Is there a better way to encode?

[Roveer]

Just wanted to check and see if things have changed in the year that I've been encoding. Here's how I do it today: (this assumes that using IfoEdit the stripped stream is larger than 4.3, otherwise, I just burn it stripped)

When I need to encode I use the following software and technique:

1. Rip the whole DVD with smartripper
2. DVD2AVI it to prepare for frameserving and AC3 audio
3. VFAPIConv to get my AVI
4. CCE 2.5, 3 pass no audio, change the video settings, change
the GOP structure, change quality to 5, then encode.
5. Pulldown setting every frame to progressive
6. Chapter extractor to get myself a .chp file
7. DVDMaestro to re-assemble and create a working movie

Keep in mind, I'm only interested in the movie. I'm not trying to preserve the menu's and extras. I did however rip and keep the motion menu's for my Soprano's DVD's. That was a fun exercise.
Vobedit was invaluable there. Like I said, was able to keep the motion menu's with the video inserts and original audio. Way cool.

Just wondering if anything has changed dramatically since I baked this process up a year ago.

Thanks for the input.

Roveer

[Matthew]

A few suggestions, bear in mind I'm an average user though so take what I say with a grain of salt =)

Use avisynth if possible - it's faster. I find using it with 2.66 is even faster.

Add the chapter list to the CCE ECL file. No ECL support in 2.66 trial (even when 'fixed') so chapters have to be added manually in CCE (although I use a macro =)). However the only cost of not doing this is that your chapters are up to a few frames off, as chapters can only be placed on i-frames.

Always uncheck upper field first in CCE, the output will be top field first anyway. Use pulldown to change field order afterwards if need be.

Use a higher image quality priority, somewhere in 15-25 seems to be the consensus.

With audio delays do what I say here =)

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20433

[crow]

No I guess not!

5. Pull down setting every frame to progressive
This has got me baffled? progressive as input source? or that?

I get a kick out of reading posts about people trying to force
picture type in TMPGEnc...! though. which totally ruin the GOP structure.............!

[Roveer]

Thanks for the replies. (Keep em coming)

Matthew I'll take your suggestions into consideration. The chapter thing isn't that important to me, off by a few frames is no biggie. Honestly, I've done a few movies where I just plug one in every 10 minutes. It's just a point to move through the movie if you want to quickly get to a particular section.

crow: If I didn't do this pulldown, then the resulting movie would play way to fast and if I remember correctly be out of sync with the audio. So for me, the pulldown step was necessary. Also, who's talking about TMPGenc?

Keep those posts coming.

Roveer

[wfn1]

I find that i get best results if i do it this way:

1. frameserve with DVD2AVI

2. wrap the project with AviSynth 2.06 because it's faster then VFApi (works in native YUV color space unlike VFApi's RGB) and I can also use filters like decomb if I need to take care of a bad telecine and/or interlaced video.

3. import the .avs into CCE 2.5 SP and do all the video settings (progressive, zigzag, non linear) gop 3/4, quality setting 5 no smoother/denoiser.

4. 2-step encode, 1st CBR at 6000kbps to build the .vaf file and then
multipass VBR 0-9000 with 1 pass and avg. bitrate calculated in DVTool (I also subtract 40-50kbps from avg. b/r for subs if i need to do them)

5. pulldown with -prog_frames true

6. author in scenarist

also, I do not check DVD compliant in CCE because you can overshoot the max bitrate that way.

[FamousPerson]

Use a higher image quality priority, somewhere in 15-25 seems to be the consensus.

Matthew:

Are you saying that setting CCE "Quality" to a higher number improves image quality?

I was always under the impression that the lower the number, the better the quality. Is that not true?

[wfn1]

FP is right, the lower the number the better the quality. 0 would yield (subjectively) the best possible quality but the _real_ general consensus is that 5 provides the best balance between quality and speed.

[FamousPerson]

I've just been researching this further and found this in another thread:

In the FAQ on CCE 2.5 it says

"The Image Quality Priority indicates how many bits will be allocated to complex parts of the picture. It's a value between 0 and 100 and the smaller the value the more bits will be allocated to complex parts. If you think scenes with a low amount of action look bad you should increase this value."

(thanks, MONTGOM)

Finally, I fully understand what the setting does! I suppose one could argue that if you're trying to encode down do a very small size, you may want to use something higher than 5.

I'm currently trying to put the entire "Malcolm in the Middle, Season 1" onto one DVD-R. The source is 18 22min epsodes (almost 7 hours), on three full DVD-9s. I'm using an avg bitrate around 1200, and the end result looks OK during motion shots, but stills are horrible. I'm going to try re-encoding with a Quality Priority of 25.