Converting without losing quality

[odiedog]

hey everyone. i have gotten all my old 8mm reals transfered into avi on my computer. how can i convert the avis into mpeg2 without losing quality. is any quality lost?? the software i'm using to edit these converts the avi into mpeg but i notice the quality is not that good. also if anyone knows of a good freeware authoring program that can help me set up chapters that would be great...roxio is not kicking it. thanks.

[gadgetguy]

how can i convert the avis into mpeg2 without losing quality.

Technically you can't, but a good encoder will make it appear to be the same quality. I use the free encoder QuEnc and I'm happy with the results. Another free one I've heard good comments about is HC. CCE seems to be a favorite on the payware side, as is TMPGEnc. Most of the payware ones come with a free trial. Try them and see which gives the results you're looking for.

[mats.hogberg]

Some quality is always lost in a reencoding process (to a not lossless format like mpg). The higher the bitrate you use, the better (more close to the source) the quality.
Most freeware authoring apps lets you specify chapters. See DVDAuthorGUI and/GUI For DVDAuthor. TMPGEnc DVD Author is also free for 30 days - simple, yet does what it should without too much to learn.

/Mats

[Barnabas]

Encode with TMPGenc, and boost sharpnesss about 50 %

[Wooooooo]

If you don't want to lose quality, set rate control mode to "Constant Quality" instead of VBR. On settings, set quality to its max(100), max bitrate to 9800 and min bitrate to 2000.

[Nelson37]

You cannot eliminate qualtiy loss, you can only minimize it, whether you use CQ, CBR, VBR, whatever does not matter. MPG is lossy encoding.

You will get lots of different answers. General Truism - the higher the bitrate, the better the quality. Beware of exceeding your, or some, standalone players maximum playable bitrate.

Be Extremely Careful using filters of any kind. Keep a copy of the original, evaluate results ONLY in the final output and ONLY on the intended final playback device. Other intermediate results and devices can be very deceptive.

An encoding method utilizing more than one pass thru the video will maximize quality.

Most good editors are NOT good encoders. Avoid multiple conversions at all costs. GuiforDVDAuthor has worked well for me as an authoring prog.
Hard to beat Vdub for simple editing. TMPGenc or the two free ones have given decent results, IMO CCE was the best, but this was mainly for speed and multi-pass VBR encoding.

Assuming these are home movies, make at least one copy with NOTHING cut out whatsoever. I state from experience that many of the bits that would be cut out will be those most valued by your descendents. A shaky pan shot of the backround at an event proved to be the only known image of my Great-Grandfather. One simple edit (these were Really Cut and Paste!) and we would have no idea what he looked like.
In the video he is sitting with his hand on my Great-Grandmother's thigh, and in the late 1940's, that meant you were Family!

[davideck]

Assuming these are home movies, make at least one copy with NOTHING cut out whatsoever. I state from experience that many of the bits that would be cut out will be those most valued by your descendents.

I often appreciate watching my home videos years later for reasons that were completely unknown when I originally made them. I am so glad that I kept all of the original tapes.

My method of "editing" home video tapes for DVD transfer usually amounted to authoring an unedited file by setting meaningful (often many) chapter points. I deleted nothing, but provided an immediate jump to the next point of interest.