MegaPEG Release Notes

Version:	MegaPEG Encoder 1.28 Build 008 (Win NT/95/98)

Date:	24 August, 1999

This ‘readme’ file outlines the important issues associated with installing and using the Digigami MegaPEG batch MPEG-2 encoder.

Using the 'Movie Compiler' with Premiere 5.x

Encoding for DVD Authoring

Encoding for Adaptec VideoCD Creator

Creative Labs Playback

History of Changes

Installation notes

General Notes

New Features

Known bugs and Limitations

Getting support from Digigami, Inc.

•	The MegaPEG Premiere Plug-In is now available from Digigami, Inc. for both Windows 95/NT and Power Macintosh.

•	Digigami is readying a new version of MegaPEG with many powerful new features for HDTV and DVD encoding.

Thanks for looking into MegaPEG!

Copyright © 1995-1999 Digigami, Inc.


Using the 'Movie Compiler' with Premiere 5.x

MegaPEG AP 1.28 Build 008 contains a ‘new’ version of the encoder which can export the timeline or construction window to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2.

1.	First, select the timeline window (or a clip).

2. 	The Movie Compiler is available under File-Export-Movie…

3.	When the Save As dialog box appears, type the filename of your MPEG file (i.e. Test.mpg) and then choose the Settings button.

4. 	In the box marked File Type, choose ‘Digigami MegaPEG’.

5. 	In the box marked Ranged, choose Entire Movie or Work Area.

6. 	On the Video Settings page, type the Width and Height of the movie.  It is best to have Premiere do any frame resizing for you rather than MegaPEG in this version.

7. 	Choose OK.

8. 	Choose the OK button on the Save As dialog box.

9. 	The MegaPEG options dialog appears.  Set your encoding options and press OK.


Encoding for DVD Authoring

MegaPEG 1.28 Build 008 has been tested with Minerva Impression.  Other tools should work as well.  I will test them as I receive them from the  vendors.

NTSC

Frame size	Frame Rate	Display Aspect Ratio
720x480	29.97 fps	16:9
720x480	29.97 fps	4:3
704x480	29.97 fps	16:9
704x480	29.97 fps	4:3
352x480 (Half-D1)	29.97 fps	4:3
352x240	29.97 fps	4:3
PAL

Frame size	Frame Rate	Display Aspect Ratio
720x576	25 fps	16:9
720x576	25 fps	4:3
704x576	25 fps	16:9
704x576	25 fps	4:3
352x576 (Half-D1)	25 fps	4:3
352x288	25 fps	4:3

Recommended bitrates:

720x480, 704x480, 720x576, 704x576:  video 7-9000 (6-9 Mbit/s)

352x480, 352x576:  video 3-4500 (3-4 Mbit/s)

For DVD-on-a-computer playback, use 44.1 kHz audio at 224 kbits/s.

For DVD on a DVD unit playback, save your audio track as a .WAV file for import into Sonic Foundry soft encode or DVD authoring tool.


Encoding for Adaptec VideoCD Creator

If you haven’t already done so, grab the latest and greatest version of Adaptec VideoCD Creator from the Adaptec web site.

In the bitrate tab, set the bitrate target to VideoCD.  Leave the settings for video and audio on auto.  The source movie must contain a stereo audio track.

In the video tab, select the following settings:

	NTSC	PAL
Frame rate:	23.97 or 29.97	25
Aspect Ratio:	1.0950	.9157
Video Dimensions:	352x240 pixels *	352x288 pixels *

* Note:  You will likely need to clear the box marked “Lock proportions” in order to set the video dimensions to these settings.

In the audio tab, select the following settings:

Set the stereo mode to stereo, joint-stereo, or dual-channel.

Set the audio sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

The System multiplex settings must be left on ‘Auto’.


Creative Labs Playback

This version of MegaPEG has been extensively tested with Creative Labs DVD cards.  What follows are some notes for encoding for Creative Labs playback.

•	MPEG-1 - the Creative Labs card seems to prefer 44.1 kHz audio, and will playback 32 kHz audio in “chipmunk-style”.  This is likely a carry-over from the Video CD White Book specification which requires 44.1 kHz audio.

•	The playback problems with streams created by MegaPEG versions 1.00.23 and earlier were due to multiplexing issues, rather than any problems with the audio or video encoder.  Therefore, it is not necessary to re-encode video or audio.  Simply choose the ‘Tools…Split…’ function from the File menu to split any .MPG file created with the .23 version.  Next, choose the ‘Tools…Multiplex…’ function from the File menu to create new, improved system stream.  Generally speaking, this should also correct any playback problems experienced with other forms of hardware playback.

