high bitrate h.264 looks like junk???

[RadicalxEdward]

I'm converting a video file with the following specs:


General #0
Format : Matroska
File size : 236 MiB
PlayTime : 23mn 38s
Bit rate : 1393 Kbps
Movie name : The End of Day by Day
Encoded date : UTC 2006-12-26 00:02:11
Writing application : mkvmerge v1.7.0 ('What Do You Take Me For') built on Apr 28 2006 17:20:19
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.0

Video #0
Codec : MPEG-4 AVC
Codec/Info : MPEG4 ISO advanced profile
PlayTime : 23mn 37s
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Standard : NTSC

Audio #0
Codec : AAC LC-SBR
Codec/Info : AAC Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 24 KHz
Language : English

Converting to .mp4, h.264/avc with aac audio

Video Bitrate: 1392Kbps
Video resolution: 720x480
Video aspect: 16x9

For some reason, even if the original files bitrate is lower then 1392Kbps, it's encoding, and coming out as not only a LARGER file (original :250MB, new: 280MB) but the quality is LOWER

Here are a few comparison shots. It's not a HUGE difference, but it makes a difference to me.the top is the original file, the bottom is the new mp4







Anyone know why this is happening?

[poisondeathray]

How are you "converting" it? What tools/process?

Are you extracting the streams or re-encoding?

[aedipuss]

every time you re-encode anything you lose detail and quality. there is no getting past it. the only way to get the max out of any encode is to use the original source and do it once. so buy the dvd if you want to encode to mp4.

[RadicalxEdward]

I've tried a few methods on different types of files with similar results each time i've tried:

demuxing the mkv and remuxing into mp4 container then converting (so the video stream would work in iTunes)
demuxing mkv, remuxing with just 1 video and 1 audio track in mkv, then converting to mp4
demuxing mkv, convert video to mp2, audio to aac and muxing to mp4 file

Might i just have to live with it?

[RadicalxEdward]

I've tried a few methods on different types of files with similar results each time i've tried:

demuxing the mkv and remuxing into mp4 container then converting (so the video stream would work in iTunes)
demuxing mkv, remuxing with just 1 video and 1 audio track in mkv, then converting to mp4
demuxing mkv, convert video to mp2, audio to aac and muxing to mp4 file

Might i just have to live with it?

Thats what i thought, and i think that's what i'm going to end up doing. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something i was doing.

[poisondeathray]

Why don't you demux AVC video and aac audio, then remux into mp4 container (i.e. direct stream copy)? That way you lose no quality

mp4 is a suitable container for AVC and aac

Unless iTunes (if that's what you want if for in the end) is doesn't support it.

[lordsmurf]

Interlace is your problem here.
Your "after" shots show a clean drop-field deinterlace instead of IVTC or another better method.

[RadicalxEdward]

Why don't you demux AVC video and aac audio, then remux into mp4 container (i.e. direct stream copy)? That way you lose no quality

mp4 is a suitable container for AVC and aac

Unless iTunes (if that's what you want if for in the end) is doesn't support it.

That's what i'd LOVE to do. when i demux the file, the video is already (in this one case) aac, and the video is labeled as .h264

When i demux as mp4 the video comes out squished horizontally and the audio doesn't sync. It also has 25fps instead of 23.976, i don't know why. using mkvextract and yamb

[poisondeathray]

It should work with avidemux

Open your video, select 'copy' for video and audio sidebar, select 'mp4' for container.

Then press save. (You have to enter full filename with extension e.g. 'filename.mp4')

Sometimes you have to open your video stream separately and then "point" to the demuxed audio by using audio=> main track => external source

[RadicalxEdward]

Thanks i'll try that.

I also tried some other content demuxing from mkv and muxing as mp4 and works PERFECT except in iTunes, the video is real choppy and stuff. (even though the bitrate is only about 1000Kbps

[RadicalxEdward]

ok so here's how the demuxing goes:

original mkv file:
1 video
2 audio
1 sub
and a few fonts

i take the video and 1 audio

now i have video.avi and audio.ogg i convert the audio to aac and when i demux the avi video i get video.cmp, what the heck is cmp?

[RadicalxEdward]

currently converting the avi using avidemux, it's at ab out 60% i'll let you guys know how it goes.

[poisondeathray]

can you open the original mkv with avidemux? (sometimes you can't if there's too much 'stuff' inside like subs, picture etc...)

run the demuxed "video.avi" with mediainfo => its already demuxed it should only be a video stream? why are you demuxing again?

i have no idea what video.cmp is

[RadicalxEdward]

can you open the original mkv with avidemux? (sometimes you can't if there's too much 'stuff' inside like subs, picture etc...)

I'll try that in a minute


run the demuxed "video.avi" with mediainfo => its already demuxed it should only be a video stream? why are you demuxing again?
Um... Just experimenting.


i have no idea what video.cmp is
me neither

[RadicalxEdward]

Screw it i give up. I'll just get the stupid dvd's and rip them.

Damn piece of crap iTunes./