.mpg from video camera compression help

[contemptor]

The crappy quality video recorded onto the computer from the camera as an 87mb video. I really need a tool to compress it. The program I used to record it off the video camera saves it as an mpg. What can I do to make the file size less? It's only about 4 maybe 5 minutes...

[Shamus_McFartfi]

Compressing an already crappy source won't improve it. You could run it through a converter like TMPGEnc which will probably make the file larger and it'll still look like crap. You can't make strawberry jam out of pigsh!t. 90mb for a 5 minute video is a little bit larger than average but not by that much. Why do you want to compress it?

[setarip]

Welcome to the Digital Video Forums of Digital Digest!

"What can I do to make the file size less?"

If you don't mind a change of format, use VirtualDubMOD (Different than standard VirtualDub), including a DivX video codec, to convert to DivX-compressed .AVI.

Chances are, as mentioned by the previous poster, you'll lose yet more quality...


If you have more questions, always feel free to ask them...
"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" - NOT a quote by Frank Zappa

[contemptor]

Sorry, apparently I posted it a bit confusingly. I understand that it will look worse, I just want to make it a smaller file size. I just want people to still be able to see what's happening at least.

If this really isn't possible, is there a program that I can get it off my video camera with so it saves it to my computer with less quality and a smaller file size or something? (I used a video in card to get it off the camera btw... saving it from a tape)

[contemptor]

I tried opening it with virtualdub and it was unsupported or something and wouldn't open. Would opening it with VirtualDubMod be different?

[contemptor]

Also, when I am playing it on the computer recording it, it is way better quality, but when it saves, it's way worse. I'm guessing it compresses it, just poorly. Could I make the actual video smaller dimensions or something? Here is a screenshot of the video, you can see the quality... this is at normal viewing size.

[tigerman8u]

if you want the best quality with the best compression I would
1 capture to your hard drive in uncompressed avi
2 use virtualdub (or one of it's mods) to compress the video to divx or xvid (I prefer xvid)
3 at the same time you compress the video compress the audio to mp3
if the origial source video is bad you can try to clean it up in virtualdub using filter/s while compressing

[setarip]

"Would opening it with VirtualDubMod be different?"

Yes - That's why I said, "If you don't mind a change of format, use VirtualDubMOD (Different than standard VirtualDub), including a DivX video codec, to convert to DivX-compressed .AVI."

[contemptor]

"Would opening it with VirtualDubMod be different?"

Yes - That's why I said, "If you don't mind a change of format, use VirtualDubMOD (Different than standard VirtualDub), including a DivX video codec, to convert to DivX-compressed .AVI."

I meant like would it open without an error like virtualdub, sorry. Trying it...

If that isn't good enough or for future reference, what's a program to use to try capturing via .avi? Mine only does mpg. And how do I make the audio as mp3? I don't see that option under compression or anything in virtualdub, is it called something different?

COMPLETE video processing newbie here btw... haha.

[contemptor]

"Would opening it with VirtualDubMod be different?"

Yes - That's why I said, "If you don't mind a change of format, use VirtualDubMOD (Different than standard VirtualDub), including a DivX video codec, to convert to DivX-compressed .AVI."

I don't see an option to compress video as DivX. How do I do this? Is there something else I have to download, if so, I don't see it on the virtualdubmod page.

I do have codec pacs for watching videos if that's what you meant...

And how does it compress the audio? Or do I have to open the converted avi with normal virtualdub to do that?

[setarip]

"I don't see an option to compress video as DivX. How do I do this?"

If not already installed on your system, download and install the DivX v.3.11alpha codec..

Have you clicked on the "Video" dropdown menu and then clicked on "Compression"?

[contemptor]

Okay I did that now. I'm guessing when I'm done I open in VirtualDub to do the audio?

I don't see a mp3 under audio though... is there a certain codec I need to do that?

Also I got this when I opened either VirtualDub after installing those divx drivers... did I dl a bad one or is this supposed to happen?

[contemptor]

Alright, it's at 42mb now with everything compressed. Is there any way I can change the dimensions as well? And what's a program I can use to have text display at parts of the video, maybe with effects?

Last questions, and thanks for all the help!

[setarip]

"thanks for all the help!"

Bitteschoen (You're Welcome);>}

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" - NOT a quote by Frank Zappa