DVD to DivX - settings for better quality

[CodeMaster2008]

Hi;

I'm new to this "ripping dvd business" and it's my first post in here.
I wan't to start coping my DVD's to my computer so i can streaming it to my living room using a media server and my PS3.

As a friend recomended I bought DivX 7 and AVS Video Converter 6.3
For my first test I went to AVS and used the following profile:

"Video MPEG4 (DivX, XviD), 1500 Kbps, Audio: MP3, 192Kbps"

The video length is 1:45 and the encoding process took about the same time.
It created an AVI file with 1.28GB.

What i noticed when streaming it to the PS3 is that even though the quality is not bad, the video is darker than the original.

My question is, is there anything i can do (any tweak) or other software i can use to get a better picutre quality (as close as possible to the original) whithout get file size bigger than I already got?

Thanks in advance.

[jockey69]

I have a question on similar lines; I am using Dix 7 Pro encoder to encode DVDs of my old TV series. I am streaming these to my HDTV.

The default 'Home Theater' settigs on DivX is 700x400 which shows up nicely on the TV except for occasional pixellation. I tried changing this setting to 700x480 but this elongates the faces of the actors/actresses. What gives?

[jagabo]

Try AutoGK. It's free, easy to use, and does a good job.

If you want to learn a bit more about converting and encoding VirtualDub is a good program for converting DVD to Divx/Xvid AVI. I recommend the Xvid codec and Lame ACM for video and audio. You can use Divx instead of Xvid if you want but I think Xvid is the better encoder these days (both are MPEG 4, part 2 encoders).

[craigarta]

Another option is XVID4PSP using the AVI hardware option.
Of course sometimes the audio seems a bit off. But I have noticed of you demux it and put it back togethor with virtualdub it plays flawlessly.

I like the mono option for old tv series. mainly since there was no stereo tv until the 80's

[CodeMaster2008]

Hey thanks;

First off all thank you all for your help.
But unfortunately i still didn't get ananswer.

Looks like all programs has almos the same set of settings where we can tweak a few things and that's what I'm talking about.
The video i get has more contrast than the original. The darker areas of the original video are too dark on the compressed one.

I installed and tested HandBrake 0.9.3.
It's a great free application and it is also faster than the one i have paid for.

After try it's PS3 presset i got an 2.3GB file for a 2 hours movie.
The quality is amazing and it also croped the video automatically.

The thing is: i use a media server and this file wont play smoothly, PS3 keeps buffering.

[jagabo]

The video i get has more contrast than the original. The darker areas of the original video are too dark on the compressed one.

AutoGK, VirtualDub, Divx, and Xvid do not routinely darken video or increase its contrast. If that is indeed happening it is AVS Video Converter's fault.

But it may not be happening at all. How are you determining the difference? By opening both the original DVD and the Divx encoded file side by side on the computer in two media players? That will almost always look different -- even if you look at the exact same video in both players. The first media player will be displaying its video via the graphics cards video overlay feature. The second will be using Windows GDI (because only one player at a time can use video overlay). By design, video overlay and Windows GDI have different color settings. Go to your graphics card's setup applet. You'll see two sets of controls for colors. One for the Desktop, another for video.

[CodeMaster2008]

Thanks jagabo;

That's very good information, however I'm comparing both on my PS3, i play the original DVD stop and play the file.
I can notice that the file has more contrast. Maybe the PS3 handle the files different than it does with the DVD drive.

[jagabo]

This post:

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic319733-60.html#1846411

Contains a link to a small DVD ISO image containing 10 seconds of the Macbeth color chart. Convert that to Divx with AVS Video Converter and upload the result. I'll take a look to see if the program screwed up the levels.

Here's just the VOB file if you need it: vts_01_1.zip

[CodeMaster2008]

Here it is.

vts_01_1_avs.zip

[jagabo]

The levels look pretty close to normal in your Xvid AVI file:



And the levels of the source:



The brightness has dropped a tiny bit bit but that's not uncommon because of the inaccuracy of converting between the YUV and RGB colorspaces.

If the Xvid AVI file shows much more contrast on the PS3 it must have something to do with the way the PS3 displays Xvid AVI files.

Here's one I converted if you want to compare:

xvid.avi

[CodeMaster2008]

If the Xvid AVI file shows much more contrast on the PS3 it must have something to do with the way the PS3 displays Xvid AVI files.

That's what i'm thinking.
I believe i have to "train my eyes" to accept it as well, just because i can notice it doesn't mean it's bad.
Thanks a lot for your help.

[jagabo]

Can you see the slightly lighter black vertical bar in the lower black section? You should just barely be able to see it. There is also a slightly darker black bar that you're not really supposed to see (it's below the designated full black level). Here's the black test area lightened up so you know what to look for:



Compare the MPG and the AVI. When viewing the videos the larger black areas should appear completely black on your TV (as black as your TV gets). The darker bar should be the same shade of black. The lighter bar should just barely be visible.

Many HDTVs have their gamma set too high -- darker areas are too dark compared to lighter areas. See the article linked to by this post: https://forum.videohelp.com/topic369776.html