PTE 9.0.21 PUBLISH SHOW (HD MP4)

[orizaba]

Hi Igor,

Till now I was using PTE 9.0.20 and the published HD MP4 files of all my projects show (MediaInfo) "Format profile: High@L4.1".

Yesterday I finished my first project using PTE 9.0.21 and respective published HD MP4 file show "Format profile; High@L4.2". When I copied/past this file to my media player (Popcorn Hour A-210) and tried to play it on my TV, as usual along the years, video almost freezes, audio gets not sync and mutes after a few seconds, video is intermitent, etc., it is impossible to watch the show. I spent a full day trying to see what would be the problem, trying use lower video bitrate, lower audio bitrate, etc., no way to solve the problem. At last, looking at Popcorn A-210 User Guide, I could see that maximum Video Decoder for H.264 is "High profile HP@L4.1" (not L.4.2). So, I think that this fact may explain why my MP4 file can not run in good conditions in my media player.

Now, I looked everywhere how could I change from L4.2 to L4.1 in PTE, but no chance. I always used in PTE 9.0.20 (to publish show) Custom > 1920x1080 > 50p or 60p > Bitrate 22Mbps > 2-pass encoding > 320 kbps > 48 kHz, and got MP4 files L4.1. These exact parameters I used now in PTE 9.0.21 and got L4.2. I must go on using these high quality parameters.

How can I solve this problem?

Would it be possible to create an option: L4.1 / L4.2 when publishing the MP4?

In this meantime, I can not see a way to watch and show my new projects. I will try to install again PTE 9.0.20 and publish this project with it, I don't know if it will be possible.

Best regards,

Jose 

[orizaba]

Hi Igor,

I just uninstalled PTE 9.0.21 and installed PTE 9.0.20. I published the HD MP4 file with my usual parameters and it is again High@L4.2, so it will not play in my media player. So, problem seams not to be with PTE version.

I checked "converted.avi" files used to build the project and they are 100% similar (MediaInfo) to those used in former projects whose published MP4 file is 4.1.

This way, I can not understand at all what is going on. Why my MP4 files are High@L4.2? They should be L4.1, as before.

Please, try to let me know where am I wrong and how to solve this, as in this meantime I can not watch my new projects.

Regards,

Jose

 

[Igor]

Jose,

According H.264 specifications, MP4 video at 1920 x 1080 50p or 60p should use a profile High@L4.2
And 30p video 1920 x 1080 can use High@L4.0: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels

By a mistake PTE 9 up to version 9.0.16 used firmly High@L4.1 - that is redundantly for 1920 x 1080, 24/25/30p (or lower), and incorrectly low profile for 1920 x 1080 50/60p, 4K video.

Since PTE 9.0.17 we fixed this problem, and now H.264 profile is set automatically, optimally for every particular case.

You can try old version of PTE 9.0.16 (fixed to High@L4.1):
https://files.wnsoft.com/test/picturestoexe-setup-9016.exe

Also I can advice you how to edit manually the configuration file in the latest PTE 9, if necessary. 

However, please note that High@L4.1 is NOT correct for 1920x1080 60p and it can be used as an exception for a particular hardware player.

[orizaba]

Hi Igor,

Thanks very much. After my last post and while waiting for your reply, I Googled on "Profiles" (I learned a lot...) and I got the same conclusions  you pointed out. Yes, 4.2 is the one for 1920x1080 50/60p. Anyhow, you say that after PTE 9.0.17 profile is set automatically, so why my last projects made with PTE 9.0.20 used 4.1, beeing them 1920x1080 60p, as told before? This confuses me!

Besides, I also learned (Google) how to "change" the MP4/MKV file from 4.2 to 4.1, without reencoding, using TSMUXER and MKVTOOLNIX. I made it with my actual MP4/MKV file and I was successful, final MKV file plays 100% well in my media player (I must say that in my media player all files are MKV, this is not first time I use MKV). However, I was lucky, as I learned as well that this "changing" is a sort of "fraud" to trick the player, and in most cases it does not work. May be next time it does not work at all. Anyhow, how to explain that 4.1 plays 100% well with 1920x1080 60p, beeing it the incorrect profile?

Indeed, I would thank you very much to let me know how to edit manually the configuration file in actual PTE 9.0.21, in order that I can go on using my actual media player. In fact I don't intend at all changing the media player! Because my actual "method" (TSMUXER/MKVTOONIX) is not liable, as it is said.

Anyhow, instead of actual H.264 profile beeing set automatically, would it be possible to create the option "Automatically/Manual", and in Manual, 4.1, 4.2, etc.? I must say that I would prefer this option, than having to configure the file after it has been built in PTE publishing step. Please, kindly let me know something about this.

Thank you again and best regards,

Jose

 

 

[Bert]

If I can jump in on this topic? 

I aways made my MP4 shows 1920 x 1080 at 30p, the last one was about 6 month ago and played fine.   With all the talk lately that it is better to make the MP4's at 60p, I made the MP4 of the last old show in 60p.  I have an 10 year old HDTV with no media player but bought an DVD player about 7 years ago that had a media player, so I could watch all my shows on the HDTV.  I was surprised when I wanted to play the last made 60p MP4 show, that I could not play it.  (Can play the same show as a 30pMP4.)  I figured that the age of the media player must have been the reason.  My question now is when PTE10 comes out, can I play a 60p MP4 thru my old media player in the DVD or as long as I have that older media player I should only make 30p MP4 shows.

