Best video converter for QUALITY

[madmartian]

I need to convert videos while maintaining the best possible quality. I do not want to change any settings - same size, aspect ratio, frame rate, etc. I want to convert from one format to another without any noticeable loss of quality. I am converting for projection on a large screen, not for showing on an ipod.

Inputs need to include MOV, MPG2, and AVI (DV). Outputs need to include MPG4 (H.264) and WMV.

There are A LOT of video converters out there, but any I have tried so far are geared towards ipods and such and while they may have a preset for good quality, it's usually not good enough and the quality loss is noticeable.

[poisondeathray]

handbrake, xvid4psp, avidemux are some options

h.264 will give you the best quality at a given filesize.

Use a higher bitrate, (or lower quantizer) which will result in less quality loss (but bigger filesizes)

[edDV]

The quality will never be improved so why are you converting?

Conversion to MPG4 (H.264) or WMV will be lossy. I've seen few projectors that even take those formats.

Got a model number for that?

[madmartian]

Some more details: I am projecting from computer using Media Player Classic 6.4.9.1. It's old, but it still works more consistently than any other player I've tried. It does have its quirks, though. It doesn't play HD MOV files worth a damn, even with Quicktime Alternative codec. But then Quicktime on the PC doesn't do so hot with HD files either. Some film makers will encode files at ridiculous bitrates like 40 megabits per second that apparently play fine on their $5,000 Macs. I kid you not. So any MOV files I get I have to convert. DV AVI files can sometimes be problematic, so even if they appear to play fine I prefer to convert those as well. Basically AVI and MOV files are containers, not true video formats, so they can contain some strange things sometimes. Lastly I can play most MPG2 files just fine, but the HD MPG2 files (rare, but I do get them) can be problematic and are humongous so I want to convert those too.

I'm not really concerned with file size. There is a "point of no return" beyond which if you keep upping the bitrate the video doesn't get any better because it can't get better than the original, so file size shouldn't be an issue if the "highest quality" preset is set at the appropriate HQ bitrate for each file type (which admittedly not everyone agrees on).

BTW, I am using the CoreAVC codec, which allows MPC to play all forms of MPG4 files without any trouble. WMV also plays without any trouble, thus those are my output files of choice when working with anything above DVD quality. I have been able to save these formats from fancy editing packages without noticeable quality loss, so I know it's possible, but I don't want to use a jackhammer to do the job of a toothpick.

[poisondeathray]

Sometimes it's as easy as re-wrapping the .mov with a different container

What are your computer specs, and what are the problematic files (use mediainfo: view=>text)

[madmartian]

Rewrapping won't fix a 40mbps file. However, admittedly I hadn't considered that before. How would one "rewrap" an MOV? Or an AVI? Computer specs are decent - core 2 duo with midrange graphics card and Windows 7.

[creamyhorror]

I'm curious about 40mbps MOV files. Some kind of intermediate?

[poisondeathray]

Rewrapping won't fix a 40mbps file.

sure it can help in some situations ,

e.g. if it's h.264 in mov. You could use dxva to decode, or even coreavc which you have. What is the file type? another situation is xdcam in mov, where the splitter on windows isn't set up properly when it's in mov container. xdcam with it's audio streams is close to 40Mbps

However, admittedly I hadn't considered that before. How would one "rewrap" an MOV? Or an AVI? Computer specs are decent - core 2 duo with midrange graphics card and Windows 7.

You could use ffmpeg to rewrap some or (yamb to mp4) , but it depends on what the input format is, again use mediainfo

.mov is just a container, it' s important to identify what is inside.

Sometimes it's as easy as switching splitter or decoders or players. More information on the files would help

[thymej]

Try the MPC-HC player...

[madmartian]

I get new files all the time, so it's not just for one specific file. I just need a program that will convert with a "maximum quality" setting instead of trying to save disk space.

[madmartian]

The MPC-HC player is buggy as Hell. Even some MPG2 files that play fine in MPC won't play properly in MPC-HC. I had high hopes for it, but those hopes were brutally trashed.

[poisondeathray]

If you're content with converting , some options were already listed

"Maximum quality" would be lossless. x264 does offer that mode, but your filesize will be huge.

Just use a low CRF value like CRF14-16 and it will be close to visually lossless on playback

In order for MPCHC to work, it has to be setup correctly. You can use DXVA to decode some streams (graphics card)

Good luck

[madmartian]

I tried matching settings in MPC-HC to the MPC settings. I didn't like Handbrake, but I appreciate the suggestion. What I'm really looking for is something with an interface like "Total Video Converter", but with presets for maximum quality. Unfortunately TVC is geared more towards converting files for small devices.

[thymej]

The MPC-HC player is buggy as Hell.

I 've seen others say this same thing. What bugs? I've used it without issues? I use the powerdvd codec with MPCHC beta build 1742. I still have found that the poweredvd codec does better DXVA.

