[MPlayer-users] mencoder x264 won't play in vlc

[David Liontooth]

I'm using this dual-pass script to convert files to x264:

mencoder $1 -o /dev/null -oac copy -ovc x264  \
  -x264encopts pass=1:bitrate=$2:bframes=3:subq=2:threads=2

mencoder $1 -o $STEM-h264.avi -oac mp3lame -lameopts cbr:br=64 -ovc x264  \
  -x264encopts
pass=2:bitrate=$2:bframes=3:subq=6:threads=2:frameref=4:8x8dct

The result plays fine in mplayer, but not in vlc -- the vlc image is
blocky to the point of haziness.

In contrast, this script produces files that play equally well in vlc
and mplayer:

ffmpeg -i $1 -f avi -vcodec h264 -b $2 -s 640x480 -acodec mp3 $OUTFILE

Suggestions? I need to stream the files with vlc.

Dave