How's the quality of Xvid? (Compared to the original DVD)

[Nutdotnet]

Just curious. After the compression...etc...etc..how's the quality compared to the original? In general of course...I'm thinking of streaming DVDs from my computer->xbox->HDTV and would like to save some space on my HDs.

Thanks!

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Pretty good IMO. I'd say ~80% of the original quality. Of course it depends on how much compression you're willing to give it. Packing a 2 hour flick into 2 CDs worth (~1.4GB) with 640x... resolution AC3 audio yields reasonable results.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I took all 3 of my LOTR DVD's and compressed them to Divx files with all 3 movies on a single DVD-R disc. I could tell a difference, obviously, but I was suprised at the quality when played back on my Philips Divx player.

~10 hours of video on DVD...not too bad. Granted, I've only played it back on a 20" TV, so I wonder how it would look on a bigscreen?

 

[drag]

The best that I've found in terms of quality is using mencoder with libavcodec's mpeg4 encoder. (which is what Xvid/Divx is).

I use a two pass system were I completely rip the dvd and the encoder make a log of the proccess. That encoding is completely trashed. Then I do a second encoding using the log file as a guide and it dynamicly adjusts the encoding technic and such to suite the type of action going on.

For example if you have 2 people standing and talking with a relatively static background your going want to do things a bit differently if, for instance, you have a car chase with lots of action and such.

Of course, since you have to encode twice, it takes much longer then it would normally take. Plus with the vhq options enabled, then it takes even longer. What makes it bearable is the fact that you don't actually have to be there to sit and watch it, and libavcodec's mpeg4 is faster (as well as having higher quality) then Divx.

(mencoder has the ability to use Divx and Xvid if you want, but i don't think you can do the two pass method with it. Not sure.)

Then there is aditional things you can do like if your using a wide screen edition you can crop the blank areas off, and do filters for adjusting the framerates to get rid of any artifacts from the step up or step down that happens sometimes when your watching film fps on a monitor or tv or whatnot.

pretty nice stuff, actually.

To bad it's mostly Linux and it's all on the command line, otherwise it would be much more popular.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: drag
The best that I've found in terms of quality is using mencoder with libavcodec's mpeg4 encoder. (which is what Xvid/Divx is).

I use a two pass system were I completely rip the dvd and the encoder make a log of the proccess. That encoding is completely trashed. Then I do a second encoding using the log file as a guide and it dynamicly adjusts the encoding technic and such to suite the type of action going on.

For example if you have 2 people standing and talking with a relatively static background your going want to do things a bit differently if, for instance, you have a car chase with lots of action and such.

Of course, since you have to encode twice, it takes much longer then it would normally take. Plus with the vhq options enabled, then it takes even longer. What makes it bearable is the fact that you don't actually have to be there to sit and watch it, and libavcodec's mpeg4 is faster (as well as having higher quality) then Divx.

(mencoder has the ability to use Divx and Xvid if you want, but i don't think you can do the two pass method with it. Not sure.)

Then there is aditional things you can do like if your using a wide screen edition you can crop the blank areas off, and do filters for adjusting the framerates to get rid of any artifacts from the step up or step down that happens sometimes when your watching film fps on a monitor or tv or whatnot.

pretty nice stuff, actually.

To bad it's mostly Linux and it's all on the command line, otherwise it would be much more popular.

Wow..that sounds pretty intensive...and interesting.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: drag
The best that I've found in terms of quality is using mencoder with libavcodec's mpeg4 encoder. (which is what Xvid/Divx is).

I use a two pass system were I completely rip the dvd and the encoder make a log of the proccess. That encoding is completely trashed. Then I do a second encoding using the log file as a guide and it dynamicly adjusts the encoding technic and such to suite the type of action going on.

For example if you have 2 people standing and talking with a relatively static background your going want to do things a bit differently if, for instance, you have a car chase with lots of action and such.

Of course, since you have to encode twice, it takes much longer then it would normally take. Plus with the vhq options enabled, then it takes even longer. What makes it bearable is the fact that you don't actually have to be there to sit and watch it, and libavcodec's mpeg4 is faster (as well as having higher quality) then Divx.

