logo Sign In

Sudden blockiness of video while editing in PPro 2.0 - Problem solved!

Author
Date
Author
Time
Post link
Hi all.

I am currently doing an extensive fan edit of Episode II using Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0. After having worked hard several days on this, I discovered that about halfway through the video (m2v) file, the video gets very blocky and looks almost overly compressed, though it is not. I tried exporting an mpeg-2 file with a few seconds where this blockiness occurs and it looked the same in the resulting file.

Puzzled, I went out of Premiere and checked the ripped source m2v file. No blockiness at all there. This means that Premiere does something to the file. But what?

The video looks perfect up until the scenes at the Lars' homestead. From then on, every other scene looks like this:


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/SweHanzon/padme.jpg


Do any of you good people know how this can be solved? Any thoughts or ideas are more than welcome.
Author
Time
Post link
I am not familiar with editing m2v files as I normally work with DV AVIs, but could this be a "frame blend" or "field option" problem, something you accidentally toggled on or off after bringing the source file(s) into the timeline or after chopping them up in the timeline?
Author
Time
Post link
That's a good thought. However, I don't think that's the problem here. As a certain bearded Jedi would say: I'm afraid the situation has become much more complicated.

I tried creating a new project in premiere and imported the m2v file there. The blockiness occured at the exact same time in the video.

I tried re-ripping the dvd to create a fresh m2v file and then loaded it into a new project in premiere, and the blockiness once again occured at the exact same time. Though as before it only occurs in premiere and not in while watching the source file.

It's so silly.

I'm thinking perhaps it could have something to do with the dvd, but then the blockiness would occur in the source file as well, wouldn't it? I'm so confused.
Author
Time
Post link
Not to steal the thread or anything but what codex do you need to export to MPEG2. I am using After Effects and it doesn't give me the option to export to MPEG2.


Author
Time
Post link
Swe, I haven't yet experimented much with ripping DVDs to MPEG-2, but, since the problem is consistent across multiple tests, maybe it's due to copyright protection? Maybe try another piece of software to rip the DVD.

Marvolo, I just checked Adobe.com and found that you can export to MPEG-2 with AE 7.0; not sure about 6.5, but I'll dig a little deeper if you still need the help.
Author
Time
Post link
"but could this be a "frame blend" or "field option" problem"

At the very least, this would result in horizontal banding.

I was wondering if this happened at the layer change, but you said your master doesn't show these problems. Maybe try ripping the MPEG with a different program and inserting that version. If the problem continues, then there might be a flag in the MPEG that is messing with Premiere.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Swe, I haven't yet experimented much with ripping DVDs to MPEG-2, but, since the problem is consistent across multiple tests, maybe it's due to copyright protection? Maybe try another piece of software to rip the DVD.

Marvolo, I just checked Adobe.com and found that you can export to MPEG-2 with AE 7.0; not sure about 6.5, but I'll dig a little deeper if you still need the help.


I have AE 7.0. I will try again to import an MPEG-2 and see what happens.


Author
Time
Post link
Marvolo, I did some digging in AE 6.5 and this is what I found:

Top tool bar: Composition: Make Movie: save file as "[your title].avi" (".avi" is the only file extension the Render Queue will allow you to have, but the final file type is not locked-in by this).
Render Queue: find your file at the bottom of the render list; Output Module: click "lossless": Output Module Settings: select "MPEG2" or "MPEG2-DVD".

I convert most everything I do for work to a DVD-compliant MPEG2, though I haven't done it in AE yet, but I imagine you want your MPEGs for DVD. So, you probably want "MPEG2-DVD" at the highest quality you can get, which in 6.5's standard codec profiles are "NTSC DV 4x3 Low Quality 6MB VBR 1 Pass" and "NTSC Progressive 4x3 High Quality 7MB CBR 1 Pass". There are versions in PAL, too, as well as 16x9.

I hope this helps!
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Marvolo, I did some digging in AE 6.5 and this is what I found:

Top tool bar: Composition: Make Movie: save file as "[your title].avi" (".avi" is the only file extension the Render Queue will allow you to have, but the final file type is not locked-in by this).
Render Queue: find your file at the bottom of the render list; Output Module: click "lossless": Output Module Settings: select "MPEG2" or "MPEG2-DVD".

I convert most everything I do for work to a DVD-compliant MPEG2, though I haven't done it in AE yet, but I imagine you want your MPEGs for DVD. So, you probably want "MPEG2-DVD" at the highest quality you can get, which in 6.5's standard codec profiles are "NTSC DV 4x3 Low Quality 6MB VBR 1 Pass" and "NTSC Progressive 4x3 High Quality 7MB CBR 1 Pass". There are versions in PAL, too, as well as 16x9.

