Dont know how to compress this big file

[fidodido]

Hi. I am very new to the video stuff and I want some advice from you guys.

I have a Sony DCR-PC120BT camera, and a Asus V8200 Deluxe AGP card on my PC which have a S-Video in port and can capture MPEG1, AVI and MPEG2. I connected both with the supplied cable on the S-Video port, and downloaded a video from my camera with the supplied software of the card, Asus VCR.

The settings I used are:
For Video: MPEG2, 720x480, 30fps, CBR 7400kbps
For Audio: MPEG2, Stereo, 224kbps

The video is 1h 19m 24s long, and it's about 2.4GB. But now the problem is that I can't get the video 700mb or less with neither VirtualDub or TMPGEnc. I used a VideoCalculator to calculate the settings I should use in VirtualDub, and it marks the file as a 1110kbps cbr with DivX, but the video is the worst terrible thing I could have seen after I encode it. It has a lot of spots all over it.

Tell me please guys what should I do ? Did I use a bad encoding settings to download the movie from my camcorder ? Can the file be compressed to match a CD size without loosing too much quality ?

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks!

[HAGGARD]

fidodido,

Please explain what you want to do??? Do you want to convert the footage to DivX or another format???
If you want your footage to be played on PC monitor only then also De-interlacing would help allot, because PC monitor is progressive and camera always records interlaced (maybe thats why video is garbeld).

'HAG

[fidodido]

All I want to do is to make this big file (2.4GB) to fit on a CD (700MB or less) without sacrifying too much quality. I was trying to use DivX only because I heard it's a good compressor. Anything else I could use ?

[hotwings]

what version of divx did you use? 5.02 pro? or the very latest one. I use 5.02 pro and make sure not to use quarter pixel encoding (I get 'spots' with this turned on). Other than that we are going to need more info about your divx settings. Divx can be very good with the right settings. Also one of the best mpeg2 to avi (divx) converters is flaskmpeg just for your info.

[HAGGARD]

fidodido,

I guess I understand what you want...
So you want to encode to DivX???
Use FlaskMPEG ( http://www.flaskmpeg.net/ ) to convert MPEG to DivX format. Also check guides on that site!!!
Maybe you also should checkout http://www.divx-digest.com where you can find guides/tips/tools for everything that has to do with DivX...

'HAG

[JazzMC]

DON'T USE FLASK !

I thought you wanted to make a good-quality video .

Use the newest GordianKnot (0.2.8.2) for MPEG2 video .

It offers a better encoding engine through the use of AviSynth and filters .
If the video still isnt good, discuss what filters and parameters you should use on that video in the www.doom9.org forum .

A 80 minute video should be fine on one CD .

Cheers ,

Jan .

[fidodido]

I am using DivX 5.0.5 Codec set at 1142kbps under VirtualDub. So, should I try one of the program you mentionted or continue with VirtualDub ? I used it because I heard it was good.

[HAGGARD]

fidodido,

In FlaskMPEG you can use the same DivX codec as in virtualdub! (looks the same, works the same, quality is better because reference decoder in Flask!!!)
Just open the video, select the audio en video encoder and off you go!!!

'HAG

[JazzMC]

As I said : if you have trouble with your video, then GKnot allows for much more optimization and different settings and filters to adjust the encoding to whatever you want the end file to look like .

FlasK has progressed in the last few months, but still does not come near to the quality you can achieve with GKnot, and that IS a fact .

Just depends on what quality you want/need, how much time you can invest (learning to use GKont takes a bit; there's a guide on www.doom9.org), and if you want to get deeper into the theory that is behind encoding or not .

AviSynth, which GKnot uses, has so many additional filters you can use, that the video that will look like shit afterwards has yet to be made (OK, if the input video is total crap, then the output won't be much better, but you said that the input video wasn't too bad. I would, if I were you, seriously pursue the concept that maybe the fact that you captured the stuff with a camera and then put in onto HD has something to do with what you are experiencing . Maybe framerate, maybe some weird interlacing, maybe something entirely else . Visit the www.doom9.org forum, search for troubles like yours, and visit the right sub-forum to ask your question there, too.) .

Cheers ,

Jan .

[HAGGARD]

JazzMC,

Were is your meaning about FlaskMPEG based on??? I used FlaskMPEG allot and NEVER encountered bad quality at all!!!

But I'll want to give GordianKnot a test try... were can I download it???

'HAG

[JazzMC]

My opinion is based on my usage of FlasK .
And I didnt say the quality was bad, in absolute values .
What I mean is that the quality is bad (with some videos and some seetings, mostly if you want to make 1-CD-DVD-encodes) if you compare it to what GKnot can do .

Download the newest version at www.doom9.org .

That site is the absolute reference in DVD encoding matters, and even he says that GKnot is, at the moment, best .

Cheers ,

Jan .