about WinAvi and ConvertXToDVD

[bennyvo]

hi

I Usually use
WinAvi to convert AVI to DVD
ConvertXToDVD to convert AVI+External Subtitle to DVD

Most Video i download from the net are 600-900MB depend on the length of it, it was consider as good/great quality.
My question is, when I convert them to DVD using the two program above, which Output Quality would I choose eg... Medium, higher or Highest that give me at least the Same quality after convert to DVD. I know i could choose Highest but that would make the output size bigger but wont gain any extra quality.

WinAvi: lowest, lower, medium, higher, highest
ConvertXToDVD : low quality, medium quality, high quality

Which output should i choose to get the same quality or abit above but not lower?

thanks alot.

[manono]

Which output should i choose to get the same quality or abit above but not lower?

None of them, as it's impossible to get a higher quality than the source, or even the same quality as the source. Reencoding to a lossy format can only lower the quality, to a greater or lesser degree.

Most Video i download from the net are 600-900MB depend on the length of it, it was consider as good/great quality.

By whom? I hate to be so negative, but you're not being very realistic. But then, you use WinAVI, so I guess your standards aren't very high to begin with.

[guns1inger]

ConvertXtoDVD is better that WinAVI only because it is more reliable, more compliant, and has less issues with VBR MP3 audio sync. Always encode o the highest quality/lowest speed setting to get reasonable output.

But frankly, any movie compressed down to 700mb with a reduced resolution and reduced bitrate, then blown back up to DVD resolution is going to fall well short of DVD quality without a lot of work that these programs are not capable of. And even if you do that work, you will never get great quality, only good.

[bennyvo]

I know when re-encode always a lossy, i only want to get it to close as the source as possible. Why do you take it so seriously? does it matter who consider it as good/great quality? If the video I watching have very little of block or blur or any kind of bad quality that a human eye could notice, can't I say it good/great quality? Sure it can't be compare to DVD quality, but as an AVI, it deserve it. And why are you judging people because they use a certain program?


The question is not to compare to the orginal DVD, only to get as close as to the source, if all i did was set to the Highest, there's no question ask, in many cases, set highest sometime is a waste of MB, if a human eyes can't see it, what's the point of having it.

I think i don't need anymore of you to reply, you people take it too seriously.

[stewiegriffin711]

bennyvo,

Please don't knock the good people who want to share their knowledge and expertise with everyone.

This website is invaluable to newbies and and advanced users alike.

Of course things are taken seriously here! What's the point of the website otherwise?

People like Baldrick, guns1linger, manono, and many others contribute advise freely to advance the knowledge of video manipulation to whoever expresses an interest.

If you want a non-serious website, maybe you should be looking elsewhere.

Also best season wishes to the whole Videohelp group

[ted demen]

i just bought VSO converterX2Dvd and although its very easy to use, i have a couple of issues/questions which hopefully someone might help me out with:

1. after conversion and burn (using only converterX2dvd) the consumer dvd player takes forever to load it and sometimes doesnt.
MPC cant open it (sais there is no dvd in drive) when i try to test it after burning.

2.in almost all cases the outer frame of the video is cropped off. especially noticable if subtitles are present.
its missing about an inch all around the image on a 20" tv.

3.where does this program store the converted files? as it doesnt ask for a destination path, i have so far selected to burn after conversion. but id like to try to burn with nero instead of using the built-in burning option to see if thats causing the inconsistent loading/playing issues.

thanx!

[redwudz]

ted demen,

1. Sounds like a media problem. I haven't seen any I have converted with ConvertX take any extra time to load. Try some different media. Also make sure you aren't using the wrong format like PAL instead of NTSC.

2. If you source video is a odd framesize, which is not unusual with some Xvids, it may have to crop some to convert to the DVD framesize. The one inch sounds like a overscan problem with the TV. Do they look normal when played on the computer? You can adjust your subtitle positions.

3. The default location of the working file is in 'Settings>General', usually your Documents folder. Also 'Delete folder after a successful burn' is probably checked. Uncheck it if you want to see the file after burning.

[TBoneit]

Going back to you bennyvo, why convert? Converting takes time. Burn them to a DVD and get several on a DVD at original quality and play them on a divx player such as some of the Toshibas or Phillips? I would think the savings in time, DVDs and wear and tear on the computer + power savings could make it pay off.

[guns1inger]

ted demem

Re: your subtitle problem - the problem is that the subtitles were put in the wrong place. This happens a lot with fan-subbed anime, where they position the subtitles for PC playback, not television playback. Once you account for overscan, the subs get chopped.

