How to use CCE at maximum bitrate?

[FredThompson]

I've got less than 30 minutes of video which will easily fit on a disc encoded at the max SVCD bitrate. Audio is ac3.

When I try to encode using DVD2SVCD and the bitrates set at 2496 CCE will hang, every time. I've tried setting the max average bitrate at 2300 and this still happens.

The only other thing I've done any differently than successful runs is edit the avs to use LanczosResize(x,y) instead of BicubicResize with b and c of 0.33 (as per the guide here on doom9.)

Oh, I use a 3-pass VBR on large encodes.

Would somebody please tell me how to use Lanczos and do a proper encode with CCE to get the maximum bitrate and clarity? My understanding is CCE should be using a VBR mode as it does better analysis and Lanczos will provide better detail than BicubicResize.

[manono]

Hi-

If you use the Lanczos resizer, you'll either have to have the latest AviSynth installed (2.0.6, I believe-recommended, which has LanczosResize(x,y) built in), or get the .dll and do the LoadPlugin thing also.

Can that be your problem, perhaps?

[markrb]

If you have that little then try using CBR instead of VBR.
Set the Max bitrate to 2530, which is the DVD2SVCD default and still under the SVCD standard by a couple of points.
Doing CBR could very well fix the freeze and it will be a ton faster to boot.
Make sure to uncheck the make VAF file. It's just wasted time with CBR.

I have no idea about LanczosResize(x,y)as I have never even heard of it, but I would guess this is your problem.

BTW CBR cannot be any worse then VBR. Bits is bits. All vbr does is decide what needs them and what doesn't. If your CBR bitrate is just as high as your MAX bitrate for a VBR then it will be about the same.

Mark

[FredThompson]

Lanczos is usually considered a higher-quality resizing method than all the others. It's in AviSynth.

I've seen some posts claiming the VBR scanning would do a better job of motion/complexity detection and recommending it as having better results at max bitrate than CBR. Didn't make much sense to me, either, except the claim is 1-pass VBR and that's an option in DVD2SVCD.

[markrb]

I have seen many claims that VBR is better then CBR and in the end it turned out that the person claiming it didn't know what they were talking about and just spouted rumor or myth. Everything being equal of course.
To say 1 Pass VBR is better then CBR is just plain laughable IMO. I could be wrong and I don't claim to be an expert, but there is just no way.

Now I am always open to new methods and this LanczosResize seems to be one, but it strikes me as funny that none of the "experts" here have made mention of it. This has happened in the past though when a new version of Avisynth came out and nobody mentioned it, but usually when a new method hits the net that is all we hear for awhile and if it's good it gets even more attention.

At this point if it truly is the resize method that is causing your issue you are kind of on your own in this forum. Since it's not bundled with DVD2SVCD. If you wish to continue to try it I would suggest hitting the Avisynth forum and asking about version compatability, etc... DVD2SVCD comes bundled with 1.07D last check.
I cannot say what, if any, problems you will have changing versions. That is also a very do-it-yourself kind of thing here. It is common knowledge that once you change any version of any software you are out of luck in this forum unless told to do so by one of the authors, like DspGuru or DVD2SVCD.
I really do wish we could be of more help, but we just don't have the experience with what you are trying to do.
I would be very interested in hearing your findings though.

Mark

[FredThompson]

Originally posted by markrb
To say 1 Pass VBR is better then CBR is just plain laughable IMO. I could be wrong and I don't claim to be an expert, but there is just no way.
Seemed odd to me, too. The explanation which seemed plausible claimed the motion analysis is more accurate with VBR under the theory bandwidth was more precious so the analysis was more complex. I'm testing a bunch of things to see what truly does work the best.
Now I am always open to new methods and this LanczosResize seems to be one, but it strikes me as funny that none of the "experts" here have made mention of it. This has happened in the past though when a new version of Avisynth came out and nobody mentioned it, but usually when a new method hits the net that is all we hear for awhile and if it's good it gets even more attention.
Do a search on "lanczosresize" in all forums and you should see 22 threads about it. It started in AVIUtil, I think. I just searched the archived news for the past 12 months or so and didn't see it. Odd, I know I saw it in the news somewhere. It's not in Donald Graft's news, either. Maybe it was EverWicked.
At this point if it truly is the resize method that is causing your issue you are kind of on your own in this forum. Since it's not bundled with DVD2SVCD. If you wish to continue to try it I would suggest hitting the Avisynth forum and asking about version compatability, etc... DVD2SVCD comes bundled with 1.07D last check.
Ah, that might be the problem. Perhaps it's "old news" as far as AviSynth is concerned but newer than version 1.07D.

...

I would be very interested in hearing your findings though.

Mark
Seems logical that the avs could be edited to load the lanczos routine then it could be accessed. If I can get it to work, I'll explain how here then you can test it yourself. Most of the comments about it are very positive.

[hitch]

I'm using Avisynth 2.06 (latest) with no problems with DVD2SVD as yet. Have only encoded MPEG2 to SVCD however.

LanczosResize is slower than bicubic (naturally since it does more work) can lead to higher quality with the right settings and tends to sharpen. I've tested both and for my setup and for me it's ~ equivalent to .75 sharp bicubic.

@Fred
Have you tried using BicubicResize with .75 c value to see if you still hang up in CCE? Also what version of CCE are you using?

[FredThompson]

CCE 2.50 because more recent versions don't want to play nice.

How did you integrate the new AviSynth? I copied the .dll but it looks like there might be something else which I missed.

No, I haven't run any encodes on this since the afternoon. Started to but was interrupted. I'll try your suggestion right now. Also found a pesky audio sync problem with PowerDVD so I need to search on that in the forum. From what I've gathered from a discussion in a TiVo forum, hardware players use a hardware clock and are more stable with sync. Still, there's probably something that can be done to fix it.

[markrb]

Make sure you put the dll in the Windows/System32 or System directory(which ever one currently has the old one) and not in the DVD2SVCD/Avisynth directory. Although I would rename or delete that one as well just incase. This little tidbit got me when I was upgrading to 1.07D for an earlier version.

As far as not seeing it. I am a bit on the tunnel visioned side. I do look from time to time in the other forums, but mostly stick here.
Sometimes one of the authors will post about a new version or dll so that DVD2SVCD is sure to know about it and if interested try it out. He is a bit more up to date on the other forums than I am.

Mark

[FredThompson]

Well, that seems to have done the trick. It must have been a problem with the packaged DLL taking precedence over the installed version.

No big deal about not catching everythign else in other forums. I just did some serious searching 'cause I knew I'd seen this stuff and couldn't find the right answer.

--

Uh...different question:

Is there a way to specify where DVD2SVCD will make the break between parts?

That's actually got two questions:

1) How can you look through a VOB set and know the absolute time as DVD2AVI only gives offsets.

2) How can you specify to DVD2SVCD where those points are? It's easy to use [ and ] to mark a section and save a d2v file. Can that be used as the source for DVD2SVCD? If so, how?

[markrb]

As for question 1 hit the advanced forum and grab the beta in the thread marked HELP!!! (Bad joke by DVD2SVCD).

Follow the stickies. There is one marked read here to follow future devolpment or something like that in the advanced forum.

#1 above is listed as one of the features.

I have not tried it so I don't know how it works, but if you have issues or questions around the Beta it's best to ask in that thread since it's not a full release yet.

Mark

[Sofliberty]

How 2 use Lanczos3Resize:

C this:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35674

Exampel of use:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35746

Good luck