PocketDivX Encoder - Stable or Beta Version?

J

JessPants

New member
PocketDivX, which I'm finally going to try as an option or substitute for TMPG Encoder/Core TCPMP player, has 2 versions.

First is "stable 3.50" from July of last year and 6MB with no "read me" before install; the second is a 9.5MB "3.51 beta RC11" version.

Is anyone here using the newer "beta" and what are the advantages before I load one or the other of them?

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks.
 
Being RC11 it's likely to be very stable. I must say I hadn't realised there was a new beta out (even though it's been out 4 months!) so many thanks for bringing it to my attention Paul!
It looks like a worthwhile upgrade although there isn't a huge amount different. I'd *hope* the underlying XviD codec has been updated, giving an improvement in encoding quality.
BTW when using PocketDivXEncoder, I do recommend ticking Xvid, as it will give better quality (IMHO), although you will have to wait longer. Have VHQ ticked and Bframes, but don't bother with 2 pass.
So yeah, go for the beta.

Oh and the great thing about PocketDivXEncoder, is that you don't have to "load" it atall. It just runs from the exe file- no installation :)
 
Thank you yet again oh brilliant ones.

The "non registry twisting exe" really appeals - you try out 4-5 different video apps and unless you've got RegSeeker 1.35 (dangerous but good, like TomCatalog for Palm!) you can really have a mess.

Thanks IIIC - will load it tonight. TMPG Encoder will default to 320x240, and I've changed that to 320 x 320; I want full frame on the T3 without landscape.

I'm thinking this PocketDivX might give me more options once the clips are sorted for color saturation (you always seem to need more reds, touch of yellow and a brightness/contrast "cut-boost" to make things look better on the T3).

Cheers.
 
Just had to let you know this.. I decided to run a test- kinda MMPlayer vs TCMP.

My file: ~200Kbps xvid , vhq, b frames, 320x480, 32kbps 32khz 16bit mono mp3 audio, encoded with PocketDivXEncoder.

I knew that MMPlayer wouldn't stand a chance playing that file, to be honest. But I thought, lets have a laugh. So I load it up, and it coughs and splutters, and just dies. It couldn't cope, even with skipping every single b frame. Didn't suprise me. But what did suprise me was TCMP's reaction. No problem. Press play, fullscreen it, perfect. Absolutely darn perfect. I check the statistics, and it says that 1 frame out of over 2500 frames has been skipped (probably due to me pausing the video.) Amazing.

Obviously, you'd be unlikely to ever encode at 480x320, because no video's have an aspect ratio of 3x2. But it proves you can play absolutely full screen videos perfectly..
In England our vids are all 4x3, so the biggest I can fit on the palm screen without streching/letterboxing is 416x312. And for the first time ever, my T3 will play those videos perfectly. :)
 
Pocket DivX gives me a message saying I need to upgrade to DirectX9 to get "all the whisltes." I tried, but probably due to having Kerio block ActiveX, it won't lad the upgrade. I'm wondering what you miss not having DirX9.

Also, what is correct screen size if I want 320x320 playback full screen? I chose the "T3" model on Pocket DivX but it says max is now 320x480; I'm not viewing in landscape. I also don't want "black edges" top and bottom, although the 200% zoom on TCPMP is tremendous for getting over that problem. It says right on the GUI that I can change dimensions, but without having a clip loaded it won't "respond." I'll test it out later tonight with an actual "sample."

What would you say is best sample rate? 500? 700?

Also frame rate - I was using 15 fps w/Kinoma but I think I might go to 24 (23.97?) in TMPG Encoder, skip Pocket DivX and just play the TMPG edits on the new beta player (works fine). What is best "quick w/reasonable quality" setting including size? Realizing that the T3 screen probably can't give you much benefit, I'm thinking that lower REZ is probably a file saver with similar results.

Cheers IIIc! Good find with the MM Player - I've never liked it. This new one is all we really need, I think . . . .
 
Errrr. Sorry not really following here.

You don't really want to encode with TMPEG because that uses MPEG codec (think stone age). Those sample rates you are talking about would be HUGE if you were using PocketDivX. With PocketDivX, try 250Kbps (i.e. video "quality" 12). Bear in mind, the predicted outcome filesizes in PocketDivX are a load of rubbish so pay no attention to them!

