bad video file created... please help :(

TJo · Post by **TJo** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:16 pm

I apologize if this has been addressed in an earlier topic. I searched but cannot find a solution to my problem.

I've followed the settings in the "Recommended Procedure" posting. I created approximately a 35 minute video with video clips (digital video camera), pics and music. After following the procedure, I was successful with a clear .mpg video file. I decided to add a few different changes/sound effects, but now cannot create a video that is clear and shake-free. The resulting video file (when played in Windows Media Player) is slightly blurry and shaky around the faces. When I play the original .mpg in Windows Media Player, it plays perfectly. I'm not sure what I have done differently to cause the new problem.

Any suggestions what I could be doing wrong? I'm sorry, I'm sort of a newbie. Below are my project properties/settings (and when I go to create the video file, I choose Same As Project Settings).

Any help is MUCH appreciated b/c I have a due date of this week for my project.

Thank you thank you thank you!

VideoStudio 8.0
NTSC
Edit file format: MPEG files
Perform non-square pixel rendering --> enabled
Data track: Audio and Video
Frame rate: 29.97 frames/second
Frame size: 720 x 480
Display aspect ratio: 4:3
Frame type: Lower Field First
Media type: NTSC DVD
Quality: 100
Video data rate: Variable, 8000 kbps
Audio format: MPEG audio
Audio type: Stereo
Audio frequency: 48000 Hz
Audio bit rate: 224 kbps

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Thu May 26, 2005 12:32 am

I'm not sure if this is your problem, but editing an MPEG file requires it to be decoded & re-coded. MPEG is "lossy" compression, and the video quality will degrade each time through the compression process. The conversion to MPEG should be done only once, and last after all editing, if possible.

I have not noticed any "shaking". When I edited MPEGs with Video Studio, I noticed really bad pixelization (blockiness) during crossfade transitions (actually, during all transitions). It was not that bad. It sort-of looked like a special effect, as the non-edited parts of the video weren't affected. When I used a filter through an entire video, I think it caused some graininess... But, I'm not sure because the original was tapped from TV, and was not that good to start with. (It was not as bad as the transitions.) But, worse than that, editing MPEGs with Video Studio also gave me the dreaded "lip sync" problem.

You should be able to edit the audio without messing-up the video.

BTW - You should generally be using LPCM or AC3 audio (if you have the AC3 plug-in). All NTSC DVD players are required to play these formats. MPEG audio is optional. With this 35 minute video, you have plenty of room for LPCM (which isn't "lossy").

TJo · Post by **TJo** » Thu May 26, 2005 5:30 am

Thank you, DVDDoug, for the feedback. You are correct when describing my problem. The video (not just during transitions but at ALL times) has bad pixelization/blockiness, especially around the faces... not "shaky" like I described earlier.

Is decoding & recoding an MPEG file an easy process? Is it something you can explain or is it something I need to research how to do?

Unfortunately I've already tried to convert to MPEG more than once, so this may mean I may not get a good quality video file?

Also, I will try the LPCM audio instead.
Thanks again!