Playing MPG on Mac - converstion to AppleTV

[brstephe]

Thanks for hearing this out. I've searched everywhere and might be close but haven't found resolution. Copying my MPG family library over to a new Mac from a PC. I'd like to view them on the Mac. I'd like to throw them into itunes for AppleTV as well.

My dilemna is that I'm anal about space and video quality. I could streamclip and output an MP4 but it seems I haven't hit on the right settings yet to get similar quality output. When I do I'll guess that I've just about doubled my library size. Even tripled really if I retain the MP4 and *then also* copy these over into itunes. I've read alot about MPG to itunes type conversion but I want to retain an MPG like quility MP4 or similar for PC watching *and* also dump it into itunes. Maybe I'm second guessing the MP4 format here in this case or...

Perhaps I'm second guessing the AppleTV and my need. I'm darn close to just installing videolan VLC and retaining the original MPGs. To watch I'll just plug a darn HDMI cable into the Mac and TV.

Anyone else dealing with this or have advise? If i had a reasonable assurance that I could input my original MPGs into a Mac viewable format (avi, mov, other than mp4?) I'd probably just backup my MPGs, delete and retain this converted file only on the HD.

How best to retain the best quality and space for an MPG conversion here without multiple file type kept around? Is my answer only MP4? Any advise on settings other than 100% quality and setting my data rate estimate close to original file size?

[jman98]

Must you use AppleTV? It has so many drawbacks that I have to question whether you really understand what you are doing. It's your business if you want to paint yourself into a corner but for the same money or a LOT less (depends on whether you buy a disk drive or not with it) you could buy a streaming media player like a Western Digital model that would be a million times more useful and less fussy. But if the (in)convenience of using iTunes is all you care about...

Damn, AppleTV is so bad it makes those cheapskates who keep trying to use their PS3s and Xboxes as half-assed media streamers look like Einsteins. If the Apple name did not have such power over so many gullible people this POS compliant product would have died the death it deserves YEARS ago.

[brstephe]

Pretty negative and critical reply to my first post. Yes I must use AppleTV if using it at all, thus my post. If I wanted AppleTV bashing or alternate product recommendation I suppose I could have posted that request but didn't.

It was a gift from outside the family and who can argue with free. If you re-read my request, however, it is more about MP4 being the best MPG conversion or not. In the event I want to drop something into itunes. Or if I just want to outright replace all my MPG files with an alternate file with similar quality and size.