MKV to Xvid

[Ninjazn]

I have an mkv file that I want to convert to an XviD avi format. I am using River Past Video Cleaner version 7.6.3.

For output format I put: "XviD" and it tells me, "Please install Xvid codes to output to Xvid files."

I have installed Xvid-1.1.3-28062007 and River Past Video Cleaner still won't let me output to Xvid. Any ideas what is wrong?

[jaxxboss]

output format set to -->AVI
Video Settings --> xvid

[Baldrick]

Or use AllToAVI.

[Ninjazn]

output format set to -->AVI
Video Settings --> xvid

When I choose output to AVI, xvid doesn't even show up in the Video Settings drop down tab.

[jaxxboss]

The you dont have xvid installed/ correctly.

[Ninjazn]

Any ideas on what might be wrong? I downloaded the codec from the link that River Past Video gave me. When that didn't work I uninstalled it and then installed it again from the download offered on Xvid's own website.

[poisondeathray]

Is there a reason why you want to convert MKV => AVI with Xvid codec? (Maybe to play on a standalone player?)

The reason I ask is you will lose some quality by converting any video file.

In you screenshot, you could just as easily use DivX 6.8 codec; They are almost identical.

[Ninjazn]

When I tried using the DivX 6.8 codec, the file it outputted was only a few kb and didn't have any video. Also, the reason I wanted to convert to Xvid is because Xbox 360 supports that for streaming, and I heard convering MKV to Xvid is faster than converting MKV to WMV (which I've been doing so far).

I just converted a 2 hour movie from MKV to WMV and it took about 9 hours for it to convert. The quality though looks identical to the MKV version.

[Baldrick]

If it's a mkv with h264/x264 you can use gotsent and make a mp4 without reconverting the video. Xbox 360 supports h264 in mp4.

[Ninjazn]

Yeah I know, but mp4's have to be streamed across Media Center and can't be accessed through the 360 dashboard. I've tried streaming MP4's to my 360 using Media Center and my 360 for some reason always freezes.

Pretty much my only "quick" option would be converting to Xvid. I can convert to WMV, but as I mentioned before it takes a LONG time.

[poisondeathray]

Too bad you seem to have problems streaming mp4 because the quickest option would be a direct stream copy into a new container (takes few minutes vs. hours re-encoding...)

It seems like you have problems with your xvid installation.

One option would be to use avidemux (which has all codecs self contained).

Before you start, determine streams are in your mkv in the first place by using mediainfo (because if its already an xvid stream, you would save hours of re-encoding). If this is the case, just select "copy" for the audio and video sidebar, and select "avi" as the container; then save "filename.avi"

If it's some other codec, like h264, you can select "xvid" in the video sidebar drop menu to encode (you can also configure options like bitrate, filters, etc...). Then save "filename.avi"


Good luck

[Ninjazn]

When I use Mediainfo if it is an Xvid file would it just say "Xvid"? Also if I use avidemux and convert to xvid will it retain most of the quality of the mkv?

[poisondeathray]

When I use Mediainfo if it is an Xvid file would it just say "Xvid"? Also if I use avidemux and convert to xvid will it retain most of the quality of the mkv?

Mediainfo will tell you what codec is used (If it's xvid, it will say xvid). Definitely recommended to identify what kind of audio & video you're dealing with. May save you hours and/or help to solve your problem

Any conversion will lose quality. However, you can adjust quality settings (like high bitrate, multipass encoding, custom quants..) - it will take longer to encode if you set quality higher

[Ninjazn]

Man this is all so confusing to a beginner. Another question, how do you start the conversion with Avidemux? Also is Two Pass Final Size better or is Two Pass Average Bitrate?

Thanks for everyone's help.

[poisondeathray]

Before you start, I would run mediainfo and post the information here - because sometimes some audio formats are not compatible in some containers and you would have to convert that along with the video.

If you want a higher quality encode, select 2 pass avg. bitrate. Choose something over 1500kbps. The quality will be dependent on your source. If its not good enough, choose something else. You can test a short sample by moving the sliders on the bottom "mark in/mark out" to encode, say 30 seconds, to see if the quality is acceptable before wasting a few hours on a poor quality encode. Then readjust your settings according to your tastes.

If you're more worried about speed, just do a 1 pass set bitrate encode and test the output to see if its "acceptable"

To start, enter your settings and press "save". In avidemux, you have to specify the save location, and type in the full name with extension e.g. "filename.avi"

[Ninjazn]

Media Info says this:

1 video stream: MPEG-4 AVC
1 audio stream: AC3

I want to convert it to Xvid to stream wirelessly to my Xbox 360. However, I just converted the whole thing to AVI using Avidemux and my Xbox 360 said the content was not supported. I put the video as MPEG-4 ASP (Xvid4) and audio as MP3 (LAME). Format was AVI.

Edit:

Also when I opened the mkv file it said:

"H264 detected. If the file is using bframe as a reference, it can lead to crash or stuttering. Avidemux can use another mode which is safed but YOU WILL LOSE FRAME ACCURACY. Do you want to use that mode?"

[poisondeathray]

It shouldn't matter which mode you use in this case, since you are not editing the file

If you run your output file through mediainfo, does it say xvid video and mp3 audio? I'm not sure why your xbox "doesn't like" the output file. Does your output file play normally on your computer?

Did you upgrade your xbox 360 firmware? (it couldn't play xvid/divx natively before the new version)

I hear tversity works well with xbox 360, are you using that to stream?

[Ninjazn]

The output file plays perfectly on my computer, and I do have the latest version of the Xbox 360 firmware. I don't use tversity mainly because I dislike it, and I don't need it. I don't need any software to stream, my Xbox 360 just detects my PC and it works through the Xbox 360 menu. For some odd reason though, the Xbox 360 just won't play the outputted AVI file. I'm guessing that the Xbox 360 doesn't support the mp3 audio, and probably wants MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3.

[Ai Haibara]

Ninjazn: MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 is MP3.

If it supports AVIs and MPEG-4 video streams in an AVI, I'd assume it should have no problem with MP3 audio streams in the AVIs... though some players may or may not like VBR MP3.

[Ninjazn]

Oh I really feel like an idiot now.

Also I made sure the outputted file had a constant bitrate for the audio because I chose "CBR" for the audio options. So the audio couldn't have varied.

[Ninjazn]

Sorry to double post, but I converted the MKV to WMV instead, and the resulting file had a total bitrate of 26,000 something. I know the more bitrate you have, the better quality, so I was wondering, if the movie is 51 minutes long, is in 1280x720 resolution and has a bitrate of 26,000, is it high definition? Thanks.