Thomas-MacFreak DVD to DiVX/XViD Tutorial

[Thomas-MacFreak]

Hello everybody!

Remember my first tutorial?

I have now made a new version of it! I am using the newest tools available (at the moment), and I have also updated and optimized my video bitrate calculator for this tutorial.

Enjoy!

Thomas-MacFreak DVD to DiVX/XViD Tutorial

[galactica]

The encoding can last from 8-20 hours

this seems like a long time! so the advantage of this over say forty-two or the direct dvd to divx with ffmpegx would be?!!?!

the cropping step?!?!?
just curious is all, dont do dvd to divx since I can do dvd to dvdr but its a very nice tutorial

[Thomas-MacFreak]

Remember, that if you use the "2-pass encoding" option, the encoding will take twice the time. That's why I say from 8-20 hours. If you uncheck the "2-pass encoding" option, it will maybe only take from 4-8 hours. As I have said in my tutorial. It depends on your macine

What's wrong about the cropping method? It seems like you don't know too much about DVD to DiVX/XViD, as you say your self.

Why are you talking about the direct DVD program? Isn't that for PC??? And this is the description of the tool. Tool features, Convert:
DVD to MP3. How on earth can you make DiVX/XViD with this app?

I have tried forty-two, and you can't really compare the quality you get using forty-two, to the method I'm using in my tutorial. I have just tried forty-two, and the quality using my own method is a lot better, and you get what you want. With forty-two it's like you click the start button, and hope for the best. You don't get to choose any settings other than which chapters you want to rip, what audio track, and what subtitles you want.

Why don't you try out my tutorial, and then ask questions?

[galactica]

It seems like you don't know too much about DVD to DiVX/XViD, as you say your self.

I never said I dont know anything about it!
I just said I dont do dvd to divx because of the loss in quality and the fact that i can just do dvd to dvdr

all i wanted to know was the product/quality difference in giong about the process your way as apposed to using forty-two

got it?

[thoughton]

[quote="galactica"]

The encoding can last from 8-20 hours

this seems like a long time! so the advantage of this over say forty-two or the direct dvd to divx with ffmpegx would be?!!?!

Just throwing my 2c into the ring, I used to convert a lot of DVDs into Divx on a Tibook 667 using forty-two and it would take much longer than 8 hours, more like 12 for a 90 minute movie and 24 for a 3hr one. So 8-20 sounds pretty reasonable really. Although having said all that I think forty-two's output is already amazing quality, but I guess two-pass would be better still. Not sure about the need for cropping though, none of my forty-two output ever needed any cropping as far as I could see.

[galactica]

this seems like a long time! so the advantage of this over say forty-two or the direct dvd to divx with ffmpegx would be?!!?!

hmmm... seems like the same thing I am trying to get.
Although when i asked it i was told that It seems like I don't know too much about DVD to DiVX/XViD

lets see what your reply is

[Thomas-MacFreak]

I am sorry galactica. I must have misunderstood what you wanted me to answer. I just got a little confused by all your "?!?!?!?!". What was that all about? . I did not say that it seems like you don't know "anything" about it! I said it seems like you don't know too much about it. But, forget about that now.

In my opinion, you get much better quality using ffmpegX, and with the other tools I am using, you get full control over your cropping and your encoding. If you don't understand why the cropping part i necessary, then you can just open the .VOB file and see for your self (then you see the black bars at the top and bottom). forty-two is auto-cropping, and you don't know anything about what it actually is doing. As said, I have tested forty-two, and I am not happy with the result. The cropping wasn't good (1-2px of black around the whole picture), the picture quality was not good enough. To make a long answer short. forty-two is too simple, if you really want your DiVX/XViD movies to be perfect.

Although having said all that I think forty-two's output is already amazing quality, but I guess two-pass would be better still.

What file size do you get? I can also get amazing quality if I just use a high video bitrate. What I am trying to do, is to get the file size I want with the best possible video bitrate. Two-pass encoding will give you better quality (and maybe smaller file size), because the first time it encodes it analyzes the encoding, so it will do better the second time it encodes.

I also think your DVD drive will be worn out faster, if you do a lot of transcoding. That's one reason to why I like working from the hard drive.

Why don't you try both methods your self? Try forty-two, and try my tutorial. Decide for your self what you think is best . Don't you agree that you get a lot more control over what you are doing, by using ffmpegX and the other tools?

[thoughton]

What file size do you get? I can also get amazing quality if I just use a high video bitrate. What I am trying to do, is to get the file size I want with the best possible video bitrate.

I used to just set it to single CD and it would end up fitting approx 100 minutes of film on a CD. I thought the quality was great, better than a commercially pressed VCD. It's no biggie, I'm sure your results are better, especially with two pass. It's just more work and I'm lazy I guess Also I hardly ever do divx anymore.

I did actually burn out my old combo drive, but it was the CD laser that went first, not the DVD one. Anyway, I think only old versions of forty-two transcode straight from the DVD (1.5.2 does, 1.6.2 doesnt).

Galactica: that bit you quoted from me was actually your own original post When I quoted you the endquote code ended up in the wrong place.

[galactica]

hahahahah i thought it looked way to familair!
this forum is all messed up by the craziness of impersonal text

my ?!?!? implies excitement about a question
any way no harm done and thanks for answering my question

8)

[SERBIAN]

Just one thing...Why to crop movie if You watch it on 4:3 screen?..Player will add letterbox anyway...Maybe to get smaller file?...If You watch on 16:9 screen /Titaniums/ the letterbox is not visible /except on cinemascope [2.21:1] movies...Also when You crop manually You loose real aspect ratio, and if You decide to make a SVCD from that DivX once, there is a possibility that the output will be streched or squezeed...

One thing more...You can buy DivX codec for QuickTime from divx.com /or use it freeware, but then there is no .mp3 sound encoding/ and try my new app Export2QT /which is also shareware/ and convert VOB/MPEG1/MPEG2/VRO/ReplayTV MPEGs to DivX with sound adding and compression...There is a LOT of settings in QT DivX codec which You can use...I admit that this is probably not the fastest and cheapest solution, but it is simple enough for everyone...

[brett]

cropping is great for computer-viewing; but on a tv, if you crop you are begging for dreaded UPSCALING somewhere along the way to 480, whether on author or playback.

and upscaling effin sucks.