[MEncoder-users] Encoding video for old DVD players

[Giacomo Comes]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2006 at 11:45:30AM +0200, Staffan Hamala wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have a problem with encoding video so that older DVD players will play it 
> correctly.
> 
> I have used commands similar to these:
> 
> mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd -vf 
> scale=720:576,harddup -srate 48000 -af lavcresample=48000 -lavcopts 
> vcodec=mpeg2video:vrc_buf_size=1835:vrc_maxrate=8000:vbitrate=5000:keyint=15:acodec=ac3:abitrate=224:aspect=4/3 -ofps 
> 25 -o out.mpeg2 in.avi   
> 
> mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts format=dvd -vf 
> scale=352:288,harddup -srate 48000 -af lavcresample=48000 -lavcopts 
> vcodec=mpeg2video:vrc_buf_size=1835:vrc_maxrate=7800:vbitrate=4000:keyint=15:acodec=ac3:abitrate=224:aspect=4/3 -ofps 
> 25 -o out.mpeg2 in.avi
> 
> These are taken from the mplayer manual (on the web). I've tried to lower the 
> maxrate, and vbitrate, but it made no difference. I've also tried different 
> abitrates.
> 
> The encoded videos work perfectly in mplayer.
> 
> After making a DVD disk structure with dvdauthor, and burning the DVD, I can 
> use both xine and mplayer to watch it without a problem.
> I've also tried the DVD's on a modern stand-alone DVD player, and there 
> everything looked as it should.
> 
> The problem is this:
> On my DVD player (Pioneer DV626), the picture quality is really bad. The 
> picture gets blocky at scene changes and when something moves rapidly on the 
> screen. It also seems like everytime this happens, the video starts lagging 
> behind the audio, more and more. Not noticeable at first, but after a while 
> it starts to get annoying.
> 
> I've also tried burning a few ISO's from copied DVD's and these all work 
> perfectly.
> 
> So, there must be something in the mpeg stream that my DVD player doesn't 
> like.
> 
> Can it be "b frames" or something? Or are there "b frames" in mpeg2?

Try adding 2 bframes in your dvd mpeg. All commercial DVD uses bframes,
and many dvd player do not like dvd mpeg without bframes especially
during fast forward.

Giacomo