Question about comparing AVI and mpeg4

[jimdagys]

I know that most newer standalone DVD players will play avi (the type of file that Fair Use Wizard produces). But how many newer DVD players can play mpeg4? Is mpeg4 more efficient (video quality vs file size) than avi? Is there a free one click solution (like Fair Use Wizard) that will convert a DVD into mpeg4?

[tomlee59]

Your question assumes a couple of things that aren't quite right.

First, there are standalone players that will play some DivX-encoded AVI files. Unlike MPEG4, AVI is a container format -- it's just a type of file standard that can contain multimedia encoded in a variety of ways, DivX being just one of them, and MPEG4 being another. Just saying "AVI" tells you very little about what the multimedia actually is.

As for DVD-to-MPEG4, there are many converters out there. Are you looking to do the conversion for handheld devices, or for a home media center?

[redwudz]

If you are asking about MKV/H.264 playback, no set top players that I am aware of play those formats. AVI is a generic term for the container, not a format, but most likely you mean Xvid/Divx. Quite a few players can use that format, as long as you adhere to 'standard' set top settings for those formats.

Or what tomlee59 said.

[yoda313]

If you are asking about MKV/H.264 playback, no set top players that I am aware of play those formats

Yeah you'd best look into media players like the western digital tv media player that hooks up to usb harddrives - or the popcorn hour. Those handle mkv and h264 without the need for a connected computer.

If you want a more versatile settop player for multimedia files you can also consider a ps3 or a xbox 360. Though the 360 is picky on mp4 formats and the ps3 is a bit looser in its mp4 standard. Plus the ps3 can do avchd dvdrs and m2ts files. But I like gaming on the 360 more - I have both so I am not against either just lean on gaming on the 360 more so than the ps3. But the ps3 is great for movies.

[jimdagys]

I just want to convert a DVD to 700mb cd and play on computer. Currently I use Fair Use Wizard, but I thought if there is a free 1 click solution to convert DVD to 700mb mpeg4, (and get slightly better picture quality than Fair Use Wizard), I would like to try it. So I would like to know what free 1 click software I can use to convert DVD to 700mb mpeg2.

[redwudz]

If your target size is 700MB, then MPEG-2 is not a good choice for quality. It just doesn't compress that well. VCD format is one example of MPEG to a 700MB disc. Not good, IMO.

That leaves you with Xvid/Divx if you want to use a regular set top (Divx) player. Or if you use a computer or some other of the devices mentioned for playback and use the H.264 format, it can give you high compression and small filesizes and still have decent quality. But it takes lots more processing power to encode and to play.

I use MKV H.264 format to compress a Blu-ray 25GB video file to a 7.95GB DVD-9 and the quality is quite good, considering the amount of compression. But it does take a few hours to encode, even on a fast quad core.

And FUW can compress to H.264 format, so it's about as 'One-click' as there is out there for that type of conversion.

[tomlee59]

I just want to convert a DVD to 700mb cd and play on computer. Currently I use Fair Use Wizard, but I thought if there is a free 1 click solution to convert DVD to 700mb mpeg4, (and get slightly better picture quality than Fair Use Wizard), I would like to try it. So I would like to know what free 1 click software I can use to convert DVD to 700mb mpeg2.

If you are going to view the result on a computer, why not just keep it in DVD format? Each conversion inevitably degrades quality (and takes time). Save yourself the hassle of converting, and just keep it in the original format. That way, you'll still have the option of playing the disc on an ordinary standalone DVD player, rather than some specialized other device.

If you already own a Divx standalone player, and are willing to tolerate the quality loss of crunching your vid to fit onto a single CD, then perhaps that's not a bad choice. But understand that you can have high quality OR small filesize, not both. As long as you're happy with the result, then that's all that really matters. Try a conversion, and if you like what you see, then you're done.

As redwudz said, H.264 will give you less quality loss than DivX, but at the cost of substantially longer encoding time, and the inability to play the result on ordinary standalone devices. But if you're determined to cram your video onto a single CD, and you're only going to view the result on a computer, then this is the best choice for quality.

[T-Fish]

dvd -> 700mb xvid file
easy and free -> Auto-GK (AGK)