Video Quality in Virtualdub

[danswano]

Hello,
After doing some dubbing in VD, what is the best compression engine so i save the avi with almost the same original DVD quality?

Thank you.

[jagabo]

Lossless codecs like HuffYUV, Lagarith, UT Video Codec give the best quality (ie, no loss of quality at all). But they don't compress much. You'll probably want to use x264vfw for good quality and good compression. Unless you have some other hardware requirement. Like the need to play your files on a Divx/DVD player.

[danswano]

The lossless codecs result huge file sizes?

[johns0]

x264vfw gives around 2gb for good dvd quality on a 2 hour movie,HuffYUV, Lagarith, UT Video Codec will give around 30-60 gb depending on settings.

[enim]

what is the best compression engine so i save the avi with almost the same original DVD quality?

"Quality" is a relative term how you define it.

Only ripping (backing-up) DVD to your HDD will give you 100% quality same as your source. All other members already suggested you best compressors. Try different compressors. You are the only best judge coz only you know how your source looks like. Rest members (including me) are sharing the exeperience.

In general, any video editor has nothing to do with quality, it just facilitate the encoder in a particular fashion.

[danswano]

I will try x264vfw
What settings do you recommend for it?

[davexnet]

I will try x264vfw
What settings do you recommend for it?

It depends if you need to hit a specific file size or not. I guess it was more of an issue 5 years ago
when people were obsessed with fitting a particular video on a CD.

Try the default settings, single pass CRF and quality between approx. 18 - 23 (lower number = higher quality).
Final file size is unpredictable, but you get the quality you ask for.

[danswano]

Thank you davexnet for your reply,
I don't care much about the output size cause i will re-encode it anyway into DVD again but i care about the quality, i want to get similar quality to the original file before dubbing with a reasonable size not like 20 or 30 giga byte.
So what do you suggest to get a good quality?

[hech54]

I don't care much about the output size cause i will re-encode it anyway into DVD again

Oh my.
I love watching people give the wrong advise just because the OP neglected to leave out THE most important part of the equation.

[danswano]

I don't care much about the output size cause i will re-encode it anyway into DVD again

Oh my.
I love watching people give the wrong advise just because the OP neglected to leave out THE most important part of the equation.

I'm saving as xvid mpeg 4 on max quality 1 pass but i'm still getting a quality lose.

[davexnet]

If you're comfortable with Virtualdub, perhaps quit using XVID and use the x264vfw mentioned earlier.
Do some test encodes and see what you think.

[danswano]

Thanks davexnet, much appreciate your kind replies.

[hech54]

I don't care much about the output size cause i will re-encode it anyway into DVD again

Oh my.
I love watching people give the wrong advise just because the OP neglected to leave out THE most important part of the equation.

I'm saving as xvid mpeg 4 on max quality 1 pass but i'm still getting a quality lose.

WTF does that have to do with you not telling anyone that you want the final result to be DVD?
You have wasted everyone's time, and you are still wasting time with stupid sh!t like xvid.

[danswano]

I don't care much about the output size cause i will re-encode it anyway into DVD again

Oh my.
I love watching people give the wrong advise just because the OP neglected to leave out THE most important part of the equation.

I'm saving as xvid mpeg 4 on max quality 1 pass but i'm still getting a quality lose.

WTF does that have to do with you not telling anyone that you want the final result to be DVD?
You have wasted everyone's time, and you are still wasting time with stupid sh!t like xvid.

Sorry if i wasn't clear enough but my first question was what is the best compression engine to achieve a DVD like quality.
That's it.

[jagabo]

I'm saving as xvid mpeg 4 on max quality 1 pass but i'm still getting a quality lose.

That's why they're called "lossy" codecs. If you want no quality loss use a lossless codec and live with the large intermediate file. Or frameserve to your MPEG 2 encoder (for DVD). Or export with an MPEG 2 codec (old version of ffdshow) with DVD compatible settings.

[danswano]

Don't shoot me but can you teach me how? it's ok not to if you don't have time.

[smrpix]

Now we know you're starting with a DVD and want to end with a DVD. (As Hech rightly points out, you should have said so at the beginning.) What are you doing in between that requires anything more than simply copying?

[jagabo]

Don't shoot me but can you teach me how?

How to what?

[danswano]

Now we know you're starting with a DVD and want to end with a DVD. (As Hech rightly points out, you should have said so at the beginning.) What are you doing in between that requires anything more than simply copying?

