Converting from DVD to XVID

[morphjk]

I am wanting to copy some of my DVDs to XVID and store them on my HTPC so that I don't have to get them out everytime I want to watch them so I am wondering what is the best program to use so that I get the best quality without ending up with a huge file.

I have tried DVD Decrypter and then used TMPGEnc Express 4 to convert with good quality but have hit a snag with 2 DVDs that TMPGEnc wouldn't let me bring in all the .VOB files so I couldn't end up converting it.

I have tried Fairuse Wizard but have found it lacking quality. I am currently trying out AutoGK but is this really as good as people say it is or is there better?

So my question is what is the best way for me to go?

[DJRumpy]

I faced a similar choice last year when I ripped my entire DVD collection to my HTPC. I would suggest you use H.246 rather than DivX. It allows even lower bitrates while retaining the full DVD resolution. Lower bitrates means smaller file sizes. It performs better in regards to quality and detail retained.

MEGUI is a good place to start for H.246.

If you decide to stick with DivX then AutoGK is an excellent option which works well for general encoding purposes.

[morphjk]

I faced a similar choice last year when I ripped my entire DVD collection to my HTPC. I would suggest you use H.246 rather than DivX. It allows even lower bitrates while retaining the full DVD resolution. Lower bitrates means smaller file sizes. It performs better in regards to quality and detail retained.

MEGUI is a good place to start for H.246.

If you decide to stick with DivX then AutoGK is an excellent option which works well for general encoding purposes.

Okay where do I find out more about this H.246 as I've never heard of it before?

[guns1inger]

Try H.264 - you are more likely to get hits. It is another variation of mpeg-4 compression. It requires a lot of computing power to encode, and a fair amount to play back at higher resolutions.

[DJRumpy]

MEGui is all you need to encode the files. To play them back, you can grab FFDShow (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow) to handle the codecs.

I would suggest you use Media Player Classic for playback.

[jagabo]

VLC and KMPlayer have h.264 decoders built in.

[DJRumpy]

VLC is a bit clunky and rather buggy. I haven't tried KMPlayer. Is it any good?

[jagabo]

KMPlayer is my player of choice these days. It works well and is very configurable. Maybe even too much so -- it sometimes takes a while to find the option you want buried within dozens of configuration dialogs.

[morphjk]

MEGui is all you need to encode the files. To play them back, you can grab FFDShow (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow) to handle the codecs.

I would suggest you use Media Player Classic for playback.

I will be using MCE2005 for playback.

[DJRumpy]

I've checked out KMPlayer. It reminds me a lot of Zoom Player for it's option set. Initial impressions are good. It's a wee bit buggy, but certainly usable. I think I'll give it a go for a while to see if I like it.

I didn't think the options were overwhelming at all.

[RabidDog]

Fair use wizard doesnt lack in quality.. as long as you use the quality setting at maximum and also give it a decent bitrate eg 1200-1700mb per film. My only gripe is that its a bit slow and its tricky to keep the ac3 sound

[Relayerman]

AutoGK works very well for me, but there are a couple of settings in the 'hidden settings' screen that really help (CTRL-F9). Personally I try to use the 1/3 DVD size option for movies. TV episodes I can go for the 700mb size. the quality is great especially from ripped DVDs. If converting from MPEG-2 files you may experience a few minor blemishes, but nothing to cry over. I use Xvid instead of DivX and am quite happy. Hey I'm only this planet for so many years so just how great does the end result have to be?

Relayerman