TVLDSVideoLogger mpg compression expectations

[Ted Wagner]

Using the MainConcept ProDV Codec 3.0.16, recording 720x480 at 15 frames per second, I'm getting file sizes of about 700M per minute.

I had much better compression expectations with this and other encoders. Am I being unreasonable?

ted

[Dave]

Sounds like it's not being encoded.

[Ted Wagner]

Do you mean "encoded" or "compressed"? I can play the file and it looks fine, so I'm thinking the compression is somehow being skipped.

My logger setup looks like this:

theLogger.Free;
theLogger := TVLDSVideoLogger.Create(self);

theLogger.Enabled := false;
theLogger.OnProgress := VLDSVideoLogger1Progress;
theLogger.InputPin.Connect(theResizer.OutputPin);
theLogger.VideoCompression.Compressions.Add;
theLogger.VideoCompression.Compressions[0].Compressor := 'MainConcept ProDV Codec 3.0.16';
theLogger.VideoCompression.Enabled := true;
theLogger.FileName := 'test.mpg';
theLogger.Enabled := true;

[Dave]

Looks fine to me, you don't set any codec parameters though.. maybe it uses some undesired defaults. You could already add the logger from the IDE, maybe just to test, and set the codecs parameters.

[Ted Wagner]

I have to use a dynamic logger instance because one dropped on the form in the IDE doesn't reset its CurrentFrame and CurrentTime fields between file writes. (Which I need.)

With a dynamic logger I have to set the encoder options directly with the encoder. MainConcept and XVid have tools for doing this, but I've had no luck getting small mpg files playing with those settings (and XVid gives me the filter creation error at runtime), even when I had the logger instance created at design time.

[waldo]

ProDV is not MPEG.
It does no compression at all. It just converts colorspace from RGB to YUV.
It is a very hight quality (Studio) format, so the immense datarate is quite normal.