Vertical Line problems

[kakomu]

I recently encoded some Simpsons DVDs. Here is what I used:

Xvid 1.0.3

Encoded the movie at 512x384

Two pass @ 650kbps using h.263. I also replaced all of the quantizations that were 1 at default to 2.

I encoded with 2 audio files, both Ogg and using chapters that DVD Decryptor provided. Encoded into an OGM file. Not sure what other info you'd need.

Anyways, here's the deal:

Seemingly at random, these movies will have a weird problem on the right border, where there will be a line of black pixels, and the black pixel line will flash what would be there otherwise, if there were no line of black pixels. That is to say, there's flashing vertical lines on the right side of the video.

Now, here's the worse part, like I said, it's seemingly at random. So, some episodes DO have it, some don't. I re-encoded one of the episodes again. Not only did it not have the same problem, but the file size was different, but 100 or so kilobytes! I didn't just restart my queue, but re-did everything, but considering I didn't cut anything, and I left most options the same, it shouldn't have mattered much at all.

I'm just curious if someone has a clue what the problem is, or if I missed an anti-shit option (like in Nandub)?

[Harley Quin]

Pick one episode where this line (or border) occurs. Is it within this episode always at the same moment, like at 14minutes and 27seconds? Does it occur with a scene change and disapear with another?

If yes, then try cropping some more. I have several DVDs where the picture is not always the same size and the same position throughout the whole movie. Some frames happen to be smaller in width than others, sometimes scenes are shifted to the left or the right compared to the majority of the movie. Try cropping manually in GordianKnot or VirtualDub(Mod) and look whether the cropping you applied matches the frame at 14:27.

If not, then my guess is it's a problem of decoding and I haven't got a clue where it might come from. Post software (decoder, player) you used for viewing.

Greetings

[kakomu]

No, it's seemingly at random. Meaning I encode the episode one time, and the flashing lines will appear. Then I re-encode the episode, and if I'm lucky, they disapear. It's also not the decoder. I threw the movie into VirtualDub, and the white crap is still there. Before trying VirtualDub, it appeared in both the Xvid and FFDShow decoders.

[Teegedeck]

If yes, then try cropping some more. I have several DVDs where the picture is not always the same size and the same position throughout the whole movie. Some frames happen to be smaller in width than others, sometimes scenes are shifted to the left or the right compared to the majority of the movie. Try cropping manually in GordianKnot or VirtualDub(Mod) and look whether the cropping you applied matches the frame at 14:27.
This indeed happens often and seems the probable solution to me.

kakomu, are you sure that cropping does not help; i.e. have you tried?

[Koti]

there's flashing vertical lines on the right side of the video.

Have had this before - Use crop values divisible by 4

[kakomu]

Let me rephrase this.

A) resolution is 512x384 and is denoted through avisynth. This is divisible by 2, 4, 8 and 16. No problem here. I'm not exactly sure where you want me to crop, because I'm not going to recrop the already encoded video. The white line does not appear in virtual dub pre-encoding.

B) I've encoded the video. Then, encoded another video from the same source and I've achieved different results, with the same input and factors.

C) The problem lies in the fact that I will enqueue a process into VirtualDubmod. Encode the video. I may find a problem in the video. I go back into the job list, double click on the jobs in question to change them from the status "done" to "waiting" and re-encode them. After re-encoding it once or twice, the lines do not appear in the video.

That is why they are seemingly at random. The problem is not in the process, not in the audio, decoder, container, etc. It is in the codec, and I can't figure out what is causing it. There are varied results when my computer is free of any sort of major load (over night encoding) or chugging along, working on something (maybe a download, or a video game of some sort). I can't find a pattern and yet, the line will appear randomly. Let me repeat that it is SEEMINGLY AT RANDOM.

I've encoded the same video in DIvX 5.2.1, and no lines appear. I've encoded all the videos as many times as necessary to ensure that no white lines have appeared on the right side, but I don't like having to do so.

Teegedeck: The problem is not in the source material. Believe me, I've checked. ALso, considering the different results I've encountered using the EXACT SAME job multiple times in a row, I'm going to have to say that it's the codec.

Koti: Resolution is 512x384. AviSynth cropping is in multiples of 2 as per required when using gordion knot to make my avisynth projects.

I'm sorry if I seem mean, or like a broken record, but this is really startng to frustrate me. The only reason I continue using Xvid is because the results are better than DivX at such low bitrates. However, I do not appreciated having to re-encode over and over again.

[Koepi]

kakomu, I don't want to be mean either, but since you seem to be experiencing this issue as only person on the globe it seems it's not xvid's fault. (Just because you're sure it's xvid it isn't necessarily the truth. Just consider it's the decoder which randomly spits out such a result. Then you might be lucky testing one file with divx, and the next test you switch over you somehow trigger the error again.)

It may be your memory for example, did you overclock your system? Maybe we have some issues concerning thread safety in XviD 1.0.3 which we didn't catch, what processor do you use? Do you use only one instance or several instances to encode?

It seems mandatory to me that you list the programs, filters and version numbers so we can look at your encoding chain:
- which DGIndex? Which DGDecode.dll?
- which avisynth version? What filters do you use? post the script.
- Which xvid options do you use different from defaults? Profiles, zones,...
- Your virtualdub(mod) version. Some versions are known to be extremely buggy.
(and don't forget to report your CPU and memory configuration. The OS might be of help as well.)

