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  1. Member
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    I have an MP4 file encoded with the h264 codec.

    Which format is it easiest to convert to and which program do I use to do this?

    Thanks in advance,
    M93
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  2. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    What do you want to do with it ?

    Every format is easy to convert to nowadays. Which is best depends on what you need it for.

    Xvid4PSP would be a good start, although again, it depends what you are going to do with it.
    Read my blog here.
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  3. Member
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    I want to convert it to an AVI (XviD codec). I have tried XviD4PSP but the quality is horrible.
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  4. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    Then you haven't set it up correctly.

    What is the source file - resolution, bitrate etc.
    What are your target settings ?
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  5. Member
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    Source file:


    The target settings I want are:
    XviD4 codec, 1500kbps bitrate, any audio settings, AVI container
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    I have a feeling it has a variable framerate but I don't know how to use Variable Framerate Rx with AviDemux.
    When I try to use AviDemux, the audio is out of sych.
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  7. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    Is this for playback on a standalone player ?

    Xvid4PSP doesn't resize by default, so if you want to play this back on a standalone player you will have to first resize to a maximum width of 720 pixels. When you use the resize option in Xvid4PSP, remember to Apply the change before you click OK.

    I see no evidence of VFR, and sync problems could come from elsewhere. 1500 kbps should be OK at 720 x nnn, however there is no way to encode to Xvid without taking a quality hit if you want to play back on most standalone equipment. The restrictions simply don't allow for it. If this isn't for standalone playback then you need to use a much higher bitrate at that resolution.

    Finally, any encode from one lossy format to another will cost you quality. If you are trying to squeeze it at the same time, the cost will be high.
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  8. Yeah, that was my thought as well, before reading your response - bitrate too low for resolution too high. What puzzles me is why newcomers always blame the software when they have no idea how to use it, or even what they're doing at all. I wonder what the original video bitrate was. GSpot will say. 5000? More?

    And if you want a defined and good XviD quality, then make a constant quant encode. At that original resolution, I'll bet that a decent quant 3 encode will come out with a much greater bitrate/filesize. In XviD4PSP:

    Video Encoding->XviD 2.0 Extreme->Hit the "E" button just to the right
    Encoding Mode->Constant Quality
    Quantizer->3

    That's one way to do it, anyway, and there are other settings you might want to adjust, like the resolution. Set it maybe to 656x272 or similar, if for standalone playback.
    The target settings I want are...
    Another rookie mistake. There's not much correlation between bitrate and quality. At that resolution, of course it looks like garbage. At the suggested 656x272 it might look just fine. Or not. That depends on the compressibility of the source.
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  9. Member
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    File size isn't a problem.
    Anyway, the file is converting now and it'll be done in a couple of hours. I did "3-Pass Bitrate" at 1500 with resolution of 720x296 so it's taking a while.
    I'll post my results soon. Thanks for the help.
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  10. Member
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    if really file size isn't a problem , then I suggest you try manono's suggestion and go quality encoding , you don't have to worry about the right bitrate and it's only 1 pass.
    In x264 it's called CRF (constant rate factor),
    in xvid it's Constant Quantizer (CQ) , it's not quite exactly the same but both are quality encoding

    I must admit however that it's a small problem in program like meGUI that most encoding preset are bitrate mode and when you're new to such programs , it's a big step starting to tweak settings to have quality presets!
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