Your opinion: Best codec for quality and file size

[30sauce]

Hi, all. I'm just staritng to encode some DV and VOB files with VirtualDub and the compression options are Greek to me... Any suggestions on what codec(s) to use for good quality and minimal file size? I know there's no "best", but I'd like your opinions...

Also, if there are specific settings within VD or for a particular codec (in terms of frame rate, etc) that I should adjust, please let me know your thoughts on that as well. Thanks in advance.

J

[SatStorm]

What a bad expression...
"....are Greek to me"

You expect help now? Especially from a Greek like me? Anyway

I like XviD. RTFM about how to set it up.
Top quality IMHO is Huffyuv. Not the latest version

[30sauce]

Thanks, SatStorm. Never heard of Huffyuv, but have Xvid on my machine now. And no offense on the 'greek' thing -- just saying the codec options might as well be written in a foreign language...

Anyone else wanna toss in their two cents on which codec is 'the best'?

J

[reboot]

For low quality, I use DivX mpeg4, at highest quality settings.
For high quality, I use HuffYUV.

[Safesurfer]

If you are using DV as you say, the Panasonic DV Codec will enable you to decode and encode to DV using Virtualdub. Gives you a smaller file size than HuffyUV too.

[celtic_druid]

Re-encoding DV is not lossless though and huffyuv is. ffdshow also has some nice lossless support.

Doesn't sound to me like they were after lossless though.

I would agree with XviD. Excellent quality for the filesize and speed to. Other option worth checking out would be x264.

[lordsmurf]

MJPEG is good

[MessiaH289]

XviD is the best, 'nuff said.
Best of all my DVD player can play it. (Philips DVP642)

XviD 2-Pass VBR with VBR audio on a single CD is breathtaking on my 53" TV.