DVD Video strong flicker

[lapiovra]

Thanks to all the good reviews I recently bought PTE to make video-shows of all my pictures. I also bought and studied all the learning DVD’s PTE from BeckhamDigital to give it a good start.

But now it seems that I have a really big problem with PTE.

When I produce a Video-DVD (PTE 8 beta 5) and I play it on the TV-screen I see a very strong flicker around high contrast edges (leaves of a tree, water, shirts, etc.). This effect is very strong with zooming en panning. It’s really awful and makes the presentation almost not worth looking at.

When I convert the same PTE-file into a MPEG-4 file and play this file on the TV with my streamer, it looks very nice and beautiful and shows (almost) no flicker effects at all.

Also converting the PTE-file into an exe-file and playing this file on the PC delivers a good result.

Instead of writing directly to a Video-DVD from within PTE I also tried to make an ISO-file first and then burning this file (with ImgBurn) to a Video-DVD. No difference how so ever, the flicker stays the same.

I think the problem with the DVD-video has to be caused by the MPEG-encoder of PTE. I cannot think of another reason. Moreover I honestly cannot imagine that I am the only one with this problem.

Some more details: I didn’t use unsharp mask in Photoshop (the images are raw-files which I only converted into JPEG-files); no in-camera sharpening, most of the images are cropped tot 1920x1080 (except when zoom was required); Edge-antialiasing in PTE turned on; Video-type=progressive; Televison=PAL and LCD; Aspect Ratio is 16:9.).

I really would appreciate every advice or suggestion, at the moment I am desperate!

[davegee]

Some random thoughts.

Don't forget that your original resolution (1920x1080??) becomes 768x576 when you make a PAL DVD? That's a lot of interpolation downwards and it is then interpolated back up to 1920x1080 to play on the TV. You don't magically get all of the quality back which is lost in the downward interpolation. That applies to any Slide Show software.

A BlueRay DVD Player with a HDMI connection to TV will (IMHO) give you a better viewing experience with ordinary DVDs than an "old fashioned" non-upscaling DVD Player via Scart.

The MPEG4 will give you the best viewing experience on TV via either a USB device or your method.

I gave up on DVDs a LONG time ago and if the recipients of any of my family shows can't play them as MPEG4 files then I just apologise - sorry, I don't do DVDs. I will supply a CD with four variations. EXE for PC. EXE for MAC. MPEG4 for TV. MPEG4 for iPAD 3/4.

But that's just me - it's a good job that we aren't all the same?

DG

[lapiovra]

Thanks davegee for your answer.

But honestly it is not much satisfying. It’s just a fact that many people don’t have a streamer or just cannot play otherwise a MPEG4 file on their TV.

Of course you are wright with the down- and up sampling but normally a good DVD player (HDMI) should produce a nice video-show. And if it is really true that in fact there is not one slide show software that can produce nice DVD Video’s I am wondering why that’s never told.

By the way: are you convinced that the problem I have with PTE has nothing to do with the

MPEG-decoder of PTE?

[davegee]

I don't get the problems that you describe when I play previously made DVDs via a BR Player and HDMI so I cannot comment. I have always used the presets to make MPEG4 and ISO files. Therefore, in my case I don't have a problem to relate to. However, what I can say is that the DVD quality is not as good as the MPEG4 quality.

DG

[Igor]

Please try to set "Smoother/sharper" parameter to 0 (zero) for each image object in the Objects and animation editor (Properties tab).

Will it help?

Also make sure that you leave "Unsharp mask" parameter at 0 (zero) in the Project options windows / Screen tab.

[lapiovra]

Thanks Igor for your reply.

I tried to set the "smoother/sharper" for each image to 0 and it helps without doubt.

The flickering effect is not gone and stil visible but as said it is surely less.

I alway leave the 'Unsharp Mask" parameter at 0 in the project options windows / screen tab.

Again thanks.

[lapiovra]

I assume you have anti-flicker enabled, your kbps is set to at least 7000, and your video type is set to auto?

What happens if you play the mpeg2 (.m2v) video on your PC or mount the ISO as a drive letter and use Media Player Home Cinema to play the DVD on the computer? Does it still have flicker?

http://www.slysoft.c...clonedrive.html

http://mpc-hc.org/

Maybe it's an interlace problem.

http://www.100fps.com/

http://en.wikipedia...._by_interlacing

DVDs will never compare to the quality of 1080p mp4 videos. They have been around for almost 20 years.

Tom

Configured for local NTSC

[lapiovra]

Yes, anti-flicker is enabled, kbs is set to 7000 (default)and the video type is set to progressive.

When I play the ISO the flickerin effect is just the same.

I really do not think it is a interlace problem, because the flickering is just visible on the high-contrast spots, and especially when the image zooms in or out.

However, thanks for your reply. Much appreciated.

[davegee]

Lapiovra,

Can you make a Project available as a "Backup in ZIP" with just a few slides showing the problem so that someone can take a look at it??

DG

[Ken Cox]

see

http://www.scantips.com/basics1f.html

make your images bigger and higher quality

pte can handle them

ken

[lapiovra]

Thanks Ken, a very interesting article.

