Encore 1.5 vs. CS3 upgrade results in auto jitters and slow transcodes
 

A year or so ago I upgraded Encore 1.5 to CS3 because I just couldn't get 1.5 to work on one of my discs. Upgraded to CS3 and it worked.


But since then I've had problems. Automatic mode on 1.5 worked flawlessly and accurately fit my big avi file onto the disc. I've stopped using Automatic in CS3. High motion areas in the video like pans or people walking across the screen were completely jittery. That problem goes away when I use manual settings. The new problem is that transcodes are brutally slow compared to what 1.5 used to be. Used to take 2-3 hours to transcode with 1.5, now it takes like 6-10 hours consistently in my projects.


Did they change transcode engines from 1.5 to CS3?


Perhaps it is my older processor? I have a Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz hyperthreading processor. Just wondering if CS3 Encore is designed for duo or quad core processors and maybe the hyperthreading could be screwing things up? I know there's a way to disable hyperthreading and I'll probably try it next time regardless of the response I get here.


Has anyone else experienced these issues? Has anyone found solutions?

I can't chime in for the encoding engines..
But your jittery problems during pans are usually an indication of a wrong field order...

Although, Encore should be able to correct this problem...
What kind of AVI are you feeding it??

it's canopus DV AVI. Similar to the generic MS DV AVI but Canopus gives it a little bit more instruction so that the DV Storm, etc. can display it. I think.

But I don't think the field order should matter. Nothing should change between program's default automatic and manual settings for bit rates, right? It never used to be a problem in version 1.5.

I'm wondering if the jitteriness is again from the processor.

"But I don't think the field order should matter."

Field order always matters with interlaced video. I'd be very surprised if your jittering is caused by anything but field issues. You could try transcoding to a progressive scan output. If that solves it, then fields are definitely your problem.

I suspect that your transcoding is taking significantly longer because there's some form of conversion going on in the process that you're not aware of. It could be manipulation of fields or something else. Closely inspect your settings from start to finish. Any time something changes in there it makes work for the transcode process.

I'll have to see if field order can be changed in automatic mode somehow.

Why don't you just give us a few snapshots of your export settings, and your project settings...
Sometimes, all it takes is a forgotten checkmark in the box to screw things up...

Otherwise, it's all guess work from us...

I'm not 100% sure if this is related to your problem, but I made a similar upgrade from Premiere Pro 1.5 to CS3, and discovered that CS3 wasn't handling field order properly on some clips (those that required field order to be reversed due to their origins from a DVD). The command to reverse field order was being completely ignored, making those clips export incorrectly. I had to solve the problem by re-rendering the clips separately in After Effects and then replacing them in the Premiere timeline.

So, if Encore CS3 is using the same rendering engine, it could be the same problem.