Capturing/Encoding TV direct to Divx

[Conqueror]

I want to know if there is a better method than capturing TV than capturing/encoding it direct to divx format. I have the Pinnacle PCTV and also watch TV through vdub, in case I suddenly need to capture something.

I capture TV straight to divx and mp3 format. My settings in vdub are like this:

- video format: 384x288 CIF, YUV2
- video compression: divx, 1-pass, 3000kbps
- audio compression: mp3 @ 128kbps, 32kh stereo

- I enable the "video overlay" option to view TV normally. I also enable the "stretch to window" option so that I can watch TV in full screen while I am capturing it.

- I hit F6 and it begins to capture. I get about one frame drop every hour when capturing for a long time.

- When I play the captured file, it is VERY sharp and crisp, just like the original TV picture I was viewing while capturing. The size of the file is VERY small compared to compressions I've tried with other formats.

- I then do a 2-pass encoding with these files, this time with video bitrate set to around 1000kbps.

So my question is, why the f**% do people bother with capturing in all those wierd formats like the MJPEG and $hit like that when they can capture direct to Divx, which gives excellent quality and very small file size?

I suppose I could understand if it comes down to you people having slower computers cos My specs are: 1.8GHz Pentium 4, 384Mb RDRAM, 100Gb (7200rpm) HDD, GeForce3 Ti200 graphics, WinXP etc.

[jeex]

well if you did capture directly to divx, the results would be crappy. its gonna take alot more processing power to get good results direct to divx.. you should capture to a "weird format" that will have a huge file size and great quality, but does not require massive amounts of processing power. then encode it to divx which will give you good quality at a small file size.

[Conqueror]

Hey dude, that's exactly what I thought too. That is why I find this "wierd". I have tried capturing with virtually every format on the planet and all the others give a very large file size with good quality capture. But with divx, you get a very small file size. By the way, notice how large I set the video bit rate - 3000kbps, at that bit rate, you don;t get a crappy looking video, you get a very sharp capture and with a small file size.

[NeVeRLiFt]

I capture to DivX and its great, you could not ask for an easier way to capture! Good quality and great file size. Not to mention its easy edit and can be converted to VCD easy.

I like using AVI_IO for capturing to DivX. It lets you pause and resume and do mulit-segment files.


Im gonna be testing WMV9 and see how it works for capturing. I have some friends who have tested it already and they say the quality is great!