Some tests

[koki373737]

I´d like to thank all coders and testers that are working on this project, its amazing how much has been done in a few months. I´ve been doing some tests on different kinds of videos, specially high-quality ones, and found some issues... not sure if they are bugs or not, so I´m posting on the main thread. Please dont take this as a critic. The main purpose is to find out if these are hardware limitations or maybe all or some of them could be fixed by future optimizations. All videos tested are avaliable if anyone needs them.. I can send them or make them avaliable on a ftp server.
All tests are on a NTSC PS2 SLIM v12 with Matrix Infinity Firmware 1.54 (more about that at the end) using an USB HD. SMS version 1.3 release 2.

Results (characteristics by GSPOT):

Video 1:

Video Codec..: DivX 5.0
Video Bitrate: 1086 kb/s 23.97fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 112 kb/s (56/ch, stereo) CBR 44100
Frame Size...: 640x480 (1.33:1) [=4:3]

Coments: Great video quality, but lots of dropped frames. Excelent audio quality, but stutters from time to time

Video 2:

Video Codec..: XviD
Video Bitrate: 924 kb/s 23fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR 48000 Hz
Frame Size...: 704x396 (1.78:1) [=16:9]

Comments: Video Flickers a lot, and had a few dropped frames. Audio stutters a lot

Video 3:

Video Codec..: XviD
Video Bitrate: 839 kb/s 23fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR 48000 Hz
Frame Size...: 640x480 (1.33:1) [=4:3]

Comments: Good video quality. Some stutter both on audio and video

Video 4:

Video Codec..: DivX 5.0
Video Bitrate: 1099 kb/s 23fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 112 kb/s (56/ch, stereo) CBR 44100hz
Frame Size...: 640x480 (1.33:1) [=4:3]

Comments: This one is quite funny.. bad video quality... lines seem extremelly jagged, not sure why. Also lots of dropped frames

Video 5:

Video Codec..: DivX 5.0
Video Bitrate: 767 kb/s 23fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 192 kb/s (96/ch, stereo) CBR 48000Hz
Frame Size...: 640x480 (1.33:1) [=4:3]

Comments: Here the jagged phenomena also happens

Video 6:

Video Codec..: DivX 3 Low-Motion
Video Bitrate: 910 kb/s 23fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR 48000hz
Frame Size...: 640x480 (1.33:1) [=4:3]

Comments: This ones hangs SMS, I supose because of the codec

Video 7:

Video Codec..: XviD
Video Bitrate: 754 kb/s 29fps
Audio Codec..: 0x0055(MP3) ID'd as MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate: 111 kb/s (55/ch, stereo) VBR LAME3.95 48000hz
Frame Size...: 640x352 (1.82:1) [=20:11]

Comments:This one also plays extremmely blocky, with several artifacts. Some dropped frames


So thats it.. if any more tests need to be done, just let me know.
Regarding the Matrix Infinty, something odd... With firmware version 1.50 both LaunchElf and uLaunchElf 3.41k couldnt launch SMS... it stops on "loading SMS". After upgrading to 1.54, LaunchElf can launch SMS, but uLaunchElf 3.41k still cant.
Thanks again for all great work!

Marcelo

[strikeuk]

What version of gspot are you using? Some other infos such as qpel,gmc... are also important since it affects the performance. A 1000kb/s movie with qpel for example will stutter more compared to a movie without.

[koki373737]

What version of gspot are you using? Some other infos such as qpel,gmc... are also important since it affects the performance. A 1000kb/s movie with qpel for example will stutter more compared to a movie without.

Version 2.21, I think its the latest one. Those lines are directly from the "export" function of gspot.. so I suppose none of my videos have these characteristics (qpel, gmc, etc). Where should Gspot report them? In the "codec" section?

[EEUG]

DivX3 is not supported at all. GMC/QPel is, probably, main reason of "stuttering".
"Lines seem extremelly jagged" - I don't know :). Maybe it was encoded using "interlaced" option (I also threw it out, since I've never dealed with such things :) ). Again, to perform more detailed analysis I must have the movie (for free) :)...

[strikeuk]

Version 2.21, I think its the latest one. Those lines are directly from the "export" function of gspot.. so I suppose none of my videos have these characteristics (qpel, gmc, etc). Where should Gspot report them? In the "codec" section?

