x264vfw problem

[T3mporaryGold]

when i virtual dub with this codec i get this error : x264vfw [warning]: MB rate (1280000) > level limit (983040)

and i cant open the file in vegas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_GZ5SAgckM&feature=youtu.be

[LoRd_MuldeR]

It's because the resolution/framerate of your video exceeds the limits of the selected H.264 Level (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels).

x264 can't do anything about that. Use VirtualDub's "resize" filter to resize to lower resolution prior to the encoding. Or down-sample to a lower frame rate.

(...or encode at a higher level, if possible)

[T3mporaryGold]

I put the level to 5.1 and still no fix.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

What is the exact resolution and framerate of the video you try to encode?

[T3mporaryGold]

1080x1024 and 500fps

edit: i used an older version of this and i never had any problems, did something change with the new x264?

[LoRd_MuldeR]

1080x1024 and 500fps

edit: i used an older version of this and i never had any problems, did something change with the new x264?

Level limits are defined by the H.264/AVC standard, not by x264.

If you did not get a warning before, but you get a warning with the same input video and same target level now, then this only means that x264 didn't raise a warning for level violations before and now it does ;)

It doesn't mean the problem didn't exist before. Probably the problem did exist before, but you just didn't notice! And indeed, I think 1080x1024 @ 500 fps is too much, even for Level 5.1.

(Note: The limit for macroblocks/second in Level 5.1 is 983040. With 1080x1024 we need 68x64=4352 blocks per frame. At 500 fps, this makes 2176000 blocks/second. More than 2x what the Level 5.1 allows!)

[T3mporaryGold]

but thats what ive always used, and people who do the same thing as me (cod4 frag movies) use the same exact settings and im pretty sure the same codec, also , this whould not be a problem but i can not open the avi file in vegas.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

but thats what ive always used, and people who do the same thing as me (cod4 frag movies) use the same exact settings and im pretty sure the same codec, also , this whould not be a problem but i can not open the avi file in vegas.

Once again: H.264 Levels are defined be the H.264 Standard and they have always been that way.

And, as a matter of fact, encoding 1080x1024 @ 500 fps isn't supported at Level 5.1. Please check the Wiki article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels) for some detailed numbers :sly:

Of course you can encode 1080x1024 @ 500 fps with H.264/AVC just fine, but it won't be within the restrictions of Level 5.1!

So if you ask x264 to encode at Level 5.1, but then you feed it with a source video that clearly exceeds the limits of Level 5.1, then you'll get a warning.

That's because the output can't possibly comply to level 5.1 - for obvious reasons.

Whether you actually need your encode to be Level 5.1, that is a completely different question. But if "Vegas" only supports Level 5.1, then you are pout of luck!

(Note: You can still encode at a lower resolution or at a lower frame rate in order to make your video comply to Level 5.1 - 500 fps sounds a bit excessive)

[T3mporaryGold]

well, what do i do? what fps can i use, becuase i cant go any lower with the res.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

well, what do i do? what fps can i use, becuase i cant go any lower with the res.

That maximum supported FPS at Level 5.1 for 1080x1024 video is 225, I think.

983040 / [ceil(1080/16) x ceil(1024/16)] = 983040 / (68x64) = 983040 / 4352 = 225.88235 = ~225

[T3mporaryGold]

thanks for the help! but can you tell me what the normal/most-used codec for virtual dub, and if you know, whats the most used one for cod4 moviemakers like me? because i need 500 fps so im going to drop h264 the reason i was using it was becuase i use MeGUI and it uses the same x264 codec (idk if its the same but the UI is similar so i think its made by the same person)

[LoRd_MuldeR]

To make this clear again: H.264/AVC (and thus x264) can do 1080x1024 @ 500 fps perfectly fine. Just not at Level 5.1! ;)

If the target application, e.g. Vergas, only supports H.264 up to Level 5.1, then there is nothing you can do...

(And, as the Level limitations are imposed by the H.264 Standard and not by a specific implementation thereof, using another H.264 "Codec" doesn't change anything)

[kemuri-_9]

try turning off bframes (via --bframes 0 in the commandline options portion of the configuration window).

[T3mporaryGold]

To make this clear again: H.264/AVC (and thus x264) can do 1080x1024 @ 500 fps perfectly fine. Just not at Level 5.1! ;)

If the target application, e.g. Vergas, only supports H.264 up to Level 5.1, then there is nothing you can do...

(And, as the Level limitations are imposed by the H.264 Standard and not by a specific implementation thereof, using another H.264 "Codec" doesn't change anything)

So tell me , how do i virtualdub this at 500 fps. if it is possible.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

So tell me , how do i virtualdub this at 500 fps. if it is possible.

What exactly do you mean?

If you want to encode a video to H.264 that can't possibly comply to Level 5.1, simply don't request Level 5.1 to avoid the warning message. It's as simple as that ;)

And even if you do get the warning message from x264, it is "only" a warning. The encode will come out fine, it just won't actually comply to Level 5.1 ...

(BTW: Did you follow kemuri-_9's advice and disable B-Frames? I guess this was a suggestion to workaround a bug in Vegas)

[T3mporaryGold]

What exactly do you mean?

If you want to encode a video to H.264 that can't possibly comply to Level 5.1, simply don't request Level 5.1 to avoid the warning message. It's as simple as that ;)

And even if you do get the warning message from x264, it is "only" a warning. The encode will come out fine, it just won't actually comply to Level 5.1 ...

(BTW: Did you follow kemuri-_9's advice and disable B-Frames? I guess this was a suggestion to workaround a bug in Vegas)

what exactly do i add in the command line
i put "-bframes 0" and it says error code 100 and then i put "--bframes 0" and nothing changes

edit: i use 2 versions of vegas (vegas 11 64bit and vegas 10 64bit) neither open it

[LoRd_MuldeR]

You don't have to add anything.

Instead you would add "--level <desire level>" to enforce a specific level. Simply don't use the "--level" switch at all, if you don't want to enforce a specific level.

(If your question was how to disable B-Frames, kemuri-_9 already gave the answer)

[Asmodian]

try turning off bframes (via --bframes 0 in the commandline options portion of the configuration window).

in bold

[T3mporaryGold]

in bold

still no luck (i put in "--bframes 0") in the command line, idk if the dashs where in bold
edit: it dosent work

[kemuri-_9]

the suggestion was to prevent b frames to being used in the stream which do not naturally belong in any .avi/vfw stream.

i'm not familiar enough with vegas to know why it's not working correctly, but having b-frames in a .avi stream is only going to hurt compatibility.

It sounds like we'll need another vegas user to help with figuring out the issue here...

have you at least confirmed that you can play the generated avi correctly in a player?

most here do not use the vfw interface of x264 due to the fact that you're not supposed to place AVC video into AVI streams

If vegas supports other types of input (e.g. mp4), i would suggest trying those instead of avi