Final MP4 larger than I want + ?

[nunya]

So I went through using MEGui for the first time using this link:
http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/MeGUI_H.264_Conversion_Guide_page5.html

I get to the calculator and adjust the size of the file I wanted, 2100k (3/CD), and that's including the audio @ 192k, but the file size came out over 3000K. I set the average bit rate based on what the calc said for an overal file size of 2100K, but still came out too big.


Also, as I've read that x264 can provide a better quality at a lower overall file size, if an xvid file is at about 1.5-2.0 gb, what approximate size x264 file can I expect having about the same quality? Maybe tha's not enough information......

thanks.

update: I'm going to try it again....i think the audio profiles may have been what screwed me up but I do't see how an audio file would make the overall file size 1Meg larger. Last time I used 192k multichannel, this time i'm going to try 128k multichannel, which raises the bit rate of the video....so I don't know if it's going to change much form the last one. I did hit apply from the bit rate calc to set it.

:So I tried it again with a lower audio bit rate...even tho it increased the video bit rate to compensate! I got it down to a little over 2gb file, but I still don't understand where that original 1gb came from.

[chickenmonger]

It's called a bitrate calculator in MeGUI, but what you really want to do in this scenario is use it as a final file size calculator.

Load up your AVS in the main window, and choose your preferred profile, like CE-Baseline. Open the bitrate calculator. It should fill in the correct duration of the video. Choose the "select" button under "Audiotrack 1" and select your audio file. Make sure the radio button for "File Size" is selected, not "Average Bitrate". You want the final file size to be the driving factor. I'm not certain about the inner workings of the bitrate calculator, but this particular method works well for me. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

I'd suggest, though, trying the constant quality options of x264. I was a "file size" zealot a while back until I realized that I was no longer trying to fit encoded video on CD-Rs anymore. Perhaps your scenario is different.

[nunya]

well I don't know what I had done that first time....but so far the 2 projects i've done have turned out properly in regards to file size.

I'm not so much a file size zealot as I store this flix on a HDD, but I want to keep them to a set size for that reason so I have a better idea how many movies of a given size will fit on it.



Though I may experiment a bit with using bit rate instead of file size to see what the difference in quality is. I'm not a hardcore audio/video-phile, just someone who wants convenience.

I do have another question, though this may be the wrong forum and I will search else where:

What is the best method of joining 2 .264 vids? I haven't looked to see if megui does...guess I'll do that now.