wmenc capture - audio clicking problem

[a1s2d3f4]

I have been capturing "Live" streams (from my DV camcorder for Video and my soundcard for Audio) into Windows Media Encoder for quite some time now. The whole setup works great, except I have an audio problem.

It is hard to predict when it happens but, in response to specific changes in audio signal, the audio would get encoded with this "clipped/clicking" artifact. For example, first there is silence, then I play a note on my music keyboard, and while the sound of this note continues, the audio also goes "click click click" about 2 times per second. Then after a while this clicking goes away and the audio is fine, but then it comes back later during the capture session.

I do associate it with changes in audio levels, as, once the clicking "goes away", if I suddenly introduce a much louder signal level (such as playing notes loudly on my music keyboard), the clicking tends to come back (before once again calming down).

I have also experimented with various Audio compressions settings and the "least clicky" one is Windows Media Audio 9.2 CBR. Quality VBR-WMA 10 Professional, for example, is very clicky (even though the audio is better quality).

Anyone else come across/solve this problem?

My system is Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz 3GB RAM, Win XP 32 bit.

[benwaggoner]

This could either be digital clipping due to big volume changes, or possibly due to the encoder running under really heavy CPU load. That it is codec specific is weird.

I'd recommend using Expression Encoder 4 SP2 (which is free for live WMV encoding) and turning on Volume Leveling.

EEv4 is also a faster, higher quality live encoder than WME, especially if you tweak up the settings.

[a1s2d3f4]

Hi. I tried to install and use EE4 SP2 (Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 Screen Capture SP2) and immediately ran into a problem with capturing from either of my two DV camcorders.

I get
"Unable to create Device Microsoft DV Camera and VCR. It may be in use or not functioning."
message.
Also, similar problem with audio that I chose:
"is removed or disabled".

What is your system that you use it on successfully?

Also, i might be misunderstanding something, but it doesn't look like this tool encodes on the fly the way WM Encoder does for me. I tested with simple screen capture - the only thing that worked - it created some kind of .xesc file and invited me to open the other program in the package - the encoder to encode it to wmv. Is that the only way it works?

[benwaggoner]

Hi. I tried to install and use EE4 SP2 (Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 Screen Capture SP2) and immediately ran into a problem with capturing from either of my two DV camcorders.

I get
"Unable to create Device Microsoft DV Camera and VCR. It may be in use or not functioning."
message.
Also, similar problem with audio that I chose:
"is removed or disabled".

What is your system that you use it on successfully?
I've not tried it with a DV camera. I don't think I even have one anymore. Do they work correctly with WME and other Windows DirectShow capture apps?

Also, i might be misunderstanding something, but it doesn't look like this tool encodes on the fly the way WM Encoder does for me. I tested with simple screen capture - the only thing that worked - it created some kind of .xesc file and invited me to open the other program in the package - the encoder to encode it to wmv. Is that the only way it works?
Screen capture can archive to an .xesc for later processing. But there's a whole live broadcasting mode for going out to Windows Media Services and/or a local .wmv file.

[a1s2d3f4]

I've not tried it with a DV camera. I don't think I even have one anymore. Do they work correctly with WME and other Windows DirectShow capture apps?


Screen capture can archive to an .xesc for later processing. But there's a whole live broadcasting mode for going out to Windows Media Services and/or a local .wmv file.


Yes, my DV camcorders work perfectly with WME and virtualdub and whatever else that uses Windows DirectShow. I also have Enosoft DV Processor that captures direct DV streams from my two camcorders (in the same time, too).

So, I guess, unless someone else replies with the solution to using this under XP SP3 with a DV camcorder, that's a closed door for me.

Thanks for trying.

[benwaggoner]

Yes, my DV camcorders work perfectly with WME and virtualdub and whatever else that uses Windows DirectShow. I also have Enosoft DV Processor that captures direct DV streams from my two camcorders (in the same time, too).
The Screen Capture module isn't what you use for live video capture. You want to use the main Expression Encoder 4 app, and then select "Live Broadcasting Project."

Any DirectShow sources should show up in "Live Sources"

So, I guess, unless someone else replies with the solution to using this under XP SP3 with a DV camcorder, that's a closed door for me.
Windows XP I can't say much about, though :). EEv4 will certainly run better under Windows 7 (preferably 64-bit).

[a1s2d3f4]

I tried the other one and couldn't make heads or tails of it at first. But now I see why. For some reason I either didn't see or somehow didn't get "live broadcasting project" show up in the beginning - now I do see it, and clicking on it. Let me try again...Indeed, I can use my DV camcorder.

So, here is the next issue I need to solve to make this usable.

The reason I use DV camcorders is because I get 59.94 frames a second, due to the "interlaced" nature of the capture. I can preserve it in WME - there is a special setting for that.
In EEv4 I don't see such option, and so even if I choose "Force Off" under Deinterlacing (Pre-Processing), I still don't get the true interlaced fields in each of my frames. Perhaps there is a workaround in the non-free version, I don't know.

[benwaggoner]

The reason I use DV camcorders is because I get 59.94 frames a second, due to the "interlaced" nature of the capture. I can preserve it in WME - there is a special setting for that.
In EEv4 I don't see such option, and so even if I choose "Force Off" under Deinterlacing (Pre-Processing), I still don't get the true interlaced fields in each of my frames. Perhaps there is a workaround in the non-free version, I don't know.
Ah. No, there's not any support for interlaced encoding in Expression Encoder.

[a1s2d3f4]

sucks. But you are right - sound is better encoded.