Avidemux not saving MPEG-2 as interlaced?

[dt126]

Hello.

I am capturing from VHS via Virtualdub and saving as Huffyuv lossless (at 720X480). Everything is working fine. The only problem I'm having now is getting AVIDEMUX to convert this to an MPEG2 file that is identified as interlaced. The only MPEG2 option is MPEG2(ff) and the settings under the MPEG2 configuration are correct (Interlaced and bottom first are selected, which I confirmed is correct). However, when the conversion completes, Mediainfo and my MPEG Editor (VideoRedo) both confirm that the file is progressive. It also plays incorrectly on a TV set. Any idea why this is happening?

I have tried this on both V2.6.10 and 2.6.8. I am able to demux the resulting MPG file, run it through re-stream and then re-mux and it then is correct (both on the TV and when checking the file), but this is a lot of work to do for every file. Am I maybe missing something else basic in the Avidemux settings that needs to be done (besides setting interlaced under the video encoder options)? Using the deinterlace filters is obviously one option, but everything I've read on this site says to keep the files as interlaced to not loose any data.

Do any of the other AVIDEMUX encoders output so that the file will be identified as interlaced? I'd be willing to use the MPEG4 X264 as that can also be edited in VideoRedo (although not nearly as quickly). Thanks.

edit: Sorry, Meant Top Field First. Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

Simple issue. You have the wrong version.

Avidemux 2.5 = best for MPEG-2
Avidemux 2.6 = best for H.264

Try it again.

Use the guide: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/vid...idemux-pt1.htm

[dt126]

Thanks, I wouldn't have guessed that I'd need to use an older version. Which of the 2.5 versions? They go from 2.5.0 to 2.5.6 on Sourceforge. I'd be inclined to grab the most recent unless support for this feature was dropped in one of the intermediate revisions.

[lordsmurf]

Use the latest 2.5.x version. I'm not at my main editing system right now, but 2.5.6 sounds right.
I think 2.6.8 is what I use for H.264 for personal encoding.

Avidemux is buggy. That's really the main issue. That's the nature of freeware. So use the version that works.

[engr2000]

I am converting VHS interlaced AVI files to DVD, and I know this a very old question. But I would love to know why the latest version of Avidemux is still not able to create MPEG-2 files that are interlaced. Is Avidemux just giving up on interlaced MPEG-2 because all new TVs are digital and progressive? Or is this a really really old bug in Avidemux since ver 2.5.6 that it just does not want to fix for some reason? Or what, please? Anybody know? I looked at Avidemux 2.5.6 and it just does not have all the features of 2.7.1. Why does it only and always encode to progressive MPEG-2? What deinterlacer filter is it using? Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

Almost all features of 2.6 and 2.7 are for non-MPEG.
And then I see no issue in 2.5.6:

avidemux25-interlacedMPEG.jpg

[engr2000]

OK. Many thanks, Mr Smurf. I am off using 2.5.6.
But what is the significance of your screenshot? For VHS to DVD, would I not use AC3 audio and MPEG-TS format? Certainly not AVI, right?

And not Progressive. My source is interlaced BFF.

[lordsmurf]

DVD is never MPEG-TS (transport stream). It's a program stream.

I didn't alter format or audio in the example, just the video for MPEG, and even then just interlacing option. No other options were touched. The defaults in Avidemux are lousy, and need adjustments.

Audio can technically be MP2, AC3, or PCM.
But yeah, AC3 often best, and then 384kbps best, 256/224 often fine, 192 can be tinny.

[engr2000]

You are the best. Thanks again. Hope this helps the millions who are converting VHS.

Like others, I have some old tapes that have lost almost all of the horizontal sync pulses; and therefore are difficult to capture. It appears I need to build a 15khz filter (or phase lock loop) which rebuilds the h-sync, I think. Have you ever heard of such a device? Or a schematic for a design?

Now I will stop bothering you. Ha!!

[lordsmurf]

Actually, yes, there is a TBC schematic on a site, and has been linked to quite a few times on this forum. That person seems to have lost interest, so it was never build. If you manage to build one, I'd really like to see a sample.

I don't recall the link offhand, so you'll need to do some searching. It's especially posts from within the past 6 months.

[engr2000]

Well, I have given up using Avidemux for encoding interlaced AVI to MPEG-2 for creating DVDs. It completely refuses to create an interlaced MPEG-PS file set from an interlaced AVI. It ALWAYS makes a progressive MPEG-2. Every version of Avidemux. Even the old 2.5.X. Too bad......

It appears that, even with all the guides that say it works, Avidemux is NOT suitable for converting old VHS tapes to interlaced DVD encoding. Need to find one that is suitable, I guess. Any suggestions for such a (free) tool will be appreciated.

[lordsmurf]

I know it works.
Upload a tiny sample clip (less than 99mb) of an AVI with high action.

