Encoding Time

[AdRaccoon]

Hi there,
I´m using Gordian Knot the first time, and also used the tutorial from Doom9 (Encoding xvid with Gordian Knot / Virtualdub)

I´m now in the state when encoding the video in Virtual Dub with DivX, but encoding is sooooo slow. I started today at 8:00am, now it´s 1:04pm and it´s still doing the first pass at 94%. BTW, this is an 43:00 min. TV Episode and my PC is a Pentium 4 2,8.

At this rate I would need 11 hours to make one Xvid out of 43 min.?
Is that normal?

[manono]

Hi-

The time does sound a bit slow. Are you really using Virtual Dub, and not Virtual Dub Mod? Doom9's Guide is nearly a year old, and much has changed with XviD and GKnot since that was written. Which version of GKnot are you using? And there are more settings available in XviD now, than mentioned in Doom9's Guide. For example, if you use VHQ 4, then that slows the process considerably.

So if possible, answer the questions, and provide the log file.

[AdRaccoon]

It´s the newest version of GordianKnot (0.28.5) and the virtualdubmod 1.5.4.1, as well as The Koepi´s Xvid buld from 2003/06/24.
which log file fo you mean?

[cogd115]

I am using a comp with athlon 2200. It takes on average roughly around 2 hours for first pass and 6 to 7 hours for second pass to encode a 2 hour long movie -- including muti-tasking here and there :) . I use no options such as chromo motion, etc., and use only vhq 0 for first pass. For second pass, chromo, global motion compensator, vhq 4, and other options at default.

It seems that adding qpel slows encoding down about 20%. Still, I was able to get it done in 12 hours most of time.

I wonder if AdRaccoon may be multi-tasking heavily while encoding, which would slows things down significantly. Even if so, 11 hours for a 43 munite episode still seems too slow...

Since I am a newbie myself, I can't offer any insight, but from my experience, I can say it is not normal (how wonderfully insightful :D )..

[AdRaccoon]

is it correct to use different options in 2-pass mode?
i was told when I use certain switches in 1-pass (i.e. chroma, vhq), they have to be at the same values in the 2nd pass.

I use VHQ=4, Chroma Motion & Quartepel in both passes...Right or wrong?

[cult]

you can use vhq1 in the 1st pass and vh4 in 2nd pass no other changes

[maf]

My encodes usually take 2-3 hours max for most movies; 2-passes in DivX 5.0.5, no special options, eventual file size of approx. 1338MB (to split over 2 discs).

Athlon XP 1800
512 DDR
40GB HDD

[Tuning]

Have u tried Nic's build(Nic's page) suitable for P4,makes little faster encoding.One more thing, what resolution are u using as higher the resolution slower the encoding process.

I use VHQ=4, Chroma Motion & Quartepel in both passes...Right or wrong?
This is the definite reason for your slow encoding,VHQ4 makes evrything slow.So as cult said try VHQ1 in pass1 and VHQ4 in pass2.This will certainly save time.

VHQ4 option is highly suitable if you are doing a lowbitrate rip.If u have approximately 0.30 bits/pixel then disabling VHQ or at VHQ 1 will give similar results as with enabling it/higher values.But here advantage is faster encoding.

@maf
The compressing algorithm used by DivX and XviD are different.I bet you will get better quality than DivX if all of the important options are enabled and a lowbitrate encoding is done.

-Tuning