•	MPEG-2 - the Creative Labs card likes only standard frame sizes for MPEG-2 video (for instance CCIR 601 at 720x480x29.97), which can be a problem if your capture card produces interlaced frames at some other dimension.  Generally speaking, the encoded frame size should be exactly 720x480 or you will experience noise beneath the encoded frame area.  Currently, any attempts to resize interlaced video with MegaPEG will destroy the fields.  A future version of the product will address this issue.


History of Changes

1.28

•	Build 008 - Added simple save settings to Movie Compiler and export plug-in.

•	Build 008 - Added sequence_header output for MPEG-2 before each GOP.

•	Build 008 - Added support for burning custom logos on each frame.

•	Build 008 - Smartened up the [auto] settings expansion for most parameters.

•	Build 008 - Fixed bug with WhiteBook VCD streams & MediaPlayer 98.

•	Build 004 - Fixed bug with stuttering audio under MediaPlayer and DirectShow software-based MPEG players.

•	Build 003 - eliminated (Case 2) problem with multiplex generation yielding zero length file under Windows 95/Windows 98.  Fixed problem with File/Tools/Multiplex progress window.

•	Build 002 - eliminated (Case 1) problem with standard system stream generation resulting in zero length file.

•	Created further fixes to bugs in video encoder which resulted in excessive blocking artifacts and bitrate fluctations.

•	Made fixes to freshly rewritten multiplexing code.

•	Revisited WhiteBook 2.0 specification for a weekend and through a tedious process of trial and error, dialed the product in with Adaptec VideoCD Creator.

•	Fixed problem with frame bleeding toward left and bottom for source frame sizes which are not evenly divisibly by the 16x16 pixel macroblock boundary.

1.00.27

•	Completely rewritten multiplexing code.  This code is the core of MegaPEG’s upcoming Program Stream multiplex, and includes a complete STD buffer model written in C++.  Fixes bug with audio being slightly out of sync with video, and should take care of all hardware compatibility issues with previous system multiplex.  This new multiplex code also addresses a bug in the old code which emitted an incorrect bit syntax in the audio portion of the system header, creating an incompatibility with DirectShow/ActiveMovie.

•	Includes a VideoCD multiplexer which adheres to WhiteBook standards.  Still investigating compatibility issues with Adaptec VideoCD Creator.

•	Fixed bug with sequences of still frames resulting in excessive blocking artifacts in the encoded video bitstream.  This area could still be improved as the encoder is optimized for moving video.

1.00.25

•	Created a tab in the encoder properties for Systems, allowing partial encodes with muxing of pre-existing audio and video streams.

•	Created Tools menu with MPEG-1 systems stream splitter and multiplexer.

•	Expanded Video encoder settings to include more MPEG-2 options, for fields and aspect ratios.

•	Noted that on-line help in need of updating.

•	We are working to finalize the settings for Adaptec VideoCD burning software and MegaPEG MPEG-1 encoding.  We are awaiting Adaptec’s latest software upgrade for final testing, and plan to improve cropping and resizing routines for getting 320x240 or 640x480 video into the 352x240 NTSC and 352x288 PAL VCD frame sizes.  Thanks for the patience, we do not expect to charge for these upgrades.

1.00.24

•	Corrected problems with hardware playback on Creative Labs DVD cards due to systems multiplexing issues.

•	Completely redesigned mux code in C++ in anticipation of next major release which will include MPEG-2 Program Streams.

1.00.23 (previous public build)

•	Installs DirectShow 5.2a as part of the install process.

•	Added transparent, automagic support for QuickTime 3.0

•	Added visual progress dialog box for audio waveforms and video frames.

•	Fixed bitrate labelling on bitrate dialog and improved the operation of auto settings for the bitrate dialog.

•	Fixed minor bug with .INI file created for .TGA and .BMP sequences.

•	Tested with QuickTime 3.0 for OpenDML file format.  You must choose Preferences…Open AVI files with QuickTime 3.0 to encode OpenDML AVI files.

•	Fixed bug where audio encoding occasionally caused Unhandled Exception.

•	Includes a minor bug fix for additions to QuickTime audio code released in 1.00.18.

•	Changed installer engines to DGSETUP.

1.00.19

•	Includes a minor bug fix for additions to QuickTime audio code released in 1.00.18.

1.00.18

•	This released fixed a bug which caused the encoded movies to show up as 8x8 pixel frame sizes.  This bug only appeared with certain video codecs, notably the MIRO DC30 M-JPEG codec.

•	Modifications were made to the QuickTime audio reading code to support more numerous forms of QuickTime audio.

