MPEG 2 Random Pixelation...

Hello,

I have customised an MPEG 2 Encoder on Compressor and it has worked fine for me for nearly a year now. But I have recently been, mainly on my last project which I managed to just scramble out the door, experiencing a weird anomally. While encoding films it will introduce heavy pixelation for maybe 2 or 3 seconds and usually only once per encode.

Also, I have been encoding different language versions of the same film and it actually pixelates the movies all in the same place, then I can export again and they'll all pixelate in a completely different place. Has anyone come across this, or is it just my settings?

If anyone could clarify it would be much appreciated.

How are you viewing the finished DVD? Pixelated frames is normally caused by encoding the .m2v files at too high a bit rate and the device decoding it during playback, can not handle that bitrate.

That is if the content going in looks good!

I did not know that, I have been watching back as a built Video T/S folder through an Apple G5 DVD Player.

So is there a recommended limit to bit-rate for standard DVD playback? I have checked the source footage and it all looks perfect. Is it best to just stick to the presets in Compressor, even if there not quite what you're after?

Thank you!

hal watmough Wrote:
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> I did not know that, I have been watching back as
> a built Video T/S folder through an Apple G5 DVD
> Player.

Yeah, a computer can play just about any bitrate burned DVD. But since we encode MPEG-2 before committing it to a DVD, doesn't it make sense that some how it will need to be decoded to watch it?

> So is there a recommended limit to bit-rate for
> standard DVD playback? I have checked the source
> footage and it all looks perfect. Is it best to
> just stick to the presets in Compressor, even if
> there not quite what you're after?

MPEG encoding is really an art of experiencial testing. If the content you are encoding is limited to gradual changes in scene movements or drastic changes of color or illumination of the scene, then a slower bit rate like 4.5 Mbps will do just fine. The mistake that folks new to DVD production make is that the highest bit rate will always be the best. The one thing easily forgot is what is the playback requirement? Are all the DVD players going to be today's state of the art technology? Point to remember, that if the file is too big to fit the DVD then drop the encode bit rate to make it smaller.

> Thank you!

You are welcome!