Encoding Anime

[G16aByT3]

I have been trying for weeks to see if I can encode a DVD anime into Divx and I have had no luck with the exception of poor framerates and audio syncing. I have used GKNOT many times using the guides with the same results. I am new to this game and would like to see this work using divx5. I have read every faq and guide around and still can't get it to work. is there something I am missing?

The movie is in 16:9 NTSC format with a framerate of 29fps.

Any secrets would be nice.

G16aByT3

[Enchanter]

1. Enable Inverse Telecine
2. Use DivX 3.11, which seems to work better on animation sources, unless you are dealing with noisy videos
3. Process the audio separately and mux it with the video created by GK in nandub. Use the feature: Video -> Frame rate -> Change so video and audio durations match

[G16aByT3]

cool... where do I find the inverse telecine you mention?

I verified the source and it is 16:9 NTSC 23.976fps. Any other items I should worry about? I am using GK for the video and then muxing the ac3 with the video.

Will muxing the AC3 work with divx3.11? Will I still get the 5.1 sound?


thanks

G16aByT3

EDIT: The bits/pixel is .719 I can't get it between .17 and .30 by adjusting the video size and the bitrate. Any ideas?

[Enchanter]

cool... where do I find the inverse telecine you mention?

It's under the Save / Save & Encode configuration window.

I verified the source and it is 16:9 NTSC 23.976fps. Any other items I should worry about? I am using GK for the video and then muxing the ac3 with the video.

Sounds like you found the IVTC option.

Will muxing the AC3 work with divx3.11? Will I still get the 5.1 sound?

It works. You can use the following guideline, extracted from the Tsunami filterpack:
448kbps (6 ch) -> Preload: 128ms, Interleave: 128ms
384kbps (6 ch) -> Preload: 160ms, Interleave: 160ms
256kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 48ms , Interleave: 48ms
224kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 64ms , Interleave: 64ms
192kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 80ms , Interleave: 80ms

[G16aByT3]

Okay here is what I did.

Used GK for the process.

1. used smartripper to get the vob files.
2. used dvdavi to create the .d2v file including demuxing the audio (forced film).
3. used GK to reduce the br down to 1500k from 3792k because of .719 rating got it down to.284.
4. did compression check with bicubic sharp and was okay 84%
5. did 2nd pass with GK wth divx3.11
6. checked movie looked fine.
7. used nandub to mux ac3 with preload settings.
8. checked movie and it was really choppy about 1.5fps!!!

Why is this happening?



G16aByT3

[Enchanter]

I assume you simply input a bitrate of 1500kbps in step (3)?

From there, you can actually input the AC3 file into GK and let it calculate the amount of bitrate to be used for the file size that you want to achieve. Lastly, just tell GK to do both passes. ==> Or it this exactly the same as what you did?

8. checked movie and it was really choppy about 1.5fps!!!

Assuming you've followed the guideline I gave earlier, you might want to try reinstalling your AC3 codec. In addition, ensure that DMA is enabled.

[G16aByT3]

I assume you simply input a bitrate of 1500kbps in step (3)?

Yup. I put in 1500 so I could get the pixel/bits down and the compessibility down to normal values.

Lastly, just tell GK to do both passes. ==> Or it this exactly the same as what you did?

Yes. I told GK to do both passes and left the other settings at default before queuing.

I will try to encode again with your suggestions.

BTW does the 160ms audio insert = every 2 frames or 1 frame?

thanks

G16aByT3

[G16aByT3]

I encoded it again and still the same thing. I reloaded the ac3 decoder with the same results and I tried to look for the enable dma as you said. I can't seem to find it on my laptop. hmmm

any other ideas?

G16aByT3

[Enchanter]

Originally posted by G16aByT3
BTW does the 160ms audio insert = every 2 frames or 1 frame?

