[MEncoder-users] change bpp

[The Wanderer]

Aleksandar Uzelac wrote:

>> you have to specify proper -lavcopts... at the very least do both
>> passes.
> 
> i don't get it, can you specify which -lavcopts is not proper? don't
> worry about second pass.

"Proper" can vary considerably depending on the specific case at hand,
but as he points out, using two-pass encoding can potentially produce a
vast improvement in quality even with no other change.

>>> point taken (i only adopted mplayer term in brackets [DIVX]).
>> 
>> This means you're using an ancient version of mplayer/mencoder.
>> Please upgrade!
> 
> as i stated in my initial post, i'm using MPlayer 1.0pre6-3.2.3
> i will upgrade when "pre" is removed from distribution name. tnx for
> suggestion.

(I'd be rather surprised if it had been intended as a "suggestion",
rather than as a "if you don't do this, don't expect us to help you".
Though I'll admit that I've been surprised before.)

First: As other people have pointed out, "pre" in MPlayer version
numbers does not mean what it might readily be expected to mean (in
point of fact, the only time I remember seeing a less sane version
numbering system being used was in ADoM - which at one point had an
'0.9.9 gamma 16 prerelease 2' as its long-term, stable release version).

Second: There is in fact a noticeably more recent, if still quite
outdated, release version available, albeit with the "pre" still
present: 1.0pre7 (the other numbers are package-specific, and not
actually related to the MPlayer project itself).

Third: Much of the time, people who *are* using the most recent release
version are *still* told to upgrade - to the current CVS version. Unlike
many projects, MPlayer's CVS is intended to be stable and usable at
almost all times. Using any significantly outdated version is almost
never advisable.

Fourth: There have been a number of changes to the capabilities of
MEncoder since 1.0pre6. The people on this list are going to be
currently familiar with either the usage of the most recent release
version, pre7, or the current CVS version (which is actually far more
recent than pre7); likewise, most of the available documentation other
than the (release package's version of the) man page covers versions
later than the one you're asking about. The odds that people will be
even *able*, much less willing, to easily give you advice diminishes -
sometimes sharply - the older the version you're using is.

Fifth: Coming to ask for help, but refusing to follow advice without
giving a Very Good Reason for it (and "I don't want to use a pre-release
version" is not an especially good reason in this case) - well, I can
respect the position, since I myself hold quite adamantly to a
philosophy of "who are *you* to tell me what to do?", but it's still
decidedly arrogant... and thus not conducive to getting people to
actually *want* to help you.

This may be more of a rant than is remotely warranted, but there it is
anyway.

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.