[MEncoder-users] Converting H.264-AVC 1920 X 1080 to mpeg-2

[L Lee]

On 2/10/09 7:41 AM, "James Hastings-Trew" <jimht at shaw.ca> wrote:

> What version of mencoder are you using? I used to have errors like these
> using mencoder to encode files from certain blu-ray titles (one in
> particular was Sunshine). Using the latest builds, the problem has gone
> away.
> 
> Another thing to try is to actually play the file you want to encode
> with mplayer. In my case, the problem files would "smear" at certain
> points where mencoder would show those errors. The errors were quite
> visible. Again, the problem went away when I switched up to a current
> rev. of mplayer and mencoder.


Thanks, James.

My current version is MEncoder SVN-r28493-4.0.1 (I usually stay up to date
with the latest SVN every week or so, and I usually complain on the list if
a new release won't compile). One of the first things I did when I
experienced these results was to get the latest svn. That was one or two
days ago now, I guess.

Yes, I tried playing using mplayer with the same result, so I figure my best
bet is to find a filter that will let it handle the files. The smear is the
other way the problem manifests itself. The messages appear so frequently,
I'm sure that the problem exists quite homogenously. It has to be a format
thing.

At this point I guess I might as well come clean with the details about what
I'm doing. I use an Intel Mac core duo (yes, one of the 32-bit ones
purchased in 2006) running the latest version of Mac OS X, 10.5.6. I bought
one of those Hauppauge HD-PVRs to use with Elgato's EyeTV 3.1 software, and
I'm *not* trying to sell DVDs or anything, I just want to bridge the barrier
between what high quality content I can view when I want and what high
quality content my TV service tells me I can view when I want. Granted, the
EyeTV software lets me export in several formats, some of which provide
deinterlacing, but so far the export choices that retain high quality take
about 500 percent of the duration of real time playback, and then I still
have to run them through Mencoder.

For me, right now the DVD video disk provides the ideal compromise between
compatibility, quality, and portability for video content, so that's my goal
for most anything I keep. I've used Toast and iDVD along with the EyeTV
methods that support those programs and others, and so far nothing I've
tried approaches the quality I get using MEncoder after simply using an
EyeTV export process to remove the interlacing. But that's not perfect and
it just takes too long to be practical, so I'm still trying. If I can tackle
the mplayer problem, then I plan to start to concentrate on the subtleties
of improving MEncoder output. It's nearly your basic stamp or coin collector
hobbyist strategy applied to digital video. Thanks again, and any further
help will still be appreciated.

Laine Lee