Divx 5.02 Pro Encoding Problems: Where is Anti-Freeze?

[evilrad]

I'm having problems sometimes with my Divx 5 encodes. On some encodes, the video freezes. The only way to get passed this "freeze spot" is to stop and close WMP 6.4 and restart the file and skip ahead of that "freeze spot". This is not just WMP, the file will freeze at the same spot with any player I use. This is very annoying. I can't simply stop or pause the video and play it again when this happens because the frozen frame still remains. I have to total close out the program and restart it and skip ahead of the "freeze spot". No matter how many times I re-encode the file, even with different settings, it always freezes in the same spot. This doesn't happen with all encodes, but it happens more often than not. Is there an anti-freeze program for Divx 5 like there is from Divx 3.11? Or is there something I can set in the Divx 5 encoding options that will prevent freezes? If anyone can help, please do so.

Thanks

[khp]

I have never experienced anything like this with divx5, what tools are you using for encoding ?.
Does it also freeze if you play it in virtualdub ?

[evilrad]

I'm using Virtualdub to encode. And yes, it freezes if I play the file(s) in Virtualdub too. It doesn't do it will every encode; which range from re-encodes of avi files to downsize them, my on DVD rips, and captured MPEG 1 files.

[khp]

That is very odd.

A few thoughts ...

1) Make sure that 'smooth playback' is disabled in the decoder filter (in wmp 6.4 properties->advanced->divx decoder filter->quality settings). I know this is not supposed to affect virtualdub, but it's the only setting I know of, which has ever been know, to cause these kind of problems.

2) Make sure that both width and height are divisibe by 16. This really isn't likely to cause these kind of problems, but you never know.

3) Make sure you are using virtaldub version 1.4.10 or later.

4) Could you try removing the audio from one of files, just to check if it's not an audio related problem.

5) Could you try encoding a short clip (from the original trouble free source) that contains one of the frames that causes the player to freeze. Just to make sure that the problem is caused by that specific frame and is not some periodic failiure. (make sure the encoding starts from a different point in the source)

I'am really grasping at straws here

[evilrad]

First of all, I would like to thank you for your help. Thanks! As you suspected in your first thought, it was "Smooth Playback" that was the cause of the problem. I could have sworn that I had turned that off to test to see if that was the problem. I was probable so mad at the time that I really didn't turn it off when I thought I did. Ummm... Maybe since it was on during the first pass, that when I turned it off to test the final, it somehow messed it up. So that being off or on, the file was screwed do to the first pass stats. I'll test that out tomorrow to see. Would do it now to let you know, but its 3am here. If I don't reply again, its because the test came out fine and I was just retarded a few days ago. Once again, thank you for your help.

[khp]

I'am Glad to see that the problem appears to be solved .

But I have to admit that I really don't get it. The 'Smooth playback' option is only supposed to affect the DirectShow decoder filter. It most cirtainly should make no difference durring the encoding. And it's not even supposed to affect the VFW decoding done in virtualdub. But alas this is not the first time effect from the DirectShow filters spills over into the VFW decoder (Like people sometimes get film effect when reencoding divx5 clips), I count myself lucky that I almost never reencode any divx clips..