Xvid - Need some info..

[tbird2340]

I download some TV eps that I miss sometimes via Bittorrent. I got some that have the same thing in the file name PDTV-LOL.. These videos use the XVid codec to decode them and the quality is amazing. I have a 44 minute video (24 tv show) that is 640 X 3XX and it's only like 350MB! How can I encode my digital videos like this and get this amazing quality??

[teegee420]

What do you mean by digital videos? In order to create a good quality xvid encode you need to have a virtually flawless source file. The best all around xvid creating program is Virtualdub. If your source files are mpeg-2, use Virtualdub MPEG2. I would install the latest Koepi's xvid codec too. What you want to do is do a 2-pass encode with a bitrate of around 1000kpbs(assuming your source is 44 minutes long) and an audio bitrate of 96kpbs. To learn about how to use Virtualdub, go to the guides section and search by tool.

[tbird2340]

What I mean by digital videos is video I capture from my miniDV camera. Are these going to be virtually flawless video files?

[teegee420]

Good enough, I would presume.

[RabidDog]

Drdivx will do the same thing a lot more painlessly...it really is easy to use...but it isnt free..Also 96k for audio is pretty stingy 128k is really the bottom line for any sort of quality and 256k 320k are far better (assuming the sound quality is important).
AVI to mpeg conversion -- search

[teegee420]

I normally recommend Dr. Divx too but it doesn't convert to xvid, which I think is a better overall compressor. As for 96kpbs audio being a little too conservative, you're probably right. It's just a personal preference. I'd rather skimp a little on the audio to maximze video quality. Every bit counts when you're limited by a small file size. Again, that's just me though.

[Suntan]

For low audio bitrates I would highly recommend using Ogg Vorbis instead of MP3, if that what you are using, (Actually I would recommend it instaed of MP3 for any bitrate) unless you want it to play on a standalone.

If you want you can check out this thread I wrote over on Corecodec.com. http://www.corecodec.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=559

It is a thread on how to encode with Xvid and Vorbis for Pocket PCs, but a lot of it applies here. Mostly you would have to look at resizing less, eliminate the rotate and use higher bitrates for the audio and video.

-Suntan