wmv to divx question

hi

i got a wmv movie and i want to convert it to divx 6 with the best possible quality and speed. i want to convert the movie so i can watch it on my dvd player.so what tool should i use?

SUPER! or you can also try Virtualdub-MPEG2 together with the divx codec installed.

money is not a problem so can buy stuff the imortant thing is speed and quality. i don't like vdub and super.

It's the Xvid codec that will be doing most of the work so it's the codec settings that will determine the quality and speed.

ok but i want divx and does divx converter make 1 pass or 2 passes cuz you can't choose how many passes

i want something user friendly to cuz i'm not a expert

user friendly often means slow and bad quality.......like winavi...

ok sir does divx converter make 1 pass or 2 passes cuz you can't choose how many passes ?

what converter should i use and is there anything better then divx converter?

one more thing i need a converter that i can write the max file size not like vdub. in vdub you must calulate the size and find out the bitrate audio bit rate and other stuff. i want something that makes that thing auto. i want a thing like nero recode but i need to convert to divx.

Originally Posted by jagabo

It's the Xvid codec that will be doing most of the work so it's the codec settings that will determine the quality and speed.

Originally Posted by sarmin

ok but i want divx and does divx converter make 1 pass or 2 passes cuz you can't choose how many passes

The issue is the same. It's mostly the codec setting that determine speed and quality, not the program.

ok so it's no diffrence between vdub and divx converter?
i like divx converter but i don't know if it makes 1 pass or 2 passes cuz you cant choose.

and how come i got better results with divx converter compared to dr.divx and super?

does Virtualdub-MPEG2 work with divx 6?

and i going to give it a try but first what should i use full comp or fast recomp?

Originally Posted by sarmin

ok so it's no diffrence between vdub and divx converter?

Not if you use the same Divx settings. The problem is that you don't know exactly what setting Divx Converter is using.

Originally Posted by sarmin

i like divx converter but i don't know if it makes 1 pass or 2 passes cuz you cant choose.

It's probably using a single pass constant quantizer (constant quality) mode.

Originally Posted by sarmin

and how come i got better results with divx converter compared to dr.divx and super?

Because you didn't use the same settings. But once again you don't know for sure what settings Divx Converter used. When using anothe program to convert, from the Divx config dialog, press the Restore Defaults button. Then set the Rate Control Method to "1 pass quality based" and set the quantizer to 4. That's probably close to what Divx Converter is using.

ok thanks and whats constant quality mode???

Originally Posted by sarmin

ok thanks and whats constant quality mode???

Sorry, I should have been more clear: constant quantizer mode is constant quality mode.

if i'm going to use vdub mpeag2 what should i use full comp or fast recomp?

Use Fast Recompress if you aren't doing any filtering. If you are filtering you have to use Full Processing Mode.

and doesn't vdub support lame mp3 vbr?

and i'm going to make to passes. so should i choose multipass 1st pass and then multipass,nith pass?

I use virtualdub and Lame all the time. You have to install the ACM version of the codec.

Why do you want two passes? You only need to use two passes when you need a specific file, say a 700MB file for CD. Otherwise, constant quality mode is faster and delivers just as good quality.

But yes, if you want two passes select 1st pass, encode, select second pass, and encode again.

but there is no second pass only multipass, nith pass.

and what settings is good to choose?
what is thre diffrence between 2 passes and costant quality mode and i don't understand the example you gave me can you give me another example plz so i can understand.

i have used 1 pass quaity mode but what quantizer should i use?

should i have noise redution?'
should i have shaping or masking option on?
and should i have enhance texture?
and what resize filter should i use like lanczos4?
should i have enhanced multireading?

this is my last questons plz answer quick so i can convert my file

Originally Posted by sarmin

but there is no second pass only multipass, nith pass.

Same thing. If you want you can do a third pass, then a 4th pass, etc. The codec may be able to refine the video a bit with each pass.

Originally Posted by sarmin

what is thre diffrence between 2 passes and costant quality mode and i don't understand the example you gave me can you give me another example plz so i can understand.

With Single Pass Constant Bitrate mode the codec uses the same bitrate for every frame. A completely black frame will take just as many bits as a very detail frame. This mode is fast and simple but wastes space.

Two (or multi) pass mode is uses when you want a file of a specific size. You tell the coded what size you want (indirectly by bitrate -- average bitrate * running time = file size) and the codec gives you the best quality it can for that file size. During the first pass it examines each frame of the video and keeps a log of how complex each frame is. Then during the second pass it uses that information to create a file of the size you specified. The image quality may be refined by performing more passes but further increase in quality isn't great. In this mode you know exactly what size file will be produced but you don't know exactly what quality.

In Single Pass Constant Quality (Constant Quantizer) mode you specify the quality (quantizer) you want and the codec uses whatever bitrate is needed for each frame to deliver that quality. You know exactly what quality the final result will be but you don't know the size until it's done.

Originally Posted by sarmin

i have used 1 pass quaity mode but what quantizer should i use?

It depends on what quality you want:

A quantizer of 1 will give the highest quality but a very large file.

Quantizer 2 will give results that are nearly identical to the source even if you compare enlarged still frames. The file will be fairly large and some set-top Divx/DVD players may not be able to handle the high bitrate.

