How to Watch 720P Coded AVI on Standard TV

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

Friend of mine ripped his BluRay disc of (the classic movie was 4:3 resolution) to "BRRip XvidHD 720p" AVI file and the follwoing is the reading that I got from his file using GSpot ...

Video: 992*720 (1.378), 5860Kbps
Audio: AC3, 48000, 448Kb/s, 6 Chnl

I know how to get around AC3 audio ... just convert to MP3, 128Kbps, whether in 48000Hz or 44100Hz ... it plays on my TV.

Here is the problem ... when I tired to play this AVI via my Philips DVD Player 5980 ... it says it does NOT support that "Video Resolution".

Q1: Is it the Philips DVD Player that is not supporting this Format or my Panasonic 9 year old 36" tube type TV?

Q2: What can I convert this AVI to so it can be played thru my Philips DVD Player & on my Panasonic TV? Please tell me the Best Tool to do this ... preferrably Freeware?

Q3: When converting what Bitrates should I set my Video at so hopefully not to loose the CLEAR look that the HD file has?

Q4: What MP3 Bitrate ... 128 or 160 or 192Kbps would be close to 448Kbps AC3 ... to a Normal Ear!?!?

Q5: What is the Proper Format of MP3 for an AVI ... 44100 or 48000Hz!?!? ... both play on my Philips DVD Player anyway ... Just Curious?

THANKS!

G!

[Baldrick]

1. The DVD Player.
2. Resize to max 720x576. avi recomp might work if your source is xvid. Or else try xvid4psp and load the avi hardware profile.
3. You will lose the clear look because you are downsizing it. But use around 1000-2000kbit/s.
4. You can keep the ac3.

If you want HD then get a blu-ray player and borrow your friends blu-ray movies.

edit: And a HDTV

[gonwk]

Hi Baldrick,

Thanks for such a Fast response.

Bladrick ... on your response #4 ... the reason I convert from AC3 to MP3 ... is because my Philips DVD Player plays some AC3 and for some others it tells me that the Codec is NOT supported.

BTW, if it was You converting an Audio to MP3 ... what would you pick the 44100Hz option or 48000Hz option!?!?
I have noticed it works with both Samples ... but which is More Correct!?!?

Thanks again,

G!

[lacywest]

Yep ... I found out ... months ago ... that it would not play a Divx movie I converted to 720p ... I use a DVD-RW ... when watching movies on the Phillips DVD Player.

[jagabo]

The 5980 should be able to play any DVD compatible AC3 audio. If you must convert to MP3, leave the sample rate at 48 KHz.

If you want to play high definition video files on your standard definition TV don't bother with a Blu-ray player. Nothing will give you high definition on a standard definition TV. A Blu-ray player will be expensive and won't play any old video file. Get an inexpensive standalone media player like the Western Digital WDTV (~US$80 to US$120). That plays most A/V files, including high definition files, and will down-convert to standard definition for your TV. In the future, when you get an HD TV your player/TV will display your HD videos in HD.

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

@ Lacywest ... Thanks for the Feedback!

@ Jagabo ... Thanks again for the Help ... I knew I should have grabbed the WDTV Media Player when it was on the "Sale" ... but friend of mine talked up the new Seagate one and told me that WDTV player when plays back the .ISO files it can NOT skip thru the Chapters ... so I held back from buying either one.

For now ... all I am trying to do is to watch the 720p file using my Philips 5980 or is it 5982 ... and my Regular TV ... not really interested in Hi-Def stuff ... as long as I can see the show.

So, I will try Baldrick's AviRecomp ... since when I converted the file using FormatFactory to 800X600 and 4:3 file and kept the Original Bitrate ratio the darn file Still DID NOT play back thru the Philips !!! I guess 800x600 (SVCD) set up still did NOT get it.

If anyone has any other input or feedback ... please jump in!

Thanks,

G!

[jagabo]

SVCD is 480x480 NTSC, or 480x576 PAL.

800x600 is SVGA.

The 5980 won't play any file with a width over 720 pixels or a height over 576 pixels. Ie, it won't play anything over standard definition DVD resolution.

[gonwk]

Hi Jagabo,

THANKS for the last explanation ... I was wondering "How" Bladrick knew exactly what Resolution to pick for me ... with your explanation on "Standard Definition DVD Resolution" ... now I have something to go with ... I will look up that is googl and figured out the Max acceptable Resolution for my Standard dvd player ... so I guess I could have gone with 720x576 OR 720x480 ...

I already used AVI Recomp 1.5.0 and converted it to 720x576 and will try it later on today ... but boy sure takes a LONG time for the AVI Recomp to do it's magic ... I thought it was a Quick & Dirty conversion ... plus I wonder how I can skip the 2-Pass conversion ... AVIRecomp gives you Option for Audio Rates but for the Video ALL you can choose is the Final File Size ... Oh well !!!

Thanks again and MERRY XMAS!

G!

[Anonymous8443434]

Removed.

[edDV]

I prefer 720p but have a SDTV.
I just use S-Video and it shows on TV like a normal widescreen DVD.
Sitting back on the couch about 6 feet and you cannot tell the difference.

720p playing on the computer gets scaled down to ~640x480 for NTSC S-Video or to ~768x576 for PAL S-Video. The horizontal resolution will be further reduced by the analog NTSC/PAL encoder to about 5MHz (400 horizontal lines of resolution).

[lacywest]

Something else to consider ... put together a PC with a Nvidia 8500GT video card ... decently cheap on Ebay.

But make sure the video card you choose has HDTV outputs ... it will use a HDTV connector with RED BLUE GREEN connectors ... this connector will plug in the port that looks like a S-VHS connection but will have about 7 small pin connectors ... instead of just 4 small pin connectors.

Go to Walmart and get the Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse [40 bucks] and get a 14 FT long USB 2.0 cable to make it easier to use the wireless keyboard and mouse.

This is what I do in my bedroom.