Converting Anime DVDs to AVI (AutoGK)

[vangelon]

Hi all,
been lurking these forums for awhile, but thought I'd join and ask a question that has been bothering me.

You see I'm ripping anime (cartoon) episodes from DVDs to AVI (XviD), however, AutoGK is bothering me a lot with it crappy attempt to auto-detect qualtiy, etc.

My advanced settings are as follows:
- Video set to 624 width
- Subtitles file attached (subtitles only in opening)
- Codec: XviD
- Audio set tp CBR, MP3 @ 112kbps

My file quality as:
- Custom Size: 180mb

Hidden Options Set to:
Everything default but:
- cartoon mode forced On
- Reduced FPS to 23.976

So the problem is that, when converting, even though I have 4 files of the same length, same cartoon, same intro, same subtitle file, the size never seems to fit correctly within the 180MB limit. One of them would be 185, while the next would be 133. Checking the bitrate settings shows me the first to be 1000+kbps, while the other as low as 650-700kbps.

I wouldn't care if it was a few MB's off, but with such a drastic change in size and quality, why is this happening when I set the custom size to 180MB?

Could someone recommend a fix, or maybe a different program to convert IFO files to AVI/XviD/H264 for online downloading?

Love AutoGK, but the part of not allowing us to change bitrate is a bit silly, I don't see the harm in this.

Thanks for the help!

[manono]

Post the log for one of the undersized ones. Most of the time when people blame AutoGK for something (however, AutoGK is bothering me a lot with it crappy attempt to auto-detect qualtiy, etc.), it's really the user's fault. The log tells the truth.

Or just do 1-pass encodes for a target quality percentage (the default 75% is good) and let the sizes fall where they will.

Also, while Cartoon Mode is fine for really crudely drawn animations - stuff like The Simpsons - it's not really recommended for the often much more complex Japanese anime. But depending on the series, it may be OK.

[vangelon]

File size is what I'm after though.. I don't want a 23 minute file to be 200mb, then another one of the same series being 24 minute to fall at 130mb.. it just doesn't make sense.

I will do a quick coversion now and post the log file. Thanks for your help!

[vangelon]

Attached the Log File. Seemed to be ~160mb now that I did it again. So will do a few more until I get a 130 or less file. Still, if the program is asked to target a 180mb file, does it still aloow a 20mb difference?

Thanks again for the help.. still trying to figure this out...

lh3_agk.log

[vangelon]

Attached another log. This time audio set to 128kbps, file size still set to 180MB.
Came out as a 138MB file.

1_agk.log

[manono]

OK, it's not what I thought it was. You should be getting the sizes you want, within less than 1 MB.

Have you at any point installed a newer XviD over an older one without first removing the older one? Have you ever installed a newer or different version of XviD than the one included with AutoGK? Do you perhaps have 2 different versions of XviD installed? My suggestion is to uninstall XviD via Add/Remove Programs before then reinstalling the version of XviD included with v 2.55 of AutoGK. It's a variation of v 1.2.1 of XviD AutoGK uses. You can check your current version (which should be the same) by opening VDubMod and going Video->Compression->XviD->About. But these problems are often solved by an uninstall/reinstall.

If for some reason that doesn't work, my next suggestion is to wipe AutoGK from your system, XviD and all, and then start over with a fresh install of AutoGK, the full 11.77 MB v. 2.55 package

[vangelon]

Thank you!
The above helped. I had isntalled a different version of XviD on my computer before isntalling AutoGK, and din't think I needed to install it's version.

So removed all XviD installs, removed AutoGK, restarted the computer, and then installed AutoGK again. Chose to instlal it's version of XviD, and now it gives me perfect 180mb files!

Legend manono, thanks so much!