Convert x264 to h264

[GeoSlv]

I know I can convert a mp4 or mkv x264 to avi AVC which produces h264. Does it recode the video, or maybe just change some control settings? I just want to retain the original video.

[sneaker]

Depends.
AVC and H.264 are two names for the same thing. It's a video compression format. x264 is an encoder implementation of said format, i.e. x264 outputs AVC/H.264 bitstreams. MP4 and AVI are container formats that can hold AVC/H.264 video so it is possible to convert between AVC/H.264 in MP4 and AVC/H.264 in AVI without actually re-encoding.

But: AVI is not a recommended container for AVC/H.264. It is old and wasn't designed with AVC/H.264 in mind. This begs the question: why do you want to convert from AVC/H.264 in MP4 to AVC/H.264 in AVI? What is your goal? If you want to convert for a player of yours that "can play AVI" but not mp4 note: many players only support Xvid/DivX video in AVI, not H.264/AVC. So then you have to actually convert the video to Xvid/DivX which implies some quality loss (which may or may not be visible to you).

[GeoSlv]

Should I assume my converter did not reencode, assuming I just said Default?
Why avi? Don't nobody do editing around here?

[sneaker]

Should I assume my converter did not reencode, assuming I just said Default?

I don't know your converter so I don't know. Did the file size change dramatically? Did converting take a long time? What does MediaInfo say about input and output file?
Those should give you a clue about whether or not it was re-encoded or just packed into different container.

People would be able to better help you if you gave more information. The software you intend to convert and edit with for starters.

[theewizard]

YMany programs edit mp4 h264/avc
There is nothing special about editing the same coding in an avi wrapper
Now if you want to convert to some Lossless or raw format for editing
That is a different matter

[manono]

Why avi? Don't nobody do editing around here?

A very poor reason to want to do the conversion. Whatever editor you're using, if it won't accept x264 in MP4 it almost certainly won't accept it in AVI. As theewizard suggested, reencode as lossless (Lagarith, UT Video Codec, etc.)

[GeoSlv]

Gee why have I had so much trouble locating workable mp4 editors. Many? Hope you don't mean avidemux. And free?
Format Factory gave me h264 avc1, which VirtualDub rejects as being DirectShow. But I can use TotalRecorder to play and edit that.
I feel you're making too much of a question out of "why". avi is simply a standing editable format in my book.

[theewizard]

yes many

i use videoredo which is not free

but VSDC is free, wondershare filmora is free and edits mp4

and videosoft has a free NLE editor that does MP4 and other formats
i can't vouch for the ones i don't use, but they are out there, and i'm sure you can read about them here in the forums or in the tools section
which has reviews

vdub was the goto software for avi, and even has an mpeg plugin
but i haven't used it in several years, because i have not had any need to convert to avi to edit

since vdub had to have plugin for mpeg, it is not going to do h264 in avi, unless somebody has written a plugin for it

[sneaker]

since vdub had to have plugin for mpeg, it is not going to do h264 in avi, unless somebody has written a plugin for it

There's x264vfw and ffdshow plus things like ffmpeg input plugin or AviSynth. Also shek's VirtualDub fork and the support for external encoders. So really lots of options to input and output H.264 both in AVI and mp4 as well as mkv. "Smart rendering" is severely limited, though.

[theewizard]

which means you might not be able to cut on the frame you want to cut on, and have to cut on I frames

virtualDub has been a good tool, and its nice there is an option to use it,maybe it will help the OP,

i just can't be convinced its the best way to edit avc/264 or that AVI is the container to use for AVC

[LigH.de]

Let me guess ... the core of this issue is that most AVI editors rely on VfW codecs, and most systems don't have any VfW decoders installed which can handle a FourCC tagging "H264" or "AVC1" video streams in AVIs?

A FourCC (4 character code) is not "the codec"; it is just 4 bytes describing a contained format (often chosen as four human-readable characters). To be able to decode AVC/H.264 inside AVI with some of the usual AVI editors (like VirtualDub), you may need to have a "Video for Windows" decoder installed into your Windows system which reports itself responsible to decode video formats tagged with FourCC's like "H264" or "AVC1". That could be ffdshow with its ffvfw module; but in general, it is pretty obsolete now.

The alternative would be to use a video editor which doesn't rely on VfW codecs installed into Windows, but prefers its own built-in decoders, like Avidemux does, or native source plugins for AviSynth like FFMS2 or L-SMASH Source. For VirtualDub, you may also try an ffmpeg based input plugin, or the modified version sneaker mentioned above.

[GeoSlv]

which means you might not be able to cut on the frame you want to cut on, and have to cut on I frames

You see part of the difficulty?

[KarMa]

My experience with x264 in a .AVI seems to be alright if I don't have any B frames.

[sneaker]

which means you might not be able to cut on the frame you want to cut on, and have to cut on I frames

You see part of the difficulty?

Remuxing to AVI container won't remove the cutting limitations dictated by the H.264 video.

[LigH.de]

If you want to be able to cut your video anywhere you like, expect the result to be re-encoded completely (with some quality loss, may that be recognizable or not).

avi is simply a standing editable format in my book.

The ability to edit video depends less on the container (it just has to be supported by the application), but more on the content. When books about AVI editors were written, the AVI container was mostly used to contain easily editable video formats with few dependencies between their video frames, possibly "all keyframe formats" like uncompressed RGB, or slightly compressed DV or MJPG. Such formats can be cut at every frame you like.

But AVC/H.264 is an efficiently compressed target format. Its main purpose is tight compression, not easy editability. The more frames are just differences to previous frame content, the tighter it may compress (or preserve more quality in a given bitrate limit), but the fewer independent frames are left, and only those can be cut points, as a start of a GOP (Group of Pictures).

tl;dr: Either efficient or editable. No matter in which container.

[GeoSlv]

I can say that Format Factory does recode it.

[theewizard]

This is why I use video redo
Cut on any frame , and it only renders/recodes the frames in that GOP aka 'smart rendering',
Does not recode the whole video
It doesn't do multiple timelines, or blending etc..
But it's excellent and fast at editing out cuts, commercials, glitches etc..
Works with ts m2ts mp4 mpeg ps etc..

No it's not free

But you can try it for free, iirc all functions work, but the trial is time limited