[madmartian]

MPC-HC can't even handle basic MPG2 properly. Many videos appear vertically stretched with the bottom half missing. The same videos play fine in MPC. Maybe the embarrassment will entice the original programmer to get going on updates again.

[thymej]

Never seen these problems. What version of MPC-HC do you have? MPC-HC is almost updated dailly here: http://www.xvidvideo.ru/media-player-classic-home-cinema-x86-x64/


MeGUI is being updated again (make sure to switch the update sites in MeGUI to the Dev site option to get the latest versions). I use MeGUI to do quick encodes to h264 (many profiles to choose from). I use HCenc for mpg2 stuff.

[sphinx99]

To be perfectly honest with you, on a projection screen, nothing is going to beat running the video through an ABT or Reon or HQV upscaler and video processor. For display, I've long since given up on trying to encode to some latest and greatest format. Just send the video in as raw a format as you can to a BD player (that can stream) or a receiver (with upper end scaling hardware) and you get some pretty amazing results in large screen sizes.

[madmartian]

True, but the video has to play - on a computer through player software. The theater does have a line-doubling projector, so even interlaced DVDs look surprisingly good, but HD looks better when I can get it into a format I can play.

[creamyhorror]

why not use VLC player which can play those video files. not need to convert and worry about quality loss

VLC can't do multithreaded H.264 decoding, so it sucks for playing high-bitrate HD H.264.

MPC-HC, KMPlayer, etc. are better (and MPC-HC can do decoding with DXVA), plus they will rely on ffdshow/CoreAVC/whatever H.264 decoder you have installed.

Maybe the embarrassment will entice the original programmer to get going on updates again.

I don't think it's very fair to immediately assume something is wrong with the code itself when other people have no trouble with it. Did you get a buggy build or something? What's your version? Try another from poisondeathray's link, or try another player...

[madmartian]

This thread is not about which player is best, but which converter can create files closest in quality to the original. Player quality is a whole nother issue and we all have our favorites.

So, I'm going to give MeGUI a try and report back. Thanks for the tip.

[lordsmurf]

I get new files all the time,

Learn what the files are.

will convert with a "maximum quality" setting instead of trying to save disk space.

A fictional setting. Quality depends on content, inherent noise, resolution and bitrate.

[madmartian]

>> Learn what the files are.

Not sure of your point or how it relates to the topic. I can drop files into Gspot or MediaInfo until I turn blue - that doesn't change anything. I specifically ask for certain file types and get something completely different - mainly because a large portion of users don't know how or aren't technical at all. They may not even know what an MPG or VOB file is - they only know that their Final Cut program on their Mac spits out a file and then they send it to me. As long as I have a program that can convert anything to formats I know work well, it's not an issue. I am looking for the best program for that purpose. "Maximum Quality" is not fictional at all. The problem is that most programs are geared towards more compression and saving disk space. Take "H.264 Encoder", for example. It has a "high quality" setting, but drop the file into MediaInfo and it's clear they opted for a low bitrate, even at "high quality", in order to save disk space. One more setting at a higher bit rate and that program might be all I need. No I won't reach perfection - "no quality loss at all" is indeed fictional for any re-compression - but what I have experienced thus far cannot be classified as "good enough".

[lordsmurf]

They may not even know what an MPG or VOB file is - they only know that their Final Cut program on their Mac spits out a file and then they send it to me.

This is the problem. Fix it.

[madmartian]

Yah, tell me about it! If I could fix that, I would be the subject of scientific experiments.

[lordsmurf]

Tell them what to send you, teach them what to do.

[creamyhorror]

So how's MeGUI going.

[thymej]

Don't forget when choosing a 2pass profile in MeGUI to set the bitrate you want the final video to be (click the config button next the encoder setting line). You can do the same with consent quolity to set what Q you wont.

[madmartian]

Tell them what to send you, teach them what to do.

Yah, I tried that. Even gave detailed instructions on how to extract a VOB file from DVD. I still got MOV files.

My first look at MeGUI is that it does way more than I need and is a lot more complex than I want it to be. I really do want something as simple as drag/drop source file, click on target format, click on MaxQuality preset, click on Start. Making the quality settings editable would be nice as well, but I hope I don't have to use that. That's kind of what Total Video Converter and AVS Video Converter do, but they are geared towards small size files. It's possible if I tweak the settings enough one of those might work, but I think the trial period is already expired on those. The interface is almost the same on the two apps.

[TT1]

Two items...

1) WinFF
2) SMPlayer

All you'll ever need.

[madmartian]

It looked like WinFF was going to be the answer. It has a "Super High Quality" preset. It converted one MOV nicely, but my hopes were dashed with two failures. It couldn't handle two of my input files - one an MOV and one an HD MP2 file. Other programs can handle those two files, just not with high enough quality output, so the blame goes to the software, not the video files.