Need a replacement for Nero Recode...

[jemenake]

Well, I've read a few FAQ's and searched the heck out of Google, but I can't quite get my problem solved.

I'm looking for a tool that will let me convert videos for use in my iPod Classic (AVC/AAC). Other formats would be good, too, but I'm mainly after the iPod conversion. There are many tools that do this, but Nero Recode is the only one I've come across that offers the following:
- Automatic crop detection
- Automatic interlace detection and subsequent deinterlacing
- Automatic audio normalization
- Pre-scanning the video to determine the quality (and destination device) to avoid choosing a bitrate that is unnecessarily high.
- Ripping right from DVD or VIDEO_TS folders without having to use a DVD ripper.... *and* being able to rip from most avi, mov, mpg, etc. formats.

There are a vast number of tools out there that require you to do one (if not all) of these decisions on your own... by running a transcode job, looking at it visually, tweaking some settings, running the job again, tweak, run, tweak, run, etc. Granted, Recode isn't going to use settings that are as perfect as you can get... but it does let me drag a whole mess of videos into it and I can just hit "Go" and know that I'm going to get videos that are within about 10% of the optimum quality and about 30% of optimum size.

I'm transcoding lots of videos (so individually handling each one isn't an option) and they're from a variety of sources (so just settling on one set of settings won't do, either). Nero Recode is what I'm using now, but it crashes on a few of my videos.

Can anybody suggest any other tool (commercial or freeware) which offers all of these features?

[Baldrick]

Ripbot264 and automkv would I try.