Hi, get the latest beta version 2.52 from http://www.headbands.com/gspot/GSpot252b01.rar (GSpot), the qpel,gmc stuffs are under "stat". The one that turns green indicates that the video files uses them.

[koki373737]

Hi, get the latest beta version 2.52 from http://www.headbands.com/gspot/GSpot252b01.rar (GSpot), the qpel,gmc stuffs are under "stat". The one that turns green indicates that the video files uses them.

Thanks for the link! So here are the new stats:

Video 1: Has BVOP (Bidiretional Predicted Frames)
Video 2: Has NVOP (Packet Bitstream) and BVOP
Vicdo 3: Has NVOP (Packet Bitstream) and BVOP
Video 4: Has NVOP (Packet Bitstream) and BVOP
Video 5: Has BVOP
Video 6: Has no special flags. Indeed, this video doesnt stutter, but seems blocky and with video artifacts. This new version of Gspot gives some more data:
Container Interleave: 1 vid frame (42 ms), preload=496
Audio: 44100Hz 128 kb/s total (2 chnls)
Video 7: Also no special flags, and also this one doesnt stutters, the problem here is mostly image quality.

So can we assume that the stutter is due to the use of these features ? (BVOP and NVOP). If so, could these be added to the "wish list"? : )


Again, to perform more detailed analysis I must have the movie (for free) ...


Sure! Which would be the best way for me to send the "interlaced" video to you? Should I contact you by private message?

Thanks,

Marcelo

[EEUG]

@all who wants ISO CD/DVD feature: I'd like to execute attached program to know what are disk types of your CD/DVD's. Steps to be taken:
- boot your Station up;
- insert disk of interest;
- launch attached elf
- note string that displayed on the TV/other device used for output;
- post a message to this forum stating:
- disk type you've inserted (CD or DVD or whatever);
- number that attached elf has displayed;
Thank you.
Eugene.

@koki373737: just share it somewhere (rapidshare.de, for example), notify me by whatever means you like, and I'll try to pick it up and analyze (no promises :) ). Thank you too.

[koki373737]

@koki373737: just share it somewhere (rapidshare.de, for example), notify me by whatever means you like, and I'll try to pick it up and analyze (no promises :) ). Thank you too.

Ok! Ill contact you by private message.
I also did some more tests and find out a Xvid video with BVOP flag that hangs SMS. Its the first XVID video with this characteristic that I test. The other BVOP-only ones were divx5.0.

[rathunter]

DVD: 0x03
CD: 0x02

A couple of my DVD-R's also displayed 0x14 once, but I think it was a read error or something because they later gave 0x03. I got the same 0x02 code for burned & pressed audio CDs, CD-Rs with iso filesystems, and burned PSX CDs. I also got 0x03 for all DVDs (DVD-R, Video DVD etc).

[EEUG]

...OK, thank you, I'll take these numbers into account :)...

[Mr. Worm~~]

@all who wants ISO CD/DVD feature: I'd like to execute attached program to know what are disk types of your CD/DVD's. Steps to be taken:
- boot your Station up;
- insert disk of interest;
- launch attached elf
- note string that displayed on the TV/other device used for output;
- post a message to this forum stating:
- disk type you've inserted (CD or DVD or whatever);
- number that attached elf has displayed;
Thank you.
Eugene.

Hmmm I tryed several times from launchelf, file in hdd, and always get 0x14. Will try later from inlink... :banghead:

[EEUG]

@koki373737: I've analyzed one of your movie (that with artifacts) a bit. At least I found a first reason of artifacts :D. Someone who encoded the movie used MPEG2 quantization type in the XVID's encoder settings. SMS has only H.263 quantization type at the moment (probably this causes that "jagged" images too, I didn't analyze other movies yet (I'm at work now :))). So, it can also be considered as "indended" bug, which would be fixed I-don't-know-when.
Thank you for making efforts to improve SMS :).

@all: could anybody make a small document with all known issues ? Just if that "anybody" feels like that ;)...

Edit: MPEG2 quantization type issue is fixed. Too easy :D. Next release will include it.

Edit2: just checked "jagged" movies on my TV. I have no "jagged" lines effect at all (or maybe I'm just a blind man :cool: ). I have just one suggestion about it: SMS configures GS to issue interlaced video signal, I don't know how it works with modern TVs with all that 100Hz technology etc. Maybe this can be a reason :chinscrat ...