size of recording, v1.3 vs v 1.2a

[dale]

My card is a hvr 2250 (US).

I recently installed version 1.3 over 1.2a. After some problems, I completely removed wintv7 using hwclear and installed 1.3 again. Although this solved the problem of not being able to record two analog cable signals, I now notice that the size of the recordings is larger than it used to be.

Using the "Fair" recording speed (4000000) I get about 2.6 Gbyte per hour. That is too big for putting two hours onto a 4.7 Gig DVD-RW. With version 1.2a, the "Fair" recording speed gave about 2.1 Gbyte per hour -- just right.

In order to get the recording size down to 2.1 Gb/hour, I had to edit the registry values down to a 3800000.

Any reason what happened with the upgrade?

[Mr X]

It's constant bit rate rather than variable

you can edit the reg key mode
"AnalogBitrateMode" = 1

1 = Constant
0 = Variable

[dale]

It's constant bit rate rather than variable

you can edit the reg key mode
"AnalogBitrateMode" = 1

1 = Constant
0 = Variable
Thanks -- that worked. With key set to 0, two hours will fit now, albeit just barely. My test record of 2 hour 5 minutes would not fit, but trimming the ends to make it 2 hours did fit.

[Ron]

I also have been having inconsistently large recording sizes since 1.2a (with 1.2b,c and now 1.3) as I have reported on the forum before. I have HVR 1600 with XP SP3.

1.2a gave consistent 1 hour analog FAIR recording of about 2.1 GB.

Here are some 1.3 extracts from MediaInfo. All recordings are FAIR. Registry for Fair was as set by 1.3 install at 4000 Kbps. Only change I made was to Registry setting for AnalogBitrateMode (I double checked the recording settings with hcwChanDB):

I set to Constant Bit Rate FAIR (recording was approx 4GB/hr)
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 7 984 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 4 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.7711

I set to Variable Bit rate FAIR (recording was approx 3GB/hr, note actual nominal bit rate is 6000)
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 6 084 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 6 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.587


Another Variable Bit Rate FAIR (but recording was approx 2.1 GB/hr, note actual nominal bit rate is again 6000)
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 4 182 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 6 000 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.404

[Mr X]

For the next release I've changed the profiles so that:

Using VBR

Best - Approx 1 Hour on 4.7GB DVD (actually about 1H 10)
Better - Approx 1 Hour 30 Minutes on 4.7GB DVD
Good - Apprix 2 Hours on 4.7GBDVD
Fair - Approx 2 Hours 30 Minutes on 4.7GB DVD

[dale]

For the next release I've changed the profiles so that:

Using VBR

Best - Approx 1 Hour on 4.7GB DVD (actually about 1H 10)
Better - Approx 1 Hour 30 Minutes on 4.7GB DVD
Good - Apprix 2 Hours on 4.7GBDVD
Fair - Approx 2 Hours 30 Minutes on 4.7GB DVD

Is that using the variable rate for analog? Or are you quoting times for digital?

[Mr X]

Using VBR (in fact using fair + PAL I was able to fix 3 hours on a DVD)

I'm still fine tuning the profiles at the moment for NTSC, when I've finished the profiles I'll upload the reg key's for you to try.

[dale]

Yesterday I installed version 1.3 on my other computer which has a PCR 150. I edited the registry values to give VBR (i.e. set to 0 vs. 1). However, I am getting recordings that are too large. 3.3Gb for 1 hour, vs the 2.1 that I get on this computer with a 2250 card.

When looking at the file with VideoReDo, it said that bit rate was 6000 for the PVR150 recording vs 4000 that is in the registry and that I get on the 2250 recordings.

[TheNewGuy]

I'm fairly sure the old PVR150/250/350/500 devices dont support bitrate control with WinTV7. These old cards used a different mechanism to control their bitrate. Sorry, but its unlikely bitrate control will be added for these legacy cards. Users of these devices can continue to use WinTV6 though if this is a big problem for them.

[dale]

I did a regedit over there and dropped the max bit rate from 4000 to 3800, min down to 3000 and average of 3500 (I think). A two hour show took about 4.1 Gbyte -- which should be acceptable for DVD. I'll tinker with it some more and report the final figures that "just" allow two hour in 4.7 Gig.

It is clear that the 150 and the 2250 react differently.

[Ron]

I am also getting a nominal FAIR VBR bit rate of 6000 with a registry value set to 4000, but with a current model HVR 1600 card. See my post of 1 Mar in this thread.

I have also posted about seemingly random file sizes. Perhaps there is a bitrate control problem with the hvr 1600 as well. Notice that in the same 1 Mar posting, even though the 2 cited VBR statistics both show a nominal bitrate of 6000, the actual bit rate is vastly different with correspondingly different quality factors - Bits/(Pixel*Frame).