How to convert a VCD to a .avi file of size 100++MB??

[Jack_TheRipper]

Hi guys....is that any idea u guys have in mind that it is possible to convert the .dat file format of a VCD into a .avi file format of size around 100MB or more???

If u do....please kindly assist me......thanks and have a nice day

[banjazzer]

Convert the dat to mpg and then encode to DivX 5 Pro using it's pro features, VCD resolution, and a low bitrate. 8) Why you would want to so is another question.

[Jack_TheRipper]

My reason for doing so is: I work in a shop that sells VCD.....i am able to bring the VCD home to watch.....if i am able to rip it then i could store the shows inside my computer and let people download

thanks anyway

[banjazzer]

In which case presumably the VCDs have no errors to start with. So, extract the .dat file to HD. Rename to .mpg. Use TMPG's mpeg tools and multiplex (type MPEG-1 - video-CD), choosing a new output name. Then you can run it through Virtualdub (or even TMPGenc) using the DivX 5.02 Pro codec, (with b-frames, quarter-pixel, and GMC) keeping the same VCD resolution. Preferably 2-pass. You can use quite a low bitrate for this, perhaps starting at 400 kbps and adjusting down.

If you use 2-pass, TMPG probably won't work. By doing this, typically the resulting avi will be one third of the size of the mpg, with similar quality.

[DigVidLab.com]

Hehe, funny one... Converting a 600 meg VCD DAT file to an
AVI under 100 megs... I can see the outstanding quality now!

[banjazzer]

Actually, one third of 600 is 200. And note the avi will have a comparable *outstanding* quality to the source, which is unlikely to be, err..., outstanding in the first place. And also note, this is not what I would choose to do with a VCD dat. But, chacun a son gout, eh? 8)

[DigVidLab.com]

Maybe my computer is differnet, but even with the best CODEC
(IEivx), a 352X240 video regardless of its compression at
400kbs video looks just a tad bit sorry, well actually, pathetic.

Thats been my observations in the past at least... Id go with
at least 1mbs with Divx to get any kind of quality at all, my
calculations are that 400kbs is less than half that.

[banjazzer]

I actually converted a sample of an mpeg-1 before I posted the results. DivX has come on a long way since the days you needed 1 mbps to get high quality. With DivX 5 Pro using 2-pass, quarter pixel, GMC and bi-directional encoding you can get exceptional quality using 800kbps with a typical resolution of 640x352. Now you probably don't believe that because maybe you have only seen or created dross. And there is a lot of dross about. However, if you concede that, (which I doubt because you don't appear to know what you are talking about), this is eqivalent to using 300 kbps with a resolution of 352x240.

[DigVidLab.com]

banjazzer, I beg to differ on the subject of using Divx, I have
and still do.

Id be interested in seeing any tweaks you have do to obtain
the quality you refer to, I just have not been able to acheive
the same results. At any rate, 2 pass is a little difficult to
use when your using the CODEC with on the fly captures..

Thanks...

[banjazzer]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, I have encoded several hundred DivX, and SVCD from DVD, so I do know the quality I am talking about. I also download SVCD and DivX created by people who know their business, so I know how mine compare.

It would not be possible to use the DivX codec with on-the-fly captures. It typically takes me 6-10 hours to encode a DivX on an Athlon 1200, starting from the decrypted vobs on my HD.

Having ripped the vobs to HD, extracted and normalised the audio, cropped and resized etc etc I end up with an avs file which I input into Virtualdub. I use 2-pass, with GMC and b-frames (features only available with DivX 5 pro) The last 2 features are mainly what gives it a massive edge over Divx 3 and 4. To get a bad result using these settings you would have to choose an absurd resolution. What I am saying is to get very good quality with a typical resolution of 640x352 on a 100 minute movie you would need only a bitrate of 800kbps. This is probably the lowest you would want to go if you wanted to guarantee high quality, and depending on the compressibility of the material, it would be better if the movie was shorter for this setting, or that you raised the bitrate nearer 900. Or dropped the resolution. There are no fixed rules to this, only guidelines - it's just a question of doing a test encode and judging the quality.

Now remember, the original question was about recoding a dat, which did not have high quality to start with because of the limitation of mpeg-1. What I am saying is that given the difference in resolution, 300 kbps is equivalent to the 800kbps for a full resolution encode. My figure of 400kbps was generous.

All I can say is, once again, I did an encode to see if it was feasible before posting. I am not recommending this as a procedure for general use, and I would not recode my mpeg-1 this way. But it can be done, and the resulting files are typically one third the size with the same quality. This is one of the features of DivX. It is (together with xvid) the codec capable high quality and highest compression. You can get mpeg-2 quality at approaching half mpeg-2 filesize. Done properly, of course. 8)

Although my prodedures are not exactly the same, I would recommend anyone to take a look at the following sites. Using the methods there, they will turn out SVCD and DivX of the highest quality found anywhere.

http://www.svcd.cc/DIVX/
http://www.svcd.cc/index.htm