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Poll: I still like Xvid codec.

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  1. I use to convert dvd to avi because i have a Divx compatible standalone Player. I can have 3 or 4 movies in one DVD disk. And instead of a mountain of disks, i got a little building.
    The program i normally use was 'Handbrake'. But in 0.9.5 version, it doesn't work with Xvid anymore.

    Here is what they said about it:

    Support Why did you drop the Xvid Encoder and AVI/OGM muxers?
    HandBrake, these days, is almost entirely about H.264 video, aka MPEG-4 Part 10. This makes it rather...superfluous to include two different encoders for an older codec, MPEG-4 Part 2. When choosing between FFmpeg's and XviD's, it came down to a matter of necessity. We need to include libavcodec (FFmpeg) for a bunch of other parts of its API, like decoding, demuxing, and scaling. Meanwhile, XviD's build system causes grief (it's the most common support query we get about compiling, after x264's requirement of yasm). Since we mainly use MPEG-4 Part 2 for testing/debugging, and recommend only H.264 for high quality encodes, Xvid's undisputed quality edge over FFmpeg's encoder is inconsequential, while FFmpeg's speed edge over XviD is important to us.
    AVI is a rough beast. It is obsolete. It does not support modern container features like chapters, muxed-in subtitles, variable framerate video, or out of order frame display. Furthermore, HandBrake's AVI muxer is vanilla AVI 1.0 that doesn't even support large files. The code has not been actively maintained since 2005. Keeping it in the library while implementing new features means a very convoluted data pipeline, full of conditionals that make the code more difficult to read and maintain, and make output harder to predict. As such, it is now gone. It is not coming back, and good riddance.
    HandBrake's OGM muxer was just as out of date as its AVI muxer. It hasn't been actively maintained in years either, and it too lacks support for HandBrake's best features. It requires conditionals to work around missing functionality too...only this muxer got tested so infrequently the conditionals were never even put in the code, so it just fails when you try to do anything advanced. This one is not coming back either. And yes, we're aware of HTML 5. For patent-free muxing, HandBrake still has Matroska, which is a much better container anyway.
    But...
    I visit the Xvid homepage: http://www.xvid.org/
    They are very proud about their lastest codecs. They have HD and a list of up-to-date modern features, so it keeps as a fine option to compare with other advanced codecs.

    So...
    Is 'Handbrake' right in what they said or it is just an excuse?
    Mkv and mp4 are fine codecs but... Is the Xvid Avi so lame that its not worthit to work with?

    thks all for your comments.

    L.
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    it's their program and they choose to go with the newer format that includes more features. there is nothing wrong with divx264/avi, but more people are moving to h264/mkv.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  3. VH Wanderer Ai Haibara's Avatar
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    Use an older version (I think you have to go 2-3 versions back) of Handbrake, if you want to output to Xvid/AVI. Some of those claims (that you quoted above) I'd always found a little questionable, anyway - I never had a problem muxing subtitle streams into an AVI, for example. But, like aedipuss said, it's their program, and their choice as to what they want to support.
    If cameras add ten pounds, why would people want to eat them?
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  4. @Aedipuss & Ai Habinara:
    Yeah, i know teres nothing wrong with Xvid and avi. Its just that i can't understand why they write those nonsense in their FAQ. Do they need to justify about not working with it anymore, with all that stupid argument?

    I suppose they think nobody cares or that maybe their customers are too dumb to noticed the truth.

    The hint about older versions is very much appreciated.
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    me too very disappointed about this.

    I have three(mp3/dvd/phone) devices that support xvid avis flaw less. only one of them (phone) supports x264 but struggles motre than 15 fps.

    I also think they are more going towards apple. No preview even in 0.95 for windows. As others said that's their program. The fun is comparing ffmprg mp4 and xvid. xvid is much much better.

    wdtv can play x264 mkv.
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  6. Member
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    The previous version 0.9.4 supported Xvid.
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    I understand continued support for AVI could be problematic, but there are so many folks who dont have the hardware to support .mkv which I agree is superior, that handbrake should reconsider imho.

    Developers of course can do what they like but they have dumped AVI without a consideration poll and now have dumped the ability to set a target size, which I always found great. Had my own formula to get the right setting eg target size Mb=Minutesx7

    Seems the target size removal was due to sometimes Cli hiccups when target size selected. Well surely bring up a messagebox notifying of possible errors when target size until fixed would be the logical method.
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  8. Member
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    Originally Posted by Alistair George View Post
    I understand continued support for AVI could be problematic, but there are so many folks who dont have the hardware to support .mkv which I agree is superior, that handbrake should reconsider imho.

    Developers of course can do what they like but they have dumped AVI without a consideration poll and now have dumped the ability to set a target size, which I always found great. Had my own formula to get the right setting eg target size Mb=Minutesx7

    Seems the target size removal was due to sometimes Cli hiccups when target size selected. Well surely bring up a messagebox notifying of possible errors when target size until fixed would be the logical method.
    You can still set the target size by setting it for 2-pass.
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