VC1 Transcoding slow

[jtb19nh 0]

My vc1 videos will not play back smoothly while being transcoded. I am using an i7 processor so it should not be a problem. All my other video formats work perfectly. Is there something I'm missing?

[Luke 42080]

This is normal. Transcoding vc1 can be painful.

 

I would suggest checking out our media conversion feature to help you convert to h264.

[jtb19nh 0]

Thanks for the response. Would a better processor help or is it a limitation of the software?

[Luke 42080]

It might help a little, but converting vc1 will always be a more complex task than converting h264. It's not a limitation of the software, it just is what it is.

[Carlo 4561]

VC1 is like 10x harder on the CPU then H.264/H.265.

 

Right now the best all-around advice I give for VC1 is to avoid it like a plague for your media server. 

(testing/playing is different of course)

[coureurdesbois 0]

Hi

It looks the same for me. H264 transcoding is flawless and use multiple cores.

VC1 transcoding is slow (24 fps) and yet CPU utilization seems low, no core at 100%...

Emby is running as a service with NSSM 64. Can I optimize this in any manner??

Thank you  for this wonderfull soft I  use since several years now.  

[KarlDag 25]

Hi

It looks the same for me. H264 transcoding is flawless and use multiple cores.

VC1 transcoding is slow (24 fps) and yet CPU utilization seems low, no core at 100%...

Emby is running as a service with NSSM 64. Can I optimize this in any manner??

Thank you for this wonderfull soft I use since several years now.

Pre-transcode your file to h264 or h265.

 

VC1 is a weird codec, and ffmpeg can only transcode it using a single core, so unless your CPU has a great single core performance, it will always be problematic.

 

You could also use hardware acceleration with a recent Intel cpu that supports VC1 through quick sync, or a recent GPU that supports VC1 (I know and RX 570/580 do) but that requires Emby premiere.

[Guest asrequested]

Just get a better CPU

 

 

 

VC1 transcoding? Easy peasy

[Guest asrequested]

VC1 is a weird codec, and ffmpeg can only transcode it using a single core, so unless your CPU has a great single core performance, it will always be problematic.

 

Not really, though. It's using multiple threads, for me. And just a little bit.

 

Just stop using Xeon CPUs. Nobody should use a Xeon for a media server. They struggle, so much.

[clarkss12 304]

For Christmas I received the three "Back to the Future" BlueRay disc, and they were encoded with VC-1.  My "Dirty Dozen" BlueRay rip is also, encoded with VC-1.  My server is running on a very low powered microPC, so transcoding that codec is out of the question.  I have to use a client that natively supports that codec.

 

Point being, it is much cheaper to use a client that supports that codec.

 

Transcoding is an evil word for me......... It translates into power, and power equals money............ 

[~Achilles~ 9]

Using QSV via VAAPI on Ubuntu. Works fast and great with HW transcoding.

Edited March 17, 2019 by ~Achilles~

[Deathsquirrel 745]

For Christmas I received the three "Back to the Future" BlueRay disc, and they were encoded with VC-1.  My "Dirty Dozen" BlueRay rip is also, encoded with VC-1.  My server is running on a very low powered microPC, so transcoding that codec is out of the question.  I have to use a client that natively supports that codec.

 

Point being, it is much cheaper to use a client that supports that codec.

 

Transcoding is an evil word for me......... It translates into power, and power equals money............ 

 

You could convert the media in Handbrake, or similar tools, ahead of time if you wished.  The shield, Emby Theater, and KODI  can handle VC1 direct playback, but most anything else requires transcoding.

[coureurdesbois 0]

Not really, though. It's using multiple threads, for me. And just a little bit.

 

Just stop using Xeon CPUs. Nobody should use a Xeon for a media server. They struggle, so much.

Hi

Xeon is working well for h264 videos. I transcoded just for fun passthrough HD videos simultaneously to 4 clients without any problems (with subtitles activated!)

But VC1 codec seems not using cores efficiently. Hope future version of the VC1 Codec or ffmpeg will...

Thanks for your advices and sorry for average english.

[Guest asrequested]

Hi

Xeon is working well for h264 videos. I transcoded just for fun passthrough HD videos simultaneously to 4 clients without any problems (with subtitles activated!)

But VC1 codec seems not using cores efficiently. Hope future version of the VC1 Codec or ffmpeg will...

Thanks for your advices and sorry for average english.

 

They are fine for the basic stuff, but start throwing 4k and VC1 at them and the start grinding. They just aren't designed for this kind of use.

[KarlDag 25]

They are fine for the basic stuff, but start throwing 4k and VC1 at them and the start grinding. They just aren't designed for this kind of use.

Meh, just throw in a Rx 560 for like 99us$ and call it a day.

Edited March 17, 2019 by KarlDag

[clarkss12 304]

You could convert the media in Handbrake, or similar tools, ahead of time if you wished.  The shield, Emby Theater, and KODI  can handle VC1 direct playback, but most anything else requires transcoding.

Exactly my point.  I use clients that natively play the VC-1 codec.  I tried a  couple of different apps to convert them to HEVC or even AVC, but the created file did not meet my expectations.  Besides, converting the 1080p, VC-1 video to HEVC took hours, and I did not like the end result.

Edited March 17, 2019 by clarkss12