AVCHD / MPEG2 (SD_VIDEO) support in Panasonic SDHC BD players & Viera TV (multiAVCHD)

[deank]

Please discuss all SD/SDHC-card playback issues with your Panasonic TVs and BD players when using multiAVCHD with [x] Panasonic SDHC output option enabled in Author tab.

Use Panasonic SD/SDHC format utility (sdfv2003.exe).

***

For all tests please use latest FULL download of multiAVCHD (version 2.6 build 563+) as of 03-May-2009.

In your reports, please note:

* Video resolution (1280x720, 1440x1080, 1920x1080)
* Video frame-rate (23.976, 24, 25, 29.970, 30, 50, 60)
* Video scan-mode (progressive / interlaced)
* Audio codec (AC3, LPCM...) and channels
* Subtitle presence
* Panasonic BD player model
* Panasonic SDHC TV model
* Region (US/EU - NTSC/PAL)

Example:

Panasonic BD35 (US/NTSC): 1920x1080p 23.976fps, AC3 6ch, no subtitles


Also be advised of the supported combinations according to the current AVCHD standard:



Dean

****

Okay - nice... This seems to be a workaround for SPLIT files.

If for any reason you get your Direct Navigator report "Cannot play" you can try RETURN and PLAY again. Since build 549 it should work fine.

Example:

1) You have 8GB card.
2) Load 4.5GB MKV.
3) Set split at 4000MiB in multiAVCHD.
4) Ignore the warning.
5) Create [AVCHD for Panasonic SDHC]
6) Click the remote: PLAY (ignore the error) - RETURN - PLAY.

[davsim]

My tests (re-posted from the multiAVCHD thread).

All of these play in my Panasonic BD60 US v1.5. Please test and report your results. These test clips were encoded with MeGUI and authored with deank's multiAVCHD Version 2.6 Build 540.

SD_TEST_DS001

Source: MPEG2/AC3 NTSC broadcast 1080i 1920x1080 29.97fps, re-encoded with MeGUI x264 MKV keeping original AC3.


SD_TEST_DS002

Source: MPEG2/AC3 NTSC broadcast 720P 1280x720 59.94fps, re-encoded with MeGUI x264 MKV keeping original AC3 with settings from my screenshots below.


SD_TEST_DS003

Source: deank's "SAMPLE#12 - 1280x720 - 1.5MB" 24P re-encoded with my settings Main@L4 rather than High@L4.1.



Here are the settings I used:




MediaInfo of SD_TEST_DS002 MKV:

General
Complete name : muxed.mkv
Format : Matroska
File size : 19.2 MiB
Duration : 11s 168ms
Overall bit rate : 14.4 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2009-04-25 16:27:52
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.7.0 ('Do It Again') built on Apr 15 2009 00:27:10
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@4.0
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 11s 150ms
Bit rate : 13.7 Mbps
Nominal bit rate : 14.0 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.247
Stream size : 18.2 MiB (95%)
Writing library : x264 core 67 r1139M 1024283
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=2 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=hex / subme=6 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / rc=2pass / bitrate=14000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Language : English

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 11s 168ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 448 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Surround: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Stream size : 611 KiB (3%)

[jfcarbel]

per davisim:
Okay, this is my third test. It plays in my BD60. Please test and report back.

SD_TEST_DS003
Source: deank's SAMPLE#12 - 1280x720 - 1.5MB

I re-encoded deank's original SAMPLE#12 with the settings I've been using (already posted).

Notes:

MeGUI input DAR said 1.778, I selected NTSC ITU 16:9.
AVS wrong colorspace error in MeGUI, so I said ok to correct it ConvertToYV12()
I selected High Profile L4.0 in MeGUI, although MediaInfo says Main@L4 for my file. deank's original says HIGH@L4.1.

This one works now in my BD30 as well and it was not before, so maybe this sheds some light on the issue.