"384kbps (6 ch) -> Preload: 160ms, Interleave: 160ms "
Interleave every 160 ms, not every 1 or 2 frames. Input 160 ms for the preload value as well.

As for DMA, check for it under Device Manager. For Win9x, it is under the Disk Drives, and for WinNT (Win2K/XP), it is under the IDE/ATAPI Controllers.

[G16aByT3]

My HD is using UDMA 5 and my DVD drive is using UDMA 2. Both devices are on seperate controllers.

I did notice that when I addedd the AC3 in GK it lowered the bitrate down, but I increased it to 1700kbps so it would not affect the anime that much. Also I cannot put the interleave in (ms) only in frames thats why I asked.

What is your current setup for doing anime? Maybe I can try to mirror it? Wouldn't divx5 be better than divx3?

I am using an IBM Thinkpad T23 with a 1.13Ghz P3 proc WINXP SP1. This should be fine and with 640MB of RAM.

Do you think that hardware would have any issue during the encoding process? or is it play back thats the problem?

G16aByT3

[Enchanter]

I did notice that when I addedd the AC3 in GK it lowered the bitrate down

It naturally will, of course. GK needs to lower the video bitrate in order for the final AVI to reach the projected filesize.

Also I cannot put the interleave in (ms) only in frames thats why I asked

That cannot be. I've never had such problems when interleaving in nandub. Try the following:
1. Open AVI in nandub
2. Set both Video and Audio tabs to Direct Stream Copy
3. Go to Audio and open the audio file
4. If interleaving AC3 file, use the following:
448kbps (6 ch) -> Preload: 128ms, Interleave: 128ms
384kbps (6 ch) -> Preload: 160ms, Interleave: 160ms
256kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 48ms , Interleave: 48ms
224kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 64ms , Interleave: 64ms
192kbps (2 ch) -> Preload: 80ms , Interleave: 80ms
5. Go to File -> Save as AVI and give a name to the new file

Wouldn't divx5 be better than divx3?

SBC seems to work better for anime most of the anime, except when the source is particularly noisy (ie. heavy falling snow scenes, etc.)?

Do you think that hardware would have any issue during the encoding process? or is it play back thats the problem?

I strongly believe it's a playback problem, since your hardware is powerful enough for DivX playback. If necessary, change the AC3 decoder. We have the Cyberlink AC3 decoder, Intervideo AC3 decoder, etc. Choose one that you have not tried before.

[G16aByT3]

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH

I had PowerDVD on my laptop and I played the divx file and it was fine all the way though!!!!

When I played it in mediaplayer it was choppy with 1.5fps video... I hate mediaplayer!!!

I looked for the AC3 codec files that I installed and it looks like they were made by Intervideo. Now, when I play the movie with MP does it use the AC3 codec from Intervideo or another registered one? An when I play with my PowerDVD does it use its own instead of the manual installed AC3 codec?

I created both a divx3 and a divx5 movie just incase it was a fluke and they both played fine with PowerDVD.

I do have one question though, is when you are resizing the video. Should care be taken if W and Z zoom are above 100%?

If I just want to encode the movie retaining the video size. Are there any problems with that?

Thanks for your help!!!

G16aByT3

[Enchanter]

Now, when I play the movie with MP does it use the AC3 codec from Intervideo or another registered one?

Using WMP 6.4, go to File -> Properties -> Advanced Tab. There you will see the codecs and filters in use.

An when I play with my PowerDVD does it use its own instead of the manual installed AC3 codec?

I'm not sure about that myself. PowerDVD does not tell much on this. It could either be the default DirectShow filters or its own.

If I just want to encode the movie retaining the video size. Are there any problems with that?

I'm always against using the full DVD resolution of 720x480 or similar, especially if you are using a bitrate of 1000 or below. You will always get better picture quality (and playback performance) when resizing to 640x() and below. Lastly, I doubt you can see much difference in sharpness between full DVD quality and 640x(). If you do, take into account the famous placebo effect.