The Best Video Codec?

[Nitro89]

what's the best high quality video codec for encoding videos, until recently I heart about h264 I thought XviD was the best video encoder, I need the highest quality video output possible converted from VOB, the file size is the least of my problems.

[poisondeathray]

If you don't care about file size, keep the original format for the best quality. Any conversion will result in some quality loss.

I would use h264 if you want the best quality at a given bitrate/filesize, but it is more resource intensive (i.e. takes more CPU time) and if you want the absolute best quality there are many settings to configure/figure out.

Why don't you let your eyes be the judge: encode a few short sample clips with different codecs, settings, filters, etc. The settings that give you the best results will change depending on the type of film (like anime vs. action movie, vs. colorful scenery)

[Nitro89]

I like the use of Xvid, by the way, is there a Xvid converter that allows me to configure the bitrate manually, I have AutoGK?

[poisondeathray]

Almost all xvid encoders allow you to enter bitrate. eg. avidemux, virtualdubmod, megui

Some are easier to use than others. I suggest using a 2-pass encode if you want better quality.

Good luck