(mencoder has the ability to use Divx and Xvid if you want, but i don't think you can do the two pass method with it. Not sure.)

Then there is aditional things you can do like if your using a wide screen edition you can crop the blank areas off, and do filters for adjusting the framerates to get rid of any artifacts from the step up or step down that happens sometimes when your watching film fps on a monitor or tv or whatnot.

pretty nice stuff, actually.

To bad it's mostly Linux and it's all on the command line, otherwise it would be much more popular.

I used to think I knew a lot about computers. But now, every time I read one of Drag's posts (mainly the ones in the OS forum), I realize I'm really just "average".

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel

Originally posted by: drag
The best that I've found in terms of quality is using mencoder with libavcodec's mpeg4 encoder. (which is what Xvid/Divx is).

I use a two pass system were I completely rip the dvd and the encoder make a log of the proccess. That encoding is completely trashed. Then I do a second encoding using the log file as a guide and it dynamicly adjusts the encoding technic and such to suite the type of action going on.

For example if you have 2 people standing and talking with a relatively static background your going want to do things a bit differently if, for instance, you have a car chase with lots of action and such.

Of course, since you have to encode twice, it takes much longer then it would normally take. Plus with the vhq options enabled, then it takes even longer. What makes it bearable is the fact that you don't actually have to be there to sit and watch it, and libavcodec's mpeg4 is faster (as well as having higher quality) then Divx.

(mencoder has the ability to use Divx and Xvid if you want, but i don't think you can do the two pass method with it. Not sure.)

Then there is aditional things you can do like if your using a wide screen edition you can crop the blank areas off, and do filters for adjusting the framerates to get rid of any artifacts from the step up or step down that happens sometimes when your watching film fps on a monitor or tv or whatnot.

pretty nice stuff, actually.

To bad it's mostly Linux and it's all on the command line, otherwise it would be much more popular.

I used to think I knew a lot about computers. But now, every time I read one of Drag's posts (mainly the ones in the OS forum), I realize I'm really just "average".

Bah, I don't know nothing.

I am like a walking encyclopedia.

You ask, tell me about Winston Churchill?

I say: "Winston Churchill was a influencial prime minister of Great Britian that was instrimental in helping to defeat fascist Germany."

Then you ask, Well what did Winston do that was so special?

I say: "Umm.... Winston Churchill was a influencial prime minister of Great Britain that was instramental in helping to defeat fascist Germany."

All fluff.

I learned it while reading the mplayer manual while I was trying to figure out how to rip a DVD for the first time. (I basicly ended up doing verbatum the examples in the section 7.11, "Making a high quality MPEG-4 ("DivX") rip of a DVD movie")

from here

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: drag
The best that I've found in terms of quality is using mencoder with libavcodec's mpeg4 encoder. (which is what Xvid/Divx is).

I use a two pass system were I completely rip the dvd and the encoder make a log of the proccess. That encoding is completely trashed. Then I do a second encoding using the log file as a guide and it dynamicly adjusts the encoding technic and such to suite the type of action going on.

For example if you have 2 people standing and talking with a relatively static background your going want to do things a bit differently if, for instance, you have a car chase with lots of action and such.

Of course, since you have to encode twice, it takes much longer then it would normally take. Plus with the vhq options enabled, then it takes even longer. What makes it bearable is the fact that you don't actually have to be there to sit and watch it, and libavcodec's mpeg4 is faster (as well as having higher quality) then Divx.

(mencoder has the ability to use Divx and Xvid if you want, but i don't think you can do the two pass method with it. Not sure.)

Then there is aditional things you can do like if your using a wide screen edition you can crop the blank areas off, and do filters for adjusting the framerates to get rid of any artifacts from the step up or step down that happens sometimes when your watching film fps on a monitor or tv or whatnot.

pretty nice stuff, actually.

To bad it's mostly Linux and it's all on the command line, otherwise it would be much more popular.

Gordian Knot will do all that, but on the Windows side.

 

[Homerboy]

Fairuse is the only way to go from DVD -> XViD/DiVX
entirely customizable and fairly idiot proof