New Win7 machine - megui encodes from BD have a flickering picture

[lchiu7]

Just built a new Win7 machine. Loaded ffdshow, Haali Media Splitter and used the Windows 7 DSFilter Tweaker to ensure that FFDShow was decoding H.264.

My avs script is pretty simple - basically just
direcshowsource("video.ts") where the .ts file comes from my BD title I want to encode.

When Megui starts up it displays the video correctly and I can seek across the video with no problems.

Using pretty much any output profile though (I encode to RAWAVC format) the output .h264 file the video flashes (like picture on and off against a grey background) throughout the video stream. The strange thing is this doesn't happen on my other Windows 7 machine and nor does it happen if I use Handbrake instead. The original video is AVC format.

Since the video preview is okay, I can only think it's something to do with x264.exe encoding but according to Megui I have the latest version. I wouldn't have thought ffdshow or Haali versions would make any difference here since the video is being decoded okay.♠

Any ideas what could be going on here?

I can upload a sample if that helps but before I do that I thought maybe one of the experts out there might have an idea immediately.

Thanks

[7ekno]

DirectShowSource() is not frame accurate ...

What you describe is what I was encountering with any DirectShowSource() and Transport Streams ...

Doesn't happen on other Win7 box probably due to different codec set (or even Media Foundation being left on, etc) and doesn't happen with Handbrake because it doesn't open TS files with a call to DirectShowSource() ...

For best results, index the TS file (either with DGAVCIndex prior to AVS scripting or during AVS script initialisation with FFMS2) and feed the index into Avisynth ...

Might also want to consider Ripbot264 and StaxRip as they will do the indexing for you ...

7ek

[lchiu7]

Yes thanks, after a quick test that seemed to fix the problem. It's strange that this problem doesn't occur on another machine with Windows7. I must have some codecs or something loaded on it that this new one doesn't. Anyway indexing only takes about 10 minutes so it's hardly a major chore.

I like the workflow in MeGui and the fact I can use avisynth scripts to modify the video prior to encode which is why I was keen to get it working versus Handbrake which has fewer ways to tweak x264.exe.

[Inspector.Gadget]

MeGUI has a built-in indexing capability for MPEG-2 and H.264 sources that will automatically load the index file into the AVS Script Creator for you and open a video preview window.

[lchiu7]

Just saw that - that seems pretty convenient since I was running dgavcindex separately at first. Thanks

[lchiu7]

MeGUI has a built-in indexing capability for MPEG-2 and H.264 sources that will automatically load the index file into the AVS Script Creator for you and open a video preview window.
The problem occurred again so I tried using DGAVCIndex to index the file. But the video is VC1 so that failed. Is there an equivalent to DGAVCIndex for VC1 files? So I had to resort to Handbrake again.

As an aside this workflow work on my other Win7 machine so I am guessing it's a codec or priority issue. Any ideas where I should be looking. On both machines I have ffdshow as the decoder for VC1 yet on one, there is no flickering, on the other there is. That's strange.

[AMED]

Upgrade MeGUI to the latest dev version and index the file with FFMS.

[lchiu7]

Upgrade MeGUI to the latest dev version and index the file with FFMS.

Well I downloaded FFMS and I am stumped on how to use it just to create an index avisynth can read.

Out of interest I replaced the version of x264 I was using with an earlier Nov 09 build (as an aside that build was about 120KB and the newer one I had was 1.2MB so that's really strange in itself) and it produced a video with far less flickering. There must be some strange codec setup on my machine but on both machines if I take the same .ts file and open it in graphedit the graphs are the same

video -> ffdshow (audio)
-> ffdshow (video)

etc.

[AMED]

Are you using MeGUI version 0.3.4.12?

If not, change you default update server to http://megui.org/auto/

[DigitAl56K]

You need to put a special macrovision box in the cable between your BD drive and the motherboard.

(Oh if only I had seen this thread on April 1st.. ;))

[lchiu7]

Are you using MeGUI version 0.3.4.12?

If not, change you default update server to http://megui.org/auto/

I did that and ran the development build - same issue. Strange thing is, it works fine on another machine so it must be a codec issue or something to do with Windows Media Foundation.

And even more puzzling if the file is encoded H.264 while I still get that flickering it can be eliminated by indexing the file with dgavcindex and using that as input. Of course none such equivalent exists (that I am aware of) for VC1 files.

[quantum5uicid3]

this thread should prob be moved, but you'll prob cut down issues by demuxing the video out of the transport stream into a .mkv with the HD Streams Extractor(eac3to). You should then be able to use directshow(assuming you have properly configured filters) or ffmsindex (assuming it's not interlaced VC1).

[lchiu7]

this thread should prob be moved, but you'll prob cut down issues by demuxing the video out of the transport stream into a .mkv with the HD Streams Extractor(eac3to). You should then be able to use directshow(assuming you have properly configured filters) or ffmsindex (assuming it's not interlaced VC1).

The video is VC1 but not interlaced (I would hope not). The disc says 1080P. I will try that but what is strange on another machine DS on the .m2ts file works just fine in Megui and x264.

[Guest]

Of course none such equivalent exists (that I am aware of) for VC1 files. You're unaware of DGDecNV? :confused:

[lchiu7]

You're unaware of DGDecNV? :confused:

I guess not and anyway, I don't have a Nvidia graphics card in any of my PC alas.

[AMED]

I did that and ran the development build - same issue. Strange thing is, it works fine on another machine so it must be a codec issue or something to do with Windows Media Foundation.so you tried to index the file with the FFMSIndex in MEGUI?

[Guest]

I guess not and anyway, I don't have a Nvidia graphics card in any of my PC alas. You can install a secondary Nvidia card and use it for decoding only, in happy symbiosis with your ATI card. Suitable Nvidia cards are quite inexpensive.

[lchiu7]

You can install a secondary Nvidia card and use it for decoding only, in happy symbiosis with your ATI card. Suitable Nvidia cards are quite inexpensive.

That sounds like an option if I can find a PCI one since I don't think I have two PCIe slots. Does the card needs Win7 drivers from Nvidia or can the regular Microsoft ones do?

[Guest]

You'd need the Nvidia drivers.

[Atak_Snajpera]

@lchiu7
Before you buy anything can you just check if you have the same problem in ripbot264?

[lchiu7]

@lchiu7
Before you buy anything can you just check if you have the same problem in ripbot264?

I can do that but I don't even have the same problem on another machine with Win7 on it and same set of codecs.

And the problem also doesn't occur with Handbrake.