XMpeg and ATI mpeg-2 files

[gr0x]

Hey guys,

I'm almost positive someone has brought this up before, but I did a search and came up with nothing so...

...anyway, I've used X for some time, and prefer it as a solution for divx'ifying most mpeg-2 video streams, be they dvd or whatever. I am an avid capper and due to hardware deinterlacing, ATI Multimedia Center produced mpeg-2 files are my best option for high-quality, high-resolution captures with minimal dropped frames. I don't have the CPU crunching power to capture high-res divX at good enough quality (IMHO) and not enough spare diskspace to capture 720x480 huffyuv.

However, only one in ten or so captured mpeg-2 files will actually take to X. I rename the file to .m2v, open it in X, configure my settings, define my output, hit start conversion and one of two things happen:

a) the first frame will get "stuck" and the remaining time goes off to infinitum. The Compression tracker shows a constant rate. The program is obviosly hung on something in the mpeg-2 video stream.

or b) there are no problems and off it goes.

The settings I am using are DivX 4.12, 29.97 fps, One Pass Quality Based, No deinterlace, ppl2. Audio either PCM or 112 or 128KBps mp3.

This problem is not apparent in flask 0.6 or 0.594, but these programs are slow and in my experience generate some severe synch issues.

Can anyone explain to me what is happening here? What issue is X having with my mpeg2 files, and is there anything I can do to avoid it in future captures?

Thanks,
~g

[1_of_9]

Try renaming the file .mpg instead of mv2 That is how I encode all my ATI caps. Both Flask and Xmpeg never reject them...unless there is some error in it. Then I try tmpgenc...which sometimes fixes it. One other note...don't capture over 4gb chunks. I know - it should work on ntfs and fat32 partitions...but it doesn't work for me and other people as well. I do 3990 kb caps About 1 hour and 1-5 minutes of ATI's "Best" setting.

[gr0x]

Unfortunately, I have tried that- it didn't make any difference. :( Must be something in the nature of the files themselves. I use a custom 640x480 sytle, might have something to do with that...

Anyway, I gave up on X and learned to use AVISynth- I now import my mpeg-2 files directly into virtualdub. Candy. I suggest you give that a shot- I have a composite source, so the VD filters or TemporalSmoother in AVISynth really help the quality of my captures.

~g