I have been on a quest these past 2 weeks to find one the best software for scheduled recordings, 2 the best codec to convert these televison shows to that will make is the smallest file possible with not to much loss in quality.

I am looking to mock some of the cartoons I already have where they have a 22min show down to 120 megs, that still looks fine at full screen

I have managed to get a 416 meg mpeg down to 170 megs using the divx 4 for video, and of course mpeg 3 for audio

I am a little confused on bitrates and what resolution I should be using

I am currently using MMC 7, but I also have power VCR.

I did some test runs with Virtual Dub but I am not getting audio when

I recrod, so mainly I am looking to convert, and I need to know the best codec to use if I am not already using that one.

but I would also like to understand how bitrates work so perhaps I can make the origianal file smaller without compromising on quality

and insight for the n00b