VFW works. So, now i have this question... What should i use? XviD in VirtualDubMod or xvid_encraw in MeGui?

Thank you so much for the help!

[qyot27]

Doesn't really matter, as they use the same encoding core (or should, at any rate; there's no accounting for out-of-date builds of either). As long as you set the same options in MeGUI that you did in XviD VFW, you should get roughly - if not exactly - the same kind of output.

Doing it through xvid_encraw gives you one benefit, though - XviD VFW relies on hacks in order to shoehorn the streams into AVI (because AVI was never meant to support things like B-frames), whereas xvid_encraw can give you 'native' streams that require no hacks. The only gotcha there is that it cannot work that way with AVI; MKV exports using native, though. It also works if you export the elementary bitstream, and then mux to MP4.

[Tuik]

Doesn't really matter, as they use the same encoding core (or should, at any rate; there's no accounting for out-of-date builds of either). As long as you set the same options in MeGUI that you did in XviD VFW, you should get roughly - if not exactly - the same kind of output.

Doing it through xvid_encraw gives you one benefit, though - XviD VFW relies on hacks in order to shoehorn the streams into AVI (because AVI was never meant to support things like B-frames), whereas xvid_encraw can give you 'native' streams that require no hacks. The only gotcha there is that it cannot work that way with AVI; MKV exports using native, though. It also works if you export the elementary bitstream, and then mux to MP4.

Thanks for the explanation... So, if both produce similar results i should use the faster one, right? Then which one is faster?

And another question (sorry), assuming that encraw is faster what is the best (in this case, the fastest) way to use it? Trough Megui? Or there's another app that can do it faster?

I'm running Windows 7 x64 with T6500 4GB if that helps...

Thanks a lot!

[mariush]

Speed depends only on the parameters you use to compress the content. As xvid_encraw uses it's own settings and the vfw uses it's own settings, you may notice speed differences because they have different default settings.

If you need more speed, you can sacrifice quality for this by going in the configuration panel of the vfw codec and reducing the quality settings from something like "Ultra" to "Medium" for example.

[Tuik]

Speed depends only on the parameters you use to compress the content. As xvid_encraw uses it's own settings and the vfw uses it's own settings, you may notice speed differences because they have different default settings.

If you need more speed, you can sacrifice quality for this by going in the configuration panel of the vfw codec and reducing the quality settings from something like "Ultra" to "Medium" for example.


So you are saying that if i use the same encoding options in both vfw and encraw the speed will be the same?

I prioritize quality but i would like to have the best speed possible with the most quality available. I'm converting HD content to SD xvid at 2250kbps bitrate.

[Midzuki]

Doing it through xvid_encraw gives you one benefit, though - XviD VFW relies on hacks in order to shoehorn the streams into AVI (because AVI was never meant to support things like B-frames),

Actually, it's the VfW API (and not the AVI container itself) that wasn't designed to support proper B-frame decoding.

whereas xvid_encraw can give you 'native' streams that require no hacks. The only gotcha there is that it cannot work that way with AVI; MKV exports using native, though. It also works if you export the elementary bitstream, and then mux to MP4.

Don't ever let squid_80 read that! :D

[qyot27]

Actually, it's the VfW API (and not the AVI container itself) that wasn't designed to support proper B-frame decoding.
Yeah, I know. But [usually] the main use of the VFW API is to work with AVI files (or AviSynth scripts, of course). Matroska has a VFW mode (which one can use through VDubMod), but as I said, encraw defaults to Native MPEG-4 in MKV.

Don't ever let squid_80 read that! :D
Why? How is native output hacked - or did you mean the AVI output comment? As far as I knew, any use of B-frames in an ASP-encoded AVI requires hacks, no matter which way (packed bitstream or delay-based) it happens. I'd tried the MKV export before posting that, so I know it defaults to native (V_MPEG4/ISO/ASP instead of V_MS/VFW/FOURCC <identifer>). I just now tested raw output then muxing to MP4, and it worked too - although I had to mux twice*, once on the .cmp file and again using the .mp4 just created. MP4Box apparently doesn't do something correctly the first time, but will make the file playable if you run it through again.

*to get it to work in WMP 6.4; in MPC the first .mp4 file worked fine.

Or was it that I put quotes around 'native' the first time I used it? I did that because it was the first time I used the term, not for some 'supposedly' context.