Thanks,

Bert

[davegee]

Bert,

there are some "inexpensive" Sony BluRay Players out there which I bought 2 of several years ago and these play 60fps mp4 without problems.

I bought them as discontinued models and therefore very affordable. You can check the spec online.

[Bert]

Dave,

I have made only 1 PTE show where I used video and converted to MP4 30p.  I did think the video was playing well but I could of course not compare it to 60p.

I have seen by a friend what the picture on a 4k TV looks and think I wait till my TV gets to old and I am ready to buy one of these.  What I noticed however is that 60p gives an MP4 file 1.4x the size of an 30p file.  If we also have to make our images 3840 x 2160 pixels to see real 4K, the files will be enormous in the near future.

[Igor]

 

39 minutes ago, orizaba said:

Anyhow, instead of actual H.264 profile beeing set automatically, would it be possible to create the option "Automatically/Manual", and in Manual, 4.1, 4.2, etc.?

Jose,

I'm not sure that it's a good solution. PTE should create a MP4 video files according H.264 specifications.

I checked 60p video (High@L4.2) from PTE 9.0.21 on my FullHD LG TV (5.5 years old) and it plays fine all files. Same for Android TV media player. I will check pmy another old media player today later or tomorrow.

To set profile High@4.1:

Open the following file in Notepad (you need Administrator's rights):

C:\Program Files (x86)\WnSoft PicturesToExe\9.0\Main\encoder-hd.ini 

For CmdLine parameter add -level 41 :

CmdLine=-me_method umh -level 41 -pix_fmt yuv420p

Please don't forget that this parameter is not compatible with 4K video output.

[Igor]

Jose,

I discovered that my old media player (2008 year) connected to a TV can play only H.264 video up to Profile 4.1.

So it plays fine 1920 x 1080 30p.

60p video created with a wrong profile 4.1 plays very jerky (not acceptable). 

And 60p video with a correct profile 4.2 cannot play at all.

It seems that old media players and TV are limited by 30p video only, and some TVs plays 60p with a wrong profile 4.1, and new models (2010-2012 or later) play fine 60p 1080 videos. I will explore more this subject.

[orizaba]

Hi Igor,

Thanks for "How to set profile High@L4.1 in PTE 9". I made it in PTE 9.0.20. I published my HD MP4, 1920x1080, 22Mbps, 2-pass, 60p, AAC, 320kbps, 48Hz, all as usual, I copied/past respective MKV file to HDD of my media player (Popcorn Hour A-210, dated December 2010, 8 years old, video decoder HP@L4.1) HDMI connected to my plasma TV, Panasonic TX-P65VT30E (dated 2011 as well) and image is 100% perfect and smooth, audio 100% sync and perfect! Everything perfect as usual along last 8 years!

I must say that this last particular project is a movie, 46 minutes long, made with video clips recorded in 1987 (32 years old!) with a Sony Betamovie camera BMC-100P, and digitized now, using my Sony video cassette recorder Betamax SL-C7E (same age) through a Panasonic NV-DV2000 to convert analog signal to digital (AVI, 25 fps interlaced, 720x576, 24,4Mbps, PCM 1536kbps, 48kHz). These AVI video clips were converted to MP4 files 1920x1536, 60 fps progressive, 25 Mbps, and than each clip was stabilized with Mercalli 4.0 before beeing PTE converted to AVI, to use in PTE timeline. Final HD MP4 file is 7,09GB. Template is 12,6GB. I can also say that after PTE colour and blur correction, actual movie is of better visual quality than the original clips.

This way, my problem is solved. One of these days I will install again PTE 9.0.21 and will set profile High@L4.1 on it.

Now, some points:

* On your next PTE 10 64-bit, will it be possible to set profile High@L4.1, as I did now? I very much hope so! By the way, you are 100% right, PTE must create MP4 video files according to H.264 specifications... as long as it is possible to change such specifications according to each one needs...!

* By mistake, I told you that before this actual project I was using PTE 9.0.20, getting MP4 files High@L4.1. My error. I was still using PTE 9.0.14. Indeed, I was getting 4.1 because only after PTE 9.0.17 you made it automatic. That is why I was very surprised why I installed PTE 9.0.20 and got a MP4 4.2 (before seting it to 4.1). It is explained, sorry.

* Concerning your tests with your old media players and TVs, I think that it all depends of the hardware/firmware/software of the media player/processor itself, beeing it a stand alone box or integrated in a TV/DVD player/etc.. If the system is limited to High@4.1 (which is the case of my A-210), no way to play 1920x1080, 50/60p, High@4.2, in good conditions or in any conditions at all. And when you say that in your last old player "60p video created with a wrong profile 4.1 plays very jerky (not acceptable)", I think it may be a question of processor quality, not exactly that 60p can not play in 4.1. My actual case shows the contrary.

Sorry for this long report, and thanks again for your help.

Best regards,

Jose

[Igor]

Jose,

Thanks,

I need more time to explore the question with High@L4.1 and 60p.

[orizaba]

Igor, I am attaching MediaInfo note of my HD MP4 High@L4.1 file, published on PTE 9.0.20 modified to L4.1.

This PTE project has 195 slides and 97 audio tracks (it is a movie) and was built along 276 steps in 57 days (8h+/day) after having original AVI file from Betamax video cassette. Most slides are video clips, with lots of animated graphics  included (thanks to PTE great capabilities!).

[Igor]

Jose, 

I'm very impressed by your work! And a good challenge for PTE to process this large project.