[engr2000]

OK, here you go. Good luck.
You are very helpful. Have others had this prob? Or am I a simple idiot?

[lordsmurf]

Something is screwy with the Sony DV codec, seems to interfere. I have issues as well.
Convert to another lossless in VirtualDub, tried again. (Avidemux hates Lagarith on my system, so Huffyuv was used.)
Ran it again, and it's fine.
Gspot was used to verify. VLC used to preview with deinterlaced ON and using Yadifx2 mode, verify correct field order.

Notes:
- BFF for DV
- audio is lousyy 32kHz, so must be upsampled to 48kHz for DVD-compliant MPEG

checked it in:
- Avidemux 2.5 x86
- Avidemux 2.6 x64
- Avidemux 2.7 x64

... but noting 2.5 better than 2.6 or 2.7 for MPEG. More stable, quality appears slightly better.

[engr2000]

OK. Still working on this with no success making an MPEG-2 output that is interlaced. I did the same as you show above using Virtualdub and Huffyuv, and tried all three versions of Avidemux (set Avidemux to MPEG-2 video out). Gspot always shows the resulting mpg file as PROGRESSIVE. Is this what you got out of Gspot?

Anyway, could this result occur if Avidemux is creating a PSF (progressive segmented frame) version of the mpg2 output? Where Avidemux first converts the interlaced AVI input to progressive scan, and then creates a PSF wrapper to produce the final MPEG2-PS output? So then Gspot shows PROGRESSIVE when it the mpg out is really INTERLACED?

Do you think this is how Avidemux works? Or what?
Did you truly see Gspot show an INTERLACED mpg2 output from Avidemux?

[lordsmurf]

Gspot shows I/L on the DV>Huffyuv>MPEG (BFF) file.
It's PROG for the DV>MPEG (BFF) file.

I don't know what "progressive segmented frame" is, or forgot. Wikipedia shows it to be some sort of weird broadcast quasi-pulldown usage of a file. I've never done that. And I don't see how that would factor into your issue.

AVI is not interlaced, period. Nor is it progress. It just is. There's nowhere to flag it as such. When you create interlaced MPEG from AVI, that's one reason why you have to specify the field order, it cannot read a value. Most encoders default to match the field dominance when available.

Something is simply fubar with that Sony codec, and it confuses Avidemux.

[hodgey]

Using ffmpeg directly seems to work fine:

ffmpeg -i "1986 - Lake Rich and Famous 23sec.avi" -target ntsc-dvd -flags +ildct+ilme -alternate_scan 1 -top 0 -aspect 4:3 -b:v:0 4400000 -maxrate:v:0 8000000 -minrate:v:0 1750000 -b:a 256k output.mpg

It can be a bit daunting if you are not used to command-line applications though.

-i

means input filename (or other source). As there are spaces in it it's put in quotes.

-target ntsc-dvd

sets most options that are needed to make the file dvd-compliant

-flags +ildct+ilme -alternate_scan 1

tells the encoder to create interlaced video.

-top 0

specifies field order, bottom field first in this case since the source is DV. (-top 1 for top field first)

-aspect 4:3

specifies that we want normal 4/3 aspect ratio. (DVDs can also be anamorphic 16:9, which means the image is streched out to 16:9 format)

-b:v:0 4400000 -maxrate:v:0 8000000 -minrate:v:0 1750000

specifies average, maximum, minimum video bitrate respectively.

 -b:a 256k

specifies audio bitrate.
The last thing is the output filename.
This gave me a bff interlaced mpeg2 file from the clip you posted.

There are some more advanced 2-pass stuff over at doom9, if you really want to get into nitty gritty bitrate/quality optimisation, some of which is borrowed from/implemented in DVDStyler.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgey

It can be a bit daunting if you are not used to command-line applications though.

I wonder how the simple GUIs like WinFF and FFCoder would work for him. I don't have those installed anymore, and don't remember how deep or shallow the options are.

[engr2000]

Thanks, Dr Smurf. I get it about the AVI container, and I'm sure I entered the field order into Avidemux (all versions). Funny none of the millions doing VHS conversions have never complained about this - or else I can't find them. Also, I've done lots of cmd line over the years, no prob. But others may be helped by a GUI.

So, thanks very much, hodgey. I willtry ffmpeg and report back.

-- merged --

YES, YES, YES !! ffmpeg works great. Many, many thank yous must go out to hodgey.

Now, I need to compare interlaced mpg2 to Avidemux yadif deinterlaced. Need to look at quality and amount of interlace lines in the mpg as the camera moves (not much actual moving by the subjects). I still like Avidemux, mostly for all the great filters available.

Is this important enough for the good Dr. S. to post it in some global location for all to see, or something like that?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by engr2000

Is this important enough for the good Dr. S. to post it in some global location for all to see, or something like that?

Do you mean a simple guide for CLI use of ffmpeg, no GUI?