[lapiovra]

As asked by Dave I post a small project with tree slides, which all show the flickering effect, especially when zooming/panning (played from a normal DVD video or ISO)

All slides are in format 1920x1080.

Project2_Oct25-2013_18-18-43.zip

[davegee]

Don't download unless your Anti Virus is effective and up to date.

Lapiovra - I am not happy that you have posted this!!

I will go no further with it.

DG

[PGA]

Dave,

I have just downloaded the file and have scanned the .zip file with MSE. It has found no problems. My anti-virus definitions are 1.161.749.0; date/timestamped 25/10/2013 at 14:16. How come the same product can give two radically different readings?

regards,

Peter

[PGA]

How do I create an ISO file? I see no problem with either EXE or AVI MPEG4 file. If I am to offer any advice I need to see the problem - and at present I don't see it.

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

Last page DVD creation.

DG

[lapiovra]

Dave, I hope you really don't think I post something that isn't save. I have AVG Internet security installed, scanned the file I posted and nothing came out.

I really apoligize for the inconvenience, but I can assure you that in no way I should deliberately post something that isn't save.

[davegee]

It is very strange that Peter's MSE did not pick it up when mine did immediately on extracting the ZIP file.

For safety's sake I then abandoned the whole thing. Needless to say I was not very happy when I posted above.

Peter, is it possible that MSE has quarantined these files on your PC and "kept quiet" about it?

DG

[PGA]

Last page DVD creation.

It asks me to put a DVD disc in before I see any such option. I thought this ISO option allowed the video file to be stored for later burning to DVD. I am confused.

regards,

Peter

[PGA]

Peter, is it possible that MSE has quarantined these files on your PC and "kept quiet" about it?

The History tab shows the Quarantine area to be empty. (It also shows the other areas to be empty, too!)

The zip file was saved in C:\Users\User\Downloads and was scanned with MSE in that location - no problems detected. Its contents are just three JPEGs and a PTE Project file. I have unzipped them to a test folder on my J: drive where I forced MSE to scan each file independently - no problems detected. I then opened the PTE project into beta 7. I have updated my copy of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and let that run a Quick Scan of drive C: - no problems detected. I installed these defence systems to protect me. I have to trust them. They tell me that this zip file is totally harmless.

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

It asks me to put a DVD disc in before I see any such option. I thought this ISO option allowed the video file to be stored for later burning to DVD. I am confused.

regards,

Peter

Have you unticked everythong other than ISO?

The History tab shows the Quarantine area to be empty. (It also shows the other areas to be empty, too!)

The zip file was saved in C:\Users\User\Downloads and was scanned with MSE in that location - no problems detected. Its contents are just three JPEGs and a PTE Project file. I have unzipped them to a test folder on my J: drive where I forced MSE to scan each file independently - no problems detected. I then opened the PTE project into beta 7. I have updated my copy of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and let that run a Quick Scan of drive C: - no problems detected. I installed these defence systems to protect me. I have to trust them. They tell me that this zip file is totally harmless.

regards,

Peter

I checked the creation time of the quarantine and the creation time of the folder extracted from the zip and they are the same.

Since it was only performing one operation at the time I had to assume that the result of the MSE operation was caused by that ZIPPED file being extracted.

That rarely happens on my PCs so it was something of a shock.

Presumably, the ZIPPED file still contains the Trojans - if that was where they originated? - and the quarantined files came from the extracted folder?

DG

[Ken Cox]

years ago mse detected files that were made with ver 3.5 era -I had them up at mediafire and people that had mse could not download them- I brought this up many times when most members swung off AVG -- also back a yr or so Lin and DaveG made a couple demo shows and avg would block them on one system and not the other

see

http://www.picturest...dpost__p__87809

I have avg on 2 systems and Kapersky on one system -avg would not run on that system- Kapersky and mse do not like ver 5 era files either on that system

Igor provided us with a link to check a file --

https://www.virustotal.com/

ken

[Guest Yachtsman1]

The History tab shows the Quarantine area to be empty. (It also shows the other areas to be empty, too!)

The zip file was saved in C:\Users\User\Downloads and was scanned with MSE in that location - no problems detected. Its contents are just three JPEGs and a PTE Project file. I have unzipped them to a test folder on my J: drive where I forced MSE to scan each file independently - no problems detected. I then opened the PTE project into beta 7. I have updated my copy of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and let that run a Quick Scan of drive C: - no problems detected. I installed these defence systems to protect me. I have to trust them. They tell me that this zip file is totally harmless.

regards,

Peter

I.ve been playing around with MSE & every other form of detector I could find for free over the last month or so since my PC went sick. There was a recent report on here that MSE could not keep up with the number of new threats that were being generated so for a time I went back to AVG but that was causing so much interferance, I switched back. Anyway one thing that strikes me is what level of cover is there between the two machines running MSE, it is settable to various levels, maybe you should compare levels.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[PGA]

Note to Moderators:

This topic is getting hijacked into a discussion about anti-virus software. Can it be split?

regards,

Peter

[PGA]

Have you unticked everythong other than ISO?

Ooops! Didn't spot that tick lurking there against "Burn disc". Having unticked the little blighter I now have an "Untitled.iso" file. How do I now view this, without burning to DVD, to find out whether I see any flicker?

regards,

Peter