Olivier (who makes PocketDivXEncoder) told me that the editing features "visual resizing, visual cropping and visual cutting" are disabled without DirectX9. I *think* you can probably still do those things, but just without the "visual" aspect (i.e. being able to see what you are doing to the video as you do it).
The long and short of it: don't worry about installing DirectX9.

320x320 video won't look great as it's square. Either you strecth, or you lose some stuff. With the PDA closed and upright, think 320x240. With it open think 416x312.
If you really don't want black bars, you'll have to go into the resize option, make sure "keep aspect ratio" is unchecked, and drag to 320 and 320. But your video will be AWFULLY streched.
Truth is there's no real reason to watch the vid with the pda closed. It won't save battery life, and the quality will still be great without increasing the bitrate atall. You might want a slight increase, but that's all. Only 50Kbps or so extra.

Leave frame rate as it is in PocketDivX. (i.e. don't tick the framerate option under advanced options). Then if the original is 25fps, it will be encoded at 25fps.

I'm curious- you seem to be talking about running everything through TMPEG first....but I don't know why?! Won't the original file, whatever it is, load straight into PocketDivX?

It should be as simple as this:

1) Open PocketDivXEncoder.
2) Click T3 Icon.
3) Load input (original file).
4) Make sure video quality is 12 and audio quality is 2.
5) Move brightness and sound (it's an audio boost) to 0%
6) Press Change. Put 416 on the left and 312 on the right and then press Apply. (Or 320 and 240 for closed PDA).
7) Press Advanced Options.
Make sure the following (and only the following) are ticked:
"Create an AVI file....."
"XviD"
"Bframes"
"VHQ".
8) On the left press "encode now".

It's that simple. You should have a file that is 2.5 megabytes per minute. So if it's half an hour, expect a 75 Meg file.
The quality should be brilliant and TCMP should play it brilliantly. (Set zoom to 100% in TCMP, and not fit screen. Also obviously fullscreen and landscape if using the 416x312 video size specified above.

Try it! As long as you have a high quality input file, you should be more than happy.
 
Doing exactly that, and you CAN preview without DirectX9. Cool.

Quality is SUPERIOR to TMPG (you knew that, oh great genius) . . . I use TMPG to change coloring - but imagine saturation would do that in Pocket DivX.

All settings will be as you say (had about 70% of them myself, but yours are I'm sure better) . . .

I'm an anxious encoding weasel . . . . . Man alive, these two components ROCK (new CORE player and PocketDivX!!

It really is simple - I'll use the 320/240 and use the 200% zoom if necessary.

GREAT STUFF.
 
Good good. Glad it's all going ok. But don't zoom! If you feel the need to zoom, we'll adjust the encoding settings so you don't need to zoom. All zooming does it mean you are viewing 160x160 video pixles on 320x320 pixels. That means every video dot is being shown on 4 pda screen dots. i.e. BAD!

If you feel the need to zoom once your video has been encoded, we'll change the encoding settings.
The changes you'd need to make would be
1) You'd need to set the size to 320 and 320 with keep aspect ratio unchecked after pressing "change" (step 6).
and 2) you would need to do an extra stage. Press CROP, and then use the arrows to crop a large portion off the left and right of your video (so you should have about 12.5% of the width of the video cropped on the left, and another 12.5% cropped on the right).

That would save you zooming, and stop you losing all that quality, but obviously 25% of the width of the video would be lost.....

But zooming is really pointless. If you 200% zoom a 320x240 video to watch with the pda closed, you will only see 160x160 of the orignial video pixels. i.e. 2 thirds of your video would be off the screen!!! There isn't any point encoding a file to then lose 2/3rd off the edge of the screen.

If you're thinking of watching in landscape, with the pda open, then that's a different matter. But if you were doing that, you would be encoding at 416x312 so......

Sorry for the lecture ;) I just hate zooming (for valid reasons imho :p)...
 
I downloaded TCMP now what file do i need for the palm to play movies a whole bunch of stuff popped up which tcmp files do ineed on my TX
 
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