Coverting Real Media (RM) to DivX/mpg WITHOUT qual. loss?

[GoblinToe]

Hi, everyone. I have scoured the forums here, and have most of the utilities needed to convert .rm files to DivX or mpeg.

My question, if anyone would be so kind as to share their experience, is whether or not it is possible to convert .rm files to DivX or Mpeg without any quality loss at all?

I have very decent quality .RM files that I would like to save from that horrid format and convert to avi or mpg. I don't care at all about the converted file being 10 times larger than the original .rm file so long as I can retain quality. Also, I don't care about vcd, I just want a standard avi or mpg file so I can play the video files with the same player (ZoomPlayer) that I use for everything else. I cannot stand Real Media for several reasons...their players suck, and they try and cram ads down your throat at every turn, which I despise!

I've used EO-Video and have been able to convert the .rm files just fine with no audio sync problems at all, but the quality is terrible! In eo-video I select DivX 5.0.3 and MP3 for audio. Eo-Video seems to work fairly well, albeit slow. Speed isn't an issue, though, and as I mentioned, neither is size. I just want to escape from the .rm (and QuickTime, but that's another story) format without quality loss.

Is this possible, or am I wasting my time trying to find a solution to this?

I haven't tried Tinra yet, but from all I've gathered, Tinra is just faster than eo-video, but won't solve my quality problems. It's late, so I'll give Tinra a whirl tomorrow.

Should I try a different codec in eo-video? I've tried mpeg1, DivX 5.0.3, and XVid, and by far DivX was the best quality of those codecs.

Is maintaining the level of quality in the Real Media file after conversion just impossible due to the re-encoding?

I know, the saying in the forums...Crap In = Crap Out. Hehe, but I was hoping since the .RM files that I have are damn decent quality (surprising, I know!), that I could salvage them.

Any advice would be very welcome!

Thank you!

[You_Are_Alive]

Why not try a screen capturing utility? This will work for sure. Just copy it in uncompressed avi or other format you want. Use a fixed region that is of some standard, 352 x 240 is probably the best setting. I use
SnagIt to screen capture. they have a free download to try out.

[GoblinToe]

Hmm, Screen Capture? That is new to me, but I am willing to go to any length to get these converted without loss.

Is this screen capture process difficult at all? Or are there any tutorials you'd recommend? I've never done it.

I'll check out that SnagIt program pronto.

Thank you!

[GoblinToe]

BAH!

Well, I have tried everything. Tinra, EO-Video, RMConverter, and Real7Converter. I've tried all worthwhile codes...MPEG1, DivX 5.0.3, Huffy, and even UNCOMPRESSED!

Nothing can retain the same level of quality that the original .RM file had. Not even uncompressed, and I'm not exactly sure why, since it's not re-encoding, is it? By far, EO-Video is the best program to convert, albeit very slow, but at least it gets the job done. In the end, none of these programs or codecs could completely convert the .RM file and maintain the original (or even close to original) video quality!

Real Media is a PLAGUE.

I hate that company more than ever now.

Thanks for the help, everyone, but I'm pretty sure the situation is hopeless for Real Media file conversion at this point.

[TurboRunner]

Yes Realmedia Does suck but it was not intended for homevideos or good quality movies it was intended for streaming video that you can watch while through the internet without downloading the video file which is why there is heaps of compression and that is why you get crap quality
if you downloaded your videos maybe try finding them in a different format like mpeg or divx?

maybe somebody could make a userfriendly player without ads that can play rm files

[gll99]

If all you want is to play RM format (or any other like avi, DVD, wmv etc..) without converting or getting nagged or spied on then try this great simple player.

http://vobsub.edensrising.com/mpc.php

Its called Media Player Classic and comes in XP and Non XP versions.

It looks like the old windows media player but does so much more. As long as the Dll's for the rm format are on your system it plays them just fine.

Plus it's free. I found it when browsing around and use it all the time.

I am not affiliated with the author so can't answer any questions exept from my own experience.

[Marcus50]

Could you post you setings you use to convert, I have about 50 or 60 rm files I need to convert and each time I try the audio is out of sync.