Video captured from mini DV camera is pixellated

[Ken Berry]

John -- sorry, but that's just brought us back to his original post. He is here because he is having trouble capturing to mpeg-2.

[jchunter]

I know. Sorry I'm late to this post. Pixelation is probably caused by wrong Mpeg2 codec or wrong capture properties or defects already on the camera's tape.

The Mpeg4 / WMF detour is way off the track and certain to cause huge problems and grief. It is not going to result any real disk space saving and everything has to come back to mpeg2 anyway.

Edit: I noticed that his Core2Duo has a clock speed of only 2.13 GHz and we don't know how well VS is able to utilize two CPUs. If only one is operative for the mpeg2 capture, that could be a big problem because I think that is a lot slower than my 3GHz P4 HT. If so, he will probably have to capture DV Type1.

[davestephen]

john - I already agreed that wmf is off track and a last resort. However my mpeg-4 clips do not noticeably give reduced quality when converted to mpeg-2, maybe because most of my editing is of on-stage concert footage with variable lighting. File sizes are comparable to mpeg-2.

Just for the record, it is not the tape. It happens with different tapes, all of which work on my old computer. Capture and project properties are all as they were on my old machine.

Now that I know mpeg-4 works, it does seem that the mpeg-2 codec is broken. Odd, as it's a new installation and I have not installed any other video handling apps since I bought it. I will follow this up next.

Re processor usage - the clock speed of the Core 2 Duo is 2.13Ghz per processor. I checked out the Intel technical specs before I bought it, they describe how the Core 2 optimises instruction pipelining across processors for a single thread (unlike the earlier Duo processors), so Ulead's optimisation for dual processors is less important. As I said, capturing mpeg-4 in real time is no problem and the codec does about the same amount of work, maybe more as it is compressing audio to AAC. Rendering to mpeg-2 in SHARE/Create Video File is about 50% faster than my old machine and is probably now constrained by disk speed rather than the processor.

I hear what you all say about editing in DV format, but do you guys really work with files of 12-20 Gb? Even if I break them up into smaller chunks of say, 10 minutes each, it is still a huge amount of data to manage and back up.

Thanks for all your help
Dave

[jchunter]

Dave,
My guess is that you are using the wrong Mpeg2 codec or it is corrupt.

I always captured in Mpeg2 format and, as a rule, have not experienced pixelation. It is not a systemic problem. So, logical troubleshooting procedure would be to focus first on the codec and the capture properties.

As for whether the Duo can make productive use of two processors without assisance from the software, I think the jury is still out. I don't have one and so can't offer good advice - only speculation.

If you can actually transcode from DV to Mpeg4 in real time, during capture, that would be quite an accomplishment - IMO, a tribute to the Mpeg4 codec having been tuned to utilize both CPUs. However, when I have tried to edit the highly compressed video formats, the results have been bad - crashes, lock-ups, stalling during playback, etc. The only thing that I have been able to do reliably is create Divx HD video files from Video Studio projects.

BTW, if your mpeg4 files are not 20 - 30% of the size of you mpeg2 files, you must have the video bitrate cranked up too high (3 - 4Mbps should be more than enough for standard definition video) or have Constant bitrate selected.

[davestephen]

Thanks John. How do I know which codec Ulead is using for mpeg-2 capture? I thought Ulead had their own but I can't see it. Here is the list of installed video codecs from System Information:

aasc32.dll Autodesk, Inc
flccodec32.dll Autodesk, Inc.
iccvid.dll Radius Inc. Cinepak® Codec (CVID)
ir41_32.ax Intel Corporation
ir50_32.dll Intel Corporation Indeo® video 5.10
iyuv_32.dll Microsoft Corporation
msh261.drv Microsoft Corporation
msh263.drv Microsoft Corporation
msrle32.dll Microsoft Corporation
msvidc32.dll Microsoft Corporation
msyuv.dll Microsoft Corporation
tsbyuv.dll Microsoft Corporation

If you want me to plough through old posts on the forum to find out, that's OK!

[jchunter]

Ulead does have its own codec - "Ulead DSW Mpeg Capture Codec" as listed in Video Studio menu Tools / Change Capture Plugin. I don't see that codec listed among other codecs in the Device Manager, so it must be installed with the editor in Program Files.

It may be that this codec is either corrupt or that one of your other codecs is interferring with it... We have often seen problems on this forum when users install codec packs. You have a lot of codecs listed that I don't have.

I would try a reinstall of Video Studio to see if that will break the logjam by reinstalling the codec.

[Ken Berry]

As John says, Ulead uses its own mpeg-2 codec -- though to be accurate, it is licensed from another company. This used to be MainConcept. If this is still the case, I think the actual file you have to look for is mcdsmpeg.ax which on my computer is installed in Program Files\Main Concept.

But I am no longer so sure, since InterVideo took over, that they may not now being using one of theirs -- which could be IVIVENC.ax located in the InterVideo folder of Program Files.

[Ron P.]

Ken,

I done a search on my system for both the files you mentioned. I don't have the first "mcdsmpeg.ax" file anywhere, the latter "IVIVENC.ax" file is only found in my \Program Files\InterVideo\WCreator2, and \Program Files\InterVideo\Bin folders.

Since I came up empty on the first file, I done a general search on "ax" files, and found a uldsmpeg.ax file that shows to be a Ulead Audio/Video MPEG Decoder.

[Ken Berry]

Thanks Ron. I have now found that file too in Common Files for Ulead. The really curious thing, though, is that neither GSpot not Sherlock show it at all. I got the codec file references in my earlier post from them.

So I confess I am totally confused as well.

But maybe the OP can search for your file too or do a Repair...

[davestephen]

Sadly uninstalling/reinstalling VS10 did not help.

I have uldsmpeg.ax in my Prgram FIles\Common Files\Ulead, it's date is 12/01/06. I also have Program Files \Main Concept with mceesmpeg.ax which is described as an MPEG Encoder and Muxer. It is dated 5/10/2005 so is unlikely to have been upgraded for dual processors, maybe that's where the problem is.

Looks like I'm stuck for a while . I've reported it to Ulead tech support and will let you know what they say.

Thanks everyone
Dave

[roy wood]

Hi, just in case there is a problem with your CPU/s Intel have a small download utillity which will check your actual processor speed against the rated speed. Just read and follow this link to download for your system.

http://support.intel.com/support/proces ... 015476.htm

[davestephen]

Thanks Roy - Intel utility reports both processor cores OK.

[jchunter]

However, this utility can't really tell us how well the Video Studio software is able to make productive use of two processors while transcoding (during capture) from DV to mpeg2 format.

BTW, if the CPU were too slow to transcode in real time, you should be getting "Transcode Buffer Full" messages. These are not really a problem as long as you stop capturing long enough to let the buffer empty. I would not expect macro blocking as a symptom, unless the video bitrate is way too low (but you reported 8000Kbps, which is fine).

I'm still thinking that, somehow, the Ulead codec registration is compromised and that some other codec is defaulting to capture.