Slow encodes :(

[Laz]

With divX 5.0.5 I could always encode single CD movies at about 35fps + on my P4 2.4ghz. These days since divx 5.1 and 5.11 It starts encoding at the 'usual' speed but slows down to around 30fps or less after about 30 seconds...

Using pretty much exactly the same settings as before and all..
Anyone able to explain why or help?

[Fox Mulder]

Hi m8.
A quote from:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66672&highlight=divx+AND+slow

5.1.1 should be at least as fast, and probably slightly faster than the 5.0x series - provided that you note under 5.1.1 Standard mode is equivelent to Slowest mode under 5.0x (i.e. under 5.1.1 consider the Slow/Slowest modes completely new).

[Laz]

Yer, I had already read a similar passage and made sure I was encoding on standard and I was..

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Laz
Yer, I had already read a similar passage and made sure I was encoding on standard and I was.. Yes it's true! 5.1.x in 'Standard' mode is slower than 5.0.x in 'slowest' mode.

The only way you can speed up DivX5.1.x is to disable all the trimmings, such as BiDi, PSY etc.

Cheers

[colordog]

:search:

This specific topic has explored and explored and explored. Please use 'search' and add on to existing threads instead of creating duplicate ones. Please recall the forum rules (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm) #1(a) and #8.

A quick search will turn up:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66214
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65965
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65752
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63690
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65334
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67322
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66213
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65234

This is especially true in light of you already posting questions concerning speed-related issues with 5.1.x in this thread: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=60649.

Originally posted by Laz on October 16th 2003
This may haved already been answered, but what quality setting do I use if I want divx 5.0.5 style results..
I used to be able to encode at 35+ fps but now tiwh 5.1 I can only encode at a max of about 15 on the 'standard' setting...


Perhaps jumping from 5.1 to 5.1.1 has allowed you to go from 15 fps to 30 fps? Regardless, I'd consider a P4 2.4GHz that's cranking along at 30 fps with 5.1.1 pretty darn good for this specific codec version. If you're unhappy with encode speeds, then (1) do as SeeMoreDigital says, and do simplier encodes, or (2) uninstall 5.1.1 and go back to 5.0.5. The DivX 5.1.x series is simply slower than the 5.0 series, and repeated postings that reinterate the speed difference won't change that fact. You can also (3) discuss this with DivX networks or in their forums or (4) switch to another codec such as Xvid. Regardless, it should be clear at this time that DivX 5.1.x is not the best choice when speed is your primary concern.

[no_operation]

From my observations (on Athlon 1.4GHz), 5.1.1 is quite fast compared to 5.05, with one exception: QPel is very slow compared to 5.05, and did not improve on the 5.1.0->5.1.1 step. My suggestion: Drop QPel (in my opinion not worth the extra time anyway) and enjoy the speed of 5.1.1. (in standard mode, of course)

[DevilsChild]

In my experience, "Standard" mode in 5.1.1 is considerably worse than 5.0.5 "Slowest" mode in terms of quality. I also agree about Qpel being considerably slower.

[TotalChaos]

I've been flogged for starting a thread EXACTLY like this!! What I also found is that searching didn't seem to help with my exact question either; however, after messing around with things a little the best thing that helped me was to NOT use Qpel. With these settings I can get 40-60 FPS. (still not as high as I used to get with DivX 5.05 though. 70 FPS+) also one thing that also changed things was the resolution. Higher res contain more pixels and I guess enocoding more pixels = more time..lol. With this latest DivX 5.1.1 you can encode higher res with same quality as older DivX 5.05 <---I think!

[colordog]

@ TotalChaos

And flogged you should be! :)

But seriously, there's already at least nine threads that detail this issue of speed with DivX 5.1 series. This tenth makes it out of hand, eh? (And if we're talking about the necessity and speed hit of QPel, well that should require a firing squad then! :D )

The real problem here isn't so much the repeated thread posting, which is just merely annoying for the moderators and other active members who spend so much time helping out. The real problem in doing this is that the "answers" start to be spread out throughout these several threads, and it makes it harder for newbies to locate them.

A new person is more likely to search and read one thread for an answer, than having to sort through 10 threads to find an answer. Additionally, the smart guys like the mods are much more likely to put in effort on the first few threads, but just not repeat their answers again on the eighth or ninth thread. As this forum grows and grows with posts and knowledge, this 'protocol' becomes more and more important to follow. Otherwise, I believe, it's going to be too difficult for a newbie to locate an answer in a barrage of "help me why not" postings.

Plus, it's "doom's" forum, and they make the rules, and it seems to make the mods so happy when we don't call them up on the phone in the middle of the night asking how to mux an audio file....

[TotalChaos]

LOL..... *bows* In the end your right Colordog! Just couldn't resist relating to Laz as this exact thing had just happend to me for making the exact same post.

[colordog]

:D

You know what they say - if you can teach a man to search, then he can fish for a lifetime...er.... or something.

[TotalChaos]

well here comes some more trouble my way....... I hit new thread instead of reply..DOH was gonna say "LOL to colordog"

[Laz]

Sorry about the repeated post. I had completely forgotten about it. :( :( :(

Anyhow, I've jacked up my fsb to 150 and found a great increase in encoding speed. I'm amazed an extra 300mhz of CPU clock and the extra bandwidth of the ram (running 3:4) has made such a difference.

Encoding now @ roughly 43-54 fps using similar settings as before.

[colordog]

@Laz

I think you might be a little confused about FSB. Standard FSB rates for a P4 are 400, 533, and 800MHz. Do you mean that you increased it to 150x4 MHz? (Quad-pumped)

Regardless, it's great that you're getting better speed now. Congrats! :)

[Laz]

Yah thats exactly what I mean.
I read a few hardware forums and everybody talks about FSB in its basic form. ie non quad-pumped for P4's, or double-pumped in the AMD world. So I sorta just used it like that... :)

Anyhow, Ive noticed that when I put Quarter Pixel abd GMC on they about doubled the encode time...Do they make much difference in quality?

[colordog]

QPel and GMC absolutely increase the encode time. Moreso QPel than GMC, I think.

You're asking a hard question, whether QPel and GMC are worth it. You'll need to search the forum, and you'll find tons (and tons) of threads debating it. What _I_ have gathered, myself, in my opinion, in my words, but you should decide for yourself, is this:

QPel - increases encode time, but isn't worth the time, as the quality increase is marginal unless you're encoding a small frame size (>300 pixels in length). Additionally, QPel increases the decoding overhead, and thus may not play correctly on slower processors.

GMC - increases encode time, and may be actually worth using (as far as quality is concerned). However, some claim that it increases filesize (or thus with a static filesize, decreases overall quality). Additionally, GMC is not defined for use in some "DivX hardware compatible devices", which means that DVD players that are slowly gaining the ability to play DivX files can play DivX _not_ encoded using GMC. But, if you never plan to have your encode play on anything but a computer, this may not be a big deal. (I look forward to my friends getting a DivX-compatible DVD player though, as they aren't so good with hooking a laptop up to a TV like I am.)

However! You'll definitely find people that disagree with the above statements. In fact, count on it. This is a real 'button pusher' for some people. But don't take my word for it - check out some previous posts on the issue. Good luck!

[jggimi]

For info on what GMC and QPel actually do, you'll want to see DivX Network's guide: http://www.divx.com/support/guides/DivXGuide51.pdf

[Laz]

Thanks for that :D