[MEncoder-users] Cannot achieve better picture quality with MPEG2 - help needed

[Nicolas Hesler]

I'm struggling to achieve better picture quality with mencoder and 
MPEG2, especially with video that contains gradients.

I've uploaded a test example to ftp://upload.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/incoming/

File : gradient.avi (an lossless FFV1 rgb32 video file used for encoding)
File : screenshots_gradient.psd (a photoshop file containing screenshots 
to compare original to encoded screenshots)

The PSD contains three labeled layers:

- the first, the source, an uncompressed gradient
- the second, a screenshot of the resulting MPEG-2 created with MEncoder 
(command line to follow)
- the third, a screenshot of the resulting MPEG-2 created with Adobe 
Media Encoder.

You'll notice that the Adobe Media Encoder screenshot has a much better 
picture (far less color distortion and far less banding) than the 
MEncoder screenshot.
I'm hoping to achieve better results with MEncoder.  I'm not concerned 
with bitrate or time to encode, I simply want to match the picture as 
best I can.  

I've tried countless command line options but still to no avail.  Can 
someone help me with this?
Is it possible to get the picture retention I'm after with mencoder and 
MPEG-2?

Here is the command line (pass 1 of 2 passes) I used for the above example:

mencoder -sws 9 -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of mpeg -mpegopts 
format=mpeg2:muxrate=10080:tsaf:telecine
-vf scale=720:480,harddup -srate 48000 -af lavcresample=48000:0:2 
-lavcopts 
vcodec=mpeg2video:vrc_buf_size=1835:vrc_maxrate=7000:vbitrate=6000:trell:
mbd=2:preme=2:dia=4:predia=4:precmp=2:cmp=2:subcmp=2:cbp:mv0:acodec=ac3:
abitrate=224:keyint=12:vpass=1:autoaspect:lmin=0.01:dc=10:vstrict=0 
-ofps 24000/1001 input -o output