MEP 2023 | 2 video files (in 1-day) have been exported with corruption

Apollo89x wrote on 10/24/2024, 5:17 AM

Does anyone have any advice or info on how to fix this fault with MEP, please??

I uninstalled + reinstalled the program last week...
Everything seemed to be ok (although I cannot watch every second of every export) :: But then today, there was more image-distortion within the first few seconds of an exported clip!

CubeAce wrote on 10/24/2024, 6:00 AM

@Apollo89x

Hi.

It might help if you included mediainfo of the exported clip in case of an export setting error.

It might also be worth looking at your program settings to see what GPU and renderer are in use.

At present I would guess that too low a bit setting is in use but could be wrong.

Ray.

Apollo89x wrote on 10/24/2024, 6:38 AM

Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/avc1)
File size                                : 261 MiB
Duration                                 : 3 min 12 s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 11.4 Mb/s
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.1
Format settings                          : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 2 frames
Format settings, GOP                     : M=3, N=25
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 3 min 12 s
Bit rate                                 : 11.2 Mb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.179
Stream size                              : 256 MiB (98%)
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 3 min 12 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 192 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 4.37 MiB (2%)
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-24 10:39:39 UTC

Apollo89x wrote on 10/24/2024, 6:40 AM

johnebaker wrote on 10/24/2024, 6:57 AM

@Apollo89x

Hi

From the mediaIfo data:-

Bit rate                                 : 11.2 Mb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS

The bitrate is too low for this resolution and frame rate and may be the cause of the issues, particulalry if the areas where the issue occurs contain high detail or fast changing scenes.

Check that you are using the default bitrate settings for the MP4 FullHD 1920 * 1080 30fps preset ie

Average 24000 kBit/s, maximum 30000 kBit/s.

John EB
Forum Moderator

Apollo89x wrote on 10/24/2024, 2:45 PM

Hello, and thanks for the reply.

The footage itself was filmed at around only 8k bitrate though...
So whilst I could set the export rate to 24k, the actual raw footage would still only be 8k bitrate. :/

Would setting 24k bitrate fix this issue then though?

*I have used MEP since 2018 version, and never had this issue of visual-disortions in exported videos until I started using the 2023 version, a few weeks ago.

johnebaker wrote on 10/24/2024, 6:44 PM

@Apollo89x

Hi

. . . . footage itself was filmed at around only 8k bitrate . . . .

Do a MediaInfo analysis of the ~ 8k bitrate footage - if you see this line in the video section:

Frame rate mode : Variable

This may be the cause of the issues, try converting the footage to Constant frame rate using Handbrake or AviDemux - there is a tutorial on how to do this with AviDemux here.

If the frame Rate mode is Constant, post the MediaInfo data so we can see if there is anything odd with the footage.

. . . . Would setting 24k bitrate fix this issue then though? . . . .

Unlikely, the encoder has only so much data to work with, the export will be still be low bitrate

John EB

Gid wrote on 10/24/2024, 7:28 PM

@Apollo89x Hi, along with what has already been mentioned a lot of cameras now are set to record HEVC, whilst AVC & HEVC are both MP4's the way the information is compressed by the camera is different, (Google AVC vs HEVC), your exported video is AVC but may have been recorded as HEVC, some cameras like iPhones have HDR & a 10bit option.

Here are two 1m clips created by the same camera in the same room/light, AVC 17mb vs HEVC 14mb, that's roughly a 1/4 difference, along with the way it's compressed etc. by the camera if the clip isn't exported correctly it can cause quality issues, that's why as mentioned MediaInfo of the orig file is needed 👍

Apollo89x wrote on 10/28/2024, 6:26 AM

Hello, here is the MediaInfo data for the original raw footage:

General
Complete name                            : C:\Users\Beta\Desktop\New folder (2)\Video 12-10-2024, 14 04 56.mov
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : QuickTime
Codec ID                                 : qt   0000.00 (qt )
File size                                : 174 MiB
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 8 023 kb/s
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC
Writing library                          : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.location.accuracy.ho : 9.300859
com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709     : +38.5349-000.1045+043.012/
com.apple.quicktime.make                 : Apple
com.apple.quicktime.model                : iPhone 14 Plus
com.apple.quicktime.software             : 17.6.1
com.apple.quicktime.creationdate         : 2024-10-12T15:04:56+0200

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : HEVC
Format/Info                              : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile                           : Main@L4@Main
Codec ID                                 : hvc1
Codec ID/Info                            : High Efficiency Video Coding
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Bit rate                                 : 7 691 kb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Rotation                                 : 180°
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 28.571 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 31.579 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.124
Stream size                              : 167 MiB (96%)
Title                                    : Core Media Video
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709
Metas                                    : 3,4,5
Codec configuration box                  : hvcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Source duration                          : 3 min 2 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 201 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 4.37 MiB (3%)
Source stream size                       : 4.37 MiB (3%)
Title                                    : Core Media Audio
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC

Other #1
ID                                       : 3
Type                                     : meta
Format                                   : mebx
Codec ID                                 : mebx
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Title                                    : Core Media Metadata
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC

Other #2
ID                                       : 4
Type                                     : meta
Format                                   : mebx
Codec ID                                 : mebx
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Title                                    : Core Media Metadata
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC

Other #3
ID                                       : 5
Type                                     : meta
Format                                   : mebx
Codec ID                                 : mebx
Duration                                 : 3 min 2 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Title                                    : Core Media Metadata
Encoded date                             : 2024-10-12 13:04:56 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2024-10-12 13:07:59 UTC

########

The Bitrate is variable, yes...
But as I mentioned, I've exported 100s/1,000s of clips at this birate over the past 5+ years (using different versions of MEP), and never had this issue occur.

It is only occuring with this version of 2023 MEP, which I purchased a few weeks ago.
(Multiple occurences of this / Including when I've used 24k bitrate footage)

I have also tested, by exporting the same footage again (*using identical export settings) :: But yet that distortion has not occured this time in the exported footage.

If it was due to the settings/bitrate, surely that would simply be a mathematical-issue :: And thus should yield the same result everytime?
But so the fact that it only happens sometimes, despite the footage & export-settings being identical, means that the fault is with the Magix software itself?

Apollo89x wrote on 10/28/2024, 6:28 AM

I did open a support-ticket with Magix (4-days ago now), about this issue.

As if the fault is simply with my version of the software, I would like them to provide me with an alternative activation-code, so I could try a different version of this same program, to test if that encounters any issues or not.

(They have ignored my support-ticket though!)

johnebaker wrote on 10/28/2024, 8:41 AM

@Apollo89x

Hi

. . . . They have ignored my support-ticket though! . . . .

Before they can respond the issue has to be able to be replicated or already a known issue.

. . . . I've exported 100s/1,000s of clips at this birate over the past 5+ years . . . .

When did you start using the iPhone 14 ?

Working with Variable Frame Rate video can be a 'hit and miss' depending on the range of variability and the detail/motion in the scenes.

Did you try the conversion to Constant frame rate and export ?

John EB

Apollo89x wrote on 10/28/2024, 11:10 AM

This has occured previously on video footage filmed by my camcorder (24k bitrate)...
So isn't anything to do with the phone used to film the footage.

Moreover it was moderately minimal level + pace of motion in the scene.

#

And I cannot ''test out converting to constant frame-rate / and see if that works''...
Due to the fact that this issue occurs totally at random / Plus at different time-segments within videos, on the occassions when it does occur.

I mentioned, I tested-out this morning exporting that same footage, using the exact same export settings as I used previously...
But there was no distortion in the footage today.

Distortions may occur in future exports, at some point during the footage.
(But I don't exactly watch-back exported footage to check for disortions :: After having already edited it... As that would be an extreme drain of my time, basically the sme as proof-reading photocopies!)

But as there is not a distortion in every export, I cannot know if converting the framerate for every bit of footage in-advance fixes this issue or not.

CubeAce wrote on 10/29/2024, 12:50 AM

@Apollo89x

Hi.

if you are getting problems with HEVC recording, personally I would stick to using H264 which according to the iPhone 14 web page the phone supports. That would cut down possible problems with the video footage as H264 is a much more video editing friendly codec and uses a constant frame rate. Especially as you seem to be exporting to H264 when you render and trying to use similar bit rates to H265 which has a much higher ability to use less bits for the same quality but is is not a good idea to try to use the same bit rates in H264 as it is not as capable as H265 at the same bit rates.

Ray.

johnebaker wrote on 10/29/2024, 3:35 AM

@Apollo89x

Hi

. . . . This has occured previously on video footage filmed by my camcorder (24k bitrate) . . .

This, and the fact that you highlighted the line:

. . . . Overall bit rate mode : Variable . . . .

in the MediaInfo data you posted, would suggest that you are looking at the wrong parameters of the video.

The above parameter is correct, it allows the encoder to use more 'data bits' for high detail or fast changing scenes, and less for low detail slow moving/static scenes to improve the perceived visual quality of the video.

The parametrs/issue we are referring to, and is known to cause problems with exports, is this section of the MediaInfo data:

Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 28.571 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 31.579 FPS

As you can see from the data the frame rate 30 fps is the target/set rate, the Minimum and Maximum values show the range the framerate is actually varying between.

This variance is known to cause issues in many video editors, especially if using Proxy files.

Two well known issues known are dropped frames/image corruption, which is what you are describing, and audio out of sync.

. . . . I cannot ''test out converting to constant frame-rate / and see if that works'' . . . .

It is necessary to test and eliminate all possible causes of the issue, this being one of them, without this moving forward testing more obscure possibilites is pointless.

John EB