How do i encode .rmvb to a better quality???

[whatever911]

I've downloaded lots of movies and most of them are in .rmvb. Although their sizes are small but the quality aren't as good as .avi ones. I tried to convert them to .avi using many programs but none was good. They all give almost the same quality as the .rmvb ones. So my question is how do i encode those .rmvb movie files that i have to a better or best quality ? i don't mind spending a whole night, i just want best quality videos. Please help me, thanks

[celtic_druid]

Quality as good as the original is about as good as it gets. You can't pull the extra information from nowhere. If you want better quality, start with a better source (DVD, HDDVD, BluRay, etc.).

[whatever911]

so basically, there's no way to get a better quality? is that what you're saying?

[redwudz]

I'm sure that's exactly what he is saying. Whatever quality you have, you will be lucky to get the same quality with any conversion. There are always conversion losses.

You may be able to use some light filtering to improve the 'look' of the video. But RMVB is a proprietary format. Not a lot of converters that can do much with it.

[PuzZLeR]

Think of it like pouring milk into a glass. Would you be able to take that glass, pour the milk into a new glass and get more milk? Absolutely not.

As well, every time you take that glass and pour it into a new glass, no matter what, you lose some milk, depending on how much you pour. You will not be able to pour 100% of the milk because there will always be residual left over in the previous glass.

The way to get more milk is return to the original source, the further back the better, whether it's the original carton, the factory or even the cow itself.

[whatever911]

Ok, so that's impossible to do, got it.

Then what about i want to rip DVD -> .rmvb ? i know lots of programs could do that but i don't know how to control the frames, bit rates,..etc.. so that when i convert it to .rmvb, i could have a high quality with a size less than 100 MB, please help, thanks

[redwudz]

If you really want to use that format, try RealProducer. When you do any video encode, the quality depends on the source quality and what bitrate you set the encoder to use. Low bitrate=Low quality. High bitrate=higher quality. The bitrate also determines the size of the encoded file.

For information on RMVB, go to Real's site: http://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/

[whatever911]

I went to the site but i didn't find any info on how to make a high-quality video (.rmvb) based on bitrates. Please guide me on how to do this, i really desperately need your help, please

[mats.hogberg]

high-quality video (.rmvb)

This is almost a contradiction. rmvb is generally used to distribute low bandwidth, low quality video. There are better codecs for high bandwith/quality needs.

/Mats

[PuzZLeR]

If you really want to use that format

Your writing here reads like the same tone of "Why would anybody want to use this format anyway?". LOL

Then again, for whatever911's sake, I would personally stay away from it. You may attempt to encode FROM it, but encoding TO IT would yield average video at best, which is something you don't want.

This format had promise, and still has a niche today, but has had little support other than from Real themselves.

[whatever911]

Well, .rmvb is not that bad comparing to what y'all have said. If you're fans of animation then you'll know that most of the movie files are encoded to this format (.rmvb)

I just want to know what bitrate and screen-resolution i should fix before encoding my downloaded movies to .rmvb so that i could have a high-quality, but since you don't know, i'm just gonna give up

[thecoalman]

I'm not famialr with using RM either but the same pricipal applies for any video format. The sweet spot is relative to the resolution and the format*. For example MPEG has a sweet spot between 4000kbps and 8000kbps when using 720x480. If you go above 8000kbps you're just making a bigger file, go below 4000kbps and the quality begins to degrade rapidly the lower you go. Now other formats like WMV can use 2000kbps or even lower at this resolution because they compress better at lower bitrates. *Framerates can also be a factor, lower framerates require less bitrate. This should only be done to video for web distribution for viewing on a computer. Once you alter the framerate it's no longer suitable for anything else. I routinely do this for video I want to make accessible to the dial-up crowd,

The specifics for RM I don't know but you could certainly find out yourself by performing some tests. Start with the resolution your source video is, drop the bitrate until thw quaility is no longer suitable. If the file size it produces is too large at this bitrate drop the resolution and start over..

