MC mpeg-2 render blockyness

TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/22/2003, 9:32 AM
When I render video to Mpeg-2 I get extream blockies, but the source is great. Here's the source info:
640x480 NTsc, interlaced, Huffy
Here's my render settings:
640x480 NTSC, interlaced, Mpeg 2, CBR 15,000,000 video quality 31

If I render just text with the same mpeg setting, it looks fine. This started after I installed V4.0b (rendered fine in v4.0a). It looks like the resolution is 320x240, but I'm rendering @ 640x480. Here's a link to the picture (small load time):
http://members.localnet.com/~elsysop/vegasprob/vegas_problem.html

Comments

mikkie wrote on 4/22/2003, 10:38 AM
I couldn't pull up your pix, so just generally speaking...

There have been a few complaints of this with the latest VV4 release, & with Frenchie's recent posts the interlace settings seem to have an effect. Could always try rendering in VV3 or earlier VV4 I suppose to see if it's a VV4 issue.

In general, with any type of compression (mpg1/2, real, winmedia) I try to stay away from the max quality setting as the encoder can sort of focuss on minor data in the frame, and trying to preserve that data can cause pixelation - moving just a couple of notches down can help.

While it shouldn't be nec at that high a bit rate (I've gone down to like 1.0 peak vbr), I've also seen it possible to have too clean a video, causing pixel blocks. In these cases I've had some success adding noise by encoding at a lower qual setting in picvideo before rendering to mpg2 - same idea as adding a blur, but to my eyes somehow seems a bit sharper & definitely is quicker. I think that as the encoder tries to dismiss the static parts it considers less important, the extra pixel info (from blur or noise) forces the encoder to retain more of the original image.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/22/2003, 11:22 AM
I uninstalled Vegas (and deleted all folders) and reinstalled V4b and had the same problem. I then uninstalled/deleted V4b and installed V4a off the CD, and now it renders fine. I've tested out NTSC DVD, the default settings, and made a custom template @ 640x480, all settings on high, and it works now. Hopefully, SF will take a look at the pics I made and see if it's an issue they can fix in v4b.
BillyBoy wrote on 4/22/2003, 11:54 AM
I bet you're one of those guys that if there were such a thing as 1,000,000,000,000 bitrate, you'd use it just like people think turning up focus/brightness/contrast on a TV wrongly think gives a "better" picture. It doesn't. There is absolutely no reason to have the high a biterate you set for 640x480. All you're doing is making the render take much longer than it needs to be. Cut it in half or use the defaults.

It also would help if you CHECKED your HTML links before offering them. You're the second guy today that's offered a "broken" link. Maybe I should write a basic tutorial on simple HTML. <wink>

TheHappyFriar wrote on 4/22/2003, 7:52 PM
Actuatly, normally I use a lower bitrate between 3mbs-5mbs. I tried 15 to see if it would fix my problem (it didn't). After installing/reinstalling V4.0a and v4.0b many MANY times many different ways, I found out it's got to be a V4.0b issue. After uninstalling V4 completely, deleting the folders, and removing them from the registry, I installed V4.0a and it rendered fine, even on lower bitrates. I tried installing V4.0b by itself too, but got the blockyness.

I did double check the link, but the pictures must of been in the cache on my computer. You're right, they didn't work. Now they do. Of course I found out that the first image is corrupted. I'll have to fix that after work. :)

Actuatly, the html tutorial idea isn't bad. You could write a tutorial on how to distribute our videos over the new via web pages and put it in the Vegas newsletter.