Handbrake or other Tool to convert recordings?

[aweber1nj]

Originally Posted by wayner

What's the source of your files? I use Handbrake regularly without problems - and I use it either on OTA files or MPEG files from a Hauppauge 1850.

Sage 7 with a Ceton Infini4 receiving FiOS (HDTV stream in this case).

[wayner]

Those should be MPEG2 files I guess, similar to OTA files.

[aweber1nj]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's mpeg2 (ts), but it's either screwed up or something else. I know it's an hd stream, and one of the utilities identified the video portion as 1080p, which I don't think is right (it could be 1080i, but I don't think any of the cable providers is sending 1080p at all just yet.

[aweber1nj]

Downloaded VideoRedo Suite (trial). QuickStream Fix worked beautifully!

@wayner: Thanks for the tip on QuickStream Fix. Fast and easy.

@KryptoNyte: Do you have any scripts - even ones I could start from - for VAP that do something like MediaShrink (basically transcode to MP4 with my settings, and replace the TS file so it's all in the same place for Sage without me having to manually delete the original and let it find the new MP4 video)?

(Can I use VideoRedo to do the transcode from TS to MP4/H.264 and skip Handbrake -- which now works fine on the "fixed" file, but if I can just use one tool, all the better, right?)

Thanks to all who tried to assist! Very much appreciate the support!

-AJ

[KryptoNyte]

I don't have any scripts handy right at the moment, but I can post up a couple in a day or two.

I basically created my HandbrakeCLI scripts by manually creating a job in Handbrake *GUI* and then ran a preview of the encoded file. I believe if you check the log, or possibly flag it to create the HB output file, that it will give you the string that HandbrakeCLI (used in VapPostProcess) is expecting in that file, so you don't have to come up with it on your own.

Using MediaInfo, I am able to check some things on the video and adjust the Handbrake settings as needed (deinterlace or decomb, etc.). If you have files that are both interlaced AND deinterlaced, you should either setup two different types of Handbrake configs one with deint and one without, or just use decomb in all encoding.

Some of my stations broadcast in 720p and others in 1080i, but they are always consistent throughout the 24 hour day.

EDIT: Okay, I threw a couple examples up over in the VAP forum.
http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/sh...7129#post97129

[aweber1nj]

I think my stations broadcast consistent sizes (720p vs 1080i), but I'm very worried about the thread about FiOS having the different "Field Order" on programs on the same channel, and even switching Field Order in the middle of a show???

Found that info on the VideoRedo forum. I have yet to see where I can identify what my shows' Field Order is with MediaInfo though. Can't see it in the output as far as I've looked.

[KryptoNyte]

Never really even fooled much with field order. Maybe run a couple tests with Handbrake GUI preview to see if it decombs/deinterlaces properly. If I have deinterlacing turned off in VLC, I can usually see it pretty quick. I've never had an issue with the 1080i files and improper deinterlacing.

[phelme]

(yes old thread, but related)

Recently I've tried locking some of my DirecTV receivers to 1080i (HD-PVR capturing) and found that some of the transcoding through Handbrake via MediaShrink (using default settings) results in interlaced, squiggly looking video. The original recordings are fine, but something in the MediaShrink/Handbrake process messes them up. This doesn't happen when I lock the receivers to 720P.

According to MPC-HC the "Scan type" (of the resulting converted file) is mislabeled as Progressive, so the decoder doesn't automatically parse what is interlaced video.

A recent example was Underworld: Awakening recorded on Starz. Kate Beckinsale is all kinds of wavy.

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by phelme

Kate Beckinsale is all kinds of wavy.

That is just not right, because Kate is usually "all kinds of HOT"!

[KryptoNyte]

Phelme, before I had to give up on Mediashrink and finally found VAP, I recall it had a command file where you have one line item that contains all the Handbrake CLI commands. Can you paste that line item here in a forum post so I can look it over?

Just FYI, I did quit using Deinterlace and now use Decomb exclusively to attempt to retain the most quality in the encoded file.