[jason_peters010]

Tried my first test and got an error. tried an 8+gig .m2ts file that plays fine on my computer. I've attached the error and log images. I then tried an 11meg file and it worked fine. Is there a size limit at this point, or am I getting this error for another reason? Thanks!

[jfcarbel]

SeeMoreDigital, your encoded 1280x720@25fps sample:
Did not work on my BD30 player

[deank]

At this point, multiaAVCHD supports only ONE m2ts+clpi+mpls pair. No splitting and no m2ts files bigger than 4GB (FAT restriction on SD card).

[jason_peters010]

Txmuxer give me this error on the same file, "SPS picture order 2 not supported." What does this mean?

[jfcarbel]

davisim, how about posting the mediainfo for the rencoded sample 12 from Deans source, since it is working fine now on my BD30 and was not before. Maybe we can see the differences and start eliminating them one by one to find the culprit.

In the meantime, I am going to try your MeGUI suggestion and reencode my MKVs to see what happens.

[jason_peters010]

Gotcha. At some point will multiavchd split my 8+gig .msts file into 4 gig chunks with Panasonic SDHC output?

[deank]

Originally Posted by jason_peters010

Gotcha. At some point will multiavchd split my 8+gig .msts file into 4 gig chunks with Panasonic SDHC output?

SPS picture order 2 should be supported in tsMuxeR 1.9.9. Check what version you're using.

And let's not hurry so much with 4GB splits and stuff...

***

Original sample#12 is 1280x720@24fps (not 23.976).

[davsim]

Originally Posted by jfcarbel

davisim, how about posting the mediainfo for the rencoded sample 12 from Deans source.

This is the MediaInfo for the MKV used to make SD_TEST_DS003 which was re-encoded from deank's "SAMPLE#12 - 1280x720 - 1.5MB":

General
ID : 1
Complete name : C:\Documents and Settings\chrisxps\Desktop\sd test\SD_TEST_DS003\PRIVATE\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM\00000.MTS
Format : BDAV
Format/Info : BluRay Video
File size : 2.24 MiB
Duration : 9s 916ms
Overall bit rate : 1 898 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 35.5 Mbps

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Duration : 9s 916ms
Bit rate : 14.0 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 24.000 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.633
Writing library : x264 core 67 r1139M 1024283
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=2 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=hex / subme=6 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / rc=2pass / bitrate=14000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.0
Language : English

Audio
ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Duration : 9s 916ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz


====


MediaInfo for the final .MTS output from multiAVC:

General
ID : 1
Complete name : C:\Documents and Settings\chrisxps\Desktop\sd test\SD_TEST_DS003\PRIVATE\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM\00000.MTS
Format : BDAV
Format/Info : BluRay Video
File size : 2.24 MiB
Duration : 9s 916ms
Overall bit rate : 1 898 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 35.5 Mbps

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Duration : 9s 916ms
Bit rate : 14.0 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 24.000 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.633
Writing library : x264 core 67 r1139M 1024283
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=2 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=hex / subme=6 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / rc=2pass / bitrate=14000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.0
Language : English

Audio
ID : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Duration : 9s 916ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz

[jason_peters010]

Originally Posted by deank

And let's not hurry so much with 4GB splits and stuff...

I'm not asking for a rush job, just wondering if it was "in the cards?" I would definitely contribute more to the cause once this functionality exists. And I suspect I'm not alone. Thanks for all your help!

[jfcarbel]

It might also be helpful to get Dean to post the original mediainfo for sample 12 MKV. Dean?

