Encoding video game videos using XviD

[Seraphic-]

Hi,

Well, I've been using Real Video/Audio 10 for awhile now. But I think it's time to move on as it seems there is no Real Video/Audio 11 in the works (for awhile anyway). Don't get me wrong, videos look good, but it's really hard to control their size. Some turn out small and some are massive. Anyway, what codec would work well or is recommended for video game movies? I.E. (DivX, XviD, or MPEG-4 AVC)

So far I've only tested the below settings using XviD. But are they out-of-date? I mean, are there other settings I should try? I'm trying to you know, keep the video crisp, low artifacts, colors strong, and have about 10MB-15MB per minute.

-Only use target size, not target bitrate or quantizers.
-Profile: Use AS@Level5, nothing else.
-Motion Search Precision: use 6 - Ultra High
-VHQ: Use VHQ 1 on everything, possibly higher settings if you want 1 CD rips. VHQ 4 is perfectly safe, just slow.
-Quantization Type: use H.263 for a softer image, or MPEG for a sharper image (at the expense of bitrate, not recommended for a 1CD rip). Either way, use the same one for both passes.
-B-frames are good, but don't go above 2 Maximum B-frames (so put the number 2 in the Maximum B-frames box (putting in 1 will result in the same as DivX's Max number of B-frames)). Keep all other B-frame settings at default.
-Don't use Packed Bitstream.
-Don't mess with Interlaced encoding, greyscale, Debug settings, Curve compression, overflow treatment, GMC, Reduced Resolution (RRV), and Aspect Ratios. These settings are simply not for newbies; you need to understand them to use them properly.
-Don't use the Zones, they'll just complicate things for you.
-set 'Maximum I-frame interval' to 10 times the clip's framerate, nothing else.
-Qpel is safe but slow. Always use it if you get undersized files, it will increase quality.
-Chroma Optimizer/Motion is also good and recommended. Always use it.

Since i'm new to XviD I used the below guide for some help. But its two years old
http://ronald.vslcatena.nl/docs/xvidfaq.html#C17

Oh, I take it audio with CBR is always recommended over that with ABR? (say at 128kbps). Last, what other container does XviD work with?

Thanks

[Seraphic-]

Could anyone give me feedback please?

[check]

Answer: test test test!
qpel is interesting - I've never tried it for game footage so can't comment on whether it's beneficial or otherwise.

As to your other non xvid questions:
o The reason you got wildy varying filesizes with RV was probably because you were using constant quality mode rather than constant bitrate, which meant all the videos had the same quality and bitrate was adjusted accordingly. If you reverse this you will be able to tell what size the file will be, but quality will vary from file to file.
o xvid fits into pretty much any non proprietary container.
o you should compare xivd & x264 to see which gives better results at a given bitrate. Check out the presets in MeGUI if you are unsure as to which options to use.
o ABR audio has a slightly higher overhead than CBR in avi, but this is a pretty small loss and ABR gives better audio quality. If you make the jump to h264 you should look at newer audio codecs too, such as vorbis or AAC.

[CWR03]

I don't believe you'll be able to get improved quality in an XviD video over a Real Video without significantly increased size.

Most people already have or can easily get RealPlayer, while the general public doesn't have a clue what MPEG-4 is or how to view it.

[Seraphic-]

Well yes, in RealProducer i've always used "target quality". The video comes out MUCH sharper and crisper then if I were to use just "target bit-rate". I start at 75%, but most of the time have to go down to 65%, or even 60% before I get a usable file size.

Below are the audio codecs that were included with the codec back I downloaded, I've been using "Lame MP3 128K stereo" to test. Are you talking about AC-3?
http://www.seraphicgate.com/audio.jpg

Does VirtualDub allow for saving XviD files in a container other then avi? I didn't have much luck, so I guess no?

[foxyshadis]

The best thing you could do for xvid is to look at the preliminary presets thread. You'll find the best settings for whatever file size you want to end up with. This needs to go in the site FAQs, it's the same recommendation I give everyone now.

Don't encode your audio in vdub, ever. You should get BeLight and use that for AAC, Vorbis, or even mp3 encoding. If you must, use vdubmod to mux them in, but you'd be better off using mkvmerge or yamb - the mkv/mp4 formats are better for the video as well, unless you need to watch it on a hardware divx player.

[Blue_MiSfit]

I would argue. Sometimes all you need is 128k CBR LAME (for youtube), in which case its very convenient to encode to cq3 XviD and MP3 all in one fell swoop with vdub :)

Generally speaking though (read - for anything VBR) absolutely encode and mux elsewhere!!

~MiSfit