Sorry but i don't want to go into DVD authoring issue itself as i have no problem with that but my problem lies in the video quality.
DVD > Dubbing > DVD
The problem is with the second step, i'm losing quality because of XVID or because i don' know how to use it properly, that's it.

Don't shoot me but can you teach me how?

How to what?

frameserve to your MPEG 2 encoder (for DVD).
or
export with an MPEG 2 codec (old version of ffdshow) with DVD compatible settings.

[jagabo]

Frameserve from virtualdub to TMPGEnc for example:
https://www.videohelp.com/oldguides/virtualdubframeserve

Not all encoders support frameserving.

[hech54]

The problem is with the second step, i'm losing quality because of XVID or because i don' know how to use it properly, that's it.

Forget about Xvid or Divx or even h264 for that matter.
DVD is MPEG2 - MPEG2 is DVD. Going to anything else in-between besides a huge, lossless video codec WILL result in quality loss.

Frameserving from VDub is pretty easy but the encoder I frameserve to is not free so maybe someone else will come alone with a free encoder that accepts frameserving.
No doubt someone will come along and mention scripting or "avisynth".
You don't wanna go that route.

[danswano]

Thank jagabo.
@hech, if the encoder is cheap i might buy it, what is it's name anyway?
And is it better than TMPGEnc mentioned by jagabo?

[smrpix]

DVD > Dubbing > DVD
The problem is with the second step, i'm losing quality because of XVID or because i don' know how to use it properly, that's it.

Exactly. Unless you are doing something to that video in between. You don't need the middle step.

DVD>copy to hard drive>Burn to new DVD

What I suspect you want to do is DVD>Copy to hard drive>Extract clips>Rearrange Clips>Burn to new DVD. (Though you have not said so.) You still do not need to reencode anything.

[danswano]

DVD > Dubbing > DVD
The problem is with the second step, i'm losing quality because of XVID or because i don' know how to use it properly, that's it.

Exactly. Unless you are doing something to that video in between. You don't need the middle step.

DVD>copy to hard drive>Burn to new DVD

What I suspect you want to do is DVD>Copy to hard drive>Extract clips>Rearrange Clips>Burn to new DVD. (Though you have not said so.) You still do not need to reencode anything.

Well, you went far by that, although i haven't mentioned what i'm doing in the second step but it's important cause i'm doing some filtering using VD.

[jagabo]

export with an MPEG 2 codec (old version of ffdshow) with DVD compatible settings.

Install ffdshow version 3631 (the last one with the MPEG 2 encoder). In VirtualDub select ffdshow as the encoder. Select the MPEG 2 encoder, set up all the options. Save as AVI. That will create an AVI file with MPEG 2 video inside. Demux the MPEG 2 video and use it to make a DVD in your DVD authoring software.

[danswano]

Thanks jagabo,
The TMPGEnc process seems to be easier with same results right?

[jagabo]

Thanks jagabo,
The TMPGEnc process seems to be easier with same results right?

Yes, but you have to pay for TMPGEnc.

VirtualDub also has the ability to use external encoders:
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=18840&

You might try that with HcEnc (a free, open source MPEG 2 encoder).

[danswano]

Ok i will try that.
Thanks jagabo

[Cauptain]

Try Matrox VFW codec:

The Matrox Video for Windows (VFW) software codecs let you render and play back Matrox .avi files in your VFW programs without having Matrox video hardware installed. This version provides codecs that were previously available only on systems that have particular Matrox video hardware, such as Matrox Axio. This includes the Matrox DVCPRO HD codec, and "+ Alpha" versions of the Matrox uncompressed and MPEG-2 I-frame codecs. As well, the Matrox VFW MPEG-2 I-frame HD codec now lets you render and play back Matrox MPEG-2 I-frame .avi files in all HD formats (720p, 1440x1080i/p, and full-size 1080i/p).
The following VFW software codecs are provided for use on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems:

• Matrox DV/DVCAM
• Matrox DVCPRO
• Matrox DVCPRO50
• Matrox DVCPRO HD
• Matrox MPEG-2 I-frame in SD and HD resolutions, with or without alpha
• Matrox Uncompressed in SD and HD resolutions, with or without alpha
• Matrox Offline HD
• Matrox M-JPEG and HDV (playback only)

Link: ftp://redirect:r45j99t3@hftp.matrox.com/private/VFWCodecs_10.exe



Claudio

[danswano]

Thanks Cauptain, anyone here tried this codec before?