1.00.17

•	32-bit QuickTime must installed for MegaPEG to encode QuickTime (.mov) movie files. (see Installation notes below)

•	To play the MPEG Movies after they are encoded, you will need to install Microsoft’s ActiveMovie controller. (see Installation notes below)


Installation notes

1.	Before installing MegaPEG, you should install 32-bit QuickTime 3.0.  We are no longer shipping QuickTime with MegaPEG.  You can get QuickTime from the web at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

2.	To install MegaPEG, simply run “DGSetup.exe”.


New Features

These features aren’t really that new anymore, since we’re readying a major upgrade to beef up MegaPEG for HDTV, DVD and MiniDV.

•	Independent multiplexing and splitting of MPEG-1 Systems layer streams is now included.  Check File…Tools…

•	Users can now Drag and Drop movies from the Explorer to Batch lists in MegaPEG.  Additionally, the first bitmap of a bitmap sequence can similarly be added to a batch list in the same manner.

•	A double left mouse click on a movie in a Batch list now loads both the preview window of the movie and the associated transport controller.

•	A single left mouse click on a movie in a Batch list displays the source movies path in the lower left corner of the main MegaPEG window.

•	A single right mouse click on a movie in a Batch list displays the tabbed dialog encoding settings for that movie.

•	Both .tga (Targa) and .bmp sequences can now be encoded to MPEG by either opening (File | Open) the bitmap sequence directly or by adding the bitmap sequence to a Batch list.

Additionally, you may associate a ‘WAV’ audio file with a sequence of bitmaps: MegaPEG will use this WAV file as the audio track when previewing and encoding the MPEG movie.  When the bitmap sequence is initially opened, the user will be prompted for the WAV file to associate with the bitmap sequence.

NOTE:  The WAV file must have at least as long as long as the bitmap sequence would take to play at the frame rate the bitmap sequence is encoded to MPEG at.

•	The View | Preferences menu exposes options not previously accessible.

•	MegaPEG can now encode both fixed “IPPIPPIPP…” and “IIII...” MPEG frame sequences.

•	QuickTime, AVI, Bitmap and Targa sequences (with associated audio from a WAV file), MPEG audio and MPEG 1 constrained movies can now be opened within MegaPEG via the File | Open menu.

•	Users can now set the extensions for the audio and video bitstreams and the final MPEG movie to non-default extensions if they choose.  Also, users are given the option whether or not the intermediate audio and video bitstreams will be deleted after the encoding of the movie is finished.

•	All forms of 16-bit and 32-bit frame color are now supported for AVI source movies.


General Notes

•	Using the image processing features of MegaPEG  will increase encoding time (especially while using the ‘Softening’ option).

•	Movies on CD-ROMs should be copied to a local harddrive before compressing with MegaPEG for optimal performance of the encoder.

•	Most existing .AVI and .MOV files have already been compressed with CinePak.  The compression ratios between CinePak and MPEG are similar, so re-compressing a CinePak movie won't show a great decrease in file size, however, the movie will now have the benefits of MPEG (cross-platform support, hardware playback).  MPEG is playing back video frames at 24,30 or more frames per second (fps) while AVI and QuickTime are usually playing back frames at 15 fps or less.

•	Captured video intended for MPEG encoding should be saved without compression, or in the native format it was captured with (Motion JPEG, for example).  The increases the quality of the final MPEG movie that is created by MegaPEG.


Known bugs and Limitations

•	MegaPEG uses DirectShow services for opening the final MPEG files inside of the MegaPEG application.  Unfortunately, DirectShow will not open MPEG-2 video (black screen).  You will need hardware MPEG-2 playback or software equivalent (like SoftDVD) to play MPEG-2 files.

•	Some QuickTime and AVI movies contain compressed audio which isn’t currently supported.  These movies will not have their audio encoded. MegaPEG will report that these movies have ‘no audio’ when they are placed in the Batch lists.

•	The .qt extension is not recognized as a QuickTime movie by MegaPEG’s preview function even if Explorer (or File Manager) recognizes the association.

•	When encoding bitmap sequences under Windows95, the preview function will not recognize non 8.3 filename paths or UNC paths (e.g. \\network_machine\sharename\directory\movie00001.bmp).  In general, even though a Windows95 machine will be able to preview the movie file, it will be able to encode the file into a MPEG file without a problem.

If you receive a ‘MMSYSTEM296 error’ under Windows95, this is probably the reason for this error message.

•	If the audio portion of the encode fails for some reason and a audio and video MPEG movie was to be created, no final MPEG movie will be created.


Getting support from Digigami, Inc.

Email megapeg-help@digigami.com for any concerns or questions regarding MegaPEG.  Or, call us at (619) 231-2600.

Thank you for choosing MegaPEG!