Best format to convert to?

[SteveO.KanevO]

I have lots of divx files. Everything video quality wize appears ok on my smaller 17" monitor, but looks crappy on my 24" widescreen monitor. I have choppy blocks that appear arround the edges in the video

I just recently purchased a very fast computer and encoding only takes me 25 minutes for a 30 minute show. I have been encoding these files to mpeg... but is there a better format? I have all the computer power needed to perform anything, so what format should I be converting them to take advantage of this?

I understand there might not be a lot I can do as these are downloaded files and I did not encode them myself, but there has to be something that can allow me to view these files properly on my 24" widescreen.

I also have a tv tuner, what is the best format to encode with that as well?

Thanks in advance,

-Steve

[redwudz]

I'm not sure what you are asking. Do you want a smaller file size or better quality? You are not going to improve on the quality of the original files. Every conversion will have quality loss. You can minimize this by using a higher bitrate. What are you playing these converted files back with? A set top DVD player?

Have you thought about just getting a set top Divx player? Then you wouldn't need to convert, just burn them as is to a disc for playback.That's assuming they are Divx player compatible. But most files like that off the net are.

The 'choppy blocks' are most likely due to too low bitrate. What program are you using to convert to MPEG? I would try ConvertXToDVD as it works well with those type of files.

And welcome to our forums.

[dnix71]

You are not going to improve on the quality of the original files. Every conversion will have quality loss.

And welcome to our forums.

What he said. The blocks around the edges are from cropping when the divx's were converted from their original format. Cropping helped make the files smaller so they would fit (a cd in most cases).

Many Divx's are mpegs (hacked Windows Media hacked from true mp1's) so converting them back is NOT going to make them look better.

I have a 17inch widescreen Apple laptop. Even that is too large for heavily compressed files. Resizing the display window during playback is your best option.

What type of "tv tuner" do you have? Most proper capture cards come with software. Saving the file in as large as possible (file size, no compression) is always you best bet. You can always recode later.

[SteveO.KanevO]

I use my computer as my main source of entertainment. I purchased the larger screen and the tuner to not waste my money on an actual tv.

I just want what I view to look crisp and clean. I user the divx player to watch most of my stuff, is there maybe a better program?

There is pretty much nothing i can do with my existing files? What if I convert them to vob's, would that make the quality better?

What do you mean by resizing the display window during playback? I just go right-click, fullscreen...

thanks!

[redwudz]

As mentioned, you are not going to improve the quality, with conversion or otherwise. You might use some filtering like the Smart Deblocking filter with Virtualdub to make them look a bit better. http://www.compression.ru/video/deblocking/smartdeblocking_en.html But you will have to re-encode again.

You can try different software players. Some have built in filters that may help. I use the KMPlayer or VLC Media Player.

I'm not sure why your videos would look that bad on a 27" screen. I use a 5 X 8 foot projection screen and most Divx/Xvids off the net look fine. Not as clear as a DVD, but not much macroblocking except with low bitrate videos that have a lot of dark scenes and fast action. Most of the videos are 700MB Xvids, played back with the HTPC.