Is Packed Bitstream an useless setting nowadays?

[Alxemi]

I have just read that Divx 5.1 decoder handles more than 1 bframe only if Packed bitstream is disabled.
If Packed Bitstream is not needed with divx decoder, neither with XviD or ffdshow, what is the porpuse of this setting nowadays?
Maybe in hardware players, but mediatek chips only decode well more than 1 bframe with it disabled too, so i think that this setting harm more than helps nowadays.
Maybe turn it off by default could be a good idea, what do you think?
Or are there other uses to Packed Bitstream that I don´t know?

Take care people.
Alxemi

[Sharktooth]

Well i've never agreed having PB set by default.
However IMHO it's not useless and the possibility to have it set or not should be kept.

[GoldBuggie]

Only reason I use packed bitstream is because with it enabled I don't get the bframe lag message which totally annoyed me when joining 2 clips and the message appeared at the join section.

[Alxemi]

I agree with you, Sharktooth. Is good to keep the posibility to use it, but maybe not by default.
What do you think XviD developers/compilers?

[bond]

i would vote for not having packed bitstream as default and displaying the first frame twice instead of the decoder lag message

this would solve all problems :D

[Sharktooth]

A better solution would be a "DivX stream compatibility" checkbox that will force PB, 1 B-Frame and DivX profiles.

[Alxemi]

A better solution would be a "DivX stream compatibility" checkbox that will force PB, 1 B-Frame and DivX profiles.
Hum. i don´t think that´s a good idea. DivX will have more than 1bframe in the near future, and taking a look to the actual DviX decoder i´ll bet that they will not use PB.
And now, XviD stream is compatible with DivX 5.1 software decoder and new generation DivX hardware decoders (MTK) without PB, so it could be confusing i think.

[Sharktooth]

Well, the actual version of divx (5.1.1) is using PB, 1 bframe and profiles.
I think i read next major versions of divx wont be stuck with avi container (maybe MP4 as default?) so PB and 1 bframe wont be a problem anymore.
However the checkbox could be called "DivX Stream compatibility for AVI" or something like that.

[bond]

xvids strenght always was to give the users the possibility to choose themselves what options they want to use, so the packed bitstream option surely should stay in

but once the vbv works correctly and we will see the divx profiles listed next to the mpeg-4 ones, it would surely make sense that, if someone chooses the divx profile that also the other features are set to imitate divx' behaviour (forced packed bitstream, only 1b, no qpel, no gmc aso...)

[gatormac]

Originally posted by bond
but once the vbv works correctly and we will see the divx profiles listed next to the mpeg-4 ones, it would surely make sense that, if someone chooses the divx profile that also the other features are set to imitate divx' behaviour (forced packed bitstream, only 1b, no qpel, no gmc aso...)

I hope they don't take that approach....just because somebody wants to be VBV compliant doesn't mean that they wish to lose all of the options that XVID offers. With that approach we might as well be encoding with Divx and DrDivx. XVID users just want VBV compliance regarding bitrate and bit allocation....not to emulate Divx as a whole.

EDIT: I haven't seen the profiles they intend to use yet, so maybe there is a profile that would satisfy my statement above....if so, disregard the post.

[Jawor]

Originally posted by bond
xvids strenght always was to give the users the possibility to choose themselves what options they want to use, so the packed bitstream option surely should stay in
I agree that the PB option should be available, but I think it should be OFF by default - PB really causes more problems than it solves.

Originally posted by bond
but once the vbv works correctly and we will see the divx profiles listed next to the mpeg-4 ones, it would surely make sense that, if someone chooses the divx profile that also the other features are set to imitate divx' behaviour (forced packed bitstream, only 1b, no qpel, no gmc aso...)
Test my build (http://jawormat.webpark.pl) to see if VBV works correctly :D

[Alxemi]

I agree that the PB option should be available, but I think it should be OFF by default - PB really causes more problems than it solves.
Seems that´s the majority opinion about PB (at least what i heard the most) but developers/compilers keep it on by default.. maybe we could post a pool about it to see the real majotiy opinion but i din´t know if it deserves, what do you think??

[Sharktooth]

I think developers want to keep PB ON by default cause AVI is still the most used container.

[Koepi]

PB stays on because you all forget how people whined around about that "bframe decoder lag" - which they thought xvid is broken off.

So please, stop this useless thread. We won't change our mind there. People who have the knowledge what they are doing can switch it off any time.

Do you have too much spare time? ;)

Regards
Koepi

P.S.: Thread closed.