How should I encode this 8GB AVI file while keeping its image quality?

[hkBattousai]

My old camera creates huge AVI files. I want to compress the recorded videos, but I want to keep image quality as good as possible.

The Media-Info data below is from a video clip I recorded nature, surroundings and animals in a camping place:

I will use some free encoding software I found on the net. What target format would you suggest, and with which settings/parameters?

C:\...\Video.avi
   General
      Complete name : C:\...\Video.avi
      Format : AVI
      Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
      Commercial name : DVCPRO
      File size : 8.01 GiB
      Duration : 37mn 45s
      Overall bit rate mode : Constant
      Overall bit rate : 30.3 Mbps
      Recorded date : 2010-03-04 11:36:03.000
   Video #0
      ID : 0
      Format : DV
      Commercial name : DVCPRO
      Codec ID : dvsd
      Codec ID/Hint : Sony
      Duration : 37mn 45s
      Source duration : 5mn 22s
      Bit rate mode : Constant
      Bit rate : 24.4 Mbps
      Encoded bit rate : 28.8 Mbps
      Width : 720 pixels
      Height : 576 pixels
      Display aspect ratio : 16:9
      Frame rate mode : Constant
      Frame rate : 25.000 fps
      Standard : PAL
      Color space : YUV
      Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
      Bit depth : 8 bits
      Scan type : Interlaced
      Scan order : Bottom Field First
      Compression mode : Lossy
      Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
      Stream size : 1.08 GiB (13%)
      Encoding settings : ae mode=full automatic / wb mode=automatic / white balance= / fcm=manual focus
   Audio #1
      ID : 1
      Format : PCM
      Format settings, Endianness : Little
      Format settings, Sign : Signed
      Codec ID : 1
      Duration : 5mn 22s
      Bit rate mode : Constant
      Bit rate : 1 536 Kbps
      Channel(s) : 2 channels
      Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
      Bit depth : 16 bits
      Stream size : 59.0 MiB (1%)
      Interleave, duration : 40 ms (1.00 video frame)

[jagabo]

DV AVI can be converted to DVD compliant MPEG 2 with only minor loss of quality. That will reduce it to about 1/3 its current size. You can convert to h.264 and get even smaller files, or about the same size with higher quality. Many of the x264 based GUI front ends don't support interlaced encoding though.

Try Handbrake and force the BFF option:
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/344902-Detelecine-decomb-issues?p=2151515&viewfull=1#post2151515

[hkBattousai]

What video bit-rate value should I set for target file when encoding into h.264 format?

[jagabo]

Use quality based encoding. You'll always get the quality you specify. The bitrate will vary. Try values around 18. Lower if you're exceptionally picky about quality, higher if not so picky.

Don't deinterlace and don't crop your video. Unfortunately, Handbrake won't let you set the aspect ratio. You can do that later with a header editor or remux.

[poisondeathray]

Unfortunately, Handbrake won't let you set the aspect ratio.

Is that still true? you were able to pass --tff and --bff arguments, did you try --sar x:y ?

Also in newer versions of handbrake there looks to be anamorphic settings in the picture tab
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/AnamorphicGuide

[jagabo]

Unfortunately, Handbrake won't let you set the aspect ratio.

Is that still true? you were able to pass --tff and --bff arguments, did you try --sar x:y ?

Unfortunately, Handbrake's syntax won't allow that. It uses colon as a delimiter so the sar doesn't get passed properly. It didn't work when I tried it.