How to convert videos for Xbox 360

[xtrattitude4u]

HOW TO CONVERT MKV's, AVI's and MP4's with 5.1 audio FOR THE XBOX 360


Use this tutorial if the source video has 5.1 audio which needs to be retained.
You can usually use an easier process if you have 2-channel audio.

Programs Needed :

MKVToolnix
If your source video is not MKV format, you will not need this.

K-lite Mega codec pack
This pack includes codecs you will need to play almost any video or audio file on your computer.
When installing, be sure to select "lots of stuff". This will ensure you have all the codecs you need.

Yamb V. 2.2
If your source video is MKV format, you will not need this.
This is a very useful video tool, but will only be used to extract the audio from the video file.
Be sure to get version 2.2 or later. It has a new interface and this tutorial doesn’t apply to earlier versions.

DaudioK
If your source video comes with AC3 audio, you will not need this.
Used to convert an audio file to another format.
I am using V 1.9 Beta.

Virtualdubmod
Will do the re-encoding of your video file so it is compatible with the Xbox 360.

Avisynth
You will only need this if VirtualDubmod can't read your video file directly. (most cases)
Video files such as MKV’s with H264 video or MP4’s with AVC don’t work with Virtualdubmod directly. For this reason we need Avisynth. This is a frame server and acts as a medium between the video and Virtualdubmod. It will feed the video to Vdub frame by frame, converting them so the file can be read by Virtualdubmod.


1. Extracting Audio from video file

If your file is MKV, follow step A. If MP4 or AVI, follow step B.

Step A:
Navigate to the folder where you installed MKVtoolnix. By default, it is C:\progrom files\MKVtoolnix.
Open MKVextractGUI.exe.
Click the browse button and select your file. It should show video, audio and any subtitles or chapters.
Select the audio portion only and hit extract.
It will place an audio file in the directory of the video.


Step B:
Open Yamb. In the left column select "editing". Click on "Extract streams from Avi/MP4/Mov/Ts Files.



Click the input folder on the right and navigate to your video file. Once it has opened, you will see the audio and video.
Highlight the audio as shown. Click "Extract to raw format". Choose your destination and name, then hit next.
It will place an audio file in the directory of the video by default.




2. Converting AAC audio to AC3

If your audio file is already AC3, skip to step 3.

Open DaudioK.
(1) In the "output" drop box select AC3. (2) Navigate to your AAC file and open it. (3) Make sure volume is set to 100%.
(4) Make sure "5.1 Upmix" is NOT selected. DaudioK may de-select it for you automatically. (5) Choose your bitrate. I recommend 448kbps or higher for 5.1 sound. (6) Click Convert. This process will take several minutes depending on the file.
Note: DaudioK by default will place the new file into the same folder as the AAC file.


Test your audio file and make sure it is valid. Open with a media player and ensure the run time matches the length of your movie. Skip through the file and listen for any errors.

3. Make an Avisynth script.

If VirtualDubmod can read your video file directly, you can skip to step 4.

Make sure Avisynth has been installed.
Open notepad. (Start/all programs/accessories/notepad)
Copy the top script in the image below. (The second is my personal example.)
Replace file path/ file name with the exact location of your video file.

Click file, save as, and name the file so it ends in .avs so it saves as a script.
This makes the difference between a script and a plain text file.
Test your Avisynth script. Right click it and open with windows media player. Click yes and the video should open like normal.
If you get a red error message on the screen check your script again. Ensure K-lite codec pack has been installed properly. If WMP says it can't play the file, you either did not install Avisynth correctly or you did not save the script as an avs.
Note: The icon will change if you saved the file correctly.


If your script works, Open VirtualDubmod. Drop your AVS script directly into Vdub. You should be able to scroll through the movie, but ensure the marker is at the beginning before starting.

4. Select your audio stream

Click Streams>Stream List.
You should see an audio stream already in the box, but were not using that one.
Double click it to disable it, or highlight it and hit disable.
Now click "add". Navigate to the AC3 file you have created (or just extracted) and click open.
You should now have a second audio stream that has 6 channels.
Click OK.


5. Select Video Settings

Under Video, select "Full Processing Mode", then click Compression.


Scroll down and select "Xvid Mpeg 4 Codec"
If it does not appear, you may have the wrong version of K-lite codec pack, or you installed it improperly.
Hit "configure"


Now you have some decisions to make. Your settings will depend on your video file.
Profile@level: If your video resolution is 720p (1280x720) or less, select Advanced Simple @ L4. If higher, select L5.
Encoding type: Single pass will encode at a constant bit rate. It will be the fastest method, but the file may come out larger than the original (maybe 10-20%), and the quality of high motion scenes may suffer. For a movie without a lot of action, this will be fine.


2 pass will encode at a variable bit rate. Vdub will first scan the video and determine how much bitrate it needs. It will then convert the video. Low motion scenes will have the bit rate dropped to save space. High motion scenes will have the bit rate increased to preserve quality. This mode will give you the smallest file with the best quality, but will take nearly twice as long as single pass mode. The Xbox 360 may also skip or stutter if the bit rate jumps too high during high motion scenes.

For Single pass: If file size is not an issue, leave the Target Quantizer at 4.00 and click ok, then ok again.
If you want to select a bit rate, Click Target Quantizer to change it to Target Bit rate, and select a bit rate.
I like to increase it 10% above the original video to preserve as much quality as possible.
Mediainfo can tell you your bit rate. it is included in K-lite. Right click the video file and mediainfo should be an option.


You can also press the calculator button and use it to determine your bit rate.
Select the length of movie and size you want, and the bit rate will appear at the top.

Hit ok, then ok again.
On the main Vdub, click File, Save as.
Choose your location and name your file. "save as type" should be set to Audio Video Interleave (AVI).
"Don't run this job now" should not be checked unless you want to run multiple jobs at once.
Make sure it is in "Full processing mode" and click save.


That's it! This process can take several hours for a slower machine processing HD content.

For Two Pass: In the drop down menu select "Two-pass - 1st pass" and hit OK. The settings are blanked out because Vdub is not encoding on this pass, only reading the file.
Name the file "1st pass.Avi".
Important: Remember where you save this file. The second pass must be saved in the same place.
Click "Don't run this job now, add it to job control so I can run it in batch mode"
Click Save.


Now navigate back to the "Xvid configuration" page on VirtualDubMod. (Video>Compression>Configure)
This time select "two-pass 2nd pass".
You can click the "target" button and use either target Bit rate or target size.
Make sure "don't run this job now" is still checked.
Name your file "2nd pass.Avi"
Important: Make sure you save in the same folder where you saved the 1st pass.
Click save.


Now to start the process.
Go back to the main Vdub screen and click File>Job Control.
Both of your jobs should show up here.
Highlight the 1st pass and click start.


You're done!
Just rename the "2nd pass" video to whatever you wish. you can discard the 1st pass and the pass file.
Note that you can save multiple videos to job control at a time and run them overnight!
If you want to encode multiple videos in single pass mode, just be sure to select "don't run this job now".
Then go to job control and start them.

This is my first tutorial so let me know if any information is incorrect.