Video conversion

paradisiac · 21 Mar 2011 at 15:39

hi, not sure if this is a software/codec or hardware issue.
basically, i want to try and convert my .mkv files to divx or xvid or whatever is a reasonable quality format, thats smaller.
i have tried several programs for this, and all have been successful to an extent. the file converts, the picture and sound quality is excellent, its just not in sync. i have tried different settings and different programs, but its the same, the audio/video sync is out.

wakayoda · 21 Mar 2011 at 15:53

Mpeg Stream Clip is the best out there, trumps adobe media encoder!

paradisiac · 21 Mar 2011 at 15:57

so you would say its more of a software issue than hardware?
also, do i need to install any special codecs for converting?

manic_man · 21 Mar 2011 at 16:09

No idea if this will be any better, or if you have already tried it, however I have always had good luck with Any Video Converter: http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

The free version does most things well and it's an easy app to use. Only thing to remember to do is head into the options menu and make sure you set the number of processing threads it can use to your number of available processors, otherwise it only uses 1.

AsLan · 21 Mar 2011 at 16:30

Tend to use MeGui. Runs without an install and you can adjust the sync and remux the audio and video if needed. Not the most straighforward of programs to use but plenty of advice on how to use it and once you get your head around it it's ok.

paradisiac · 21 Mar 2011 at 17:22

manic_man said:
No idea if this will be any better, or if you have already tried it, however I have always had good luck with Any Video Converter: http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

The free version does most things well and it's an easy app to use. Only thing to remember to do is head into the options menu and make sure you set the number of processing threads it can use to your number of available processors, otherwise it only uses 1.

ok just did a 5min avi-avi (all i have at work) clip with this on my laptop and audio/video sync was perfect, so will give it a go on my pc with a full length mkv video tonight.

AsLan · 21 Mar 2011 at 19:34

I thought .mkv using h264 was one of the biggest compressions you could get whilst retaining good quality

paradisiac · 21 Mar 2011 at 20:30

my avi files are 600-800mb my mkv files are 4gb-12gb, so dont think its the smallest.

Makhaira · 21 Mar 2011 at 20:39

h264 is the codec of choice these days, I'd suggest you check what settings you use in each, since if your file sizes are that different I'd expect you to be encoding at quite different output qualities.

paradisiac · 21 Mar 2011 at 21:24

i started when i had my i7 encoding in mkv as i didnt have a storage issue, but now space is limited i thought i would try to convert to a smaller size. i have sorted out the audio/video sync issue, the problem now is getting the picture quality and reasonable size.

AsLan · 21 Mar 2011 at 21:25

Makhaira said:
h264 is the codec of choice these days, I'd suggest you check what settings you use in each, since if your file sizes are that different I'd expect you to be encoding at quite different output qualities.

Quality settings on h264 can make a massive difference to the files sizes without making a noticable difference to the video.

From Handbreaks guide

The Quality slider ranges from (Low Quality) 51 to 0 (High Quality)

For Standard Definition Sources (e.g DVD's) an RF value of 20 is usually indistinguishable from the source. For High Definition Sources, (e.g blu-ray discs) an RF value of 21-22 is usually better suited.

You should note that the quality slider is not linear for x264. It is logarithmic (like the Richter or pH scales.) This means small movements in the numbers can have large results.

eddyc · 21 Mar 2011 at 22:29

+1 for megui it is great. See here for a guide. Handbrake is great as well but does not have as much control over settings.

h264 is the best codec around (it packs better quality into smaller file sizes than xvid etc).

.mkv is a container. It can contain h264 but so can .mp4 I tend it use .mkv because it is so flexible. mkvtoolnix is a great program for playing around with .mkv files.

Curunen · 25 Mar 2011 at 23:59

manic_man said:
No idea if this will be any better, or if you have already tried it, however I have always had good luck with Any Video Converter: http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

The free version does most things well and it's an easy app to use. Only thing to remember to do is head into the options menu and make sure you set the number of processing threads it can use to your number of available processors, otherwise it only uses 1.

Posting to say this tool is fantastic.
I've been trying out many different ways of compressing raw fraps movies in the the last two weeks - virtualdub, avidemux, formatfactory... I won't list everything; and AVCFree is definitely the easiest to use while also producing great, consistent results.

ennogs · 26 Mar 2011 at 15:47

I use AVS video converter.