[nyplayer]

The HandBrake in mediashrink is pretty old ... they have since added Constant quality and other enhancements. Mediashrink level is 94 and the Current Handbrake is 98.

[KryptoNyte]

If there is anyone looking at encoding video files, I would really urge you to check out VAP. The developer is quite intuitive, and just downright helpful when it comes to automation.

This little application can save a rediculuous amount of your personal time.

http://207.58.163.37/msgBoard/forumdisplay.php?f=41

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

If there is anyone looking at encoding video files, I would really urge you to check out VAP. The developer is quite intuitive, and just downright helpful when it comes to automation.

This little application can save a rediculuous amount of your personal time.

http://207.58.163.37/msgBoard/forumdisplay.php?f=41

I believe Videoredo does not encode in H264 or x264. Handbrake is very easy to automate since it creates the batch files with the CLI commands. I have batch jobs that encode to H264 replace and refresh Sage... and the new Handbrake is superfast.

[KryptoNyte]

(for anyone reading)

Keep in mind, VAP is a secondary tool that uses VideoRedo to quickstream fix, comskip, manual commercial cut (if you wish), rename the file based on user desire and metadata and/or TheTVDB.com query, and then kicks the file to a post-processing batch file where you can do whatever you wish with it (Handbrake encode for one example), and then drop the final file into whatever directory you choose. Once setup, this is fully automated, with the exception of whether or not you decide to manually check commercial cuts before encoding (your choice on that one).

I will admit, it may not integrate perfectly with SageTV's video library, but it's more of universal long term solution. I rarely even re-adopt the files back into SageTV anymore, just use the Sage extenders to browse and play them.

The developer just finished helping me setup a post-processing script file that will take any of three different input file types that SageTV/WMC7/ tuners/provider puts out, and run my own custom Handbrake CLI script based on the type of input file (there are three different Handbrake scripts, it picks the correct script based on input file attributes).

Even though VideoRedo does H.264, until I'm convinced there is a better solution, I still fall back on Handbrake nightlies for complete control of the CLI encoding process (inside VAP of course). It's been especially useful now that I run Sage and WMC7 side by side.

[krasev]

It should transcode 1 hr HDTV ~5GB to really good quality file of ~270 Kb for about 20 minutes (depends on compconfig)
________________
Samples of lines in "Sage.properties" file:
(for SageTV V.7 command -vpre should be -fpre... anyway you can always check SageTVTranscoder.exe -h depending what version... SageTVTranscoder.exe is FFmpeg.exe)

1.
transcoder/formats/$H264-Normal=f\=mp4;MCompressionDetails\=-vcodec libx264 -vpre ./FFpresets/Libx264-Sage.ffpreset -deinterlace -aspect 1.3333 -minrate 0 -maxrate 2500000 -bufsize 4096000;[bf\=vid;f\=mpeg4;br\=700000;w\=512;h\=384;fps\=29.97;][bf\=aud;f\=aac;sr\=48000;ch\=2;b\=16;br\=165000;]
2.
transcoder/formats/$H264-Wide\ 1.78=f\=mp4;MCompressionDetails\=-vcodec libx264 -vpre ./FFpresets/Libx264-Sage.ffpreset -deinterlace -aspect 1.7777 -minrate 0 -maxrate 2500000 -bufsize 4096000;[bf\=vid;f\=mpeg4;br\=700000;w\=512;h\=288;fps\=29.97;][bf\=aud;f\=aac;sr\=48000;ch\=2;b\=16;br\=165000;]
____________
Sample of "Libx264-Sage.ffpreset" file:

----cut------

b_strategy=1
cmp=+chroma
coder=1
directpred=1
flags=+loop
flags2=+fastpskip
g=250
i_qfactor=0.71
keyint_min=25
me_method=hex
me_range=16
partitions=+parti8x8+parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8
qcomp=0.6
qdiff=4
qmax=51
qmin=10
sc_threshold=40
subq=5
threads=auto

----cut------

Make sure you have your ffpreset files in the folder ".\FFpresets" which should be in the folder where your SageTVTranscoder.exe.
Then you can edit ffpreset files.