Which gives me a better overall video?

[BooBerry]

I know know that MakeMKV does not encode, rather it just puts your source material into the MKV container. But, having already ripped my DVD collection, I would like to have smaller files. So do I...

1.) Shrink with DVD Shrink FIRST and then use MakeMKV to put it into the MKV container SECOND --or--
2.) Use Handbrake and let it encode into the MKV container, directly

Which gives me a better overall video, shrunken original mpg2 or compressed x264?

[greymalkin]

re-encoding to x264 is what youd want to do if you are going to end up there anyways and trying to salvage some quality. Transcoding is a "quick and dirty" way to get the file size down but you're working with the same type of video (MPEG2).

re-encodes take time, however.

[BooBerry]

I'm all for spending the time. I can just set it and go to bed. But it seems to me that a smaller file that is the same format of the original would be a good file. But then I hear how good x264 is and I wonder which is superior.

[fritzi93]

If you want smaller files with good quality, use x264, the compression is far more efficient than MPEG2. MKV is a convenient container.

Forget using DVDShrink first, it transcodes, i.e. it works by removing DCT data, essentially error correction. Once the data is gone, it's irretrievable. There's no need for that step. I'd encode directly to x264 in MKV container.

Good luck.

[BooBerry]

Will do. I already used DVD shrink to compress down to 4.35GB (for those movies that were larger than that to begin with.) Guess I'll have to re-rip them and then go from a full-on decrypt to x264. Is Handbrake my best (free) option?

[johns0]

I use handbrake to encode dvd video to mkv,much better picture quality than shrinking with dvd shrink and then putting into a mkv container.

[BooBerry]

Would you mind sharing your settings?

[johns0]

For a dvd9 i use high profile and set it encode to 4 gb size with 448 pass thru ac3,so for a 4 episode tv dvd9 i set each episode to 1.01gb with 2 pass encode and then author to avchd.If you are going to author to avchd make sure you set fps to 23.976 cause if you leave it to same fps as source it might come out at 24.3 fps or similar.

That's if you are encoding a ntsc dvd with pulldown,use 25fps for pal and 29.97 for true 29.97 with no pulldown.

[jagabo]

If you want to reduce the file size by 5 percent then Shrink may be a better option. If you want significant size reduction reencode to h.264. Try CRF mode at 18 or 20.

[BooBerry]

Unless I want DVD menus, etc, then no mkv, correct? I tried to point Handbrake to a VIDEO_TS folder and all I got was the main movie.

[poisondeathray]

Correct, currently there is no menu support for mkv (they have been talking about adding it for years... who knows when it actually gets implemented)

[BooBerry]

Got it.... Thanks!