Version Tested: 2.62 Trial
Type: Software encoder
MPEG Standards: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DVD
Bit Rate Control Modes: CBR, 1-pass max/average-based VBR,
N-pass min/max/average-based VBR, CQ VBR
Bit Rates: 0.5-15 Mbit/s
GOP Formats: IPB-frame
MPEG Audio Modes: Full MPEG-1 layer 2
Frame Sizes: Any
Multi-threaded Encoding? Yes
Scene Change Detection? Yes
Web Page: http://www.cinemacraft.com/eng/sp.html
Availability: Direct from the company, or from the
Visible
Light Mall
Price: $1950
NOTE: I removed the encoding rate results from this page because at the time of the review, their plugin wouldn't work with Premiere 6.0, which I had upgraded to since the first review. I don't doubt that this has been rectified, but I haven't been back to re-do the speed tests since then.
This encoder is slightly faster its brother CCE Basic in its CBR and 1-pass VBR modes. The two encoder's CBR modes are essentially identical, however, so this encoder only has value if you're going to be using one of its a VBR modes. (That's not entirely true: there are a few other advantages the SP version has over the Basic in CBR mode, like variable-length GOPs and scene change detection. See the CCE SP page for details.)
CCE SP has an intriguing multipass VBR mode, in which encode time increases linearly. (That is, if a 1-pass encode takes 10 minutes with a given video, a 3-pass encode will take 30 minutes.) When I encoded the test video to 3 Mbit/s with various numbers of passes, there was no real difference from 1 to 5-pass VBR, both subjectively (i.e. frame grab blink-tests) and objectively (the video stream's MPEG Q level). However, I then tried encoding the clip to 2.0, 2.2 and 2.5 Mbit/s, and the video did improve with multiple passes. The harder I squeezed the bitrate, the more multiple passes improved the video. I never was able to justify more than 3 passes, however: the MPEG Q level seemed to hit a wall after the third pass.
The package comes with both a Premiere plugin and a standalone encoder. The standalone encoder only works with old AVI 1.0 files, so you're limited to 2 GB AVIs. Prior versions of the CinemaCraft encoders allowed frame serving with various forms of pseudo-AVIs, but current versions only work with real AVIs. Therefore, to encode larger files than 2 GB, you must use the Premiere plugin, or use segmented AVIs and join the generated MPEG files after you've got all the AVI segments encoded.
One oddity of this encoder is that it refuses to encode the audio stream if you use a VBR mode. You are apparently expected to encode the audio separately and multiplex it with a separate tool; the package does not include a multiplexer. Obviously if you've got $1950 to spend on an encoder it's not a big deal to buy a separate audio encoder and muxer, but it is an unnecessary hassle.
Frame 0, Frame 1, Bitrate and Quantization Data.
Since there was no real difference in the VBR modes' output, I arbitrarily chose the 1-pass VBR results. The SP encoder's 1-pass VBR mode works the same way as Ligos's "optimized quantization scale" mode: you pick a target Q value, and then give it minimum and maximum bitrates to work with. This gives an unpredictable bitrate, but doesn't actually give a flat Q curve like a plain CQ mode does.
In CQ mode, CCE SP has no significant quality advantage over over its closest competitors, TMPGEnc and Ligos' LSX-MPEG VBR encoders. It also has only a small speed advantage over most of these encoders, and in the case of Ligos' Premiere plugin, CCE SP is actually a touch slower.
Why, then, would you choose to spend 8x the cost of the most expensive of its competitors, the LSX-MPEG Premiere plugin? Because for some people, CCE SP's one remaining advantage — multi-pass VBR — is worth it. This mode gets you the quality of CQ mode, while still giving you complete control over the bit rate. If you must have the highest quality but can't tolerate unpredictable bit rates, and you are willing to spend some time and money to get that high quality, this is the only encoder that will do. This explains the high cost: CCE SP's potential market must be small indeed, yet it must have taken a lot of engineering effort to make the encoder this good. Encoders like TMPGEnc and Ligos's LSX-MPEG appeal to wider audiences, which obviously changes the economics.
If you've got the cash and you've tried the demo but still aren't sure that you can justify buying this encoder, I recommend that you buy Ligos' Premiere plugin and work with it for a few weeks. This is a similar encoder in all respects but functionality and price. If you find yourself wishing for predictable bit rates with the highest-possible quality and you're willing to spend some serious money to achieve that goal, then consider getting CCE SP.
Usability: 3
Functionality: 9
Quality: 10
Core Value: 0
Bundle value: 0
Overall: 4.9
| Updated Mon Sep 22 2008 12:15 MDT | Go back to MPEG Encoder Reviews | Go to my home page |
