ConvertXTtoDVD won't fill a DVD-5

[Noahtuck]

Wow.... seriously.... have you even been paying attention......

[cowboyup910]

What you quoted above I still believe is true. I don't convert BluRay to DVD anymore because I much rather keep the original resolution and quality, but if I had to and in your case it sounds as you must.

You can't tell me that converting the BluRay file to DVD will give me better quality then if I just left the file alone and play it as is. That's what I meant by silly, but if I had no other options then I would much rather have a better source file.

[cowboyup910]

Wow.... seriously.... have you even been paying attention......

The thread was about why CX2D won't fill a DVD and then your now bring up converting to very different types of files, BluRay or Standard def.

Where did the conversation turn? We were discussing why CX2D, won't fill a DVD and how some people changed the settings around to get what they believed to be better quality.

[lacywest]

I encode to dvd-9, and if it ends up over 4.7 then I use dvdshrink to fit it perfectly to a dvd-5.

he he ... I do exactly the same thing

[lacywest]

Believe me I understand what many are thinking, which is why I don't even convert BluRay files to DVD, its just not going give you great quality anyhow.

Ummm... wrong....

BluRay is meant for BluRay and converting them to DVD and DVD resolutions is just silly

I don't have a bluray player in my bedroom and none of my kids have one so i have been converting quite a few bluray's to dvdr's and the dvdr conversions blow away the original pressed dvd's of the same title.
And not everyone has an HDTV in every room of their homes.

Here is a screen shot of an original pressed dvd of The Gauntlet,

[Attachment 7210 - Click to enlarge]

Here is a screen shot of the same movie after it was converted to DVDR from my bluray rip,

[Attachment 7211 - Click to enlarge]

Might not be as easy to see on a screencap but it is way less grainy, better colors, etc.
Not to mention way better remastered audio that sounds a 100 times better on a 5.1 system....

And that is just one of about 50 examples i could give.

But for the regular AVI files CX2D will do a great job and will produce what it can given what you inputted.

And yes, i agree, convertxtodvd is great for when you want to put a bunch of 20 minute Xvid tv episodes onto dvd, but not for larger higher quality video files.

If your going to mess with a bunch of .... Divx / Xivd ... videos ... you might want to think about getting a DVD Player that plays those type of files ... I use the Philips DVD Player that does. You could put a whole bunch on one DVD using Nero Express in DVD Data mode.

[mrswla]

The thread was about why CX2D won't fill a DVD and then your now bring up converting to very different types of files, BluRay or Standard def.

Where did the conversation turn? We were discussing why CX2D, won't fill a DVD and how some people changed the settings around to get what they believed to be better quality.

It hasn't changed! You need to go back and re-read the op's post. He/She was converting a mkv to dvd. Cx2d excepts all kinds of formats, so bringing in bluray and other formats is not changing the discussion.

[Seeker47]

Right there is the issue. This will not give you superior quality, if anything just a larger output.

Again

The common mistake is to believe that BIGGER SIZE / BITRATE will produce bigger quality. THIS IS NOT TRUE IN ANY CASE.

To get the best output for most all theatrical titles, set the encoder to auto and DVD5, this will not fill the disc but give you overall the best quality possible.

Well, we've got some uber-techies here, but then we've also got plenty of folks like me, who are nearer the opposite end of the spectrum. In a situation like this, I think I would defer to what guns1inger said in Post #2 of this thread. I'm sorry, but when your 80 or 90 minutes of video only fills 2GB of the 4.3, I can't help but concluding that this is like leaving more than half the $$ on the table in a poker game. (And I know what I see in comparative tests using the same sources, as between the results from CX2D vs. AVStoDVD.)

And yes, i agree, convertxtodvd is great for when you want to put a bunch of 20 minute Xvid tv episodes onto dvd, but not for larger higher quality video files.

I use a great variety of sources, and Yes, the quality of stuff you pull down from the 'Net is gonna be unknown and all over the place, some of it not so good. Curiously enough, I've had some of the best results I've gotten out of CX2D with 720P MKV files, which seems to diverge from what you just said.

Even where there may have been something funky going on with particular videos, if CX2D freezes and dies while processing it, but AVS has no such problem, something is seriously awry there.

[chowmein]

As cowboyup910 has been saying, CQ mode maintains consistent quality throughout the encoding, which makes it superior to VBR encoding which varies the quality. However, CQ encoding results in unpredictable file sizes. I was doubtful about CX2D's inability to fill up a disk also, until I looked into their reasons for making it like this.