Dream submission not accepted

from Stardock Forums

I received notice that my Dream was not accepted because the file contained no playable video.  I'm not sure how to resolve the issue since the file plays perfectly for me.  I used standard mpeg-2 settings and the file is under 135mb.

 

Any suggestions from the community?  The raw .mpg file plays on all the machines I have access to so I'm at a loss.

 

-Brian

2,576 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The file could have corrupted in the upload. I would verify that the mpg will play on another machine and re-upload it.

Also, if it helps, I use TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress for encoding and normally use the following settings...

Resolution: 1792x1120 or 1600x1000 
MPEG-2 with MP@HL and 1:1 pixel
No Audio
FPS set to the same rate as the original AVI
VBR - Average Bitrate 
Set the Max bitrate to 19000Kb/s and minimum to 2000

Bitrate and frame rate are the 2 things that affect CPU usage the most.
Try to use the lowest bitrate you can and keep a high video quality. 18000k and lower will use less CPU but hurts quality a little.
I use Adobe After Effects to adjust frame rate over the encoder since it has a great frame blending mode. On slow or low movement videos use 25fps, on faster with alot of action use 30fps.

Note: credit goes to The Master Baron for some of these settings, which I tweaked to my suit my taste.

 

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks for the reply.  Unfortunately, that's what I'm doing already.  I use a slightly different resolution but that shouldn't matter.  It's an MPEG-2 file encoded by TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress using MP@HL.

In fact, I downloaded the file myself to see if the .dream was corrupt since I can see the entry in my own failed submissions.  The downloaded file plays perfectly on my machine.  I really don't see how I can troubleshoot the issue.

I noticed that the upload screen allows .mpeg files.  I'll try sending the unpackaged movie instead of a .dream.  Hopefully I'll have more luck.

 

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If you would like, I'll be happy to take a look at it and see if I can help you figure it out. Post it somewhere and PM me a link.

Your other option is encode to WMV and submit it that way.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Well, despite the upload form allowing a .mpeg file, it was rejected.  I was afraid that might happen since the rules specify .dream format.  (Why anything else is offered in the upload window is puzzling, though).

So I will try uploading a .dream one last time.  I've reencoded the source with a lower bitrate so hopefully that'll resolve the issue.

Carguy1 - I appreciate the offer although I don't see how it'd help.  Even if it works for you, whoever is testing it at Stardock may still have a problem.

 

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Bad form to reply to oneself, I know, but the dream was finally accepted!  Hooray! 

Now if only it would get some downloads.  B)