First time caller - Captured analogue video - compression issues

[foggys916]

So....

Captured on my windows machine (Lenovo T61 laptop 2GB ram) using Virtual Dub around 7 and 1/2 minutes of video and audio using the Huffy Codec. Obviously was preseted with a MASSIVE file (7.3 GB). THis is old material 4:3 aspect ratio. Easycap device btw. That file is fine, audio late by around 750ms but nothing that can't be fixed.

I've now transferred this to this machine (Ubuntu 11.04, 1.75GHzx2, 2GB, 250GB drive) and have been trying to compression into a reasonable size. Also I'd like this to be in a endoced form that a standard Windows 7 PC can use. Using AVIDEMUX (V2.5.4) and have installed ffmpeg.

However, AVIDEMUX is regularly crashing. Also on the odd occasions when it does seem to work I get a file that Movie Player doesn't like.

Any ideas??

[aedipuss]

i think handbrake has a linux version, give it a try. mp4 is a pretty standard video type these days and can be played by many devices.

[edDV]

...
I've now transferred this to this machine (Ubuntu 11.04, 1.75GHzx2, 2GB, 250GB drive) and have been trying to compression into a reasonable size. Also I'd like this to be in a endoced form that a standard Windows 7 PC can use. Using AVIDEMUX (V2.5.4) and have installed ffmpeg.

Need more definition of what comes next? Will you be editing on the PC? If so keep it Huffy or convert to DV or high bit rate MPeg2.

DVD?

Youtube?

archive?

[foggys916]

Need more definition of what comes next? Will you be editing on the PC? If so keep it Huffy or convert to DV or high bit rate MPeg2.

DVD?

Youtube?

archive?[/QUOTE]

Well firstly it will be used in a PowerPoint presentation (so I wondered if a wmv version would be best??), but I'd like to put this on a DVD for "posterity", but thanks for coming back at what is probably a regular question on here!!

[elmuz]

Well, if you need any edit stuff (cut, crop, color correction, etc...) Keep it in HuffYuv and do everything you need using Virtualdub/Avisynth/Premiere or what you like more...
When you are ready to archive try directly command line ffmpeg, it can probably do anything you need (mp4, wmv, mpeg2 etc).
Don't worry about lower cpu... it's probably gonna take double or three times of video length...
My suggestion for archive is mp4 (H.264/AAC) deinterlaced, with square pixel (640x480, 768x576), with CRF 21 or 22.
Don't know about PowerPoint, probably wmv is the right way... but not sure...

elmuz