What do I need (softwar and codec wise) to do DVD>H.264?

[KellyK]

Hey guys

I'm sick of my DVD>XviD rips (quality wise - even at a bitrate of approx. 2000), so I want to convert from DVD>H.264. I want the audio to be 320kbps LAME v3.96 or later (only final stable builds) CBR mp3 stereo (not joint stereo). I will use 2gb filesizes for videos > 1h 20mins and 1gb filesizes for videos <1h 20mins.

I've heard the Nero codec which comes bundled with Nero 7 is THE best H.264 codec/encoder to use. Is this true?

What's the best softwrae to use? Is Gordian Knot THE BEST. True?

What are some good guides for ripping from DVD>h.264 for intermediat/advanced person?

I'm after MAX quality at these filesizes

Thanks :)

Kelly K

[Hellworm]

Hey guys
... is THE best ...

What's the best ... Is Gordian Knot THE BEST...


:readrule: :p

No really, don't ask whats best.

And for a very good h264 encoder have a look at x264. Megui is one of the favorite frontends for this encoder.

[SealTooGreat]

No really, don't ask whats best.

...or bond will eat you for the dinner. :D

[foxyshadis]

AutoGK still chugs along pretty nicely, though it has some downsides (avi only, detection and filtering not as good as megui's). GK isn't really worth the hassle for no better results than AGK. MeGUI, AutoMKV, Staxrip, and even Realanime are good x264 guis, and in my experience it's best to try each for a short DVD to see if you like how they flow. You'll also need something to rip each DVD, such as DVDDecryptor, ripit4me, or DVDFabDecryptor.

Nero's a very popular choice, because it integrates everything, rip to burn. There haven't been any serious quality tests in the last year or so between x264 and nero, especially since it's highly dependant on the filtering you (or your gui) use, but both are consistently excellent.

Guides:
Megui wiki (http://mewiki.project357.com/)
AutoMKV wiki (http://automkv.wiki-site.com/)
peruse the stickies here too, some of them have helpful encoding info.

2GB is pretty overkill and you can get results just as good from xvid much faster, but hey, it's up to you. If you have all that space to spare, you might want to just use quality encoding instead of a defined filesize, might fit an extra movie in on most dvds. One-pass quality can save a ton of time over two-pass.

[PuzZLeR]

I will recommend two apps: Nero Recode (based on Ateme's codec) and HandBrake (based on x264's codec).

Nero is not free, but not expensive either. As well, you will need to install other Nero apps on your PC, even if you only want Recode. It also has guides available.

HandBrake is free. I will say though, that if you ever prayed for that awesome H.264 encoder/GUI this little gem is a sending from above. It's really that good IMHO. Their site has guides with tons of useful information. As well, HandBrake is also much less complicated than MeGUI is.

Just to add to comments:

Nero's a very popular choice, because it integrates everything, rip to burn. There haven't been any serious quality tests in the last year or so between x264 and nero, especially since it's highly dependant on the filtering you (or your gui) use, but both are consistently excellent.

Agreed. However, you need to decide the bitrate beforehand and go with 2 passes for best quality.

you might want to just use quality encoding instead of a defined filesize .... One-pass quality can save a ton of time over two-pass.

One disadvantage of Nero is, sorry to say, that it's TERRIBLE at one-pass situations. It does not have a true CRF type of function.

This is another reason why I recommended HandBrake. Not only is it free, but does 1-Pass CRF effectively with its Constant Quality percentage slider.

Approximate equivalent conversions from x264:
59% = CRF 21
61% = CRF 20
63% = CRF 19
65% = CRF 18

HandBrake only accepts DvD input though (which shouldn't be a problem in this thread). Nero is great for other non-MPEG-2 based files.

For audio:
I don't think Nero has a Lame/MP3 encoder, only AAC (LC and HE). So I think you may be out of luck here. However, you do want to be encoding in AAC today with its better efficiency, features and growing support for the future.

If you really need MP3, then HandBrake should do exactly what you need, but only for Xvid. So far I haven't gotten it to work with H.264. Not sure if the surround features are good since I don't yet have the physical system to test them out.

Then again, you can mux video and audio from one to the other.

My Final Verdict: Both are excellent given the right situation. But I do mention once more that this is in my opinion. No disrespect to other great apps out there.

Final Note: Beware! If you're new to this you may fall prey to a bunch of those "iPod conversion" scams being advertised all over the 'net. They are always out looking for a quick coin off an unaware n00bie looking for a quick solution. It's not the fee they charge that bothers me, but that these products stink and still charge you. They only do one ABR pass (for "speed") and have very limited options. Audio? Forget quality here. Result: quality sucks and you're out $40. Don't waste your time with these clowns. An app like HandBrake can already do what they do 10x better for free.

[audyovydeo]

Hey guys

(...)

Kelly K


Avidemux.
A very complete frontend (plus an application in its own right) to various programs including x264.

home page here : http://www.avidemux.org/
latest builds here : http://www.razorbyte.com.au/avidemux/

[foxyshadis]

Nero can use the lame mp3 filter (http://www.bitburners.com/Nero_Audio_Plugins_by_MauSau/), but honestly I don't know if it works in recode just because it works in the cd ripper. I don't have recode to test with.

It's nice that handbrake lets you customize the x264 options, in case you want to use something a little more interesting than its very fast, fairly large file settings.