Capturing with VirtualDub - File size 400GB and only 2 hours from old rec

[Diegovh1]

I am capturing my cam video which is in cassette to my computer with a video capture device (USB 2.0 EasyCAP), and using VirtualDub.
Everything goes great till lookin my final video file... 420 GB haha. What can I do to reduce CONSIDERABLY the file size?

PD: The recording lasts 2 hours.
Thanks!

[Baldrick]

CHoose a compression codec, Video->compression.

You can use a lossless codec like lagarith or huffyuv, a bit smaller file size. Or use the xvid codec or divx codec for MUCH smaller size, but they are not lossless and not that good if you are going to edit the video later.

[Diegovh1]

But I need to do that after capturing right?, because that's the problem, the file weighs 400 GB but it doesn't finish because I ran out of space...

Thanks for the really FAST reply and your time.
Bye.

Diego V.H.

[Baldrick]

No, you can choose a compression directly when you capture.

[Diegovh1]

Great I'll try that!

[sanlyn]

You must have captured to a large frame size in uncompressed AVI, probably RGB24 or RGB32 color (That's my guess, because you haven't posted much info about your video except that the capture is 420-GB in size). Open the AVI in VirtualDub and save to a new file using huffyuv or lagarith lossless compression. This should reduce to around 150 - 175 GB. Also, you don't say what format you're heading for (SD or HD?).

I'd just capture again but set VirtualDub capture output for lossless compression and YUY2 color. That should keep your original recording under 100 GB.

[Diegovh1]

You must have captured to a large frame size in uncompressed AVI, probably RGB24 or RGB32 color (That's my guess, because you haven't posted much info about your video except that the capture is 420-GB in size). Open the AVI in VirtualDub and save to a new file using huffyuv or lagarith lossless compression. This should reduce to around 150 - 175 GB. Also, you don't say what format you're heading for (SD or HD?).

I'd just capture again but set VirtualDub capture output for lossless compression and YUY2 color. That should keep your original recording under 100 GB.

Oh Sorry!. The format video is Digital8, and my camera is a Sony 360x.

[sanlyn]

Then your original video is either YUV or YCbCr (I think it's YUV. Correct me, folks, if that's wrong. I'm not sure about the Sony 360x). In any case, your original is not RGB. You should set VirtualDub capture output color to 4:2:2 (YUY2). For compression set for lossless compression in huffyuv or lagarith. Huffyuv is faster than lagarith. If you use lagarith, you have to set VirtualDub to YUY2 output and set lagarith options for YUY2 as well. Set the audio output to uncompressed PCM - you can always convert the audio later to Dolby or mP3, etc. You don't want to do any processing with audio in a lossy compressed format until the final render stage. With DV8, your output file will likely be bottom field first (BFF) from a DV tape.

[Cornucopia]

Sony has no such D8 handycam as "360x", but assuming you actually still have some form of D8 cam, I have to say: Why are you using the USB port, when D8 is a form of DV, and as such should be captured just like any other DV cam - through the Firewire port?

This will losslessly retain the quality of the DV already-compressed data stream existing on the tape. And you will get a bit-accurate copy in a DV-AVI file if you use one of the usual capping apps (WinDV is a great one). This is, of course, a 4:1:1 YUV (if NTSC) or 4:2:0 YUV (if PAL).

Scott

edit: and BTW, DV compression amounts to 13GB/hour, so your 2 hours should have been 26GB, giving you the highest quality that cam is capable of.

[sanlyn]

Thanks, Cornucopia, for that info. I still can't imagine how 400+ GB came from that capture.

[Diegovh1]

I've captured with xvid codec compression, at 300kpbs and the final file size was 3.6 GB. Thanks guys!

[sanlyn]

I've captured with xvid codec compression, at 300kpbs and the final file size was 3.6 GB. Thanks guys!

[sanlyn]

deleted. Nothing to add to this.

[themaster1]

sanlyn is desperate rotfl!

[sanlyn]

No, I hit "submit" twice. Back buttons, forward buttons -- it's all so confooosing after midnight. I'll let the OP's last statement speak for itself.

[themaster1]

My guess is he's forgotten a 0 in there it wouldn't be watchable otherwise. My 2 euro cents