Making small Movies

[andrewpk200]

I have just started using divx to compress films on my PCs harddisk, but every time i rip one of my DVDs the final AVI is around 1.3gig. all of the divx films i have got from other sources have been around the 700mb mark
could someone out there please tell me what codecs/settings i should be using to make smaller files and what software is best for doing this.

Thanks

[McMillan]

what current software are you using right now?
I'm allmost 85% certain that the settings on you current software/calculator is set to 2CD. The size of approx 1.3GB is actualy the size of 2 cd's..
Try lowering the bitrate on your encoding settings. (usually DivX or XviD) Use the bitrate calculator to get the appropriate bitrate needed to compress your source video to desired size. Allso, in that calculator, set the 1CD option. It should be around 700-900 Kb/s in case of classic length of your movie (1.5hours) In case of longer movie, e.g 2hrs or more, the bitrate should be about 400-500 Kb/s
Second, you should use 2-pass encoding, which results in more accurate size of compressed file.
Finally, try using Gordian Knot; by downloading it, you gain all the software you'll need.

[McMillan]

allmost forgot, are you using the compression for the sound???
in case you're not, the classic PCM wav file is about 10MB for one minute of sound therefore, the video size is OK, but the audio is uncompressed, hence the size of 1.3GB.
You should use Virtual Dub for simoultanous video/audio compression
Or Flask MPEG
Or similar
I'm out of ideas here...

[andrewpk200]

Thanks McMillan
the software i have been using to rip the dvds so far is Rip It All with the Divx 5.01 codec
i told it to use 1cd without splitting the final avi
all settings were entered in the ripping wizard so things like the bitrate were preset
the audio is being converted into MP3 but i dont know which MP3 codec is in use

i will give Gordian Knot a try, see if that will give me a smaller file

thanks again

[McMillan]

that's the problem, presetted codec.
It's preset to use rather high bitrate, over 1000 as much as i can recall
however, the Gordian Knot is somewhat difficult for the novices, but if you spend some time on how-to files, you just might get what you need.
take care

[andrewpk200]

Thanks again
i am currently about half way through downloading Gordian Knot
i have had a look through the website and it seems to have some walktroughs and guides so hopefully i will be able to make smaller movies, just out of interest what codecs would you recomend

[McMillan]

well, I'm not quite an expert, but I'm using DivX pro 5.03 myself at the moment. I was interestted in XviD for some time, but since it seems it doesn't support overlay (only in RGB mode, much uglier than real overlay) I quitted. But I may say, that you can't be wrong in either of them. Allways use 2-pass (or n-pass if you have the time and the nerves) to gain better quality. XviD is free, and DivX 5.03 pro is not, but I think you can find a crack somewhere (try astalavista). If you fail to find the crack for 5.03, install 5.02, and crack it, than install 5.03 over it.
take care

[andrewpk200]

thanks
i think i have enough info for me to be getting on with,

now to do some rippin

[UncasMS]

in case you're interested in a guide on gordianknot + divx 5.02 (nOT 5.03!), take a look at his:

http://www.atlandide.net/~uncasms/en/index.php?page=gordian

[McMillan]

how come it won't work with 5.03?
I thought it has nothing to do with the codec, it simply uses it
take care

[khp]

Originally posted by McMillan
how come it won't work with 5.03?
I thought it has nothing to do with the codec, it simply uses it

To use divx, GordianKnot has to configure it. GordianKnot does this by writing a MIME encoded binary string in the virtualdub jobs file. Virtualdub decodes this and feeds it to the divx codec. In the upgrade from 5.02 to 5.03 the format of the binary string needed to do this configuration changed, which renders GordianKnot unable to change the codec config.

[McMillan]

ok. me dumb. u smart.
kidding.