Think of it like pouring milk into a glass. Would you be able to take that glass, pour the milk into a new glass and get more milk? Absolutely not.

As well, every time you take that glass and pour it into a new glass, no matter what, you lose some milk, depending on how much you pour. You will not be able to pour 100% of the milk because there will always be residual left over in the previous glass.

The way to get more milk is return to the original source, the further back the better, whether it's the original carton, the factory or even the cow itself.

You sir are a genius, :P

[PuzZLeR]

I have tried several flavors and types of milk.

Whenever I would try the .rmvb brand, it never tasted any good. It seemed to flow bad or had some sort of degrading quality. It tasted thin, very much like those skim milk types.

Every time I tried to add flavor, or even process it to another type of milk, it would get worse. As well, every time I came across a sample, it seemed to have been erroneously mixed at the factory. I was always disappointed in its quality.

However, I now hear it tastes good while watching cartoons. I never thought of that actually and now I'm curious. I was, I admit, basing my opinion on my own experiences, and basing it on the batches I would buy from one chain of stores instead of investigating others.

[ScorpioDragon]

Well, .rmvb is not that bad comparing to what y'all have said. If you're fans of animation then you'll know that most of the movie files are encoded to this format (.rmvb)

I just want to know what bitrate and screen-resolution i should fix before encoding my downloaded movies to .rmvb so that i could have a high-quality, but since you don't know, i'm just gonna give up

Why give up? Although "most" animation "may" be (or have been) encoded in Real format, this doesn't mean you should do the same. It really all depends on what you intend to do with your encoded files...for viewing on the web?...for personal archiving? If you choose to encode in this format, you should experiment with various bitrates and resolutions in order to find out for yourself which settings are "best" for you. Also, I would broaden my options by experimenting with other codecs as well...such as Xvid...so you can compare the quality and files sizes.

[celtic_druid]

Though everyone had moved on to AVC for low bitrate anime anyway.

[PuzZLeR]

Ahhh AVC...

Since I took my first sip of the AVC brand of milk, I have not been the same...

In fact, right now, that's all I drink.

Yes it takes longer to process this blend, but oh boy, even the smallest sips have alot of fulfilling rich flavor. Soon, that's all the stores will be selling.

I'm still in awe of how they can have so much taste with so little fat...

[KBeee]

Well, .rmvb is not that bad comparing to what y'all have said. If you're fans of animation then you'll know that most of the movie files are encoded to this format (.rmvb)

I just want to know what bitrate and screen-resolution i should fix before encoding my downloaded movies to .rmvb so that i could have a high-quality, but since you don't know, i'm just gonna give up

You are missing the point. The BEST quality you can expect is to leave your downloaded files as they are. ANY re-encoding will degrade the quality.

[whatever911]

Thanks y'all for helping out but i think the one and only way to achieve a better quality is to try out every resolutions and bitrates, anyway, thanks a lot for helping!

[45tripp]

Yeah, a good way to try and find the most acceptable quality.

Or as Puzzler might put it, a way to find the tastiest milk, considering the ugly cow.

[Abond]

[PuzZLeR]

Bad tasting milk is bad tasting milk.

A certain volume of milk will not grow into more milk.

Then again, adding chocolate, or strawberry flavor may improve the taste somewhat. Maybe even a bit of cinnamon? Warm it up a bit and it will smooth out. How about filtering out those bad toxins? However, you may even add more milk to blend better or to cover for the lost volume.

Sugar's real sweet.

Eventually, if you keep doing this, additives and filters, you will probably end up with a completely different type of milk. So different than the original taste.

And to mask that bad taste, you will need lots of additives and bigger volume.

But all you're doing is hiding a bad taste. It's still bad milk behind a cover (only in a bigger glass).

[whatever911]

@ PuzZLeR: i have to admit you're the KING OF MILK-DRINKERS!

[celtic_druid]

You also get those glasses that due to their shape look smaller or bigger than they actually are. Poor your milk into a glass that looks bigger than it is and it will look like you have more milk when it overflows.