At 3 the output will have a little macroblocking if you look at enlarged still frames, but you won't see them at normal playback speed. Set-top Divx/DVD players should have no problems playing files encoded at this setting.

Originally Posted by sarmin

should i have noise redution?'

If your video is noisy (snow type noise, like from broadcast TV) you might consider it. Processing will take a little longer but you may get better results.

Originally Posted by sarmin

should i have shaping or masking option on?

These might give slightly better results in 2-pass mode, especially if you are trying to squeeze a 90 minute (or longer) movie onto a 700MB CD. Shaping takes about 30 percent longer, masking about 200% longer.

Originally Posted by sarmin

and should i have enhance texture?

I'm not sure exactly what this setting does. It doesn't seem to take any/much longer but also doesn't seem to make much difference to the picture.

I usually leave all three of those options off.

Originally Posted by sarmin

and what resize filter should i use like lanczos4?

I always use Lanczos3 in VirtualDub or Lanczos or Lanczos4 in AVISynth. The Lanczos filters give the better results than the others when reducing the frame size. Sometimes, with a noisy source, or if you really want to squeeze the file size down, using Biliear will help reduce the size, but will give lesser quality.

Originally Posted by sarmin

should i have enhanced multireading?

If you have a multicore CPU enhanced multithreading speeds the codec up by about 10 percent.

thank you very much for answering my questions.

what do you think gives the best quality and speeds between these to conversions. cuz then i will be sure what codec to use between xvid and divx. i'm going to tell you my favorite settings then you can tell me wich codec is best depending on the settings. but if i have made a mistake in one setting then correct me.

Divx options:
encodeing mode= balanced
bidirectional codeing=adaptive multiple conseutive

i'm not useing qpel and gmc cuz my dvd can't play the files then.

noise redution=OFF
Quantozation=H.263 optimized
pyshovisual enhancements=off

xvid:

adaptive quantization=CHECked
quatiozton type=h.263
b-vops
max b-vops=2
quantizer ratio=1.50
quantizer offset=1.00

i havent changed something in infra-frames tuning,overflow treatment and curve compression so should i change something there?

motion search precsision=6 ultra high
vhq mode=2 limited search
use vhq for bframes to0=checked
use chroma motion =checked
trellis=checked

and all the min. quantizers in quantizer restrictions changed to 2 instead of 1.

so whats your opinion?

Originally Posted by sarmin

what do you think gives the best quality and speeds between these to conversions. cuz then i will be sure what codec to use between xvid and divx. i'm going to tell you my favorite settings then you can tell me wich codec is best depending on the settings. but if i have made a mistake in one setting then correct me...

The settings you gave for both codecs will deliver approximately the same quality and encoding time. My preference is for Xvid over Divx. Partly because it is free and open source.

I usually work with similar settings in single pass constant quantizer mode (both codecs support it) and find that Xvid delivers slightly smaller files with about the same quality. With Xvid I use the MPEG matrix because it gives a slightly sharper image.

One place where Divx has a real advantage is with realtime encoding (ie encoding while capturing). Divx at its fastest setting is faster than Xvid at its fastest setting. That makes Divx much less likely to drop frames.

isn't the MPEG matrix used for 2cds?. i want to make just 1 cd. constant quantizer mode i haven't seen that on xvid. what should i do to select constant quantizer mode?
if i use constant quantizer mode how do i know the quality and the size of the file after i encode?

and sir should i change some of my settings i wrote so i get better speed and quality or have i forgot a setting to use?

and i have converted a movie(135mb) 2pass with vdub-mpeag2 and for xvid it took 19min but for divx it took 30min.

Originally Posted by sarmin

isn't the MPEG matrix used for 2cds?. i want to make just 1 cd.

You can use any matrix anytime you want. But yes, the MPEG matrix will generate slightly larger files in constant quality mode. Or require a higher bitrate in 2-pass encoding.

Originally Posted by sarmin

constant quantizer mode i haven't seen that on xvid. what should i do to select constant quantizer mode?

On the Xvid Configuration dialog set the Encoding Type to Single Pass. If the button below that says Target Bitrate, press it and it will change to Target Quantizer.

Originally Posted by sarmin

if i use constant quantizer mode how do i know the quality

As I told you earlier, the Target Quantizer value selects the quality. See my earlier message for details on what to expect out of different values. Encode a few short segments yourself with different quantizer values and see what's acceptable to you.

Originally Posted by sarmin

and the size of the file after i encode?

As I wrote earlier, you don't know exactly how big the file will be until the encoding is done. This mode it not useful if you need files of a specific size.

Originally Posted by sarmin

should i change some of my settings i wrote so i get better speed and quality or have i forgot a setting to use?

and i have converted a movie(135mb) 2pass with vdub-mpeag2 and for xvid it took 19min but for divx it took 30min.

Once again, as I told you earlier, speed and quality are opposite concepts when encoding video. The fastest settings will deliver the lowest quality, the slowest settings will deliver the best quality. It's up to you to decide what compromise is acceptable to you.

The setting that makes the biggest difference in speed with Divx is the Encoding Mode setting. The equivalent settings in Xvid are Motion Search Precision and VHQ Mode. There is 6 to 8 fold difference in encoding time between the two extremes of these settings.