seanski:

could you try it with this .MTS file? :

http://www.boardie.com/avchd/swanatholmepierrepont_seanriley.MTS

 

TMPGenc 4 convert it perfectly !

I don't wan't to sound like advertisment,but for every conversation that i need( Mpeg1,Mpeg2,Avi,Mov...etc)  I use TMPGenc.

p.s. Sometime with help of ffdshow:-)

Stefanopolus:

TMPGenc 4 convert it perfectly !

I don't wan't to sound like advertisment,but for every conversation that i need( Mpeg1,Mpeg2,Avi,Mov...etc)  I use TMPGenc.

 

Me too. I love this software.

Chris

PS: Regarding the 'combing' someone is seeing. I presume you're talking about in TMPEG's preview window? If so, don't worry about it. That's a scaled image and interlacing doesn't display properly. However, if your settings are correct you should be able to 'fast import' your DNxHD encoded files into Avid with perfect clarity and playback.

 

Chris do you use TMPGenc 4 with HD source to SD output?    I get unreliable and dropped frame results from it and have had to stop using it.

Thanks  Andrew

I have been happy with the Adobe Media Encoder workflow for this. 

I encoded the MTS file to Avid DNxHD 1080P 25 with Media Encoder in 1:06 and it imported into Avid (not a Fast Import) in :38.  In 2 minutes the clip was in and fully editable!  (yum)

If I had a place to store the exported jpeg online, I would have included in this message.

 

OK, I continued playing and testing. So, here's the result - with TMPGEnc version 4 (trial version at the moment) and Avid DNxHD codecs downloaded from the Avid site (yes probably have them with MC but am not doing all this on my edit machine because I want to confirm it works before putting more applications on the edit machine, which isn't connected to the internet etc)

Load AVCHD clips into TMPGEnc (wish it had a snappier title :) )
Choose DNxHD 120 (seems good enough for my eyes, though I haven't completed the workflow through to BluRay yet)
Choose transcode (think I'm right in thinking that there's a 4GB filesize limit in XP and therefore you have to be careful with the 'turn all clips into one clip' option - that resulted in errors for me when the file reached 3.99GB! - Might group some files together in this manner as its nicer than hundreds of clips in the bin for everytime the camera starts/stops as the DVCProHD/P2 method)

Clips appear as DNxHD files which load into Avid quickly and no combing issues (before I downloaded the DNxHD codec I tried a QT mov in TMPGEnc and it resulted in interlace combing)

Now, all I need to work out is the tidying... Avid copies the DNxHD files into your chosen drive when you import them, so do I keep the intermediate file as a backup or just use it to get the pics into the Avid.

The trial version of TMPGEnc is putting a burned in caption top right of the footage for a few seconds, not yet sure if that's just at the beginning of the clip or if it recurs through footage, either way I'd happily buy the software as it does a great job. - Just wish they'd sort out their website, its awful!

Now, to delete the 400GB of DVCProHD files I have to start re-encoding as DNxHD! :)

EDIT: Just as an additional - one of my problems was I floundered around finding out the settings etc - there doesn't appear to be a 'how-to' on this anywhere, just people saying they use it - Once I've completed the workflow and am happy with the results I'll try to do a step-by-step guide including which software/codecs you need etc.

Hoh:

have been happy with the Adobe Media Encoder workflow for this. 

I encoded the MTS file to Avid DNxHD 1080P 25 with Media Encoder in 1:06 and it imported into Avid (not a Fast Import) in :38.  In 2 minutes the clip was in and fully editable!  (yum)

If I had a place to store the exported jpeg online, I would have included in this message.

Thanks Hoh, sounds like you have a similar spec machine to mine too, though you have Vista and a truck-load more RAM! - I'm trying to keep it low-cost, hence looking at TMPGEnc rather than Adobe products...

AndrewAction:

Chris do you use TMPGenc 4 with HD source to SD output?    I get unreliable and dropped frame results from it and have had to stop using it.

Thanks  Andrew

Hey Andrew,

Yes, I use TMPGenc for HD to SD transcodes all the time with stellar results. Of course I'm in NTSC land, so I'm not sure if that could possibly be where the difference lies?

I will often take HD 23.976 QT ref files straight from the Avid and create 3:2 pulldown DVDs with fantastic results. Using this method creates a 23.976 progressive MPEG file which the players presumably insert pulldown into automatically. Looks brilliant.

I've also used the software to interlace the footage, thus creating 29.97 MPEGs with pulldown already inserted. Also looks brilliant, but the other method is faster, presumably because you're doing 20% fewer frames?

Chris

Thanks Chris.  My problems with TMPGenc have all been on files from 1080 23.976 projects. Where it gets the frames right it does look brilliant.

