Maximum DIVX quality when encoding and when joining 2 files

[deejay_silva]

I would like to know what is the absolute BEST way to rip a DVD (I want MAX quality on 1 cd) but I am not sure which software is the best and what are the optimal settings. I have read the guides and I was wondering if anyone knows how to get even better results in both audio and video(video is way more important to me).

I also would like to know how to fit a 2 * 720 meg divx movie files onto 1 CD with as much quality as possible.

BTW in both situations I don't care how long it takes ie. encoding time is not a worry to me, as long as I can use my pc

Thanks

[crahak]

Well, we need more infos. In what format do you want it converted into?

[deejay_silva]

I want to convert to DIVX (make it fit on a 700meg cd 80mins)

which codec should i use etc.... i see a lot of DIVX 3.11 movies (new ones) and I don't know why ppl don't use divx5

[crahak]

I'd go DivX 5 Pro personally, but that's just me. Lots of people like xvid too. I'd stay away from the old divx3.11a mind you.

the absolute best way to do DVD to DivX is Gordian Knot. Skip all the flaskmpeg and others. It's a bit more complex, but it's the best.

I'd completely skip the fitting 2 CDs on one idea, as it will usually turn ok quality into something that isn't quite as good... However, if you want to do that, it's just a matter of opening it in virtualdub, setting compression to a lower bitrate and saving it, more or less...

You can use your PC while it encodes, but it will be not quite as respoinsive, and it will make your encode last longer.

[RabidDog]

why not try scrunching the file to a lower resolution..eg 540x180 the lower the res the smaller the file and thats a cubic difference. eg 2/3rds the resoultion will give a file less than 50% as big.

[pire]

The best way is to use gardian knot to do an avs file and open it in nandub. xvid and divx5 are good codecs, but I am keeping with the divX4v3. Loads of elite groups (i think the majority) still use it. Some such as ViTE have switched to xvid.
When using nandub i do a 2 pass VB with an audio bitrate of no less than 160kbs, a resolution of 544 X 400 and use the program's bitrate calculator to select the video bitrate. I recommend you to not go under 700-800 kbs, so if to fit a movie onto 1 CD you have to go down to 600kbs, use two CDs, and get optimum quality.

However. If you are using 2 CDs why not convert it to a SVCD? the quality is better and you can play it on DVD players, even if one is not compatible you can use the TMPGEnc header trick and burn it as a VCD.

[crahak]

@rabidDog:
scrunching is quite a word for resizing, but anyways. 640x180 is VERY small and also not a valid resolution. Also, lowering resolution will NOT in any means at all reduce file size.

@pire:
the old "hax0r3d" M$ divx codec isn't the best. Besides, there isn't that much people using it anymore. And as for "groups" doing stuff, most of them do bad IVTCs, bad AR's, cams... every bad crap they can do, you see it. They're NO reference AT ALL in that matter. They're only good at getting it fast basically... Besides, most of the time, it's not even legal.

Audio at 128kbps sounds as good as "normal" 128kbps mp3's that people love so much. If I want more, I go for the AC3 2.0 192kbps or better. For the size difference between 160kbps mp3 and 192kbps AC3...
Also, 544x400 doesn't retain too much detail Also, 700-800 seems very low, and anyways, you should rather speak in words of bits/(pixel*frame), which is what really makes the quality of it.
.20 is considered like the minimum you might every want to do if no matter how much you're trying to cram on a CD. I personally go for full resolution and .35bits/(pixel*frame) and whatever sound I want (128kbps is good enough for kid's movies, AC3 5.1 when it's worth it, else AC3 2.0 ...)

Saying a SVCD has better quality is not a fact. It's only YOUR opinion. There are people who agree and disagree to that. Also, there are a lot of players that aren't compatible with SVCD, and the VCD header trick doesn't quite always work either... Heck, he could do XVCDs too if he wanted. If he wants DivX, he probalby has his reasons anyways.

[pire]

yep, sorry, i was really just giving my own personal opinion on all of that and the resolutions were even only for 4:3 i didn't even mention 16:9. I have found all my SVCD encodes to have much higher quality than divX, specially with may be the water in a bath tub or a waterfall, even when using 6000kbps in divX and bout 2000kbps in SVCD.

I really was only offering different alternatives and by no means was tellin what to do and what not.

by the way...I was talkin bout *elite* groups, such as ViTE or DOMiNiON, not the groups which do incredibly early releases with crappy quality like SMR or TMD. And doesn't really matter if what they do is not really legal, cause i'm preety sure that most of the downloads on the internet are illegal ones (mp3s, divxs, wares) there's millions of kazaa users.

That probably sounds wrong, as film and music companies are losing loads of money... sorry.
I am an SVCD, divx encoder but for my own personal stuff, not anything illegal, and workin with both and preety much staying with the same old divX codec with which i am familiar I believe SVCDs are better. I haven't really tried divx5 or xvid cause i find nandub to be such a great program, and I haven t touched XVCD or CVD, cause I am just used to making SVCDs with CCE and I am happy with the results.

If you know any better ways of encoding please tell me, i'd love to know and i'm not being sarcastic at all. I don't have much time to try out different methods and if you can guarantee me that another method works better it would be awesome.

[crahak]

Those "elite" groups don't do such great rips. You can do MUCH better than that with little effort, and it doesn't take that long either. I wouldn't be surprised if those guys did some pretty bad rips at times too... There are a lot of groups releasing stuff that is at least as good, and you can do even better.

It's all in the method and how many CDs you don't mind splitting it onto. The more time, the more quality, the better the audio, will result in larger files. I can make 1 CD rips as good if not better than those on the web, but quality just isn't there... (except some very short titles).

Anyways, some people don't see the difference between .2 and .35 bits/(pixel*frame). After reading guides on gordian knot and experimenting a lot on short clips, one can find what they really like.

Anyways, like I said, I keep whatever audio I think it appropritate for the movie, crop the black bars, and encode it at .35bits/(pixel*frame). I have yet to see better.