(Please Help) - How to improve my conversion methods?

[OZeight]

I am quite new to this but learning fast.
I'm currently capturing video from [VCR]-[Digital8]-[PC]. I'm successfully using Premiere which I like. I have only had problems with VirtualDub unfortunately (no sound on captures despite various failed mods).

So premiere6 works great. Nice clean captures, but the raw AVI files are rather huge. It doesnt seem to be using any codecs in capturing even though I specify such. I've been converting 12 minute AVIs (2GB+) to MPEG (290MB) which remain good to the eye. And as I type this I am trying to convert MPEG to MPEG4 with "FlaskMpeg" although it always wants to do a complete 300000 frames, which now at 86% still has over an hour to go! So I won't know if thats successful until thats finished.

All this seems wasteful, is there are better way for me to do this by still using Premiere to capture the video? (since it works perfectly for me).

Its extremely frustrating not knowing how to do something that should be so simple... PLEASE any help is much appreciated.

THANKS in advance to everyone who helps.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: OZeight on 2001-08-10 07:46:56 ]</font>

[OZeight]

hmmmmm
bbMpeg is now doing 299999 frames of audio now... geee im having fun sitting around for hours waiting for this messed up program do its job. I'm probably going to end turning my 290MB file into 600MB going by the current sizes... this is pathetic.

Any ideas anyone? I'm despirate!

Capture from Premiere... HUGE AVI files... then what would you do next? And with which software?

[magelucid]

Just be glad you're not using DV .. I allocate and generally get close to my limit with 1gb per minute of footage using (not just capturing, editing and such too) Preimere. Then compress down to 1.3 or so gb for a 2cd svcd. I do see the quality being improved about 2x better than using my Radeon for capture though. Sometimes working with the big league digital formats pays off even though you have to wait a little longer. I guess you weren't ripping dvd's when the methods first came out =P

Even though it takes the better part of a day, wouldn't you want your finished product that you're goign to burn and keep to be the highest quality within your means? I know I sure do.

[OZeight]

Yeah, I don't mind the time consumption if I'm getting the result I'm after. Incidently that bbMpeg finally finished. "Crunching" my filesize down from 292 to 850MB! ... I knew it was doing a whole lot of unnessisary stuff...

I got a new version of FlasKMPEG though, and could convert my MPEGs back to OpenDML .AVI format and 292 crunched to 250. However there was a huge colour depth loss and definately not worth the extra 42. If it crunched to <100MB i'd have kept it.

Hmmmm so maybe there is no way to crunch further.
55-60mins of video per CD. Does that sound good?

Somehow its better to keep these car races on 1xVHS tape rather than 9-10 CDs lol. Could always snip out lots of stuff I guess... Hmmmm wish I could get atleast 80-90mins onto a CD, then I could fit football games on single CDs.

Might ponder on this whilst I sleep (translation: hope to see more feedback when I wake up)

All feedback appreciated