Worst problems came from an encode of a QT animation file (55GB's) of our online completed by an international facility here (responsible for several blockbusters.)  The same file encodes perfectly from HD to SD in ProCoder 3, Squeeze 5 and Adobe MediaManager from CS4.

I have always liked TMPGenc (since before it had an English interface) so looking to get to the bottom of this.

Question to AndrewAction:

Just trying to clarify - are you saying you're always seeing frame issues with AVCHD to SD using TMPGEnc, or specifically only with 1080 23.976?

Or to put it another way, have you successfully transferred other AVCHD variants (like 1080i 25) to SD PAL with TMPGEnc?

Laboured question I know, but I'm mainly interested in 1080i 25 to PAL SD 25.

I discovered the problems originally with 1080 23.976 to SD encode. Subsequently I tried it on a 5 minute 1080i 25 clip encoding to Blu Ray MPEG and had problem frames in that encode as well so have currently stopped using TMPGenc for HD.  However I would like to use it if I found a reliable workflow.

AndrewAction:

I discovered the problems originally with 1080 23.976 to SD encode. Subsequently I tried it on a 5 minute 1080i 25 clip encoding to Blu Ray MPEG and had problem frames in that encode as well so have currently stopped using TMPGenc for HD. 

Andrew, could this be related to your other probs with 23,976  , something in your encoding workflows that doesn´t work the way it should.

mjolnarn:

something in your encoding workflows that doesn´t work the way it should.

You could be right, which is why after these time wasting failures I ask a poster I have known on the forum for more than 5 years and who is using the same version of TMPGenc if he is having problems with it.

 

My "other" problem with 23.976 is that 2 Sony Blu Ray players wont play 23.976 Blu Ray disks encoded by Sorenson, ProCoder and Adobe Media to disks successfully authored with Encore CS4 and Avid DVD whilst 3 other major brands have no problems with those disks.  How that relates a problem with TMPGenc 4 failing to properly encode the same file that the above encoders had no problem with is beyond my current comprehension. I would be very happy to be enlightened.

Hoh:

I have been happy with the Adobe Media Encoder workflow for this. 

I encoded the MTS file to Avid DNxHD 1080P 25 with Media Encoder in 1:06 and it imported into Avid (not a Fast Import) in :38.  In 2 minutes the clip was in and fully editable!  (yum)

If I had a place to store the exported jpeg online, I would have included in this message.

 

Just curious as to the converted file size. I used the same method you described and got a x12 file size increase. (Even using Cineform's NeoScene, the converted file is 10x bigger.) I know AVCHD is highly compressed. But this seems a bit excessive, no? Conversely, conversion to MPEG2 Transport Stream (.m2t) creates only a moderately larger file. Oddly, AMC rejects these files for me. (Yet it QUICKLY imports 1440x1080 m2t files from my Firestore FS4.) Does anyone have a workflow and/or settings for converting mts to m2t using either Adobe Media Encoder or TMPGEnc 4 (or even Squeeze)?

AndrewAction:

mjolnarn:

something in your encoding workflows that doesn´t work the way it should.

You could be right, which is why after these time wasting failures I ask a poster I have known on the forum for more than 5 years and who is using the same version of TMPGenc if he is having problems with it.

 

My "other" problem with 23.976 is that 2 Sony Blu Ray players wont play 23.976 Blu Ray disks encoded by Sorenson, ProCoder and Adobe Media to disks successfully authored with Encore CS4 and Avid DVD whilst 3 other major brands have no problems with those disks.  How that relates a problem with TMPGenc 4 failing to properly encode the same file that the above encoders had no problem with is beyond my current comprehension. I would be very happy to be enlightened.

Yes, forgot that I had asked for that, sorry, must be my age

Anyhow, have you tried with media coming from differnt sources, just to check

the file size increase is about normal (depending on which level of DNxHD you pick) - As I understand it, AVCHD is highly compressed and uses long GOP (Group Of Pictures) - not ideal for editing due to both being highly compressed, Long GOP and then the sheer amount of data throughput once uncompressed. When you transcode to MPEG2 (.m2t) you're still in long GOP territory.

When you transcode to DNxHD you're out of Long GOP territory and therefore in a format that's easier to edit with, though not as highly compressed hence the file sizes.

I found going from AVCHD (roughly 10mins per meg) to DNxHD (roughly 1min per meg) depending on the type of DNxHD  (easiest and smallest files DNxHD 8bit 120 / largest files DNxHD 185) - obviously you're going to lose quality with the smaller bit-rates.

Hope that helps. - also, even when transcoding to DVCProHD you have a x10 filesize increase and don't maintain the full raster, so DNxHD seems the best choice.

Now, I'm off to buy some more hard discs!! - Anyone more expert than I am feel free to correct my cod explanation...

p.s. the x10 - x12 could be simply down to if you're in 30fps land and I'm in 25fps land (PAL)