e.g., playing back a video recorded from TV at 720x576 (16:9), it was transcoded to 718x404. Similarly, a 16:9 video recorded at 544x576 was transcoded to 544x304. This is with settings at maximum quality (playback on Roku), or optimizing at “Original Quality”. Obviously this is losing quality by reducing the vertical resolution instead of increasing the horizontal. Is there a way to get Plex to transcode anamorphic video without losing resolution?
Is this not an issue for anybody else, then?
There comes a point where anamorphic settings are so poorly implemented that it confuses Plex so much it makes poor decisions.
I suggest you learn more about encoding anamorphic settings with PAL sources… this may get you started:
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/361709-RIP-and-Convert-to-720x756
If you’re encoding these things yourself there is hope that you can improve your skills in the art and ultimately stop confusing Plex. If you acquire these files from sources unknown… pick a more skilled source… 'cause clearly they don’t understand how it all works.
Thanks, but these are direct captures of the live broadcast streams, so I can’t really do anything about how they are encoded - short of re-encoding them, of course, which I was hoping Plex could do for me on the fly. (Incidentally, if I do re-encode outside of Plex, I get an anamorphic mp4 file that direct plays at the correct aspect ratio with no problems - but it’s a pain to have to do that manually, and ahead of time.)
The problematic part of the parameters passed to the transcoder appears to be (for a 720x576 video):
scale=w=min(720\,iw):h=min(576\,ih):force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease
which forces the rescaled output resolution to be equal to or less than the input resolution in both dimensions. From my understanding of the params, this should ideally use force_original_aspect_ratio=increase, which would rescale the video according to the anamorphic settings whilst keeping it at least as large as the original resolution in both dimensions.
As far as I can see, with the existing implementation, Plex will always reduce the resolution in at least one dimension when transcoding an anamorphic video.
What are you using to record these files?
Is there any way to customize what is going on ‘behind the scenes’ in this program or on this device?
Is the material originally HD or SD?
It’s difficult for me to guide you here because I live in the US and am on the NTSC system and you are on PAL, but all things being equal let’s try to figure it out. Here is a Handbrake image of the anamorphic settings to help us visualize what’s going on:
In NTSC-ville a standard definition 16:9 image packaged on a DVD, sent over the air or stored in our libraries has a maximum storage resolution of 720x480. Well… 720x480 is just the storage limitation, not the final product displayed on the TV. It’s all squished and ugly awaiting blossoming into the beautiful flower that it really is. The anamorphic settings tell Plex (and my TV or device) that the end product should be displayed at 854x480 - the real 16:9 image after all is done and it’s displayed (note the 854 Display Width in Handbrake). The storage limitation prevents us just putting that 854x480 on disc, over the air or in our libraries as this would freak Plex out and it would think it’s 576p instead of 480p. Enter the anamorphic settings that put everything right.
Now I’m guessing - not having a PAL system to test on, but here we go…
A full blown PAL 16:9 image should be (according to the page I linked) 1024x576, but it’s being sent packaged in a DVD/SD format at 720x576. Plex thinks the max width is 720 instead of 1024 so the only thing left for Plex to do is maintain the Max Width at 720, keep the aspect ratio intact and that means whittling down the height until the aspect ratio is met and, of course, that means reducing the height and the resolution in the process.
If there is a way to tell this program or device that’s doing your recording that it’s doing it all wrong that would be the optimal resolution to this issue. The end product being sent from this device is missing key details - namely the Max Display width in the anamorphic settings.
The ONLY reason we need anamorphic settings at all is due to this storage limitation for SD material. HD material has no storage limitation. The disc, broadcast medium or file in our library happily holds whatever resolution is required so there’s no need for this trickery… goes in here, must come out there.
Also note, this could be a bug in Plex when dealing with PAL resolutions - I have no idea, but wouldn’t be surprised, but let’s say (for the moment) the issue isn’t Plex and see what we can do, if anything, with that program or device you’re recording with.
A local oddity (and constant source of irritation) for me is that I live in a canyon, but the good folks at West Virginia Public Broadcasting have a translator tower on top of ■■■■■■■ Ridge that transmits their two PBS channels for reception by myself, the supporting cast of Deliverance (1972) and a million farm animals living in the canyon. EVERYTHING coming off that tower is broadcast at 1920x1080. This works fine for actual HD material, but a LOT of what’s broadcast is 480p exploded into a 1920x1080 broadcast format (I’m convinced this is due to The Chimp Squad in the encoding wing where this material originates, but… there’s nothing I can do about it, so let’s move on).
I can see rather easily what is really HD and what is ‘pretend’ HD… the pretend stuff looks like it was bounced off the Moon. If I want to keep something broadcast in Pretend HD I use Handbrake to break it down to it’s original resolution because a) it looks better and b) a 30 minute show on the virtues of animal husbandry at 640x480 doesn’t have to be 5 Gigs.
I appreciate the explanation, but I tried setting the options in Handbrake as you described. The source file was 720x576, and the AR was 16:9, so I set the Display Width to 1024 and encoded a test file. Plex correctly identified this video as 576p. Then I disabled Direct Play to force a transcode, and played the file - it transcoded to 718x404, not 1024x576.
I examined the file in MediaInfo, and I can’t find the display width of 1024 stored anywhere in the media information. It seems that this is just a setting used by the encoder to set the aspect ratio of the file, and is not explicitly stored in the file.
FWIW, the program I use to record the files is DVBViewer, but I don’t think there’s any problem with the files - if I play them in another program, VLC for example, it automatically scales up the horizontal resolution to display the correct aspect ratio. Plex appears to be the only one that scales down by default.
To be honest I don’t think the transcoder should be rescaling at all in this situation. IMV as long as the resolution and AR of the source file are within the capabilities of the player, the transcoder should leave the resolution and aspect ratio alone, and let the player do any required scaling.
@olliebean said:
I appreciate the explanation, but I tried setting the options in Handbrake as you described. The source file was 720x576, and the AR was 16:9, so I set the Display Width to 1024 and encoded a test file. Plex correctly identified this video as 576p. Then I disabled Direct Play to force a transcode, and played the file - it transcoded to 718x404, not 1024x576.
Looks like you’ve identified what I would call (and what you called previously) a bug…
If you can convince somebody at Plex to have a look at the issue is a horse of a different color.
To be honest this is one reason why I spend so much effort ensuring my files direct play - because there’s just no telling what Plex is going to do during that transcode that everybody is so in love with. If my files direct play I’m seeing the Real McCoy and not what Plex thinks is Good Enough.
… and to add (17:22 EST)…
I just forced a transcode of that SG-1 episode from my image above and to my surprise my AFTV reports it as 480x268 and it will come as no surprise it looks like that odd colored Horse’s A$$ when compared to the reported 720x480 version while it’s in Direct Play. This indicates the bug exists for me too!
I forced a transcode in a better way by disabling direct play and direct stream and this time AFTV reports 720x404. It looks a little better than the 480x268 version when I throttled the stream, but is still a far cry from the Direct Play version at 720x480 (in reality 854x480).
I’ve just noticed this happens in live TV. So to the op you may have an opening to get it fixed on that basis…
