How to convert my MJPEG clips to a DIVx format?

[EdTheOne]

How do I convert my MJPEG clips to a DIVx format? I've used the Panasonic Encoder to convert to regular mpg but the Divx format looks much better.Any help is appreciated.

[wkulecz]

From what I've read, you need to get the DIVX mpeg codec and then use Avery Lee's virtual dub to transcode.

--wally.

[Dr Mordrid]

You can do it that way, but as with other forms of encoding doing the capture in uncompressed YUY2 (lots on this around the forum) and then encoding to the destination codec is the best way to get high quality results.

Given: recompression from one lossy compression (MJPeg) to another (DivX) reduces quality, often significantly.

Now consider for a moment the data path of the two methods;

Video input -> YUY2 -> MJPeg -> DivX

Video input -> YUY2 -> DivX

By cutting MJPeg out of the loop you remove one more way for the quality to be reduced. In this case significantly reduced in the form of quilting or Gibbs artifacts.

Dr. Mordrid

[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 27 August 2000).]

[EdTheOne]

Thanks for the info guys.I'll look around for that virtualdub program and try out both methods.Will Virtualdub convert from YUY2 to DivZ too?

[bastioned]

Hi Ed,
I´ve messed around with video compression for a while now and have found that converting from mjpeg to divx (slow motion codec ) offers really good quality, and I mean it. Of course it takes a lot of time to recompress a video to this codec ( almost a 4.5:1 ratio ) but you´ll hardly notice any quality loss when outputting it to a TV. I recommend you to use Virtual Dub for his matter, it gives you excellent results. Just tell me when you have tried out, you´ll see.

PD I am currently encoding Babylon5 to store it in CDs, no notizable quality loss at all

[Dr Mordrid]

What settings are you using with DivX-Slow and MJPeg? Just curious....

Dr. Mordrid

[EdTheOne]

Hi again.I just installed VirtualDub and converted a MJPeg file to an AVI using a DivX slow setting. I'm very impressed with the quality.I did the same file using fast DivX and also using the Panasonic encoder but it's no contest. I captured at 704 X 480 with the Marvel G200(30 frames/sec) and used the default setting in VirtualDub.

[bastioned]

Mordrid, these are the settings I use:

Capture 704x576 PAL 25 fps
Virtual Dub :

- Filter Deinterlace Merge fields
- Convert resulting video to Slow motion DivX 910 Kbit/s for 8MB/min
Amazing quality!

Really good results this way too:

Capture 704x576 PAL 25 fps
Virtual Dub:

-Filter 2:1 to obtain 352x288
- Convert resulting video to Slow motion DivX 910 Kbit/s for 5MB/min

[Dr Mordrid]

Just thinking out loud here....

What with these new Chinese DVD players having programmable ROM's and computer style DVD drives anyone want to bet that MPEG-4 will be an upcoming feature? That sure would give VCD/SVCD a run for it's money.

Several of 'em have already addded MP3, so they're half way there. Let's just hope the ROM's are big enough for a retrofit ;-)

MP3 is also moving past computers & the mini-players. My son just bought an MP3 capable CD deck with his new truck (Dodge Dakota). His logic was that with 100+ songs on a single disk who needs a CD changer?

Dr. Mordrid

[bastioned]

Well, actually it´s hard to think that in the near future there will be MPEG4 capable DVD readers. I say it ´cos of the differences between both codecs, MPEG2 and 4.It´s like trying to play a DVD in a CDI, the second one had special hardware for MPEG1, in other words, the supported format was held by the hardware , not the software. A different thing is what we do with our PCs, the processors inside are fully programmable, not like video decoders, witch are operations limited.

But I still dream of it would love to see all my DivX easily in my DVD !!

[bastioned]

Update:

After some more research, here are the optimum params for my capture process:

Video Input ->
MJPEG 704x576 PAL 25 fps 2500 KBs

Virtual Dub:
Smart PAL Deinterlace ( no frame
size reduction )
Color-Hue Modifier : to increase luminance
without affecting Chroma ( more vibrant
colors )
Divx codec Slow Motion 1 key/s 910 kbit/s

Result : 45 min full screen high quality video in only 315 MB ( 16 bit 44100 Hrz sound included )

[Kennd]

Hey everybody
I hop somebody can help me out here....

I capture in PC-VCR with my G400: 704*576 25fps PAL, and need to compress to either MPEG2 or DivX, what is best?

when I export to DivX from Premiere 6 using DivX codec 4.01 I get good quality but images are in slow motion. I dont think the images are deinterlaced for some reason even though Ive clicked the setting. The sound is normal (not in slow motion).

Can I use VirtualDub for this purpose?
With what do you capture?

I have tried TMPGEnc to encode in MPEG2, but get really jerky playback because images arent deinterlaced properly, I think?

How can I do it? I have a 45 minute movie which I want to put on a CD (for PC) or VCD (for DVDplayers)

[Sciascia]

Have any of you guys ever heard of Nandub? It is a hybrid of Virtual Dub and allows multipass DivX encoding using one pass to determine where to use teh Fast motion slow motion codecs and then using the 2nd pass to encode it. The results are astounding. If you are serious about using DivX, this is the best quality available for it. The options are a litle daunting, but www.doom9.org has a very good guide.

[Dr Mordrid]

How are you encoding those files in TMPGEnc? If you aren't using the delacing filters on the Settings/Advanced page then you're not likely to get as good a result.

I highly recommend the "Even-Odd Field (field adaptation)" delacing filter.

Dr. Mordrid

[Marshmallowman]

yes I agree virtualdub and divx 4.12 work well for me.(slow 1 pass quality based)

but I used to have very good results using 2 pass on earlier
version of divx, but it seems to be a bit broken now.

I might give a nandub another try

I have been using mjpeg(morgan) for capture in virtual dub, as I get to many dropped frames using divx for captures...1.4G athlon 512m sdram 720x576 PAL

mjpeg normal settings (quality 1t 75)

divx 90% for 352x288 (2:1 quality reduction filter from 720x)
gave nice result for "Holy Grail" conversion from a huffy capture->mjpeg convert -> divx 4.12

or 75-87% for full pal , depending on capture size, required quality

can anyonew recomend a good codec/tool for converting to
SVCD's ?(mpeg2 at 320x576?)