what avi codec to use?

RETRO HELIX · Post by **RETRO HELIX** » Fri May 16, 2003 10:03 am

Zup guys, i know this may sound like a horribly stupid question but i usually compress my videos to wmv and not to avi, the thing is that my media server decided to NOT allow wmv file types anymore, and real media just doesnt cut it, so my last chance are avis, but i dont know what codec would give me a good solution, i know avi compression won't give me a really small file but thats not a problem, what i really want is a good compression with fair quality and a size smaller than the original, please if someone can help me, i really need it as soon as possible

burntoast · Post by **burntoast** » Fri May 16, 2003 4:18 pm

I use Vdub to encode to avi, specifically XviD, or use TMPGEnc to encode to mpeg1 or 2. You can use all of these and encode using a low bitrate (like below 1000 kbps) to get a small filesize. Methods for encoding are explained in the guides a whole lot better than I can. The parts u want are in the bottom left-hand table, for encoding to XviD and mpeg1 at least.

I'm wondering, are you using WMM(2) to save as a wmv?

RETRO HELIX · Post by **RETRO HELIX** » Fri May 16, 2003 5:47 pm

thanks for your help, ill try, i use windows media encoder to convert them to wmv, thats the only job the encoder does, i like wmv files better because they offer smaller file sizes with good quality, but now i need them in avi if i want to put them back in the server. thanks again.

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Tue May 27, 2003 6:33 pm

I performed many field tests,all indicating that DivX significantly outperformed XviD at equal bitrates. XviD was far grainier, took longer to "recover" from keyframes, and didn't enjoy the same 33% reduction in filesize from Gaussian Blur that DivX does. Any of its two-pass methods crashed every machine I've tested them on, the menu options are far less self-explanatory and user-friendly, and it's generally a pile of crap.

DivX is my best friend.

SS5_Majin_Bebi · Post by **SS5_Majin_Bebi** » Tue May 27, 2003 7:01 pm

burntoast wrote:I use Vdub to encode to avi, specifically XviD, or use TMPGEnc to encode to mpeg1 or 2. You can use all of these and encode using a low bitrate (like below 1000 kbps) to get a small filesize. Methods for encoding are explained in the guides a whole lot better than I can. The parts u want are in the bottom left-hand table, for encoding to XviD and mpeg1 at least.

I'm wondering, are you using WMM(2) to save as a wmv?

Thats if you want your videos to look like shit and wind up with heaps of blocking when alot happens onscreen. Instead of that, export in uncompressed RGB, uncompressed Audio, and dont change the frame size, then take that into Vdub, resize it with a precise bicubic filter, and export in DivX at 100% Quality, and MPEG-Layer 3 at 160kbps, 44100kHz for the audio. I do that and I can get a 320x240 sized video running for 6.5 mins down to about 37 mb, and it loses very little quality when its fullscreened.

Quality setting is VBR, and bitrate is CBR (obviously). VBR is better because instead of adjusting the quality to match the bitrate, it adjusts the bitrate to match the quality.

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Wed May 28, 2003 1:42 am

definatly xvid for quality, divx is 2nd

kmv · Post by **kmv** » Wed May 28, 2003 5:55 am

Doom9 Codec shoot-out 2003
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/codecs-103-1.htm

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Fri May 30, 2003 3:03 am

Yes, XviD beat DivX in the detail department - mosly because XviD has an annoying habit of creating lots of "details" that aren't supposed to be there.

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Fri May 30, 2003 7:18 am

the Black Monarch wrote:Yes, XviD beat DivX in the detail department - mosly because XviD has an annoying habit of creating lots of "details" that aren't supposed to be there.

If you suck at encoding it does

No really, I guess I've just been lucky -- all my XviD encodes look really good...

post-it · Post by **post-it** » Sat May 31, 2003 11:06 am

depends on the Operating System - myself ^^

for Win 3.1X & 95 . . . Alpha3.11 and VKI's MPEG-4 V3 do a better job than IVI 5.1 and Mpeg1.

for Win98 / SE / ME . . . Divx 5.0.5 & MPEG-4 V3 looks great.

for Win2k / XP . . . . Xvid - hands-down ^^ ( even Mpeg1&2 can't match it! )

these were tested using an AMD 700 Socket A mom-board last year:
40gig Hard Drive
ATI AIW-Pro 4meg capture card & Yamaha YMF724 sound card

traxx

-just my opinion ^^