The solution is to use FitCD and avisynth to resize the image within a black border. The border usually won't be seen on the TV, but it will force the subtitles back inside the "safe" area of the image. This uses to mean encoding and authoring by hand, however recent versions of ConvertXtoDVD will read avs scripts, so you can still use it to create you DVD, but without the cut off subtitles.

[bennyvo]

stewiegriffin711

you're being un-fair, from what u say, this website is for newbies as well, look at how he say at the second post, the way he answer, it doesn't seem like helping at all.

I ask a question, ofcourse i was look into it, but being too seriously deeply inside a single word i use to make a comment on that.

If you don't feel like helping newbies with your advance knowlegde then its fine but don't make it too complicated, not everyone an expert like you.
And read carefeully before picking side, its better to stay out of someone else business.

[guns1inger]

Actually, it is being helpful, although you may not appreciate it just yet. However if you persevere, in time you will. When you have been around a while you notice that the progression is from

Which one-click program will convert by avi to DVD with DVD quality (or great quality etc) ?

to

Why are my DVDs so crappy when my source is so great ?

So sometimes, when you see a post starting off in that direction, it becomes a natural response to try to manage expectations. It may not answer your question directly, but it is effectively saying that none of the settings in software like WinAVI or even ConvertXtoDVD will give you what you are asking for.

And it's not just a matter of going from lossy to lossy compression. The videos you download are encoded with codecs designed primarily for playback on a PC, and they exploit certain aspects of PC playback to hide compression flaws and artifacts. Trick they use include reducing resolution, exploiting the lower image gain of PC monitors to hide tonal range reduction and other exploits. Unfortunately, unless you know how to address these during conversion, these quickly become exposed when you watch your DVD, leading to complaints and disappointment about the software used.

It is also obvious, to me at least, that few actually regard their downloaded treasures with a critical eye. Many flaws are in fact quite obvious, even on the PC. And with only a little tweaking - push the gain up on VLC while playing back, for instance - it becomes very obvious that 600 - 900MB is nowhere near enough to provide anything better average quality. Certainly better than VHS, in most cases, but far short of DVD.

As for the website being for newbies - it actually covers the gamut from newbie conversion to some pretty complex restoration work for experienced people. And the range of expertise answering questions is also wide ranging. Sometime people do not have time to give long-winded, softly-softly responses, and for many, English is not their first language, so giving nice gentle responses isn't the easiest.

So if you were offended, I'm sure, knowing the poster above, that was not the intention. Don't bail now because you didn't get the answer you wanted first time. Sometimes you never get the answer you hoped for.

[bennyvo]

I rather don't get any reply, rather than that kind of attitude.
Its not a matter of how good their language is, its a matter of how people use it.
I can tell you one thing, newbies always get bullied, this thread is an example, it doesn't matter who is wrong or right, the newbies always get the blame.

This thread should be CLOSE before it turn in a blame war by long term users.

Peace out.

[ted demen]

bennyvo, why do u feel like uve been so wronged here?
i dont see anything written in this thread that should be offensive to anyone.
give me a break dude, boo frickin hoo.... cry me a river

--

redwudz, i tried playing the converted (avi-dvd) dvds in the computer, there are 3 dvd i did in total all different content/source, and the results were:

MPC: 2 out of 3 of the dvds would not even load (sais there is no dvd in drive) the third one worked fine.

WMP: again the same two wouldnt even work just as in MPC, but the third worked flawless (no cropping either)

all 3 were done in the exact same way.

guns1inger, the issue is not with just subtitle getting cropped but the whole outer fram of the video (so in turn the subs get cropped with it) if i were to adjust the position of the subtitles, the cropping of the video issue would stil be there.

[redwudz]

ted demen, still sounds like a media problem. And as guns1inger mentioned, you can put black around the frame and use that to reduce the video size so your TV overscan doesn't cut it off. But different TVs have different amounts of overscan, so your converted video may not display the same on all.

If you have further questions, please start a new thread.


bennyvo, WinAvi is not too popular around here as their company constantly spams this site and then they refer their purchasers here for help. Their software has numerous flaws and their support is virtually non-existent.

Considering the source of your videos, I would use the highest quality for conversion with both programs. You should be able to get the same quality as your original file with your conversions. If you can't, then look to other programs that may be more difficult to set up and take longer to get your desired result. Look to standalone encoders and authoring programs. They are available in 'Tools' to the left. <<<<<<

And you will get opinions here as this is a forum, not a help site for specific programs. If that's a major problem, you might look to other sites.

And since you ask to lock this, I will.

Moderator redwudz