Video encoding recommendations

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Video encoding recommendations

Niel

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#105408 3-Jul-2012 21:44

We've got home videos that are taking up too much space, currently in VOB format. It is on a WD MyBook Live with Twonky (UPNP) to stream to an Android tablet, and to a Windows PC connected to a full HD TV. Later we will also buy a couple of TVs with network connections. I want to convert the files to something smaller. Was going to look at FLV as it is a streaming format, but then saw that FLASH will not install on Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). So it looks like I've probably got to go for h.264?

Last time I've compressed VOB files was a number of years ago using the original Dr DivX... What software do you guys currently use/recommend for my use case? My home PC is only a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, but I might be able to use my i7 workstation at work if I can justify installing transcoding software.

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wellygary

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#650302 3-Jul-2012 21:59

Handbrake ftw

Http://Handbrake.fr

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davidcole

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#650421 4-Jul-2012 08:20

Handbrake, store as either h.264 MKVs or MP4 - MP4 is fairly acceptable format and supported by most mobile devices.

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wellygary

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#650432 4-Jul-2012 08:46

If you are thinking about sticking a couple of TVs on your network in the future, Choose the MP4 route,

Some brands of TV (I am looking at you Sony) will only play MP4 from a DLNA server (twonky),

garvani

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#650438 4-Jul-2012 08:57

Tv's are getting better, both our LG and Panasonic plasma's will play anything under the sun including MKV's, and this is direct from a usb drive.

Niel

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#650702 4-Jul-2012 15:35

Thanks guys, great help. The primary concern is my wife's Android tablet. TVs are secondary as I can always just add a cheap PC. For the (future) main TV we need something like the Sharp 70" just not sure about getting a Sharp or the price tag (yet). Other TVs will probably be Samsung. I'm not into Sony ever since the Betamax saga (they copied the Philips VHS concept and released a crap unfinished design to get market share).

Without having looked at it yet, so I just select MP4 in Handbrake and use default settings? A lack of processing power is not good for experimenting with different settings when converting 800GB of video...

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wellygary

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#650740 4-Jul-2012 16:21

For the best results use the High profile built-in preset

Also with regard to your 800GB of files to convert,
Handbrake will batch queue, so you can leave you machine encoding overnight/weekend etc, just queue it up and let it go to it....

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Snowflake

#650749 4-Jul-2012 16:36

wellygary: For the best results use the High profile built-in preset

Also with regard to your 800GB of files to convert,
Handbrake will batch queue, so you can leave you machine encoding overnight/weekend etc, just queue it up and let it go to it....

800GB overnight or over a weekend? wellygary must have a kick-a55 setup if he thinks thats all it will take :P

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Niel

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#650768 4-Jul-2012 17:22

Will have to utilize that i7 I've got at work...

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated.

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Niel

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#651950 6-Jul-2012 15:56

Feedback: I could actually encode while working, no need to run it overnight. At home the 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo encodes at about 12 to 14 FPS, but at work the 3GHz i7 950 encodes at about 55 to 58 FPS. Maybe time to upgrade the home PC.

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