[deank]

General
Complete name                    : D:\Downloads\__TEST\bluray.mkv
Format                           : Matroska
File size                        : 3.59 MiB
Duration                         : 11s 0ms
Overall bit rate                 : 2 741 Kbps
Encoded date                     : UTC 2009-03-07 19:32:22
Writing application              : mkvmerge v2.5.2 ('Stranger in your Soul') bui
lt on Feb 28 2009 18:58:17
Writing library                  : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video
ID                               : 1
Format                           : AVC
Format/Info                      : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                   : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC           : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames        : 3 frames
Muxing mode                      : Container profile=Unknown@4.1
Codec ID                         : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                         : 11s 0ms
Nominal bit rate                 : 8 000 Kbps
Width                            : 1 280 pixels
Height                           : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio             : 16/9
Frame rate                       : 24.000 fps
Resolution                       : 24 bits
Colorimetry                      : 4:2:0
Scan type                        : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)               : 0.362
Writing library                  : x264 core 66 r1101M b69548a
Encoding settings                : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:-1:-1 / analyse=0
x3:0x113 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chrom
a_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / t
hreads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=2 / b
_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / keyint=24 / keyint_min=2 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc
=2pass / bitrate=8000 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.50 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=
4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=40000 / vbv_bufsize=40000 / ip_ratio
=1.10 / pb_ratio=1.10 / aq=1:1.00

[jfcarbel]

Okay, so based on Dean's mediainfo post for sample 12, it looks like profile change from High to Main and level went from 4.1 to 4.0. And a later version of x264 encoder was used.

The bitrate was actually set higher on davisim one so that should not be the cause here.

anyone spot anything else?

davisim, your selected the High profile, so why then does it come out as Main?

UPDATE: Oh and re-frames when from 3 to 2 also.

AND what is odd is the sample 10 clip plays on the BD30 yet it is profile high and level 4.1 (sample 10 mediainfo below):

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 5 frames
Duration : 9s 791ms
Bit rate : 3188 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 3188 Kbps
Width : 1280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.144
Writing library : x264 core 66 r1114 a933a3e
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=5 / deblock=1:-2:-1 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=esa / subme=7 / psy_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=6 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=3188 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30 / aq=1:1.1
Language : English

[jfcarbel]

Source: deank's SAMPLE#12 - 1280x720 - 1.5MB
I re-encoded deank's original SAMPLE#12 with the settings I've been using (already posted).

Notes:

MeGUI input DAR said 1.778, I selected NTSC ITU 16:9.
AVS wrong colorspace error in MeGUI, so I said ok to correct it ConvertToYV12()
I selected High Profile L4.0 in MeGUI, although MediaInfo says Main@L4 for my file. deank's original says HIGH@L4.1.

davisim, how about trying another encode of sample 12 but with only changing one variable at a time. Maybe start with the level first.

[jfcarbel]

Maybe start with the level first.

Actually come to think of it, the profile and level did work in sample 10 clip, so maybe only try changing the other options first and lets test from there. Still trying to setup MeGUI on my end here.

[Atreide]

I think I found something very interesting.

Since Deank's sample #10 was beginning of TV serie and the video I was working with was also TV, I still couldn't understand why it wouldn't work.

So I encoded only 10s of my .mkv file using multiAVCHD, copied the AVCHD folder on the SD card into PRIVATE folder : not working (picture menu).
Then I erased the files on SD card, copied AVCHD folder from Deank's sample #10 and replace ONLY the 00000.MTS file by my 00000.MTS file : it's working !!!!!
Then I processed the full length video and still only replace the 00000.MTS file by the new one (which is now over 1 Gb) : I get the video menu and it's playing but only the first 10s.

This means :
1. video file processed with multiAVCHD is just fine
2. folders DCIM and MISC are not needed
3. problems come from the other small files in PRIVATE folder

[deank]

Originally Posted by Atreide

3. problems come from the other small files in PRIVATE folder

These small files took me months to figure out and to make all work (to an extent) for Panasonic users. It's not easy - believe me.

I'll take a look again at this sample, because there is something special about it. I guess - because it was the first 1280x720 and I did change some things - now I can't remember because I never thought it will work.

[Atreide]

oh sorry, I called them small files but I know nothing about them...
I always thought it was because of the video format that it was not playing
I can send you my mediainfo file but not sure it will help since first 10s are playing