Need a *good* software for converting MP4 to AVI ..

[ahmadka]

Hi all ... Well I have all these camera recorded MP4 video files which I'd like to re-encode into XviD AVI format ... I normally use VirtualDub for all video related procedures but VirtualDub doesn't by default support MP4's (I know there are workarounds but they dont product good results for me) ..

So I have tried a few small 'format conversion' program for converting MP4 to AVI, but they all give choppy/blocky AVI videos .. The results videos have parts in them which remain 'constant' for 2-3 seconds and then suddenly change (going from one keyframe to another directly) ..

I need a tool/program (free or otherwise) which can give good outputs and supports batch conversion (since I have a lot of MP4s and would like to run the same job on all videos) ..

Any recommendations ?

[Inspector.Gadget]

Avidemux, and set the Xvid encoder's mode to Constant Quantizer and the quant value to be low (start at 2 and increase until you're at the lower limit of acceptable quality).

[yetanotherid]

I always use AutoGK to convert MP4s to AVIs. If you simply change the input file's MP4 extension to AVI it'll happily convert the video. The only problem is the audio, depending on whether it's a format AutoGK is happy with. If it's not I convert the audio to MP3 using foobar2000 (it'll play the audio in MP4s without having to demux it first) and there's a plugin which will convert 5.1 to stereo if you need it.
You should be able to batch convert all the video with AutoGK using a particular quality setting and the batch convert all the audio if need be. Unfortunately though you'd have to mux all the audio and video tracks manually when it's done.

[Blue_MiSfit]

Post a mediainfo dump of one of your MP4 files.? They might be vanilla MPEG-4, which can be remuxed into AVI without a re-encode.

Derek

[Selur]

Have you tried http://mp4cam2avi.sourceforge.net/ ?

[pnaeroneer]

I too would like a good MP4 to AVI converter. I have a downloaded movie in MP4 format which will play only on my PC. I have a Sony DVD player which accepts .AVI files and plays them perfectly, but not when an MP4 file has been converted to AVI - I get "Data Error" on the display.

I have tried various converter programs such as AVS Video Converter, SUPER Video Converter, and Mp4cam2AVI, but while the resulting AVI file plays OK on my PC the Sony player will not accept them.

I have tried creating DVDs instead, but the results are disappointing - poor resolution and jerkiness which is most noticeable on panning. A frame-by-frame examination shows that every 24th frame is repeated in order to make a 25fps DVD, thus creating a pause at one-second intervals. Therefore, I have stopped creating DVDs and simply copy the AVI file to a DVD and play that. Now, if only I could convert an MP4 file to AVI and have my Sony Player accept it......

Has anyone managed it?

[pnaeroneer]

Blue_MiSfit
You said: "They might be vanilla MPEG-4, which can be remuxed into AVI without a re-encode."

Can you be more specific for a newbie?
i.e. Program used, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 etc

Thanks

[7ekno]

I have tried various converter programs such as AVS Video Converter, SUPER Video Converter, and Mp4cam2AVI, but while the resulting AVI file plays OK on my PC the Sony player will not accept them.


And therein lies your problem ;)

Try with decent tools like XviD4PSP, StaxRip or HDConvertToX ...

In XviD4PSP you select your target format (AVI, don't select a "profile" and it will default to "Standalone Player" compatibility), drag and drop the MP4 into the encode area & click "Encode" ...

In HDConvertToX in the settings page, there is a tick box for hardware compatibility ...

In StaxRip there is a profile for "DivX" players ....

Blue_MiSfit
You said: "They might be vanilla MPEG-4, which can be remuxed into AVI without a re-encode."

You haven't mentioned your reason for going to AVI, so it's possible that your MP4 video contains something like MJPEG video or ASP video that can be "muxed" straight into an AVI container (download AVIMux_GUI, drag your file to the top section, select video & audio streams to mux into AVI & click "Save") .... BUT if your video is MJPEG it won't play in a DVD player marked "DivX" this way (hence why the reason you want it in AVI IS IMPORTANT!)

7ek

[Blue_MiSfit]

I asked for a MediaInfo dump, and you still haven't provided one. Without this information, we're all just blowing hot air around :D

We can't help you if you won't follow directions :)

Derek

[yetanotherid]

Post a mediainfo dump of one of your MP4 files.? They might be vanilla MPEG-4, which can be remuxed into AVI without a re-encode.

Derek

Were you referring to me? Anyway....
I discovered a few days ago I can do the same think with MKV files too. I haven't tried any other formats yet.
I don't understand what happens "under the hood" but a while ago changing the MKV extension to AVI wouldn't work. As I tried it again recently (long story as to why) and it worked, being curious I reverted my PC back to it's state of a couple of years ago via an old Ghost image. Tried again. MP4s worked, MKVs didn't.

The difference between then and now, at least the one I think made the difference (aside from it being an older version of AutoGK) is then I didn't have the Combined Community Codec Pack installed, or more specifically, the Haali splitter.

Reverting the PC back to "now" I could still convert MP4s and MKVs using AutoGK by changing their extension to AVI. I can only guess that as AutoGK converts a "pretend" AVI via DirectShow, and every time it does the Haali splitter gets involved, it's the Haali splitter which is allowing the trick to work. And even though I don't understand why it works, the fact that the Haali splitter doesn't get involved when it's a real AVI, yet it does when it's a pretend one, seems to me to confirm the theory that it's the Haali splitter doing the clever stuff.

It can't be AutoGK demuxing the original MP4 or MKV video into an AVI because the decode/encode happens via DirectShow. That's why I can only convert the video that way. If I select the audio too, then AutoGK does try to demux it and it's all over before it begins.

"The only problem is the audio, depending on whether it's a format AutoGK is happy with."

I've no idea why I said that. Obviously a dumb moment. It'll never convert the audio in an MP4.
I think because sometimes I actually do remux the MP4 video and audio into an AVI myself and then get AutoGK to convert it, that's where my "depending on whether it's a format AutoGK is happy with" dumb moment must have come from. When I remux to an AVI prior to conversion, the audio format can only be mpeg or AC3 etc or it's all over before it's starts again.

A little AVISynth, DirectShow script, pointing to any video file your PC can play, also does the job. Of course you have to wrap it into an AVI so AutoGK can open it, but from there it's business as usual. Except for the audio of course, you still have to convert that yourself. Fortunately, foobar2000 can open and convert the audio inside MP4s and MKVs without the need for all the usual demuxing, and with a couple of extra plugins installed, it'll open and convert audio via an AVISynth script too.
Easy! And I can keep converting with AutoGK instead of converting to one of those "decent" tools which never seems to do the job as well. ;-)