I hope this helps!


Thanks, darkhelmet. This helps a so much!


Author
Time
Post link
"This helps a so much!"

Are you Italian?

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

Author
Time
Post link
Thank you for your answers =)

I have tried using another program now (DVD Shrink & VobEdit instead of DVD Decrypter). Again, premiere does something to it that isn't visible in the source file. Again, it happens at the exact same time. My brain hurts.

I checked if it happens simultaneusly with the layer change. It doesn't, but it's right after. The layer change happens as Obi-Wan appear behind Jango's Slave I before the asteroid field and the blockiness begins the second C-3PO becomes visible in a big establishing shot. This could be all his fault. Though I'm leaning more and more towards MBJ's suggestion, that "there might be a flag in the MPEG that is messing with Premiere."

This does seem the most logical problem, but I don't understand it at all. More importantely, I have no idea how to fix it or if it is even "fixable".


A side note/question: What is the most common used program for fan edits? Because in the worst case scenario, I might have to do this all over.
Author
Time
Post link
I wonder if maybe running the program through Womble and creating a new MPEG might work. I don't know much about Womble, but if it could write a new MPEG from the old one with a minimum of recoding, you might create a copy with no flags or markers that could trip up Premiere?

ADM's the expert on that. I'll drag him in here....


/grabs hand-cuffs

/leaves room

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

Author
Time
Post link
Womble is worth a shot, though I wouldn't put much stock in it. Try running Womble's GOP fixer on the ripped M2V source. If that does the trick, great. If not, capture the scene or even just the shot in uncompressed AVI using DGIndex and VirtualDubMod. Replace the offending shot with the uncompressed one. It should eliminate the problem entirely.

Disclaimer: I'm only guessing.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
Author
Time
Post link
/releases hand-cuffs

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Marvolo
Thanks, darkhelmet. This helps a so much!
You're welcome! Glad I could help.
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
Are you Italian?

LOL! So, what say you, Marv?



Author
Time
Post link
You're a very good guesser, ADM . I have finally manged to solve this greatly irritating problem. In case this happens to anyone else I'll write down what I did. Any questions, PM me or send an e-mail. What you really should do is read ADM's guide on editing, located on this forum.

Programs used: DGIndex, Gordian Knot, VirtualDubMod, TMPGEnc.

What I did:

1. First I used DGIndex to create a .d2v file for a .vob that I had ripped using DVD Shrink. In my case, perhaps 2/5 of the movie needed to be re-captured so I set DGIndex to only save that particular part.

2. I loaded the .d2v file in Gordian Knot and fixed the settings to be correct for the project (PAL, anamorphic and stuff like that). Then, in the window showing the video, I saved it all as an .avs file.

3. Since I couldn't get the output resolution right in GKnot I had to open the .avs file in notepad to change this to correct value for this project (720x576)

4. I opened up VirtualDubMod and there I opened the .avs file. All I had to do here was to save the file as an .avi (uncompressed of course). Only problem here is that these kind of files take up a huge amount of HD space. As I said, about 2/5 of the movie needed to be re-captured, and after encoding the .avi I ended up with a 92GB file! Luckily I have an external, very big HD for all my film work so I managed this.

5. Now I opened TMPGEnc and loaded my 92 Gig .avi. I changed all the settings to be correct for this project and then allowed it to encode an .m2v file. I was a little afraid that the blockiness would reappear here since I had just taken a detour creating the same type of file I already had in premiere. I was very happy to see that this didn't happen.

6. In Premiere, I imported the file in my project and we've lived happily together ever after. The End.


Thank you for your help everyone, you make a newcomer feel very welcome.
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Originally posted by: Marvolo
Thanks, darkhelmet. This helps a so much!
You're welcome! Glad I could help.
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
Are you Italian?

LOL! So, what say you, Marv?


No, that was just a typo, but I do have a passion for Italian food.

P.S. SweHanzon, we love to see new people on these boards. It means this happy family is getting bigger and bigger.


Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Marvolo
Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
Are you Italian?
LOL! So, what say you, Marv?

No, that was just a typo, but I do have a passion for Italian food.

Mmm... Italian food.

P.S. SweHanzon, we love to see new people on these boards. It means this happy family is getting bigger and bigger.

Here, here! Nice to get another editor with technical experience, too. What you found may come in handy for me as I've never ripped a DVD like you've done, and I'll be needing to rip one eventually for some audio editing. Thanks, SweHanzon.