Cheers
Koepi

[kakomu]

Before I start, here's a copy of the tainted video. Just a clip, but it gets the job done. Bottom right hand corner.

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/methomps/www/crap.avi

When I re-encode it, sometimes it goes away. GIve me a little more time to type out the process and write down the script (I have no VOBs on my HD, now, so I have to get one started). If the link doesn't work, try removing the s from https.

I also want to re-iterate that the problem isn't in the decoder, since the white lines readily appear in virtualdubmod, Xvid's decoder and FFDshow.

[kakomu]

Now, for the specs:

Comp system:
AMD 64 3000+ (Newcastle, socket 754)
1 gig Kingston PC3200 (DDR400) ram. No dual ram settings or overclocking
Asus K8n Board. Nforce 3 250 chipset
Encoding from and to an SATA HD.
No Overclocking. No problems, yet encountered from the board, memory, proc, etc
WinXP Pro service pack 1, mostly up to date on updates.

DVD Decryptor version 3.5.2.0
DGindex version 1.2.1
OggdropXPD version 1.7.11 vorbis post release 1.0.1 CVS
Gordion knot version 0.35.0
Avisynth 2.5
VDubmod version 1.5.10.1

I encode two ogg audio files into an OGM.

in Xvid, I set the target bitrate to 650 kbps, no zone options, set all quantizers that were set to 1 by default to 2, I use GMC, Quarter Pixel, and BVOPs. Max consecutive BVOPs to 2. I use H.263. Max I-Frame interval is set to 60. Motion search precision is set to 6. Turbo is clicked as well as cartoon mode. No filters used in Virtualdub.

For DGDecode.dll,I can't find a version number, however it was created on 2/22/05.

If there is ANYTHING else you need me to list, please let me know. I'd like to solve this as much as you.

Here's the avisynth script I use:

# PLUGINS
LoadPlugin("C:\PROGRA~1\GORDIA~1\DGMPGDec\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\decomb.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\KernelDeInt.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\UnDot.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\dgbob.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\Convolution3d.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\FluxSmooth.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\TomsMoComp.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\VSFilter.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\GordianKnot\AviSynthPlugins\SimpleResize.dll")

# SOURCE
mpeg2source("D:\DVD\season 5\501\501.d2v")

# TRIM
#trim(startframe,endframe)

# IVTC
Telecide(order=1,guide=1).Decimate()
# or use
#IVTC(44,11,95)
#GreedyHMA(1,0,4,0,0,0,0,0)

# CROPPING
crop(10,0,702,480)

# SUBTITLES
#VobSub("FileName")

# RESIZING
LanczosResize(512,384)

# DENOISING: choose one combination (or none)
Undot()

[Koti]

AviSynth cropping is in multiples of 2 as per required

As I said have had this happen before , cropping by /4 fixed the issue for me. If you insert filters before resize in avs , it is possible some filters dont like to play in a /2 size.
(oh and the error never did show in preview either for me , just in a final encode)

Encode the video. I may find a problem in the video. I go back into the job list, double click on the jobs in question to change them from the status "done" to "waiting" and re-encode them.

When you re-encode because you found a problem do you change your avs at all? , if so this could explain alot.

It would be great if you posted a script that errored and one of the same source that didn't so we can see what has changed.

Just trying to help :)

[kakomu]

never changed the avs script. The script I posted is exactly the same as the ones that errored.

[Harley Quin]

All frames show two lines of very dark pixels on the right side. They are not black, but this could be due to resizing and compression. But even if they are not pitch black in the source, I would crop them.
I'd say that the white lines are due to the hard change in luminance at the border and the quite low overall bitrate. I never had such a line but I once had little white dotways when I did not crop properly.
Simply crop 2 more pixels on the right side and I seriously doubt your flashing will occur again.
Concerning cropping /4, I pretty much use the same GK-generated script and filters (I use telecide seldomly, though...) and I never had a problem with cropping /2. My experience is, that the filters simply tell you, when they want the source in a certain size, halting the execution.
Greetings

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6393/crap2a3cc.jpg

[Sharktooth]

kamoku, its obvious you crop the source at 702 pixels (thats not divisible by 4).
edit your avisynth script and replace 702 with 704.
however its not a xvid problem...

[kakomu]

the problem and the black line aren't in the source, but they are there post process. Also, considering that I can re-encode without changing the AVS or worrying about crop values of multiples of 4, and come up with an end product without those lines, I'd be willing to bet it is NOT avisynth.

Lastly, they don't appear in DivX, making me think that it's an Xvid problem.

[Koepi]

kakomu,

do as the people propose, crop by mod4 resolution.

If the error still occurs for you, we might dig deeper into the issue.

(Filters that do IVTC and others did have random effects like that for me, too. You may try to add a ConvertToYUY2() after opening your mpeg source, that should have less problems with mod2 res.)

Thank you for not just posting your guesses again but _trying_ what we suggest you. *hint* :)

[kakomu]

I'll make a few test encodes on sunday and post the results. Currently, I am away from my computer (at my mom's house) so, I can't do any work.