mp4 conversion problems

[BrianH]

I have recently been requested to submit one of my AV's as an mp4 file but am unable to produce a satisfactory mp4. The sequence runs smoothly as an exe file on my and other PC's but when converted to mp4 the moving png files inserted in objects and animation become very 'jerky'. The png file sizes in the sequence vary at approx 1 to 1.25 MB. An example is in 1 of the slide position under objects and animation there are 8 layers 6 of which are jpegs ranging from 127Kb to 182Kb and 1 png file of 1.18MB and a second png file of 192Kb. It is only the png images that carry movement. The other jpeg layers simply dissolve. My image resolution is set to 1920 x 1080.

I have tried to produce an mp4 at most settings even down to 1280 x 720 but still 'jerky' movement. I have tried reducing quality but obviously the sequence quality drops off making it not worthwhile to submit for viewing.  I have used 30p and 60p settings and in some cases the 60p is even worse.I have tried using Pte8 and Pte9 both without success 

I did for test purposes create an AVI video file and whilst not perfect was considerably better than the mp4 and not far off being smooth. I even tried producing an mp4 from an AVI file but it resorted to 'jerky' movement.

My PC is Windows 7 Pro. Processor intel i5 - 2500K CPU @ 3.30Ghz. Ram 16GB. Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6900. Graphics memory available 8918MB. Dedicated graphics memory 1024MB.

I have searched the forum for any advice and whilst I note another user has experienced this problem he did seem to rectify . I have tried his way of overcoming the problem but without success. Any help would be appreciated or have I reached the limit of my PC?

Thanks in anticipation. Brian

[Lin Evans]

Brian,

Why don't you upload your MP4 to YouTube and let some of us see how it runs over the web. It's possible that it might have to do with your system, but trying to get smooth motion from animation sometimes is difficult with MP4. If you are using PTE 9, you might try converting rather than h264 to HTML 5 and see if that is smoother. Without actually seeing the video it's very difficult to be certain so a link to it via YouTube or other social media would be very helpful.

Best resgards,

Lin

[BrianH]

Hi Lin,

Thanks for the response and interest in my problem. To date I have have not had an interest in putting my AV's on YouTube or any other web based/social media site. My AV's are normally viewed by friends, photo clubs and entered into national and international competitions. Normally I produce and run only exe files so until I was asked to produce an mp4 video I was not aware of this stuttering problem. Bearing my problem in mind I will have to seriously consider opening a YouTube account in order that I can upload the sequence for viewing. I will get back in due course if I decide to follow this route.

Best regards,

Brian

[Tonton Bruno]

Hi Brian.
I Prepared a quick show including a slide with 5 png files of 1MB each, and also smooth transitions to check if everything is correctly displayed on a mp4 file.
You will find the zipped  exe file here.

http://bga.cga.free.fr/Poste/1703_Mars/RAJASTHAN_ANIM_EXE.zip

You will find the zipped  MP4 file here.

http://bga.cga.free.fr/Poste/1703_Mars/RAJASTHAN_ANIM_MP4.zip

And finaly you can watch the project under Youtube.

On my PC, all the three shows are perfectly smooth.

If it is not the case on your PC, the problem comes from your hardware.

If everything is smooth on your PC, there is something wrong in your own PTE project.

[nobeefstu]

Brian,

Another thing also to consider is your video player (software) used for MP4 playback.

What is your current video player on your PC?

* Media Player Classic - Home Cinema is recommended for MP4 video files

[BrianH]

Tonton.

Thanks for the short sequences to test. The results are as follows. The exe runs smoothly with no problems. The mp4 becomes less smooth with stuttering. The Youtube

video strangely was not perfect but much better than the mp4 with only slight stuttering at times.

nobeefstu.

Again thanks for interest. I have been using Windows Media Player and VLC. I have now downloaded Media Player Classic and tried but this has made no difference.

It would appear that although I can produce exe files with no problems I may have reached the limit of my hardware with regard to mp4 files. I will have to investigate further.

Best regards,

Brian

[jkb]

Brian, do you have the latest version of vlc player? We use this to play many mp4 files, made with various software, in international competitions and find it always plays them smoothly. 

We also find that while a lot of hardware setups will struggle with an exe, the mp4 usually play smoothly. So I don't understand why you are having the opposite experience.

Jill

[Tonton Bruno]

Brian maybe you have only to change the graphics card.

A GEForce 1050 or 1060 will be the solution, I presume.

[BrianH]

Hi All

At last I seem to have got somewhere. As suggested by nobeefstu I downloaded and installed Media Player Classic but on initial installation it made no improvement to the stuttering mp4. After much more web research I found an article discussing stuttering mp4 playback (which appears to be a common problem) and this also suggested using Media Player Classic but recommended a change to the options within Media Player Classic. Whilst the instruction on how to change the option was slightly different and probably for an older version of Media Player Classic I could relate the instruction to the new version which is as follows.  Select 'View' > 'Options' > 'Output' > DirectShow video and change from Enhanced Video Renderer (custom presenter) to Overlay Mixer Renderer.

I then played the files kindly sent by Tonton and the mp4 was now completely smooth.

I have converted my AV to a 1920x1080 Medium Quality 60p HD video (MP4) and whilst a small number of transitions show some very minor stutters the bulk of the AV is smooth making the sequence watchable. I will investigate further.

Jill. I have no problem whatsoever with playing exe files they are completely smooth, it was only after mp4 conversion that the problem became evident, I will look at VLC again to see if I can bring about any improvement with that software.